Sango's Feelings and Miroku's Resolve

Days turned into weeks. It was now the night of the new moon. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, this was the time when he was at his most vulnerable. His demon powers would wane and he would become a human for the remainder of the night. He didn't like this one bit. He had put up with it his whole life, but he still had the instinct of fighting to survive. His companions wouldn't allow him to put himself in danger, though.

With Inuyasha out of commission until dawn, Miroku and Sango decided to take care of a demon that gathered the bones of its victims. The Heroes of Millennia decided to help out. The demon exhaled a toxic breath. Sango was protected thanks to her poison shielding mask, but she warned her comrades to be careful. She tossed her hiraikotsu, but her weapon got caught in the demon's teeth. Sango's weapon was made from the bones of demons, and that was what made it taste delicious to the bone eater.

Joey shot an arrow and struck the demon in the eye, making it lose its grip on Sango's weapon. Emily flew in to recover it. The daughter of the bone eating demon created more skeletons to ambush the heroes. As the skeletons continued to close in, Miroku unveiled his wind tunnel to create an escape route, but the poison emanating from the demons was being drawn in as well, causing pain to the monk. When they broke free, Kaiba helped Miroku to conceal his hand again and Emily began using Remedy to heal the poisoning in his body.

Sango knew what it was the demons wanted and that was her weapon. She came up with a bargain. She promised to give her weapon up. In exchange, she wanted Miroku and the others to be spared. The bone eating demons said it was pointless to negotiate. One way or another, they would get what they want and kill their victims. But the demon slayer had a plan. She coated her weapon with a salve that had the capabilities of making demon bones dissolve. After applying the salve, she tossed it in her weapon and the demon caught it in his teeth again, unaware that he had touched the salve and was beginning to dissolve too.

Frightened of her father's fate, the female demon sent the horde of skeletons to attack. Suddenly, Inuyasha came and used his Adamant Barrage to attack the ceiling, creating a hole. Exposed to the sun's light, the demon began turning into a lifeless skeleton and reduce to dust.

"Talk about impeccable timing," Emily commented.

Joey agreed. "Thanks a lot, Inuyasha. If you had gotten here a little later, we all would have been reduced to bones."

Sango looked at her weapon. It had been split in two and it looked like melted candle wax. "I knew this would happen, but I had to apply the poison. It was inevitable."

Miroku apologized. "If only I had been stronger."

"Don't say that, Miroku," Joey said cheerfully. "You saved all of us. And besides, you know Em can heal you. She'll have the poison out of your body in no time."

"But what about the hiraikotsu," Yugi asked with concern. "The damage looks pretty extensive."

"It can be repaired, right?" Joey asked.

"I don't know," Kaiba shrugged. "Demon weapons aren't like human weapons, from what I've learned. Other than that, Sango's weapon was made from the bones of demons. Fixing it may not be an easy task."

Fortunately for Sango, there was a solution. That was when Inuyasha's advisor, Myoga, came along. Myoga was a flea demon who was hardly noticeable, but always came at the opportunity whenever Inuyasha and his friends were in a bind. But because of his cowardice, he didn't stick around for too long. Myoga advised Sango to go see the master of potions. He was a demon who specialized in herbs and potions and would be able to remove the remaining salve from Sango's weapon and repair it.

Far away, the heroes came to a waterfall. Kaiba covered his face. "This place stinks like alcohol."

Joey agreed. "Yeah, but not like the medicinal kind you use to clean wounds. It's like a winery."

At the bottom of the falls were many different jars and pitchers filled to the top. Myoga told Inuyahsa to pick up one of the jugs and dump out the contents. The half-demon turned it over and a man came out. It was the master of potions.

He inspected Sango's weapon and saw that it had been coated with a slave that could dissolve demons. It wasn't beyond his ability to repair it, but he refused. "You've been using this weapon to fight demons for a long time, yet you apply some poison to it without a thought?" He lectured Sango.

"She did it to save us," said Yugi. "And she was concerned for Miroku's well-being."

"It's okay, Yugi," said Sango. "The master of potions is right. There's no excuse for what I did."

"What, so you're just gonna give up now?" Inuyasha asked.

That was when the master of potions changed his mind and agreed to help repair Sango's weapon. That was when he began examining her body. Sango and Miroku weren't comfortable about this, but the master of potions explained. It's one thing for him to repair the weapon, but Sango has other battles going on at the moment.

The master of potions took two jugs from the river and placed them between him and Sango. The demon slayer placed her weapon in one of the jugs. The jug actually contained a poison that was slowly dissolving the weapon, but the master of potion said it would become a remedy. This was where Sango came in. The master of potions told her to jump into the other jug and face a horde of demons. He told her that if she can pacify the demons, then hiraikotsu will be repaired.

Without giving it another thought, Sango jumped into the jar. Strangely, she could breathe though she was swimming in a potion. A horde of demons approached Sango. Thankfully, she kept a sword at her waist as an additional weapon. However, her sword could not deal any damage. Looking closely at the demons, Sango realized that they weren't looking for a battle. Despite being filled with rage, they had no intention of killing her.

Outside, the heroes were getting worried. They weren't sure how to help Sango, but the master pf potions said she was beyond their reach at the moment. If any of them were to jump in the same jar she did, they would come out drunk and insane. The master of potions came before Miroku, sensing poison in his body. Although Emily was able to heal most of it, some small traces remained. Miroku was surprised that the master of potions could detect a small amount of poison.

Miroku showed the master of potions the scar on his right arm, the one he got from taking in so much of Naraku's miasma. He was able to tolerate taking in poison before, but it was now starting to take its toll on the monk. The master of potions could sense that Sango and Miroku's intentions weren't so different. Just as Miroku wouldn't hesitate to use his wind tunnel to save Sango knowing it will endanger his life, the demon slayer wouldn't have a second thought about damaging her weapon to save the monk.

The master of potions created a potion for Miroku. He said the benefit of drinking the potion was that the monk would not be able to feel pain whenever he took in miasma with his wind tunnel. However, it was also a poison that would not stop or reverse the damage he would take. Any poison would spread and reach the monk's heart and he would never recover.

Miroku made up his mind. He knew if he didn't use his wind tunnel, Sango would only push herself harder to compensate for him and he would never forgive himself if he lost her because of that.

Meanwhile, in the potion, the demons began talking to Sango. "Why?" they demanded to know. "Why did you apply poison to us?"

That was when Sango realized that these demons were the demons whose bones were used to create hiraikotsu.

"We have fought by your side from the very beginning," the demons gurgled. "We believed that through countless battles, a bond was forged between us, one that could not be broken. Now you have poisoned us!" And they began attacking her by ramming their bodies against her. "Why do you not resist? Did the master of potions not tell you to slay us?"

Sango wouldn't, not after what she and her weapon had been through together. Other than that, her weapon was once a bunch of demons who had feelings and suffered when they were alive. And now, after being applied with poison, their souls suffered as well. She released her sword and let it fall to the bottom. "Hiraikotsu, if you will accept me, I wish to fight by your side again."

"Then swear that you will never betray us again," the demons demanded. "Swear that next time, you will abandon the human man instead of sacrifice us. Only then shall we return to you as hiraikotsu."

But Sango knew she couldn't promise that. Her weapon was valuable to her, but she loved Miroku and all the risks and sacrifices were worth making for him. "I cannot make that promise. I won't be able to live if he dies."

The demons snorted in disgust. "If you're willing to sacrifice your life for the sake of a human man, then we shall take it now." The horde of demons surrounded Sango and snared her in their grasp. "This is your last chance. Swear that you will never betray us again."

Her answer remained the same. She wouldn't promise them because if she did, she's only break her promise and lose her weapon with no way of recovering it.

"You're willing to sacrifice yourself," the demons said in astonishment to her seriousness. "Does this monk really mean that much to you?"

"He does," Sango answered.

Meanwhile, Miroku began drinking the poison. It was painful for him to take in, but his body had to adapt to the poison in order for it to take effect. The demons sensed it and notified Sango of what was going on. "The monk has taken in poison. He is nothing but a burden on you."

Sango knew, but would never fail to honor Miroku's efforts for her. The monk had risked his life many times to save the demon slayer. There's no reason why Sango shouldn't do the same for him even if the monk is dying. Like Miroku, Sango is fighting to survive so she can have a life with him. She already promised him that she would and she wasn't about to go back on her promise. That was why she was asking the demons to understand and lend their strength to her and the monk.

Sango heard Miroku calling her name. Based on his tone, she sensed he was in pain. His voice illuminated the area and the demons turned into skeletons. "We are demons; therefore we cannot understand human affection and empathy. However, we have just felt the monk's resolve and have decided that we shall support you once more." The skeletons turned into particles of light and became a newly restored hiraikotsu. "We shall fight by your side again," the demons promised.

At the same time, Miroku's pain was lifting. It was like the poison he consumed and the potion Sango was swimming in were connected with their feelings and resolve for each other and that was how all turned out well for the both of them. But whether things turn out for better or worse, Miroku and Sango will have to discover for themselves – no, for each other.