Disclaimer: IY not mine!
From Within
Prologue
She could barely contain them all. As it was, her face was contorted with the effort she made not to let those tears rain down in front of them all. This was the last night of anguish at the hands of him, and yet, she did not feel grateful. Kagome held the shining jewel in the palm of her outstretched hand, its sparkling purity illuminating the young miko's features. She cocked her head to one side, taking in Inuyasha's labored breathing, Miroku's bleeding arm, Shippou's limp and then she focused on her. Those compassionate gray eyes clouded over slightly as she bit her lip and whispered her condolences: "Sango-chan…I-I'm so sorry. He just threw himself in the way; there was no way…"
The taiji-ya shook her head slowly, fine tremors wracking her graceful figure as she muttered hoarsely, "There wasn't anything that could be done, Kagome." She refused to look in the direction of her brother's lifeless form.
Her friend merely reached over and grasped her hand, giving it a tight squeeze of comfort. Once she let go of her friend's hand; however, she let out a slight gasp and a searing light came over them all. The jewel, which had been finally reassembled and in restored to its original state of clarity, seemed to blend into the young woman's skin as she screamed in shock. In a flash, before Inuyasha could even dash over, before anyone had a chance to even throw their arms over their eyes to shield them from the flash, it was over. Kagome sank to her knees, her eyes hazy as she slumped down, the jewel nowhere in sight.
Inuyasha's vocabulary was at its highest state of florid obscenity: "Fuck! What the hell happened to you, bitch?"
Kagome appeared to be completely worn out and did not answer. Which was just as well, since a cool, rumbling voice pierced the chaotic moment, subduing it to silence: "She just absorbed the jewel, fool."
Inuyasha's ears twitched in irritation and Sango suddenly felt fatigued to the very marrow of her bones. At some point her legs must have stopped sustaining her, because she vaguely registered that she was leaning against the houshi's warm grasp. The last thing all of them needed was another dog demon hissy fit. Surprisingly, Inuyasha didn't offer any: "What do you mean, Sesshoumaru?"
The elegantly clad demon lord stepped into the clearing, his clear amber eyes peering down stolidly at the tousled, motley group, "When your wench made that first action of… benevolence, the jewel merged with her after having seen that she was fit to be the wielder of its powers."
"What?" Inuyasha practically hollered as he clutched a boneless Kagome to him in a death grip: "You mean we have to go through the whole fucking ordeal again?"
Sesshoumaru merely blinked condescendingly as he ran his claws over the fur pelt that adorned his side, "No, hanyou—its powers are now one with the miko." As understanding dawned on the half demon's features, mingling with instinctive mistrust, his elder half-brother merely turned, his ridiculously long silver hair swaying as he addressed his henchman and ward: "Rin, Jaken—we leave now."
Miroku spoke up now, his clear voice resonating against his chest and vibrating through her own body. Sango shuddered at the close contact. "Is that all you have come here for?"
To this question, the great demon lord of the Western lands did not even deign to turn around. He merely stopped in his tracks to say, "I came to see if Naraku had truly fallen. I hold it against you all that Naraku fell at your hands, not mine, wrenching a much-deserved chance at vengeance from me. I, however, will not strike at you now. I like my prey to be at the best of their abilities before I take them down."
Inuyasha spat on the ground and bit out, "Dammit, Sesshoumaru—"
To the astonishment of those clustered around the forest clearing, a small, human girl ran to the demon lord, giving him an impish smile before she interrupted Inuyasha with infectious excitement, "Sesshoumaru-sama! I found another!"
The mighty demon lord looked down upon the small girl, who appeared to hold her bloodied fingers up for the demon lord to see… or smell. The lord bent over to catch the scent, not taking heed of the fact that his half-brother and all of his friends were watching with unrestrained interest. After a split second, the demon lord blinked and straightened up with surprising alacrity, giving Rin a deep look as he asked, "This one?"
Rin nodded cheerily, apparently not affected by the fact that another's blood tainted her fingers: "Yes, I want him!"
The youkai lord turned around to face the worn-out group with an unfathomable expression—he was searching for someone. Her. His eyes settled on her. For an instant, his glacial amber gaze pierced through Sango as she wearily returned his with dim confusion and a stubborn lift of her chin. He then broke the moment, turning to face his small companion: "Very well." With a slight halt in his step that nearly went undetected (was that hesitance coming from the great dog demon?), Sesshoumaru turned to his left, walking slowly yet steadily to a spot a little further off, heading towards… towards…
Oh no. Her mind registered what was going on long before he had even reached the body. She leapt out, her sudden, frenzied movements making Miroku lose his grasp of her in surprise as she ran at the demon lord: "Don't you touch him!" She rushed at him, her eyes wild as she attacked him. He would not desecrate her dead brother, not while she still stood and breathed. She grabbed Sesshoumaru by the arm, pulling her arm back for a punch in one swift, fluid motion. But he was too fast—in less than a blink of an eye, he had her by the throat. Miroku stepped forward, brandishing his staff, and Inuyasha let out a warning growl as he urgently but gently laid Kagome on the floor.
His eyes narrowed in cold annoyance and menace: "Leave it be, bitch." With that, he carelessly threw her back at Inuyasha, who had seen the whole scene unravel through huge amber orbs, and who barely managed to come to his senses to catch the demon exterminator with one arm. Sesshoumaru turned around and resumed his walking, stopping only when he came before Kohaku's remains.
Rin, meanwhile, stood a distance away, dancing around a very irate Jaken as she chanted in a high, singsong tone, "He's coming with us! He's coming with us!"
All was silent as every soul that had survived Naraku's last attempt at the jewel in the forest clearing witnessed yet another miracle. Sango wrenched herself from the hanyou's grasp as she stood alone, watching stony eyed. The demon lord brought his arm back to draw a slender sword that rested in its scabbard by his side… Tessaiga. Sango bit her lower lip as comprehension marked her face. Was he... really? She would not believe it, not even when the youkai had unsheathed the sword and wielded it, his amber orbs concentrating on something… Focusing on those creatures, the harbingers of death. With one liquid move, Sesshoumaru cut through them and watched them disintegrate as he stood up, waiting regally for signs of life. Sango was sure she was probably blue in the face; she had held her breath for so long. At first, she had reason to doubt her eyes—it was only a slight rise of his chest. In fact, she couldn't have been sure if it was her wishful thinking or not. But then the rise and fall of her brother's body became undeniably clear as he lay dormant yet alive at the demon lord's feet. Sesshoumaru was glaring icily at the boy, his brow slightly furrowed as he contemplated the prone figure before him. Sango stepped forward, her mind toiling: in a situation like this, what should she say? Thank you for saving my brother… now, would you please leave? That was hardly appropriate. She took another step, only to blink with dismay when Sesshoumaru spun around and sheathed his sword, only to hold his dangerously long claws up and say, "He is to come with me."
Inuyasha immediately snarled and Miroku opened his mouth, but Sango silenced them with a swipe of her arm, cutting through the air with deadly meaning. At this imperative motion, the demon lord merely arched an eyebrow, but otherwise did not alter his impassive countenance. The taiji-ya took another small step, her chin lifted up in order for her to scrutinize the taller youkai's countenance: "Because you did us the favor of reviving him?"
Sesshoumaru peered down at the human's battle-worn, eerily sparkling eyes. He could tell she was fighting against her tears and could barely hold herself together as it was. He felt a wave of contempt wash over him. How pitiful, these humans. He slowly folded his arms inside his kimono sleeves as he responded in a low voice, "My reasons are to remain mine alone."
Sango looked down and fingered her shattered armor. For what motives Sesshoumaru would take her brother, she did not know. She could only surmise that he was complying with his ward's wishes, but wouldn't that be too simple for the devious youkai lord? She cast a keen look at her unconscious brother, noticing the way his eyelashes were fluttering and a pale sheen of sweat was glistening on his skin. It was clear that although he had been healed in body, he was nowhere near being healed in mind. Perhaps… perhaps this was the best way. If she demanded for Kohaku to stay with her, she risked the lives of her companions and her brother. He also would be haunted of all the atrocities he had committed under Naraku's control—something that might be made unbearable if he were made to stay and relive each excruciating moment merely by looking into his sister's face. It would be the best… for Kohaku's sake. She looked up, her expression firm, tears no longer threatening to frost her face as she gave the demon lord a mere nod.
Her response had not been anticipated. Clearly, as the reaction of her friends and his half-brother erupted noisily into their surroundings, they had not expected it either. The taiji-ya stood resolute, her face firm and fierce, commanding a sort of… dignity. The tears that had threatened to spill over her cheeks had left without a trace, leaving in its place a steadily kindling fire from within. Even with her ragged, torn clothes and the clumps of her disheveled hair pooling out of her ponytail, the girl resonated strength. She had given him her voiceless consent. Hhn. Not like he had ever needed it. Without another word, Sesshomaru bent down and picked up the unconscious boy, slinging him over his shoulder as he calmly waited for Rin and Jaken to scamper over to him before he exited the clearing. His acute hearing allowed him to hear a soft thud—the female must have lost all her strength and fallen to a dead faint, like the other wench. His golden eyes narrowed slightly—humans, what a waste of time. He was certain that the taiji-ya's brother would bring nothing but trouble, but Rin had asked for him. Repressing a snort of annoyance, he felt the warm pulsing of the boy's young, strong heart beat under his chest and knew that he would have to deal with him later, when they entered his territory. One human was questionable enough, but two? Perhaps he would suit as a servant. Either way, he knew that it wouldn't be too long until he met up with his half-brother and his wretched friends. Just because the human bitch had given him up willingly this time didn't mean that she wouldn't try to win him back. But that would give him an opportunity to gain his revenge and the Tetsusaiga… all in due time.
When he had started to head out of the clearing with her brother carelessly thrown over his shoulder like that, the finality of her decision finally struck her. Sango couldn't handle it anymore—her temporary strength had been sucked out of her, leaving her wobbly and unsteady. She fell to her knees with a decisive thump, her mind blank. She did not realize that she sat motionless like that for several minutes, nor did she realize that Miroku had picked her up gently in his arms, carrying her back to the village where Kaede and Shippou were waiting for them.
Author's note: sorry for the en medias res intro—it might confuse some ppl. This is the moment right after they all defeated Naraku. Narration? Centered on Sango's POV (3rd person), then on Sesshoumaru's POV (3rd person). The couple in focus? Drum roll… Sango + Sesshoumaru (I'm not the first to elaborate on this pairing. Thunk wrote what I believe to be the first one with her Soledad. Excellent stuff. It's what first turned me to this otherwise unusual couple to begin with).
