Second Chances

            Sequel/Prequel to 'Bent Reality'

Proposal

            Inuyasha was right, they did start the day early. The sun was barely up when he popped into Keade's hut to wake Sango and Miroku. He was surprised to find Miroku outside leaning against the side of the hut, half dressed.

            "Oh I threw him out there." Sango said when he had asked her what had happened.

            "Because," she said when Inuyasha asked why.

            That had been all the conversation that morning. Sango grabbed her bag and walked by Miroku without a word. Miroku lowered his head and followed after her. Now fully dressed.

            Inuyasha did not carry anything with him besides the clothes on his back and Tetsusiuga. He had never needed anything before…Kagome had always carried the food.

            "I say we rest." Miroku huffed around midday. He collapsed on the ground and said, "We've been walking non-stop and my feet hurt." He took of one of his sandals and rubbed his foot.

            "You're such a baby Miroku." Sango said, but she too sat calmly down on the side of the path the group had been following.

            "We can't stop," Inuyasha bossed. "The only thing we have to go on is rumors. With no Kagome here to see the jewel shards it is going to take longer."

            There was a sharp in take of breath from Sango at the sound of Kagome's name.

            Miroku soothingly patted her on the shoulder. "Yes Inuyasha." He said.

            Both him and Sango stood up and continued to follow Inuyasha without protest until the sun was becoming red and glossy in the sky. At which time Inuyasha's stomach made a loud rumbling sound.

            "My, my." Miroku said. "See as though your mouth stays closed so your stomach speaks up."

            "Shut up!" Inuyasha whirled around and held his fist out towards Miroku.

            "Touchy, touchy." Miroku said.

            "Here." Sango reached into her back and pulled out two apples. She threw one to Inuyasha. He caught it and looked at it as if it were poison. "Well now, eat it. I did not poison it." Sango took a bite out of her own apple.

            Miroku looked at her chewing away with much hunger. Drool was trailing from his mouth and his eyes were as big as saucers.

            "Miroku, your getting drool on my kimono."

            Miroku licked the drool from his lips and continued to stare at the apple. "You wouldn't happen to have one for me?"

            "And what if I don't?" Sango held her apple away from him. Miroku made an attempt to grab it but pitifully missed.

            "Please?" He said like a child.

            Sango sighed and handed him her apple. Only one bite was missing. Miroku took a bite from it exactly where she had and said, "It is almost like we are kissing."

SLAP!

            Inuyasha looked coldly at Miroku; he should have known better than to make that comment.

            Miroku rubbed the side of his face and took another bite from the apple. "Well it is!"

            "Yeah, yeah."

            The weeks that followed were slow and straining. Only having rumors to follow about the jewel shards, Inuyasha and the others made little progress. After three months of searching they were able to retrieve two jewel shards. At least they had the small lump that they had gathered before Kagome had returned home. At the start of everyday Inuyasha would speak little and then start to trudge down a road towards a village, or a mountain. Sango and Miroku would weakly follow him.

            Sango had begun to depend on Miroku for entertainment on these long journeys. Once she stopped hitting him for every little thing, and Miroku made less attempts to pat her ass. Sango realized he was really funny. She started to find that whenever he would ask another girl to bear his child a slight ping of jealousy would rise inside her. But it would quickly be replaced with another emotion.

            Now three months after they first left Keade's hut, six months after Kagome left, Sango was getting restless. The three of them were trudging through a forest. Inuyasha had caught the scent of a demon. They've been following the scent for five hours. The trees were getting closer together and the light of the sun was diminishing behind the heavy foliage of the branches.

            Miroku seemed to read Sango's mind. He said, "Inuyasha, you do realize we've been searching for more than five hours, and I swear that tree looks familiar."

            Sango snickered. She had a habit of doing that whenever Miroku made a joke. You have to understand even the slightest bit of comedy was welcome. No matter how stupid.

            "Fine." Inuyasha stopped walking and turning around to face the two following him. "We will camp here then, smart ass." Inuyasha had stopped directly in a small clearing that was barely big enough to fit one person let alone three. "I'll get some fire wood."

            "Kirara." Sango called behind her. The small cat appeared and mewed in response. "Follow Inuyasha."

            Inuyasha grumbled but did not protest. They both quickly disappeared into the forest.

            "Sango." Miroku sat on the ground and removed his sandals.

            "What." Sango bent over and started to smooth out the grass in the cent of the small clearing for the fire.

            "I have a serious question." Miroku fell on his back and put his hands behind his head.

            "Yeah? You sure you wont hurt yourself if you try to be serious." Sango stopped smoothing the grass and laid on her back beside Miroku. She put her hands on her stomach and stared at the branches.

            Miroku made a fake laugh. He turned on his side and face Sango. She was less than a foot away from him. "No seriously."

            Sango smiled and turned her head and looked at Miroku, "Okay, what?"

            "Didn't Naraku have lots of jewel shards, why don't we go after him?" Miroku said. But Sango could tell from his expression that was not what he had meant to ask.

            She sighed and stared at the tree limbs above her once again. "I asked Inuyasha that once. He said it was because he would slaughter Naraku on site. And that would be a waste of all the work Kagome did."

            She paused here and looked at Miroku again. "So he's going to wait till he cools off completely."

            "Wow, Inuyasha can really hold a grudge." Miroku joked.

            "Yeah," Sango laughed.

            A breeze blew past making Sango's hair get caught in her face. She sat up in frustration.

            "Hey." Inuyasha appeared in the clearing. "None of the wood will light."

            "What do you mean?" Sango asked, wiping the hair out of her face.

            "It's wet." Inuyasha was blunt. "I'm going to have to search further. You stay here. And Miroku keep your hands to yourself. When will you learn?" Inuyasha disappeared into the woods again, with Kirara on his heels.

            Sango looked behind her and saw Miroku making one of his few attempts to grab her ass. Sango glared at him and he pulled his hands back. She crossed her legs and sighed. "I don't think Inuyasha wants you to try anything. I think he's worried for your safety."

            What happened next, Sango will never forget for the rest of her life and beyond.

            Miroku was next to Sango, he gently grabbed her chin and pulled her face so it was facing his. "I never did listen to Inuyasha." He said.

            He softly touched his lips to hers. Sango did not hesitate. She closed her eyes and kissed back and put her hand on Miroku's cheek.

            They released the kiss and Sango stared deep into Miroku's eyes. "Will you do me the honor," she begun. "Of being the father of my child?"

            That will be Kagome's favorite line in the future when Inuyasha tells her this story. Inuyasha was hiding in the branches of the trees just meters from Sango and Miroku.

            Miroku's eyes were wide with surprise but he did not hesitate in answering, "Of course, my Lady."

            Sango flung her arms around Miroku's neck and hugged him. He was finally hers. And she was finally his.

            Two weeks later the wedding was held back at Keade's hut. The entire village attended. The women weaved a giant golden rug to be placed in the center of town for Sango to walk down. Sango had retrieved her mother's wedding Kimono from her village and had Keade hem it up. Miroku was wearing the finest Kimono he could find and Inuyasha was his best man.

            The men had built a wooden gazebo just above where the vows would be uttered. And that is where Miroku nervously awaited Sango's walk down the golden carpet towards him. Inuyasha stood stiffly by his side.

            "Calm down Miroku." Inuyasha uttered. "I can actually hear your knees knocking."

            "You can't blame me can you?" Miroku uttered. "She is marvelous. And she wants to bear my child."

            Inuyasha nearly fell over.

            "Shh, here they come." Miroku said.

            Walking down the golden rug was a boy dressed in white carrying a bucket with some type of smelly substance emitting from it. Behind him two girls dressed in a dark brown uttered strange words of praise.

            And behind them was Sango. Her hair had been neatly brushed down and it was now flowing behind her. Her kimono was a sky blue with an intricate red dragon dancing across it. She smiled shyly when Miroku gapped at her.

            Before he knew it she was standing beside him and it was time to light the unity candles. The candles that would stand for his and her love for one another.

            "Now the bride has made a special request to speak her own vows." The priest said and motioned toward Sango. Miroku's heart beat faster.

            'Special vows?' he thought. 'I'm going to have to do one too, oh great.'

            "Miroku, when I first met you I was trying to kill Inuyasha."

            Inuyasha made a snorting sound.

            "Later on you never missed a chance to grab my ass."

            Some of the village women mumbled in agreement. Miroku smiled nervously. Not that he could be any more nervous.

            "But now during these past few months I feel as though I have seen the real you, and I will be honored to say in the future. 'That man IS the father of my children', that should explain why my son will be so lecherous."

            Several of the villagers laughed out loud and the priest covered his mouth trying to hide his laugh.

            Sango smiled at Miroku and winked. Miroku's lecherous smile appeared across his face.

            "Okay, excuse me. Does the groom have any special vows?"

            Miroku did not answer at first.

            "Groom?"

            "No." Miroku said.

            Some of the villagers gasped and the smile faded from Sango's face.

            Miroku's expression never faltered, "Because there are no words for the love I have for Sango."

            Sango's heart melted.

            "You may kiss your bride." The priest said.

            And Miroku did, more passionately than he had kissed anyone.

            That night at their Honey Moon Sango and Miroku conceived their first child.

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            I am sooo sorry it took me so long to come out with this chapter! I had it typed up a week ago I just never posted it! Please forgive me! I promise to have the next chapter out sooner! We will get to meet Sango and Miroku's first child. Is it a girl? Or is it a boy? Only mother nature knows. And me. How did I find out? Let's just say a little birdie told me.