A/N: yup, it is another update. I am quite proud of myself… I also got an inspiration for the epilogue of my one-shots!!! So, there will definitely be one!^^ I'm bit upset that this one isn't getting as much review, though… I write because I want to, but I do like to be acknowledged too so REVIEW!!! Never mind, thanks for Neoshipper who has been reviewing!!^^ *huggles*

Btw, I have a better idea for the title. 'The Past and the Future', does that sound better? Tell me what you think please!!!!

Disclaimer: I hereby announce humbly that I do not own Inuyasha. That, my friend, is the cruel way of fate. Onwards, then!

Your Smile and Your Tears

By dEeYaN

Chapter Four – "Remember Me!" Says My Brain

Sango stepped of the bus just like she had been doing every weekday now. It has been two weeks since she had first started school. She no longer sits with Kagome and her friends anymore, much to Kagome's dismay.

Instead, she found herself sitting with Kikyo, where she felt more comfortable than with Kagome's friends. It's not like she didn't like them or anything, they're really nice, but it's just that Sango felt out of place whenever with them. She felt that she was being watched, scrutinised, commented about behind her back.

Not that they did on purpose, it's just the way people's minds work. How some people could be closer to other people, how you feel more tuned in to certain persons than others.

Sango smiled to herself, school felt so much better now. She was free of the dread that came to her whenever the bell rang for lunch, the dread of not knowing what to say, of being unaccepted. She could now enjoy her lunchtime without pretending to smile and laugh.

As she walked her way back to her auntie's place that afternoon, Sango stopped by the river like always. This was her favourite place, the only part of the city that hasn't been modernised.

True, there was an extremely busy road right next to it and the greeneries that surround it had to struggle to keep living, near the water as they are. It saddened her to see nature so tainted for the sake of technology. It disgusted her, as a human being, to know that it was humans who were at fault.

But at least, at least when she sits there every day on the bank of the river, the water flowed past steadily, just like it did in her village. It's not even the same river or water but it flows towards one direction, one purpose all the same. As she watches the flow, her ears would be deaf to the busy sounds of the city, her problems would be forgotten and she would be back in her village, the sound of the river never ceasing to sooth her soul.

And then, a truck or a bus, would go pass and she would be jerked out of her trance. That day it was a gang of punks with extremely loud motorcycles that forced her musings to an end. Deciding that it must be time to go, Sango stood up and started climbing the grassy part of the river and up to the road.

The punks that had so unpleasantly pulled her into reality were apparently starting a fight just after the bridge that goes over the river. They didn't seem to care that they were fighting in public, that they might get arrested for causing commotion in a public place. No one else cared either, a punk fight wasn't worth their precious time, they have their own matters to attend to and as long as they weren't in their ways, they cared nothing.

Sighing, Sango kept on walking towards them, since they were in HER way, hoping they would leave her alone. But life just doesn't always go your way. As Sango walked pass the fighting punks, careful as she was, one of them was accidentally pushed her way. And the loser seized his chance.

"One move, Inuyasha, and this girl would be hurt," the punk threatened the guy who had shoved him away. It was obvious to Sango that it was a five on one fight and the Inuyasha guy had been winning too. He must've been pretty strong, especially if they need a girl to defeat him.

"Let go of the girl. She has nothing to do with our business," Inuyasha growled, his long white hair sparkling silver in the setting sun.

'What a punk,' Sango thought, 'as if you would dye your hair white.'

"So, it is true! The once cold-blooded Inuyasha has turned soft!" the punk holding Sango jeered.

"Inuyasha?" something clicked in Sango's mind, "Uh… Don't worry about me. I can handle this."

"Feh! Wenches, always getting in people's way!" although his words were rude, somehow Sango knew that he didn't mean it, somehow she knew that he was worried that the punk would really hurt her. Not that he cared about her or anything, it's just his instinct.

"Take this!" the other punks started landing kicks and punches on Inuyasha, who was still in dilemma whether or not to fight back. The punks had laughed at Sango's remark and he didn't seem to believe her either.

"Cowards, take this!" Sango somehow twisted the guy's hand in a lock and strangled him, "told you, don't worry about me!"

"Keh," was Inuyasha's answer and so they started beating up the punks until they ran away…

"Thanks for saving my life, then," Sango said sarcastically while dusting herself.

Inuyasha just gave a short, "Feh."

"And feh to you too, Inuyasha," Sango was going to start walk away, when she remembered something else, "ne, was your name… Inuyasha? Have we met before?"

"No," was Inuyasha's automatic response.

"That's weird… Ah, sorry," Sango blushed as she realised Inuyasha had caught her staring. She was sure she knew him from somewhere, but she can't remember meeting anyone with (very) long white silvery hair, which strangely look natural enough on him instead of those wanna-bes with fake dyed hair which doesn't suit them at all. Those eyes however, rings a bell, his eyes were light brown, really light brown that it looks more like… amber.

"Feh. I could've finished them up without your help, you know," Inuyasha called out to Sango who had started walking again.

"Yeah, what ev-," Sango froze. Someone had said that to her before. Someone from the past, except the person was younger then and had black hair.

"Excuse me, are you Inuyasha?" Sango ran back to catch Inuyasha.

"How many times do you have to ask??? My name isn't THAT weird!!" Inuyasha clearly didn't want to have anything more to do with her.

"Actually, it is. But anyway, did you visit Taiji-ya Village, sometime ago? Six years back, maybe?" Sango asked feeling sure that this was true.

"Can't remember!" Inuyasha said after a long pause.

"Oh… Must've been someone else then… Sorry..." Sango sighed. So the mystery wasn't solved after all. Someone else must've had the same name, though Inuyasha is definitely not a common name given to every second baby that was born.

Feeling really tired, Sango at last completed her walk home without any further disturbance. Something felt wrong, though, she was so sure that Inuyasha was the same person as the one she used to know. Either he had forgotten about her, which she wouldn't be surprised if he did since she too, had totally forgot about it. Or he chose to forget about it. She had thought she saw a spark of recognition in his eyes when she mentioned her village, but she might've just been imagining it…

It had been a while since her nightmares last visited her. They still pay a visit occasionally to remind Sango of her dark past, but at least they were less real, less vivid and she gets most of the sleep that she needed. Maybe the new environment idea was actually working.

However, as she lay down in her bed that night, she couldn't get to sleep for a long time. Broken images of her past kept coming back to her, including the recent ones when her family was wiped out. Something was nagging her brain to remember, a part of her past wanted to be taken out to the surface, to be taken out of its deep grave in her memory…

And so with those unrestful thoughts, she fell asleep…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: ah… there you go… Inuyasha's here… YAY!!! *claps* It's a really short chapter, I know… I really feel like updating, though… Get the next one up soon, k?

What dya think will happen? And what dya think about the title? Better? Or worse?

Btw, this IS a Sango x Miroku fic. In case anyone's in doubt… I was going to make one of the punk Kouga, might as well later on… Figured out it should all start on Kagome… What do you think?

Go REVIEW now!!! Just click the cute little button down there and make me happy! Pweeseeeeeee??????? *passes out*