Chapter 8
Shinjitsu
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InuYasha stepped up to Sango and eyed her curiously. He circled around her slowly, taking in the way she looked, inspecting her silently. He finally stopped in front of her, placed his fists on his hips and said, "We thought you were a goner."
Sango broke into a smile and threw her arms around InuYasha, and soon, he let himself smile as well, and he hugger her back tightly.
"Kagome!" Sango left InuYasha and ran to her friend to hug her closely, as well. Shippou greeted her by jumping up into her arms, and Kirara soon joined him, making happy little purring noises.
No one knew what to say. They were so happy to have Sango back, they didn't know whether they should laugh or cry. Sango solved the problem for them by stepping back and eyeing each of them. "I must apologize," she said formally. "I allowed myself to forget you all - it was selfish of me. If anything, I should have been thinking of everyone of you the entire time."
"Why *did* you forget us, Sango?" Kagome asked, concerned.
"I. . . I wanted to forget everything! My family's death, Kohaku, how hard everything has been. . . and I also wanted to forget the way Naraku was."
"*Was*?" Sesshoumaru asked quickly.
Sango got a dreamy look in her eyes, and stared at the space in front of her. "Yes. . . *was*. He is so different, now. Sweet, and concerned, loving. . . "
Though alarmed, no one said anything, but instead looked around at one another anxiously. Miroku stepped forward.
"You say, Sango, that Naraku has changed?"
"Yes! For the better! He is much different, now! InuYasha, when you tried to destroy him, you demolished most of his powers. He can hardly remember anything, and his evilness has disappeared. All he wants now is to live a good life. . . he doesn't have much time left," she added sadly. "He's been fading everyday. . . little by little, but surely. And he knew no emotions before he brought me to him. I taught him everything. What love feels like, warmth, passion - "
Sango was interrupted by Miroku turning his back on her and walking away from the group. Silently, he sat down in front of the brook, staring into it in an angry, contemplative way.
Now, no one *really* knew what to say.
"Sango," Sesshoumaru asked calmly, "what exactly are your feelings toward Naraku?"
Sango straightened her shoulders, knowing what her friends reactions would be to her news. But she was ready. "I love him."
InuYasha scowled, Miroku closed his eyes, Kagome gasped a little, and Sesshoumaru's features remained impassive as always.
"This emotion - " said the youkai lord, "It is of your own free will?"
"Yes. He has me under no spell; Naraku has not tricked me. And you," she said, narrowing her eyes slightly at Sesshoumaru, "you've hurt him badly. That's why I cannot stay here for long. I must go back to him, to take care of him. He needs aid to get well. You've shortened what little time he has left greatly, and I intend to spend every last second with him."
"You. . . "InuYasha cut in angrily, "You're going *back*?!"
"Yes. Naraku needs me, I will not leave him alone."
"No. You will not go back to him," InuYasha demanded.
"And when were *you* given the right to order me around?" Sango asked, her voice rising.
"I'm 'ordering you around' as a friend. I don't think you going back to him is good for any of us. How do you know he's not tricking every one of us? You remember what he's done! The number of people he's destroyed! And you claim to *love* him? Are you out of your mind, Sango? Do you even know what you've been doing to Miroku - "
"Thank you, InuYasha. That will be enough," Miroku said calmly, getting up from the ground. "If anyone needs me, I won't be far westward - "
"Can I come with you?" Sango asked suddenly.
Miroku turned around to look at her. His serious eyes flicked unsurely to Sesshoumaru, and Sesshoumaru gave him a small nod. Miroku turned back around and began to walk. "If you wish to."
Sango ran to catch up with him, leaving the rest of the group behind with their thoughts.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Miroku was being so rude! He would not wait up for Sango; instead, he just walked ahead, as if he were trying to get away from her. But she supposed she deserved it. She had, after all, blocked him from her mind, was unfaithful to him, then brushed him off. He had good reason to be angry.
"Miroku, please wait up," she pleaded.
He slowed a little, and she caught up with him. "Gomen nesai, Miroku."
Miroku stopped, and did not look at her, but instead, looked at the ground before him. "Is it true, Sango?"
"Eh?"
"Do you really love him, or is he making you lie to us?" He looked up at her then, he eyes wide and worried, pleading. "You know you can tell me."
Sango was taken aback by his expression, and found that no matter how badly she wanted to lie to him, she couldn't. "Y. . . yes. It is true. I do love him."
"And what happened to your feelings for me, if any such feelings ever existed?"
"I. . . I still love you, Miroku. . . I always have. . . "
"But not the way I love you, Sango. I guess I was living with false hope, then. I really thought we had something that day I kissed you. . . but I suppose I was wrong."
"No! I felt it, too. . . but then, Naraku changed my feelings. . ." Sango made a frustrated sound. "I don't know how to describe it. . . "
"There's no need to. You simply fell in love with him instead - although I can't figure out how or why, unless your story about him is true."
"Of course it is! I could not lie to you."
Miroku's features then showed so much sadness, Sango's heart broke a thousand times. Her eyes filled with tears as he looked at her with that longing expression, his eyes filled with emotion as he stepped up close to her. He put a hand on her cheek and felt her skin softly, and she had to close her eyes. She was getting a feeling similar to the one Naraku gave her when he touched her, but it did not confuse her. She knew then - she loved both Miroku and Naraku equally. Though she could not fool herself; Naraku meant more to her at that moment. He was in pain and needed her; she needed to get back to the castle by sunset.
Her eyes still closed, she could feel Miroku's breath on her lips, and wasn't surprised when he touched his forehead to hers. "I wanted to be the only one for you, Sango. . ." Miroku whispered.
The tears that had filled Sango's eyes now escaped onto her cheeks, and ran away to drip to the ground below. Her chest swelled suddenly, and she wanted to sob. On an impulse, she threw her arms around Miroku's neck and kissed him passionately, wanting - trying - to let him know she still in fact loved him the way he love her.
She broke away suddenly, but kept her face close to his, and whispered, "I love you!" She then turned away from him, running. She knew if she stayed with him that way any longer, she would want to make love with him, and she could not do that to Naraku. Not while he needed her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Did he destroy Naraku?" asked Kagura to her minion. She was lounging in her own stolen castle, in her coolest kimono (due to the warm weather), and starting to plan her revenge on Sesshoumaru if he had not followed through with his promise and destroyed Naraku as she had asked. "Well?" she demanded, her voice irritated.
The zombie stared at her with his blank eyes, and moaned a "no."
Kagura's features hardened for a moment, and an eyebrow twitched. She smirked suddenly. "I knew it. I knew he would not follow through. I was prepared for this." She sighed. "I suppose. . . I had my hopes up. I truly believed Sesshoumaru could do it. It's really too bad, the poor guy probably didn't have a chance to scream before Naraku killed him."
"Sesshoumaru. . . alive. . . "the minion swayed dangerously on his feet, unable to keep his balance.
"*What*? Alive. . . "Kagura looked away at the wall, her eyes narrowed. "Then he escaped." She smirked maliciously. "But, still. . . he did not keep up his end of the bargain. Oh, well. . . I suppose we'll just have to find someone else to destroy Naraku. I'm sure there are many youkai stronger Sesshoumaru. It's a pity we'll have to kill him. He really is very pretty."
Her chuckle filled the room, and reverberated into the afternoon sky.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Do you really have to leave?" Kagome was asking Sango later that night by the fire. InuYasha and Miroku had gone for fish at the nearby pond, Sesshoumaru sat across from them, minding his own business, his eyes closed. He sat with his back perfectly straight, alert, his closed lids blinking every now and then at some small noise.
Kagome had a feeling this was as relaxed as he got.
Sango answered Kagome's question with a sigh. "Yes. Naraku needs me. . . I could never leave him."
"You don"t *want* to leave us. . . do you?"
"Of course not," Sango said not-so-convincingly. Kagome had a hunch something had happened between her and Miroku that she was trying to avoid at the moment.
Kagome just nodded. "When will you come back?"
"I don't know. When he gets well, I suppose." Sango stood. "Kagome. . . I should leave *now*."
Sesshoumaru opened his eyes.
Kagome jumped to her feet. "Stay for dinner at least!"
Sango shook her head sweetly. "Gomen, Kagome. I shouldn't even have left him alone for as long as I already have. I need to go right now and be with him."
"But what about InuYasha and Miroku? Aren't you going to stay to say goodbye to them?"
Tears brimmed Sango's pretty eyes. "No. . . please tell them I said goodbye. I will see you all very soon, I promise. Do not worry."
Sango hugged Kagome, and nodded indifferently to Sesshoumaru as she passed him by.
"Do you need an escort?" he asked from his place on the ground.
Sango stopped. "I do not. Goodbye." She began walking again, and soon disappeared from sight.
Kagome sat back down with a sigh, her chin in her hand. "I really wish she wouldn't go back to him. I worry. . . what if he's threatened her into this, or something? He could've threatened our lives. . . "
Sesshoumaru just gazed at her. "You are probably right."
Silence ensued, and it occurred to Kagome just how alone she and Sesshoumaru were. It was odd. . . for some reason, when no one else was around, she felt she could talk to Sesshoumaru better.
The youkai lord himself spoke again. "You are probably right, and that is why we must destroy Naraku as soon as possible."
"When?"
"We will know when the time is right." He closed his eyes once again, no noise but the crackling of the fire mingling between the youkai and the human.
It began to get too quiet for Kagome. She was from the noisy city, she couldn't take too much silence for long, for crying out loud. "Sesshoumaru- sama?"
An amused eye opened to glance at her, then closed again. "Hai, Kagome?"
"Wha. . . what made you change your mind about humans?"
The youkai was silent. Then he spoke one word. "Rin."
Kagome blinked at him, expecting him to elaborate. When he didn't, she asked, "Who is Rin?"
"A child."
"Oh. She's under your care?"
Sesshoumaru nodded.
"You love her?"
The youkai hesitated, then nodded.
Kagome smiled. Sesshoumaru and InuYasha were both alike in one perspective: they both tried to belie their true feelings when they were around others. Why Sesshoumaru spoke the truth to her now, though, Kagome did not know.
Not wanting to pry any further, Kagome changed the subject. "Did it hurt. . . you know, when. . . ?"
Sesshoumaru's eyebrows drew together, and he opened his eyes. "When what?"
"When InuYasha. . ."She nodded to his missing left arm.
"It did," Sesshoumaru answered, closing his eyes once more. "But do not tell *him* that."
Kagome giggled, and could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile on Sesshoumaru's lips.
Just then, Sesshoumaru opened his eyes once more and said, "They are back."
Kagome looked at him strangely, and soon, heard the voices of InuYasha and Miroku for herself.
They were chatting idly, Miroku's melancholy voice more muffled than InuYasha's very gruff, audible voice. Kagome saw the bushes around the clearing rustle and soon the monk and the hanyou appeared with wonderful looking fish. Kagome's stomach growled.
InuYasha held the fish up by their tails in one hand, clumsily trying to step over the bushes without dropping them. Miroku stared miserably at the ground, parting the bushes in a soft fashion and stepping through them gracefully. Neither of them had noticed Sango's absence yet.
When they did, they were both halfway to the fire. They stopped. InuYasha looked disconcerted, while Miroku didn't look surprised at all. "Hey - where's Sango?" InuYasha asked Sesshoumaru and Kagome stupidly. Miroku just sighed, turned his eyes back to the ground, and continued over to the fire, where he sat down quietly.
Kagome took pity on InuYasha and stood. "She went back," she said softly, walking over to him and taking the fish from his hand.
"Y - you let her go back? Without even saying goodbye to us?"
"Hai, gomen. She wanted me to apologize for her and to tell you guys she'll see you soon."
InuYasha sighed. "I was hoping she wouldn't go back so soon. I hoped that maybe she would change her mind or. . . or something. . ."
Kagome shook her head. "No." She reached up with her free hand and touched InuYasha's cheek lovingly. "Don't worry. She'll be alright. I trust her."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sango squeezed more water from a rag onto Naraku wound. He winced - it stung - when the drops hit the ripped flesh. 'He is healing, at least,' Sango thought to herself. The four still very large gashes had grown smaller since she had left, and she hoped they would continue to do so in the next few days so Naraku could at least sit up.
"Your friends. . . they are well?" he asked her, to take his mind away from his stinging wounds.
"Yes," Sango replied, "they are very well."
"They let you leave."
Sango nodded, carefully cleaning the second gash. "They knew they could not make me stay."
"They must be very good friends to let you come back."
". . . they are."
"You miss them. . . please, don't cry."
Sango had stopped her cleaning and was wiping her eyes. She sniffled as Naraku carefully put a hand to her cheek and did his best to comfort her. "They were so worried about me!" Sango whispered. "They care so much. I feel guilty for leaving them."
"It's all right. . . "Naraku tried his best to hug her to him, but his pain restricted him. All he could do was caress her cheek with his fingers and tell her that everything was going to be fine.
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Omg. . . she loves Miroku, too! How will it all end?! Oh, the suspense! -
Review! Tell your friends!
C ya! Honey Bee
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InuYasha stepped up to Sango and eyed her curiously. He circled around her slowly, taking in the way she looked, inspecting her silently. He finally stopped in front of her, placed his fists on his hips and said, "We thought you were a goner."
Sango broke into a smile and threw her arms around InuYasha, and soon, he let himself smile as well, and he hugger her back tightly.
"Kagome!" Sango left InuYasha and ran to her friend to hug her closely, as well. Shippou greeted her by jumping up into her arms, and Kirara soon joined him, making happy little purring noises.
No one knew what to say. They were so happy to have Sango back, they didn't know whether they should laugh or cry. Sango solved the problem for them by stepping back and eyeing each of them. "I must apologize," she said formally. "I allowed myself to forget you all - it was selfish of me. If anything, I should have been thinking of everyone of you the entire time."
"Why *did* you forget us, Sango?" Kagome asked, concerned.
"I. . . I wanted to forget everything! My family's death, Kohaku, how hard everything has been. . . and I also wanted to forget the way Naraku was."
"*Was*?" Sesshoumaru asked quickly.
Sango got a dreamy look in her eyes, and stared at the space in front of her. "Yes. . . *was*. He is so different, now. Sweet, and concerned, loving. . . "
Though alarmed, no one said anything, but instead looked around at one another anxiously. Miroku stepped forward.
"You say, Sango, that Naraku has changed?"
"Yes! For the better! He is much different, now! InuYasha, when you tried to destroy him, you demolished most of his powers. He can hardly remember anything, and his evilness has disappeared. All he wants now is to live a good life. . . he doesn't have much time left," she added sadly. "He's been fading everyday. . . little by little, but surely. And he knew no emotions before he brought me to him. I taught him everything. What love feels like, warmth, passion - "
Sango was interrupted by Miroku turning his back on her and walking away from the group. Silently, he sat down in front of the brook, staring into it in an angry, contemplative way.
Now, no one *really* knew what to say.
"Sango," Sesshoumaru asked calmly, "what exactly are your feelings toward Naraku?"
Sango straightened her shoulders, knowing what her friends reactions would be to her news. But she was ready. "I love him."
InuYasha scowled, Miroku closed his eyes, Kagome gasped a little, and Sesshoumaru's features remained impassive as always.
"This emotion - " said the youkai lord, "It is of your own free will?"
"Yes. He has me under no spell; Naraku has not tricked me. And you," she said, narrowing her eyes slightly at Sesshoumaru, "you've hurt him badly. That's why I cannot stay here for long. I must go back to him, to take care of him. He needs aid to get well. You've shortened what little time he has left greatly, and I intend to spend every last second with him."
"You. . . "InuYasha cut in angrily, "You're going *back*?!"
"Yes. Naraku needs me, I will not leave him alone."
"No. You will not go back to him," InuYasha demanded.
"And when were *you* given the right to order me around?" Sango asked, her voice rising.
"I'm 'ordering you around' as a friend. I don't think you going back to him is good for any of us. How do you know he's not tricking every one of us? You remember what he's done! The number of people he's destroyed! And you claim to *love* him? Are you out of your mind, Sango? Do you even know what you've been doing to Miroku - "
"Thank you, InuYasha. That will be enough," Miroku said calmly, getting up from the ground. "If anyone needs me, I won't be far westward - "
"Can I come with you?" Sango asked suddenly.
Miroku turned around to look at her. His serious eyes flicked unsurely to Sesshoumaru, and Sesshoumaru gave him a small nod. Miroku turned back around and began to walk. "If you wish to."
Sango ran to catch up with him, leaving the rest of the group behind with their thoughts.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Miroku was being so rude! He would not wait up for Sango; instead, he just walked ahead, as if he were trying to get away from her. But she supposed she deserved it. She had, after all, blocked him from her mind, was unfaithful to him, then brushed him off. He had good reason to be angry.
"Miroku, please wait up," she pleaded.
He slowed a little, and she caught up with him. "Gomen nesai, Miroku."
Miroku stopped, and did not look at her, but instead, looked at the ground before him. "Is it true, Sango?"
"Eh?"
"Do you really love him, or is he making you lie to us?" He looked up at her then, he eyes wide and worried, pleading. "You know you can tell me."
Sango was taken aback by his expression, and found that no matter how badly she wanted to lie to him, she couldn't. "Y. . . yes. It is true. I do love him."
"And what happened to your feelings for me, if any such feelings ever existed?"
"I. . . I still love you, Miroku. . . I always have. . . "
"But not the way I love you, Sango. I guess I was living with false hope, then. I really thought we had something that day I kissed you. . . but I suppose I was wrong."
"No! I felt it, too. . . but then, Naraku changed my feelings. . ." Sango made a frustrated sound. "I don't know how to describe it. . . "
"There's no need to. You simply fell in love with him instead - although I can't figure out how or why, unless your story about him is true."
"Of course it is! I could not lie to you."
Miroku's features then showed so much sadness, Sango's heart broke a thousand times. Her eyes filled with tears as he looked at her with that longing expression, his eyes filled with emotion as he stepped up close to her. He put a hand on her cheek and felt her skin softly, and she had to close her eyes. She was getting a feeling similar to the one Naraku gave her when he touched her, but it did not confuse her. She knew then - she loved both Miroku and Naraku equally. Though she could not fool herself; Naraku meant more to her at that moment. He was in pain and needed her; she needed to get back to the castle by sunset.
Her eyes still closed, she could feel Miroku's breath on her lips, and wasn't surprised when he touched his forehead to hers. "I wanted to be the only one for you, Sango. . ." Miroku whispered.
The tears that had filled Sango's eyes now escaped onto her cheeks, and ran away to drip to the ground below. Her chest swelled suddenly, and she wanted to sob. On an impulse, she threw her arms around Miroku's neck and kissed him passionately, wanting - trying - to let him know she still in fact loved him the way he love her.
She broke away suddenly, but kept her face close to his, and whispered, "I love you!" She then turned away from him, running. She knew if she stayed with him that way any longer, she would want to make love with him, and she could not do that to Naraku. Not while he needed her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Did he destroy Naraku?" asked Kagura to her minion. She was lounging in her own stolen castle, in her coolest kimono (due to the warm weather), and starting to plan her revenge on Sesshoumaru if he had not followed through with his promise and destroyed Naraku as she had asked. "Well?" she demanded, her voice irritated.
The zombie stared at her with his blank eyes, and moaned a "no."
Kagura's features hardened for a moment, and an eyebrow twitched. She smirked suddenly. "I knew it. I knew he would not follow through. I was prepared for this." She sighed. "I suppose. . . I had my hopes up. I truly believed Sesshoumaru could do it. It's really too bad, the poor guy probably didn't have a chance to scream before Naraku killed him."
"Sesshoumaru. . . alive. . . "the minion swayed dangerously on his feet, unable to keep his balance.
"*What*? Alive. . . "Kagura looked away at the wall, her eyes narrowed. "Then he escaped." She smirked maliciously. "But, still. . . he did not keep up his end of the bargain. Oh, well. . . I suppose we'll just have to find someone else to destroy Naraku. I'm sure there are many youkai stronger Sesshoumaru. It's a pity we'll have to kill him. He really is very pretty."
Her chuckle filled the room, and reverberated into the afternoon sky.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Do you really have to leave?" Kagome was asking Sango later that night by the fire. InuYasha and Miroku had gone for fish at the nearby pond, Sesshoumaru sat across from them, minding his own business, his eyes closed. He sat with his back perfectly straight, alert, his closed lids blinking every now and then at some small noise.
Kagome had a feeling this was as relaxed as he got.
Sango answered Kagome's question with a sigh. "Yes. Naraku needs me. . . I could never leave him."
"You don"t *want* to leave us. . . do you?"
"Of course not," Sango said not-so-convincingly. Kagome had a hunch something had happened between her and Miroku that she was trying to avoid at the moment.
Kagome just nodded. "When will you come back?"
"I don't know. When he gets well, I suppose." Sango stood. "Kagome. . . I should leave *now*."
Sesshoumaru opened his eyes.
Kagome jumped to her feet. "Stay for dinner at least!"
Sango shook her head sweetly. "Gomen, Kagome. I shouldn't even have left him alone for as long as I already have. I need to go right now and be with him."
"But what about InuYasha and Miroku? Aren't you going to stay to say goodbye to them?"
Tears brimmed Sango's pretty eyes. "No. . . please tell them I said goodbye. I will see you all very soon, I promise. Do not worry."
Sango hugged Kagome, and nodded indifferently to Sesshoumaru as she passed him by.
"Do you need an escort?" he asked from his place on the ground.
Sango stopped. "I do not. Goodbye." She began walking again, and soon disappeared from sight.
Kagome sat back down with a sigh, her chin in her hand. "I really wish she wouldn't go back to him. I worry. . . what if he's threatened her into this, or something? He could've threatened our lives. . . "
Sesshoumaru just gazed at her. "You are probably right."
Silence ensued, and it occurred to Kagome just how alone she and Sesshoumaru were. It was odd. . . for some reason, when no one else was around, she felt she could talk to Sesshoumaru better.
The youkai lord himself spoke again. "You are probably right, and that is why we must destroy Naraku as soon as possible."
"When?"
"We will know when the time is right." He closed his eyes once again, no noise but the crackling of the fire mingling between the youkai and the human.
It began to get too quiet for Kagome. She was from the noisy city, she couldn't take too much silence for long, for crying out loud. "Sesshoumaru- sama?"
An amused eye opened to glance at her, then closed again. "Hai, Kagome?"
"Wha. . . what made you change your mind about humans?"
The youkai was silent. Then he spoke one word. "Rin."
Kagome blinked at him, expecting him to elaborate. When he didn't, she asked, "Who is Rin?"
"A child."
"Oh. She's under your care?"
Sesshoumaru nodded.
"You love her?"
The youkai hesitated, then nodded.
Kagome smiled. Sesshoumaru and InuYasha were both alike in one perspective: they both tried to belie their true feelings when they were around others. Why Sesshoumaru spoke the truth to her now, though, Kagome did not know.
Not wanting to pry any further, Kagome changed the subject. "Did it hurt. . . you know, when. . . ?"
Sesshoumaru's eyebrows drew together, and he opened his eyes. "When what?"
"When InuYasha. . ."She nodded to his missing left arm.
"It did," Sesshoumaru answered, closing his eyes once more. "But do not tell *him* that."
Kagome giggled, and could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile on Sesshoumaru's lips.
Just then, Sesshoumaru opened his eyes once more and said, "They are back."
Kagome looked at him strangely, and soon, heard the voices of InuYasha and Miroku for herself.
They were chatting idly, Miroku's melancholy voice more muffled than InuYasha's very gruff, audible voice. Kagome saw the bushes around the clearing rustle and soon the monk and the hanyou appeared with wonderful looking fish. Kagome's stomach growled.
InuYasha held the fish up by their tails in one hand, clumsily trying to step over the bushes without dropping them. Miroku stared miserably at the ground, parting the bushes in a soft fashion and stepping through them gracefully. Neither of them had noticed Sango's absence yet.
When they did, they were both halfway to the fire. They stopped. InuYasha looked disconcerted, while Miroku didn't look surprised at all. "Hey - where's Sango?" InuYasha asked Sesshoumaru and Kagome stupidly. Miroku just sighed, turned his eyes back to the ground, and continued over to the fire, where he sat down quietly.
Kagome took pity on InuYasha and stood. "She went back," she said softly, walking over to him and taking the fish from his hand.
"Y - you let her go back? Without even saying goodbye to us?"
"Hai, gomen. She wanted me to apologize for her and to tell you guys she'll see you soon."
InuYasha sighed. "I was hoping she wouldn't go back so soon. I hoped that maybe she would change her mind or. . . or something. . ."
Kagome shook her head. "No." She reached up with her free hand and touched InuYasha's cheek lovingly. "Don't worry. She'll be alright. I trust her."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sango squeezed more water from a rag onto Naraku wound. He winced - it stung - when the drops hit the ripped flesh. 'He is healing, at least,' Sango thought to herself. The four still very large gashes had grown smaller since she had left, and she hoped they would continue to do so in the next few days so Naraku could at least sit up.
"Your friends. . . they are well?" he asked her, to take his mind away from his stinging wounds.
"Yes," Sango replied, "they are very well."
"They let you leave."
Sango nodded, carefully cleaning the second gash. "They knew they could not make me stay."
"They must be very good friends to let you come back."
". . . they are."
"You miss them. . . please, don't cry."
Sango had stopped her cleaning and was wiping her eyes. She sniffled as Naraku carefully put a hand to her cheek and did his best to comfort her. "They were so worried about me!" Sango whispered. "They care so much. I feel guilty for leaving them."
"It's all right. . . "Naraku tried his best to hug her to him, but his pain restricted him. All he could do was caress her cheek with his fingers and tell her that everything was going to be fine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Omg. . . she loves Miroku, too! How will it all end?! Oh, the suspense! -
Review! Tell your friends!
C ya! Honey Bee