Warmth…it was the first thing Sango noticed as her mind began to shake off the grogginess as she woke up. The taijiya nuzzled closer to the source of warmth, fighting to return to sleep instead of waking to reality. It had been the first time she had slept peacefully. She hadn't been plagued by nightmares and she wasn't ready for reality; the only nightmare she couldn't escape by waking up.

Finally, after a few minutes, she gave up on sleep. Sighing, the taijiya opened her eyes. But when she tried to pull away, strong arms pulled her back again. Sango blinked, confused, and turned her head slightly. She was met with the sight of a black-haired person wearing a red fire-rat coat. It wasn't until her mind fully awoke, that she realized it was Inuyasha, still in his human form. The human-hanyou looked…peaceful. And Sango couldn't help but stare at his face. The taijiya had never been so close to him while he was in this form. He usually went off to be alone…but last night…he had stayed with her.

Even when he opened his eyes, she didn't look away. 'Human colored…' Sango mused mentally. She was so used to seeing the golden eyes, that seeing them any other color was just…different.

"Sango?"

His voice finally snapped her back to reality, and she shook her head a little, "What?"

"Are you…okay?" Inuyasha asked quietly, "You were acting strange…"

Sango blinked, then nodded slowly, "I'm fine. I was just…thinking. I forgot where I was, that's all."

That seemed to satisfy the human-hanyou. He nodded, then released her and stretched his arms above his head. "So…sleep good?"

The taijiya once again nodded as she moved away from him slightly. "Yeah. Thanks…for staying with me. And…and I'm sorry. I didn't mean all that stuff I said. I was just…"

Inuyasha cut her off by waving his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Sango. Its hard, going through all that. I know…Besides, we all could use a little comforting now and then." He stopped suddenly and blinked. 'Did I just say comforting?'

"Inuyasha? How long do you stay like that? Human, I mean." Sango asked, looking at him curiously.

The human-hanyou was glad for the change in subject, "Until the sun rises. Which should be right about…now."

And sure enough, the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. The first few rays casting light upon the otherwise shadowy forest. The demon blood once again began to circulate through Inuyasha' s veins as his demonic presence grew stronger as he transformed back to his hanyou form. His hair lightened until it was back to its silvery color. The human ears disappeared as the furry, dog-like ears appeared. His fingernails grew, until they were once again the deadly weapons he had used long before Tetsusaiga was given to him. And finally, his eyes. Those human eyes that Sango had been admiring moments earlier lightened, returning to their normal golden-amber color.

The now-normal-hanyou held up a hand and flexed his claws, "Morning can never come to soon on nights like that. I can always breathe a little easier once that sunlight hits me."

"We can all breathe easier once that happens." Sango said, reminding him that everyone was on edge when he was in his human form. If word got out that the night of the new moon was the night he changed…put simply, it would be bad.

Inuyasha smirked as he looked over at her, "So you all rely on me, do you? What's the matter, Sango? Afraid you're loosing your touch as an exterminator?"

"I didn't say that!" Sango retorted, as she stood up.

"Oh yeah?" He questioned arrogantly, standing up as well. "You said it yourself, you can all rest easier once I'm back to my hanyou form. You guys wouldn't know what to do without me."

The taijiya looked at him silently for a moment, before poking him in the chest with a finger, "I can beat you any where, any time, Inuyasha. I was slaying cocky demons like you, long before I ever met you. And don't forget that."

He suddenly grabbed her hand, and looked straight into her eyes, "I do know that. But you seem to be forgetting that you would've bled to death when we first met, if not for me."

She stared straight back, not backing down, "Actually, if you had just told me I was bleeding so much, I wouldn't have come so close to bleeding to death. But no, you had to show off and fight a professional demon exterminator."

"S…show off? I wasn't showing off! You would've killed me, even if I did try telling you that you were already severely wounded before we fought." He said.

She had him, and she knew it, "I would've killed you? Sounds like I can hold my own against even you, Inuyasha."

The hanyou started to say something, but then fell silent. "Damn you…" He muttered, looking away from her.

Silence passed, as both warriors were quiet.

Until finally, Sango broke that silence, "A-ano…"

Inuyasha turned to look at her again, only to see she wasn't looking at him. So, he followed her gaze down to his hand, which still held onto hers.

More silence…The wind blew through the trees, sending several leaves into the air, but they were still unmoving.

He brought both their hands up, until they were about chest level. There, he loosened his hold on her and pressed his palm against hers, his clawed fingers meeting with her normal ones.

She didn't move her hand. Instead, she mimicked his actions and let her hand press against his.

He continued looking at their hands for a moment. Finally, he moved his gaze to her face, as his fingers slowly intertwined with hers.

She seemed to hesitate a few seconds, or maybe she was just surprised by his actions. Either way, her fingers finally tightened around his own. When she turned from their joined hands to look at his face, a light pinkish color decorated her cheeks. And, for the first time since everything had happened, she smiled. It was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

The hanyou couldn't help but smile at that. It seemed everything had gone wrong for Sango lately. And, despite everyone's attempts, nothing could cheer her up. But here he was looking at her smiling, and blushing, face. How…How could he have missed it before? They had been traveling partners for a while now, and yet, it seemed he was just now realizing something…Or actually, feeling something…Feeling something he hadn't felt since Kikyou had been taken from him.

Neither knew how much time had passed. But neither cared either. Their hands were still joined. And the golden eyes still looked intently into the brown ones.

"Sango…" Inuyasha was the one to break the silence this time as he spoke her name. It had come out as a whisper though, and he feared the wind had carried it away without her hearing.

But, most likely due to their closeness, she had heard him, "Hai?" She replied, though her voice was just as quiet as his.

He took a breath and was about to say something…

"Sango-chan? Inuyasha?"

"Where are you two?"

Kagome and Miroku's voice rang though the otherwise quiet forest.

Sango blinked and looked away from Inuyasha, "Kagome-chan and Houshi-sama…They're probably worried…We should go."

Inuyasha looked in the direction of the voices and slowly nodded. He hesitantly and regretfully let go of her hand, "Let's go then…" He said, beginning to walk towards their two companions.

She pulled her hand back and held it close to her. Silently, she followed after him. Why…Why was she feeling like this? Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, it was beating so fast. And she was sure her face was still flushed. But…they had only held hands. He was…he was just comforting her…right? But…what had he started to say? Her gaze lifted slowly, until she was looking at the back of him. 'Inuyasha…what were you going to say?'

~*~

AN: ^-^ Okay, I have no idea why, but I've been doing these 'hand scenes' as I like to call them. Don't believe me? Check out my other fic 'To Be With You', and you'll see. Ok, maybe its not quite like this one, but she does wrap his hands, and that's one of my favorite parts of that story. Its another Inu/San story, by the way. Anyways, I'm out for now, but I'll be back soon with the next chapter. Ja!