Wow, I'm actually shocked, lol. Well, okay, here's to all you nice reviewers. Thanks for the reviews and for reading, of course.

Chapter Two: The Choice

Sango entered her weapon room, closing the door behind her. She immediately spotted the mounted weapon-her weapon. She crossed the distance, staring at it for a moment before reaching out to it. Her fingers collected the dust as she lightly traced them across Hiraikotsu.

Just touching it sent cords of emotion and energy through her. That was the way it had always been. It's the reason she had chosen it as a child. She could hear it calling to her then, just as it called to her now.

Sango pushed herself back from the wall, "No," she spoke quietly, but firmly. She had given up that life. She would make and sell weapons, but she would no longer use them. She had a different life now-a normal life. A life without exterminating, without adventures. A simple life.

Sango turned and speedily left the weapon room. Taking a deep breath, she walked back to her small home. It was basically one room, but organized very nicely. There were three steps that led up to wooden porch. She had built it herself not one week after the defeat of Narku. It was her way of releasing all of the pent up stress and frustration that she had felt after burying Kohaku.

As she entered the space, she took in all that she had. A mat in the corner with a pillow and blanket. There was also a cook station with a black pot in the center, hanging over a pile of sticks encircled in stones. There was a window on the left wall just above her bed, and a window on either side of the door. A small table was placed diagonal to the opposite wall of the bed and a chair against the back wall which currently held a sleeping Kilala.

Sango turned her attention toward the pale of water and vegetables she had brought in earlier. She decided that now was as good a time as any to start preparing supper. Kagome and Inu Yasha would be there soon, and she wanted to have it done.

~~~

Sesshoumaru looked on intensely, his eyes shone anger and a tinge of worry before he masked his emotions. 'No one steals from me,' he thought to himself, with more than a mere hint of disdain. The scene he had witnessed earlier passed through his mind again as he tried to remember the details of his newfound enemy.

It was an unknown demon race, or at least not one that he had ever seen before. He found that truth to be odd, considering how long he had been alive. And here he thought he had seen everything. The demon seemed like that of a serpent, yet it had changed. It had warped it's body into the form of a cat demon. Sesshoumaru had asked what it sought, and it had replied, "We require your slaves."

Sesshoumaru had then cast a slight glance in the direction of Rin and Jakken before he had felt a pain in his heart. He looked down, surprised, to see the demon's hand inside his chest. He felt it's claws dig into his heart. They must have released something into it, because he felt the cold spread throughout his veins, paralyzing him.

The next thing he heard were the screams of Rin and the yelps of Jakken. He wasn't sure how long he had lain there, incapable of motion, before he began to regain the feeling in his limbs and the warmth in his blood. When he did finally regain his strength, he had noticed the tenseiga was pulsing at his waist. He credited his survival to the sword.

'Hmm…it had said 'we', not 'I'. There must be a clan or a pack,' he gathered as he recalled the assailant's words. He mentally cursed himself for the hundredth time that afternoon for not being more on his guard against the unknown demon. He hadn't taken it for more than a low-level with a few fancy tricks, but apparently, he had been wrong in doing so. However, though cunning and obviously powerful, the demon had been ignorant enough to run away before making sure it had killed Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru smirked as he continued to study the tracks, "You won't get far," he promised.

~~~

"Kagome!" Sango beamed as she enveloped her friend in a huge hug, "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Sango," Kagome smiled before sniffing the air, "Do I smell soup?"

"Yep!"

"Soup? Where?" Inu Yasha said hungrily as he entered the room.

"Over there," Sango motioned to the table where she had already poured three bowls of soup, "I wanted to have it ready when you two got here."

"Thanks, Sango," Kagome and Inu Yasha said in unison as they all three made their way to the table.

They talked as they ate, catching up on the last few months and reminiscing about their adventure. Kagome and Inu Yasha were careful not to speak of the battle with Naraku, or any other battles that involved Kohaku for that matter. They could see the sorrow in her eyes every time his name was mentioned, no matter how hard she tried to cover it up. They both knew that she was still suffering. They didn't like what they were going to have to ask of her after supper.

Sango sighed as she finished her soup, "So, what brings you two into this area? The last I heard, Inu Yasha, you were staying around Kiade's village."

Kagome and Inu Yasha looked each other in the eye before Inu Yasha let out a sigh. Sango could tell something was up by the momentary silence, and didn't hesitate to call them on it, "What's going on you two? Why did you really come here?"

"Sango," Kagome began, "we came here to see you. We miss you, but you're right. A friendly visit wasn't our only reason for coming to you."

Inu Yasha continued what Kagome started, "There's a new group of demons trying to make a name for themselves. They've been pillaging villages, not only killing the living, but desecrating the graves of the dead."

Sango's brows furrowed as she took in the news, "Where did they come from?"

"No one seems to know," Inu Yasha continued, "They recently destroyed a village North of here. They had tied the bodies of the slaughtered villagers to the steps of their homes. The graves had been dug, and the bodies placed side by side, each bearing a letter. The letters spelt, satsubatsu. (A/N: Translation: bloodthirsty)."

"How could any creature, demon or man, do such a horrid thing?" Sango demanded in a outrage.

"I don't care how or why they did it!" Inu Yasha snarled, "They're going to pay for it."

Sango nodded, "I still don't understand why you came to tell me this. Are they headed this way or something?"

Inu Yasha shook his head, "The truth is, they're headed West, but we're going to hunt them down. We came here to see if you're up for an extermination job."

Sango's expression went blank. The room was silent as she came to her decision, "I can't. I'm sorry."

Kagome's face became concerned. She knew Sango's reasons for declining, just as she knew the reasons for Sango living so far away. She decided to try and persuade her anyway, "Sango, you have to-"

"What the Hell do you mean you can't!?!" Inu Yasha interrupted. "Did you not hear what I just told you?"

"I heard you plain and clear, Inu Yasha, but I fail to see the reason I should worry about a pack of demons who aren't even headed toward my village. I'm not an exterminator anymore! I will only fight when it is to defend myself!"

Inu Yasha's gaze hardened. His next words were powerful, but softly spoken, "How long do you think this will last? How long do you think it will be before they do come here? Will you allow them to get this far? Those demons are ruthless. They kill for pleasure, for blood. They won't stop until every other form of life is wiped out. But we can stop them. Someone has to try. Sango, you have to help."

Sango swallowed as she recognized the truth of his words. Everything he said was true, but she couldn't bring herself to join their hunt. She needed time to think, "I don't know," she said honestly before leaving the hut and walking. She didn't know where she was walking, but she knew she had to go somewhere and be alone. She then decided where she was headed: The weapon room.

~~~

Kagome and Inu Yasha stood looking out in the direction Sango was walking. Inu Yasha made a move to go after her, but was stopped by Kagome's grip on his arm.

"Let her be, Inu Yasha. She needs to be alone to think about this. She'll come to us with a decision," Kagome insisted.

He huffed before giving in, "Fine, but she better think fast. Those demons are getting farther and farther away by the minute."

"I know, but we can't do anything about it at the moment. C'mon, let's go back inside and wait for her," she said as she pulled Inu Yasha's arm and guided him inside.

~~~

Sango closed her eyes as she sat on the floor of her weapon room. She placed her head in her hands and sighed heavily. Too many unanswerable questions filled her mind. 'What should I do? What if they come while I'm away and destroy Kohaku's grave? What if I can't even fight anymore?'

Sango's eyes opened slowly and she began to stand. For the second time that day, she found herself before Hiraikotsu. She reached out to touch it again, as if to ask it for guidance. She could feel it's call again, louder than before. As her fingers met the hard surface an image flashed in her mind. She saw in the vision, her village burning, her own home lay as nothing more than a pile of soot. This part of the vision had not disturbed her as much as the next. She saw her brother's desecrated grave, and her eyes snapped open.

Sango knew what she had to do. She had to fight to protect what was hers. However, she found it odd that she had worked so hard to abandon her old life, yet now, she would have to revert back to it to protect her new one. She would have to be an exterminator again. Surprisingly, though, at the moment, she desired nothing more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, so there you have it, chapter two. I know it still isn't that long, but it's five pages, whereas the last was only two, so at least that's a start. Please review and tell me what you think!

Pammi