I don't own either Sango or Miroku (but I want to own him so very badly) or any other recognizable character you read about in here. Rumiko Takahashi does...

When Tomorrow Starts Without You

By: ShenYue

E-mail: Preventer_02@hotmail.com

Chapter 4: The Bettering and The Worsening

The forest was eerily silent as the six comrades marched toward the nearest village. Everyone's nonchalant facade had slipped away, unable to keep up appearances in the light that they would never see the lecherous houshi again. Yet, no one could cry anymore as it didn't seem right to them, even Shippo, to shed tears over Miroku, they knew he wouldn't want that at all, that that was part of the reasons he left so often. To spread the attachment out and numb the pain of when he finally did die. Unfortunately it had only served to make it worse.

"Stop." Inuyasha ordered quickly. "I smell youkai." The fetid stench clung to his nose and the hanyou covered it with one wide sleeve in attempt to block it. The buzz of Saimyousho was carried by the wind, an aching reminder to what already hung heavy in their hearts. It was Sango's final straw.

As the demons cascaded over the trees and onto the road the taiji-ya ripped apart the hell wasps with the Hiraikotsu.

"Die you stupid bees!" She screamed, freaking even Inuyasha out. "He's dead! You hear me? Dead! Go away!" She dropped to her knees and everything stopped. Or so it seemed to her. Sitting next to the distraught woman Kagome notched and let fly arrow after arrow as Kirara tore with her saber toothed jaws.

"Kitsune-bi!" Shippo yelled out, throwing the blue fire at the Saimyousho until they gave up and left.

"Kaze no Kizu!" And they were gone. This time, with no Kagura to control the winds, the rift in the youki had been simple to find. "That was pointless." He smirked about ready to spin around to the expected "too pointless" from Miroku and remembered...

"Sango-chan?"

"I, I can't stand it!" Pummeling the ground with her fists until they began to bleed Sango was surprised to find that Inuyasha stopped them in mid-strike. Now with something new to focus her anger and aggression on she took to beating on the hanyou, the soft fabric dulling her blows. "Why? Why did it have to be him?" She cried, tears streaking down her face and dripping into the dust where they were swallowed almost immediately by the parched earth.

Finally she fell back, exhausted, onto a tearful Kagome and held onto the reincarnated miko as tightly as she could, sobbing into her shoulder. Now Shippo had begun to cry and, being minus Kagome to cling to, grabbed a now tiny Kirara and hugged Inuyasha instead.

"That's enough." Inuyasha exclaimed brusquely. "Would Miroku want us to sit here in the middle of the road and cry over him?" With eyes red from weeping Sango looked up just as Kagome yelled sit and sent the half-breed crashing into the dirt.

"No Kagome...he's right..." Shakily the taiji-ya got to her feet and motioned for Kirara to transform again, hopping aboard and cradling Shippo. "I must live by what I said." Smiling weakly she looked at Inuyasha with genuine fondness. "Thank you and I'm sorry I hit you..."

"Feh...whatever...let's just get moving again, I want to reach that village in at least four days." He yawned, rubbing his chest absentmindedly and muttering, "don't need to be caught out in the open on a new moon..."

Walking beside the silent Inuyasha Kagome smiled tenderly up at him, noticing the sadness that attempted to hide in the golden depths behind a dispassionate mask, and she could tell he was hurting as much as everyone else. Regardless of what the hanyou claimed Miroku had been a close friend and nothing could change that no matter how Inuyasha tried to ignore it. What he did today with Sango, who was riding behind them a little ways, was more proof of his feelings for everyone.

"Why are you staring at me like that, Kagome?" Without looking away from the road he tilted his head her way. "Is that pity I see in your eyes?"

"Eh? No! I was just thinking..."

"About the bouzu?"

"Houshi?" Kagome corrected, bringing forth a thin smile across the hanyou's lips. "Yeah...I...miss him..." biting her lower lip was the only way she could keep the tears from falling again and she was surprised when she felt Inuyasha's strong arm around her shoulders, hugging her close. Looking up she was momentarily startled to see a tear trickle down his cheek and disappearing into the folds of his fire-rat cloak.

"Me too."

His eyes opened shakily, slowly. Too slowly for Yume's liking and she could barely resist prodding at his face only to settle back and tug on the white sleeve as if that would make him wake any faster. The stranger, houshi-sama her mother had said, moaned softly, almost experimentally, and the girl brushed his sweaty face with the damp cloth while his lips twitched in the effort of speech.

"...Wh...wh..." gently she shushed him and moved the fabric up over his forehead, brushing aside the inky strands.

"Okaa-san says you need sleep, not talk..." whispering soothingly Yume thought that he had the prettiest eyes in the world and was disappointed when they closed again. Even feverishly bright it was the most beautiful shade she had ever seen. One more dip in the bowl saw the cloth placed over his brow and Yume passed the sliding door to where her mother stood watching over boiling rice.

"He woke again?" Without waiting for an answer from her little daughter the woman took out a fresh bowl and dipped it into the water jar. "He needs water." As if asking why, Yume looked at her with bright brown eyes. "When someone loses blood like that they need water to help them make more. Watch the rice."

Soft footsteps alerted the supposedly sleeping man and he weakly turned his head in the direction of the sliding door.

"You are getting stronger quickly houshi-sama..." the elderly woman said, shutting the door behind her.

"...Thank...you..." he rasped, licking dry lips and forcing his tongue to work as he wanted.

"That is what I'm here for." Sighing she sat down beside him and touched his forehead with her wrist. "And your fever has lowered as well." A wide grin, one that had been absent far too long, drifted across her face. "We'll have you up and about in no time." Gently she eased him up off the futon, wincing as he gasped in pain. "You will be sore though...but that is to be expected. Drink." Ravenously he downed the water, slightly disappointed that there was no more, and coughed lightly, nodding his head sleepily in thanks. "Rest and we'll see how you are tomorrow." She told him as he slipped away and she began to un-bandage his wounds to change the dressing.

The livid slashes were like hungry mouths opening to the sky and spilling the red liquor as an offering to appease angry souls, souls that were maddened by his narrowly escaped death. They crisscrossed his back and chest; red, sore and healing, certain to leave nasty scars. Tenderly she applied her herbal remedies; the thick, cool paste swathing his heated flesh making him shiver in his sleep like a horse getting rid of the flies. His clothing had been shredded to bits and pieces and she knew she would have to get him replacements before he was up and about, but right now bandages and the white sleeping robe would have to do. After dipping her fingers in the water bucket she expertly wrapped him in thick white cloth strips, binding his wounds tightly. Her fingers lingered for a moment on the protective rosary encircling his wrist and the purple glove, wondering what it was hidden under there that the evil man had warned her of.

"...San...go..." the woman looked up, startled as the name tore unbidden from his throat. Not sure what that meant, for the priest or his so-called forgotten memories, she stood up with the water bucket in hand preparing to ignore the ramblings of the wounded man.

"I hope the rice is still okay..."

"Sango-chan? Are you all right?" Lifting her hanging head the taiji-ya flashed Kagome a quivering smile. "It's okay to cry, Sango-chan...I understand...what Miroku-sama meant to you..." They were stopped for the night, making slower progress then desired and Inuyasha was sleeping in the tree above them.

"Kagome-chan..." Sango sobbed, "I just want him back!" The tears trickled faster and she tried to choke them back but the sorrow welling in her throat was too much. "I miss him so much..." she sniffed. "I never knew...just how much..." with shoulders quivering she crawled over to Kagome and sought comfort from the younger girl wishing everything was just a dream.

Kagome resisted the urge to start crying again. Sango had been put through so much pain already, why did it have to continue? Her family, her brother, her entire town, they were all gone and now, the person she had allowed herself to become closer with, was gone, ripped maliciously away by the winds of a cruel fate. Was it possible that the exterminator wasn't supposed to be happy? Kirara nuzzled her fingers with her tiny, wet nose and moved up to Sango's silky hair with a soft mewling sound. Gently the youkai licked the tears from her face and set about grooming the taiji-ya, offering the only comfort she could. Exhausted from crying and relaxed from the strong embrace holding her close and the nurturing ministrations of her fire-cat companion, Sango drifted into a restful sleep imagining that the arms holding her tight were her houshi-sama's...

Don't worry, it'll start going somewhere soon...I hope. Please e-mail me if you liked it and think I should continue, or hate it and think I should stop! Thank you!