Hey, chapter 6 time! I think this one might be a little longer than all the others. I was tired of waiting to explain the point of the story, so I continued on until I got to that part. I hope it doesn't seem rushed.
I'd also like to answer a question I received in my reviews real quick. Someone asked if this is my first fanfic. No, it's not. I've been writing fanfic for about 8 years now, though my fandom has changed over time. This is my first Inuyasha fic, and only the second serious anime fic I've ever posted. The other is a "Weiss Kreuz" story under a different name. If you're interested and like that show, it's listed under "Cristi1". But be aware you'd be in for 11 Chapters and an Epilogue with that one. Scary.
I swear I don't mean to be so long-winded! Carry on...
Sango knew she was acting strangely. You could say she hadn't been herself since Miroku's death. But, the truth is, she had finally decided to stop pretending like she didn't hurt inside. She had only ever shown weakness where Kohaku was concerned, but this was different. She had already lost so much. Now she had lost the chance to love. Maybe she was being melodramatic, but in her young life she had never felt the way she did about Miroku before. He broke down her defenses and made her weak in the knees. The way he could always make her blush, the way he'd take her hand, the way he'd kiss her….
Hell, even the way he'd touch her butt.
All that was gone. But, then, Kagome practically gave her a second chance. Hardly anyone ever gets a second chance at life, or love. It was a chance to take back a mistake that was made, or words that were said. Well, in this case, words that weren't said.
If this failed, if they couldn't reunite Miroku's soul with his body…if Sango really had to be without him…she knew she would die.
Being strong for everyone had gotten so tiring. She didn't know how Inuyasha did it all the time.
She didn't even care about the baby. She knew that was terrible, but she knew she couldn't raise it alone. What did she know about raising babies? What did she even know about giving life to anything? All she knew about was taking life.
And what if it looked just like him? How could she stand to look into those eyes everyday and see what could have been? It would tear out her soul every time, and make her miss him even more. She would be living with the thought that he finally got the heir he always wished for, and would never even know.
She was so tired of missing people.
Miroku had made a promise to her that if they killed Naraku (and of course survived) they would be together. Sango had tried to be positive since that day and truly believed they would all survive. But that was just selfishness on her part. Selfish, and childish. She had wanted the end result so badly…a life with Miroku…that perhaps she had gotten careless.
And, once again, she felt as if everything was her fault. For just not being good enough.
He said they would live together and have many children together. He lied.
While deep in thought, Sango had finally dozed off. She hadn't been sleeping well on top of everything else. In her sleep, she mumbled the words, "You lied."
Kagome had been sitting by her friend, watching her sleep. No one else seemed to be as concerned that Sango was acting like a completely different person, and not the strong girl they had come to know and love. Kagome, however, noticed every little change. She also heard the words Sango would whisper in her sleep. It broke Kagome's heart, knowing those words were directed at Miroku.
Inuyasha was curled up by the fire, supposedly asleep, but Kagome noticed his ears twitch. Inuyasha's head then came up and he sniffed the air.
"What is it?" Kagome whispered.
"Someone's coming," Inuyasha said. "Someone human. Most likely male. I don't think it's anyone dangerous, but come over here just in case."
Kagome got up and went to sit by Inuyasha. She knew it was best not to argue when he got protective. In fact, Kagome really loved that side of him.
In the circle of light that their campfire provided, a boy stepped out of the woods. He was a little taller than Inuyasha, medium length black hair framed his face, and he was clad in jeans and a t-shirt.
Kagome gasped. "Toshihiko-kun!"
"…And then I came out the other side of the well, and my beads vanished." Toshihiko finished telling them.
He had been sitting with Kagome and Inuyasha telling the story leading up to him following the light from their fire to their campsite, and in the process had woken up Shippo who Inuyasha had to quickly subdue to keep him from yelling and screaming about the walking dead.
No one had woken up Sango.
Inuyasha was still staring at Toshihiko in wide-eyed wonderment. "You really do look just like him," he said for the millionth time.
"I wonder why your beads would just disappear like that?" Kagome mused, but no one could answer her.
No one noticed as Sango stirred under her blanket and sat up. At first glimpse, what she noticed about the boy sitting by the fire was his odd clothes. Then, she noticed that it was Miroku.
"Houshi…sama?" She said, so quietly no one could even hear her. Then, louder, her voice cracking with emotion, "Houshi-sama!"
Sango leapt up and ran to the boy, not even caring why he was wearing strange clothes, or why his hair was different. All she cared about what that he was alive.
She threw her arms around the boy, knocking him down. She had so many things she wanted to tell him, but at the moment could only manage to weep into his shoulder.
"Um…hello, miss." The-boy-who-looked-like-Miroku said.
Sango lifted up her head and looked at him. "Don't call me that," she said, "After all I've been through. It's cruel."
Toshihiko got up slowly, depositing Sango on the ground by the fire as gently as he could. "I'm sorry," he said, earnestly, "but I don't know what else to call you. I don't know your name."
And that's when Sango's world shattered…again.
"I'm having a thought," said Inuyasha. Shippo could barely contain himself from saying, "that's a first."
"What if Miroku's body vanished when this guy arrived in our time, and the reason his beads vanished is because Sango has Miroku's beads right here? What if two of the same thing can't exist in the same time?"
Kagome thought about that for a moment. "That's not a bad theory. But that would mean Toshihiko is the exact same person as Miroku. That's just silly. I mean, he could possibly be a reincarnation like I am, except reincarnation only has to do with a person's soul. That's why I don't actually LOOK like Kikyou, and we know Miroku's soul is trapped with a spell. So he couldn't have been reincarnated."
Everyone had to think on that point for a good long while.
Sango had finally calmed down after much coaxing from Kagome, and was listening intently. She hadn't really added to the conversation before, but finally spoke.
"Can a person be born without a soul?"
Everyone turned to stare at her.
"I don't know," Kagome said. "I guess it's possible. If there was some mistake, or someone used magic."
"I've been thinking," Sango continued, "What if Miroku (it felt strange to say his name) accidentally ruined any future reincarnations by doing that spell? I mean, what if reincarnation was MEANT to happen, but because there was no soul, it happened badly? What if generations of his reincarnations have lived and died, never having had their soul? And what if this boy, who just happens to look like his predecessor, came along and by some coincidence just happened to wind up here, since Kagome opened the well for the first time in ages? What if he was always meant to come back here eventually and complete his destiny?"
The whole gang looked at Sango in amazement.
"You know, Sango," Kagome finally said, "You might be on to something there. Toshihiko said his beads started glowing when he got near the well, and your beads must have started glowing at the same time, though you might not have noticed it until later since it was daylight then. It really would explain why Toshihiko's beads are gone, and Miroku's body is gone. Because both are one in the same."
Sango looked at the boy called Toshihiko and held out her right arm. "I believe these belong to you."
Toshihiko reached over, shyly, and removed the beads from Sango's arm. "Thank you," he said.
Sango smiled at him. "It's the least I could do…my love."
