To Love an Enemy

Chapter 20 – Letting Go

Author's Note: well here you go the next chapter, worked hard to get it out sooner! Review!

"Sango, are you even listening to me?" an irritated voice asked.

"Huh?" Sango said jerking her head up.

"I was talking to you, but I guess you were to preoccupied with something else," the head laundress said. "I was saying, that I need you to bleach some bed sheets for me. The tub of bleach is over there, and remember to put a mask on before doing so, the fumes are pretty strong."

"Certainly," Sango said respectfully bobbing her head. Walking over to put a gas mask over her mouth Sango returned to her chaotic thoughts. Kohaku was alive! The fact was still hard to accept.

Gently tying the metal appliance over her mouth she smiled. Everything was going to be fine now; if her brother was alive maybe there was a point in escaping. Gently she dropped the bed sheets into the vat of bleach and with a long pole began to stir them.

But how would they escape? It wasn't as if they could just walk out the front door. As she thought of various escape plans a face popped into Sango's mind. Miroku's face smiling at her as she threw apple chunks at him; Miroku's concerned face when she injured herself; Miroku's kind face as he held her the night when he had saved her from those three bandits; Miroku's joking look when he said she must have cared about him to go to the effort of rescuing him from the spiders; Miroku's face the morning she had woken up on his chest. Did she really want to leave if I meant not ever seeing him again, would she even be able to live if she did? And he had looked so upset last night, why, what had she done, had she said something that had hurt him?

"Oh damn why does being in love have to be so confusing!" Sango wondered stirring the sheets with more vigor. Maybe she could just free Kohaku………No that wouldn't work. Kohaku would never leave without her. And she could do nothing knowing her brother was alive and being imprisoned. What was she going to do!

When Sango finished stirring she carefully hung the sheets outside to dry on the clothes lines.

"Sango!" a voice called behind her.

Looking around Sango saw Kagome heading over her way. "Hi Kagome," Sango replied taking a clothespin out of her mouth and clipping the sheet to the line. "Aren't you cooking lunch today?"

"No I got the day off," Kagome replied starting to help Sango with the sheets. "So what's new with you?"

Looking over at Kagome, Sango wondered if Miroku had talked to Kagome. Did her friend that she had found her brother last night? "Well actually," Sango began but then stopped. She wouldn't tell Kagome yet, if she did her friend might ask what she was going to do, and the truth was that she didn't really know. Before she had met Miroku, she would have said no questions break her brother out and escape………….but now? Would she really be able to turn her back on her only friends? After everything she had done with them could she calmly go back to being the hidden princess whom everybody ignored?

"What?" Kagome asked.

Smiling she turned to Kagome and said nonchalantly "Oh nothing. I'm just bored out of my mind I've been mending clothes until a couple of minutes ago and I'm just so happy to finally get outside. It feels so nice having the sun on my face."

"I know," Kagome agreed turning her face up to the sun. Sango clipped the last sheet onto the line while Kagome held it.

"You're done for the rest of the afternoon right?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah."

"Well then come on, lets go find the sunniest spot in the garden and we can just lay there and absorb the sun!" Kagome said grabbing Sango's hand and leading her to the garden where they spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around chatting amiably.

"Sango!" a voice whispered in her ear. "Sango wake up!"

Groaning Sango opened her eyes. What in the world, who was waking her up at this ungodly hour. Looking out the window Sango only saw darkness; it wasn't even sunrise yet! "What is it?" she asked sleepily.

"Come on you have to get up," the voice said.

"Strange," Sango thought that sound vaguely like Miroku's voice. With a large groan she rolled over and found herself staring into Miroku's violet eyes. Her breath caught in her throat. His eyes were so beautiful. Very slowly she sat up making sure no flesh was visible for his perverted eyes to see.

"What are you doing in my room Miroku," she growled threateningly just because she loved him didn't mean she trusted him…..yet she knew she did so that wasn't true was it? Confused that it was possible to trust a pervert Sango quickly asked, "How long have you been there?" to distract him from the blush that was appearing.

"I just got here a minute ago," he replied truthfully but he didn't say that he had spent that last minute gazing at her as the moonlight from the window streamed through bathing his love in it light making her if possible more radiant than she already was. "You have to get up now Sango and follow me," he repeated.

"Can I get dressed first?" she asked.

"Yes but hurry," Miroku said and turned and walked out of the door so she could have her privacy. Sango almost sighed, she had somehow wished that her might stay….what nonsense was that! And not believing that she had just thought Sango hurriedly that changed into a plain dress.

Hearing her door open, Miroku looked over to where Sango stood about to ask him what was going on. Quickly he put a finger to his lips, motioning her to be quiet. Then he took her hand, and began to lead her to the courtyard, all the while treasuring the feel of her hand in his for the last time. When they reached the courtyard where Sango saw Kohaku sitting on a horse and looked over confusion all over her face. Smiling wryly he placed his and on her tiny waist and hoisted her up onto the horse in front of Kohaku.

"Why?" She questioned when she figured out what was going on.

"I couldn't stand to see you spend the rest of your life caged up as a prisoner so I'm granting you your freedom along with Prince Kohaku's. Just promise me one thing," Miroku said trying no to show how much letting her go was tearing his heart in two.

"What?"

"That you'll be happy," Miroku said and with a nod to Kohaku slapped the horse's rear.

As the horse galloped away he felt Sango's gaze on him, as much as he wished to leave he couldn't. This would be the last time he saw her and after she disappeared he would try to go on with his life, he would never be able to forget her and he would never be able to fall in love again, because he knew he had found the only woman for him. Yet she loved someone else, and as much as he wished it was he that she loved, he would let her go and marry the one she loved. So he let Sango ride away, and prepared himself to do what he would, he would do whatever it meant to ring peace to the countries, even if I meant giving up his freedom. He would marry the princess. What did it matter whether he loved her or not? His heart was no longer his, the beautiful maiden whom had wandered into his camp unknowingly had just as innocently stolen his heart. Hearing footsteps pounding the ground Miroku turned to see Inuyasha and Kagome running toward him.

"Miroku, what it the world did you just do," Inuyasha retorted. "Why did you just stand there and let her escape!"

"I didn't let her escape, I set her free," Miroku said sadly turning to look once again where his love had vanished moments before.

"Why?" Kagome asked her voice barely a whisper.

Turning so that he could look into Kagome's eyes he said simply, "because I love her." With a heavy heart Miroku cast one last glance at the direction Sango had rode off secretly, no desperately, hoping she wouldn't leave. That if he waited long enough she force Kohaku to turn around but she was gone and all that remained was the stirred up dust from the horse's hooves. His mouth tightened and he turned back and woke with firm resolute strides back to his castle.

"Because I love her." he told himself. "It's because I love her I can never be with her."

To be continued...

So romantic, oh I'm almost in tears. .:o:. Its so touching. Letting her go because he loved her. WAILS it's so sad. Well please review I know it may not be long but worked hard to get this out so fast …… also if you like this story I've just started another Miroku Sango story called Miroku and the Magic Coco Beans so you should all go and check it out because I think you'll like it….. so please review