Disclaimer—Only own the characters I created....not Inuyasha and the others on which this story is based...

"There you are!" Shippo sat up from his spot at the well....Kagome's well. "Where have you...who is she?" he glared at Amarra.

"She's joining us." Inuyasha answered, trying to keep his eyes from focusing on the well. The scent of her was even gone...and the emptiness threatened to break his heart further.

"What do you mean....what about Kagome!"

"Kagome isn't coming back!" Inuyasha yelled.

"That's only because you're being stubborn and not asking Kaede for help....but I asked..."

Sango watched, allowing Inuyasha to smack Shippo on his head. Then she walked over, picking up the small fox demon. "That's enough" she said to both of them. "Kagome does not wish to be here, and we are all respecting her wishes" she sat down with Shippo, watching as Inuyasha disappeared in a flash. "You are not being fair."

"Fair?! He drove Kagome away....don't you miss her?!"

Miroku joined them, answering for Sango. "We all miss her. But none of us miss her as much as Inuyasha. And everything that you say to him, he has already said to himself. However, sometimes, when you care for someone, you just have to let him or her go...sometimes you just have to go yourself. Kagome had every right to leave when she determined it was best for her...and Inuyasha has every right to not go after her if he knows that he cannot give her what she wants."

Inuyasha continued running through the woods, doing his best to empty his mind of Kagome...

Of the reason she left...

Of Kikyo....

He did love her...the problem was he still loved the other.

He had been honest as possible.

And, his heart couldn't choose, no matter how much he willed it.

No wonder Kagome had finally just had enough...

But it still didn't stop him from feeling bitter that she hadn't even bothered to say goodbye.

Amarra watched as Miroku looked at Sango while he spoke to the bratty fox. She couldn't hear what they were saying, she didn't care enough to move closer to find out...but whatever words were spoken seemed to be directed, or at least about Sango more than for the benefit of the little one.

"You can care for someone and know that you will never be able to give her what she needs." Just like he cared for Sango, but knew that he would never be able to provide her with the life she desired. There was a man waiting for her that would love her and only her...who would never wander...and the fact was, despite his feelings for Sango...the men in his family had never, ever been able to stay faithful to just one woman.

Miroku heard that his mother used to spend a lot of time crying because of his father...and he cared for Sango way too much to wish on her a life of tears, either because he couldn't remain faithful...

Or because he was swallowed by his wind tunnel and left her behind.

Sango looked as Miroku stood suddenly, and walked away. Meanwhile, Shippo watched as Amarra moved closer,

"Excuse me, but shouldn't we be finding some place to stay before night falls?"

Shippo crossed his arms, turning away from Amarra. "When Inuyasha returns we will leave." Sango answered. "As for Shippo..." she turned him around to face them once more, "He is just really missing our friend."

"We all have those that are missed." Amarra shrugged her shoulders. She looked at Shippo. "Nothing we can do about that, but it does not mean we should be rude to those that are here, isn't that correct Shippo?"

"Correct." Shippo gasped as the word came out of his mouth. Something about her take-charge tone....

"Do you have children?" Sango found herself asking.

"In a certain way." Amarra answered, leaving Shippo and Sango alone at the well.

Kirara carried Miroku, Shippo and Amarra as in front of them Sango tightened her grip around Inuyasha.

She had to admit to herself, it was exhilarating to travel like this, Inuyasha's hair brushing against her face as he sped down the road.

He glanced back at her as her arms gripped around him. "Are you all right?"

"That is rather a concerned tone coming from you." Sango smiled.

"If you fall, I will never hear the end of it from that brat." Inuyasha mumbled. He stopped running as he saw a village ahead. Sango slipped off his back and they began to walk.

"I think that Miroku and I explained things adequately to Shippo this time." Sango looked over at Inuyasha.

"I hope so. It will be good not to have him whining at me." They continued on in silence until Inuyasha found himself glancing at Sango this time. "What did you say?"

"We just explained to him that what happened was no one's fault...and it wasn't fair to blame one person over another."

"So you lied." Inuyasha walked a little quicker.

"How did we lie?" Quick enough that Sango had to jog to keep up.

"Kagome's leaving is very well my fault..."

"No it's not." Sango shook her head.

"And how do you figure that?" Once more Inuyasha slowed down, his curiosity peaked by Sango's answer.

"We cannot help certain feelings...we can only help what we do with them." Sango changed the subject somewhat, realizing that Inuyasha would never sit through a conversation with her about Kagome, himself, and Kikyo. "For instance...I might care for someone, but realize that our being together is not possible, at least right now. So, right now, I am choosing to close myself off from him emotionally..."

"Like Kagome physically closed herself off from me." Inuyasha finished the words that Sango wouldn't.

"Yes." Sango realized that Miroku was not the type to settle down with.

By the same token, she had much more to lose than her heart. There was no way she would just walk away from everyone until they had destroyed Naraku. So, Sango chose to only allow Miroku in so far...and it was getting easier now that he seemed to be trying to place some distance between them as well.

Besides, with Kagome gone, Sango knew she needed to take over the responsibility of taking care of Shippo...and, though she wouldn't admit it...Inuyasha as well.

Kagome's leaving had obviously left Inuyasha devastated. Sango could tell by the way he hardly spoke to anyone anymore. He had become so open in certain ways...but the day he realized Kagome was gone and never coming back, he started building this wall around himself.

And that would never do....

Inuyasha and Sango stopped, and in a moment Miroku took the lead in their trail.

He would convince the villagers to let them stay the night.

"Why are you looking at me?" Inuyasha arched his brow, looking at Sango. And only then did she realize she had been staring at him.

"I'm not." Sango lied and began walking once more, Inuyasha behind her.