Disclaimer: I own nothing. The originality of the plot, however, belongs to me.

A huge thank you to Bonzo the Fifth, who was kind enough to take the time and revise this for me, bringing up a few good points in the process.

"What will your decision be?" the soft, smooth voice asked her.

Sango had the distinct feeling that this person - whomever it was - was not intending to stay for a long discussion. However, having suddenly been asked a direct question as if she and this figure had already been in deep discussion about a particular topic, the taijiya wasn't quite ready to answer.

"What?" she asked, hoping her father and brother were already asleep. The last thing she wanted was for them to come in and start asking questions. Of course, it wasn't like she would be able to answer them anyway.

"The figure took a few steps closer to her. Sango could barely tell by the dim light of the room that the figure was actually a woman - as Sango had assumed by the smooth tone of voice. The shadowy moonlight from the outside window gave the woman an almost ghostly appearance.

The woman had pale blue-greyish eyes with dark hair, although Sango could not tell how long it was because it was apparently tucked in behind her head in the hood.

"You heard what I said," the woman said quietly, although her voice was quite audible in the little room.

"Look, I don't know why you're here," Sango began, forgetting the cool demeaner that the unexpected visitor had radiated earlier, "but this is not a good time. It's late, I'm tired, and I would like -"

"This is a good of time as any," the woman cut across her, her eyes glinting silvery. "It is time I explained circumstances. My powers cannot keep this time-frame active for much longer if you remain indecisive."

"Then why - wait…" Sango sat back down. "Time-frame? What are you talking about? More importantly," she burst out, lack of proper sleep and irritation at the cryptic responses she was getting increasing her temper, "Who are you?"

"I am one of the three Fates."

"You're one of - then why are you here?" Before the Fate could answer, Sango sighed and put her head in her hands. "You should come back tomorrow. I'll be able to think more clearly and -"

"No. This discussion must take place tonight. I need to know what your decision will be." Despite the pleasant, seemingly patient tone of voice, the taijiya heard the briefest hint of irritation below the surface.

"My decision about what?" she asked.

"Your decision about whether or not you want things to remain as they now are."

"What? Time… dimension?" Sango slowly repeated, staring at the shadowy figure. "What are you talking about -"

The fate raised her eyebrows. "You wished to be sent back in time to fix what happened to your family and friends. You expressed that wish. I granted it, as you can see." She briefly waved a hand to indicate her room and surroundings.

"If there was one thing I wish I could do… it would be to go back in time so I could fix everything. I wish I had the chance to go back and prevent all of it from happening, but I know that's not possible."

Sango's eyes widened as the realization struck her. "You did that?"

The Fate did not answer, but the silence seemed to confirm Sango's realization. The taijiya stared at her.

"Why?" she finally managed to ask.

The Fate raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would have figured that out by now."

"I - was it because you heard what I said? Why would you feel obligated to help me?" Being unable to stop herself, the questions rushed out of her mouth, the words almost sounding jumbled.

The Fate just shook her head, a slight motion that Sango barely perceived.

Sango attempted to make her tone sound more polite. "I'm sorry. I just don't understand - why did you do that? What do you mean by 'dimension'?"

The Fate said, "I did that to show you what things would have been like if your village had not been destroyed. That's why I granted your wish. So, to answer your other question… this time is not real."

Sango covered her face with her hands, trying to take in the response. The figure watched her, and for a short amount of time, the room was completely silent. At last she uncovered her face, a tired expression on her face. Her voice sounded weary with a hint of bitterness.

"Then I guess I don't have much of a choice in deciding what life I want to continue, do I?"

"You could stay here," the Fate suggested.

"But you just said this - this time wasn't real!" The taijiya was starting to get a headache.

"It isn't. But you can continue living here. You can still exist in this time frame," the figure told her.

You can still exist in this time frame.

Wondrous possibilities flew in her mind. Her comrades could continue their training. Her father would not be killed. She could lead her brother away from the path of the taijiya, and teach him a more peaceful way to get through life without having to resort to violence. He would not have to be a warrior, not when his heart wasn't in it.

She could be with her family again without worrying.

Then another realization occurred to her. Sango stared at her. "Then… am I real?"

"To an extent."

Sango looked down at the floor, not really seeing it. "I can be with Kohaku again. I can live with my family again," she said quietly, more to herself than the figure watching her. "I can regain the brother I lost." Then something else came to mind. "What about my friends? Will they…?" Will Houshi-sama…?

"They won't be able to remember you, and it is unlikely you will ever find a purpose to see them again. Because as you remember, you only met up with them after you vowed to find revenge for your family. In this time dimension, you have not really met them, you have not become their friend; therefore chances are likely that you will never see them again unless you decide to travel. Even if you do, things will not be the same as in the other dimension."

"And if I return to the other dimension?"

"Then you will end up back where you last were before you went back in time," the Fate answered her. "The others will not suspect anything because to them you have never left. You will still have your memories of having travelled back in time, but it will not change anything."

Sango was silent once again, and the Fate regarded her closely.

"Sango," she said quietly, and the taijiya looked back up at her again. "I was going to ask you to give me your answer tonight, but I realize that you need more time to decide. We are not supposed to return in time; that is twisting the thread of fate. However, you may remain here and live out your life as you wish. But keep this in mind: things may not happen as you want them to, and if you remain here, you will not be able to see your other family again. I will give you until tomorrow night to decide."

Sango only nodded.

The Fate turned around and her body began to glow with a mysterious yellow light that seemed to come from inside her cloak. The taijiya watched her, then one last thing came to her.

"I have one more thing to ask you," she said. The Fate nodded, the yellow light starting to become brighter. "If I remain here… will I remember the others, of what has already happened?"

Just before the light enveloped the figure completely, one word came from the hood.

"Yes."

Kohaku walked into the forest that was not too far off from the village, barely taking notice of the clear sky and bright sun which was soon a bit shrouded from the thick, heavy branches of trees. He hadn't seen Sango all morning, but that didn't worry him. What did was the fact that she was, even if she hadn't noticed it herself, shutting him out.

He noticed it; the distant expression that frequent came on her face whenever she spoke to Father or him, as if there was something she wanted but was unable to grasp. He didn't have any idea what it was, except that it seemed to be something she couldn't get no matter how hard she tried.

And it had all started the day she came back from exterminating a demon. From the moment she had looked up at him, tears in her eyes, he knew that something was wrong, that something had changed.

He just couldn't figure it out, and it bothered him to no end.

Ane-ue has always been relatively cheerful. Ever since we were little kids, playing in the river or arguing over food at the dinner table, she would have a smile on her face after the brief quarrel. She would always be willing to spend some time with me once her training was done, and when she scolded me, it was always with patience and understanding for what I did.

He stopped and frowned. The sounds of birds chirping and rustling leaves on the trees filled the quiet atmosphere around him. There was no sign of her. Not here, anyway. He'd have to keep looking.

But now, she rarely smiles. I think she has something on her mind, something that's constantly bothering her, and she won't tell me what it is, no matter how hard I try to help. I don't like this. We used to be so close… and now, it's like there's a wall separating us. Last night she smiled at me, happy that I was, for the most part, unharmed from the invasion on our village, but… it wasn't her. It just wasn't the way she used to look at me.

"It's not… it's not something you can help me with."

That's what she told me, that I couldn't help her this time. I don't understand, and she won't say anything.

Why!

Not long after, Kohaku passed a cluster of trees, then heard the sound of something cutting through the trees. Instinctively he ducked, although the Hiraikotsu had been thrown quite a few feet above his head, and when he looked up, she had caught the weapon and was staring at him with a slightly quizzical expression on her face.

"Kohaku."

"A - Ane-ue!"

She looked away, absentmindedly flipping the weapon onto her back, her voice quiet.

"What are you doing here, Kohaku?"

He straightened, staring directly at her. "I came here to find you, Ane-ue. I want to know something."

If it was possible, he could have sworn that he saw sadness filling her eyes at his words. Unable to contain himself, he burst out, "Why won't you tell me anything, Ane-ue? Is it because of me? Am I doing something wrong?"

She didn't say anything, nor did she even so much as glance at him, although he did notice that her hand had clenched itself into a fist at her side. His frustration grew.

"Why won't you say anything?" he pleaded. When she proceeded to ignore him, or so it seemed, his voice rose to a shout. "Ane-ue! You said I was your little brother, that no matter what I did or accomplished, you would love me. If I'm so important to you, then why do you keep on shutting me out?"

She glanced at him, sadness reflected in her gaze, then turned to walk away. It took all of her willpower not to answer him. She wasn't ignoring him; on the contrary, she was listening quite intently to what he said, and she could identify the anger in his voice that lay just below the surface. Her throat felt constricted as she realized how much her silence was hurting him.

He had never had a reason to be angry with her.

He stood there, watching her leave. Finally, he spoke, although there was only one word, trembling as it left his lips, quiet and desperate for some sort of explanation. For anything.

"Ane-ue."

Tears burned at the back of her eyelids, but she refused to let him see. She didn't want him to know how his words were affecting her. She stopped, swallowing hard as she thought of what to say, although she didn't think she could speak without preventing her voice from trembling. Finally, she opened her mouth, hating how her voice sounded so shaky.

"There's nothing you can do."

There was only silence.

Mentally, she braced herself for the damage she knew she was about to see in her brother's face. She knew she had hurt him. He had offered a chance to reconcile, to confide in him what was troubling her, but in the end, the knowledge that he could not help managed to help her keep the words she longed to explain to him contained within her mind. And so knowing that, she turned around, trying to prepare herself.

He stood there, his mouth slightly open as he heard her say that simple sentence. His eyes reflected hurt and anger and resentment for what she had done, for what she would not do and what she would not tell him. He had outwardly expressed his feelings towards her silence, and she had only thrown it back at him.

They were siblings, as close as they could possibly be after growing up and spending time in each other's presence for so many years, ever since he could remember.

But now a stranger was standing in front of him, her eyes filled with a sadness so deep that he could not fathom, and would never understand.

She would not tell him, he would not understand, and it was because of that that he fell to his knees in the dirt, his fingers clawing into the ground as the limit of his frustration broke the surface. Tears spilled onto his cheeks and fell, making dark splotches among the dirt.

"Ane-ue…" he whispered.

She heard the respected title come from him, and a tear rolled down her own cheek. Quickly, she wiped it away before he could look up, then turned and left.

Is it really any better this way?

It was a lovely evening. The sky was filled with a blend of purple and red and just a hint of blue, signalling that night would come soon. The villagers were singing songs and dancing while others were remaining seated on nearby logs, chanting prayers. The younger children were laughing and talking about the day's events, their happy faces lit a bright orangey-pink by the light of the campfire.

Kohaku made his way over to the side of the campfire that their father was on, roasting some meat. He handed a stick over with some pieces of meat on it to the boy, but Kohaku shook his head, indicating that he didn't want to eat just yet.

"Father, could I talk to you about something important?" he asked. His father lay the stick back on the wooden rack where it would not be burned by the flames.

"Kohaku, if it's about you training to become a warrior -"

"No, no," the boy assured him. "It's actually about Ane-ue. I'm just concerned about her behaviour, that's all."

His father paused and turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"It just seems like she's not really with us most of the time," he attempted to explain. "Like she's here with us, I mean physically, but her thoughts are elsewhere… she's not concentrating at the moment, and I don't know why."

Knowing how close the two siblings had been recently, his father asked, "Have you tried talking to her about this? Maybe you should suggest that you'd like to help her with it, whatever it is that's bothering her."

"I've tried. She won't tell me anything."

His father opened his mouth to say something, but before he could utter a word, Sango herself came out of the hut to join them, seating herself on the steps beside their father.

"It smells good," she said, sniffing at the air and shifting a bit closer to the fire. Just for a brief moment, her gaze connected with Kohaku's, then he looked down and she looked back at the fire, intent on avoiding him. Their father glanced between the two, and spoke.

"Kohaku, could you go and organize the weaponry hut for me?" he said in a mildly pointed tone of voice, ignoring the surprised look from the boy. "Ever since those demons attacked, it's been a mess, and I haven't had time to put everything back where it belongs." It only took a minute for the boy to catch on, and he stood up, heading to the hut. "Thanks."

Sango remained quiet. If her father had sent Kohaku away - and he had never done that before when they wanted to discuss something - then it must be serious. Had Kohaku -?

"Sango, I want to talk to you about something Kohaku recently mentioned to me," he began.

She stiffened, subconsciously shifting away from him and deliberately avoiding his gaze, of which she was sure that was analysing her rather closely as he spoke. Kohaku had talked to him about earlier. Inwardly she sighed, feeling herself tense up at his words. While she could not so easily hurt Kohaku but at the same time have her reasons for doing it, she could not escape her father's judgement.

"It's nothing. I've just been thinking about some things," she said, trying not to sound like she was avoiding the subject on purpose, even though he could probably see through her tactic.

"Sango."

She shook her head. "Father, it's okay. I understand that Kohaku's confused, but this is something I have to do on my own. It's something I have to think things through on my own."

Quite literally, I am alone. No one can help me with this. I don't know what to do just yet, and there are only a few hours left. That 'person' will be appearing tomorrow, and I'm not ready to face her yet. I don't know what to decide, if I can decide.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sango, if you need to talk to me, just let me know. I will do whatever I can to ensure that you can take care of that which is bothering you."

She was quiet for a few moments, then she responded with a quiet, "Thank you, Father."

The two sat there, watching the flames bend slightly due to the gentle breeze, and the sky was now a navy blue, stars beginning to appear and twinkle down at them. Finally Sango spoke again, breaking the peaceful silence between them.

"Father," she began. "If I was to leave on an adventure, to go travelling for a bit and meet new people, what would you have to say on that?"

He turned to look at her; her gaze was intense as she waited for his reply. He hesitated, then replied, "Are you planning to leave the village for a long time, Sango?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm just wondering. I promise you that I am not leaving until I have completed my training."

He looked thoughtful, frowning just slightly. "I'm glad to hear that. If you were to leave in the future - after Kohaku has grown up and can take proper care of himself - I would accept your decision as that of an adult. I would also expect you to have your reasons and to know where you are going, not to wander aimlessly throughout the country."

"What if -" Here her voice shook just the slightest. " - what if I set out on a journey but did not have the intention of coming back for a long time?"

This time he shifted closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against him in an embrace. Although she knew that he did not understand her sudden inquiries about going on a 'journey', his attempt at providing comfort was still as reassuring as it had ever been. He held her tightly for a moment, then spoke, his voice firm and quiet, so that the others around them could not distinctly hear what he was going to say.

"Sango, I taught you how to fight not just because I want you to be a warrior, but so that you can protect yourself and live a happy life," he said. "If going on a journey when you have matured will content you, then I will respect your decision. All I want is for you to be happy."

His answer did not settle the matter for her as she thought it would. It only made the internal debate that much harder.

Who to pick?

Kohaku, Father, and everyone else… I gave them a second chance. I can touch them again, I can laugh and cry with them, I can do things with them as a family. This is the way it should be - I can never forget that. I can be with them again… do things that will be forever destroyed should I choose to go back to the group.

But Naraku might come back. He could plot another scheme to try and destroy the village, and what little defences we have other than our comrades are little to none. We would not be prepared for such an annihilation. I would not be able to stop him on my own… and there would still be loss.

Inuyasha, Kagome-chan, Shippou…

All of them became like family to me… almost like my blood family. They were kind, they accepted me for who I am, and not once did they challenge my reason, my obligation towards what I thought was right even though I knew deep down that it was wrong, that it was just another plan by Naraku. Together, we have managed to get closer to Naraku than I ever would have thought possible.

And Houshi-sama.

If I stay here, I will never see him again. He brought such comfort to the days when all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and surrender to desperation. He always had a smile for me, he always knew what to say at the right time. He was such a gentleman when he tried to be, and I inwardly thank him for that.

She paused in her thoughts. It was such a difficult choice, she almost preferred that the Fate had not given her this chance. Whatever one she chose, it would leave her filled with guilt for the possibilities that could have taken place for the other one. Either way, she would gain something, but at the same time, lose something else.

Kohaku… my little brother. I could stay here and use this chance to do things right. To protect you from harm like I should have done the first time. To guide you away from the violence that you should never have been exposed to at your age so soon, so abruptly. I could do that.

Houshi-sama… my battle partner. He was always there behind me, supporting me and comforting me whenever things seemed to be resigned for the worst. It was the way he said my name, the way he looked at me, the way he was always willing to risk his life to save me from any sort of danger. He is not just a lecherous monk, he is my friend.

Later that night, she had carefully thought it out with all the possibilities. Either way she would gain something, and be slightly content with what she would have and could do, and at the same time, lose something she cherished. It was one way or the other, there could not be a middle. Not this time.

After reflecting upon every last thing she could think of, she came to a conclusion:

In the end, there wasn't really a choice.

Finished - December. 10th, 2005

Posted – December. 12th, 2005

Whew! I never thought I'd ever get this chapter done. No, seriously. The fact that it's still logged on to my profile page is still starting to annoy me, so I opened a Document and started typing away. It didn't take long before I became absorbed into the emotions of the characters.

I'm hoping that the characterisation between their father and the siblings isn't as bad as I think it is. It reminds me almost of the way Miroku speaks, with such calmness. As for the Fate, the reason why I stopped referring to it as a "woman" was because, to me, the Fates are not human in the same way we are. They are more like immortal guardians, watching over the passage of time. Think Xena: Warrior Princess.

As for the last chapter, I have no idea how long it will be, nor how long it will take. It should sum up all your questions and provide a satisfactory ending. It was tough, weighing the pros and cons, but I do know the final decision she makes in the last chapter. I've planned it from Chapter 3.