Acceptance

Sango woke up slowly, but kept her eyes closed. It was… a really good dream. She couldn't remember exactly what had happened, but burned into her mind was an image of a beautiful woman. She was shorter than average with tan skin and clothing, and a large fur pelt draped over her shoulders. Her light brown hair hung to the middle of her back and was streaked with black. The black zigzag markings on her face and her orange eyes marked her as youkai. Sango would have recognized her anywhere.

Kirara.

She threw herself off of her futon and poked her head outside. Others in the village were already awake and going about their work in the gloomy, overcast day. Sango could see that a few more huts were close to completion. She looked around the village thoughtfully as words came to her mind. "So that they'll never have to rebuild again…"

She knew what it meant, or at least, she knew what she was going to make of it. I will teach them. And then… I will take on my new life. She smiled as she thought of her plans. She knew exactly what she wanted to do, no, what she had to do.

Moving back into the hut she quickly gathered her few possessions, her sleeping mat, Hiraikotsu, and the small pack of personal objects that she had kept since their journeys, and she left the hut. As she walked out the door, the giant bone of Hiraikotsu slammed into Miroku's head where he was sleeping outside Sango's door.

"Houshi-sama!" Sango gasped. Miroku moaned and stood up, gripping his head.

"Good morning. I thought we agreed my name was Miroku," he yawned, rubbing his head. He raised an eyebrow at her pack. ". Going somewhere?"

Sango quickly recovered, and blushed slightly. "I, uh, decided to move into Kaede-sama's hut."

Miroku didn't lower his eyebrow at that statement, but decided not to comment. "Well, I'll help you move. Is there anything I can help carry?" he asked, moving his hands to take her small pack. Sango let Hiraikotsu off of her shoulder and held it out to him. With a slight groan of effort, Miroku shouldered the weapon.

They walked down the path in silence for a few seconds before Sango said, "How long were you asleep out there?"

Miroku's cheeks flushed slightly, though he kept his stare straight ahead. "Kaede's hut… there hasn't been anyone living in it, so it hasn't been fixed yet, has it? I'll have to repair the roof so that you can sleep there tonight."

Sango stopped walking and planted herself in front of Miroku. "You were there… all night, weren't you?" It was more of a statement than a question. "But… why?"

Miroku shrugged and brought his violet eyes to stare directly into Sango's. "Somebody has to watch out for you."

Sango found herself barely breathing and completely incapable of breaking his eye contact. Memories of a night spent in Miroku's arms flooded her senses. Now she knew that he had been near her every night, every moment.

"Pervert," she whispered. He blinked and looked away. Sango could feel the hot color in her cheeks, brought on by something very different than embarrassment. She felt slightly dazed as she walked on in silence next to Miroku.

It started raining when they reached the hut, large drops that would have soaked them instantly if there hadn't been a small corner of the hut that still had its roof intact. Sango laid her things down and looked out at the rain. It was beautiful, the way it washed everything away. The drumming of the droplets on the leaves was soothing to her. She let herself be lost in the deluge as the water washed away the ash and charcoal. She only turned when she heard a soft voice behind her.

"Sango," Miroku said slowly, and Sango once again found herself lost in the depths of Miroku's eyes. "You started calling me houshi' again."

Sango bit her lip, knowing the implications of his statement. "I… I don't think that I can have children, Houshi-sama. Not after this."

"I'm not asking you to bear my children, Sango," Miroku said, taking a step closer to her, daring a small smile, "I'm asking you to marry me."

"But… Miroku…"

Upon hearing his name, Miroku took another step closer, grabbing both of Sango's hands and clasping them to his chest. "Marry me. That's it."

Sango took a deep breath and nodded.

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InuYasha sniffed the air tentatively. They were close. And by the set look on Kagome's face, he could tell that she knew as well. He paused on the very edge of the taka territory, annoyance settling on his face.

"Kagome."

The girl turned to face him, wary of his expression. "Why are we stopped?"

InuYasha crossed his arms over his chest. "This has gone on long enough. I'm not going in there with you."

Kagome felt the panic start to rise, but pushed it down. "I don't care. I'm going in." InuYasha blocked her path, but Kagome had made up her mind. She wasn't going to be intimidated by him. "I have to go, InuYasha. I have to purify them!"

"Why, Kagome? Why are you doing this?" InuYasha shouted.

Kagome's voice rose as desperation hit. "Because they killed them! They are evil. They are dirty! And I will purify them, all of them. Kuroaki will just be the beginning. I will purify every youkai in the world, if that is what it takes for this to never happen again. They disgust me."

"Kirara was youkai, Kagome! Shippou was youkai! Listen to what you are saying!"

"If there is any good in them, they will survive the purification."

"You know that's not true, Kagome."

Kagome looked as if she was about to say something, but just clenched her fists. InuYasha winced at the sharp smell of her blood in the air as her nails bit into her skin. She pushed him out of the way, and he moved more out of surprise than the force of her shove. "Kagome," he called at her back. She didn't turn around or even acknowledge him. "Kagome!"

InuYasha stood dumbstruck as his echoes reverberated around him. What… happened? Why is this happening? What happened to us? Kagome… I can't lose you again… Kagome… explain this to me.

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AN: I update when I can. This could be a few days, weeks or months. If you can't wait for an update, then you should just give up on the fic, because I am a slow writer.

AN: I do not own the rights to InuYasha.