Disclaimer: I own the story plot…and that's about it.

Author's Note: Thank you my reviewers!

Chapter 3

Gaining an Ally

The sunrise was just as beautiful as the sunset. However, the sunrise silhouetted the hills in the distance perfectly, casting the abandoned village in an orange glow. Needless to say, it was beautiful. Kagome was the only one to witness the scenic view that morning.

Kagome smiled and leaned against the wall of a hut thinking. No one would interrupt her thoughts that morning and she knew that today, Miroku and she would be heading off to the next village. She didn't know what Inuyasha planned to do, nor did she really care.

"Stupid, stuck up, jackass hanyou," Kagome muttered darkly thinking about the hanyou with those adorable doggy ears.

Adorable? Kagome thought horrified. Oh kami! Did I just think Inuyasha's ears were adorableKagome groaned and sank to the ground. No matter, because after today, I shall never see that hanyou again.

"Ohayo," a voice said startling Kagome's train of thoughts.

Kagome gave a little yelp before jumping up. She watched the hanyou approach her and look towards the hill where the sun was rising steadily.

"Aren't you up a little early wench?"

Kagome ignored him. "None of your business," Kagome snapped. "Anyway, I was just thinking. There ain't any law against that," she added.

"Whatever," Inuyasha replied grinning. "Where are you going after Sango has recovered?"

"Miroku-sama and I are going to the next village," Kagome replied.

"Which direction?"

Kagome pointed towards the hills. Inuyasha nodded and stretched.

"I'm going that way too," he added. "Got some business in the Shinto Kingdom."

"Really?" Kagome asked, hoping she didn't sound too interested.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied raising his eyebrow at her. "Unfinished business."

Kagome bit her lip. What the hell does he mean by 'unfinished business'? Kagome thought looking towards the sunset. Maybe he has to kill someone. He looks like a killer. Way to jump to conclusions Kags! Maybe he has family in Shinto. I can't presume he's some psycho path.

"That miko," Kagome said quietly, "the one you mentioned before that could use the hama no ya…who was she?"

"Kikyo," Inuyasha replied. "She was a priestess in the Shinto Kingdom."

I knew it! Kagome's mind screamed. I knew it! I knew it! He did know Kikyo…so why haven't I seen him before?

OoOoOoO

Sango woke up, rubbing her eyes. God her arm her like hell, and she forgot for a brief moment why it hurt. Then she remembered. All the pain came flooding back to her in a few moments and Sango dug deeper into the bed trying to keep herself warm.

"Are you awake?" a deep voice asked causing Sango to sit up again rather quickly.

The pain came and she clutched her wounds wincing in pain. She looked up and saw a young monk with black hair tied in a short ponytail and violet eyes. She blinked and he blinked back.

"Who are you?" Sango asked, her hands roaming around for a weapon to use if he seemed to be a threat. Her hands came across her pillow, and she inwardly groaned. This was the best weapon she could come up with? Sango kept her face emotionless, none the less, as not to throw off her intentions.

"My name is Miroku," the monk said calmly. "I doubt that pillow would do much damage by the way."

Sango blushed and relaxed her grip around the pillow. "Sango," she mumbled.

"I know," the houshi-sama replied looking up at the ceiling. "Kagome-sama told me earlier," he added quietly.

"Where is Kagome-chan?" Sango asked looking around the empty hut.

"She's outside talking to Inuyasha," Miroku replied. "Inuyasha is travelling with us, for now at least," he explained seeing Sango's confused face. "We met him at our last village and he seems to be travelling in the same direction we are."

The houshi and taijiya stared at each for a few awkward moments, before Sango turned away to looked at her fiddling hands tugging at a loose thread on the blanket.

"Where are you going once you are healed?" the monk asked running a hand through his hair.

"I thought…I want to join the army," she mumbled sheepishly. "I don't care what Kagome-chan said because the youkais are responsible for the death of my little brother, my father and everyone I have known since I was a child!" Sango sounded near hysterics by the time she half sobbed the sentence out.

"I understand the grudge you hold," Miroku replied calmly. "But sometimes revenge isn't the way to solve things. If you are to kill the youkais responsible for the death of your loved ones, this may cause more heartache. Youkais have kin too, you know, and they would probably want revenge if their loved one was killed. It is a never ending circle unless someone decides that death is not the best option."

It took a while for Miroku's words to sink into Sango and when she finally absorbed it in, she began shaking her head as tears flew down her cheeks.

"No, you don't understand!" she said, her voice steady despite the uneasiness of her breathing. Sango opened her mouth to argue back with the monk, but he held his hand up, stopping her before she even started.

"Travel with us for a while, and then if you still want to join the army, I will help you," Miroku said. "We will be travelling to Shinto where they will probably have an army ready to send out soon."

"Shinto?" the girl repeated. "Why are you going to Shinto?"

"It would be safer to stay there," Miroku explained. "I suppose living in villages are harder to hear the news of the war, but Shinto declared itself as a neutral country three years ago."

"I knew that," Sango said quietly. "I heard about it from my father when Shinto first declared that. But I thought getting into Shinto is supposed to be very difficult. Didn't the king stop all incoming and outgoing traffic except for trades, which have to be quarantined for a month before entering?"

Miroku nodded. "True, but we can test our luck, can't we?"

OoOoOoO

Kagome's stomach gave a loud growl and she clutched it, blushing. She was starving since Inuyasha refused to collect some fruits for breakfast.

"Stupid hanyou couldn't fetch breakfast," she muttered starting a fire to cook some stew for dinner. "I shouldn't cook lunch for that ungrateful -"

"I heard that!" a voice shouted from outside. "And for your information, I'm chopping wood for your stupid fire."

"Fine!" Kagome shouted back.

Can't I get some privacy here? her mind screamed as she place a pot of water onto the stove. Honestly! I couldn't get any back home and now here, in a village where everyone is dead. Stupid demon abilities… Kagome threw some vegetables into the pot with some noodles and herbs and spices. Let's put some curry into Inuyasha's food! That will teach him to eavesdrop into my conversation!

Kagome began searching around for some curry leaves, but alas, she did not find any. The gods are against me today, she thought furiously as she went back to the stew that was boiling merrily on the stove. Kagome sighed and added a couple more chopped up vegetables into the stew. She smiled sadly as she began to stir the stew.

Before she arrived at the shrine, Kagome had been the worst cook ever. The orphans had helped her learn the basics and it had taken her a while before she could master cooking the perfect stew as well as noodles. Because of the orphans, Kagome was no longer a dependent girl, but more of an independent woman. Kagome could cook for herself, defend herself and survive.

"What would I have done without those kids?" Kagome sighed tasting a bit of the stew. "Needs more salt," she mumbled reaching over for a bowl containing the salt. She took a pinch and threw it into the pot.

"Smells good," Inuyasha said walking into the hut with some fire wood. He walked over to the pot and gave it a sniff. "For a spoilt brat, you cook pretty well. Well, it smells good, but who knows how it'll taste"

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him before rolling her eyes. Don't let someone who is about as intelligent as wood get to you! He is not worth it... Take your anger out later and do your revenge silently. Don't let him know that you will be planning something to make him suffer.

It took all of Kagome's strength not to grab Inuyasha's sensitive dog ears and yank at them until he was screaming in pain. She handed Inuyasha bowl of stew.

"Give it to Sango," she said, her voice quavering slightly. "She hasn't had any breakfast either since someone didn't get any breakfast."

"Wow, it almost sounds as though you're blaming me," Inuyasha said, his words causing Kagome to clench her fists. "You're the woman here, Kagome, so aren't you responsible for cooking?"

He made a hasty exit, leaving just in time to hear something smashing against the wall of the hut as well as a frustrated scream. Inuyasha smirked to himself, glad to know that he got to the girl, as he walked towards the hut where Miroku was watching over Sango. The inu hanyou didn't really trust Miroku around women (something told him that this monk wasn't all that holy) but Kagome seemed to trust him enough to take care of Sango, so why should he care?

Inuyasha walked into the hut interrupting an argument between the youkai taijiya and the houshi. Truthfully, Inuyasha could hear the fight from outside, but he, in a temporary lapse of insanity, decided to help the monk out by intervening. Apparently, the fight had been about Miroku's hands going somewhere where they shouldn't have gone. Inuyasha didn't trust that monk around women that much, but he sure as hell wasn't to argue back with Kagome when she wanted Miroku to look after the injured warrior.

"Got you lunch," he said turning to Sango, who's eyes widened slightly.

"Youkai!" she shrieked crawling backwards. She grabbed her pillow and threw it as hard as she could. And for a pillow, it hit Inuyasha pretty hard, hard enough to make him stumble back a bit and drop the stew that he was holding.

"What the hell was that for!" Inuyasha shouted.

"You youkai are all the same!" the estranged girl began screaming throwing whatever she could at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha shielded himself from some of the pitiful objects flying towards him. "What the hell does that mean?" Inuyasha snarled rushing over to Sango and gripping her wrist, stopping her from her throwing frenzy.

"Let go!" Sango shouted squirming.

"For your information, girl, I am not a youkai and I'm not a killer either!" Inuyasha snarled. "So get this through your thick head: not all youkai are evil and you going on a killing spree just will make you as evil as you think youkai are!"

Sango's blood boiled. Who the hell does he think he is? she thought digging her nails into his skin hoping he would let go soon. How can he tell me that by killing youkai, I'm just as evil as them? They deserve to die! They killed everyone I know and love.

Sango, somehow, managed to shove Inuyasha off her and got up. "Get away from me youkai!" Sango shouted.

Miroku made a move to try and stop Sango, but she threw him a glare that stopped him in his tracks. "Sango," the monk said shaking off Sango's glare and grabbing her wrist.

"Let go," she said trying to shake Miroku off. "Houshi-sama, let go or so help me I will attack you too!"

"Listen to yourself!" Inuyasha roared. "What are you willing to sacrifice for revenge? Do you think your family would want you to dedicate your life to killing? What will murder gain you?"

"Let me go!" Sango said, unaware of the tears that she was pouring out, as she tried shaking off the monk. "Let me go!"

Sango dropped to her knees, exhausted, emotionally and physically, and Miroku let go of her. Sango's arms wrapped around her stomach as she kneeled on the ground, rocking to and fro as she sobbed. It seemed as though Inuyasha's words had made an impact on Sango. Inuyasha and Miroku watched Sango sob for a while, before leaving the hut. Sango needed some time to think and recover.

The two men walked over to the hut where Kagome was eating her lunch and joined her. There was an awkward silence between the three, the two men deciding to leave Kagome in the dark of what had just happened with Sango. Kagome could suspect something had happened between them and the injured Sango, but they would have to tell her sooner or later.

OoOoOoO

Sango had been in deep thought since Inuyasha and the houshi-sama had left the hut. She crawled back onto her bed and began sobbing quietly. She felt so ashamed of herself right now that it would be best if no one saw her. She pulled the blankets over her head and took a couple of deep breaths.

"Gomen Otou," she whispered burying her face into her hands. "Gomen…"

OoOoOoO

Inuyasha woke up the next morning, itching to get away from the village they were currently staying in. He was constantly waking up to the scent of old blood he didn't like the scent of the liquor that seemed to have been drenched on the whole village. It seemed as though the youkais had attempted to set the village on fire by covering it with liquor, but gave up halfway. He stretched and turned over, watching Kagome sleep peacefully.

"Why do you have to look like her?" he murmured.

Inuyasha shook his head and went outside. It was a fairly cool morning with a thin fog blanketing the village giving it an almost eerie appeal. Inuyasha headed straight over to Sango's hut for two reasons. The first being to make sure that the monk hadn't snuck in during the night to take advantage of Sango and the second being that Sango was very vulnerable right now and a youkai might take advantage of it. Inuyasha knew that the first reason was pretty stupid since that monk wouldn't dare do something so deceitful and he certainly had no proof the monk was a pervert, but his instincts told him he was, and a inu hanyou's instincts were almost always on the dot.

Sango was already awake when Inuyasha walked into the hut. She was sitting in her bed with a thoughtful expression on her face. She was deep in thought and hadn't even noticed that Inuyasha had entered the room.

"Morning," Inuyasha said clearing his throat nervously.

Sango looked up startled but relaxed when she saw it was just Inuyasha. "Morning," she replied nervously. "Um…about yesterday? I'm sorry." Inuyasha nodded, accepting her apology. "I also gave some thought into what you said and I realised that for revenge, I was willing to give up everything, my future, my sanity and my life, just to make the pain go away. The pain doesn't go away does it?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "I know how you feel. I thought revenge was the best option but after I killed him, the anger never went away. I hated myself for sinking to his level and I hated the fact that I never said goodbye to her or was there when she was dying. I just wanted to make sure that guy paid for what he did."

Sango nodded, understanding Inuyasha's feelings. "It took me a while to convince myself that murder wouldn't bring my parents back to life, nor would crying over it. I have to move on and the only way I can do is to start my life over."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I think…if I can, can I follow you to Shinto?" Sango asked looking down at the dusty floor. "I think that in Shinto I would be able to start over."

"So you don't want to join the war anymore?"

Sango shook her head. "My father didn't want us involved in the war and I am not about to go insult his spirit by joining this war."

"Can you start walking?" Inuyasha asked standing up. "I could use some help collecting some breakfast."

Sango smiled. "Yeah, I can walk now."

Thank you Inuyasha, Sango thought as Inuyasha helped her up and over to the door. I owe you so much for helping me move on. Gomen Otou, Kohaku. I almost made a mistake, but I will try to honour your spirits. I will not a be a disappointment anymore.

OoOoOoO

Author's Note: Do you guys want Shippo in the story? I really don't like Shippo that much (he's really annoying) but that is just my opinion. If you want Shippo in the story, let me know. It'll be like a poll, so if more people say that they don't want Shippo (please, please, please say no!) then he won't be in it.

I have no idea what will happen in this story. I'm sort of making this up as I go along, so be prepared for the unexpected. I have a faint idea of the ending and Kagome's secret past, as well as Inuyasha's and Miroku. You can kind of guess that everyone has a secret past except for Sango since her past has already been explained. If anyone can give me a suggestion for the next chapter, please let me know! I will dedicate the chapter to you.

Sorry for the late update, school's just been harder than I thought and we've been piled with so much homework it's inhumane. I got exams coming up soon and three tests next week.