Disclaimers: I have had, like, NO TIME these past... however long it's been since I've updated. I've had to sort out the papers with the lawyers to get the Inu-tachi, and I've had schoolwork, and when I'm not chasing around my brothers and sister and cousin I'm actually SLEEPING! Well, not really. To top it off, though, I'm having major emotional problems that I guess are typical for any teenager. Hah, I'd like to see anyone top THIS outside of a soap opera.

A/N: 3-part chapter because I decided to do a morning-noon-and-night sort of thing.

I have had some major and I mean MAJOR computer problems lately. But never fear! YnT is here! (Finally.)

I am now posting this on both fanfiction(dot)net and mediaminer(dot)org again. The rating on mm(dot)org is now R. (I always prefered movie ratings over the fiction ratings. Everyone deals with them on a lot more regular basis.) Those of you that dare ponder what that means, ponder away. The plot is moving a lot slower than I thought.

Ai no Sakura Part 2

To clarify your questions you posted on Mediaminer, OOC is out of character, and OC is original character. Yes, I do have other fics. Just check out my bio page. The shapeshifeter stuff will be clarified more when I get to it. (Oh dear, that was an evil teaser for those that haven't read the original... ;;)I'm sorry it takes me so long to get a chapter out. TT But actually, in the original, I didn't give for a period of healing before I completely jumped into the plot. So I have to come up with new stuff for AnS. I think I have an idea now... Hmm... odd how that works...

Shippo decided that the festival that day was special, and his deviousness could be forgiven. As soon as he had Sango sitting down, he was racing off to the temple to find Miroku, now that the lanterns were lit. It took a while, but with good acting and his second, third and fourth winds, he was able to get Miroku into the same area Sango was in without rousing the houshi's suspicions. He then conveniently disappeared, and tracked down InuYasha and Kagome. With his fifth wind, he managed to lead the two back to the village.

The kit presently sat on InuYasha's shoulder, since his were broader than Kagome's. He chattered endlessly while the two made their way down to the village. They were hardly nearing Kaede's place again when they were swept off by a mob of frenzied girls all moving in one direction with a collective enthusiasm. Kagome was swept up into a spinning dance that moved in circles. InuYasha managed to stay out of it, and stood his ground in the outer ring of onlookers. Shippo had again mysteriously disappeared.

Pausing to catch his breath, Shippo slumped against the wall of a random hut. Kilalla appeared at his side, and nudged his shoulder. The little youkai pulled in a deep breath, and raised his head to smile at the fire cat. "You know," he said. "Talking like that really hurts your throat. I don't know how humans do it." His smile widened. "You're lucky sometimes, you know. No one expects you to talk."

.: xXx :.

"Sango," Miroku blurted out. After being quite abandoned by a young kitsune several minutes ago, he wandered about the part of the village he was unfamiliar with. He rounded a corner, coming to the entrance of an inn, and found Sango sitting on a bench. His staff rested against her shoulder, fingers laced around the shaft, and her head rested against the wall of the inn. She hadn't heard him, for she retained her relaxed position.

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and with a tree being right beside the inn, several petals had fallen on her. It took him a moment to realize that she was sleeping lightly. He quietly moved to sit down beside her.

Sango for her part remained unmoved. She could sense that someone was coming around the corner - she had years of sharpening her senses for hunting youkai to thank for that. She was too tired to converse with anybody, and pretended to sleep.

Recognizing the person as Miroku, she decided to ignore him. His early morning chivarly was most likely nothing more than the after-effects of a night of fitful sleep and a jarring awakening. She felt the bench move beneath her as the boards groaned gently at the additional weight. She was lost in her thougts afterward.

Miroku fell asleep by the fire pit the previous evening. He woke, still in a sitting position, and stoked the fire. He fell asleep again later, leaning back on his good arm. She had hardly realized that he was alseep that time before he was awake again. The next time he fell asleep, she was dozing off herself. He kept leaning forward... and more forward... and forward... He was almost in the fire before Sango managed to push him back. He fell to his back, his injured arm resting on his chest.

In order to move him away from the fire, she had to move closer to him. She had found herself reluctant to move away from him again. She was content to watch him sleep. He hardly seemed like such a letch when he was asleep. Something stirred within her.

He had looked almost... cute.

Before she knew it, she was asleep, and not long after, he was dragged from the hut by a perterbed wolf youkai.

She opened her eyes, having felt the weight of Miroku's gaze on her. He had looked away by the time that she glanced at him.

"Sango," he began uncertainly, "what do you plan to do... now that you have avenged your village?"

.: xXx :.

Kagome spun and twirled with the other young village women. The dance moved in two circles, both in rings facing outward. The young men of the village stood in another sort of ring, but they were stationary, and definately did not hold hands. The girls were giggling, and the euphoria was contagious; Kagome was laughing along with them in minutes, and the men were smiling. In the brief glances she got of InuYasha, she could have sworn he was almost smiling, too.

The girls released her, and she followed suit as they twirled, still constantly moving in the circles. The sleeves of their kimonos fluttered around them, creating an effect that almost made them look like they had splendidly-colored wings.

Trying to retain his scowling facade, InuYasha had eyes only for Kagome as she danced with the other girls. It was curious, since most festival dances that he knew of were slow. Seeing her caught up in such a malestrom of ecstatic village girls reminded him of just how simple she was. There was a point in time where he doubted if he could make her happy.

She was sick, and returned to her own time to recooperate. She left without him knowing. He followed her once discovering her absensce, sorely enraged that he had retrieved cold remedies all for nothing. Then she had to go and study for her stupid "test".

He made a cup of his mother's remedy for her after she was done studying and her friends had left. She had seemed so happy that he had thought of her, even though the concoction smelled something aweful. Souta had gestured frantically for him not to explain what was in it, since he had seen him preparing the drink.

The following day, she was positively beside herself with delight that she could take her test. He began to think then that maybe he could make her happy.

Several girls by that time had flung themselves out of the circles, too dizzy to stay upright for much longer. They were courtiously caught by various men in the surrounding circle. Kagome stumbled, propelling herself out of the circle and directly into InuYasha's arms. He caught her automatically, and she grasped him for support.

She beamed up at him, and something amazing happened.

InuYasha laughed.

Kagome's eyes moved rapidly from side to side as her world spun, and the sight of her in all her dizzy glory was too much for him.

.: xXx :.

"What do I plan to do?" Sango repeated. She paused for a moment, and he nodded. Sitting up straight and sighing, she said, "I don't know."

Miroku was silent, but Sango had the feeling that he sorely wanted to say something. She waited for him to speak his mind, but he didn't say anything.

"Why do you ask?" she wondered.

He was quiet for a moment. "I was wondering what I was going to do, myself. Now that my curse has been lifted, I don't know what to do, either. I was hoping that knowing what you were going to do would help me decide."

"I think I'm going to follow Kagome and InuYasha until they merge the two halves of the jewel," Sango reported after a while.

Miroku nodded. "That's a good plan," he said. "I think I'll do the same."

Inside, he knew he couldn't bear to be away from Sango for very long. After their almost-victory against Naraku, just before they fought Kaguya, he was certain of this. He didn't want to be separated from Sango again.

"How long do you think it'll take before we can find a way to fix the jewel?" Sango wondered aloud.

Heaving a long sigh and leaning back against the wall, Miroku said, "Let's not worry about that right now."

.: xxXXxx :.

ChrisKaz958 of MM(dot)org To clarify your questions, OOC is out of character, and OC is original character. Yes, I do have other fics. Just check out my bio page. The shapeshifeter stuff will be clarified more when I get to it. (Oh dear, that was an evil teaser for those that haven't read the original...)

Kayla: I'm sorry it takes me so long to get a chapter out. But actually, in the original, I didn't give for a period of healing before I completely jumped into the plot. So I have to come up with new stuff for AnS. I think I have an idea now... Hmm... odd how that works...