A/N: Hi everybody. I'm so, so sorry for the delay in this chapter but… it was impossible for me to upload it earlier, the situation was out of my hands. Sorry, but here it is. Enjoy. :D

Chapter twelve: Sango and Shippo's journey

Sango's prediction resulted to be correct. On their second day of the journey it started raining and it didn't stop since then, hindering their travel and making them stay in the inns more than they would have wanted.

Sango discovered that a sole woman traveling with a kitsune and a weird looking neko wasn't as well regarded (or tolerated) as a woman traveling with a kitsune, a weird looking neko, a houshi, a scary hanyou and a miko, even if she dressed funny. So that made their experience with the innkeepers and other guests… unpleasant, to put it in a way, especially because of Shippo; he wasn't that small, cute kitsune cub anymore, but a tall teenager with more pronounced fangs and pointy ears. She estimated he had turned thirteen that year.

It required very generous tips from Sango to keep them out of trouble, so for Shippo's sake (and Sango's pocket as well), they decided to camp in the country from then on, despite the rain.

It took almost six days for the travelers to reach Miroku's resting place, and after paying their respects, they headed for Sango's village on foot. They knew they would have reached the place much faster riding on Kirara, but for Sango, walking to their destinations gave the journey a deeper significance.

On the twelfth day they arrived at the deserted taijiya village where they placed flowers in each one of the tombs and prayed for their prompt and happy reincarnations, though they hadn't done so for Miroku. Sango believed that, despite his lecherous ways, his final sacrifice achieved him his so longed Nirvana and his soul had finally found eternal bliss. At least she liked to think that way.

While Shippo went to the main house and started doing some work on the leaking roof, Sango stayed a little longer knelt in front of her father and Kohaku's tombs. She had retrieved his father's corpse from that dishonored soil where he had been buried and brought him back home, next to his beloved wife and son.

Then, they worked all day under a light rain, fixing the house. No doubt, they would have advanced much faster had Inuyasha been there, Sango thought with irritation. She had made some repairs last year when she visited, but now, with Shippo's help they advanced much faster and by nightfall the place was more than inviting for cooking dinner and spending the night.

On next day they kept on with the work on the village gates and Sango led Shippo to Midoriko's cave to show him how her crystallized corpse had disappeared indeed and at the end of the day, they decided to spend another night at the village in hopes for the rain to cease.

Naraku sneered as his tentacles stretched in the direction of the darkened sphere. His cold, cruel laughter reached Sango's ears and made that icy feeling that had taken over her body disappear. She felt her blood boil instead.

Carefully, she laid Kohaku's lifeless body on the burned grass and kissed his forehead while she closed his eyelids with a trembling hand. She then gripped Hiraikotsu with such strength that her nails drew blood from her palm. In that moment, pain was good.

"Let's go Kirara," she said in a hard, inert voice as she mounted the fire neko and they both went into the air.

"NARAKU!"

A fierce scream made the vile monster turn his head and suddenly, he saw his prize out of his reach as Hiraikotsu impaled his appendage, then the taijiya, frenetic, kept bashing at his limbs with her boomerang, impeding him to get to the precious Shikon no Tama. Her attack was ruthless and uncontrolled and it managed to make Naraku retrocede, but not before he lashed at her with his tentacle, sending her and Kirara to the ground with so much force that bones could be heard splitting and a long, painful moan left Kirara's jaws. Her mistress couldn't even mutter a sound.

"Sango!" she could hear Miroku's screams, but everything was a blur and for a moment too long, she was oblivious to everything around her.

When she raised her head again Miroku was standing between her and the monster, his open hand held high. It seemed he was trying to attract the tama to him using his Kazaana, but Naraku, who had already clutched the tiny sphere with one of his tentacle's tips, wouldn't let go. She saw Inuyasha trying to slash it, but his attack was repelled with another of those horrendous, never-ending limbs, and Kagome's arrows disintegrated many, but they emerged once and again, yet Miroku wouldn't close the Kazaana, preventing the repugnant youkai from securing the tama.

Then, Naraku's insects made their appearance and headed for him.

That was it, she thought. Miroku would have to close his hand and Naraku would have the Shikon no Tama, and everything would have been in vain, the quest, the suffering, the pain, Kohaku's death…

But Miroku didn't do such thing. Insects disappeared in the black hole as the tama became an inch closer to the houshi.

"Don't be stupid Miroku, stop right now!"

"Miroku!"

She could hear Inuyasha and Kagome's frantic yells and it finally sank into her. Miroku wouldn't stop. He would do anything to stop Naraku, he had told her once. He wouldn't stop.

A piercing pain went through her arm and leg as she tried to rise but she didn't care, she had to get to him. She took a couple of steps bur she couldn't go further or she would be too close to the Kazaana, that's why neither Kagome nor Inuyasha could get near him, but they tried to bring the foul beast down with all their will, slashing, clawing, shooting, anything within their power.

"Houshi-Sama! Please! Don't do it! Please, close your hand!" Sango screamed at him.

She covered her eyes from all the dirt and leaves and rubble the Kazaana was pulling from all directions and could see Miroku's outlined face contorted in concentration and pain. She couldn't let this happen. She couldn't let him do it! But a second intent to move closer made her fall, this time she found it impossible to get up again. Tears ran down her cheek as she lay there, scared, frustrated and angry. All she could do was watch.

Meanwhile the Kazaana kept growing and more insects went into the void.

"Houshi-Sama! Houshi-Sama don't do it!" she cried.

In that last moment, Miroku turned his head to her and gave her a tender look, one that held all the promises they had whispered to each other at nights, when the others were asleep, and all the dreams they had wanted to share, and all what was supposed to be.

"No! Don't leave me, Houshi-Sama! Miroku!"

He flashed her one last, charming smile and said I love you, then, the Kazaana literally exploded and a black void expanded all around the houshi as the wind swirled uncontrollably. Sango had to hold onto a root to avoid getting dragged and barely caught the small Kirara despite the pain on her damaged arm.

The unnatural blackness subsided and the damned orb finally escaped Naraku's grasp, falling on the ground at Kagome's feet. There was nothing where Miroku had been standing just seconds before, nothing but a black hole.

"Miroku! Miroku!"

"MIROKU!"

The girl sprang from her futon, panicked and agitated.

She looked around, frantic, until her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she was able to recognize her surroundings. Sango passed a hand over her face and cleared the plastered, sweaty hair that had stuck on her forehead, then gave a gulp of air, trying to slow her breathing.

That nightmare again. It had been a while since she had it. She even had held the small hope to never experience it again, but it seemed she would never stop remembering about their death; every single moment was perfectly etched in her memory.

She heard a sudden noise and raising her head, noticed a silhouette drawn against the moonlight coming from the window. She reacted immediately and felt for the wakisashi resting by her side, but even before she could touch the saya, a magical blue flame illuminated the room and a couple of pointy ears and bushy, orange hair appeared in front of her.

"Sango, are you alright?" Shippo's worried voice echoed through the practically empty house. She relaxed and passed a hand over her eyes.

"I… yes, I'm fine… I'm sorry, I woke you up."

"That's okay, I wasn't sleeping anyway. You were dreaming about Miroku, right?"

"Yeah…"

"You screamed Kohaku's name too," Shippo commented and after extinguishing his fire, he laid down on his futon. Sango said nothing as she did the same and covered up her shoulders with her quilt. She knew sleep wouldn't come. It never did after that dream.

The monotone tone of crickets filled the air and the soft rain hit the roof. She could hear Shippo rolling on his futon.

"Aren't you tired"? she finally asked.

"Not really, um… Sango, can I ask you a question?" Shippo rested his head on his hand and Sango turned her head to him.

"What is it?"

"Do you dream of Miroku and Kohaku a lot?"

Sango thought for a second before responding. "I used to dream about them every night before, but now it only happens once in a while."

"Oh."

"Why do you ask?"

The kitsune lay on his back again and looked at the recently repaired roof.

"I used to dream about Kagome a lot, and then the dreams stopped." His voice trailed off. Sango waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

"Does that worry you?" she asked.

He looked back at her. "You think it's wrong that I stopped dreaming about her?"

"No," she answered with a soft tone.

"Sometimes I feel that it's like I forgot about her, and I feel relieved because it doesn't hurt so much anymore, but then I feel bad about it at the same time, and I don't know what to think of that." He heaved a sigh.

"Don't feel bad about that Shippo, no matter how bad it is, pain eventually goes away and it's normal to move on. It doesn't have to hurt all the time to show that we miss the people who have left us."

There was a long pause until Shippo spoke again. "Do you miss Kagome?"

"I do but it… it's strange…"

"Really? Why?"

"Well… I missed her very much at the beginning, and then I felt very sad when she didn't return, then I became mad at her, though I tried to hide it so no one would notice it, because I felt ashamed of those feelings, but now… I feel resigned." Now it was her turn to sigh.

"Resigned?"

"Yes… I mean, I'd be very happy if she came back, but I'm ready to accept the possibility that maybe she won't."

Shippo kept quiet again and then confessed, "I was mad at her too… but I kind of feel like you, I think. Sango, why do you think she didn't come back?"

Sango had asked herself that question several times before and dark possibilities regarding her friend's fate crossed her mind, but she decided to be optimistic, and that's how she answered. "I think she found something very good in her world, something that made her very happy and she wanted to stay. Maybe she intended to come, but she must be really busy. She told me once that in her world, everybody is always busy."

Shippo heard her carefully and nodded, as if Sango's words were sensible enough, then he asked, "do you think that maybe the well sealed itself after the Shikon no Tama disappeared, like it happened from this side, and that's why she couldn't return?"

"I considered it, and even talked about it with Inuyasha but he told me he had been able to cross one more time, even after the Tama was gone, so I guess that was not the reason. Inuyasha thinks that he's the one affected by that problem."

"Ah."

Shippo kept quiet and Sango supposed he had finished with his questions, so she rolled on her side, facing the wall. It would be a long, sleepless night for her. Involuntarily, her thoughts drifted to Inuyasha and she wondered what he was doing.

Probably sitting on the very spot I left him, that idiot, she thought bitterly.

"Sometimes, I also dreamed of that chocolate she promised me," Shippo voiced his last comment before falling asleep.