Gomen nasai! I'm so sorry!!! I promise I have not abandoned this story! Just put it on a…erm…very long, very unannounced Hiatus! Due to a dying computer, my beloved Godfather falling into a coma (and waking from it!), and countless tragedies as well as happy times, this story has been shoved back into the 'handle later' pile! However I am back now!!! And I apologize over and over and OVER for not announcing my leave!! Hopefully this chapter can sooth any of those who actually remember the story!! (Little-Brit, I hope you're still around!! I am SO very sorry!!! And oh!! I hope your little brother is doing really well and growing up to be quite adorable!!) Sorry, sorry, sorry again!!! Please forgive me, and I hope you enjoy!!

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Forgotten

Chapter 14 – Payment and Rewards

Silence. Such haunting silence. Haunting: an oddly fitting word. After all 'haunting' has become something of a specialty of hers. Dwelling in the darkness, lurking in the shadows, haunting the living. To be alive again. This existence is far from living. Cold. The cold is what truly bothers her. This endless snowfall does not help her in the least. Oh, how she longs to be warm once again…

"Miko." Stern dark eyes shift towards the left, towards where the chilling voice had come from. Such a cold voice…as cold as her heart. There, hidden in the shadows, so very much like herself, is the speaker. A youkai…but not just any youkai. It is the Demon Lord, the impassive half-brother of the hanyou.

"Sesshomaru." His name comes just as coldly as her title had come from him. Utter distrust and dislike. She turns to face him; she might as well at least attempt to be polite. "What can I do for you…?" Surely he did not come all this way just to talk to her. Just as with any male, he only presents himself before her when he desires something. Golden eyes narrow; a soft shudder dances down her spine. Startled, she blinks at him. When was the last time she felt…fear? Unconcerned once again, she shoves the fleeting emotion away. She has nothing to fear any longer. After all…death is the one true fear of all humans…and she is already dead.

He does not answer her question…at least, not with speech. Instead he merely raises his arm, and, moving with a deadly grace, he points towards a dark lump of fabric lying against a tree. She turns to look at it fully, and feels the corners of her lips tug downwards in a slight frown. Her sack? There is nothing in there save for herbal mixtures, medications, and supplies for treating wounds. As she stares at the bag in weak confusion, a slender clawed hand lifts it from the ground. She does not move to take it back. Instead she allows him to walk away with it. He fails to leave, however, and instead comes to a stop a few yards away. She waits in silence; she waits in the cold.

"Do not enter this domain again." The bag is tossed at her feet carelessly, landing in the snow with a soft thud; she gazes up at him, dark eyes flashing, yet her cold pretty face is set in an impassive expression. It is true that these are 'his' woods, and perhaps she should not have passed through. A glass jar glitters in the moonlight, his pale slender fingers wrapped about it in a rather negligent manner. "Consider this…payment for your disregard to the boundaries." She looks to the bag once again, then lifts her gaze towards…the empty woods. Gone without a trace, and she remains, left in the cold once again.

Kneeling down, she slips her fingers into the sack, and pushes the fabric aside. Her steely gazes sweeps over the contents quickly. Those cold eyes widen slightly in surprise, for it was the least expensive item that the youkai took – a simple herbal mixture used for lowering fevers. Shaking her head, the dead miko lifts the bag and drapes it over her shoulder. A fever medication…? Odd. Something, far in the depths of her mind, stirs. Perhaps, if she would only listen, she would come to realize just why the Demon Lord wanted such an odd item. It is not, however, her problem. No need to focus on events that mean nothing to her. Turning around, she makes her leave from the dark woods, as promised. The snow falls in silence around her, and, for the briefest moment, her eyes grow…sad. Once again she must move on…into the cold emptiness that is her existence…

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"'Ey! Lovebirds! Git up!" Startled, Sango jerks awake, her gray eyes snapping open in surprise. Out of instinct, her body lurches forward, prepared to defend, fight, whatever is necessary. However there is a slight flaw to her strategy, for instinct does not take into account the actions of a groggy wounded monk. The moment she pulls away, his grip around her waist tightens, and, with a faint gasp of surprise, she finds herself jerked back down. Landing fully on her back, she gazes at the wooden ceiling in true shock, her pale cheeks holding a weak rosy hue. The moment Inuyasha suddenly appears in her vision however, leaning over to smirk triumphantly at her, her blushing only increases. "Don't you look comfortable," he taunts her teasingly, his golden eyes glittering playfully. Part of her mind registers that as odd as this is, she rather…likes…having him in such a wonderful mood, however the rest of her mind is screaming in defiance at his implied remark.

"Hey, Sango!" Shippo scurries over to land upon the arm draped over her middle, earning a faint muffled grumble of protest from the still sleeping monk. Grinning broadly, the little kitsune wags his tail in glee as he leans forward to speak to her. "Kagome made breakfast!! Come on!! It smells really good!" Before she even has time to take his words into account, Inuyasha leans over and snatches the fox by the tail. "Hey!! Lemme go!!" He protests, squirming in his grip. "Leggo!! Inuyasha!" The hanyou only smirks, flashing his fangs as he throws the young demon onto his shoulder; startled, Shippo clings to the red fabric of the hanyou's haori instinctively.

"I'm hungry, and your constant chatter is keeping me from eating!" Tossing his head back in annoyance, his long mane of silver hair dancing about his slender form, Inuyasha returns his golden gaze to the flushed young woman pinned down on the floor. "As for you and that slug of a monk!! Kagome refuses to let me eat until we're all present! So hurry up, damn it! I'm starved!" With that he turns heel and marches off, leaving the confused demon-huntress alone with the sleeping priest.

For a few moments that last an eternity, she simply lies there, her still groggy mind struggling to sort out a few troubling questions and their answers. One…why is Inuyasha in such a chipper mood? His smirks were close to actual smiles, and his golden eyes glittered with a content ease. After a few moments' contemplation, she decides that it must be because of Kagome; the half-demon and the miko have been spending quite a bit of time together, supposedly to try to clear their foggy memories, however she has the inkling that there is much more to it than that. Now then…question two. Why is she on the floor? Simple – she was obviously sleeping. Moving onto number three, yes, she was sleeping, but just why in the Seven Hells was she sleeping with Miroku!?

"…Ugh…L-lady…Sango…?" When he speaks, his breath tickles her ear, earning a faint gasp and a vivid addition of red to her cheeks. Turning quickly to look at him she accidentally brushes her nose against his own, they are that close to one another; her heart nearly pounds out of her ribcage in a blind panic. His sleepy violet eyes are hazy and completely bewildered, but the moment he realizes just how close they truly are, they clear in horrified shock; he gains a dark blush to rival her own as he yanks back, pulling his arm off of her sharply. "My apologies!" He gasps, pained, as he winces visibly, agony shooting down his arm from the deep wound.

"C-careful!!" Sango warns him instantly, sitting up to make a grab for him. He slouches slightly as he leans forward, almost pulling away from her touch.

"I am fine!" He assures her too quickly, his cheeks somehow managing to grow a shade darker. While he is far from 'fine', he cannot bear to see her look so worriedly. Needless to say, he still has not come to the realization that she is going to worry no matter how healthy he is. She frowns softly as the memories of the past few nights come flooding back. While he has been getting better, his recovery is still agonizing slow; the cold weather is not aiding him in the least. What he needs is to stay warm, and rest.

"Oh, of course you are," she suddenly quips, crossing her arms over her chest as she releases a faint huff of annoyance. Getting to her feet, she brushes at her long ebony hair and tilts her head back. "Kagome is serving breakfast – I suggest you come on before Inuyasha really gets annoyed." He flashes her a rather impishly grin as he pushes his blanket to the side, only to instantly regret it as the cold begins to sink in. Catching his shiver, Sango bites down on her bottom lip before kneeling before him. "Stupid Houshi." Slender hands grab at the blanket with a deft ease; in one swift movement she gently drapes the smaller of the blankets around his shoulders. "You catch sick, and you'll never get better."

"…Um…yes, well…" For some odd reason he cannot get the words out. Lately Sango has been rather…gentle…with him. It may be due to the reason that he has not really been perverse lately, not enough to earn a slap, but there is a faint tugging of an idea in the back of his mind that tells him there may be more to it than that. "Breakfast does sound like an excellent idea," he suddenly states as his stomach gives a faint rumble of agreement. The beautiful young demon-huntress flashes him a stunning smile as she offers him her hands, an invite to be aided to his feet. He grins softly, and accepts, slipping his slender fingers through hers. With her assistance, he manages to stand, wavering only slightly as a faint dizzy spell throws his balance off.

"Careful, Houshi-sama," she warns gently, her arm instinctively coming to wrap around his waist. "If you pass out, you miss breakfast, which means Inuyasha and Shippo will have to fight over your share." He grins warmly, his violet eyes glittering in faint amusement. "And we cannot have that, now can we?" Chuckling, he shakes his head, earning a true smile from Sango. "Good…now let's go eat!"

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Ugh! Again I apologize for not updating over such a long long LONG time!! I should be able to update at least once a week (perhaps twice, all depending), though I may surprise any remaining readers with random chapters! I apologize again!! Gah!! Such a long time!! I hope that made up for it!! I'm not so certain I like the second part… (I seem to do better with that haunting/angsty/mysterious type of setting…heehee!) but I can live with it!! Please feel free to review!! Take care, all!! Je ne!

Oh! And to any who have read my other story – I will be updating on that very soon! Within the next few days! Yes indeed!