Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, nor will I ever own it.

Her First and Last

Golden, animalistic eyes wandered around the hut, taking in the melancholy atmosphere around him. It nearly overwhelmed him to the point where the tears he tried so hard to hide, escaped and fell onto the red fabric of his haori. The salty substance seeped into the threads and darkened the redness. Then along came another tear and it resulted another stain to his sleeve.

"Sango, please don't die," a small, meek voice said. His eyes stopped to the fox demon, Shippo, who held the hand of the said woman lying on the funton. Looking at her ill form was almost unbearable, and worst of all, it made him feel guilty.

Damn it all, he thought darkly, how could I be such an idiot? I shouldn't have let her go.

His anger soon directed to the demon responsible for Sango's suffering: Naraku. Saying the very name was like poison to his lips. In fact, that was all Naraku was; poison. He wanted so badly to rid of this poison forever, but hindrances kept him from killing Naraku, no less injuring him. It was all thanks to his incarnations and Sango's brother.

Kohaku.

"Master Inuyasha," a voice said. Said half-demon glanced down at his shoulder to see the flea demon, Myoga, glancing up at him with a sliver of sympathy in his eyes.

"Yeah, what is it?" he asked gruffily.

"Exactly what happened to Sango? Kohaku wasn't the one who harmed her, was he?"

"No," Inuyasha paused to glance at the unconscious taijiya. "Kohaku was ordered to, but he defied Naraku."

Myoga blinked in surprise. "You mean Kohaku remembered Sango?"

Inuyasha nodded. "The kid got himself killed for it, too."

"Kohaku's dead??"

"Naraku plucked the last jewel shard from his back," the futuristic miko, Kagome, said suddenly and monotonously. Inuyasha glanced at the miko, whose eyes glistened with tears. Those glassy brown eyes briefly reminded him of his past lover, but Inuyasha pushed those memories away and focused on his dying friend.

"I want a moment alone with her," he declared, surprising Kagome and Shippo. They looked at him in question, but Myoga leapt of the half-demon's shoulder and onto Kagome's.

"Let him be for now," the flea said.

Reluctantly, the miko and kitsune left the hut. Inuyasha gazed down at Sango's pale face and her bleary cinnamon irises. Guilt crashed down on him like waves and his heart weighed down with burden.

"Sango, hey, Sango?"

Sango slowly craned her head to lock with Inuyasha's murky golden eyes. Within, she could see melancholiness, pain and guilt. To her, it seemed so...un-Inuyasha like.

"Don't look at me that way," Sango demanded in a hoarse voice. "I'm not dead yet, Inuyasha."

"Shut up," Inuyasha muttered darkly, startling Sango. "It's my fault you're--"

"Dying?"

Inuyasha was at a loss for words after Sango bluntly finished his sentence. His clawed hands balled into tight fists that caused his knuckles to turn ghostly white. Soon, the claws started to contract into normal nails and his white hair started to bleed black. Inuyasha glanced back at her with violet blue eyes.

"I forgot it was the night of the New Moon," Sango whispered more to herself than Inuyasha.

Suddenly, what Sango saw nearly scared her to death--excuse the pun--as a tear fell to the floor. Inuyasha's tear. He was crying.

'For me,' Sango thought incredulously, 'but why?'

"I-Inuyasha?"

The mortal Inuyasha shook his head sharply, making strands of his raven black hair dance wildly around him, and he cursed under his breath. Sango could do nothing but watch her comrade collapse to the floor. It was so strange to see him act like this, especially around her. Sango had thought he'd act like this if Kagome was in her situation.

"DAMN IT!"

His fist made contact to the hardwood floor, sending vibrations across the room and the sickening sound of bones breaking. Tiny spatters of blood and tears stained the floor and mingled together as one. He raised his fist, revealing the blood and splinter adorning his flesh, and punched the floor again.

"S-stop it," she whispered hoarsely, but her faint words fell on deaf ears. Inuyasha kept pounding and cursing away, releasing the pent up anger and anguish he so long kept within himself.

'Inuyasha, please,' her eyes stung as she watched her friend punish himself in one of the worst ways imaginable. It pained herto see him in such distress. Sango felt like embracing him, comforting him and reassuring him with kind words. If she had the stregnth to, she would follow out her desired actions.

Her heart lurched in sharp pain and she clutched at her white yukata. Sango couldn't dechiper if it was physical or emotional pain. Inuyasha's strangled cry of distress made Sango deduce on the latter, for it pained her far too worse than being struck by Naraku's poisionus appendages.

"Inuyasha!"

Her cry was never acknowledged. Inuyasha's fist kept assaulting himself and the floor beneath him. As his fist rose in the air, the stars shined its way through the paper blinds of the hut, illuminating the blood that stained his flesh. Sango choked down a sob upon his fist's descendence to the floor once more.

"AARGH!"

The nerves in her muscles screamed in pain as she sat up, trembling from the simple effort, and pushed the covers off her cold body. Inuyasha took no notice of her movement. Her chest panged again, but she chose to ignore it.

"Don't cry, please," she muttered under her breath as her eyes stung again and she struggled to move. The sickening sound of flesh meeting wood almost made her lose it, "Stop."

Sango clenched her eyes shut and with a surge of her last stregnth, she pushed herself off the ground. Immediately, her knees gave in to the pain and she felt herself falling. So close, she was SO close to bringing him back to her.

Sango's eyes fluttered close as her fingers wound around something soft, warm and wet. Whatever she grabbed ahold of, stopped at the sudden contact. Pain coursed its way through her body as her knees made contact to the damaged floor.

"Sango!"

Her torso made contact with something firm, yet soft. Sango felt something slink around her back, protecting and warming her from the harsh conditions. Weakly, she willed her eyes to open. Her eyes met misty, azure orbs of guilt and sadness.

"Inuyasha, please," Sango willed herself to hold on, just a bit longer. "Don't cry for me; it'll be alright,"

Inuyasha's grip around her tightened and his wounded hand moved to cup the back of her head. Blood seeped into her dark tresses, but Sango took no notice. All she cared about was the warmth she was receiving from him. It was so relaxing.

'If this is what dying is like, it's...not so bad,' she thought absently.

"Sorry," he muttered, "Forgive me, please forgive me,"

Sango blinked, her eyes desperately adjusting to the light. Her vision, she realized, was dimming. It wouldn't be too long now until death greeted her.

"If I hadn't let you go, you wouldn't..," he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. "Damn it,"

"It was my decision, Inuyasha, and mine alone. I was careless; you're not to blame," she paused to catch her breath. "Don't beat yourself over my expense,"

"Shut it; I don't care! I should've been there for you instead of ignoring you as if you were nothing!"

"You ignore everyone; what difference does that make?" she asked, attempting to lighten the dark mood the engulfed them. Inuyasha turned unsually silent, but his embrace on Sango tightened once more, opening a window of opportunity for Sango to rest her head on his shoulder. She did, and relaxed.

"I don't ignore Kikyo or Kagome," he muttered darkly, then scoffed. "No wonder my love life sucks."

Sango's lips curled into a lop-sided smirk, "In case you aren't aware, mine isn't going so well either," Sango paused as a fleeting image of the monk appeared in her mind. Sadly, she pushed the womanizing idiot into the back of her mind. Out of sight, out of mind and out of my arms.

"I'll be missing out..a lot," Sango murmured softly against Inuyasha's shoulder. She shifted her head, causing the tip of her nose to brush against his neck. She felt him tense at the slight contact.

"Like what?"

Sango paused momentairly, wondering why Inuyasha wanted to know of her desires, the simple desires every woman craved to experience.

"Defeating Naraku, then falling in love, receiving your first kiss, getting married, having a couple of kids. Just a normal life with the person I admire and respect the most," tears escaped from her eyes. "I'll miss it all."

Her breathing felt thin and her voice was raspy. Naraku's poison was starting to suck the life out of her, but at least she was dying in a friend's arms where it was comfortable.

"Do," Inuyasha started as he hooked a couple of fingers under her chin, lifting her to meet his azure gaze, "you want me to grant you your wish?"

Sango felt his warm breath brush against her lips, hinting his intentions, and blood heated up her pale face. 'He couldn't possibly mean...could he?'

Sango's mind tried to grasp at why he'd offer such a thing. He was already in love was he? So why was he gazing down at her with such raw, untamed emotion that'd usually be directed at--Sango pushed that thought back as she realized: she wanted this.

Sango's lips curled into a smile as she gazed at the azure eyes she wanted to drown herself in. That was what he needed to confirm. Her eyes fluttered closed as his lips descended upon hers. His lips felt warm, moist and soft beneath her own; it was such a perfect texture and she smiled against his kiss.

'Inuyasha,'

His hand returned to cup the back of her head while his free arm cradled her perishing body. In his arms and beneath his kiss, Sango finally felt content enough to slip away, knowing that he'd accept it, no matter how bad the emotional pain may be. He was strong, she knew, because he never gave up.

His lips left her a millimeter, "I'm sorry, Sango."

Sango raised her head to capture his lips, not wanting him to stop, but she paused to utter six words: "Let me die in your kiss."

Inuyasha closed the small gap between them as she requested, all the while deepening the affectionate gesture, which startled the dying demon slayer. It distracted her from her heart's slowing rythmn and her numbing mind. The muscles in her body slowly relaxed, and she slumped within his arms.

In response, he tightened his hold, as if he'd be able to keep her with him a little longer. Sango was tiring, so he retreated from within her mouth and settled for a continous chaste caress of the lips. They were slowly chilling beneath his own. Her time was up, but he still locked with her...

...until he felt her go completly limp.

It was then when he drew away from her and gazed down at her lifeless form. His eyes widened considerably as the smile curled on her lips. Albeit, the dicovery left him relieved. Sango passed on content. Inuyasha made sure of that.

Gingerly, he stood with the limp exterminator in his arms, and moved toward the funton. He placed her down on the soft bed and covered her body with blankets, tucking her within the warmth.

At least he was dry of tears. Sango would be pleased about that.

At lease she was with Kohaku now. Inuyasha was pleased about that.

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A/N: I can't believe myself! I killed Sango!...Hope you all don't kill me for killing her...heh, heh. Anyways, drop a review-tell me what you think or if you see any typos. My spellchecker won't work for some reason. I hope you enjoyed reading it.