a/n: Hey yall!!! I've got chappie 13 and 14 written so whenever I finish here I'm gonna go back and type chappie 14 and get it posted. Also, I just want to let yall know that Sesshy and Sango are gonna be in the hot springs during this chappie but it does not talk about or even relatively mention anything explicit I just thought I'd let yall know. ^.^ ON TO THE CHAPPIE!!!

DISCLAIMER: Texascowgirl-13 don't own Inu, but I WISH I did :D

Chapter 13- Beauty and The Beast

Sango awoke with a throbbing headache. Slowly moving one hand to her head, her fingers were met with bandages that covered the aching wound.

'What hit me?' she thought as she slowly sat up.

"Ow…"

"Sango," a voice said from her side.

She opened her eyes to see Sesshomaru sitting beside her still clothed in the blood soaked clothes that he'd had on during the battle. She very quickly became aware of what had hit her at the sight of her blood-covered mate. Tears welled in her eyes as she remembered what kind of monster he had become because she wasn't paying attention to the battle and had allowed herself to get caught. Throwing herself at her mate she buried her face in his bloody kimono to try to hide her tears.

Sesshomaru was startled for a moment before relaxing and wrapping his arms around his mate. He had thought that she would hate him now for what he had done to her while his demon was in control, for becoming a raging monster, but she had taken one look at him and burst into tears before throwing herself into his arms. His mate sure was unpredictable.

'Why is she crying?' he thought, 'Have I scared her that badly?'

After a moment she pulled away from his chest and the wind filled his senses with the scent of her tears. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy, her cheeks were wet with tears, and the large bandage that was wrapped around her head made her hair stick out at an odd angle, but he could not help but think he had never seen anything so beautiful.

She raised a slender hand to his face and gently ran her fingers along the purple stripes on his cheeks. So he was right, she was thinking of his transformation. What would she do now that he had hurt her? Would she leave him and take their pup? With Sango he could never tell what she would do next; he'd just have to wait and see.

"Sesshomaru…"

'Here it comes,' he thought, inwardly wincing.

"I…I'm sorry," she said as a single tear made its way down her right cheek.

'What?' he thought, bewildered, 'Out of all the things she could have said I would not have thought that would be it.'

"What could you possibly be sorry for Sango? It was I who hurt you because I could not control myself."

Her brown eyes hardened and flashed angrily for a moment, surprising him. He was completely shocked when she reared back and punched him squarely in the arm.

"Sango! What in the…"

"Don't you dare blame yourself for this!Iwas the reason for all of this!I lost my memories, I was the reason Miroku attacked, I wasn't paying attention to the battle, and I caused you to transform into that…that…beast."

By now the angry tears had stopped and she was left with only red eyes and tearstains. The guilt he saw in her brown eyes made Sesshomaru's heart tighten.

'How can she blame herself for this?' he thought in amazement, 'She truly is an incredible woman.'

"Now Sango. None of that is your fault. None of it!" He said as he pulled her against him once more.

They stayed in silence that way for a while and Sesshomaru was about to move her so that she would be able to sleep in a more comfortable position when she lifted her head and looked up into his golden eyes.

"Sesshomaru, I need to go take a bath," she said in a quiet voice.

"Of course my love."

Carefully he took her in his arms and gathered the needed materials before quickly running them to the nearby hot springs. He set her down and removed his kimono as she did the same. When they'd both entered the water he made his way over to her and softly began to wash and massage her back in an attempt to relax her, but the soft touch against the scar on her back caused her to tense immediately.

He paused and waited for her body to relax like it usually did after he touched her scar but when it didn't he began to worry. Had he done something wrong? It then occurred to him that her memory of receiving the scar had been burned away by Takusi's poison.

'Crap,' he thought as she turned towards him with a pain filled and questioning expression.

"Sesshomaru…What..? How..?"

He sighed inwardly. She had told him how she had received the scar when they had first mated. It pained her then to remember how Naraku had forced her brother to slaughter her family and stab her in the back with his scythe, and that was after she had finally accepted her families' death. The thought made him wince as he knew that the emotional pain of the memories would be coupled by the physical pain of the burnt memories reforming as soon as he told her.

"Please Sesshomaru. I want to know what caused me to become so scarred and ugly," Sango begged as her eyes fell to the water.

A small growl escaped his now clenched jaw. He absolutely hated when she told him things like that. She had told him that she was sorry for being "damaged goods"; a phrase she had learned from Kagome, and one that he greatly resented. Apparently she still thought the same way even without the memory of how she had received the scar.

"You are NOT scarred and ugly Sango. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in all of my demonic years," Sesshomaru said seriously, "Never, NEVER, say such things about yourself."

Her eyes softened and a sad smile appeared on her delicate features, the heat of the spring making a halo of light in the water vapor around her head and making her beauty even more palpable.

"Sesshomaru…" she said softly, voice trailing off at the end of his name.

He pulled her to him gently and softly kissed her lips. Gods did he love her. Her beauty astounded him, and not just her physical beauty but also the beauty of her soul. She was the most caring, sweet, understanding, and she always put her friends and family above herself.

"Come Sango. It's getting late and you should rest so that your demon blood will be able to heal you," he said releasing her from his arms.

As she exited the water, he appraised her beauty for a moment before exiting to get dressed as well.

Her scars prove her strength, her modesty proves her beauty, and her love proves her devotion. She was an amazingly beautiful woman in every way and he loved everything about her; scars and all.

"Ready Sango?"

"Yes my love. Let's go," she said as she took his hand and they began to walk back towards the village.

'I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful mate to love,' they both thought simultaneously as they entered the hut to get Kohaku and bed down for the night.

a/n: Are yall happy now?!?!? I finally didn't end in a cliffie!!! LOL ^.^ Oh ya, there wasn't really any bad stuff at the hot springs, just like I said, but there may be more graphic fight scenes to come and maybe some cussing so I'm gonna leave it at M rating just to be safe. I WILL NOT write lemons, I have nothing against people who do, but I'm only 17 and haven't ever done anything like that so I'm not gonna write about it. O.O Well, I'm off to type up chappie 14.... Enjoy!!!

You know the routine... READ AND REVIEW PLZ!!!