Hello everyone! Happy new year! I've realized that this fic has recently passed it's FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Now, I don't know whether that's a good or bad thing, seeing as how in my mind, the plot has... Almost... reached only the halfway point. Anyways, I rather enjoy writing this fic (I think the idea is quite unique...), and hope some people out there are reading and enjoying it as well. I may have lost my interest in Inuyasha, but I'm finding it hard to lose interest in this story!

So here's another chapter for you guys!

Dinner was eaten cautiously eaten in dead silence. There was a lot to be said from both sides, but food always came first. It was a good thing Kagome had recently made the trip back to her time, and brought food. The sandwiches she made were gladly accepted by all. The rekindled fire burned noisily, providing enough light to allow the two groups to get a glimpse of each other's faces. Subconsciously, they sat in two nearly straight lines, facing each other.

Kagome and Miroku felt the tension between Inuyasha and the other group, and decided to stay quiet about the matter. Inuyasha's group didn't exactly feel hungry, having eaten just a few hours ago, but they each nibbled on a piece of their sandwiches, using it as an excuse to escape awkward conversation. Sango and Sheena bridged the gap between the two lines, excitedly catching up with each other in near whispers. Inuyasha eyed Sheena suspiciously whenever he got the chance.

"What's going on, Sango? I was at your village about a week ago, and there was nothing but graves!"
Sheena said, taking large bites out of her sandwich; she had forgotten how hungry she was.
"Yes, Sheena, the village was destroyed some time ago..."
Sango responded sadly,
"It was destroyed by a demon called..."
"I heard it was Inuyasha!"
Sheena hissed, and Inuyasha finally interrupted in a loud voice,
"Hey, I can still hear my name being said even with these useless ears, you know!"
"Quiet, you!"
Sheena snapped, glaring fiercely at him through the dim light.
"What? You're the one talking behind my back you little-"
"Inuyasha!"
Sango cut in, shooting him a look. With a grunt, he backed down.
"I think there's been a big misunderstanding. Inuyasha was not the one who destroyed my village."
"Then who...? And how do you know my friends?"
Sheena asked, becoming frustrated with the pace of the conversation. There were so many questions.

"Well, I already told your friends our story, but I guess I can fill you in."
Sango retold what she had told Lloyd, Colette and Zelos, about Naraku, about Inuyasha, about the jewel, everything. Sheena listened intently, eyes slowly sinking into the fire, embarrassed, as Sango cleared up her misunderstanding.

"So now, we're trying to find Naraku, and stop him. Your friends said they were also looking for him when I met them a few days ago, so I was leading them here to meet Inuyasha."

"You've seen their abilities first hand, and you can feel that they are quite powerful."
Inuyasha simply snorted. Sango looked over to Lloyd.
"Well, that's one half done. Would you mind finishing up, Lloyd?"
She asked, and he nodded. Without a doubt, his story was the more bizarre one, speaking of strange technology and different worlds. It was quite late in the night, but with the exception of Shippo, everyone listened intently. When Lloyd was finished, there were a few raised eyebrows.
"So you're saying the world was about to end that day the sky turned purple?"
Miroku inquired. Lloyd nodded.
"Yeah, if we couldn't stop Mithos, I'm sure the world wouldn't be as we know it."
There was some heavy silence at that moment, as Lloyd's group reflected on the painful memory of their friend, and Inuyasha's group struggled to absorb the information. Lloyd finally spoke after some time. The fire was losing it's struggle to stay lit for the second time.
"We heard about Naraku only a few days ago. We were going to look for him too, but we didn't know where to start. You know these lands pretty well, right? Do you think we could work together?"
He asked. Everyone seemed to look over at Inuyasha.

"Huh? What you all staring at me for?"
He asked, noticing the eyes on him.
"What?!"
Inuyasha exclaimed,
"You wanted these guys to join us?!"

"Yes."
Sango replied matter-of-factly.

"I guess it's up to you to choose whether they can come with us or not, Inuyasha."
Kagome said, she felt that these people were nice enough.

"Keh! Well... As long as they don't drag us down... They don't look too strong to me though."
He snorted, crossing his arms.
"Hey, what'd you say?"
Ignoring Lloyd, Inuyasha continued,
"Is the crazy girl who tried to kill me coming too?"
"H-hey!"
Sheena stuttered, unable to speak. She was feeling quite guilty and embarrassed for attacking him without fully knowing what was going on. She was thankful for the darkness, covering her easily visible blush.

"So! This is a great time to get the names straight!"
Zelos suddenly said, cheerfully standing up and dusting himself off.
"To start off, I'm the great, elegant Zelos Wilder, chosen of the old Tethe'alla, these two are my hunnies, Colette and Sheena, and this is my good buddy Lloyd. You must the beautiful priestess from the future I've heard so much about! Kagome, right?"

Zelos asked, taking a seat beside her. Confused, Kagome replied,
"Uh, yes? And my other friends..."
"Ahh, whatever, Mutt, brat and 'hey you' will do. Your name is the only thing I need in this world."

"What the hell's with this guy?"
Inuyasha asked Lloyd, answered only by a sigh.

"Oh yes, I forgot, Zelos seems to possess similar characteristics to a certain monk..."
Sango implied, glancing at Miroku.
"What? Me? No way, there's no way!"
He said, shaking his head violently. He was honestly quite offended, as he held back the urge to give his usual proposal to the angelic blonde beauty who sat beside Lloyd, as he found it to be an 'inappropriate time.' Ignoring this, Zelos continued,
"So, my sweet Kagome, what should I give you as your nickname?"

"Umm... Just Kagome's fine."
She replied, taken aback. Inuyasha finally intervened. Impatiently, he said,
"Hey, whatever your name is, cut it out before I kill you."
"Inuyasha! Be nice!"
Kagome said, a blush on her face.

"Oooh, how scary."
Zelos taunted.
"Perhaps we should just drop this and continue tomorrow."
Miroku said, pointing at Sheena, who dozed off next to Sango, who gave her the blanket and pillow she used. Healing magic couldn't ever heal fatigue. Standing, Sango stretched.
"I'll keep watch tonight, everyone try to get some sleep."

When Sango returned from her short trip in search for more firewood, she found everyone to be fast asleep. It had been a long day. Smiling, she set the wood down beside the fire, rekindling it. When the fire was burning brightly again, she noticed that Inuyasha was not around. She scanned the tree branches high above, and sure enough, he was on a branch nearby. His eyes were locked on the sky, as usual on the night of the new moon. Just as his eyes were fixed, her eyes could not be diverted from him. She could only faintly make out his face from the light of the fire too far to illuminate more. She nearly jumped when he suddenly spoke.
"You just going to stare at me all night?"
He asked, his voice was quiet, yet retained his always irritated tone. She blushed he she realized that he hadn't been looking at the sky; he was looking right back at her.
"A-aren't you going to get any sleep?"
She asked; she knew what the answer was going to be.
"Keh! As if I'd sleep tonight."
"I guess we're both keeping watch then. Mind if I sit with you?"
She asked. Inuyasha snorted in reply.
"Do whatever you want..."

Making her way up to the branch next to Inuyasha, she noticed Kirara already curled up, sleeping on it. With a smile, she picked up the softly mewling demon, placing her gently on her lap.
'Fell asleep saving my spot did you?'
She thought, stroking her soft fur. Inuyasha and Sango soon chatted about various things, mainly Sheena.
"She's definitely not a bad person, you know. She was one of my closest friends as children."
"Well, she's turned out to be a fine adult, hasn't she? You know, trying to kill someone without knowing anything and all."
"She told you, it was a misunderstanding! She got some bad information! Was that so different from me when we first met?"
"That... Was different."
"How?"

"Sango, thanks for earlier..."
It was clear now that Inuyasha wasn't looking at her anymore after this sudden outburst; his head was turned in the opposite direction from her. Stealing a glance, she giggled silently. She decided to tease him a bit.
"For what, Inuyasha? I didn't do much. It looked like you had things under control."
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. For coming back and all."
"And rescuing you?"
"Keh! Don't make my have to spell it out for you!"
He replied, crossing his arms. Laughing again, Sango, said,
"You don't need to thank me, that's what friends do."

With a sigh, Inuyasha looked down at his clawless hands.
"I hate this human body because I find it weak, but... I'm beginning to realize maybe it's me that's weak..."
Sango's eyes widened. Inuyasha? Weak? Such a thought had never crossed her mind.
"What are you talking about Inuyasha? You're one of the strongest people I know--"
"When I'm in my regular form, but none of that matters if I'm killed on a night like this, right?"
Sango was at a loss for words.
"I always blame my human side for my weakness, but when I look at you, I realize humans can be strong too..."
His gaze shifted straight into her eyes. Sango shifted uncomfortably on her branch next to his.

"Well, it's the second time you saved me while I'm in this form..."
This was another surprise to Sango.
"Second time? You remember the last time?"
She asked. Inuyasha turned to face her now.

"It's weird. All I could think about during that whole thing with your crazy friend, was that time, and about you."
Sango could feel the blood rushing to her face. He was being strangely honest, and it was frankly quite embarrassing.
"W-what are you saying? It wasn't that big of a deal..."

"I-I'm just trying to say that I respect your strength alright?"
Inuyasha said, realizing what he said. Sango couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed.

'I'm just another ally after all...'
She thought, but after a long silence, Inuyasha spoke again.

"But I guess I also like other things about you."
Sango's blush deepened. This was quite a strange night. She looked up into Inuyasha's eyes and froze. She found him looking straight back at her with eyes she's never seen before. His dark eyes were full of clouded emotions.

"Like what?"
She suddenly asked, not feeling quite like herself. Everything around her felt so surreal and clouded when she was looking straight into his deep clear orbs.
"The way you're always looking out for me... Your kindness..."
He replied softly, she could hardly believe such words were coming out of Inuyasha's mouth, yet ignorance was bliss. She could feel her heart racing as she moved closer to him to hear and see better; the fire was beginning to die out again. She could no longer even look away in embarrassment; she was under some spell which fixed her eyes to his as he spoke, gradually in mumbles.

"Tell me more..."
She whispered.

"Your eyes..."
She could finally hear him clearly now. She could also see his eyes clearly glistening from the dying flames far away. They were bright yet so mystifyingly dark at the same time. She leaned more to get an even better look at this wonder.

"Your lips..."
She felt something soft on her lips which caused her to break her eye contact, and close her eyes in reflex. Her body wouldn't allow her to pull back to see what it was, but she felt a warmth that spread from her lips into her body like fire. Her mind was completely taken over by this burning sensation, as she leaned forward even further, pressing her lips against it with a sharp inhale. Something about this felt so right; as if it was a feeling she had longed for.

After what felt like an eternity, everything came crashing down in an instant. Her eyes shot open, and the spell was shattered completely. She jerked backwards, gasping for air. She could see Inuyasha was doing the exact same thing, with wide eyes. She didn't know where to look; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her eyes to move back to his, and her hands became glued to her burning cheeks. What just happened? What was she doing? She didn't even realize Kirara had moved off her lap into a spot beside her. She seriously wanted to find a place to hide.
"Inuyasha, w-why..."
She stammered, unable to form any more words.
"S-sango, I..."
Inuyasha was just as speechless; everything happened so quickly without any warning. Did he just kiss Sango without realizing it? The whole situation seemed so bizarre. Regaining his composure, he waited for Sango to do something. Anything. He honestly couldn't think of anything to say.

After a few shallow breaths, their bodies moved in unison. Nothing further was said; words were no longer necessary. The embarrassment melted away for a moment, and their arms wrapped around each other tightly, their lips meeting once more. Sango could feel the same feeling as earlier but it was much stronger this time as she realized that it was Inuyasha her lips were feeling.

When they finally parted once more, their arms were reluctant to let go. Sango noticed the sun had begun to rise, and that Inuyasha was already back into his normal form. His bright silver hair had returned along with his fiery amber eyes. In the newly formed light, they remained still, looking into each other's eyes; neither pair no longer feared the other. A single tear escaped from one of Sango's eyes, rolling down her cheek. This definitely was a feeling she had longed for, yet she knew something like this could never actually ever happen. She must have been dreaming.

Down at the camp, there was an uncomfortable shift. Kagome rolled over in her sleeping bag, unable to watch anymore. Feelings stirred inside her, yet she couldn't pinpoint the exact feeling she was experiencing. She closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. She certainly didn't want to be the first one to get up.

My goodness I'm still an Inuyasha/Sango fan. Whaddya know. Anyways, I hoped you liked this update, but deep down, I know it will upset a big part of the community. (Namely the canon pairing fans. Yikes!) Please continue to read, as there are many things I want to do with this fic, and PLEASE for the love of god, review! It really helps me continue! Please! Happy new year again!