AN: Last chapter guys! I will include an Epilogue after this, so watch for that in the next few days. I'm so happy to have this completed. It's been a long time coming. Thank you to everyone who's been reading this!

Chapter 5: Give Permission

Warning: Some swearing and mildly suggestive content.

Where she walks, no flowers bloom
He's the one I see right through
She's the absinthe on my lips
The splinter in my fingertip

- The Civil Wars

3 weeks later

"Shit."

Sango gasped and fell to her knees, her lungs expanding and contracting rapidly to supply her body with much needed oxygen. She coughed, spraying the ground beneath her with saliva and sweat. It was amazing how weak the body became after after almost a month of inactivity. If she had been allowed to have her way, her limbs would be much stronger by now. But no, that idiot hanyou thought she couldn't handle it.

She returned to her feet with great effort. Her muscles twitching in strain as one fist attempted to gently swipe her large bone boomerang across her front. With a cry she dropped it to her feet, clutching her sore wrist. This was no good. If Naraku decided to show his ugly face, she would be defenseless. They were lucky that he had hid himself away for this long; she couldn't count on luck any longer.

Hiraikotsu forgotten, Sango pulled out her wakizashi, slicing through the air as if it was an opponent. The weight felt better in her hands, and her arms weren't quivering after each attack was completed. Perhaps she would have to stick to close combat until her strength returned. She finished a jab, before pushing off of the dirt with her left foot and spinning on her right, slashing the air that had been behind her with a rough downward swipe of her arms.

Clang!

Sango jumped back, losing balance and landing on her backside in the grass. She hadn't expected company, especially not from a smug hanyou.

Inuasha stood there, sword drawn, studying the fallen slayer with alert eyes. "You're really pathetic." He smirked, taunting her with the tip of Tetsusaiga as it grazed her bent knees.

"What do you want, Inuyasha?" When she left camp hours earlier, he had been neck-deep in Kagome's wrath. What they were fighting about was still unknown to her, but he must have lost. The way his fingers twitched on the hilt told her that he was anxious for a battle, but she didn't feel like scratching his itch. "I don't have time for this."

Before she could fully stand, Inuyasha knocked her shins with the side of his sword, sending her back into the dirt. Her fall had kicked up a cloud of dust, which settled onto her slayer's garb and tickled her nose. She sneezed, effectively ruining the glare she had fixed on him. "What is your problem?"

Inuyasha had made sure that his tap hadn't actually hurt her. She was still nursing old injuries, after all. He didn't want to feel guilty over re-breaking an arm, or opening a wound, or something. Although, he had to admit that sending her into the dirt had eased the growing frustration pooling in his gut. She wouldn't provide a great fight given her condition, but he suddenly wanted someone to feel as shitty as he did. "I don't have a problem. Although…" He glanced at her hiraikotsu. "You seem to."

Sango snarled. "Well, I wouldn't if you had let me train weeks ago!" She shuffled to her feet while quickly brushing off the dust from her clothing, hoping to regain whatever pride she had left. Her wakizashi remained on the ground.

"You push yourself too hard, and I'm tired of carrying your ass all over." Inuyasha appraised her healing injuries, from the bandages on her arms and legs to the fading bruises beneath her chin. "But, it seems like you're ready now." Before giving her any indication to reach for her weapon, he charged at her, sword raised.

Sango dropped to the ground again, rolling out of Tetsusaiga's path. Her wakizashi was in her hand soon enough for her to block Inuyasha's second attack, and she swore that sparks shot from the connecting blades. She pushed him back, and he let her, as they circled each other.

"You're still too slow."

She refused to comment, and took a swipe at his chest, which he deflected easily. They repeated that similar dance, Sango attacking and Inuyasha blocking her efforts. Eventually, she found herself beginning to tire, but didn't want to let her weakness show. The hanyou wasn't fooled.

He dropped his weapon, resorting to hand-to-hand combat. Sango followed suit; although, without the edge of a blade, her attacks lost their intimidation. Inuyasha swatted her fists away, using teasing open-handed blows to her shoulders and forearms, although occasionally using a fist to knock her away.

He was toying with her, she knew, from the drop in his guard to the lack of discipline in his stance. Many might have considered the hanyou's typical fighting style as haphazard, but she could always detect an intense focus and strategy when they faced even the weakest of foes. Given such knowledge, she was increasingly insulted. And seriously pissed off.

Sango dodged a poorly aimed blow to her stomach and grasped the hanyou's hair to thrust his jaw into her knee. He roared, and she could feel one of his sharpened fangs digging into her flesh. Roughly pushing him away, she created as much distance as possible between them, and he landed in a crouch feet from her.

Son of a bitch. If his jaw was still intact, Inuyasha figured Sango had meant it to remain that way. He hadn't expected to piss her off so much, even though it shouldn't have surprised him. She'd never asked for coddling, but here he was doing just that.

Sango hesitated to attack again, feeling a slight fear from his silence. "Ah…sorry…I didn't…"

Inuyasha's pointed canines glinted in the sun, tainted by his bloodied lip. His golden eyes were partially hidden by a thick shroud of silver, but they caught hers and flashed with an emotion she didn't wish to name. He snarled, the sound reverberating low in his chest. "Damn, you're one tough broad."

Before she could react, he had leapt on her. The impact of her back hitting the dirt was an afterthought, as the muscles of this thighs squeezed against the sides of hers, his clawed fingers keeping her hands from pushing him off. She squirmed beneath him, hoping to find a means of escape, but it only caused more of his weight to rest on her. She ceased her struggle when something warm dropped onto her chin. It leisurely rolled down her neck to the collar of her suit. Her eyes met the hanyou's face, surprised to see blood still coating his lips. He was smiling, his tongue making slow strokes back and forth over his dirtied skin.

The repetitive nature distracted her, and she watched as the formerly pink skin of his lips came into view. She licked her own in unconscious response.

He wondered if she knew how mesmerizing it was, watching the dark droplet merge with her skin, as if his blood was forging territory and claiming her. Without letting doubt settle in, Inuyasha bent his head to her neck and pressed his tongue to her flesh, swiping the liquid with one long lick.

Sango gasped, her hip pushing upward involuntarily, fingers clenching. "Inuyasha!"

Whatever trance had held him moments before was broken by her weak cry. He stared at her with clear eyes, recognizing signals of distress layered with the scent of arousal. What the hell am I doing? He let go of her wrists, and she brought her hands to his chest, not needing to push because he already understood as much. Slowly, Inuyasha removed his body from the slayer, offering her a hand when he got to his feet. Thankfully, he noted, she accepted.

Sango dropped his hand as quickly as possible, using one of her own to brush off her clothes in order to keep from touching her cheek. "We should probably…"

"Yeah." The hanyou was somewhat comforted by her desire to forget what had occurred. It would make life a hell of a lot easier on him. "We should."

"And we shouldn't…" She gestured back toward camp, her cheeks beginning to flush with color.

He nodded. "Right." Keeping the others in the dark, not letting know anything had occurred, was the best option. Playing it cool, as Kagome might say. Shit. "We shouldn't."

3 months later

It was raining again. The third day of dreary wetness, and Sango couldn't help but wonder if the weather was reflecting her mood. She was sitting on the outskirts of the village, under the shade of a rock overhang near the hills, not wanting to keep the company of their hosts. Miroku was more than capable of doing that for the lot of them.

Idiot monk.

Their relationship had never quite healed since the incident of her injury. Although his eyes were kind, they always held her with a sense of suspicion. She could never find a moment to speak with Inuyasha privately without finding the monk's eyes on her. She had been avoiding the hanyou for that reason, among others, and to keep the guilt at bay. Now she had to avoid her entire group.

How could she have said such things? Did she mean them? Sango thought she knew the answer, although it didn't give her any sense of peace. This was the exact reason why she avoided alcohol. Her thoughts were her own, and she guarded them fastidiously. Knowing that, in one moment, everything she had tried to hide was laid bare…

There was a rustle in the trees. Sango immediately reached for the blade at her side. The sounds had quieted, although she could still detect the faint crunch of leaves.

"You'll get sick out here."

Sango recognized the voice immediately, and it was the last she had wanted to hear. "It's just rain." She could feel him move next to her, sharing the same rock to keep out of the weather. His familiar snort of disapproval normally earned an amused smile, but she schooled her expressions. She waited for him to say something, anything, but he remained silent. They used to share such silence together. It was comfortable for them, natural and easy. Like their friendship used to be. Sango had to admit, it was the best friendship she ever had the pleasure of being a part of. He understood her in a way the others never could. She desired strength, to be strong and to find a source of strength in her weakness. He fulfilled that need.

Unfortunately, she'd gone and ruined it.

"We're even, you know."

Sango was jolted out of her thoughts by his gravelly murmur. She glanced at him, uncertain of what she'd find, but thankfully his gaze was settled on horizon. "What do you mean?"

"I do something stupid, you do something stupid…" Inuyasha met her eyes. "We're even."

It took her a moment to remember what had happened months ago, not that it ever escaped her thoughts often. Her face felt warm. He must have noticed her discomfort, because he chuckled.

"Hey, at least you have a decent excuse."

Sango stared at him quizzically.

"You were drunk off your ass."

She couldn't help it. She laughed. He joined her soon after. The pleasant sound of her voice hummed with his, and she hadn't heard a better melody. They were smiling when their laughter faded. Sango wished every moment could begin and end that way. The rain had slowed to a faint mist, the heat from the ground emitting clouds of vapor around their feet. "We should probably head back." She didn't want to be caught mid-shower on the trek to the village. The last thing she wanted was to prove the hanyou right by getting sick.

A hand caught her wrist as she pushed off of the boulder. The tell-tale prick of talons grazed the delicate inner flesh, over artery, and calloused fingertips rubbed circles over her pulse point.

"Did you mean it?"

He sounded pained, Sango noted. As if the same choking hold in her chest was also plaguing him. She forced herself to meet his eyes, those keen gold irises that pretended to miss everything. What could she say? "We shouldn't-"

"Answer me." The grip on her wrists tightened.

Sango couldn't speak. What would this change? She was trying to remember when everything changed, when she started seeing him in a different light. Perhaps it was the way she caught him staring at her at the hot spring, when she slowly peeled off the slayer suit for his benefit, cursing herself for being so wanton. Or the way his tongue felt against her cheek. She shivered. Her wrist was tugged in his strong grip. He was still waiting. "Yes."

"Yes what?"

Sango flushed. Was he purposely trying to be irritating? Was he trying to make her more ashamed? Or guilty? Was he toying with her emotions on purpose? "Damn it, yes! I meant it!"

He inhaled sharply, and she assumed that he hadn't been expecting her to answer the way she had. Great. Ashamed, she turned away, but found herself quickly forced into his grasp. His hands dug into her shoulder and waist as his arms stretched around her. The warmth of his neck radiated against her forehead, with her lips only inches away from his chin. In fact, all of him was deliciously warm. Sango slowly relaxed in his hold, pushing her doubts away as she closed her fingers around the front of his haori, enjoying how solid he felt so closely pressed against her. His head moved, and she could feel the faint caress of his lips as they brushed her hair. This tenderness was unlike him. Not that he didn't possess the capability to be vulnerable and gentle, he just normally chose not to. She, of all people, was rarely on this end of such affections.

Inuyasha had anchored his feelings in the belief that the slayer had been speaking out of her ass, meaning nothing of what she had confessed to the group that night. Her admission came as a surprise. A pleasant surprise, if he was honest with himself. Such honesty was going to get him into deep shit. Although, he couldn't help but hold her. He had wanted to since that day he practically molested her in the grass. He wasn't proud of his actions then, acting like the animal he wished he didn't have the urge to be. She deserved better, didn't she? That's what he told himself about Kagome. Speaking of deep shit…

"We shouldn't." Sango whispered into his neck.

He could feel her cool tears. "I know."