The smell of the wet soil, the sound of the droplets falling from the trees, thunder fading into the distance. All of it was such sweet music to the hanyou's sensitive ears. The sun had not yet risen, though it would be any time. Lazily he opened one eye, to see a female still snuggled up against his chest. Losing a lot of his sense, he gently kissed the top of her head. It was only after she started to stir did he realize that she was not his beloved. He froze in place, in shock of his thoughtless, impulsive movement.
"is it dawn?" she spoke, groggily. Rubbing her left eye with the base of her palm. She looked up at Inuyasha who was now tense, waiting to see if she would say anything about his actions. To his surprise, she didn't seem to notice. though very curious of his sudden deep blush, and tense behavior. she mentally chalked it up to his dislike of being close to another body.
"almost" he faked a yawned. "we should get you to the hut before that monk wakes up. Otherwise, I may never hear the end of it" he snorted, though never recovering from his earlier actions.
Sango watched his expressions with amusement. Before nodding in agreement. He let her down slow and easy. Being mindful of the rough bark of the tree. Once she had both feet on the ground, a steady center of balance and trust in her own footing, Inuyasha jumped down while trying to get his haori back on. Kirara hopped on his head, then made a long jump to her master's shoulder. Together they walked to the village, a bit stiff but overall content with the limited bonding time they had shared, even if either of them would never dare speak of it again.
Sango held the flap to the hut open but paused before she moved inside. She looked back at her companion and smiled a warm grin.
"Thank you" she mouthed to her canine eared friend. even if he seemed to be puzzled with that, the whole thing was able to calm her soul from inner turmoil that had caused many depressing thoughts the day prior.
He watched as she disappeared into the building, before giving the whole event his legendary "Keh" before going back to his post to wait for Kagome.
By the time the sun had neared the midway point in the sky and the shadows below were now long. Inuyasha was becoming even more irritated by the lack of activity in the well. Nearly like clockwork, the hanyou would roam between his beloved tree to watch the area then back to the well where he would cuss, fuss and pace, then back to the tree. This would go on about every 15 minutes throughout the entire day.
"Inuyasha, just go get her" snapped the little fox yokai. His arms crossed over his chest, the look on his face was an attempt at intimidation but looked more of annoyance.
"keh, don't tell me what to do, runt" the hanyou snapped, with a swift movement of his arm, he was able to thwack the poor kit on top of the head, leaving a rather large lump. Shippo grasped his head, hands hovered protectively over the injury, he fought back tears and gritted his teeth."you will pay for that Inuyasha" Shippo growled.
Stubbornly, Inuyasha waited for the fox kit to leave before he looked back at the well. Both ears lay level to his head in a show of annoyance over the current issue. Finally after a few moments, Swallowing his pride, Inuyasha jumped down the well that would lead him to his favored companion. If it was the last thing he would do, he would drag her back to his time, whether she kicked, screamed or yelled "Sit" all the way through.
Sango, who was enjoying the company of her own love, watched some of the village children play a game with a ball. She hadn't realized she was smiling while stroked Kirara's soft short fur. Miroku, not too far away, spoke of herbs and other forms of healing with the aging priestess.
She did dream of a small family of her own but brushed such thoughts away. Every time she imagined of the word 'family', it made her depressed. Her father, brother, her village all attacked her mind with such horrific clarity, gore and screams included. The smile had faded, her hand stopped moving, as the images raided her conscious thoughts. Kirara, who was not pleased with the current lack of attention, mewed loudly to get her master's affection.
At this point, Sango was so far lost in her past memories, she not only forgot her surroundings but also who was around her. Tears rolled down her cheek, hitting the nekomata's back. Mowing once more, she reached her tiny form up to try and lick her master's chin. Both fluffy tails wiggled in an attempt to bring some form of distraction from the pain.
It wasn't until a thundering yell that pierced the air that Sango came out of her sorrows. Kaede, Miroku, Shippo and Sango all glanced in the direction of the well. As yelling from both a male and female could be heard. In almost perfect unison, the trio sighed together.
As they made their way up the hill, the group caught the tail and verbally violent end of the yelling match between the stubborn hanyou and the nearly equally stubborn young miko.
"Why do you have to be such an ass?!" Kagome snapped. Her fists at her balled up at her side, as she stomped her foot on the ground.
"Keh, look who is talking. At least I don't ABANDON my friends for something stupid such as these 'Tests' of yours." the hanyou shot back. He clenched his fists, letting his long nails sink into the skin causing crimson droplets to fall. He barely noticed the pain from it and ignored any feelings the liquid gave him as it dripped between his fingers.
Kagome was a bit stunned by the accusation that she had abandoned them all for her school work. Recovered fast, she got close to Inuyasha, her face inches away from his. "Excuse me?! WHO IS THE ONE WHO LEAVES US WHEN HE CATCHES THE SCENT OF DIRT AND GRAVEYARD SOIL!?" She yelled, while poking him in the chest with her right pointer finger and placing her left fist on her hip.
It was Inuyasha who stood stunned now. His ears lowered, knowing there was no way he could deny that. It was true he did abandon everyone when Kikyo came by. however, he knew everyone would be safe without him. He was always in range to pick up their scents if something should have happened, as well as hear them yell for him if they really needed him.
Kagome straightened herself out and smiled, she knew how to play with his emotions far too well. Taking on the pose of someone who was victorious in a well-fought battle, she waited for her half canine youkai companion to respond. As she looked back at his face, her own smile faded. What she saw was a cold, calculation look. Void of any real emotions. She made a mental note of how much he resembled his half-Brother. Chills ran up her spine for some unknown reason while she stared into the melted honey colored eyes. Fear started to grip her, she felt silly for being scared, she knew he would never truly harm her physically anyways. but, he was still half a demon, and demons tended to be brutal monsters who had no bones about attacking any who challenged them or proved to be a threat. no, Inuyasha was the farthest thing from those type of demons, however, he did still have a look about him that yelled predator.
Inuyasha just stared, his whole emotional state went numb as her words struck true like a heated blade cutting through ice. He couldn't process his thoughts coherently. He wanted to so badly snap at her, to yell at her till his lungs bled, to deny all those accusations of him abandoning her and their group. Finally, after so many moments of silence and tension. Inuyasha sighed, shook his head, turned on his heel and retreat into the seclusion of the forest. The shade cast by the group of trees melted his form. The group collectively exhaled.
Kagome let out a sharp exhale as well, as though she had been holding it in since she looked into his eyes. She licked her lips and furrowed her brow before lifting her gaze to her comrades who had just witnessed the event. Her eyes locked with Sango, who returned her look with a more sympathetic one. Glancing back at the spot where the hanyou had vanished from the group. She couldn't help but feel sick and sad from the whole fight. She would even go as far as to actually take the blame for starting it herself this time.
The sun was near setting, Kagome had retreated back to her own era down the bone eater's well. Inuyasha had not been seen nor heard of since the fight had taken place. Though the tension inside the small hut of kaede had simmered down since then, the feeling of uneasiness was still heavy in the air.
"Do you think he will be alright?" Sango spoke softly as if a small child was sleeping in the room with them. "do you think he will be back?" she looked up to meet her beloved monk's eyes. She could tell that she was not alone with her feelings of sadness for their companion. Though she felt as if she was the only one who felt that Kagome had gone a bit too far with her comeback. She did greatly feel bad for the hanyou, that what Kagome did was a 'low blow' as the miko would sometimes say.
"He will be fine my dear Sango." Miroku smiled, trying to calm the fear in her. "You know how he is, Give him some space and time, I am most certain he will come around after calming down a bit. Right Kaede-baba?" he looked over at the aging miko who was sipping her tea.
Setting her chawan down on her lap with her hand still cradling the bottle of it. She sighed and looked up at Miroku. "I am sure he will. Space is all he needs right now to sort out his feelings."
"aye, I suppose you are right then, Kaede-baba," the young taijiya said, putting on a half-hearted smile before looking down into the fire before her. Letting her mind wander though what Kagome had said earlier. She just couldn't shake off the look Inuyasha had. She had never seen him look at anyone, let alone Kagome that way. She wondered what could have been going through his mind. As well as, what was he doing right now? And where was he also? She sighed, absently petting Kirara, who was very content next to her beloved master's leg, curled up in her normal ball styled position with her long, fluffy tails wrapping around the front of her.
"I'm sure he will be back soon. You know how he can't stand to miss a chance at food." Shippo chimed in matter-a-factually. Crossing his arms over his chest and nodding his head, causing his ponytail to bounce once more. "And if he doesn't show up? Well, I guess, MORE FOOD FOR US!" he grinned, his fluffy tail wagging behind him. He secretly hoped Inuyasha wouldn't come around for dinner, he would enjoy getting more of a portion then he would typically get.
Both Kaede and Miroku chuckled at shippo's last bit of the conversation. Both would not be hurt if Inuyasha didn't come around. However, Sango was still lost in thought. Inuyasha was sort of like her brother, he was her family now. Even if they were not in fact blood related. It was normal for her to worry. She feared he truly would abandon their little family. it was a fear she lived every day but rarely if ever spoke of or about it to anyone other then Kirara.
She jumped a little when she felt a warm pressure on her shoulder. Only to look up to see Miroku smiling at her with his hand on her shoulder. He tried to give her a reassuring look as if to say 'things will be fine.'
Darkness fell upon the hut. All who were inside now lay in slumber. All seemed peaceful, as it normally was on nights like this. The young miko, Kagome, was not presence, which was a nice bit of extra sleeping room. There was also a lack of the presence of the group (and to some extent the village's) guardian.
Sango fussed in her sleep, tossing, turning and thrashing about in her slumber. Finally, she woke, her body cold in sweat glistening on her body, shined by the limited moonlight that came in through the windows and around the door flap. She slowly sat up, and looked around the inside of the hut. Her eyes slowly adjusting to the scarce light. She turned to see none of her companions had noticed or rather not been affected by her movements while she slept.
She slowly rose, slipping on her sandals then leaving the hut, taking the small path up that lead to the forest of Inuyasha. She found it funny at times, that the village had not been too kind to him while Kikyo was around, yet they would call it after him. Whether to scare the children from entering it or because he was always lurking around, she felt that she may never know the true story behind that.
On her way, she couldn't help but to glance up at the waning crescent moon. Something about the way the rays of the moon felt against her skin, just made her feel so...warm and energized. Though not like the sun's rays. She just felt comfort from it, almost to go as far to say, she felt inner peace from it.
As she entered the shadows of the forest, she noted that even though, surrounded by darkness, even though demons or bandits could lay and wait for some innocent passer-by, she felt oddly safe. Whether it was for the fact that this was Inuyasha's territory, or because she was well trained in the art of slaying and fighting that she would easily be able to protect herself efficiently. She didn't know or really care. She felt at easy in this forest. Almost as if a weight that had been on her chest, was taken off.
Taking a deep breath in through her nose, taking in the sweet smell of night. She couldn't help but lose herself. Thankful for the walk to take away her night terrors. To not remember it, was the main objective right now.
Coming up to the legendary Goshinboku, once more, a wave of safety washed over the young taijiya. Stopping in front if it, she started up in wonderment over the little bit of history she knew about it. She lightly traced her fingers over the spot where Inuyasha had been bound to for many years. She could almost feel the sorrow, bitterness and betrayal flow from the bark in through her fingers.
She brought her attention upward, up the tree's massive trunk then nearly jumping out of her skin. She saw two glowing yellow eyes staring back down at her. Jumping back and throwing profanities as she hit the ground with her back-end, she looked back up scowling at the eyes.
Hopping down from his perch, Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh. Ignoring Sango's scowls and name calling, he grabbed her elbow gently and helped her up. Once she was up from the ground, she then proceeded to punch her hanyou companion on the shoulder for not only scaring her to death but also for laughing at her.
"I couldn't help it." he said, still chuckling, "you made that way to easy. What were you thinking about to make you such an easy target? You are normally on your toes, especially at night." at this point he was no longer laughing. He watched her shift her body weight while crossing her arms, her hands holding the opposite elbow.
She looked at him then just shrugged. "typical human thoughts." she waved him off. She turned her back on him, walking back in the direction she had come in. she had to admit she was happy to have found him. To know that he was safe and still present.
"Sango..."
she stopped in her tracks. the way he had spoken her name, she could hear the confusion in his voice, but there was something else. Concern?
She took a moment before looking back at him. The way the moon reflected off his silver hair, almost made it seem to glow, like a heavenly being. His melted honey colored eyes were filled with concern. He had cocked his head to the side and watched her intently.
"I'm fine, really." she tried to smile at him.
"Why are you lying?"
now she wore the look of confusion.
"I am not lying." she looked at him deeply.
"Ya'know...I am not as stupid as you all think." his expression harden. "I can tell when there is something wrong with you...all of you. And I most certainly can tell when you are lying."
she couldn't stop her jaw from dropping at his proclamation. They stood there and stared at each other for a couple of moments. Finally, Sango broke eye contact with him. Sighing heavily. She knew she needed to talk about her dream, though Inuyasha was the most unlikely one she would have turned to for that.
Biting her lower lip, she opened her mouth to speak but seemed to have lost her own voice.
"Sango..." he smiled. Speaking her name with warmth and concern.
She couldn't keep fighting it. Everything wanted to pour out of her, her fears, her dream, her thoughts about everything. She felt as though she was about to explode.
"Inuyasha, I-"