[I still don't own inuyasha... but I might start putting back ten dollars out of every paycheck and see what happens! If, y'know, I live to be some god awful age, maybe.. y'know?]
It's been five years since that day when she had decided to leave. Well, five years, three months, and eighteen days.. but who's counting.. It was night already, her three children fast asleep within her old family home in the partially restored slayer's village. Kohaku was really coming into his own as a slayer, that was to be sure- he was originally traveling around and slaying demons as he came across them, but upon returning to maintain his weapon, and finding Sango and her children there, he had since refocused his efforts to the village. People have come now, embracing the reborn life of a slayer- Sango was more than happy to help train the newcomers, but Kohaku never did allow her to come along on actual slayings- concerned for her children who would be left alone basically without her, even though he had grown closer to them as well, he knew too well that he would be a pale substitute for Sango's presence in their lives. That has only recently changed, Sango insisted upon rejoining the ranks of active slayers after there were two inhibiting injuries on a 'routine' slaying. The children were older now, and she couldn't hide behind the people she'd come to view as a form of family, especially with the influx of business since word that the slayer's village was in business once again.
Sango may be stumbling with a life she couldn't have foreseen, or rather the mixture of the lives she had come to know, but she had decided long ago not to let the loss of the comfort of being a housewife ruin the future for her, or for her children. Miroku had come on occasion over the past five years, but he wasn't coming to take them home, nor would she go- not anymore. At first, maybe she had harbored hope for such an ending, but the romantics were gone, the haze over the truth dissipated, she would not be fooled by childish notions such as that again. Being a mother, a slayer, there was simply no room left to be a child any longer, or at least that's what she would call herself who believed so desperately before.
She believed she could honestly put that consciousness behind her and live in the moment, but on silent nights such as tonight, when the slayer's village was completely still and the only thing to look at was the sky, the stars, the moon- childish sentiment took root again. Memories of happier times emerged, of lost friendships, of dead relatives, and the isolation she still felt even to this day. She loved her children, more than anything, but watching new romances emerge and flames flicker out of old ones was an almost cruel, if not a constant reminder of the fact that it was a part of her life that was no longer an option. She had no desire to give herself fully to another person, not with the risk of losing everything if they go- and especially not when said person would not only have to be trusted with her life and the lives of her children, but also must enter knowing three children are awaiting them. No, she didn't hope for anything, nor seek anything, but at night, times like this, it was easy to imagine a proper life.
She found a giggle emerge from her mouth as she looked at the moon. "It won't be too much longer before InuYasha will be hiding somewhere it looks like." She mused to herself, remembering the overwhelming presence of her former halfdemon companion, particularly how suspicious and bull headed he was around the night of the new moon.
"Feh! Five years and you still pick the stupidest things to remember." Said InuYasha as he landed nearby from among the treeline.
"Well, it only happened once a month for the whole four years we spent together." Said Sango as she laughed a bit more openly, before the realization dawned on her and she looked over at him like he were a mirage in the desert that would disappear any moment.
"Geez, remind me next time not to go out of my way to visit." He grumbled, though honestly there was few more troubling subjects than his period of vulnerability.
"I-.. Inu... Yasha?" She asked with some disbelief, still uncertain if she wasn't hallucinating, or dreaming perhaps. "Wha-.. wh..Why.. When did.. What are you doing here?!" She asked as she quickly got to her feet, taking a few steps closer as her momentum faded and she came to stand before him, literally reaching out to poke him once- fully expecting to see her hand phase straight through.
InuYasha raised an eyebrow at her antics, wondering to himself briefly if perhaps she'd become insane in the last five years. He didn't flinch in the slightest as she poked him and then drew her hand back as if she'd touched something sharp. "What the hell is the matter with you? I just caught your scent and decided to stop by, you been drinkin' or what?" He asked with a mildly annoyed tone.
"Wha?.. What is that supposed to mean?! I haven't seen you in over five years, and yet you show up all of a sudden without any kind of notice, and yet I'm not supposed to be surprised!?" She said, her disbelief wearing off quickly as she interacted with InuYasha's naturally abrasive personality. After a moment though, she begins to laugh again. "It's like we never parted ways." She said a midst a small fit of laughter. "You really are the most frustrating person, you know that right?" She said with an amused smile.
"You're one to talk.. And why're you laughing?" He said, looking at her suspiciously, as if he was trying to figure out if she was making fun of him or something. "Look, if it's a problem, I'll just be going." He said in a bitter manner as he turned halfway around.
"Oh no you don't, you don't get to pop in and leave so easily." Said Sango in a very matter-of-fact manner. "You're going to visit, properly." She told him, and that was just what it was, telling, there was no room to argue. A mother's true power...
InuYasha looked at her with some confusion, preparing to retort but failing to find words to say as he looked at her, while she merely stared him down rather intimidatingly. "..Oh man.." He muttered with a sigh. Resignation had set in.