Sango hissed, lowering herself into the steaming hot spring. She knew they meant well, Inuyasha and Kagome, but she seldom got any time to herself. Perhaps that was for the better since Kohaku and the houshi were gone now. No matter where she set foot Inuyasha and Kagome were never a hop away. Overbearing as it was she was truly glad to have somebody there with her. But for now, she needed a dip in the hotspring on her own. 'They'll be alone too, they can maybe act like a couple for once...'
She sighed, dipping all the way to her nose in the warm waters, watching ripples spread over the service. She snorted to herself, looking to Miroku's familiar 'hiding' spot. On the rare occasion when she'd bathe alone she wouldn't hide herself from the monk after he proposed to her. She even had a fond memory of one, steamy, hot spring tryst she'd shared with her doomed lover. Her chest ached at the memory. 'If only I had killed Naraku sooner, you could...'
Wiping her eyes furious Sango dunked her head beneath the water as though it would erase her tears. She shut her eyes, adjusting to the pressure and the weight of the water. 'If only I could just stay here.' That's when the idea fully dawned on her. In Sango's encounters with water, drowning only seemed painful if you struggled. Here, Sango felt weightless. The water was calming and warm, making it hard to think.
She shut her eyes, thinking of Kohaku and Miroku's sweet faces. 'I could even see them again...' Sango floated there, the pressure building in her head. 'All I have to do is just release my air... Kagome, Inuyasha, and Shippo... They'll have to understand..' Hesitantly, Sango opened her mouth and a gout of air rose to the surface in the form of bubbles. Sango was beginning to feel light headed as she stared at the murky surface. She almost thought she was hallucinating when a clawed hand reached down into the water. Her vision was beginning to fade to black as she broke the surface, instinctively sucking in a huge breath of air.
She was tossed on the bank on ceremoniously as she coughed and sputtered for a moment. She turned back to see none other that Koga, shaking water off of his hands. Frowning, she sat up with a frown. "You! Again! What are you doing here?" He continued drying his hands as he rolled his eyes.
"What am I doing here? Don't you think a thanks is in or-" His voice trailed off as he faced the demon slayer, realizing she was completely in the nude. He couldn't hide the blush on his face, reminding the woman that she was in fact naked. With a screech she lobbed a stone at the wolf youkai's head. He narrowly dodged the rock with a grin, leaping out of it's trajectory.
Moments later Sango was covered by her kimono and glaring daggers at Koga. "You never answered my question, perve!" Koga rolled his eyes as he settled down on a nearby rock.
"Now, now. I wasn't spying on you or nothin'. I just c-"
"Caught my scent?" Sango finished with a raised eyebrow. He smirked in response.
"There ya go. Good thing, too. How were you almost drowning in a hot spring, anyways? Ya fall asleep in there or you have a death wish?" Sango didn't smile at his playful ribbing. In fact, she avoided his gaze. His shoulders sagged a little and his smile faded.
"Shit, you don't really have a death wish, do you?" Sango huffed and tried to think of a convenient way to slink into her kimono without exposing herself.
"It's complicated. What would you know about it, anyways?" Koga shook his head in disbelief. 'Is she really that miserable?'
"You didn't come all this way after killing Naraku to kill yourself. Don't be a quitter, Sango. You're better than that!" He was relieved to se anger flash in her eyes.
"How would you know what I am or am not! You don't know anything about me and I don't have to explain myself to you." With that, Sango stood and carefully wrapped her kimono around her. She was annoyed to see that Koga was once again smirking. She huffed, wrapping her green skirt around her waist as the wolf demon approached her.
"I'm trying to see what you are." He responded in a husky whisper. Sango found her stomach fluttering as she gazed into the wolf demon's face. Try as she might she couldn't read what emotion his sky blue eyes were trying to convey. He turned away from her suddenly, brushing past and leaving behind the scent of wildfire. He waved behind him, one fang glinting in the moonlight. "See ya. Don't die before the next time I come around." Sango watched his speedy retreat at a loss for words.
Somewhere, deep down, she promised she wouldn't.