"Perhaps we should save the forest for tomorrow?"

Sango let out a sigh as she watched the sun setting over the mountains. She had wasted too much time already; she should have listened to her intuition to pass up this assignment, especially with the urgent summons she had received that morning from that village in the east.

The forest's edge was thick with bramble and bush, but she pushed past him into it, ignoring the thorns and barbs of the branches as they tore across her flesh. She barely registered the feeling over her building anger. It had been the same story every time, with the same result and yet, she had come. She tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice as she addressed the young, brown-eyed man who was following too closely behind her; whose gaze she felt like a sticky net upon her body. It clung to her, weighing her down as she slammed down her foot to startle him.

"Genji..." she warned.

Genji, however, would not be deterred.

"Miss Sango, it's late. Let's head back. I've prepared a room for you at my father's house. You can rest there and tomorrow resume the search." She ignored his proposal, even though most would claw and scrape for such an offer. Genji was the son of the head blacksmith of the village, as good as the son of the chief, for a town that specialized in the creation and trade of weapons and other metal goods. At probably not a day past 18, he was around the same age as Sango herself, but she regarded him as a boy, with a boy's mind and heart.

"That's...very kind, but I must decline."

He bowed to her, and words like honey poured from his lips. "Even for someone as strong and skilled as you, I know how much you exhaust your body during these visits."

She felt the fine muscles of her eye twitch as she held back rolling them. Fine. She would give him the benefit of the doubt. She gave him a nod, and he stepped back from her.

Rolling her shoulders, Sango dropped to a knee and lifted a handful of dirt which she ground into her fingers, carefully examined before tossing it back down and standing straight again. She sniffed at the air; studied the ground and the shrubs and the bark for any signs of disturbance. She closed her eyes to feel even the slightest change in the aura, to see if she could sense any yokai. It was not a gift that most were born with, Sango included, yet she had been blessed to train with a priestess of incredible power, spiritual and otherwise. One who had become almost like a mother to her. Her devotion to training had only heightened her abilities, however modest. She was still only human, after all.

She inhaled deeply and reached out with her senses, breathing in the scents of the flora and fauna that laced into the wind. In and out, focused on the inhale and exhale until she found it; the energy of the earth as it thrummed lightly against her. She let it reverberate through her body, and waiting for the feeling to hit her, of the things that should not be. The things that were wrong, that were not born of this world. Whose energy flowed against it, struck against it like flint striking steel and sparked. Her shoulders relaxed as she sunk into herself, waiting for the tell-tale prickling against her skin.

She did this and felt...nothing. She opened her eyes and saw nothing. Nothing, but the boy that was now awfully close to her. Too close.

Sango sighed; her eyes narrowed at the mousy young man. "Are you sure you saw demons here?" She knew she must abide by the oath she had taken to protect those who needed it, and to slay the demons who would terrorize the countryside – but Genji knew it, too. And his constant pestering was starting to get tedious.

The boy nodded feverishly, "Yes, yes Lady Sango! They were here! And they were terribly frightening." His eyes trailed her body clad in the tight uniform of the slayers, which suddenly felt as thin as paper, and Sango held back the urge to dry heave.

Sango held her temper, and reminded herself quietly that there was a balance she needed to maintain. His village was widely renown throughout Japan, and their clans had a good relationship. One that needed to be maintained. They were the finest at their craft, and she had a great deal of respect for them, as did her father...which is why she didn't bloody Genji's nose for his behavior.

He continued, reading the dismissal in her eyes and growing desperate. "Lady Sango, I swear, they were terrible. Grunting and snarling! With...with snouts. And, uh, with terrible claws! Oh, they were too frightening for words...I feel so much better now that you're here."

Her mouth became a thin line, but she softened her burning glare. He read that too, and pounced.

"I can't wait to see you wield your gift, did you bring it with you?" He was referring to the wakizashi he had made for her – which he claimed he had made, anyway. Sango was proficient in all manner of weapon, from katana to staff, bow to dagger. But none she preferred more than her hiraikotsu, a boomerang-style weapon forged of demon bone.

"I had to travel lightly, I'm only passing through here and have a way's yet-"

"Oh. Only passing through? Well I should think you may need some refreshment for your journey, come, let me escort you to my fathers house. Perhaps some sake to help relieve the tension?"

Balance. Patience. Steady.

She had come too far to risk any trouble, had too much to lose with too many depending on her. Including the woman who was waiting for her, to the east. She straightened, refusing to break eye contact. "Genji, I've told you before –

"Please, good Lady Sango. My father was overjoyed at the notion that you would come to purge the demons from our lands. And they gave Geku such a fright as he was bringing back water from the river that he lay in bed for days!"

"Geku just enjoys people waiting on him and spending his days lounging about."

"That may be true" he conceded, "- but others saw them too. I saw them! They are here for our precious metals and stone. We need you, Lady Sango. For the village." He reached for her hand again.

She sidestepped him, knocking away his fingers with a glare and called out, "Kohaku!"

Kohaku, Sango's younger brother, jogged over to her, shooting Genji a knowing look. His kusarigama clanged at his side. Growing too fast, she mused. Her once little brother was now a fine young man, his cherubic cuteness had morphed into striking handsomeness. And she wasn't the only one who noticed. Wherever they went, the young girls of the village always seemed to follow. Giggling and clinging to each other as they watched him, and when there was the off chance that they ran into a yokai that was truly of any threat and needed to be put down, Sango feared she would have to provide medical aid for the girls near fainting.

But he would always be her sweet, little Kohaku.

There were those that have claimed the siblings were identical, and though she supposed they both shared the soft, dark features of their mother – they diverged in personalities. Like two sides of a coin. While Kohaku also took after their mother in temperament and nature, Sango was her father's daughter. Willful, stubborn and strong, but also a leader. A trait she had hoped would aid her when the time came to take her father's place as the head of the village. The prospect didn't unnerve her, though she did wonder how Kohaku felt about it.

Although he had always been so positive about the possibility, she wondered if there was some small part of him that resented her, that the role would not fall to him. But kind, sweet Kohaku would never tell her if that was the case.

She was so proud of how far he had come.

Only yesterday, it seemed, he was a little boy begging to come with her on assignments. Now he was a fine young man, of incredible fortitude but still too young to hold the confidence the demon slayers required to perform their duties solo. Sango figured this was the perfect job for him. This was the second time in a week Genji had called for her on some fool's errand, his true intentions transparent as the sweat on his brow and flush upon his cheeks.

"Kohaku, go with Genji. He says he has a room prepared for you. You must be on the lookout for...grunting and snarling...pig demons, was it?" Kohaku scoffed and Genji's blush deepened. She felt the tiniest stab of guilt, that she was using him as a decoy, but it couldn't be helped and at least Kohaku would be safe, if not terribly annoyed by the time the day was out.

"Yes, Sister!" Was all he said with a nod, and Sango turned to head east, knowing full well the only creature with any pig in it was Genji.

"I'll see you in a few days!" She called out behind her to her brother as she hurried along the path that would lead her out of the village and to her true destination.

She was already terribly late, and Sango wouldn't keep her waiting any longer.