As the sun rose over the horizon, a gentle breeze carried its warmth through the peaceful clearing, blowing over the ancient Bone Eater Well. Miroku sat by the well, his eyes closed in deep meditation, while the rings on his Shakujō staff tinkled and swayed. In his lap lay Shippo, sound asleep after a long night of keeping watch. The quiet surroundings were only broken by the occasional chirping of birds and rustling of leaves in the wind.
Miroku slowly returned from his meditative state, he became aware of a presence nearby. Peering through his half-closed violet eyes, he saw that it was Sango who had entered the small meadow. She looked somber as she tiptoed over and knelt a few feet in front of him. With a deep bow, her head touching the damp grass, she spoke softly, "I've come to apologize. I never intended for everything to be revealed the way it did. Would you be willing to hear my side of the story?"
The monk's expressionless face stared down at the woman who was kneeling before him. Finally, after a few moments, he let out a deep sigh and spoke, assuring her that he was willing to listen to whatever she had to say. The slayer's body trembled with relief, and she slowly sat up while still keeping her head down.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before starting, "The days leading up to the final battle with Naraku hadn't been easy for me. I couldn't stop thinking about the events leading up to that moment. How he had been responsible for the slaughter of my family, manipulating and torturing Kohaku." Sango paused to compose herself before continuing. "There was a night where it all became unbearable, and I needed someone to talk to. You were off meditating with Kagome at the time and it felt selfish to disrupt either of you before such an important fight. Then I noticed Inuyasha leaving camp, so I followed him."
Miroku stayed silent as he watched Sango raise her head and look beyond him into the forest. Her eyes had a faraway look in them as she recalled that night.
"After nearly half an hour of trailing after Inuyasha he finally stopped and confronted me, asking why I was following him. That was when I couldn't hold back anymore and began to cry. I felt so foolish and weak… I didn't want to be alone. I guess I must have really scared him because the next thing I knew I was in his arms. He held me until I was calm enough to speak again, but when our eyes met something changed." She hugged her arms around herself and looked down once more. "That was the first time we sought comfort in each other. I think he needed it as much as I did."
When Sango finished, she still avoided looking Miroku in the eyes. He broke the silence by asking, "After the battle why did you not tell this to Kagome?"
The slayer's wide brown eyes finally met the monk's questioning violet ones. She said, "I wanted to, really I did, but when Kagome woke up and we found out she couldn't hear I was," she reached down and gripped the green bo-bakama covering her lap before crying out, "I was relieved! It meant that Inuyasha and I could keep this secret a little longer. Even while Kagome was back home, we kept seeing one and other. I knew what we were doing was wrong but at the time it felt good to be wanted, comforted, and I wasn't ready to give it up. So, like a coward I avoided her when she came back.
As difficult as it was, Miroku could see where Sango was coming from. He just wished she had made better decisions. Still seeking answers he asked, "And what about Inuyasha? How did he feel about hiding this from Kagome?"
"He wants to keep our relationship quiet until Kagome gets better. But I've already decided that when she gets back, able to hear or not, I'm going to tell her everything." Sango's determined eyes met Miroku's as she said, "I won't run away anymore. Kagome is my sister and I'm done hurting her, and if Inuyasha has a problem with that then we are through!"
With everything out in the open now Sango felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She cared for Inuyasha and cherished their late-night talks, snuggling together under the night sky, and the intimate moments they've shared. But she also cared deeply for Kagome and the guilt had been eating away at her for some time. In a twisted way, it was a blessing that Sesshoumaru revealed their secret to nearly everyone.
"Thank you for telling me Sango. I do care about you and want you to be happy, but I will need some time to process all of this." Miroku said while gently stroking Shippo's tail. Thankfully the kit was still in a deep sleep, "Right now I ask that you make sure Inuyasha leaves Lady Kagome and Lord Sesshoumaru be. If they don't return the day after tomorrow, I'm not sure what Inuyasha will do."
Sango nodded, agreeing to help keep the half-demon at bay until the couple returned. She then quietly excused herself so the monk could return to his meditation. Unfortunately, his mind was now far from clear, and it would be a while before it would be again. Once Shippo woke he'd share Sango's story with him as well. Until then he was left alone with his thoughts.