AN:
Another one-shot by me n.n I can't help it; I need to write, and Kagami to Ai just doesn't want to be written! This time, its based on the events of the third movie. This takes place directly after the movie ended. Not an hour, not a day, RIGHT after it ended. So, yes, there will be a couple spoilers here. So, if you don't want to be spoiled, don't read. That said, onto the story!Disclaimer:
Inuyasha does not belong to me. Simple as that."O-su-wa-ri."
"Guah!!"
"It begins again." Miroku said, sighing slightly, as he looked at Sango.
Sango nodded slowly as she poked the dying embers of the fire with a stick, trying to get the flames to return. It was still mid-day, but they needed a fire to cook their food. "It seems like it."
"Bitch!! Why the hell did you have to put these damned beads back on me?!"
"Mou, I already told you Inuyasha! I don't want you running off alone again!"
Shippou flopped back onto his back and stared up at the passing clouds, "Inuyasha doesn't seem too happy about Kagome putting the rosary on him again. Why do you think she did it, anyway?"
Miroku shook his head, turning to look at the kitsune, "I suppose the only one who will ever know, is Kagome-sama herself."
Snap!
The stick in Sango's hand snapped suddenly, causing Miroku and Shippou to turn their attention to her. "Inuyasha doesn't deserve to wear the rosary. In all the time he was without it, he never did anything wrong. He acted the same as he always does. The only difference was, that Kagome-chan couldn't 'punish' him by saying 'osuwari'. Baka..."
"Sango..." Miroku said quietly, as though he was surprised by what she was saying.
"Eh?" The taijiya looked up from the dead fire and blinked, "Ah... gomen nasai." She said quietly, looking down once again, "I was... thinking out loud."
"Sango, do you--" Miroku began. But, before he could finish, the voices of Inuyasha and Kagome rose up once again.
"Damn it, I'm not some puppy dog that you can just lead around on a leash!"
"I never said you were! I just--"
"Get away from me!! Why can't you just trust me for once?!"
"Inuyasha, I do trust you! I only want to--"
"Urusai! Just leave me alone!"
"Inuyasha! Matte! Inuyasha! Inuyasha!"
Silence followed afterwards. And, only a moment later, Kagome stormed back to the others. She sat down with a huff, and crossed her arms.
Shippou hopped up and scurried over to the young miko, "Kagome, where'd Inuyasha go?"
Kagome looked to the side and frowned, "How am I supposed to know? He won't even listen to me. He is so childish!"
"He feels betrayed." Sango stated flatly, putting a couple sticks back onto the fire in an attempt to restart it, "After everything that happened; after fighting to protect those he cares for, and proving that he doesn't need to wear the rosary, you put it back on him, Kagome-chan. What do you expect him to do?"
"I-I didn't do anything wrong!" Kagome replied, trying to defend her actions, "Sango-chan, I did it because I worry about him! I did it so he wouldn't be able to run off alone all the time!"
"Of course." Was Sango's only reply. The last thing she wanted was to start fighting with her best friend... even if she didn't agree with what she had done.
"I'm sure Inuyasha will return in a little while." Miroku said, trying his best to break the tension that was building up fast. "He just needs some time to cool off."
Kagome nodded and smiled slightly, "I know. Thank you, Miroku-sama."
Sango just continued working on the fire silently.
-Later that day, a little before nightfall-
"He's not back yet..." Kagome said quietly, looking in the direction he had ran off when he left her alone in the field, "He can't be taking it that hard... could he?"
"Do you think Inuyasha will ever come back?" Shippou asked curiously, looking up at Kagome.
"Of course he will!" The miko replied, her fists clutching at her side, "He has to come back! He can't just abandon us!" With that, she turned and looked to where Sango and Miroku were, "Sango-chan, can I borrow Kirara?"
The taijiya looked up, arching a curious eyebrow, "Kirara? What for?"
Kagome kneeled next to the older girl and looked at her hands, "I want to go look for Inuyasha, but since it'll be dark soon, I don't want to go alone. And with Kirara, I'll be able to look farther."
Sango looked over to Kirara, then slowly shook her head as she turned back to Kagome, "I'm afraid that Kirara is still exhausted from fighting against that undead army. You'd both be in greater danger if she went anywhere."
Kagome sighed and looked up into the darkening sky, "I'm worried about Inuyasha though... It's not like him to stay gone for this long."
Sango nodded and glanced to Kagome before standing up, "In that case, I can go look for him."
"I'll go with you!" Kagome said, standing up as well.
"No, someone needs to stay here with Kirara and Shippou." Sango replied, shaking her head slowly, "Houshi-sama is still weaker than usual from absorbing the poisons from that army. So, its best if you stay here with him."
"But... why can't you stay here while I look for him?" Kagome asked.
Sango smiled a little before replying, "It's dangerous to travel at night, Kagome-chan. But, I'm a demon exterminator, so if a demon were to start stalking or attack me, I'd be better prepared to handle a situation like that. Besides, the medicine you gave Houshi-sama came from your country. And, you know more about it than I do. So, it works out better this way."
Kagome hesitated a moment, before nodding and sitting back down, "Okay, Sango-chan... I guess you're right... But, be careful out there. We don't need to lose you and Inuyasha."
The taijiya nodded as she settled her hiraikotsu so it hung securely on her back, "I will. Take good care of Kirara for me. I promise to be back by morning!" With that, she ran in the direction Inuyasha had been going the last that they saw of him.
Once she was far enough from the makeshift campsite, she slowed to a walk and glanced back towards the camp, "Kagome-chan... how much do you really trust Inuyasha?" She whispered quietly, before turning and continuing on. It had been something she had been wondering ever since Kagome had told her what she had planned. The futuristic miko had claimed, many times, that she trusted Inuyasha fully. But... if that were true, why put the rosary on Inuyasha once more?
Sango shook her head; that was something she couldn't figure out. It was... upsetting, to see Inuyasha forced to wear the enchanted beads. Especially when Kagome used the command far too much. Sure, sometimes it was for the better; like, when he was transforming. Telling him to 'osuwari' seemed to be the only way of getting him back to normal. But did she have to say it whenever Inuyasha did or said something that upset her? She sighed and looked up into the now-star filled sky, 'Its not fair to Inuyasha...'
The taijiya lowered her gaze from the sky, just as something grabbed her arm and pulled her back suddenly. As pure instinct, she brought her free arm up, intending to hit whatever, or whoever, it was. But, before she could, an arm wrapped around her, pinning her once-free arm against her body.
"What the hell? Its just me!" Inuyasha said, causing the slayer to stop her struggling, "I've been calling your name for five minutes already!"
"Inuyasha?" Sango asked, feeling slightly embarrassed that she had gotten lost in her own thoughts, "Wh-what are you doing?!"
The hanyou snorted and released his hold on her, "Trying to make sure you don't kill yourself, baka!"
"What do you-- oh." As she looked forward again, she realized what he meant. She was only a couple steps away from walking over a very steep incline. "Then... arigatou, Inuyasha."
"Keh." Inuyasha replied, taking a few steps back and sitting down, "What are you doing out here anyway?"
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, before moving back to sit beside him, "I was looking for you, of course. You had us all worried, Inuyasha. It's not like you to just run off and stay away all day." She paused for a moment, and then added, "What have you been doing all day?"
He looked up towards the sky and was quiet for a minute, before saying, "Nothing, really... Thinking, mostly."
"Must have been a lot of thinking." Sango said quietly, bringing her knees up to her chest as she looked quietly ahead, "But what were you thinking about?"
The hanyou made a small 'mmmm' noise, as though trying to decide what to say. But, he didn't answer her.
The two fell into a silence then. Though, it wasn't an awkward or uncomfortable one. Even though Sango's question went unanswered, it was, somehow, a comfortable silence.
After a few minutes, however, Inuyasha finally spoke up, "Sango... do you trust me?"
"Trust you?" Sango repeated, almost like she didn't understand what he was asking. Then, realization dawning on her, she quickly continued, "Of course I trust you, Inuyasha!"
Again, he was silent for a moment, before giving a short, forced laugh, "Trust isn't what I thought it was, though."
The taijiya looked at him, knowing what he was talking about, "Inuyasha, do you trust me?"
He glanced at her, then looked away again, "I... guess so."
"Then trust me enough to know that I trust you." She replied, turning so she could see him better, "I trust you enough to know that you don't need to be trained with that rosary. I trust you enough to know that you'll be the same person without it, as you are with it." She looked down and smiled before continuing, "Inuyasha... I trust you enough to risk my life, just so I can fight beside you and remind you that your problems, are my problems."
Inuyasha turned to look at her slowly. Even in the faint moonlight, he could see she was blushing. And he couldn't help but wonder why... "Arigatou, Sango." He said quietly, turning to look at the sky once again.
She gave a short nod, before turning to look at the sky as well. He didn't need to say anything more. A 'thank you' from Inuyasha was rare. But, whenever he said it, he meant it. Just knowing that much was enough for Sango, "Well, I think I should go back to the others. I promised I'd be back by morning, and, even though it's not even that much past sundown, I don't want them to get worried. I'll let them know that you're okay, but you don't have to come back yet if you don't want to." With that, she stood up, expecting to leave.
Before she could, though, Inuyasha reached up and caught her wrist, "Matte." He abruptly looked down again, though his hold on her wrist tightened slightly, "Can... you stay... here with me?"
The taijiya blinked, but nodded and sat down once again, "If you want me to, I can."
"Well, you don't have to. If you don't want to, then you can-- I was just..." He trailed off, his gaze staying on the ground.
She smiled, and turned her hand so that her fingers intertwined with his, causing him to look at her, "Inuyasha, I would love to stay out here with you."
He smiled; not his usual, arrogant one and not his smug, taunting one. He smiled a genuine smile, and then looked into the twinkling night sky.
She moved closer to him, before looking to the stars as well.
Their hands still joined, the two once again fell into a comfortable, and understanding silence.
AN: n.n I just watched the third movie for the first time, and this was begging to be written. So, here it is! That's all I have to say, so, hope you enjoyed it!