Standard disclaimers apply.
A/N: Hi everyone! A million apologies for the delay in updating; I have been so caught up with work, and have procrastinated till today. But for now, I am back with chapter 17, also the final installation, of "Rewind"! LOL.
I am really sorry about the previous chapter, and in this chapter, I promise nothing but a good, fluffy, slightly sappy (lol) outcome. 17 chapters is more than enough to get them back together, I think, now that the truth is out and the entire deal with Asami is over.
Please enjoy, and review!
Title: Rewind
Chapter 17: Rewound
"That's the problem!" I cried out, not caring if my voice was raised. "You are too forgiving, too nice and too good for me! But yet I did not believe you...how can you still be so nice to me? How can you still want to talk to me? I…I don't deserve you at all, Miroku!"
"Sango!" He shouted, shaking me once firmly with his strong grip on my shoulders. "Stop it!"
I paused abruptly in my ranting; Miroku has always never shouted at me like this before…
I looked at him silently with widened eyes, while the traitorous tears escaped the confinements of my eyes to slide down my face in little streams.
He was breathing hard, and the face I loved so much was tinged slightly red with agitation and filled with pain. In those eyes, marred with red lines, was the seriousness which he always chose to hide under his adorable humor and joy.
"Sango." He said my name once again, this time in a controlled voice.
I didn't reply.
"Listen to me carefully."
I closed my eyes and nodded; slightly uneasy in the face of Miroku being domineering. The tears fell, staining the denim of my jeans a darker shade of blue. How did everything turn into such a disgustingly horrid mess? It seemed as if we'd never be able to clear it up.
"I forgive you because I want to. I choose to be nice to you because I want to. I talk to you because I want to. You deserve me because I want you to." He said, his silky voice slightly husky with his agitation and pain. "Do you understand?"
Words just failed me, and like a vice, my mouth clamped shut, unable to say a single thing.
In my mind, the mental tape of our life together rewound, showing me the joyous, sad, tough and painful times Miroku and I shared.
I remembered the first time we met at college; the way he would keep turning around in his seat in the lecture theatre to talk to me. I was doing criminal psychology as a compulsory module, and he just happened to be a psychology major. After three attempts by him asking for my telephone number, I finally gave it to him.
I recall how we used to spend nights doing nothing but simply talking and looking into each others' eyes, how we used to stroll together along the streets of Shinjuku after school and later on, after work.
There were so many other details about us, and like a tape, it flashed by in front of my eyes. The time when he held me in his arms after I did badly for a police academy test, the time when he attended my graduation with pride and times when he would stay over at my place to take care of me when I was ill.
He would pick me up from work no matter rain or shine, staying up with me as I worked hard on cases late into night. He was not trained to solve crimes, but he would still sit with me, simply offering his company and helping whenever he could.
I knew he loves children, but because of my desire for a career, I did not want a child when I was younger. But when I found myself ready to take a step back from work and play a good role as a wife and mother, I just could not get pregnant no matter how hard we tried.
I knew he was upset, but never once did he blame me or show his unhappiness.
He was the one I would think of calling first no matter what happened, even in the event of something as trivial as having bought new clothes or having discovered a nice new restaurant. He was my everything; the one who shared my life.
If my life was divided into two, he held the other half for sure.
Why should I deny myself my other half? The life was after all, mine to lead. Who could possibly survive with only half of oneself?
I knew then, my mind was made up, and I want to give this love a second shot. The ordeal with Asami almost broke us up, but his persistence saved our marriage from dying. He tried to save it, and now it was my turn to save whatever he could not.
"Mi-Miroku…" I whispered, looking into his eyes through my own cloudy ones. The tears were hot, and it was hard to see his handsome face wavering slightly through the film of water.
The words were hard to emerge, and like a chick hatching from its egg, my voice escaped my tight throat almost painstakingly.
"Can…can you…forgive me?" I choked out the words, my voice cracking slightly at the word 'forgive'. "Can…can we try again?"
He looked at me, and through my watery eyes, I saw his teary ones.
A look was exchanged between us and there were no words, only a mutually shared understanding.
A few moments went by, and the next thing I could register was the warmth from his arms around me. I could feel his breath brush my ear, and for a moment, I thought he wanted to say something to me.
But still, no words were exchanged.
And for a long time, all we did was sit there in each others' embrace.
(3 years later)
"Daddy! Mommy!" A little voice cried from a distance away as it moved closer and closer to where their picnic table was.
It was almost difficult to see who got up and ran towards the voice first, Kagome mused.
In less than a few seconds, Miroku had picked the little owner of the sweet voice while Sango anxiously questioned her.
"What's wrong, Nami?"
Little Nami rubbed her teary eyes, before pointing at a black Labrador retriever walking with its owner just a distance away.
"Nami is scared." She said in a small voice before burying her face in the crook of Miroku's neck.
"Don't worry, darling. Doggy means no harm at all! Let's go and say hello to the doggy…Daddy and Mommy will protect Nami."
Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru as Sango and Miroku walked over to where the retriever was, placing a hand gently on her swollen belly. She couldn't help the smile that graced her face when she saw Miroku gently guide Nami's pudgy little hand to pat the dog on its head.
It has been 3 years since Nami was adopted by Miroku and Sango, and life has never been better for them. If anything, Kagome would say that the ordeal with Asami and the addition of this little one into their lives gave them the bliss and happiness they never knew.
"Don't they look perfect together?" She smiled serenely. "I hope we will be as blissful as they are in the future."
Sesshoumaru put the cup of lemon tea he was sipping and nodded at his wife. "I am sure we will be. Our little boy will be a perfect playmate for Nami-chan."
Narrowing her eyes playfully at her husband, Kagome asked. "How do you know it will be a boy?"
"I have a feeling it would be one."
"It is not growing in you." Kagome rubbed her belly with a cheeky expression. "I say, it sure feels like a girl."
"I was the one who put it in there." Sesshoumaru said with a straight face, laughing inwardly at Kagome's exasperated expression.
"You are hopeless, darling."
"You know you love me." He shrugged, before making good use of their private moment by closing in for a kiss.
Before the kiss could escalate into a much more passionate one, Sango's voice sliced through the romance in the air.
"Okay, we all know you are very much in love with each other," She began, trying to stifling her laughter. "But that's enough of a display for our little girl."
Miroku smiled suggestively in response, waggling his eyebrows at the very much embarrassed Sesshoumaru and Kagome, while Nami looked at her father innocently. "Dearest Sango, don't you know this was most probably what led to the little one in Kagome-san being produced?"
"MIROKU!" Sango fumed. "How many times did we discuss this? Such contents are not to be mentioned in Nami's presence! You lecherous, perverse…"
As all embarrassment was forgotten, and laughter rang, Sango smiled genuinely.
Life was beautiful, and life was meant to be celebrated. Her life had once taken a terrible turn, but like a tape, it was now rewound.
And playing like it had never been played before.
The End.
A/N: Thank you very much for staying with this story of mine! I once again apologize for the very late update, and thank all of you sincerely once again for reading this. Please review if you like this, and I have a new fic going to be published on soon, revolving around our favorite couples again!