Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor the characters therein. This story isn't used for profit, just for people's enjoyment.  The song "My Immortal" is own by Evanescence and their record label. It is only used to amplify the piece. Please do not sue me.

Authoress' Notes: The first time I heard this song I thought of Sango. My immediate idea was to kill Miroku, but then I realized that she already had an 'Immortal' in her brother.

I've listened to the song a lot, since it's one of my favorite songs now…and I just think it sounds like Sango. I also got the image of the middle of this piece in my head so I started writing around it.

Near the end it's a little…um…intense?? You'll just have to read it. I don't want to spoil the surprise!

Thanks again to anyone who's read any of my other pieces and reviewed. I so appreciate it!! So on with the show!

*Smiles* T.A.

My Immortal

Sango leaned against the side of cave listening to the thunder growl in the distance and watching the lightening flash in the distance. Her eyes flicked to the horizon and the darker clouds that were fast approaching the shelter that she and Miroku were occupying. This was the third day they had been apart from the group. They had gone off by themselves to seek a jewel shard and now were caught by a storm. Miroku was either building a fire deeper inside the cave or tending his injures from the battle with Naraku's minions. Sango could feel her newer injures burn in protest to her lack of rest; she ignored them and continued to watch the weather. She hated storms, they were warning signs of danger.

I'm so tired of being here

Suppressed by all my childish fears

And if you have to leave

I wish that you would just leave

Cause your presence still lingers here And it won't leave me alone

She could remember what storms brought in her village. The taijiya village was nestled in the mountains and difficult to attack, but a rainstorm could provide ample cover for a group of demons. Rainstorms meant the best warriors on guard and everyone ready for an attack. She was always left alone with her brother, Kohaku, while their father aided the villagers with preparations. She wasn't afraid of the storms, but she hated the air they brought to her home; every sound became threatening. She sighed and rested her back against the wall of stone, but moved away quickly, yelping at the bite of cold stone.

These wounds won't seem to heal This pain is just too real

There's just too much that time will not erase

Her back was now throbbing, not honest physical pain, but a phantom pain caused by memories and the rumble of the incoming storm. She reached her hand up between her shoulder blades and tried her best to rub the nagging pain away.

Kohaku hated storms like this: ones that came up slowly, without rain, then released a sudden downpour with lightening that illuminated their entire home. When they were young, he would cling to her, burying his face in her arms, trying to block out the noise. He had always fallen asleep in her lap on nights like this. She could remember rocking him back and forth to soothe him and the feeling of his breath on her skin after he'd drifted into dreams.

When you cried I'd wipe away all your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

And I've held your hand through all of these years

But you still have all of me

She rubbed her upper arms from the chill the storm brought with it. 

When they had gotten older, Kohaku had gotten over his fear of storms, but he was always jumpy. They always waited out storms side-by-side, weapons at the ready.

He had whispered once, " I hate this." 

In her naïveté, she had assumed that he was just didn't like the threat of the storm, but she had been wrong… He had been terrified at the idea of fighting demons. He didn't want to hurt anything; why hadn't she seen it earlier?  Had she purposefully ignored it, like their father, or had she really not see it?

You used to captivate me

By your resonating light

But now I'm bound my the life you left behind

Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams

Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me

" Do you see that bird flying, Sango? That's the one I nursed back to health last spring." His eyes danced with pride and happiness as he pointed out the bird.

" How could you possibly tell?" She had questioned, while shielding her eyes from the sun.

His smile only widened as he announced, " I never forget anything…" His eyes darkened just a bit, " I even remember mother a little."

Sango wrapped her arms over her brother's shoulders. " That's good. We need to go back to the village now. We have to train. Your hand should be fine now."

" Of course sister, lead the way."

Sango blinked her eyes trying to rid herself of the memory. The echo of his pride in his memory stabbed her like a sword in the gut.

These wounds won't seem to heal

This pain is just too real

There's just too much that time will not erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

And I've held your hand through all of these years

But you still have all of me

" Sango, I'm so frightened."

" It is alright, I am right here…"

Sango clenched her teeth together as the memory as it pulsed through her mind. She had almost died and Kohaku had died. Her back ached at the thought. The scar Kohaku had given her seemed to have a life of its own sometimes, it would burn when she thought of him lying beneath her breathing his last breathe.

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you've gone

And though you're still with me

I've been alone all along

Images of what he was now flooded unchecked, tormenting her: lifeless eyes looking at her blankly, his body soaked in blood from innocents, his own weapon digging into his flesh at Naraku's orders, and that damn weapon digging into her flesh, when she wouldn't fight back.

Dead. He. Was. Dead.

Kohaku was dead.

Why had Naraku chosen him as a soldier? Why her sweet, caring, baby brother and not some nameless faceless soldier? But then that was Naraku's point wasn't it? She couldn't hurt Kohaku and if she did, than it would energize the damn jewel.

She held the shard that she and Miroku had fought for in her fingers and wished she could obliterate it, than Naraku could never have the jewel.

When you cried I'd wipe away all your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

And I've held your hand through all of these years

But you still have all of me

All of me

All of me

All of me

All

The rain blew into the cave, splattering her body with water as she watched the trees whip helplessly in the winds furry. That's just how I look to Naraku…Helpless: at his mercy as he lashes out at me with Kohaku.

Tears began running their familiar path down her face. Sango let the tears drip down her cheeks and off her face.

A hand touched her shoulder and a warm voice beckoned her, " You should come further inside, you're getting all wet."

Her brown eyes flashed angrily as they met his blue ones, " Go away."

Miroku looked startled by her outburst and shocked at her tears. " Sango, what's wrong?"

She shoved him back, forcing him to break contact with her. Her voice broke, " I leave you alone with your grief! Why won't you leave me alone with mine?"

He caught his balance and realized why she was so upset. It was Kohaku's memory; it must be plaguing her tonight. " Sango, I will leave you alone, but you should come inside. You'll get sick out here."

" And I'm out of your grabbing distance!" Venom coated her words as she began to stalk into the cave. She suddenly stopped and whirled around to face him, more uncharacteristically cruel words erupting from her. " I suppose now you'll want to help me out my wet clothes, change my bandages and feel me up while I'm vulnerable!"

His face showed how much the accusation had hurt, before he shook his head and tried to reason with her. " I am not the one that hurt you, Sango. Please do not take your anger out on me. I understand your pain."

Her voice was as cold as ice." You do not understand."

" Yes, I do. Sango I lost my father to…"

" NO!" She interrupted with a half-broken scream. " That isn't the same. He stayed dead!" She sobbed once and drew a frantic breath. She paced up to the startled monk and shoved her fists into his chest. " He may haunt your dreams but he doesn't appear in the waking world to torment you!"

Miroku held up his right hand towards her." You think this curse doesn't torment me?"

" Does it speak to you?!? Does it slaughter innocent villages and leave them for you to bury?!?" More tears streaked down her face. " You can't…you can't…understand. He was so gentle…so very gentle." She wrapped her arms around herself and fell to the ground.

" Sango…" Miroku stopped short, unsure of what to say.

Sango's quiet tears became loud sobs, like an injured child wailing for its mother. She pulled her arms tighter around her chest and huddled herself lower to the ground.

Miroku could no longer stand watching her anguish and dropped to his knees beside her.

Sango raised her head slightly and looked at him. Her whole body was quaking and tears were flowing unchecked down her cheeks as she gulped for air between sobs.

Before Miroku had a chance to comfort her, she threw herself at him, flinging her arms around his neck and burying her face in his robes. He cradled her against his chest, trying to ease her pain.

The wind howled and blew the rain into the front of the cave.

As the lightening illuminated the cave like daylight for a few moments, Sango screamed and clung tighter to Miroku. " I hate this." She complained in a sorrow-filled voice. " He hated storms, just hated them. Hated the threat of demons attack the village." She drew an unsteady breath and continued to hold onto Miroku like a lifeline.

She finally stopped crying and evened out her breathing, but she wouldn't move away from him. He smoothed back her hair and rubbed her back gently, probably trying to soothe her.

" I used to sit with Kohaku just like this during the storms. Except, that I was the one giving the comfort." Sango sniffed and sighed heavily.

" I doubt, however, that your house let in the rain."

Sango pulled her arms away from him quickly and patted the back of Miroku's head than partway down his back finding it soaking wet and the rain still beating against it. " Houshi-sama, you should have told me." She struggled to her feet, but was having trouble disentangling herself from the now chuckling monk.

Miroku stood effortlessly and offered her his hand. " I told you earlier that you were going to get wet and you had some particularly nasty things to say to me."

Sango blushed and turned to look back out at the storm as the lightening flashed again.

The eerie blue light changed everything and made strange shapes out of the trees and shrubs. Shadows played tricks on night like this and enemies could come from anywhere. Lightening cracked across the sky and shook the cave as a reflection caught Sango's eye. She tried to focus on what she had glimpsed, but she couldn't find it again. She almost turned back to Miroku and dismissed it, when the lightening revealed the reflection again.

It was a weapon; it had to be. Must be a metal weapon of some kind to reflect lightening like that.

" Houshi-sama, something is…" Sango was slowly turning to her companion, when whistling metal flew by her ears. Horrified she whirled to face Miroku, who had caught the sickle-like weapon directly in the throat. " NO!" She dropped beside the falling monk.

Miroku gurgled and gagged on his own blood as he tried to speak, " S…S…Sango behind…" His head dropped back his eyes became lifeless.

Sango felt something sharp dig into her back and heard Naraku's awful laugh as she fell flat on top of the monk. " No. Not yet." She whimpered.

***

" Sango, wake up. You're getting soaked out here." Miroku beckoned her.

Sango blinked trying to make sense of what had just happened. The lightening cracked and illuminated the cave and Miroku, who was kneeling next to her.

" You look frightened. Are you alright?" He helped her to her feet.

Sango nodded and allowed him to lead her into the cave. " Just a nightmare."

" They always end, nothing lasts forever."

" That's what I'm hoping for."