Well, minna, here's another sad story. Sorry I haven't updated anything lately, I'm having a surprisingly busy summer.

This is not another IY/Kag story, and it may not be as powerful as (I hope) the last one was. That's ok. It's still sad. However, I do hope that you are not rushing right into this after the first story, cuz that ruins the magic of the first story. If you truly want to enjoy these sad stories, you should wait a day or so between stories. It just makes them better.

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM. GOT IT??????

Forever Stained

Whisperings of the Winds

"Houshi-sama? Houshi-sama, please wake up!"

"Oi! Miroku! Wake up!"

"Miroku-sama, please wake up! It's just a nightmare, nothing's wrong!"

The voices of his friends drifted down upon the sleeping monk, who was tossing and turning in his sleep and alternating between calling out in pain and warning people they could not see to get away. All the while, he was clutching his right arm.

Suddenly, Miroku jolted awake, still clutching his arm as though his life depended on it. He sat bolt upright so he was no longer leaning on the wall he had been sleeping against. He was panting, and Inu-yasha could hear his heartbeat racing.

"Houshi-sama, are you alright?" asked a very concerned Sango.

Miroku, still breathing hard, turned to her with an obviously faked smile.

"I'm always alright when there are pretty women hanging over me as I sleep."

Sango would have smacked him, but she was still too worried for his safety. She knew he had been having nightmares for a while now, because he always mumbled in his sleep, occasionally calling out. No one else really knew. Sango was always up the latest, with the exception of Inu-yasha. Her memories kept her awake at night - and her guilt. She would lay awake for hours, so she often knew what her companions were dreaming of.

And she knew what Miroku had been dreaming of every night for the past month. It was the same thing every night. He would dream that the hole in his hand was consuming him, that he had failed to rid himself of the curse.

But tonight had been worse than ever before. He had been yelling, and had woken everyone up, including the people who owned the small hut. His terror had been much more real, and he had seemed almost unable to wake himself.

Miroku leaned back against the wall again, sighing loudly, as the owner's of the house (content that no one was being killed) returned to their room and bed. They were an elderly couple, and very nice to be around.

No one asked what the dream had been about, for they knew it easily. An awkward silence fell over the group. After a minute or two of just sitting and staring at the breathless Miroku, everyone decided that he didn't want to talk about it and started heading for bed again. However, as Inu-yasha was heading back to his corner, he suddenly looked back to confirm with his eyes what his nose had told him. Then he quickly turned back to his destination.

Miroku - strong, noble, friendly Miroku - was crying.

Well, not actually crying, but the scent of tears was on the air, and it was obviously coming from Miroku. The young monk had his eyes tightly shut, and though the humans in the room would never see it, and the kit had slept (and snored) through the whole ordeal, he was holding back tears.

After a few minutes, Miroku stood up abruptly. Sango, Inu-yasha, and Kagome all turned to see what he was doing, since they had been unable to return to sleep as of yet. Miroku gave them a reassuring look.

"Don't worry, just going on a little midnight stroll to clear my head. I will be brief. Sleep well, everyone."

The girls looked worried, but nodded their heads and returned to their attempts to sleep as Miroku turned and headed out the door. Inu-yasha, however, could still hear Miroku speaking, though barely. Miroku was speaking to him alone, making sure that only Inu-yasha would hear his instructions.

"Let no one follow."

Inu-yasha looked at the monk's back fading into darkness for a minute, his brows coming together in question. Then he nodded and watched the young monk slip into the darkness, before closing his eyes again.

Sango couldn't sleep again. It wasn't that this surprised her, since she couldn't usually go straight to sleep, but she felt restless tonight. Usually she was tired but couldn't sleep. Tonight, she didn't want to sleep, even though it was well passed midnight.

Finally, she decided to go join Miroku on his midnight stroll. He wasn't always a hentai, so maybe she would be lucky tonight. When he wasn't being perverted, he was really nice to talk to, not to mention a very sweet guy. Sango blushed at the thought. So what if she liked him? She was allowed that much, wasn't she? It's not like anything was ever gonna happen between them anyways.

But as Sango moved towards the door, she was surprised to hear the hanyou, who she had assumed was sleeping, whisper to her.

"Don't follow him."

Sango was taken aback.

"What makes you think I was going to follow him?" she whispered back, not wanting to wake the others.

"Because I know you don't like to go on walks by yourself, and I know that you enjoy being around him."

Sango was very glad for the darkness as a blush spread over her face.

"So what if I was going to follow him. I'm allowed to do that, aren't I?" she whispered angrily.

Inu-yasha looked up at her.

"Not tonight, you're not. He wants no one to follow him."

A slight panic spread over her. Why didn't Miroku want anyone to follow him? Why hadn't he told them that? He'd only told Inu-yasha… That made her panic even more. Inu-yasha could smell her panic and saw her glancing out the door anxiously.

"But what if something's wrong?" she asked.

Inu-yasha opened his mouth to speak, but Sango cut him off.

"Something is wrong, isn't it? That's why he didn't tell us? What aren't you telling me?" she asked frantically, knowing that Inu-yasha wasn't telling her everything.

Inu-yasha once again opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it and looked down. He didn't know what to say to that.

Sango made a run for the door, eager to find Miroku, but Inu-yasha blocked it before she could get there.

"You're not gonna follow him. He doesn't want you to. He wants to be alone." Inu-yasha said in a firm whisper.

"Well, that's too bad, I'm following him." Sango whispered just as firmly, but she knew that she didn't have the strength to take down Inu-yasha currently. Her mind was turning over and over, trying to figure out how to get by the hanyou.

Thankfully, her salvation came in the form of a dreaming Kagome, who had managed to fall back to sleep, and was currently in one of her rather common dreams.

"No… Inu-yasha, please… wanna go home… jerk… no… no…" Inu-yasha, who also knew this dream well, stared at Kagome with eyes wide with dread.

"Inu-yasha, you jerk…. OSWARI!!!!!" Kagome suddenly yelled sitting up straight and awakening from her dream at the sound of Inu-yasha hitting the ground. Sango made her move.

"Kagome-chan, don't let him follow me! It's is important!" Sango didn't even wait to see Kagome, still sleepy and out of it, nod in agreement as Inu-yasha struggled to stop Sango.

"Don't even try Inu-yasha…" was the last groggy statement that Sango heard as she ran from the hut they had been staying in. She continued racing into the darkness, down the trail that they had entered the village on. There were no other paths, and this was the only way she thought that the houshi would have taken.

A few minutes and quite a ways down the path later, she heard him at last. Of course, it wasn't what she had hoped to hear.

"Geh… uhhhn…" and other such moans of pain met her ears, just a little ways off the path.

She quickly followed the sounds of his voice, hitting tree branches out of her way, her clothing and skin catching on the bushes, her breath coming to her in ragged gasps as she continued to run. Some of her hair snagged on a tree branch, ripping free of her head as she continued to tear through the underbrush, hardly noticing any of this pain.

Sango's eyes suddenly went wide. She'd found him.

A swell of black energy was emitting from the hole in his hand, which was quickly sucking in everything in front of him. The hole itself had taken over his entire palm, and was obviously causing him incredible pain. Sango wanted nothing more than to go and help him, comfort him. Yet as she moved to do so, he finally took note of her presence.

"Sango-sama! Get away from here! It's dangerous!" he yelled over the winds, fear etched on his features.

'Why didn't Inu-yasha stop her?!?'

Sango stopped, but continued to stare in horror as the dark energy moved to consume him. His face contorted with pain as the dark force continued to grow. He knew that as soon as it fully encircled him, it would pull him into his own palm. Just like his father. And at this rate, Sango's life would also be taken.

"Get out of here Sango! I don't want you to lose your life!"

"I don't want you to lose yours!" she yelled back at him as she started moving forward.

"There's nothing you can do!" yelled Miroku, panicking as she came closer. "Please, get away!"

Yet as she got closer, he could see the tears on her face. It hurt him more than his hand did to see her crying. Crying over him.

"Please, Sango, don't cry. Get away from here! Flee while you still can!"

"No!" she screamed, more in defiance of the situation than to what he had said, as she fell to her knees. Then her voice lowered to just above a whisper; he could barely hear it over the roaring of the wind tunnel. "I won't leave you, Miroku. Not now."

Miroku didn't fail to notice that she had used his name, and only his name. But then his face contorted yet again. The force had formed an umbrella-like field over his head and was starting to encircle him.

Sango was only a few feet away now.

"Sango, please go. I really care about you, and I don't want you to see this! Please… it's my final request…"

Sango looked up, eyes spilling tears as though it were raining. The wind blew her loose hair gently, and she shook her head lightly, refusing to believe that he was leaving. There was no way this could be happening. She met his eyes, continuing to shake her head.

"Please Sango…" he gasped in pain before continuing. "Please… because I love you… don't stay here and die… avenge everyone, and live your life… just like you wanted…"

Sango's eyes shed even more tears, more than he thought was possible, as she shook her head faster, eyes looking distinctly panicked now.

She suddenly bolted to her feet and ran directly at him, but from the side so she wouldn't get sucked in. She dodged quickly under the dark substance that had her beloved houshi nearly covered before leaping behind him and grabbing his waist.

"I'm coming with you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inu-yasha bolted out of the small hut, Kagome and Shippo on his back. He had finally managed to explain what was happening to Kagome, and she instantly regretted sitting him so many times. She was crying, as was Shippo, and Inu-yasha couldn't stand it.

"Stop blubbering! I've got their scent, we'll be there in no time!"

Kagome and Shippo started for Sango and Miroku, desperately hoping for their safety.

Mere moments later, they beheld their friends, just as the dark force finished covering them, forming a dark orb, which instantly turned to wind. The wind started howling loudly, and a crater was forming underneath them. Nearby rocks and trees were being sucked in, and Inu-yasha was holding onto Kagome and Shippo very tightly, making sure to dodge all the rubble.

They were too late.

They could see the silhouette of Sango, clinging to Miroku from behind, as he battled with the hole in his hand. Then they heard voices from inside, echoing on the wind.

"You didn't have to, Sango… What about your life, and your vengeance?" came Miroku's voice, rippling strangely in the presence of the winds, which carried the sound deep into the forest.

"Inu-yasha and Kagome will avenge us both, and my village. I know they will." Came Sango's voice, also echoing deep into the forrest.

The winds picked up even more, and Inu-yasha had to put the Tetsuseiga into the ground to keep from being sucked in.

Suddenly, it was all gone. Objects that had been flying through the air merely dropped to the ground, littering the crater with rocks and logs. And at the edge of the crater stood Inu-yasha, still carrying Kagome and Shippo. All were in complete shock of what had just happened.

Sango and Miroku, they're friends and companions, were gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sango felt herself and Miroku finally falling into the darkness. They were about to see what was on the other side.

There was a feeling of complete emptiness and nonexistence, followed promptly by a feeling of being weightless. They were falling, and their hair and clothes were billowing, but they felt nothing. They felt like they were floating, even though they could see themselves steadily, yet slowly, falling. The whole place was dark, but every object stood out against the darkness, shining with a light of its own. Sango was still clinging to Miroku as they rushed to the bottom of the deep, dark emptiness. Some blood droplets from one of her small wounds slipped out from under her skin, and she watched as her body left them behind. They fell even slower than she did, and seemed to be suspended in space. She continued to stare, mesmerized.

Miroku broke into her thoughts as he squirmed from her grasp, and for a minute she was afraid that he was trying to leave her. But then he merely turned so he was facing her and holding her waist, so she was as close to him as possible. In the back of her mind, she was amazed that he respected her personal space, and his hands didn't wander.

"I'd love to fall forever with a beautiful lady like yourself, but I'm afraid that this hole must have and end. I'm sorry you had to come with me," he said with a rueful smile.

"I'd follow you any day, Miroku," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close before loosening her grip. She did not, however, remover her arms.

A light appeared far below them, shimmering with colors that didn't exist on earth, and they rather admired the beauty of it. Then Miroku gave it with a disapproving look.

"I suppose that's the end, ne?" he asked sadly. "Probably the root of all winds… I've wondered for a while if that's where everything went."

"I guess it is…" Sango replied, also staring at it. Then she brought her eyes back up to his. "I love you, Miroku."

"I've waited so long to hear that," he said, smiling happily, yet not in a perverted way. His face was instead shining with love.

"I'm sorry I never told you before. I would have had your child, I really would have!" she said apologetically, looking down at his chest.

"It doesn't matter, Sango-chan," he said, lifting her chin so that she was looking at him again. She smiled at the name.

He leaned down slowly and kissed her gently, sweetly. Sango leaned into the kiss, enjoying it as the light to end all neared. Her first kiss, her last kiss, her best kiss, all in one, all with the man she loved. Tears of mixed joy and sorrow fell from her closed eyes, drifting upwards as she fell in this strange place but she didn't break the kiss.

She never did, for that matter. In a flash of light, it was all gone, and the joy of that first kiss was the last thing that she ever felt.

No proof of their existence was left, no trace of their love could be found, except in the winds that had taken their lives. The winds will forever howl of their hatred of Naraku, who commanded them in the deed; they will forever moan of their guilt as they roam across lonely lands; and they will forever whisper the tale of that first, innocent kiss, as they gently tell the story for all who will listen to the whispers on the wind.

***********~~~~@~~~~~***********~~~~~@~~~~***********~~ ~~~@~~~~***********~~~~@~~~~~***********

Well, whadja think? I kinda liked that one… Bet you won't think of the wind the same way anymore, ne? Please tell me how I did with this one, ok? I love getting reviews! They inspire me to write more of all o\my stories!!!

To make things really easy, my e-mail address is Koneko_queen@yahoo.com , so now you have no excuse not to write me… please?

Also, I am excepting ideas for more sad plotlines now! I WILL give you credit, whether I use ur idea or not. U will be mentioned!! Just, no stupid ideas, please, that are just there so u'll get mentioned. That pisses me off, and I'll just rag on u instead. Ok? Ready… set… REVIEW!!!!!! ^.~

~~koneko-chan~~