Disclaimer: the usual. Rumiko Takahashi is a goddess and we're all just playing in her world.

A/N: This the follow-up story to The Nisou and the Wolf. Inu-yasha is still having trouble embracing Kagome's relationship with Koga, but he's trying.

TheTies That Bind

Chapter 1

Inu-yasha watched Kagome as she pushed the food around on her plate. She hadn't been eating well lately and he noticed she wasn't her usual energetic self. She assured him she wasn't sick and always offered him that smile. But he didn't believe her for a moment.

"Kagome? Is everything ok?"

The priestess looked up from her dinner at her concerned friend. Inu-yasha was questioning her for the third time in as many days. She knew she had been kinda quiet and maybe even sullen, but she couldn't help it. She needed a break.

"Yeah, I guess so. It's just that I haven't been home in over two months and I miss my family. I miss Koga." She put her plate of food down and got up to take a walk. "I'll be back. I'm going to take a walk while Sango and Miroku are out doing…whatever."

"Would you like some company?"

"Yeah, sure."

The two friends strolled around the face of the mountain along the well-worn path talking about everything and nothing. Inu-yasha wasn't completely accepting of Kagome's relationship with Koga yet, but he didn't let it come between their friendship. It had been six months since he'd returned to Kagome after their fallout. And it had taken him awhile to be completely comfortable with her again, but now they enjoyed a stronger friendship for it. He still didn't like the wolf, but for Kagome he was willing to try and be civil.

"So have you and Koga talked about when he's going to have to give up his jewel shards? We have over half of the jewel."

Kagome's face grew hot as she remembered their last discussion. Koga had cut the shard out of his arm and given it to Kagome, against her protests. She had told him to keep the two in his legs until the end. They knew the reality of the situation, but she didn't realize how close they were to facing it.

"Yeah. He gave me the one in his arm awhile ago. I told him he could keep the two in his legs until the end."

"Aren't you worried about Naraku getting to him first?"

Kagome stopped in her tracks. No. She hadn't considered that. Had Koga? She looked at Inu-yasha with blank eyes. Why hadn't she thought about Naraku? She had only been concerned about the Gokuraku-chou at the time.

Inu-yasha walked back and pulled his friend along the path. "Koga is a big boy. He can take care of himself. And if he can't, the shards will help him run away really fast" Kagome gave him a look of incredulity. "Ok, so he's not the type to run away. But if he's smart and he loves you, he will run."

They walked in silence and Kagome stopped to pick some flowers. She bent down to pick a few choice stems when she saw Inu-yasha looking at her with such sadness in his eyes.

"Inu-yasha? Is something wrong?" She stood up and approached her friend, concern in her voice.

"It's nothing. Forget it." He turned to start walking again but Kagome grabbed his arm and made him face her.

"No, it's not 'nothing'. I saw the look in your eyes. Please tell me." She offered him a flower and a smile. He weakly smiled and took the flower as he sat down on the ground and studied the pink petals.

"It's just that…I saw you picking flowers and you looked so….." Inu-yasha couldn't say the words. They had already been through this and things were good between him and Kagome now. He hadn't meant to stare. She just looked so beautiful he couldn't help it. And now she thought something was wrong and wanted to help.

But Kagome misread Inu-yasha's sadness. She thought he was sad because she had reminded him of Kikyo. Kagome remained standing, stroking his hair, knowing how much he liked the feel and how it soothed him. She felt him hesitantly lean into her caresses and saw him relax immediately.

"I guess you never really get over your first love. Especially one taken from you by deception."

Inu-yasha started slightly at Kagome's words. She thinks I'm sad about Kikyo. "It may have been taken by deception, but even after we explained to her what happened, how Naraku played us against each other, she still chose a path away from me. She still chooses to wander the earth, stealing souls to keep herself alive. I don't really think she's the same Kikyo anymore."

"I wish I knew what I could do to make it better Inu-yasha. Just tell me and I'll do it."

Inu-yasha reached up for Kagome's hand that was stroking his hair and pulled her down to sit on the ground next to him. He laid his head in her lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. Kagome continued stroking his hair, feeling his body quiver every now and again. They remained this way until the sun began to set. When Inu-yasha slowly lifted himself out of Kagome's lap and turned his watery golden eyes to face her, her heart ached. As she wiped his face he grabbed her hands, holding them tight. She tried to read what was in those eyes, but there was just too much. What did he want to say?

"Inu-yasha……"

"We will never be taken away from each other. Not by Naraku, or anyone. I promise you."

Kagome fought the tears welling up in her eyes. She smiled at Inu-yasha, hoping that the hole left in his heart by Kikyo would someday be healed. She stood up and pulled him with her.

"We should get back. Sango and Miroku are probably back at camp by now and wondering where we are."

Their walk back to the camp was quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Just before they rounded the bend to camp, Kagome grabbed Inu-yasha's hand and stopped walking. Inu-yasha turned questioning eyes to Kagome. "I promise too." Inu-yasha squeezed her hand before letting go and continuing on to camp.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kagome put the recently recovered shard against the ever-growing sphere and watched as it melded itself to the larger piece. She looked up to see the villagers thanking Sango and Inu-yasha for saving them from the snake demon that had been terrorizing their village for months. Miroku was talking to the village priest giving him instructions on how to seal the village boundaries from lower level demons.

This jewel fragment had been easily acquired compared to the more recent acquisitions. All of them had been injured in some form or another in the past week and Kagome was being kept pretty busy. She herself had been slashed by a demon while protecting an already injured Miroku. It was a difficult task trying to heal herself and Miroku. She was losing energy from the wound that she needed to do the healing spell. She ended up doing the healing in two steps; stopping the bleeding step one, repair the wound, step two.

The snake demon today didn't even require the use of Tetsusaiga. Kagome picked up her bag and walked over to Sango. "So, ready to head back to Musashi?"

"I was thinking of staying here tonight and hitting the hot spring. We're all a little banged up and could probably use the rest. Wanna join me?"

"Sounds great. Too bad we don't have Shippo anymore to be our lookout." The two women laugh as they head for the village inn to get rooms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kagome and Sango looked around one more time before disrobing and getting into the hot spring. The path to the hot spring was lined with trees and shrubs and would normally be a lush path. But the winter weather had stripped most of the foliage bare, leaving Kagome and Sango feeling very exposed. The hot spring itself wasn't much better. Most of the trees had lost their leaves and the spring was left fairly open to prying eyes.

"Well, at least we'll see him coming", reasoned Sango as she quickly disrobed and stepped into the warm water. It's not that they didn't trust Miroku, but they really didn't trust Miroku. Sango had laid it out in very simple terms that even the sex-obsessed monk could understand.

"Kagome and I will be at the hot spring. If you show up, I don't care if you're breathing your last breath, you will regret it for the rest of your natural born life. When Kagome and I return from the hot spring, we'll have dinner. Are we clear?"

Miroku stood looking mortified. "How dare you make such implications! Have I not behaved myself the past two months?"

"No!" replied both women. Inu-yasha raised an eyebrow at the obviously guilty monk. He sat on the windowsill listening to the exchange, knowing that no matter what Sango threatened, Miroku would be at that hot spring. Warning him not to go probably only made him want to go more.

"Ok, so maybe I've been a little aggressive in my affections. But why aren't you warning Inu-yasha?"

Inu-yasha just smirked as Kagome and Sango flanked Miroku and defended him. He may be a hotheaded jerk every once in awhile, but he has never been proven to be a pervert like the monk.

"Inu-yasha has never once tried to see us naked."

"He has never grabbed my ass while I've tended his wounds."

"He has never been sidetracked from a mission by a pretty face and a big set of boobs."

"Alright, alright! I get it. Inu-yasha's a saint and I'm a pervert." Miroku stalks over to the door and looks back before leaving. "You will never have to worry about my attentions again!" After the door slammed behind him, Kagome and Sango looked at each other, a little confused. Had they gone too far in their admonishment?

"Don't even think for a moment that he's upset. He's probably heading to the spring right now to scope out a spot." Inu-yasha slid off the sill and headed for the door. "And thanks for the vote of confidence ladies." Kagome's and Sango's confusion finally gave way to a sudden burst of laughter as Inu-yasha left, leaving them to get ready to go to the spring.

So as Kagome closed her eyes and Sango settled herself in on a ledge to relax, Miroku smiled, enjoying his bird's-eye view of the bathing beauties. Who did Sango think she was, warning him not to come around? She wasn't the boss of him. Although he sure wished she would be. Visions danced in his mind as he thought of finally bedding Sango. In the past year, he had made some progress. As long as his affection was subtle, she was ok. They had even kissed a few times. But she held him at a constant distance, and wouldn't allow him to get any closer to her. He wasn't sure why she had such strong barriers to protect her from intimacy, but he was determined to break them down. It didn't seem right that such a beautiful woman shouldn't love and be loved in return. He wanted to love her, but she wouldn't let him.

As Miroku wondered how he could get Sango to love him, he rolled over onto his back, not really interested in the view below. Suddenly, he was more concerned about Sango's heart, than her body. As he settled himself on his back, he jostled a few rocks loose and they fell, splashing into the spring. Miroku lay frozen with fear as he heard the commotion down below. He didn't bother to peek down, he knew Sango's angry look very well. Instead, he stayed put, waiting for the inevitable assault by both women. But it never came. Instead, he heard them yelling at him, cursing his various body parts, and questioning his lineage. He heard the sounds of them wading out of the hot spring and stomping down the path, back to the inn. But no violence was directed his way. Interesting.

Miroku waited until his heart stopped pounding in his chest to leave his perch above the hot spring. As he made his way back to the inn, he pondered the fact that Sango had not hit him in any way. He saw Inu-yasha sitting on the stairs outside the inn, intently concentrating on a yellow flower. When Miroku sat down next to him, Inu-yasha gave him a serious look.

"I think you really did it this time monk. I don't know what happened, but they are beyond pissed. They are silent."

"Silent?"

Inu-yasha thought he actually saw Miroku pale. Not that he blamed him. In his experience, if a woman is yelling at you for something you did or didn't do, she would get over it quickly enough and things would get back to normal. But if she was silent, you feared for your life.

"Maybe I'll just sit here with you. Safety in numbers and all."

"Suit yourself." Inu-yasha continued to twirl the flower between his fingers.

Shortly after Miroku's arrival, Kagome and Sango came out of the inn, ready for dinner. They favored Miroku with ice-cold stares as they walked past him down the stairs to go to dinner. Inu-yasha stood up to accompany the girls and Miroku followed suit. The girls did not acknowledge Miroku all through dinner. They talked sparingly to each other and Inu-yasha. Once dinner was done, they went back to the inn and went to their room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning Sango awoke early and packed up her things, ready to head home. She and Kagome had decided last night that it made more sense for them to each go their separate ways from this village instead of having to backtrack after visiting Kaede. They hadn't told the guys yet because it was too late at night when they decided on their plan. Sango was going back to the slayer's village and Kagome was going to go see Koga. Both women knew that the group had been working so hard the past two months and needed a rest. So they figured on a two week break.

Sango was still really mad at Miroku so Kagome went to tell the guys about the change in plans. She knocked on the door and Miroku answered. He looked terrible. Kagome offered him a smile.

"Good morning Miroku. May I come in?"

"Sure." He steps aside to let Kagome in and looks in the hallway before closing the door. "Where's Sango?"

"She's finishing up her packing. That's what I came to tell you guys. Sango and I were talking last night and we decided it made too much sense to just leave for home from this village. It's pretty much a halfway point to the slayer's village and Koga's territory is just beyond the next set of hills. So you and Inu-yasha can do whatever you like for the next two weeks and we'll all meet back at Musashi village. Makes sense, don't you think?"

Miroku sits down on the bed and gapes at Kagome. "She's going back home? Did she say she was leaving without me?"

"I'm sorry Miroku. She said she was----"

Miroku leapt up from the bed and ran out the door in a flurry of purple robes. Kagome followed him to the door and decided maybe she better let Sango and Miroku work this one out for themselves. She had been mad at Miroku for spying on them, but not as mad as Sango. Yesterday she merely supported her friend's anger.

She looked over at Inu-yasha who was just sitting on the windowsill, arms crossed over his chest, a smirk on his face.

"So you're sticking me with the monk for two weeks. Thanks."

Kagome ambled over and leaned against the windowsill next to Inu-yasha. "You're both welcome to join me and Koga."

"I'll take my chances with the monk."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Miroku knocked on the door and waited for Sango to answer. "Sango, would you open up please? I need to talk to you." When his knocks went unanswered, he tried again. "Sango. Please open the door." And again. "If you don't open up I'm going to open it myself." Finally, he just walked into the room. Sango wasn't there, but her bag and slayer's Hiraikotsu were. So he sat down on the bed and waited for her to come back.

He didn't have to wait too long before Sango returned with a bundle of food for her trip. She hesitated when she saw Miroku, but then entered the room, ignoring him, and went to put the food in her bag. Miroku reached for Sango's hand and she moved it away. When he tried again, she fixed her stone gray eyes on him. She tied up her bag and went to leave but Miroku grabbed her wrist.

"Sango, please wait." Sango tried to yank her wrist free, but Miroku only squeezed tighter. "I'm not letting go until you hear me out."

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say. I'm sick and tired of listening to what you have to say."

"No, Sango. You need to hear what I have to say. Please hear me out."

Sango stands glaring at Miroku. She decides it's better to just let him talk then try to fight him. It would be faster too. Sango sighs and releases the tension in her body. "Fine. Let's hear it."

Miroku leads Sango to the bed and sits down next to her. "It was true that I was there to spy on you. Originally. But when I saw you sitting in the water, I realized that I wanted more." Sango stands up, but Miroku pulls her back down, holding both her hands. "Let me finish. I started thinking about how much I care about you and it seems like no matter how close I think I'm getting, you put up these barriers and keep me at a distance. I want you to let me inside. You seem to feel the need to be this strong woman all the time, but sometimes you need someone to take care of you. Sango, I want to take care of you. Let me take care of you."

Sango just looked at Miroku. Could he be telling the truth? Was he deeper than Sango gave him credit for? And what did he mean by 'barriers'?

"Sango. I didn't really see anything at the spring. I was lying on my back, thinking of you. Thinking what it would take for you to take me seriously. I know I act like a fool sometimes, but it's mostly out of frustration at not being able to be anything else for you. Sango, please believe me."

Sango looked into Miroku's pleading eyes. She was at a loss. There had been moments when she had felt really close to Miroku. They had shared a few intimate moments, but she hadn't really known what to do about it. Was that what he meant by 'barriers'? "Miroku, I'm not sure what to say."

"Say you'll give me a chance. Let me in."

"I….I don't know how."

"Let me come home with you. Let me take care of you."

Sango watched as Miroku brought her hands to his lips. He lightly kissed her fingertips and kept his pleading eyes fixed on her. "How do I know….how do I know I can trust you?"

Miroku caressed her check and leaned in a little. "You have to take a chance. Love is a risk worth taking."

Sango pondered Miroku's words. He seemed sincere in his request. She had heard him fake sincerity enough to know the difference. But how could she trust him when he wouldn't even stay away from the hot spring like she told him? She cared for Miroku, but he just made it so hard sometimes to take him seriously. Although this time he was panicking over Sango's anger. That was a good sign. Maybe she should try.

"Miroku. I care for you. But you make it difficult for me to take your affections seriously when you act like such a letch. You can come home with me. But this is it Miroku. No more chances. Your feelings are real and sincere, or they're not."

Miroku didn't let the joy he felt in his heart show on his face. He remained calm and leaned in to kiss Sango's cheek. He got up to leave when Sango's voice stopped him at the door. "Miroku. Be ready to leave in one hour."

To be continued….