Disclaimer: I own nothing. I don't own Inuyasha. Happy? Consider all stories in this collection disclaimed.
Author's Note: Written for the iy_blind 'Kiss' theme. [Second Place]
***************************************************************************************************************
With a grunt, Miroku drove the head of his shakujou through the skull of the bat demon foolish enough to come at him. Once it was dead, he found himself keenly aware of a gap beside him.
"Sango!"
Miroku whirled around, fending off another strike as he spun. He was alone, surrounded by the enemy; she was no longer at his side.
The monk frantically scanned the battlefield for any sign of her. To his left was Inuyasha, finishing off a handful of bat demons with his Wind Scar, a little off his right was Kagome and Shippou, holding their own with their purifying arrows and foxfire. No Sango.
There! A blur had passed through the corner of his field of vision. She was astride Kirara, Hiraikotsu in hand, galloping back towards him. In spite of the battle raging around him, Miroku's body relaxed the instant he saw her.
"Houshi-sama!" She hurled her weapon… at him? Miroku dodged it, his eyes wide with shock and surprise, and then sudden understanding as the demon behind him fell, cleaved in two. He had not even felt its presence.
The monk made to call out his thanks but the words died in his throat; in Sango's haste to destroy the threat to his life, she did not sense the another demon behind her. A set of claws descended towards her back, just as she turned her head, realizing the danger too late to stop it. Miroku sprinted forward, his brain calculating options at breakneck speed. He reached his decision a split second later and acted on it.
Bracing herself, Sango tightened her muscles to lessen the impact.
It never came.
Miroku had dived forward, seizing her around the waist, knocking her off Kirara's back. The slayer cried out as she watched the demon's claws tear into the monk's back, sending out a spurt of blood. He grunted from somewhere above her hip as they crashed to the ground some distance away, so forceful was Miroku's leap.
"Miroku!" Inuyasha appeared out of nowhere, dispatching the demon with a swing.
"Houshi-sama!" She wriggled out of his arms, kneeling over his prone form. The wound itself was barely visible against his black robes but blood pumped out steadily, indicating its whereabouts.
Miroku made a muffled sound and tried to prop himself up on his elbows. "Houshi-sama, don't move!" commanded Sango, gently but firmly holding him down by the back of his neck. He sensed the panic in her voice and decided to lie still for the time being. Strangely, although he knew the wound was bad, it did not pain him very much. Once he was certain the slayer had calmed down somewhat not to slam his face back into the dirt the second he moved, Miroku turned his face sideways, resting one cheek on the soil.
A pattering of feet and he found himself face-to-face with Kagome's brown shoes. "Miroku! Sango, what happened?" She shifted out of his field of vision and the monk was dimly aware of light hands on his back.
"Miroku? Are you in pain?" Kagome's surprised voice broke into his thoughts, evidently puzzled by his lack of reaction.
"Not really, for some reason," he answered the best he could. "Do you have any idea why?"
"Uh oh… that's not good," she muttered, then raising her voice. "Miroku, get ready. The pain's going to kick in – "
Lightning bolts of excruciating pain lanced through Miroku's body and his hands dug into the ground. "AAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHH!" After that single scream of prolonged agony, Miroku passed out.
"– any moment," finished Kagome rather unnecessarily. Exchanging worried glances with Sango, the two girls immediately set about moving the unconscious man to a safe place. Miroku's eyes fluttered open when they shifted him onto a mat and began cleaning his wound.
"Here, you might need this." Kagome placed a rag between his teeth. A second later, Miroku bit down hard as the stinging antiseptic touched his raw flesh.
Sango bit her lip, watching his body alternately stiffen and relax. She knew they had no choice: the wound was deep and Kagome had to reach all the way in, disinfecting every single inch of the injury. Mercifully, Miroku lost consciousness halfway through.
That night, a pale-faced Miroku insisted on getting out of bed and looking for Sango. He was only forced back in by her repeated assurances she was unharmed. Her eyes followed him guiltily, regretful he was always protecting her, risking his life for hers.
The next morning, after a sleepless night, Sango approached Miroku timidly just before the group were about to set out on their quest again.
"Houshi-sama… may I speak with you in private?" Without waiting for his answer, she blushed and walked into the forest. Miroku followed her rather bemusedly.
"Thank you, Houshi-sama, for saving me." Her hands clasped demurely before her, Sango stared down at the grass as she spoke.
"You don't need to thank me, Sango, I merely did what was right," he responded, a faint smile on his lips. Miroku guessed that then was not the time to do something perverted, although the temptation was there.
All coherent thought quickly vanished when a pair of lips covered his.
For a moment, Miroku thought he had died and gone to heaven – Sango was kissing him! – before he relaxed and enjoyed the sensation. It was a light and chaste closed-mouth kiss, the kind he had expected from his shy slayer.
As quickly as it had began, it ended. Sango drew away, blushing furiously and was gone, her hair swinging behind her.
Miroku stood there in a daze, his jaw hanging open, his mind still trying to comprehend what had just transpired. Eventually, a wide smile spread over his face. For a reward like that, he would gladly go to Sango's rescue time and again.