My second Inuyasha fic to date. This one's just as angst-ridden as the last one (if you had a chance to read it before I deleted it) and it deals with Miroku dying from the Wind Tunnel. It's also got a lot of Miroku/Sango fluffiness. R&R.

Disclaimer: I don't own Miroku, Sango, or other Inuyasha characters. All belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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Cut Short

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It was happening. It was finally happening. The Wind Tunnel in his right hand had grown to the spaces between his fingers. The pain seared through his hand and all the way up his arm. He screamed as the winds violently pilled him into the cursed void.

Miroku sprang from the ground covered in sweat. He looked around and everyone seemed to be still asleep. He was still alive. It was just another nightmare.

Miroku sighed and walked far from the campsite to be alone. He reclined against a tree and stared blankly at his right hand…

Back at camp, Sango sat up in the spot where she had been sleeping. Her back was to the direction Miroku walked off in. She was wide-awake when Miroku had woken up from his nightmare. She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins. She knew what he dreamt about.

She was deathly afraid he would leave her.

Sango had only recently accepted his proposal to live with him and bear his children if he survived…if the Wind Tunnel didn't swallow him. Now she wasn't so sure she had the chance. Sango noticed he'd been waking up like that a lot lately. She felt it was some kind of foreshadowing…it was going to happen soon.

A tear fell down her cheek as she drew her knees closer and put her head on her knees. Now, more than ever, she wanted Naraku dead. Not just to save her brother, Kohaku, but to save Miroku and be with him forever.

Sango lifted her head up. She wanted to go talk to him but not with tears in her eyes. She wiped them away as best she could and made her way deeper into the forest where Miroku was.

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Miroku was staring into the distance now. His hand no longer had his attention. He was thinking about Sango.

"I shouldn't have asked her…she shouldn't have said yes…Naraku's alive and forever will be. Now she'll be even more hurt…damn…" he cursed himself aloud. Little did he know, she was right behind him.

"What do you mean you shouldn't have asked me? You're always asking women to bear your child so why should I be any different?" Sango tried to joke with him as she kneeled beside him, but he didn't find it in the least bit humorous. He turned to say something, but as soon as he saw her face he turned away again. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

"You've been crying."

Sango looked down, "I was just…having thoughts about Kohaku…"

"You lie."

Sango looked at him. He was still facing away from, but the moonlight helped her see the lone tear rolling down his cheek. She had never seen him cry before. Suddenly she felt like crying again, too. Sango got off her knees and sat next to him on his left. Miroku wasn't expecting her next action.

She scooted close to him and laid her head on his shoulder and began to cry. "Just don't leave me…just please…don't leave me." She choked out. Miroku took a risk and slipped his left arm around her shoulder.

"I swear I won't. I'll always be with you, my dear Sango. And that's a promise."

She stopped crying. "Thank you, Miroku." And with that, she fell asleep. Miroku looked down at her.

'Another broken promise…'

The next morning, Sango awoke at the tree, but Miroku was gone. "Miroku?" she called, looking around. "Miroku!" she started panicking.

"Calm down. I'm right here." Miroku called from behind the tree. "I went to see if the others were up yet.

Sango sighed in relief. 'He's still here…he's still alive…' she thought. A smile crept upon her face as she walked toward him. She blushed as she took his hand in her own. "Let's go back together." Miroku looked at her and nodded as they walked back to the original campsite.

When they returned, Kagome was awake and already making breakfast. When she saw Miroku and Sango, she smirked.

"So where were you two last night?"

As soon as Kagome said this, Sango immediately blushed. "We weren't doing anything, Kagome! How could you think that?" she stuttered on most of those words.

Kagome laughed, "I was only kidding." Sango looked away, her face beet red. Kagome giggled at her response and looked at Miroku. His distant gaze suddenly worried her. "Hey Miroku, you okay?"

Miroku suddenly snapped back into reality. "Huh? What did you say, Kagome?"

"Why were you suddenly spacing out? What's on your mind?"

"It's nothing…don't worry about it." He looked away again. Sango gazed at him worriedly.

As Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kirara were waking up, everyone began sitting in a circle around the food Kagome prepared. Inuyasha sat next to Kagome, who had Shippo in her lap. Sango sat on her other side with Kirara and Miroku was between her and Inuyasha. They ate their meals in silence (which Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kirara were confused as to why.)

Miroku was still spacing out. When he "came to", he found his companions staring at him in confusion (well…except Inuyasha, who was a little busy stuffing his face to care). He just closed his eyes and put his food down. "I…need to be alone. I'm sorry." He got up and walked away. The group stared after him as he left with his right hand clenched into a tight fist. Sango noticed one small wisp of black wind coming from his fist.

'Oh no…oh please no…' she waited until Miroku was out of sight before she got up to follow.

Miroku stood in the middle of a large clearing in the forest. His head was still hung low as he thought, 'No matter how close we get…no matter what she says or feels, the wind tunnel will still own me. I just hope she didn't follow me…she would.'

As soon as he thought that, Miroku turned around and saw Sango nearly in tears. "Damn…" he cursed aloud.

They were about 10 feet from each other in a standoff. Sango was too afraid to move. Her mind was screaming, 'He promised! HE PROMISED!' She couldn't hold the tears back any longer. However, her feet were still glued in that one spot.

He clenched his fist tighter as the winds grew a little stronger. 'I broke too many promises now…the promise to defeat Naraku…the promise to have an heir in time…the promise to marry her…the promise…that I'd never leave her…' the tears formed in his eyes as well. 'I'll never have a family with her…' his eyes were too blurred from tears to see the figure running toward him. The next thing he knew, Sango was bawling in his arms. He held her tight, though his right hand was still balled in a fist. They pulled apart and stared into each other's eyes. Sango was shocked at his next action.

"I'm sorry, Sango," Miroku told her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Tears continued to roll down Sango's face as she returned the kiss. After it ended, she hugged him tighter.

"I love you," she finally told him.

"I love you too. I always have. You've always been my only one." He confessed.

Sango was greatly relieved to hear him say that. They continued to hold each other, even when the rest of the group arrived on the scene and watched in fear. Sango finally let go and escaped the danger of being sucked in.

The next thing they knew…he was gone.

Sango looked to the sky and dried her tears.

'Once I get Kohaku back…I'll see you again…'

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END

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