Author's Note: This has been a long time coming. Life happens, but I want you to know that it will be finished eventually!

Word Count: 1,227

Prompt: Bath


"Eww Miroku, you're starting to smell," Shippo exclaimed, jumping from his should. Sango grimaced. She had been uncomfortable for a few days, and had begun to itch in all of the most embarrassing of places last night. His body was slowly being caked in the filthy dirt attracted by summer sweat.

"He's right," InuYasha, who had been keeping his distance, agreed. Sango blushed. She knew that they were being honest. The problem was that she couldn't bring herself to touch his body.

"I've been hoping to take a bath soon," Kagome chirped. "Let's find a hot spring!"

"We just stopped to rest at the last river we passed," InuYasha complained. Then his ears flattened against his head as a dark look crossed over Kagome's face.

"That was five hours ago, so excuse us for not all being half-demon!" She snapped. "Humans need time to rest! We're tired. It takes a lot out of us to keep up with you."

"Resting and sitting is all you ever want to do," He barked back. This was the wrong reply, and anyone could see it.

"InuYasha… sit!" The resounding crash was expected and familiar as the beads of subjugation pulled the hanyou face-first to the ground. The group continued to walk- this time in the most likely direction of the nearest hot spring, knowing that a grumpy InuYasha would catch up to them in no time.

Sango sighed and glanced at Miroku. He seemed completely at ease in her body. It served to make her even more frustrated at him. She could just imagine the things he had done, or planned to do. The thought brought a blush to her face. Somehow she would have to secure their privacy at the hot springs.

This was going to make things awkward. Kagome would want to know all about it, and knowing Miroku he may even tell her. InuYasha would just assume that they were being indecent. Shippo would be none the wiser, but would likely ask many embarrassing questions. These were all sorts of unpleasant things, in her eyes.


Miroku was exhausted! How could Sango do it?! Carrying the Hiraikotsu around all day made it difficult to walk up hills, never mind running. The bone boomerang was huge, and unwieldy, and he had no idea how much it weighed, but he felt like he was constantly going to topple over.

She really was someone to be impressed with. Beautiful, intelligent and courageous, not to mention strong and determined, she would make a terrifying enemy. It was lucky that she was usually on his side. Sadly, he couldn't tell how long it would stay that way if he couldn't figure out how to straighten this out.

He looked over at Sango, and caught him staring back. It was still eerie to look into those blue eyes that truly belonged to him. He would even go as far to say that it was unnerving. There was nothing that he could do about it.

"Sango, may I talk to you for a moment?" Miroku's ears perked up. This sounded interesting. Sango led him off a little ahead of the others. He could practically see the aura of curiosity seeping off of Kagome, who had been trying her hardest to get them together for a long time. She stared as they put some distance between them. When they were far enough ahead, Sango leaned in close.

"When we get to the hot spring I am going to slip away to a more secluded area," She explained. "Follow me." Miroku liked the sound of that. How often had he fantasized of her whispering just that into his ear? He had never dreamed that it would be under these circumstances. He definitely had never imagined it being said in his own voice as he stared into his own face.

Miroku nodded her head. Sango continued to walk, slowing down to let the others catch up. His face was unreadable, but there was no mistaking the discomfort between them. Even Shippo picked up on it, but Kagome silenced him before he could say too much.


It was the middle of the next day once they found the hot spring. Conveniently, there were three and they were separated by groups of trees. Sango had been to these once before and hustled Miroku off to the one which was the most hidden.

"Now, give me your hands," Sango ordered as the two of them arrived. Miroku obeyed with a groan.

Once they had snuck away to a more private area, Sango had turned and slipped a blindfold over his eyes. He had then felt a gentle tug, and the air brushed exposed skin.

"If you look at, or touch my body, you're dead," She threatened. After tying her hands behind her back, Sango felt a little more at ease. She slowly began to wash herself.

"You know if you do it this way it's still technically me that is touching you." It slipped from his mouth before he could help it. Sango blushed and glared furiously. He could practically feel it even though he could not see.

"Pervert. I really hate you." She continued to wash her body, then, not being able to put it off any longer, washed his. It was an embarrassing and intimate process that she was very against, but she obviously had no choice. She'd rather suffer that than smell for who knows how long it would take them to get this situation figured out.

Miroku sat quietly, listening to the waves being created by Sango's movements. He breathed in the warm steam and leaned against a rock.

"Sango," he said quietly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get us in to this predicament."

"You never do," she accused. "You always flirt around and con people, never thinking of the repercussions. You play around with the feelings of women and swindle people out of their money. I understand that you want an heir to carry on for you if we can't defeat Naraku, but you take things too far. Honestly, I am surprised that something like this hadn't happened sooner."

The words stung, but rang true, leaving the monk at a loss for words. He sat; blindfold keeping the world dark around him. Then Sango grabbed her hands and pulled him out of the water. She proceeded to dress them and then removed the blindfold. Needless to say, the walk back to their companions was silent.


When they returned the look on Kagome's face screamed 'what were you up to?!' She was itching to ask, but they didn't give her the opportunity. That led her to make her own assumptions.

She took in their damp hair and fresh appearances and blushed. InuYasha just averted his eyes. Sango sighed. It was the very last impression she had wanted to give, but also the most likely that they would have come up with. Kilala jumped up on his shoulder and Sango scratched her behind the ear.

The worst part of all of it was that neither she, nor Miroku had managed to find out any information on the curse or its creator since it had happened. No one knew of the priestess who had cursed them. Without that, there was no way that they could come up with to make things right and normal again.