Sango and Miroku trailed behind the rest of the group, a comfortable silence between the two as they listened to InuYasha argue with Shippou. A few days had passed since they set out and the Taijiya made sure to steer clear of InuYasha. She spent a lot of her time with Miroku instead, trying to get herself involved with him, trying to ignore the yearning she felt for the hanyou, trying to keep herself in love with the monk.

Miroku slipped his hand over Sango's and held it, causing the Taijiya's cheeks to involuntarily flare up. She felt uncomfortable with the proximity of the monk and feared the reaction she would receive from the hanyou if he were to notice the linked hands of the engaged couple.

Kirara nuzzled her nose into her mistress' cheek, sensing her distress.

When Sango looked his way, Miroku was gazing forward with a small smile on his face. The sun above Miroku's head shined brightly and gave the houshi a certain glow. Sango stared up at him, pangs of guilt stabbing at her stomach.

When Miroku noticed her stare, he glanced down, the smile still in place. Sango quickly averted her gaze, a hesitant chuckle being misinterpreted by the monk as a soft giggle. He laced his fingers with hers, pulling her slightly into him as they walked. Miroku sighed contently, planting a kiss on the top of Sango's hair.

Ahead of them, InuYasha and Shippou stopped their bickering and kept glancing behind them at the couple. InuYasha was suddenly annoyed at their public displays of affection, the overwhelming jealousy causing his blood to boil. Kagome, however, was beaming, nodding her head in approval.

Kagome grabbed InuYasha's hand and quickened her pace. The hanyou's eyes widened at her gesture but she didn't notice. Once they were far enough ahead, she released his hand, "Oh, InuYasha.. aren't they just a great couple?"

"No," came InuYasha's immediate response, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What?" Kagome glanced at him, taken aback by his promptness.

"In case you haven't noticed, Kagome, he has a tendency to grope anything that moves.." InuYasha huffed.

"He hasn't done that in so long though! Maybe he really has changed." said Kagome, defensively.

"I doubt it." he snorted.

"You should be a little more open-minded, InuYasha. I really believe he's changed."

"Well then you're an idiot.." InuYasha grumbled, irritably.

"What is with you lately? You've been so grumpy!"

"Maybe it's because you won't stop breathing down my neck! God, you're like a leech!" Kagome stopped and stared as he continued stalking away, mouth slightly ajar. She wasn't sure whether or not she should be angry. Her initial response was to laugh. He had called her many things before, but never a leech. She couldn't help but be a little amused at the retort from the hanyou.

Kagome quickened her pace to catch up with the hanyou, ready to give him a piece of her mind. As she fell into step beside him, her annoyance diminished and she tried a different approach with him. Maybe she had been riding him lately. Kagome offered the aggravated hanyou a friendly smile and opened her mouth to speak.

InuYasha chose to tune the girl out, consumed in his thoughts about his predicament.

Miroku had grown to be one of InuYasha's closest friends, and he relied on him as a partner in battle. Early on, he noticed the hurt underneath the anger and jealousy whenever Sango would catch Miroku asking a countless number of women to bear his children. Sango had grown onto the hanyou. He had become fiercely protective of her and that was what initially alarmed him.

InuYasha had never worried about Sango before. He knew she was a warrior and didn't need babysitting on the battlefield. And he was never close to her. He wanted to spare both of them the awkwardness of them trying to confide in each other.

To InuYasha, his longing for Sango seemed to appear overnight. He found himself staring at her, found himself thinking about her. He listened to her talk to Kagome. He enjoyed the softness of her voice. He wanted to be closer to her. He kept an eye on her when she slept. He admired her as she easily eliminated demons.

And then one day, she got injured badly and InuYasha thought his heart stopped for a moment. And the rage he felt after was blinding. When they got Sango medical attention, InuYasha refused to leave her side. He worried about her. He wanted to kiss away her pain, physical and emotional.

It was strange to InuYasha. He never would've imagined himself in this situation. In love with a Taijiya? In love with Sango? No, not in a million years. And yet.. InuYasha couldn't seem to keep her from his thoughts.

In that moment, InuYasha decided he was going to do something about it. He was going to confront the girl.

"—really, InuYasha." Kagome's voiced interrupted his thoughts.

"What the hell are you babbling on about this time?"

"I was talking to you, InuYasha!" Kagome's cheeks flared up.

"Well, I wasn't listen'!"

"SIT." The kotodama beads around InuYasha's neck pulsed before he plummetted, face first, into the dirt trail. Sango quickly pulled away from Miroku and blinked in surprise. Kagome shot a glare at the hanyou before continuing on her way, Shippou snickering from her shoulder.

"What did you do this time, InuYasha?" Miroku took a step back as the hanyou stood up, brushing himself off. He mumbled incoherently before glaring at Miroku, "What?"

"Don't 'what' me!" Sango sighed as the two began arguing. She shook her head before hurrying forward to walk with Kagome. She needed to get away from InuYasha.

"Are you okay, Kagome?"

"Yeah.. it's just.. InuYasha's so inconsiderate sometimes."

"Hmm.." Kagome noticed the expression crossing her friend's countenance and lofted a brow, curiously.

"What happened?" Did something happen between Sango and InuYasha that Kagome missed? Was that why they had both been acting so weird lately?

"Nothing.. So, what did the stubborn hanyou do?" Sango redirected the unwanted attention back to the upset reincarnation.

"He wasn't listening to me.." Kagome let out an exasperated sigh.

"When does he ever? He is so stubborn.." Sango mumbled, trying her hardest not to look back at him.

"Yeah.. but what's been going on with you and Miroku?" The reincarnation nudged her friend, playfully, grinning at her, "You two have been getting awfully cozy with each other!"

Unfortunately..

"Yes. I believe he is finally growing up and ready to take on some responsibilities." The Taijiya lied through her teeth, "I cannot wait until we are finally able to settle down." The very thought of that terrified the girl. She couldn't picture the rest of her life with a lecher. She couldn't imagine him helping her rebuild her village. All she saw was InuYasha.

All she wanted to see was him.

"Oh, Sango-chan, I'm so happy for you!" Kagome squealled excitedly, "I can't wait for the wedding! I've never been to an actual wedding before. My first one will be in sengoku jidai! That's so cool! How many girls will be able to say that in my time?" As Kagome rambled, Sango felt a pair of eyes burning into the back of her head. She glanced ove her shoulders and there he was. Staring at her. Sango looked away, cheeks tinting. Kagome noticed her friend's flushed face and smiled, misinterpreting her body language completely, "It's okay to be nervous."

"I do not want to do anything I will regret later on.."

"You won't. You're so level-headed, Sango-chan, and I'm confident you'll make the right decisions. Starting with tying a leash on Miroku and taming him. Lord knows he needs it." Kagome shook her head. Sango, despite her current situation, couldn't help but laugh.

"Thank you.."

"So, what's the deal between you and InuYasha? There's been a lot of tension between the two of you guys." Sango's heart pounded in the cavity of her chest so hard she thought it was going to explode. The color drained from her face. How was she supposed to answer that? She had hoped and prayed that their unusual behaviors would go unnoticed by everyone else. Damn Kagome.

"What do you mean?" asked the Taijiya, lofting a brow, curiously at her friend. She hoped she looked convincing.

"Well, I noticed.. I don't know.. you guys seem like you're trying to ignore each other or something." She tapped a finger against her chin. Sango released a breezy laugh before she slowed down to match the pace of the bickering males.

"Why would I ignore him? Everything's fine, right, InuYasha?" The males stopped arguing and turned their attention to Sango. She stood on the tips of her toes to wrap an arm about InuYasha's shoulders. He suddenly began rigid in her hold and Sango felt her cheeks heating up.

"Yeah, maybe it was just me." Kagome shrugged and noticed the scowl on Miroku's face from his argument with InuYasha and beckoned him to her to prevent it to resume. Kirara hopped off of Sango's shoulder and hurried after Kagome as Shippou climbed off of Kagome's to meet Kirara.

Sango quickly released her hold on InuYasha and made a move to leave, but InuYasha grasped a sleeveful of her kimono, "We need to talk."

"No, we don't." She tried to release his grip on her.

"Yes," InuYasha began firmly, grabbing her forearm with his free hand, pulling her closer to him, "we do. Tonight."

"And what if I don't want to talk to you?" Sango's heart skipped a beat and she couldn't help but think about how close his lips were..

"You do. I can smell it.." He leaned in just a tiny bit. But it was enough for Sango to notice. How she wanted to feel his lips against her. To feel the softness of them.. to taste him. She tilted her head up, ever-so-slightly. InuYasha released the fabic of her yukata and gently cupped her chin, his other hand loosening its grip. Her eyes closed. Her tiers neared his..

Suddenly she heard Shippou's highpitched laughter sounding throughout the area and her lids flew open. She was reminded they were not alone and she quickly pulled herself away from him. That was too close. Who knows what would've happen if they had been discovered in that position.

"Tonight.." Sango muttered, breathlessly. She turned to leave him there in the middle of the dirt trail, "Just tonight."

He stared at her as she hurried to join the others, who had failed to notice their delay, "Just tonight.."