This is a short story for Inuvember 2017

"Of all the… I just had to walk in… Ahhh! He makes me so mad!" Stomping away at a fast click to the edge of the village, she just needs to get away before she kills him. The darkness of this cloud covered night swallowing her form as it breaches the tree line. What made her check on him this night, she doesn't know for sure. All she would say is she had been asleep in another room with Kagome and something woke her up, something in her heart told her to check on him.

Rushing after the sounds of her heavy footsteps, the hoshi stumbles in the gravel, barefoot and in his sleeping garments but doesn't slow his pace, "Sango, wait!"

"You'll leave me the hell alone Miroku if you know what's good for you!"

"Please let me…" There is a break in the clouds allowing a sliver of moonlight to filter through and he can see that he's almost reached her. "Sango!"

She turns so abruptly he must skid to a halt or risk running her over. But no sooner than he's catching his breath, the icy glare so full of malice on her face practically stops his heart. "Stop following me! Go back to your latest conquest and leave me alone!"

"But please Sango, it's not what you think!"

"Not what I think?" the maniacal laughter ringing forth sets the Hoshi back; this girl has gone over the edge. "Are you trying to tell me my eyes are deceiving me? Am I trapped in another illusion spell?" Her eyes narrow. "You were in bed with a woman Miroku, or was that my hallucination?"

"I swear to you, she came to me, I didn't invite her in."

The second those words dribbled past his lips he flinches, realizing his mistake, and sure enough that sets her off. "And that's supposed to make me feel better?! It doesn't matter if you didn't initiate it, the problem is you weren't stopping her either!"

"Please believe me that I couldn't! Sango, she was a Yuki-ona and I was under her spell." He reaches out to try and grab her hand, but she pulls away. "Inuyasha and Kagome are fighting her right now after hearing the screaming."

But all she does is stare back with a cold gaze, "Those spirits only prey on the weak-minded and a lecherous monk must have seemed like easy pickings."

His heart shatters, "Sango…"

"Don't you see Miroku, it's your own fault you were the victim tonight," sigh, "just too bad I had to be dragged into it too." She turns and continues into the forest to cool off.

As much as her words cut right through his very soul, she was right. He hangs his head, a defeated and lowly man, "Sango… I'm sorry…" Unable to face their friends, Miroku drops to his knees. Of all the times she had seen him flirting with other girls, asking them to bear his child, never had he seen her so furious as tonight. But she had every right to be angry. The pattering of wet droplets hit the ground around him as a damn break's forth. His manners with women had become such an obsessive-compulsive behavior that it was often out of his control and tonight it all came back to haunt him. The one woman he truly loved above all others, was the one suffering because of him and he didn't know how to fix it…

The demon slayer herself doesn't go very far either. Between the darkness of the forest and her lingering feelings for the hoshi, she simply settles against a tree just out of his sight, braced against its solid exterior. 'Of all the men to fall for, why him?Ugh!His womanizing is just infuriating!' She can hear him sobbing and it tugs at her heart. She exhales, 'it's because of his heart…' In just this year of traveling with the rag-tag bunch of Naraku hunters, she had seen him do so many wonderful things that showed her behind the lascivious façade was a man who truly loved and respected the people around him. Little moments, like when he prayed for her village and her family's souls, the times he would step in to risk his life to save her or their friends… all grew on her like a vine weaving their way into the ruins of her damaged blood vessel. But it was also times like this that confused and upset her greatly. How could she risk her heart being broken every time he couldn't control his behaviors? Because if she was being honest with herself, they hurt. Each girl he flirted with, each woman he asked to bear his child, every single time he groped a back side… it all stung worse than anything she had felt in her whole 16 years of life.

She peeks around the bushes and sees the hoshi still prostrated on the ground crying. Sigh, as much as this all hurts… so does seeing him in pain…

"Miroku…"

The man looks up at the beautiful warrior above him. "Sango?"

She drops to her knees before him. "Please stop crying hoshi-sama."

"But you were right Sango…" he raises his hands and stares at them. "I don't know how to control myself anymore and look what it's brought me. All I worried about for so long was having an heir to carry on the fight against the man who cursed my family but all it's done is brought me more pain. No." he shakes his head, "Worse, pain for those I care about more than anything in this world."

"Miroku…" she takes his hands into her own. "I'm sorry for getting so upset, I should have at least given you a chance to explain."

Again, he shakes his head, "Please don't apologize, if it wasn't for my own actions, that spirit may not have targeted me, so it is all my fault."

"If a weak person was her target, she could have easily chosen Inuyasha." Sango attempts to lighten the situation. "That man can't make up his mind either."

For a second Miroku just stares at her until he finally laughs and brings a smile to her face. "Yeah, but I was still the easier target."

"Why?"

"Because the truth is, I'm not confused on what I want." Sango looks at him perplexed. "I may flirt with other girls, but they mean nothing to me." She's still doesn't understand what he's trying to tell her. Sigh, "Those spirits peer into your heart and transform themselves into whom you love…"

"Meaning what?"

"She came to me… disguised as you."