Title: Crumple
Author: Starzki
Rating: K+
Genre: Action/Romance
Word Count: 980
Summary: With Sango helpless in the midst of battle, Miroku fights for her safety.

-x-

The sound that Sango's body made when it hit the ground was straight out of Miroku's worst nightmares. While the sound could generally have been described as a "dull thud," it also contained a resonance not unlike the breaking of an egg.

Miroku felt his heart drop into his feet and he was temporarily paralyzed, unable to continue the fight with the giant lizard demon who had just felled Sango.

"Keep your head, monk!" cried Inuyasha, who was parrying with the lizard's sharp, poisoned teeth.

Miroku and Sango had come along on this extermination merely to provide some distraction for Inuyasha's fight. The monster was so large and so ensconced within the village's farmland that Inuyasha's normal "destroy everything" style of attack would have been just as harmful as letting the demon alone. Instead, Miroku and Sango had cut short the time they had planned to spend alone after exchanging wedding vows and agreed to help with the extermination. Miroku was to deal with the claws and Sango was responsible for the lizard's whipping tail. She had just taken the full force of the demon's whiplash blow to her temple.

She was out before she hit the ground. She lay in a position that suggested that she was attempting to curl into a ball, but was helplessly splayed on the ground, unconscious.

Seeing her lie there, like a crumpled piece of paper, wadded and inert, Miroku could only stare with horror at the woman he had just made his bride.

Inuyasha knew what Miroku was feeling and did what he could to snap his friend out of his terrified trance. "Miroku, this demon just hurt Sango! Are you going to let him get away with it?"

It was all the prodding that Miroku needed. In an instant, this man, who really did try to uphold the nonviolent teachings of the Buddha, became the most dangerous man in the country.

His shakujo spun so fast in his hands that its rings remained pinned in place, silent. All traces of the smile that seemed almost ingrained within his face vanished without evidence of ever being there. He was a killer.

Inuyasha, concerned, yet pleased with the change in his friend, made it his task to draw the demon from Sango so that she would not be trampled, inadvertently or on purpose, by the giant lizard. While Inuyasha was not even sure if Sango was alive, he had seen men killed by much softer blows, he would hope for the best and do what he could to make sure her injuries were kept to a minimum.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop within the village and out into a clearing, Inuyasha positioned himself so that Sango would not be in danger of even his most deadly and powerful blows from Tetsusaiga, if he had to use them.

For his part, Miroku was keeping up admirably. Suddenly, though he had been struggling defensively against the demon, he had taken the upper hand. When he knew that Inuyasha was in the desired position, Miroku struck the demon with all of the anger, terror, and fear he had. Sango had fallen. This demon was responsible for that. This demon would suffer and die.

With the sharp end of his staff, Miroku found a chink in the lizard's scales in an armpit. Dark purple blood gushed from the wound and the demon shrieked, rearing up in frustrated anger.

It was the distraction Inuyasha needed. He let loose with the Wind Scar and within moments the demon lay in pieces on the verdant (and barely marred) farmland.

Miroku lost no time, not even bothering to find his staff, before he rushed to Sango's side. Inuyasha joined him seconds later, also worried for Sango.

"Don't move her too much," Inuyasha warned. He needn't have bothered because Miroku only moved to pick up one of Sango's limp hands. He raised it to his face and kissed her knuckles. She was still warm and her chest stirred lightly with her breath.

"Sango," Miroku whispered, shattered. "Wake up."

Inuyasha backed away quietly. Both Sango and Miroku looked so vulnerable, he felt like a voyeur as he looked on at them in these moments. He busied himself by searching for Miroku's shakujo.

Miroku was equally upset at seeing Sango so helpless. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and bring her home. He wanted to cover her body with his own and protect her from any further harm. He wanted her to respond to him.

He placed a hand over her heart to help him assess how badly she was hurt.

Sango stirred.

"Pervert!" she mumbled and swung with her left arm, her fist making contact with Miroku's jaw.

Miroku felt tears of both pain (she had quite a left hook) and relief sting his eyes and he sat back and smiled. Inuyasha, who had come back bearing the staff, chuckled. "Some things never change, I guess," he said.

"Sango, you okay?" asked Miroku, still holding his face.

Her eyelids fluttered before opening and she looked up at her husband with a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Her fingers fluttered to her temple where a beautiful red bruise was blossoming, promising darker petals. "My head... hurts," she whispered. Her eyes became more focused. "Did the lizard demon get you too?" she asked as Miroku adjusted his jaw to the new swelling.

"Something like that," Miroku answered with a grin.

He made sure that Sango had no other significant injuries before helping her to her feet. The couple followed Inuyasha back to the village to let them know of their success. After Miroku bargained with the village head for more payment due to their injuries, he returned to his friend and wife.

"We done?" asked Inuyasha with forced gruffness.

Miroku nodded.

"Good," replied Sango. "Take me home."

Miroku happily obliged.

END

Author's Note: This drabble was first written as a response to the "Fight" prompt and posted to the livejournal community mirsan_fics on July 3, 2010.