Sesshomaru held Sango on his back as he flew over treetops. Her body was warm against his, pressed against his back as she peered over his shoulder to watch the clouds fly by.

InuYasha and his friends were helping some hapless town recover after some kind of pathetic demon destroyed their crops. He wouldn't know, he hadn't been listening. He'd argued that the town's recovery was hardly their problem, but he'd been severely outvoted by the bleeding hearts of the group.

"You don't know anything about helping people!" The fox had cried, "you and InuYasha are so selfish!" That has only inspired another fight. Rin was just about sick of his insolence and she kicked the little ball of fluff into a bush and he attacked her with his spinning top.

By the end of it they were both being punished. Jaken was in charge of keeping them both in their respective corners until they could get along.

Regardless, he'd decided that today was as good of a day as any to retrieve the broken halves of Sango's old weapon and hand them over to Tōtōsai. Of course the woman on his back had initially protested. She wanted to help the village just as much as the others, but he argued that she was just as useless as the priestess without her giant boomerang.

He landed at the entrance of the cave, setting Sango on her feet with a gentleness that surprised him.

Tōtōsai looked up from his furious packing, his head sinking under the weight of being caught, "drat." She tried not to laugh at the mild irritation that marred Sesshomaru's features.

"Do you think I don't know you've been hiding from me, old man?"

"I'd hoped you wouldn't figure it out, it seems you're more clever than your brother."

"And that comes as a surprise? My brother is as dense as stone." The halves of hiraikotsu clattered to the floor in front of Tōtōsai and the old demon began inspecting, "you will fix this for her." The threat hung in the air, the words had been said enough times for Tōtōsai to know what his other options were.

He could fix the boomerang and live to run another day or he could die stubborn.

"The craftsmanship leaves much to be desired. Must have been human made, they never quite have the strength to hammer out the kinks."

Sango bristled at that. Her father had done an excellent job and she wasn't above employing the same violence the silver haired brothers used to get their way.

She may not cause swelling, but she'd surely make it hurt.

"I did not ask you to critique the work. I ordered you to fix it."

"Since when do you care about the feelings of humans?" Tōtōsai sat the pieces beside one another frowning at the poison that threw everything out of balance.

"Is it any of your business?"

Sango shook her head at him, "you should respect your elders, he's just making conversation."

"He's not. He's trying to annoy me."

"I can fix it." Tōtōsai looked upset that he'd been seen through and grabbed a handful of black granules and swiped the smell just beneath Sesshomaru's nose. She watched him try to shake off the sneeze, his lip raising slightly as he took short breaths.

Tōtōsai moved quickly, producing a clamp from his hip, "perfect." Sesshomaru's screams rang down the mountainside and the assault that followed the theft of his fang was well deserved.

"Why are you angry? You should have seen it coming." That earned him another angry knot. Sango held her face. It hadn't been her mouth or her tooth, but the pain radiated through the bond and she almost wanted to throw her sandal at the old man's crooked head.

"It will grow back! Your father didn't so much as whimper when he lost his fangs, yet you and InuYasha screamed like infants."

This time it was Sango who punched him, "let me rip out one of your teeth when you're sneezing, then we'll see who's an infant."

Tōtōsai stared, despondent, into the flames, another knot growing on his balding head, "come back in three days."

"So you can run away?" Sesshomaru sat a few feet away from the flame, absently tonguing the place where his fang once was. He and Rin matched.

Tōtōsai knew when to admit to being caught. He was a squirrel and any sudden movements would make him prey in those golden eyes.

"You have until sunset to finish your work."

Sango settled next to him, watching as Tōtōsai set to work.

XxXxXxXxXx

Tōtōsai was finished before sunset, much to Sango's delight. She was excited to give it a few practice swings and so she thanked Tōtōsai with a graceful bowing of her head, which Sesshomaru told her was unnecessary, and then ran out into the forest.

Hiraikotsu hummed with a power she had to strain against and she assumed that Sesshomaru's addition made it temperamental. She threw the boomerang into the forest, feeling sheepish when someone yelped.

"Are you trying to slice me in half, human!" The boomerang returned to her a moment later and she latched it onto her back.

"Sorry, I didn't realize-,"

Familiar orange curls popped out of the trees and she was suddenly less sorry.

"You knew I was over here!" Hotaru climbed free of the brush, unhappy for just a moment. Sesshomaru didn't acknowledge her accusations.

"Have you come to release me?"

She giggled, floating until she was close enough to touch her nose to his, "not on your life. Besides," she dodged the boomerang that nearly split her in half, "it would seem that Master Cupid's plan is working out fine for you both. No, I came to ask you to stay away from your brother's group of friends for a bit longer."

"What have you done with them!" Sango was ready to throw her boomerang again, but Hotaru only smiled.

"That desperate little wench is getting in my way. I need to remove her from the equation before she gets me fired."

"You can't kill the priestess," Sango took issue with the fact that Sesshomaru thought her friend was desperate, but now was not the time to fight him, "she's the only one who can see the jewel shards. For the moment she's better off alive."

"But Sho!" Hotaru turned until she was floating on her back, "she's in my way."

"Then maybe you should stop cursing people for kicks." He began to walk past her, an act of cockiness that Hotaru had anticipated. That looney expression she wore so often was replaced, briefly, with triumph.

She sprinkled something fragrant over their heads. The contents were supposedly potent enough to override the sense of a Daiyōkai, Cupid had spared no expense with his concoctions and she was grateful for that.

"See you later, baby Sho!"

He felt his brain filling with a lust that made his heart race, "you'd better not kill her Hotaru!" She always did use dirty tricks to get her way. Not that he could blame her, in the face of his brute strength it was only logical that she relied on her mind and played against his arrogance. If the feeling of Sango's nimble fingers in his hair didn't drive him straight off the deep end he may have acknowledged that.

Vaguely, before Sango's lips on his neck could steal his breath, he heard her scream back, "fine! You're so annoying!" The audacity. His hands moved of their own accord, her body demanded his attention and exploration and who was he to deny it? He was no God, not a moral being that could resist the lighting that zagged along his skin.

Sango stood on her tiptoes, pulling Sesshomaru just far enough down to capture his lips with her own. She tasted like the berry lip balm that she'd been gifted from the priestess and he made a note to be just a touch more gracious towards that shrieking nuisance.

Speaking of which.

Her pupils were blown out, encompassing the chestnut of her irises. The wanting that rolled off of her inspired images of her pulling his obi off with her teeth, and exploring every hard line and supple plane with her tongue.

"Slayer, we-," his breath hitched as she focused her attention on his neck, "we have to go help your friends."

"They're fine," was her curt reply, she ran her fingers along his thighs, feather light touches that raised the hair on his neck. One hand found what it had been seeking and his arguments deflated on his lips, a hiss as he gingerly removed her hand from his person.

"Let's not touch that."

"Why?" She rocked against him and he felt everything go blank for a moment, "you don't seem to mind."

But she didn't know what she was doing, not really, and he was technically aware that this wasn't a choice they'd made. He had to stop her and he had to make sure that Hotaru wasn't pulling anything too nasty on her friends, but she was just as forceful in this as she was in anything. And he wasn't that good of a man.

She pulled him downwards by his haori and nipped his ear.

Sesshomaru was being tested, by God, by fate, he didn't know, he wasn't sure, but he had to get them out of there. Quickly, before her touch could cloud his judgment any further, he threw her over his shoulder and took to the skies.

Not that it helped much.

Her scent was driving him out of his mind, her fingers in his hair, her lips near his ears. He didn't know if he wanted to hug or squeeze that blasted firefly, but all he knew was that he'd be getting revenge.

XxXxXxXxXx

InuYasha hadn't had much trouble with destroying the nests once they finally found them. One swing of his sword and the lands were free of the pests.

Kagome surged upwards, pressing her lips to InuYasha's in what was meant to be a quick, chaste expression of delight. She was ready to return to the children and then set out to find a nice spot to camp.

It was InuYasha who sheathed his sword and wrapped his arms about her waist. His thick, silver hair fell over his shoulder, tickling her cheeks and surrounding her in a shimmering curtain.

Like he was proving something to himself.

Then he staggered away, gripping his wrist. She feared that he'd been hurt, bitten by something small, but nasty, but then she looked into his eyes and saw tears.

He wasn't looking at her anymore. His golden gaze was watching Miroku's back, looking as if he longed to do nothing more than grab his wrist and spin him into his chest.

Which made Kagome uncomfortable. He'd assured her that the curse wasn't a romantic one, that Sesshomaru was just a little jerk, and that he was in love with her.

If any of that was true, then why did he stare at Miroku with his heart in his eyes.

"Mir-,"

"Let's just leave. We have things to do." The monk wouldn't turn around, wouldn't speak anymore than he already had, even as InuYasha all but pleaded with him.

"Why is it so hard to be my friend? You can't be angry with me for choosing her. We were," he took a small breath, "we were always meant to be." His voice was weak, fragile as a dried leaf beneath her sneaker.

The monk said nothing, his muscles were clenched beneath his robes, his hands balled into white knuckled fists.

"Miroku," Kagome moved forward, ignoring InuYasha's warning expression. His eyes looked to be so tormented, his shoulders were slumped, and his ears droopy, "what has gotten into you? You've been distant all day. Tell us what's hurting you." She put her hand on his shoulder, but he staggered away as if he had been burned.

"Both of you!" His violet eyes bore through her, a mounting hatred washing away the kindness that he'd always harbored, "just stay away from me!"

"Miroku, I don't understand. I haven't done anything to you! I never meant for Sango to get hurt!" She shook beneath his angry gaze, "I said I was sorry."

"Your consistent negligence aside, we have all accepted your apology for the loss of Sango's life. Your sorry went a long way when we almost buried our best friend." She flinched, but didn't retaliate, "no, my problem is the both of you. I love InuYasha, with all of my heart and soul." He paused after he said that, his gaze searching hers for the hatred and disbelief that he felt he deserved, "and seeing him with you is like sucking in a million poisoned insects, but it would all be worth it if he were at least happy."

She took a step backward, "why would you even think that-," she stopped because she realized that she didn't know if he was happy. He'd professed his love to her, that should have been enough. Her hesitation was enough, Miroku was emboldened by her stuttering, but her wide eyed uncertainty.

"No, instead he wanders after you, endangering his life for you again and again and yet you never appreciate that sacrifice. Everyday you continue to pretend like nothing has changed, like you still live in Tokyo and the world isn't dangerous, but it is. How many times have you gotten him hurt, because you forgot to restock your arrows? Or because you dropped your only weapon?"

Kagome planted herself against the assault, "I wasn't born in this world- this isn't my world and I recognize that! You can't honestly be blaming me because I'm not as amazing as Sango!"

"And it would kill you to pick up some tips from her? You're constantly useless and constantly in the way, but you never make a move to change that."

"Miroku that's enough!" InuYasha grabbed the other man's attention, "you feelings for me don't give you a right to be rude to Kagome. I don't mind protecting her, I've protected all of you at some point or another. It comes with the territory and it's something that I'm happy to do." Miroku's violet eyes made his heart race. He'd never been on the other end of that heated gaze and he wanted it to go away. He wanted him to smile. "I am happy, far happier than I deserve to be."

That didn't help.

The empty, bottomless stare that bore into him made him breathless.

"I knew you were a coward, but I thought you were at least honest." Miroku glared at the binds that kept them close. His anger was boiling over and he needed to be silent, to swallow the dark words that raged inside of him like rice porridge.

"It's none of your business how I fe-," it hadn't been said with the heat of anger, but his whispered desolation was just as bad. He felt the wall he was constructing fall apart. The sticks and twigs that he'd thrown into place snapped beneath the fury that came pouring out of him.

How could he consider that it was only his business when their emotions were interlocked so intimately? Every moment that InuYasha was in Kagome's arms was agony for the both of them. He longed to be with Miroku, he could feel it every time they locked eyes. But all the while it felt like he was alone, left out to sea on a raft and-

"I am drowning in your agony!" He clawed at his own robes, breathing through his teeth as he regarded InuYasha, "no one is going to steal away your family, you big-," he bit down on his insults. They weren't helpful, they were only a manifestation of his own upset. His quiet voice shook, but he forced himself to be calm, "Sango and Shippo will love you regardless of who you love. We are a family made up of mismatched pieces, how could you believe that they would not stay by your side?"

"The only reason I have any of this is because of Kagome."

"You don't owe me anything." Kagome's trembling voice and tear tracked cheeks made them both feel horrible. She was a kind girl and maybe Miroku had gone a touch too far when he was insulting her.

InuYasha stared at the ground for far too long. He was at a loss. Sango would be angry. She'd tear him a new one for hurting Kagome. She'd beat him in the chest and call him stupid, but when he ducked his head beneath her well meaning assault she'd surge to her toes and offer him one of thosebutterfly kisses that he insisted he hated.

But also wouldn't live without.

How many times had she been there for him? If there was always someone who had his back in battle it was Sango. She fought through broken bones and impossible situations for those she held dear and he didn't doubt that she'd die for him as readily as he would die for her.

He wrapped his arms around himself. Sometimes he was stupid. And what did Shippo know about relationships? His loyalty lay with protection and futuristic candies. Shippo was just as desperate for a family as they all were. Who boned who was hardly on his list of things to concern himself with.

Gods he could be stupid.

"And you?" Miroku could see the plea in his eyes, "can you still love me through my stupidity?"

Finally, he smiled. Maybe it wasn't ear splitting and maybe his eyes didn't glitter the way he knew they could, but it was the first expression that wasn't contempt or disgust in days, "always, but I can't watch you with someone else."

There was no compromise in his words..

"But-,"

Miroku put his hand on his cheek, threading his beaded hand within his thick hair, "not until it hurts less." InuYasha bit his lip, raging against the pounding in his heart and mind. The choice was his own to make and maybe he shouldn't have stayed rooted in place as Miroku closed the distance between them.

His lips on InuYasha's brought him to life. All two hundred and fifteen years of his sparkless existence had been leading him to this moment. Miroku's lean body was strong, but his free hand was gentle on InuYasha's cheek, his thumb running along the curve of his cheekbone with an intoxicating tenderness.

He never wanted it to end, but Miroku pulled away.

That one moment, that blip in time and he would carry it in his chest, using it to keep himself warm for as long as he could.

"Oh boy."

Kagome spun around, aiming her bow and arrow at the intruder, her vision swimming in tears. It wasn't everyday that you watched your boyfriend unfold in the arms of one of your close friends.

"Baby Sho is going to be pissed with me." InuYasha pulled away from Miroku, turning to face their opponent.

"What have you done to them?" InuYasha pulled his sword from its sheath, aiming at her.

She rolled onto her side, cradled by the air as her curls hung around her face, "I may have dosed them with a powerful aphrodisiac." She scowled as she turned to face the approaching figure, "usually it's impossible to fight off, but of course. Someone had to be stubborn."

A rock flew from the trees, popping her in the forehead, "baby Sho, don't be that way!"

"You bitch." Sesshomaru's voice was a hitching growl and his fist in the demoness' back was heavy and unexpected, the giggling woman glared up at him. Normally he didn't punch the women in his life, but she deserved it. She always deserved it.

"I'm just trying to help," she insisted. A wicked smile crossed her lips as she watched the demon slayer's assault on his neck take over his mind for a moment. Her tricks never worked this well.

He landed far away from his brother's friends, trying to keep his quivering as private as possible. Right now he was at the slayer's mercy, trying to choke back the moans that bubbled in his throat, "if you'd stayed in the forest with the human you'd be having a splendid time by now." His glassy glare was enough to force her to continue, "don't you see that I had to do this? Your brother was about to break the spell!"

"And why," he took a shaky breath, refusing to let the slayer bring those shameful feelings out of him, "is that so bad." If they were ill matched then it was nobody's business if they got together or didn't.

Hotaru rolled her eyes at him, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "if the spell is broken then both participants lose their heart," she shuddered a bit, "Cupid hates losing hearts."

His slayer bit his earlobe and he clamped his lips down on the sound that bubbled up in his throat, "the sooner you guys bone, the sooner you'll stop being a quivering mess."

His gaze was harsh and she sighed, as if watching him come undone was on her to do list, "you should have left me be when I warned you. There's nothing I can do for you now."

Sango's slick tongue slid along his neck and he felt his control slipping, like he was holding onto something covered in grease. Her long fingers slid within the folds of his haori and he scrambled away from her, turning to grab her hands.

"Will you stop that?" His chest was heaving beneath her drifting gaze.

The predatory smile that manipulated her swollen lips commanded his attention, "tell me you want me to." He failed to suppress the shudder that overtook him the moment the slayer's lips were on his. She wrapped her hands in his hair, tugging his head back and assaulted his neck once more.

"Give me the antidote or I'm breaking the treasure you entrusted me with." He was desperate. His mind was going numb the longer she tugged at him.

"Slayer-,"

She nibbled his earlobe, "say my name." Holy-

"You wouldn't dare!" Hotaru was already approaching though, a vial of something glowing and purple in her hands. He pulled the crudely fashioned whistled from its place and applied pressure to the weakest point.

"I would, now hand it over," his fingers twitched as she shoved the antidote in his hands. He made Sango drink half first and then downed the other half. His mind began to clear almost instantly.

The lust that rocked through him was hardly squashed, but he was in control again.

Sango shook her head, trying to clear the fog once and for all. When she opened her eyes again Sesshomaru's cheeks were red, his eyes golden and hungry.

"What happened to yo- Gods what happened to your neck. You look like you were ravaged." She ran her fingers along the purpling marks that peppered his pale skin.

He gave her a shaky look, "I thought I was the predator," she blushed at that, the memories assaulting her. He'd whimpered so sweetly, it had rid her of all control.

"Are you alright?" Kagome rushed over, trying to focus on anything other than the men who stood too close together behind her.

InuYasha snorted when he approached. His brother, usually, the picture of control and grace, was trembling and battered, "hah! Sango gave you a run for your money."

Sesshomaru didn't try to deny it, "I'm too old for this."

XxXxXxXxXx

Miroku sat beside the fire with Sango, staring into the sky with a kind of forlorn sadness.

"Things can't go right, can they?"

Even if InuYasha broke up with Kagome, dating him, loving him would be out of the question. It would be too cruel.

If their friendship could be salvaged it would be touch and go for a while and InuYasha would be a sore spot.

"Humans are too considerate of one another. Take what you want and go from there, it's not like you'll get out of those cuffs any other way." Sesshomaru was watching Rin sit facing a tree, she'd blatantly refused to apologize to Shippo, claiming he was a 'good for nothing slanderer'.

Shippo sat at the same tree. His pride ran just as deeply. He'd apologize to that rotten human over his cold dead body.

And so they sat in isolation, only allowed up to eat or relieve themselves.

"What would you know about friendship," Miroku stared pointedly at the servant that Sesshomaru treated with nothing but abuse and contempt.

"I know that it's not necessary. I also know that the only person who will put you first is you. If you're in love with my half-wit brother then be in love with him, sickening as that idea is."

Fear. Conflicted. Upset. And then Miroku was stumbling after him, being dragged through the woods as InuYasha moved farther away.

"Sesshomaru!" Sango glared up at him, fixing him with one of her nastier sneers.

He rolled his eyes, ruffling her hair until it was frizzy and she was struggling under his hand.

"What's the problem? InuYasha doesn't brush his hair, he's basically brain dead, and I'm pretty sure I saw him eat fish off of the floor."

She smiled up at him, struggling to finger comb her hair back into place.

"Maybe if he'd been raised by-,"

"Drop it." The mirth in his eyes went out and everything around him seemed to be sucked inwards, the darkness that surrounded him pulsed with a cool nothingness.

"Lord Sesshomaru doesn't like to talk about Master InuYasha." Rin reminded her. Sango nodded.

"Yeah, sorry. Let's um," she stood on her knees, kissing one of the magenta stripes on his cheek, "I'm sorry. I didn't know that was a sore spot. Forgive me?"

He searched her expression for something and he seemed to find it.

She laughed as he shoved her back onto her butt, "you're forgiven."

Kagome came back in that moment and crawled into Sango's embrace. She didn't say a word, but she didn't need to.

Sango held her tight regardless.

A.N./ also. Keep an eye out. I wrote ALOT this weekend and as I edit the chapters get posted