InuYasha insisted on sleeping in the woods to give Kagome space. He told Miroku that he didn't care if his brother thought same sex couples were sickening. When was he ever Sesshomaru's idea of acceptable? And why would he care now?

He didn't.

Of course Miroku didn't buy it. He could feel InuYasha's turmoil, but his attempt to convince him that they should talk and clear things up fell on deaf ears.

So now they were camping twenty feet into the woods, listening to the crickets.

"Where do we stand?" InuYasha asked suddenly. He was watching his own hair shimmer in the moonlight.

"We can't do that to her. Not so soon."

Fair, but InuYasha longed to feel that wholeness again, even if it was only for a moment. He was quick, like lightning, and the kiss he stole was meant to be a peck. A quick meeting of lips that would hold him over until things could be normal.

But Miroku was a lecher if nothing else. His hands gripped InuYasha's hips and flipped him so that silver hair spilled along the forest floor.

"If you're going to steal a kiss, do it right." His tongue flicked across his lip and his exploration gave InuYasha a moment of breathless exhilaration. Giving himself over to Miroku was one of the easiest things he'd ever done.

And when the younger man pulled away from him, violet eyes looking black in the shadows, he didn't know how he ever breathed without Miroku's lips on his.

XxXxXxXxXx

Sesshomaru watched the slayer decimate that priestess. She was gentle as she fixed her stances and helped her with balance, but there was no training that could protect the other woman from the sheer magistry that was his demon slayer.

She was fast, a deadly and precise blur that confused and pinned her enemy within moments.

"You might be better off with some strength training," Sango had insisted gently, after she scraped her friend off of the floor for the tenth time in as many minutes, "you're not going to do much damage if you're so weak."

"Strength comes in time. Maybe you should try sword practice?" Sesshomaru was having a grand time watching her fight, he would hate for her to call it quits so soon.

"Sword training comes after hand to hand combat." Sango insisted sternly, her hands on her hips. She knew what he was playing at, "there's no point in teaching her to swing a sword if she's just going to drop it."

He shrugged, almost imperceptibly, and got comfortable. If she wasn't going to put on a show for him then he wasn't quite sure what he was doing there.

They were doing push ups, but Sango was still making conversation, "so why do you suddenly want to learn to fight? I thought you were more of a healer than anything."

"Just felt...right.." that wasn't what he'd heard. He'd overheard the monk's vicious rant when he was trying to block out the slayer's advances and, while everything he'd said had been tinged in rage and jealousy, it was all true. She was constantly putting everyone else in danger by being defenseless. He imagined she was the kind of girl to be kidnapped a lot.

Meanwhile, Rin and Shippo both sat sullen on either side of him. It had been forty eight hours now and neither had spoken a kind word to the other. Secretly, he was amazed at their resilience. But on another note he wondered if he was setting a bad example for Rin. It wasn't like her to be so fiercely aggressive and he entertained the idea that his attitude towards InuYasha was only feeding into her bad behavior.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I need to tinkle." Rin needed to tinkle every hour on the hour. And it had long since started to sound suspicious.

"If you and Shippo apologize to one another you could go play," he reminded her. She gave him the sassiest face she dared to pull.

"I won't apologize to that pitiful excuse for a demon." She lifted her nose to the air, "I'm surprised he's even considered a demon. Half height, half heart, half a personality. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he were nothing more than a half demon." He really needed to start watching what he said around her- and maybe in general.

He was gentle when he bopped her in the head, "enough. You will behave or you will continue to be punished."

"But this isn't fair." She stomped her bare feet in the grass, "Jaken never gets in trouble for defending you! How come you're being so mean to me for doing the same thing."

He had no answer. A servant should be pleasant, but that was clearly false. Jaken was unpleasant by design and always had been. It had never bothered him.

"Don't question me, Rin."

He could feel the slayer's amusement from across the way and while he wasn't looking at her, he was sure she was smiling.

"But my Lord!" He wasn't used to her defiance and he found it irritated him. She was barely nine years old and she was already arguing?

When he offered her complete silence she turned to appeal the decision, "Miss. Sango! Please help me make Lord Sesshomaru understand that he's being unfair!"

The slayer instructed the priestess to keep working and strolled over, all smiles, "I don't know if I can help you Rin, Sesshomaru is a stubborn wretch some days," he scowled at her and she offered him the brightest, most shit eating grin she could manage on such short notice.

"But my guess is that he doesn't see you as a servant so much as someone he cares for. You're a direct reflection on him, so if you grow up to be violent and unpleasant -even though he's violent and generally unpleasant- then he didn't do his job as a guardian. And Gods forbid he receives less than perfect results."

Sesshomaru was about to deny her very accurate assessment, to call them both insane and demand Rin's thoughtless obedience when he felt something slithering along his collar.

His blood ran cold and this time, the slayer did laugh. She reached forward and plucked the intruder from his chest.

"Still scared of worms oh fearless Lord Sesshomaru?" He watched her dangle it near her own face, inspecting it for something he hoped she'd find quickly. They were disgusting, the vultures of the insect world. And they were so naked. Gods there was no match for such a creature and he wanted nothing more than for her to throw it into the forest and be done with it.

"Oh," he felt the mischief before her lips could twist to reflect it, "and about what I told Rin? Was I right?" She squatted before him, the squirming creature threatening to fall upon his hakama.

"Yes, you were. Now get rid of it. You terrible woman." He watched her walk until the chain pulled and he made certain that she released the creature, "who will want a woman as evil as you?"

She shrugged, tilting his head back with more sass than was legal, "last I checked there was an evil man that had quite a thing for evil women."

He huffed at her, "poor man."

XxXxXxXxXx

InuYasha was irritable. Sesshoma had no choice but to follow them and he knew he should be grateful that he was being so cooperative. It wouldn't be hard for him to fly away with Sango tucked under his arm.

The longer he thought on it, the more he realized that the amount of compassion and indulgence that he showed Sango was actually unimaginable. And so, he should be grateful, but right now he wasn't. The new moon was rapidly approaching and if they couldn't find some place to settle down before then, his secret would be out.

He trusted his friends with his life, but there was someone with them that he didn't trust.

"Sesshomaru, slow down!" Sango was lagging behind him, walking as if she were in great pain. The extreme and obvious displeasure in his face reminded InuYasha that he was far from kind, even if he could be tolerant.

He scooped her up, never breaking stride, but she protested that as well, "I want to walk. I just want you to slow down!"

Part of InuYasha wanted to confront Sesshomaru once and for all, to tie him to a tree and force him to talk everything out. Ever since Sesshomaru had gotten so hurt fighting with Sango he'd been losing his loathing one day at a time.

But the feeling wasn't mutual. According to the human kid he was still on the top ten list of things that Sesshomaru couldn't stand. And to make matters worse? He found him sickening.

So, as much as InuYasha wanted to put the past behind them, to extend the olive branch for everyone's sake, he wouldn't.

Which left him with the same problem that he had ten minutes ago. How would he hide his transformation from the other man's acute sense of smell? Hell, how would he hide from his eyes?

Sango broke his reverie, grabbing the arm that wasn't attached to Miroku and whining about a break.

"Get your boyfriend to carry you again."

"He's not my boyfriend," she cried, "and his armor is uncomfortable. Come on," she grabbed his arm, fully intending on annoying him with her dramatics, "I know you're hungry! We haven't even stopped for lunch!"

"Why is it that I'm the only one who actually wants to find Naraku." He was irritable and he was stressed and so he was lashing out. Perfect. Sometimes he wondered why he was such a mess.

"InuYasha," Miroku's voice was a warning, "why don't we just take a break? We can find something to eat and rest our feet a bit." The monk was always people pleasing. There was no need for a break and he'd curse himself purple if he had to stop so early in the day after they wasted so much time playing soldier that morning.

"We don't need to take a break."

Sango's temper flared, licking at her shortened fuse as the stubborn man kept walking. Honestly. There were some days when she loved InuYasha as dearly as a brother, but then there were others when she wanted to put hiraikotsu to his neck and pull.

Today was one of those days that she wanted to pull.

She felt hiraikotsu leave her hands and she glared icy, threatening daggers at Sesshomaru. He paid them no mind, "give it back! He deserves whatever comes to him!"

"You're being really whiny today, Sango. I think you and Shippo must have switched personalities." She didn't need hiraikotsu to smack him across the face. It was too late for him to back down now. His cheek stung from the impact.

"Stop being a jerk and let's just take a break! Most of us are human and humans need breaks."

"Then stop being so weak!"

Sesshomaru intervened in that moment, grabbing her balled up fist before she could knock any more of his brain cells loose, "we are stopping. You carry on if you so choose, but the rest of your party is dragging."

"You too? You're the one who doesn't sleep!" InuYasha spun on his brother, about to take his irritation out on him instead, but then he paused. He leaned in close, sniffing Sango as if he were a puppy and she was a stranger. "Sango are you bleeding? Did you get hurt?"

Her face darkened with rage and embarrassment. She'd told him that she needed to stop, but no. He had some arbitrary deadline to meet. She yanked hiraikotsu from Sesshomaru's hands, swinging it at InuYasha with murderous intentions.

"I smell like blood because I'm bleeding down my leg you inconsiderate beast!" She barely missed him with her first swing of hiraikotsu, "but you wanted to argue! Now it's everywhere! When it's your time of the month no one," swing, "says a word! If InuYasha wants to take a break," she narrowly missed him that time, "we take a break! But the moment I ask, it's an ordeal?"

Sesshomaru was, once again, InuYasha's savior, "we can get you all cleaned up while the monk explains the miracle of the reproductive system to the dumbest man alive," he shouldered her weapon, "I bet he'll even catch you a nice fish to make up for the fact that he almost convinced you to kill him."

InuYasha couldn't see how that last bit was something he should apologize for, but he could admit that he, maybe, didn't have all the facts.

"We'll get the fire started." InuYasha was still behind Miroku, "and while I act as the group's do it boy, Miroku can explain to me the wonders of life."

"Now to be fair, you wouldn't have to do all the fishing if you had been kind to Sango in the beginning." Miroku had tried to warn him, but no. He'd acted stupidly and now they were stuck with all of the chores.

"You said the miracle of the reproductive system." His brain was working too slowly and he spun to face the woods where they'd only just disappeared, "Did you get Sango pregnant?" InuYasha didn't think he deserved the rock to his face.

But fine.

Sango came back in long, soft pants, the same kind that Kagome had taken to wearing ever since Sango's death and a shirt that seemed painted on, held together by straps over her shoulders.

The evil look in her eyes made InuYasha skittish. If he were being honest.

"You look like a real modern woman."

Heavy glaring.

He fidgeted, "look. I'm sorry alright? I didn't know women just spontaneously started bleeding!

"How did you not know that?" She was still massively angry with him, "you're at least two hundred years old!"

"Only if you consider the time when I was stuck to a tree and how could I know? My mother died when I was five years old, it wasn't like I had anyone to teach me about useless stuff like that."

She sighed, her anger leaving her. Guilt tickled the back of her mind and, if Sesshomaru weren't entertaining Rin by explaining- for the fifteenth time- why she wasn't allowed to drown Shippo in a puddle, she'd say it was his own.

"You can't use the 'my mother died when I was five' card for everything you know."

He smiled at her, passing her a fish, "I can if it works."

"Look, we can find a village or something to relax in tomorrow and we can stay until you're all ...dry. Does that work for you?"

She swallowed the fish that was in her mouth, "I'd be far more touched if the moon wasn't disappearing. I know what you're playing at, half demon." His eyes darted to Sesshomaru and she realized, belatedly, that Sesshomaru didn't know when InuYasha transformed.

"I suppose it's better than you leading us around in the pitch black." She amended, going back to her fish.

"Miss. Sango! Please tell Lord Sesshomaru that I shouldn't have to apologize in order to go play!" It would seem she was still being punished regardless of their breakthrough.

"Sango has nothing to do with your punishment, you can -,"

He could suddenly feel every single pair of eyes upon him. It was unsettling.

"You called me by my name."

And he didn't know why that felt like such an intimate thing all of a sudden. People had names. It wasn't strange or inappropriate to use them, but with her beaming at him like that he wasn't quite sure if humans viewed names the same way.

"So," the monk was wearing the most serene, insufferable, all knowing look and he wanted nothing more than to rip the skin from his face, "she's Sango is she? I don't think you've ever spoken any of our names, barring InuYasha of course."

Kagome was quick to hop on the bandwagon, "no, Miroku, I think names are reserved for people that he likes or respects. With Sango," she let the name come slowly, "I think it's a mix of both. He respects her as a fighter, but let us not forget," she opened her pink device and his voice cracked over the speakers.

My Pretty, pretty slayer

With her pretty, pretty hair

My pretty, pretty slayer

She fights like a demon

But she looks like an angel

He could feel himself blushing and he didn't want to stoop to their level, but they were replaying it and singing along as if they were drunken bandits and the song reminded them of home.

"Will you guys stop teasing Sesshomaru?" Sango reached across the fire, gently shutting the phone that had his voice playing on loop. He could feel his cheeks darkening as she cuddled up to him, "you know he's petty."

XxXxXxXxXx

Koga's presence couldn't have been avoided for much longer and Kagome knew that, but when he came speeding up to them she found she simply wasn't in the mood to watch them fight.

"Hello, Kagome," every word was a growl with him as if he'd only just learned human speech, "I see you don't smell like mutt, today." He held her hands within his, fixing his arrogant, blue gaze on her.

"Koga, how are you?"

Sesshomaru watched the priestess fight off his advances, trying to deflect his compliments and send him on his way. That wolf, however, was as stubborn and as arrogant as wolves could come.

His infatuation gave Sesshomaru a wicked idea. Slowly, silently, he slid out of view, blowing on the end of the short, wooden whistle that he'd be gifted when he first left home.

'If you ever miss me, blow this whistle and your best friend will come running!'

She'd been a little cocky with the 'best friend' comment, but regardless he'd kept her treasured item safe and with him. He supposed, when she wasn't hexing him, giving him embarrassing nicknames, or trying to bed him, she was kind of, almost his best friend.

He guessed.

"Oh, what do you want! Here to throw some more of that aphrodisiac all over us?"

That was quick.

Sango watched from Kagome's side as the spritely woman let her feet touch the ground. It was the first time she'd been able to gauge her full height.

And she was more of a nymph than a sprite. She was tall and lean, shapely and graceful. Sango felt a burning in her chest as the other woman approached Sesshomaru.

"Have you finally decided that you're in love with me?" Her fingers were clasped behind her back, her barely closed kimono seemed to pop open ever further as she leaned in, feet suddenly hovering over the earth. Even her shadows were dainty.

"Not on your life." He leaned closer to her, whispering something that Sango didn't stand a chance of making out.

She beamed at that, "and what's in it for me? Because it seems to me that you're asking a favor."

He rolled his eyes in that indulgent way of his, the same way she'd only seen him do to her or Rin. She began to wonder if this Hotaru was a warrior, if her bright hair and tinkling laugh could defend her from her boomerang.

"I want to spend the entire day with you, your friends, and your human lover."

"I have no lover, and I have no friends, you know this. The sooner you finish with your silly games and release me from these chains, the better off we'll all be."

Sango was suddenly reminded of how single Sesshomaru truly was. Drug induced delusions aside, he'd given her no indication that he was the least bit interested in her.

Outside of sexually, of course.

She felt jealousy rolling in her chest like storm clouds.

What did she care? Flirting with him was great fun and he looked as if the God of Beauty had taken a chisel and a special interest to his jaw, but so what? Didn't mean she cared who he flirted with.

Hotaru ruffled his hair, dodging his violent swiping and hovered near Koga, "is it a deal or isn't it?"

He waved his hand in response. She hoped against hope that it meant no. The idea of spending the day with the tall, beautiful, demoness wasn't in the least bit appealing.

Even if she didn't care who he liked.

She stared at her bracelet, only one of the four lights had been lit.

Sango glanced back upwards to see her weaving that nasty little spell of hers, but before she could warn Kagome, the luminescent cuff wove itself around her wrists.

"What in the hell is this, lady?" Koga pulled his sword from his hip, slamming the steel into the magic until the sword snapped.

"Wait," Sango turned to see Sesshomaru with his head bent. Pure amusement came filtering through the bond and she came around the bend to see the brightest smile on his face, "did you call her here to curse them?"

He hasn't stopped smiling at her and she wondered if he could hear her heart fluttering in her chest, "you heard them last night, slayer. They all thought they were so funny." His clawed finger ran along her cheek, "even if I don't regret a word I've said, they must pay."

XxXxXxXxXx

InuYasha walked with Sango as Sesshomaru and his psychotic childhood friend walked a few paces behind them. If it weren't for the vanishing daylight he would be having a field day teasing Sango about the murderous expression she was wearing.

"Sho, you don't understand!" She'd cry, ample cleavage pressed against his brother's shoulder. It was rare that her stories even made any sense, for the most part she'd trail off and talk about something new. InuYasha could barely hide his surprise. Sesshomaru was notorious for being quiet and concise. To know that he surrounded himself with chatty, dizzy companions was an interesting find.

"Will you move?" Sango turned just in time to see Sesshomaru shove the other woman into the dirt. Her face had been a hair away, like she planned to kiss him should he have allowed it.

"You seem," InuYasha was smirking at her as he pretended to root around for the perfect word. The innocent he feigned would be the death of her.

"Don't say it InuYasha. I swear to God!"

"Don't say what?" He batted his big, golden eyes at her, "do you know what word I'm looking for? I just can't," he sighed heavily, like the world was on his shoulders, "what is it!"

"I swear!" She hoisted her hiraikotsu over her head.

"Oh, my dear, jealous Sango."

A beaded hand on her butt delayed her assault on InuYasha and redirected it to the monk in question, "you irritating, lecherous, delinquent monk!" The sound of flesh on flesh echoed between their group and Sesshomaru shook his hand, as if his assault of the other side of Miroku's face stung.

"There was a bug."

Sango couldn't help, but giggle as Miroku stood there rubbing his cheek, "he put his back into that one." While she didn't mind the help, she hadn't expected him to care. Especially since he was caught up with Hotaru.

"You DO LIKE HER!"

Embarrassment rushed her, but it wasn't her own. Sango watched as he covered the other woman's mouth, muttering something that she couldn't hear.

InuYasha was smiling, staring worriedly at the sun, "he's telling her to go home before he disembowels her."

Sango watched him release the demoness that refused to remove their chains and for the eight fifth time that day she wondered if he had feelings for the looney woman that floated beside him. It wouldn't be impossible. For what Hotaru lacked in mental continuity she made up for in raw, feminine wonder. She was easily one of the most enchanting women Sango had ever seen and so it wouldn't surprise her in the least if being chained to her was a punishment from a vexed girlfriend.

"Until next time," her lips brushed against his and he immediately sent a rock after her retreating form. Sango didn't realize she'd thrown hiraikotsu until it landed back in her hand.

She shouldn't have cared at all.

"She suits you, baby Sho. She's just as violent as you are," and then, holding her injured side, Hotaru darted off into the dusk.

Without the added distraction, InuYasha began to grow nervous. Sesshomaru and Koga were bound to find out about his transformation and, while he trusted his friends to protect him, he was nervous.

They had no loyalty to him, no reason to keep their mouth's shut. He wouldn't even be able to hide with Sango or Kagome, it was just him and Miroku.

"Sango," InuYasha turned towards her, his eyes darting to the horizon and then back to Sesshomaru. It pained her to know that he couldn't trust his own brother, but in the end it was Sesshomaru that had earned that distrust.

Scrambling, she all but threw herself over a rock in the path, "ow, ow." She was playing at being a damsel, throwing her hand over her forehead and drawing Sesshomaru in.

"Are you alright?" Rin skipped to her side, kneeling in the dirt to inspect the ankle that Sango whined over.

"Yes, I'm fine! InuYasha, you and Miroku go on ahead. I'll just sit here and catch my breath." She graciously accepted Sesshomaru's help off of the ground, trying to pretend to be in pain.

She'd done more damage to her knees than her ankle, if she was being honest.

Kagome paused and glanced nervously between the fragmented groups, "Koga, I've always wanted to know how fast you were. Can't you carry me around the village? Just once? I don't want to tire you out." Sango watched as Koga came to life, no longer sulking about being cursed.

"Tire me out? I'll take you around the village a dozen times before I even break a sweat!"

Sango almost wished that Sesshomaru was as simple minded as Koga.

They sat there until the sun was well below the horizon, "so what's my prize for pretending to buy that lame acting attempt?" The night was dark as ink, but she could hear the smile in his voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

His laugh was so pretty when he wasn't bullying her.

"Let me tell you a secret. I was born on a night where the moon was disappearing." He pointed to the crescent on his forehead, "meaning?"

Her shoulders slumped, "you knew all along?"

"Since he was a tiny baby."

A.N./ petty Sesshomaru is best Sesshomaru.