Disclaimer - I don't own InuYasha. If I did, I wouldn't be sitting here at the computer dreaming, I would be back in the bedroom . . . ahem, never mind that last thought. I don't own InuYasha, okay?





Author's Notes: Well, here it is, another chapter. And a whole one, at that : ) Wow, what do you know? Hehe, anyway, as always, thank you to all my reviewers, and especially all of you who answered my question : ) This chapter is dedicated to you guys (and gals) : ) Now, as for my writer's block, let me magnify on that . . . it's not that I don't have ideas of where to go . . . my problem is figuring out how to go about getting them to happen naturally. I'm a firm believer in not forcing my writing, which makes it a pain when my mind goes "okay, this is what I want to happen . . . now how do I make it come about?" Sort of throws a wrench in the works. But the good news is . . . THIS is the chapter that was holding me up. I just couldn't figure out how to go about getting Sango and Miroku together, mainly cause I know so little about their characters.

Okay, and here is my challenge / request to you all : ) Do you have things you would like to see happen? (Other than killing Kikyo guys, I'm not gonna do it, sorry : ) I'd like to, I'm not fond of that . . . ahem . . . woman, but if I kill off characters, I throw off the series. Not that I haven't done that already, but . . . *shrugs*. I just don't like killing off main characters . . . well, except for in Innocent Blood, but that was a one shot, so it doesn't count.) So, if you have ideas, things you think you might like to see happen here, go ahead and mention it. All ideas are considered . . . hell, the reason this chapter came about is cause someone mentioned that I might want to elaborate on the Sango / Miroku pairing a ways back. (You know who you are, my biggest thanks bud) So, enough of my rambling, on with the fic that you've all been waiting for . . . and NO ROTTEN TOMATOES! I hate tomatoes . . . throw mushrooms or something if you have to . . . or better yet, Inu dolls : )



*retreats back to her writing desk to drool over the pics she has of Sephiroth and InuYasha and to contemplate the rest of the story*









Chapter 8 - Interludes



Sango glanced towards Kaede's hut, not surprised to find the steps occupied by a brooding hanyou. He had not moved an inch since turning Kagome over into Kaede's care. Sango sighed and smiled gently to herself.

"They love each other so much . . . but each is so afraid of rejection by the other . . . and worried about each other." She shook her head. "Maybe now a new path will be cleared for them."

"Their path will never be clear, Sango. But now perhaps there are a few less obstacles for them to surmount," a voice murmured behind her.

Glancing over her shoulder, she was amused to see Miroku settled on a tree stump nearby. He appeared to have been meditating. Of course, from where he was sitting he also would have had a good seat for the village women washing clothes in the public basin, so . . . who knew what he might have actually been up to. She sighed, turning back to look at InuYasha as she heard Miroku stand. If only he weren't such a lecherous, perverted, groping . . .but then again, she supposed he couldn't help it. That hole in his hand was steadily getting worse . . . and if he wanted his family line to continue on, he'd need to father a child soon . . . or they'd have to defeat Naraku.

She jumped as she felt a hand on her . . . shoulder? She turned slightly to find Miroku standing beside her, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder, the other holding his staff at his side.

"Seeing them go through all of this . . . ." It was his turn to sigh. "Sango . . ."

"Yes Miroku?" she asked, trying vainly to keep the anxious hope out of her voice.

Miroku ran his hand abruptly through his hair. How was he supposed to start? What InuYasha and he had talked about had been stewing in his head for over a month now, and after seeing everything Kagome and InuYasha had gone through . . . well, it suddenly made a whole lot of sense.

Sango, watching him, held her breath hopefully. Would he finally act on InuYasha's advice? And what in the world would she say to him if he did?

Miroku stared into her eyes and sighed mentally. Oh yeah, he was hooked. Sango was the only woman he ever thought about any more. The fondling and groping was just habit now . . . any time he did it, it was her in his mind.

InuYasha watched the two stare at each other, their heads inching slowly closer, and resisted the urge to go push them together. "They look like a couple of rabbits before a hawk!" he mumbled. "Come on, you hentai priest . . . just kiss her already."

Miroku became slowly aware of a pair of golden amber eyes burning holes into his head. Suddenly embarrassed, he backed away from Sango, his cheeks flushed. " I . . . I have to go check on Shippo," he mumbled quickly. With that, he turned and walked off, leaving Sango to stare after him in confusion. There was a loud smacking sound from the direction of Kaede's hut.

Sango glanced toward's the sound to find InuYasha on the ground, cradling his head in his hand and pushing himself up out of the dirt with the other. "What in the world . . ."

"That stupid . . . idiot . . . moronic . . ." InuYasha grumbled. "What a baka!" He shook his head. "And next time, don't hit yourself so hard."



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The sun was high in the noon sky of the next day when Miroku approached InuYasha.

"Still nothing?" he queried the hanyou gently. InuYasha snorted.

"Kaede says she may sleep for a few days at least. 'The sudden abrupt manifestation of her fully untrained miko abilities took a lot out of her.'" From his tone of voice, Miroku could tell he was quoting Kaede word for word - and none to happy about it either.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, InuYasha. The two of you have had a very bumpy road to travel together . . ." He stopped as InuYasha snorted.

"No kidding, priest. I'm the last person you need to tell that to." He shifted, leaning back to glare up at Miroku. "You, on the other hand, need to start listening to your own damn advice."

"I'm finding out that it is much harder to take advice then to give it."

"Feh." InuYasha resisted the urge to plant a foot in Miroku's rump with difficulty. His eyes lit up as he spied Sango heading into his forest. 'Perfect!' he thought. 'It'll give them a chance to be alone . . . and it looks like she's heading for the stream. Now, how to get Miroku . . . ah-ha!" He mentally rubbed his hands together in glee. "Miroku . . ."

"Hmmm?"

"Kaede asked me for a fresh bucket of water a bit ago, but I'd rather not go too far from the hut at the moment, so would you mind . . .?"

"I would be glad to." Miroku moved off towards the stream with a bucket in hand, unaware of the smirking hanyou lounging behind him.



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Sango dove into the stream, relishing the feel of the cooled water sliding over her skin. 'He was so close . . .!' she thought. In the month's since she'd joined up with InuYasha and the others, she'd grown closer to them. They had become like a second family to her . . . all except Miroku, who's become so much more. He was so . . .

"Lecherous, perverted . . . understanding, sweet, gently, strong, brave . . ." she mumbled to herself as she broke the surface. She sighed, pushing her water soaked hair out of her eyes. He was like no one she had ever met . . . . then again, each member of the group was unique in some way. InuYasha was pretty obvious . . . Shippo with his ever fun loving attitude . . . Kagome with her caring and warmth . . . and then there was Miroku.

She sighed again, stepping out of the water and dressing quickly. They all had their reasons for being together. "Kohaku," she murmured, misery suddenly engulfing her. She'd been fighting it all day, and had come out here alone in the hopes that it would help. She sat on a warm stone by the stream, staring dejectedly into the running water.

"Today would have been your twelfth birthday . . . happy birthday, little brother." She wiped absently at the tears coursing down her face. Her family . . . her whole life had been taken from her by Naraku. What would she do when the quest ended, and their enemy was destroyed? She had no where to go . . . nothing else to live for . . .

Miroku set the bucket down silently where he had been standing as Sango's frame began to shake with the force of her sobs. Approaching her quietly, he gently sat down next to her and took her carefully in his arms. She was stiff and tense at first, but relaxed as his hands stayed gently at her back. She sobbed into his shoulder, her fists clenched in his robes, as he murmured calming words to her softly. Gradually, her shoulders ceased to shake and her sobs died off. He leaned back, tipping her face to look into her eyes.

"Sango . . ." he murmured. "You were thinking about your brother again, weren't you?" She nodded slightly.

"Today would have been his birthday," she sighed. Unconsciously, her fists clenched again. "Naraku took everything from me . . ."

"He didn't take your life."

"What good is my life with no family . . . no home . . . all I have left is my revenge . . ."

Miroku shook her slightly. "You still have us, Sango. InuYasha . . . Kagome, Shippo . . . me . . ." His voice trailed off as he looked into her shadowed eyes. Almost unconsciously, he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own in a gently kiss.

Sango closed her eyes, a slight blush staining her cheeks as she leaned into the kiss, her hands resting gently against his chest. Miroku's hands strayed not an inch below an appropriate level, much to her surprise. He broke away after a few moments to look down at her, waiting anxiously for the slap he was sure was coming. Surprisingly, all Sango did was to lean her head into his chest with a sigh.

"Sango . . ." he murmured hesitantly, "when this is over . . . if I live to defeat Naraku . . . would you . . ." his voice trailed off. She leaned back to look up at him.

"Would I . . . what, Miroku?" she asked quietly. He sighed.

"I have no right to ask this of you now. I'm being selfish . . . and you've been hurt enough." He stood carefully. She stood with him, catching his hand as he turned to walk away.

"Miroku . . . please, tell me . . ."

"I love you," he said simply. "If we . . . if we survive to beat Naraku . . . I would be honored if you would . . . if you would remain by my side . . . as my wife."

She walked around him to his front to look in his face. He was staring at the ground. She raised his face gently till he was looking at her. "I love you too." His eyes widened in surprise as she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Hesitantly, he returned the embrace, marveling at his good fortune.

Behind them, hidden by the trees, a certain meddling hanyou crossed his arms in pride. "Feh. It's about damn time."