Maybe Someday: A Miroku/Sango Love Story

*Disclaimer: * Feh. As if I could ever author an incredibly popular manga, that has been running for seven years and counting, has had two movies made of it besides an animated series, and has 14-18% of the population of Japan watching it.

A/N: Many many thanks to my reviewers. As a reminder: IY/Kag fans don't read, since they're not going to be in there. I'm pretty sure you could find an approximate 3000 or so fics with that couple. Another reminder: as always, flames, suggestions and reviews are all highly welcome.

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Sango woke up to find a body was blocking the heat from the fire. She looked up and saw an enrobed figure carrying a staff.

"Houshi-sama," Sango whispered, "what are you doing…?" Miroku laid down his staff and knelt by Sango. He still said nothing. Sango raised herself up slightly also.

Quietly, Miroku embraced Sango and still without words, kissed her. His mouth found hers, kissing her gently, tenderly. Sango couldn't speak; instead, she relaxed into Miroku's strong, warm embrace, returning the kiss fervently. Slowly, he deepend the kiss, and Sango found herself drowning in a beautiful oblivion….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sango jerked awake.

She was firmly on her sleeping mat, the thin blankets tangled in her limbs. Across the fire, in his usual position, was Miroku, staff always at hand. Sango's heart was still beating quickly, and she placed a hand to her chest.

'Did I just dream…that Miroku kissed me?' Sango thought in surprise. 'But how? Why? Of all people, that lecherous, cheating, womanizing….*monk* …who's also strong, brave, good-looking, courageous, good-looking…' Sango stopped herself before she could get any further.

The previous day had been a bit awkward for the whole group. Miroku was introverted, seemingly avoiding Sango completely. Sango, for her part, was puzzling out the monk's strange behaviour, and didn't even pay attention to Kirara. Kagome was trying to figure out the two's strange manner and trying to get them to cheer up. Inuyasha was impatient and short-tempered because they hadn't found any Jewel shards in the past few days and Kagome was rationing the ramen. Shippou was the only one to seemingly not have noticed how everyone was acting, but even he gave up talking when he realized no one was listening and went to pour his woes to Kirara.

So it was a relief to everyone when Inuyasha grudgingly decided it was time to make camp, hoping that the next day would put them at their ease and have a return to 'normalcy.'

So why had Sango been dreaming of the monk kissing her?

Sango looked across the fire at Miroku for the second time in as many nights. The dying embers shadowed the upper part of his face, but Sango could make out the even, steady up-and-down of his chest. She smiled slightly, glad to see the troubled monk at his ease.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Look, a village!" Kagome cried happily as they crested a hill. Sango and Miroku came hurriedly to look at the village. It was rather large, almost a town, too big to be a village. At one end, a shrine could be seen. The streets bustled with people, as street vendors hawked their goods and housewives haggled for prices. Along one end of the main street, tents were set up, bright pennants flying from their apexes.

"Let's go get out fortunes told!" suggested Kagome, as they found that one of the tents was indeed a fortune-teller's tent.

"Feh. I don't need to be told my future," Inuyasha said dismissively.

"Fine. You stay here," Shippou said. "I wanna go get my fortune told too, Kagome!"

"How much do we need to pay?" Miroku asked. The old hag who was the fortune teller hobbled out of her tent after hearing the ruckus the company made.

"Ye'd have yer fortune told fer free," she rasped, gazing at Miroku with admiration.

"Thank you, gracious lady," Miroku said, bowing deeply.

'Turning on that old 'charm' again, even on an old lady,' Sango thought with disgust. 'Does he ever get enough?'

Miroku entered the surprisingly spacious tent with the old woman. He knelt on the very cheap tatami mat, stained with age, while the fortune-teller slowly lowered her frail form onto the floor. Once seated she instructed Miroku.

"Now, boy," she wheezed, "sit perfectly still. Close your eyes and relax your mind." Miroku did as he was told, slipping easily into a meditative state. As if from far away, he heard the woman murmur arcane words, her gnarled hands dancing in midair. After some time- he didn't know how long- she stopped her mumbling and snapped her fingers in front of Miroku's face.

"What have you seen in my future?" he asked amusedly, wanting to know what kind of cheap junk she was going to throw at him.

"My boy," she said slowly, "I will tell ye something very painful. Ye will die within the fortnight- and ye shall take yer beloved with ye also."

"Lady," Miroku said, still amused, "while I do not doubt your abilities, the last time I was told I was to die was by my old foster-father who was playing a joke on me."

"I do not joke!" she hissed. "That curse in your right hand shall consume ye and the one you love before the fortnight is done. And if not that…" she shrugged. "If not that, then some other disaster shall kill ye and the one you love before the fortnight is done."

'How- how could she know about the curse?' Miroku asked. 'And how could she have known about…perhaps she really is telling the truth.'

"Yes," said the woman. "I do tell the truth."

Miroku didn't doubt the fortune-teller now. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked, though he kept his voice emotionless.

"Yes," the hag replied. "If ye can journey to the Lake of Crystal Waters, and take a sip of water from the blessed lake, then ye shall survive."

"Where is this lake?" Miroku asked, still keeping his voice low and flat.

"East of the sun and west of the moon," she replied. Seeing the look on Miroku's face, she added, "It is not impossible. Ye shall find it." With that, the woman clamped her lips together and refused to say more.

'East of the sun and west of the moon,' thought Miroku as he exited the tent. His face set. 'I will leave- tonight.'

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"Inuyasha," Miroku said that night, after making sure the other three companions were asleep.

"What do you want now?" Inuyasha asked, annoyed. 'Even hanyou need sleep,' he thought to himself.

"I'm leaving."

"What the hell?" Inuyasha burst out, fully awake now.

"Sh! Quiet!" Miroku hissed, a hand over Inuyasha's mouth. "I'm leaving. I'm going by myself to the Lake of Crystal Waters. If I can take a sip of water from that lake, then I improve my chances of living."

"I don't know what kind of fool streak has gotten into you lately," Inuyasha said, "but you're not going to go! Naraku will take that opportunity to try to write you off. You're vulenrable without me and Tetsusaiga."

Miroku stood up. "You may be able to order Kagome around like that," he said, "but it doesn't work on me. And I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"Listen, monk, don't go," Inuyasha said, really annoyed now. "You seriously are going to get killed- and then I'll get hell from Kagome about not stopping you. Do you know how many 'sits' that would be?"

"Well, you did try to stop me," Miroku said. "I don't think you'll have any trouble making something up. 'I *tried* to stop him, but that fool monk just left.'"

Inuyasha gave in. "Fine. Go. Just- just don't get killed, okay?" He turned his face away from Miroku's. ((A/N: no, I don't mean as in IY likes Miroku, cuz that's really messed up. I mean IY actually kind of thinks of Miroku as a friend.)).

Miroku smiled. "I won't. I'll be back within the fortnight. If not…" he trailed off. Miroku took up his staff and cast a last, sweeping glance at the group.

"I'm leaving…alone," Miroku said to no one in particular. And then he left.

Little did he know that someone was awake during the whole exchange, listening to every word.

'Why's he leaving?' Sango thought. 'And why is he going alone?' Sango didn't give this a moment's consideration before making her decision. 'No. He's not going alone. He's like to get killed…I'm going with him.'

Sango got up and dressed, carrying Kirara. She snuck by Inuyasha and Kagome, following the faint light of Miroku's torch.

Hours passed, and slowly, dawn spread her rosy fingers over the gray sky. However, just as the sun started to rise, Sango stepped on a dry twig. It sounded like a firecracker in the stillness of the forest, all the animals either not up or already been up and settling in for the morning. Miroku spun around, his staff raised.

"Who's there?" he demanded warily. Sango held her breath, not sure what to do. Miroku, hearing no reply, raised his torch a little higher and saw Sango standing there. "Sango?" Miroku called.

"Yes," she replied, not knowing what else to say. Miroku came up to her.

"Sango, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked angrily. "Why aren't you back with the rest of the group? Did Inuyasha ask you to follow me?"

"No!" Sango said, stepping a little away from Miroku. "I heard you and Inuyasha talking. You can't just go off alone, Houshi-sama!"

"Why did you follow me?" Miroku asked, though his tone was much softer.

"Because- because you were likely to get killed all by yourself…and I wanted to see if I could try to help you in your quest." Sango blushed as she said this, not wanting to admit how she felt. Then again, she wasn't sure how she felt. Miroku would say something poetic and kind to her…and the next moment, he'd be groping her. Sango growled in frustration and Miroku looked at her funny.

Sango blushed but asked Miroku somehting. "Houshi," she started. "Do you feel less alone after joining with Inuyasha and Kagome and Shippou?"

Miroku knit his brows in thought. Then his forehead relaxed and he opened his eyes to look at Sango squarely. "We're all alone," he said. "There's no point in making friends or…or loving. You'll only be alone in the end." Sango broke away from Miroku's intent gaze, unable to stand their deep stare anymore. "Does that answer your question?" Miroku asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, Houshi, for bringing up bad memories," Sango whispered. Miroku tilted her face up so he could look at it. After a moment's scrutiny, he let go, his long, sensitive fingers trailing over her skin.

"Come," Miroku said, looking over his shoulder. "We should get going again." Sango's heart leapt.

"Does this mean I can come with you?" Sango asked.

"Yes," the monk replied. Sango told Kirara to transform and pushed her toward Miroku.

"Ride, Houshi-sama," Sango called. Miroku mounted but then galloped back to Sango, grabbing her arm and hoisting her on behind him. Taken by surprise, Sango instinctively flung her arms around Miroku's waist. Kirara mounted the sky and ran across it.

"Houshi," Sango gasped, "where are we going?"

"East of the sun and west of the moon," he replied.

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A/N: sorry this chapter was short. And I know Miroku probably acted very OOC in here, I apologize. Now from here, the M/S will be taking off. But there will be a lot of action too, I promise. Please review, because if you're here, you've obviously read.