Maybe Someday: A Miroku x Sango Love Story

*Disclaimer: * Feh. As if I could ever author an incredibly popular manga, which 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: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Your input really counts. As always, flames, reviews, suggestions and questions are welcome. If you have a suggestion for this story, e-mail me and I'll consider putting it in!

************************************

Now fully rested, watered and fed, Sango felt she could face anything that came their way. In fact, she was almost hoping for a demon to come their way.

But first, she had some questions for the monk.

"Houshi-sama," she started. He turned to her and waited for her to continue. "I was watching you fight yesterday…and you were kind of good…and I was wondering how you got so much experience. Surely living in a Buddhist monastery all your life couldn't have taught you those skills…?"

Miroku chuckled. "You've been full of questions lately, Sango."

She scowled. "I just want to know more about the person I'm traveling with."

"Fair enough," Miroku said cheerfully.

"Just answer my question," Sango said.

Miroku sighed. "Though it is true I was born and brought up in a monastery, I have been on my shard-hunting quest for almost five years- including the time after I met Inuyasha and Lady Kagome," he said. "I first set out when I had completed fourteen summers." Sango gave a small gasp. He was so young!

Ignoring Sango, Miroku continued, drawn into his own memories that he had tried to avoid for so many years. "Even though I came from a family of monks, I truly did feel that vocation to serve the Lord. The monastery I grew up in was…special. You may not believe it, but even old Mushin was quite the fighter in his day."

"Did you…have affection for your foster father?" Sango couldn't help but ask.

"He was all the family I had left," Miroku said, not answering the question. "My mother was sucked into my own wind tunnel when I was born." Sango felt intense pity for the monk who had killed his own mother at birth. "And then, when I had barely reached my fifth summer, Father was killed also, devoured by his own hand.

"Mushin knew well that I would face many demons myself, and so he broke his vow of pacifism and taught me many valuable skills- not just fighting, but also how to get rooms at inns." Sango snorted.

"After I had learned all I could, not only in the ways of the Lord but also in the ways of the world, I took my leave of my old foster-father and my home to hunt down Naraku." Miroku looked at her. "Did I answer your question?"

Sango was ashamed to feel the tiniest prickling of tears behind her eyes. She struggled to keep them under control…but it was so sad! She had been orphaned just recently- but Miroku here had grown up without any family. To make up for his lack of family he studied, studied intensely, reading books that even old scholars couldn't make heads or tails of. At the tenderest age, he had been left alone, with only a drunk, old monk to care for him.

Impulsively, in a distinctly Kagome-like moment, Sango flung her arms around Miroku, for that second breathing in his smell. Miroku's eyes widened in surprise, not giving him a chance to enjoy his proximity with Sango. Before Miroku could get over his shock, Sango had pulled away from him, taking a couple steps back, her face flaming.

"Sorry, Houshi-sama, I don't know what got into me…" Sango muttered, embarrassed at her show of affection for the monk. But Miroku silenced her apology by placing a finger over her lips.

"You don't need to feel sorry for me," he said softly, a trace of mirth in his face, shaking his head slightly. Sango didn't reply, her gaze held once more by his, his slightly callused finger still pressed lightly on her lips. Slowly, subtly, he inched his face closer to Sango's, until she was sure that they couldn't get any closer. As if in a dream, Miroku sought her mouth out with his…

"Meow! Meow!" Kirara's plaintive mewling in between the two cut them off. Quickly, Miroku and Sango retreated from each other, both blushing darkly. Privately, Sango wasn't sure if she welcomed Kirara's interruption…or whether she wished the cat hadn't come between the two.

"Let's continue," Miroku said, not looking at her. "We still have a ways to go."

**

It was just too awkward.

Miroku wouldn't look at Sango, and Sango wouldn't look at Miroku. Neither would they talk. Occasionally, Miroku would ask Sango if she was tired, or if she was thirsty or hungry, to all questions Sango replied with a quick 'No.' But besides that, all communication and camaraderie was lost between the two.

'How are we ever going to get to the Lake if we're not going to talk?' Sango thought. 'But what would I say? What would he say?' Sango sighed and shook her head. It was at times like this that she wished Kagome was around, what with her futuristic knowledge of boys and relationships. Sango frowned. Then again, it was Kagome's influence that had made her suddenly embrace Miroku.

As Miroku walked along, silent, he too thought about what had just happened. It had been a long time since he had been voluntary embraced by a woman- a real woman- not a demon in disguise. In fact, Miroku couldn't recall a time when any female had willingly touched him. He smiled wryly. 'I guess my question puts them off,' he thought. But it was habit; coming from a line of lechers, it was practically inherent in him. And his upbringing had done nothing to calm that habit of letting his hands wander where they shouldn't.

**

"Sango, I-"

"Miroku, I-"

Both Miroku and Sango turned to speak to each other at the same time. Both felt that someone needed to make the first move; after all, they would be journeying with each other for a time.

"Ladies first," Miroku said, smiling and bowing comically.

"I-it's nothing," Sango started. "Except for about what happened…a while back… I didn't mean to- to hug you…"

"I didn't mind," Miroku said. His face registered complete sincerity but Sango didn't want to believe him. "And I just thought I saw something on your face that would be best wiped away- as it marred your beauty." Miroku grinned, though the smile didn't reach his eyes completely, and Sango exhaled in relief. She was right- it was nothing. Nothing had happened.

*~*~*~*

Why didn't she want to believe that Miroku would actually have feelings for her?

Probably because he didn't, Sango thought darkly. She was probably just another available virgin girl for the taking, to him. Gods, but it wasn't fair! Neither could love the other, for fear of the unimaginable but inevitable- that of death, pain, loss.

Miroku, sleep evading him, stared at his accursed hand. Damn that hand! he thought ferociously. He should have just cut it off when he had the chance. For with the cursed hand hanging over him, how could he let anyone, even Sango, close enough that they would get hurt if and when his hand consumed him? True, he was on a quest to defeat Naraku, but that wouldn't be for a long time…if it happened at all. Miroku gave a scowl amazingly reminiscent of Sango's. Naraku had been defeated in minor ways more than once- but he never completely died. Never completely disappeared.

Miroku punched his fist into the ground. "Dammit all," he muttered. He wasn't sure what he was cursing, exactly: Naraku, the Shikon no Tama, his hand, life in general…or maybe it was a mix of both. He punched his hand into the ground again, cursing a little louder this time. "Dammit!" he yelled for a final time.

Sango listened to Miroku with alarm. What was coming over the usually laid-back, simple monk?

******************************

Sorry this chapter is so short. It was going somewhere but I forgot somewhere in the middle. The Super Bowl was so dumb. I mean, 47-21 to Tampa Bay? Come on. *shakes head.* Oh well. There's always next year…

I know, absolutely know Miroku acted waaaay OOC in this chapter. Please tell me how I can keep him IC, then I'll edit this chapter and repost it. Please review, because if you're here then obviously you read.