Disclaimer: Nah, I still don't own Inuyasha or the rest of the gang…YET. (They all belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi) But you know what I DO own?!?!? The Inuyahsa DVDs!!! I now have up to episode 102. Go buy them too!! They're great ^_^
Authors note: OK minna-san. Prepare yourselves. I THINK that this will be the chapter with the fluff in it. If not, well… it's coming. I don't even know. Haha. Lets hope that I can even write fluff… ah well, we'll find out, ne? I'm also going to try to make this chapter longer, and perhaps space it a bit differently to look more like what often appears on ff.net. Again, reviews have inspired me no end. I love you all so much for taking the time to read and get back to me! Thanks SO much!
On to the fic!!
The Reality of Things
Chapter 3
Miroku shot up from his light slumber, his breath coming in short gasps, and cold sweat beading on his forehead. He discovered that a word had formed on his lips before he was even aware of speaking.
'Sango'
It did not take him very long to recall his dream.
'What' he asked himself, 'was that'
He had been dozing and thinking of certain demon exterminator in a certain tight – fitting outfit, when a strange wave of unease passed over him. It was so strong that even in his dream state he felt nauseous with dread. Images flashed in his mind of a large, dark figure…with fangs… and a lot of legs. He briefly registered that this was a spider youkai. He then saw another form in his vision - one that he knew well.
She was tall and slender against the tall trees, and he watched in horror as he saw the youkai creep up behind her. Why didn't she see? Why was she not moving? Another image was offered to him. He saw Sango, her body bloody and broken in the woods. This picture was crystal clear, holding a kind of sharpness that only a vision can have.
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Miroku took a deep breath in to steady his quaking body. He was trying very hard at the moment to tell himself that what he had seen was only a dream born of his own fear of Sango getting injured. Or killed.
In an attempt to discount what had just happened, he looked around the camp to see if she had returned while he slept. Instead, he saw two empty sleeping bags (Kagome had brought an extra one for Sango a few days ago), one of which Shippou was curled up on the end of, and a rather large and rather deep Inuyasha – shaped hole in the ground. Apparently, Miroku told himself, he had not awoken to the loud "SIT" that must have taken place not so long ago. It was not surprising in the least that Miroku's senses had not been alerted, since "SIT" had long ago become a common sound in his ears. A sound that he often missed when Kagome-sama was in her world.
These pleasant thoughts were quickly pushed out of his mind by that new foreboding that had rooted itself in his heart. His experience told him that he had been asleep for nearly an hour. So why hadn't Sango returned? Fear took hold of him.
'I knew it. A true premonition. I may yet be wrong, but…I must look for her. It was too real to ignore.'
He rose from his bedding to hastily begin his search, but one look at the little kitsune warned him not to leave the little one to wake to an empty camp site.
"Shippou…Shippou. Wake up"
The little fox yawned and streached. "Is everyone up already? Miroku?" Surprise was evident on his face as he looked into the houshi's face and saw the worry written upon it. "Daijoubu?" he asked.
"I'm not sure Shippou. I need to find Sango-san. Will you be kind enough to go find Inuyasha and Kagome-sama and bring them back here for me?"
Shippou took up a serious stance as he bravely met Miroku's concerned gaze. 'This must be important if Miroku is so worried' he thought. 'But I am strong! I can carry out any task that he puts me to!'
"Hai houshi-sama. I'll go immediately. You can count on me!"
Miroku rose and watched as Shippou ran off in the direction that the scent took him. He was relieved to have gotten the kitsune on task, but it had taken all of his priestly self control not to betray the huge amount of emotional turmoil that was raging inside of him. He didn't know if Sango was even alive anymore. Was his dream really a vision? It might have been nothing. But then, it might have been something.
He continued to think on this train of thought as he headed in the direction that his instinct told him was "Sango".
Was his dream showing what was to come, or what had already occurred? Was he too late? That thought caused him to unconsciously quicken his pace. He had had visions before (he was, after all, a priest), however none had ever effected him so deeply. None had been so horrifyingly graphic either. He could see the emptiness of her eyes, and the speed at which the blood poured from her wound. His dream had to have meant something. Even if it only served to prove to him again the depth of his love for her.
His romantic thoughts aside, the uneasiness hit him in waves, growing stronger by the minute. He began to run. Faster and faster, hoping against hope that he culd somehow catch up to Sango before it was too late. This feeling. He wasn't imagining it. Sango was hurting dreadfully right now, and if he didn't find her soon, he thought he might just burst with the pain of not being able to help her.
He ran for a long time, and the faster he ran, the worse the feeling became. But he knew that he was getting closer. Suddenly he was literally hit with a vision of Sango simply staring a the youkai he had previously seen. He staggered back with the change in his perception, but the moment in time that he had seen left as suddenly as it came. However it left with him an even stronger feeling of dread than he felt before, which in turn, urged him on faster.
Until he met with a sight that stopped him dead in his tracks.
Miroku had arrived at the edge of the small clearing in which the spider-youkai and Sango met. All he saw was the blank look in her eyes as her body flew through the air and landed with a sickening thud against the unrelenting ground. He might have screamed her name into the night, but he couldn't be sure. All he knew was that Sango's broken and bleeding form was lying on the ground, and if he didn't act fast…
No, she would live. There was no other alternative. Simple as that.
Rage filled the normally calm monk as he began to charge the spider-youkai. He attacked the demon with his staff, slicing at every part of the monster's body that was open to him. How could this have happened? Sango was more than capable of taking on the youkai that stood before him. It simply didn't make sense that she of all people was bested by such a weak demon. How did it happen? He would have to ask her if she pulled through.
No. When she pulled through, he corrected
He dared to steal a brief look at her while there was a slight break in the combat. She looked very pale, but very bloody. He couldn't possibly tell from the distance at which he was positioned, however he was frantically searching for any signs that she was still breathing. He felt some small relief at seeing Kirara standing guard over her master, watching her face and watching his battle alternately.
Miroku felt a sudden jolt as that youkai took advantage of his momentary distraction, and launched a large amount of sticky web at him. The force of the white mass knocked him several feet across the clearing, and he only stopped when his back slammed into a nearby tree. He breathed heavily for a moment, trying to make the world around him stop spinning. A determined look set itself upon his face.
'I will defeat this youkai. There is no other way. I must finish him quickly so that I can bring her to safety and have her wounds attended to. She will not die simply because I will accept no other alternative!'
And with that thought, he tore through web that was holding him to the bark behind him. If he wondered why it was so easy to do so, he never stopped in his attack to think about it. Instead, he resumed his previous physical beating on the youkai. He would reflect later that it probably would have been much more practical just to use his Kazanaa, however he was getting a certain satisfaction out of beating the thing that dared to hurt Sango to a pulp. He would admit to himself (when he had much more evidence lying next to him as proof) that he was still a man, no matter what type of robes he wore. And right now, his testosterone was commanding that youkai in front of him should pay.
In accordance with this new viewpoint, he rose himself into the air to swipe down at the spider with his staff. He made a powerful downward strike, made contact, and landed a few feet away from the youkai. His eyes opened wide in surprise when he saw the figure before him shift ever so slightly, and very quickly. It was enough though, to show him exactly what it was in its true form.
"Kuso! A mood-shaping oni!" he cried. "Well, that certainly explains quite a bit…" Miroku now knew that this battle could not be ended with conventional weapons. He yanked out several ofuda from his robes and threw them at the oni. He did not even bother to watch it as it was reduced to mere dust. He was already running towards Sango, concern and fear etched on his features.
"Sango!" 'Sango, please live, please Sango…be alright…'
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Kirara was more than concerned for her master at the moment. Though a cat, she was still very intelligent, and knew that Sango's injuries would hardly be cured in a single day. She watched as the monk came running to her friend's side, and fell to his knees in front of her prone form. She was not overly happy that the houshi was alone with her master when she was so obviously incapable of slapping him as he normally deserved. She wasn't overly concerned though. She was watching her master, albeit from a few feet away, but she knew that she was able to punish the houshi if he went too far.
She was also oddly comforted that it had been the monk who had come after her friend. She knew the others loved her master dearly, but she had never seen them look at Sango when they thought nobody was looking, as the monk had. And it was something other and more than the hentai act that he always put on. She knew her master well, and had been with her since she was a young girl. There was certainly a strong bond between Sango and this monk Miroku, of that she was sure. She had never seen her master act in such a flustered way around any man before. It must certainly mean something. It didn't really matter. To put it in simple terms, she knew that her master trusted this man with her life and more, therefore she would trust him as well.
Kirara didn't stir when she heard the monk say in a chocked voice, "I'm sorry Sango…please. I should have come after you sooner. Please pull through. Be strong." She did not even mind when she saw him place a tender kiss on the unconscious woman's forehead.
"And please Sango, forgive me for what I am about to do…"
Kirara did not quite understand at first, but then emitted a low warning growl as Miroku first tore open Sango's suit at the middle, and then removed his outer robe as well. What was this? Was he going to? No, he could not be so inconsiderate. Could he?
Reading the fire-cat's thoughts, he tried to calm and reassure her. "Maa, maa. I was merely going to use my robe as a bandage to staunch the flow of blood. No hentai actions, I promise. No worries." She nearly missed his soon whispered, "I am not so dishonorable as that."
Miroku assessed the damage done to Sango's body. He estimated that aside from the gash in her torso, she had probably contracted several broken or bruised ribs, and her ankle looked like it was twisted in a painful direction. She would be in bed for quite some time, but he had to get her away from here and to safety. He finished his task by wrapping her in his robe to protect her decency as well as cover her wound.
He turned to Kirara and asked respectfully, "Please, would you be so kind as to take us back to camp? And then perhaps further on to Kaede-sama's village? I would carry Sango myself, but I'm afraid that if I carry her on her back, she will just be injured further."
Kirara answered in the only way available to her. She quickly kneeled down to accept him onto her back. He gently put Sango on her back first and then climed on himself. When she felt that they had settled down, she rose quickly into the night sky, heading in the direction of the camp.
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Miroku was infinitely tender as he positioned her on his lap. Her body was draped across his legs; her head nestled in the crook between his neck and right shoulder. Her wounded side was facing away from him, so he wrapped his left arm around her slim waist and applied slight pressure to the gash right above her hip.
He stared at her in wonderment, as if seeing her for the fist time. He had never noticed how small and slight she was. She looked so breakable! How was it possible to have such a small body that contains so much power? He marveled at the fact that he could wrap his pinkie finger and thumb around her wrist easily. Has she been eating lately? Yes, he was sure she had. This must simply be her body type right? Amazing. She was so strong, and yet in this position, she looked as if he could break her by one faulty moment.
He sighed, 'This contemplation has only given me more reasons to love her. So strong. Sango…my Sango.' He let his eyes wander across her body, finally resting upon his robe covering her. He noticed that the blood was beginning to seep though the makeshift bandage. His heart clenched at the sight.
He began to fervently whisper a prayer into her ear. He didn't even notice when this prayer melded into voiced pleas. He begged her to get well, to hold on, to stay with him. His actions betrayed the strength of his emotions for her when he began to place small kisses all over her face, as if willing the small cuts and bruises to leave her soft flesh. He raised his head with a surprised expression when he felt her snuggle into him.
He sighed and his lips formed a sad little smile. 'She would never let me do this if she were fully conscious.' For a brief moment he regretted the act that he put on to keep her from him. But only for a moment. He knew that the arrangement that they had was for the best. But…could he just enjoy this for now? He may never get another chance to hold her.
Miroku watched in wonderment as Sango's brows furrowed in frustrated confusion when his face pulled away from hers. He felt her hands tighten on what was left of his robes as she tried to pull him in closer. Not wishing to ruin the moment or miss what might be his last chance to be close to Sango, he brought his hand up to gently pull her head back to his chest, where he bent and rested his cheek against hers. She gradually settled back down, quietly slipping out of consciousness only moments before they landed at their destination.
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Bwuhaha – who just opened a pack of insti-fluff! Just add water, ne? Well, how'd you like it? I had to re-write this story THREE WHOLE TIMES. If you check out my profile, you'll find that yes, my computer hates me! Gah. Oh well. I hope that this chapter was good, especially since I rewrote it three times! mrrr Please review and tell me how the fluff went. I'm a little new at that too…
Neoshipper – Thanks again for reviewing. It's nice to know that there's actually someone there reading my stories! And it wasn't a youkai after all was it? I'll have to explain further in the next chapter…
Bao Blossom – Thanks SO much for your wonderful review! I often wonder why I only have 8 reviews as well. Eh, everyone's probably off reading a lemon or something. Oh well. But then its not the quantity but the quality right? And I have to say, the reviews I've had so far have been so inspiring! I literally read them and then start the next chapter. If its more S/M you want, the more S/M you'll get. I'm already cooking up some ideas form y next story. (I'm going to take it one at a time so that I can keep my sanity.) Anyhoo – now who's rambling? ^_^
Ja ne!