Miroku's Bedtime Stories
Chapter 13
Healing
(AN: I'm a little worried my story is getting boring! Tell me if it needs something, okay, faithful readers? Reviewers, I need feedback!)
Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly. It was morning and he was inside a hut, lying on a bed. That fact alone made it an unusual day. He moved and was rewarded with an explosion of pain in his right shoulder. He decided that moving was a bad idea for now.
He thought perhaps moving his eyes would be safe, so he started looking around. And was mildly startled to see Kagome asleep on the foot of his futon, a blanket wrapped around her body.
"Kagome!" he whispered urgently.
She stirred in her sleep and mumbled something unintelligible.
"I'd let her sleep if I were you," said Miroku's voice from the other side of the small fire. "She was up most of the night helping Kaede tend your wounds."
"The Tengu clawed me," said Inuyasha reaching tentatively over with his left hand to touch his right shoulder and arm. "I remember. It's claws are poisoned."
"Yes, Kaede put something on the gouges to draw out the poison. How do you feel?" asked Miroku, quietly slipping his shoulder from under Sango's sleeping form and lying her gently on the futon to walk over and sit beside the hanyou.
"Like I was attacked by a poisonous Tengu," said Inuyasha sarcastically.
He tried to flex his arm again and hissed. "Damnit!" "It'll be a few days before you're able to use that without pain," said Miroku, shaking his head.
"Inuyasha?" said Kagome, rubbing her eyes as she uncurled from the foot of the futon.
"He's awake, Lady Kagome, although in a foul temper," said Miroku, winking at her.
"What else is new?" she grinned sleepily back at the monk.
"Feh!" grumped Inuyasha, scowling at his would-be comforters.
"I'll make some ramen, that'll cheer him up!" said Kagome brightly.
"And some nice hot tea!" she said, bouncing out of her burrow of blankets.
"You're disgustingly happy this morning," he growled at her.
"I'm just glad you're all right, Inuyasha. If you were dying, you wouldn't have the strength to argue with me!" She bounced out with a wooden bucket to fetch water from the well.
Miroku snickered. "There's a lot of wisdom in her words."
Sango was stirring over on the other futon.
"Is Inuyasha better this morning, then?" she yawned and shook out her hair, pulling her fingers through the slight tangles.
"Much better," answered Miroku. "And very grumpy."
"You'd be in a bad mood too, if you felt like dog shit," said Inuyasha in a small show of self-pity.
"Poor Inuyasha," said Miroku in a teasing tone. "Shall I get Kagome back in here to comfort you?"
"Shut up, houshi, I can still kick your ass half dead," said Inuyasha. He unconsciously flexed his hand and grunted with the sudden pain. "I wouldn't be too sure about that," said Miroku with a grin.
Kagome came back in with the water. "Everything will be ready in a few minutes."
She started building a small fire in the brazier with a match from her backpack.
"How are thy wounds this morning, Inuyasha," said Kaede, coming in from the other room.
"Better, I think," said Inuyasha, looking up at her. "The burning feeling is gone, at any rate."
"A good sign. It means the poison is dissipating quickly. The poison of a Tengu kills an ordinary human very quickly. You were fortunate I had a remedy at hand, too."
"I suppose I should thank you," said Inuyasha, hanging his head.
"Indeed, that would be a rare treat," said Kaede, smiling faintly at him.
"I need to look at thy wounds again, I'm sorry to say," said Kaede.
The bandages she'd put over the slashes and gouges were encrusted with blood and a greenish ooze that was the poison being drawn out.
Inuyasha looked down at his shoulder and sniffed, recoiling at the smell.
"EW, the sooner these are off of me, the better," he said, trying to untie the bandages himself.
"Let me help you," said Kagome, who had finished making breakfast and tea and was now bringing hot water over and some clean bandages from Kaede's medicine chest.
Carefully, she unwound the stiff bandages, wrinkling her nose slightly as Inuyasha winced here and there.
The flesh was already sealing itself and although red, was no longer bleeding, didn't look infected.
"You're going to be good as new, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, taking a clean square of linen and gently washing his wounds.
Inuyasha sighed, "That feels good," and unconsciously leaned toward her sweet fragrance and inhaled.
"You smell good," he said, taking another deep breath and dropping his head onto her shoulder. Kagome's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she mentally shrugged and kept washing his shoulder and side.
His head was a little fuzzy from pain and blood loss, and the delightful sensation of being stroked with warm water was making him feel heavy and sleepy.
He started to purr.
Sango looked at Miroku and raised her brows. "What's that sound?" she asked, and Miroku shrugged his eyebrows back at her.
"It's coming from Inuyasha," he said, listening.
Kagome giggled. "Oh, it's just something he does when he's happy," she said, blushing.
Kaede smiled and shook her head.
Miroku and Sango looked at each other and Sango bit her lip to keep from giggling. Miroku rolled his eyes.
"Come along Sango, I think these two need to be alone," Miroku joked, rising to his feet and offering her his hand. She rose gracefully, face still pink from the suppressed desire to laugh.
Kagome squeaked at Miroku's comment. "Don't leave on my account, please!" she said nervously. "There, I'm almost done!"
She wrung out the cloth and placed it in the bowl. Inuyasha wriggled closer at the sudden loss of the pleasant sensations and muttered, "More," his eyes completely shut now.
"Wake up, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, a little embarrassed now, and trying to push the much larger hanyou off of her shoulder without hurting him.
"I'll help thee," said Kaede, now grinning in earnest as she helped gently push the groping Inuyasha back down so they could re-bandage his wounds.
Miroku and Sango exited the hut quickly, and barely made it a good distance away from the village before they burst into laughter.
Miroku flopped down under a tree and indicated the space next to him. Sango sat down an arm's reach away and he scooted over until their shoulders were almost touching. She moved away a few inches. He scooted over again.
"Miroku," she began, "what are you doing?"
He looked at her, "Uh, nothing, I just thought..." his voice trailed off as a confused look came over his face.
"You just thought that since we're alone again that you'd avail yourself of me," she said, frowning at him and shifting herself over yet once again.
"No! Honestly, Sango! I had no such thought, its just that I thought by now that you trusted me a little more."
This last said with a almost comically downcast look.
"I do trust YOU more, now, houshi-sama, but I'm not too sure about those hands of yours," she said slyly, swatting playfully at the hand resting on his lap. "They do seem to have a mind of their own."
Miroku grinned at her ruefully. "Perhaps I have more than one curse placed upon me, then?"
Sango's face fell. "Don't joke about that," she said in a hushed voice.
He looked at her carefully. "I didn't mean to upset you, Sango. To the contrary, I meant to make you laugh."
He lifted her chin with his fingers. "No crying over me, I'm hardly worth it. I'm just a thief, a lecher and a monk who is always straying from his vows. Nothing for anyone to miss in this world."
He said this lightly, but there was no laughter reaching his eyes. They looked unbearably sad to her.
Sango met his eyes. "You forgot something," she said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
He raised his brows at her questioningly.
"You're also the man I love."
She reached up and kissed him hard on his still open mouth, then turned before he could react and ran back to the village.
He reached up and wonderingly touched his lips, still tingling from the kiss.
Chapter 13
Healing
(AN: I'm a little worried my story is getting boring! Tell me if it needs something, okay, faithful readers? Reviewers, I need feedback!)
Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly. It was morning and he was inside a hut, lying on a bed. That fact alone made it an unusual day. He moved and was rewarded with an explosion of pain in his right shoulder. He decided that moving was a bad idea for now.
He thought perhaps moving his eyes would be safe, so he started looking around. And was mildly startled to see Kagome asleep on the foot of his futon, a blanket wrapped around her body.
"Kagome!" he whispered urgently.
She stirred in her sleep and mumbled something unintelligible.
"I'd let her sleep if I were you," said Miroku's voice from the other side of the small fire. "She was up most of the night helping Kaede tend your wounds."
"The Tengu clawed me," said Inuyasha reaching tentatively over with his left hand to touch his right shoulder and arm. "I remember. It's claws are poisoned."
"Yes, Kaede put something on the gouges to draw out the poison. How do you feel?" asked Miroku, quietly slipping his shoulder from under Sango's sleeping form and lying her gently on the futon to walk over and sit beside the hanyou.
"Like I was attacked by a poisonous Tengu," said Inuyasha sarcastically.
He tried to flex his arm again and hissed. "Damnit!" "It'll be a few days before you're able to use that without pain," said Miroku, shaking his head.
"Inuyasha?" said Kagome, rubbing her eyes as she uncurled from the foot of the futon.
"He's awake, Lady Kagome, although in a foul temper," said Miroku, winking at her.
"What else is new?" she grinned sleepily back at the monk.
"Feh!" grumped Inuyasha, scowling at his would-be comforters.
"I'll make some ramen, that'll cheer him up!" said Kagome brightly.
"And some nice hot tea!" she said, bouncing out of her burrow of blankets.
"You're disgustingly happy this morning," he growled at her.
"I'm just glad you're all right, Inuyasha. If you were dying, you wouldn't have the strength to argue with me!" She bounced out with a wooden bucket to fetch water from the well.
Miroku snickered. "There's a lot of wisdom in her words."
Sango was stirring over on the other futon.
"Is Inuyasha better this morning, then?" she yawned and shook out her hair, pulling her fingers through the slight tangles.
"Much better," answered Miroku. "And very grumpy."
"You'd be in a bad mood too, if you felt like dog shit," said Inuyasha in a small show of self-pity.
"Poor Inuyasha," said Miroku in a teasing tone. "Shall I get Kagome back in here to comfort you?"
"Shut up, houshi, I can still kick your ass half dead," said Inuyasha. He unconsciously flexed his hand and grunted with the sudden pain. "I wouldn't be too sure about that," said Miroku with a grin.
Kagome came back in with the water. "Everything will be ready in a few minutes."
She started building a small fire in the brazier with a match from her backpack.
"How are thy wounds this morning, Inuyasha," said Kaede, coming in from the other room.
"Better, I think," said Inuyasha, looking up at her. "The burning feeling is gone, at any rate."
"A good sign. It means the poison is dissipating quickly. The poison of a Tengu kills an ordinary human very quickly. You were fortunate I had a remedy at hand, too."
"I suppose I should thank you," said Inuyasha, hanging his head.
"Indeed, that would be a rare treat," said Kaede, smiling faintly at him.
"I need to look at thy wounds again, I'm sorry to say," said Kaede.
The bandages she'd put over the slashes and gouges were encrusted with blood and a greenish ooze that was the poison being drawn out.
Inuyasha looked down at his shoulder and sniffed, recoiling at the smell.
"EW, the sooner these are off of me, the better," he said, trying to untie the bandages himself.
"Let me help you," said Kagome, who had finished making breakfast and tea and was now bringing hot water over and some clean bandages from Kaede's medicine chest.
Carefully, she unwound the stiff bandages, wrinkling her nose slightly as Inuyasha winced here and there.
The flesh was already sealing itself and although red, was no longer bleeding, didn't look infected.
"You're going to be good as new, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, taking a clean square of linen and gently washing his wounds.
Inuyasha sighed, "That feels good," and unconsciously leaned toward her sweet fragrance and inhaled.
"You smell good," he said, taking another deep breath and dropping his head onto her shoulder. Kagome's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she mentally shrugged and kept washing his shoulder and side.
His head was a little fuzzy from pain and blood loss, and the delightful sensation of being stroked with warm water was making him feel heavy and sleepy.
He started to purr.
Sango looked at Miroku and raised her brows. "What's that sound?" she asked, and Miroku shrugged his eyebrows back at her.
"It's coming from Inuyasha," he said, listening.
Kagome giggled. "Oh, it's just something he does when he's happy," she said, blushing.
Kaede smiled and shook her head.
Miroku and Sango looked at each other and Sango bit her lip to keep from giggling. Miroku rolled his eyes.
"Come along Sango, I think these two need to be alone," Miroku joked, rising to his feet and offering her his hand. She rose gracefully, face still pink from the suppressed desire to laugh.
Kagome squeaked at Miroku's comment. "Don't leave on my account, please!" she said nervously. "There, I'm almost done!"
She wrung out the cloth and placed it in the bowl. Inuyasha wriggled closer at the sudden loss of the pleasant sensations and muttered, "More," his eyes completely shut now.
"Wake up, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, a little embarrassed now, and trying to push the much larger hanyou off of her shoulder without hurting him.
"I'll help thee," said Kaede, now grinning in earnest as she helped gently push the groping Inuyasha back down so they could re-bandage his wounds.
Miroku and Sango exited the hut quickly, and barely made it a good distance away from the village before they burst into laughter.
Miroku flopped down under a tree and indicated the space next to him. Sango sat down an arm's reach away and he scooted over until their shoulders were almost touching. She moved away a few inches. He scooted over again.
"Miroku," she began, "what are you doing?"
He looked at her, "Uh, nothing, I just thought..." his voice trailed off as a confused look came over his face.
"You just thought that since we're alone again that you'd avail yourself of me," she said, frowning at him and shifting herself over yet once again.
"No! Honestly, Sango! I had no such thought, its just that I thought by now that you trusted me a little more."
This last said with a almost comically downcast look.
"I do trust YOU more, now, houshi-sama, but I'm not too sure about those hands of yours," she said slyly, swatting playfully at the hand resting on his lap. "They do seem to have a mind of their own."
Miroku grinned at her ruefully. "Perhaps I have more than one curse placed upon me, then?"
Sango's face fell. "Don't joke about that," she said in a hushed voice.
He looked at her carefully. "I didn't mean to upset you, Sango. To the contrary, I meant to make you laugh."
He lifted her chin with his fingers. "No crying over me, I'm hardly worth it. I'm just a thief, a lecher and a monk who is always straying from his vows. Nothing for anyone to miss in this world."
He said this lightly, but there was no laughter reaching his eyes. They looked unbearably sad to her.
Sango met his eyes. "You forgot something," she said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
He raised his brows at her questioningly.
"You're also the man I love."
She reached up and kissed him hard on his still open mouth, then turned before he could react and ran back to the village.
He reached up and wonderingly touched his lips, still tingling from the kiss.