Title: Since Then
Author: Rachel Elizabeth
Email: ceramicprincess (at) fanfiction (dot) net
Status: Tentatively ongoing
Genre: Romance/Comedy/Drama
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Spoilers—uh, sort of?
Summary: The crux of Sango and Miroku's feelings lie perilously close to being destroyed. It was high time for some intervention, but who knew it would be a child?
Proviso: Su-weet me. C'mon, you know you want to.
Author's Comments: So, no, this story isn't dead, but I can't promise that I will be updating it any time soon; we'll just have to let it ride out and see. Since posting That Bleeding Heart I realized how messed up all my stories were and decided to go back and change the format. So, wah-lah, a new format. On a positive note, however, I have been tentatively working on the new chapter to this story. That should excite you, right? Especially since I had contemplated throwing this entire story away.
Feedback: So, at this point, it would be greatly appreciated to fuel the muse.
Dedication: To Jane, for helping me more than she knows with this story.
Chapter Notes: If you are still looking for the lemon in this chapter, it is still under "tornempathy" at AFF. Feel free to go and browse Since Then over there.

— Drained eternity —

Sango looked expectantly at Miroku waiting for him to say that he was bored and had begun to play with the soldiers, however; he never uttered a word. Sango supposed he was too embarrassed and she could see why, she would never have expected him to be playing with Souta's toy soldiers and his rubber ducky! "Quit playing with plastic!" She mumbled through her laughter.

She started for the toy in his hand.

However, the problem with leaning over the tub to grab the toy from the hand farthest away from her was that, she was looking straight down into the tub! Wonderful.

A full view of Miroku under the water.

That of course, was not the worst of it, for it was a common occurrence that when people took baths they did so naked.

And boy was Miroku naked.

At that thought, she realized that her foot had started to slip on the little puddle of water next to the tub and she was falling into the tub face first! Before her face even managed to touch the water, though she was lifted from her backside back into a standing position. Miroku had used the opportunity to grab her butt and yanked her in an upright position with him standing in the tub.

"Pervert!" She slapped him, effectively allowing him to fall back into the water with her attached to his arm.

They ended up in a jumble.

Sango had fallen on top of Miroku in the tub and her feet were hanging over the edge, the only part of her that was not soaked. Miroku was buried almost completely under the water, save for his head, which was completely out of the water, breathing heavily. Sango didn't think for a minute that anything could be more embarrassing than this moment. She was head first on his chest in the water, her feet dangling over the side like a lunatic.

She should never think out of turn.

For as soon as she thought it couldn't become any worse, Inu Yasha and Kagome came barreling into the room with worried looks on their faces. When Inu Yasha saw what was before him, he did the unexpected; he laughed out loud. Kagome looked at him and was smiling with a hand over her mouth, but Sango could hear the giggles. Silently, they backed out of the room, so as to not disturb the lovers. That was what they had mumbled under their breath.

Lovers!

As if Miroku and she had . . . had . . . Sango couldn't even think of a delicate term for the word! Miroku had heard it to, for he was grinning lecherously and leering at her now wet form. Miroku used that opportunity to grab Sango's waist and pull her full into the tub and come crashing up against him.

He took his chance.

He took her lips in a fierce kiss that seared Sango's soul and made her realize that there would be no other man in the world that could make her feel as Miroku did at this moment.

She loved him.

She was also scared out of her mind, for to fall in love with this lecherous monk meant a woman's head on a platter. For him to eat and discard, or more accurately for him to touch and get bored with. Sango wasn't sure how she had so quickly fallen in love with the monk, sure after the Shikon was fixed she had promised herself that she was on her way, but after that it seemed so natural to stay in the village with Kagome and Inu Yasha and Miroku.

His hands started to wander.

However, Sango didn't mind much, for to feel his hands and the coolness of the water was an amazing contrast and her body heated.

Slowly, he lifted her by the waist and carried her into Kagome's room not caring anymore who could walk in on them. It would have been better in his opinion if they had waited until they were back in the village, but Miroku's rational thoughts and plans had fled out the window. Leaving him to debate how he was going to bring his child up with.

Sango.

His child.

Their child.

He liked the sound of that so much better, Sango and his child, the one created by their love. He quietly tore off some of her robes and started kissing down her neck, tasting every drop of water mixed with her flesh. It was absolutely intoxicating.

"Miroku," Sango breathily mumbled and Miroku could feel his veins explode into fire. She had said his name; with such longing and desire that there was no way that she wouldn't bear his child. He felt as though he was floating on air, so happy was he.

She, she was the epitome of his happiness.

Kagome and Inu Yasha had been sitting downstairs for over two hours waiting for Sango and Miroku to walk down, but either had yet to stir from upstairs. It also wasn't bothering Inu Yasha much that he didn't have to see them together, it meant more time alone with his mate. He looked at her and growled.

Oh, boy, Kagome thought.

She knew what that meant, especially when he got that little gleam in his eye. Kagome giggled and ran to the well, jumping in. Nearly caught up with her, Inu Yasha jumped in after her and away they went.

Sango opened her eyes and groaned a bit and flexed her muscles. She felt sore, but it was definitely in all the right places. She had felt gloriously spent and wonderfully alive in Miroku's arms. However, she worried that Kagome and Inu Yasha had come to check on them . . . and had seen them . . . naked.

She groaned out loud.

Miroku opened one eye and looked down at her and smiled sleepily and asked, "What is it, my love?"

Love.

Sango could definitely get use to the idea of Miroku calling her pet names. "Have you seen Kagome or Inu Yasha?"

Miroku thought for a moment.

It was queer that the couple hadn't come searching for them, but then again, it wasn't, for Miroku knew what they could be doing. So instead of voicing his opinions he just shrugged, not too worried about the newly made mates. It was time for Miroku to be heading home; he needed to see to some things with his family, his mother would want to know that he had found his wife.

Sango had already fallen back asleep.

He grabbed a piece of paper off of Kagome's desk and wrote Sango a brief note explaining why he had left. It would be easier leaving a note then trying to explain it to Sango who could inevitably keep him here longer. Not that he would have minded, but he needed to see his parents.

With a last glimpse at Sango, he turned and left.

When Miroku got to the village on the other side of the well he immediately went to Kaede's hut and told her that he would be leaving and if Inu Yasha or Kagome were looking for him, he'd be back in a few days. Kaede only nodded; Althea looked perplexed. So she silently waved for him to follow her outside and when they reached a quiet spot she asked, "Why are you going?"

He looked at her strangely. Did it matter? "I have to see my mother."

Althea looked pointedly at him and walked closer to him. Miroku sweat dropped; he wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that he didn't like it.

Sango laughed quietly reading Miroku's note. She was sort of hurt that he hadn't wanted to take her with him to meet his parents, but then again Miroku always did do things backwards. Groping and then getting to know someone.

She smiled slightly.

It was so like Miroku to put everything that he had been through on his own shoulders and not let anyone help him at all. Ah, well, I better go back to Kaede's hut before Inu Yasha and Kagome really start worrying about me, she thought idly.

No . . . no . . . it wasn't happening . . . not so soon after they had made love . . . he had called her 'my love'. The one thing in the world that she had braced herself against was his roaming hands, but she had thought that it was all over with after they had made love.

She had been mistaken.

Because there in front of her was Miroku holding onto Althea's backside as if for dear life. They both didn't notice Sango in the background.

It couldn't get much more obvious then that.

How could she have so easily let her guard down against the one person she knew could hurt her the most? Well, it wasn't going to ever happen again. She felt the hot dash of tears draining down her face and her heart constricted painfully in her chest but she couldn't feel anything at the moment. It was as though life had fallen away and the only thing that had been left was her heart and it was being pulled in twenty different directions and there was nothing that anyone could do about it. Her breathing had just stopped in her chest and was confined there, as though for eternity. She put a hand before her face to see if she was still real and through her tear stained cheeks she looked at the fingers that she could not feel anymore. Her whole body had become numb.

She should have left.

When they had completed the jewel, she should have left because she knew in the back of her mind that Miroku was never going to be hers.

A quiet sound in the background pulled at her.

"Sango?"

It was Kagome, and thank the Gods that it hadn't been anyone else. When Kagome saw the tears on Sango's face she cringed. She too saw what was happening right in front of their faces and she knew what had happened with Sango and Miroku at her house last night. She also couldn't believe that Miroku would do something this stupid. She was fed up with his shenanigans!

"Miroku!" she yelled.

Althea and Miroku broke out of each other's arms and stared at Kagome. Kagome didn't notice that when she had turned her head to say something to Miroku, Sango had fled, but it didn't matter anymore. Even if Sango wasn't there Kagome was going to have a long discussion with him.

At least Miroku had the decency to look guilty and walk away from Althea to talk to Kagome. But when he got there Kagome did something that she hadn't done in a long time.

She slapped him clear across his face.

The sound echoed through the forest and as if Kagome had been in trouble, Inu Yasha came bounding through the woods hell-bent on destruction if someone had dared to touch his mate. When he saw the handprint on Miroku's face he roared and started charging at him only to be stopped by Kagome's hand.

"He never touched me."

"Damn right you didn't, bozo." He grabbed Kagome's waist and pulled her back against him but he could feel the fury in her. "Kagome?" he asked, a little stunned. Her miko energy felt as though it was going to explode at any minute.

She lashed out.

"You idiot! You complete, utter moron. Have you no regard for anyone's feelings except your own?" Kagome asked, not understanding his actions at all. She had thought with a certainty that he loved Sango but when she had seen him gripping Althea she had felt sick to her stomach.

His placid face had returned.

"Sango-chan is still young," he answered calmly. How could he answer that? He couldn't even begin to tell Kagome that what she had seen had not been his doing, but no doubt she would not believe him with his background.

For the first time ever he cursed his hands.

Inu Yasha was smirking and Miroku did not like that look at all from the hanyou. Kagome had whispered something in his ear and he had looked at Miroku coldly and then she had said something else that Miroku couldn't hear.

That was when he had smiled.

He was sharpening his claws on the tree bark nearest to them. He then slowly started advancing towards Miroku.

A baby. That was all she wanted, but she had known that what she had done was wrong, but she couldn't help it anymore. She was desperate for a child of her own. The loneliness of her job was killing her and to have a child would be a miracle.

She needed a child.

She needed someone to love her, but she couldn't continue acting the way that she did. It was ruining everyone else's lives around her and she couldn't deal with hurting people that Kaede called friends.

She had to explain what happened.

Before she knew what she was about she had rushed outside, only to be greeted by the sight of Inu Yasha coming slowly toward Miroku with his claws extended and that kill-glint in his eyes.

"Wait!" Althea yelled, clearly stunning everyone.

Inu Yasha growled low in his throat; he had been waiting for a chance to tear something up and if it was because of Miroku then he was all for it, but when Althea came into the scene and yelled at them to stop, Kagome had held up her hand to him and asked him to wait a minute to hear what she had to say.

How obnoxious.

He could have had the monk obliterated by now if Althea hadn't stuck her nose in their business. She was the reason this was happening in the first place; she had instigated all this havoc between Miroku and Sango.

She needed to leave.

"It was me; I forced Miroku into what happened. I caught him unawares and took advantage of him." At that announcement she had Miroku stuttering.

Male pride and all that.

Inu Yasha wasn't convinced, but Kagome looked like she wanted to believe what Althea was saying it was just hard to what with Miroku's past and all.

"Sango!" Kagome yelled, desperate to find her friend before she did something that she would regret. "Sango!"

"Sango!" Inu Yasha roared, becoming worried that the gang had not found her yet. She was nowhere to be found. They had been searching for the past three days and there was no sign of the taiji-ya and everyone was worried.

Especially Miroku.

He didn't eat, sleep or anything since Sango's disappearance and the gang was starting to worry that he would become sick, but he didn't let anyone near him to help him. Even Shippou was feeling the distinct loss of his friend Kirara. Everyone was feeling the loss of their friend. Whether they admitted to it as Miroku did or not.

Inu Yasha came back into the little hut and said dejectedly, "I'm sorry, Miroku."

She was gone, because of him.

Gone.

And there wasn't anything that he could do about it. Farewell sweet, Miroku thought, wrenching his heart in half.

From that point on, he never touched another soul.

Woman, man, child.