Disclaimer: See Chapter One
A/N: Wow, I can't believe the response I'm getting to this fic...thank you to all reviewers! Warning – some fluff ahead!
Chapter Three
"Keh! Why are we doing this again?" Complained Inuyasha. The rest of the party sighed nearly in unison. In a tone that most people would have recognized as dangerously calm, Kagome began to tick off points on her fingers.
"Kaede says the cure for Miroku's new curse is in the west past Sesshoumaru's lands. He has to get it before he changes entirely or it won't work. The route there is too dangerous for anyone to go alone so we're helping him."
"I don't see why the damn bouzo can't fix his own mess."
And since that was the eighth time Kagome had had to list these things off with the same response in the past two hours, the young miko's temper snapped.
"SIT! Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, SIT!"
"Break time," Shippo commented cheerfully, pulling out his top to play with. It was generally understood that the time it took Inuyasha to pry himself out of the hole created by the numerous 'sits' could be used as a break from the strenuous pace the hanyou set. Sango began to brush the purring Kirara, keeping a sharp eye on a certain monk. He had been untied earlier and his behavior had been scrupulously good ever since. Kaede's offer to make a rosary, which would subdue him in a manner similar to Inuyasha's, had helped keep him in line a bit.
Kagome was currently in possession of said rosary. After much argument it had been agreed that she would only put it on him if he could not control his behavior on the way to the cure. Miroku swore piously up and down that he would behave himself and that the rosary would never need be used. He did not like the glint in Sango's eye at the idea of him being subdued every time he tried something perverted.
The monk closed his eyes to meditate as they took their break, but was distracted by his tail. It was most disconcerting to feel an appendage he previously had not possessed moving about. The ears were bad enough, but his long silky tail was much worse. He glared at it out of one violet eye, and his face became thoughtful. Actually, it didn't look that silky anymore. Traveling, hitting the ground, and being tied up had left the fur draggled, knotted, and rather scruffy looking.
Miroku was not vain, but there were appearances to be kept up after all! Frowning, he tried to straighten out the fur with his fingers. It didn't work too well. For one thing it was difficult to get the fool thing to hold still, and for another it was really too messy for just fingers to do any good.
Sango had finished brushing Kirara, and was watching the monk's struggle with his tail. She bit her lip, a little torn. He did look rather pathetic, and she had seen Kagome brushing out Shippo's tail on several previous occasions. The fox kit had mentioned within her hearing once that it was quite difficult to brush one's own tail properly, and that he was still learning. It would be even harder for a full-grown human suddenly possessing such a tail to do so at all.
Miroku accidentally caught a knot and tugged it too hard, yanking several pieces of fur loose. He let out a strangled yelp, then glanced around in embarrassment, ears flattening over the rather inhuman noise. Sango's compassion overcame her distrust at that point. She picked up the brush and went over to where the monk sat. He looked at her in surprise, but before he could say a word she placed one hand over his mouth.
"I'm going to help you out, houshi-sama," she told him. His ears perked up, and the demon exterminator squashed the tiny part of her that squealed "kawaii!" She continued, "One word and I'll let you sort out those tangles on your own. And keep your hands to yourself!" He nodded in agreement, and she took her hand away from his face.
Sango lifted the length of bone, muscle and fur into her lap, marveling at the softness of it despite the bad condition. Difficult to believe it was attached to Miroku. She began to brush it carefully in long slow strokes, gently undoing knots and removing debris.
Miroku swallowed hard. The contact on his tail was doing all sorts of strange things to his insides. He kept his hands firmly in his sleeves and tried to look at other things. Kagome building up a fire – they were going to stop for the night here, it seemed. Inuyasha digging in the yellow backpack for ramen. Did he never get enough of that strange food?
A particularly firm brush along his tail made a shiver climb straight up his spine. Oooh... His eyes began to slide half closed, and unconsciously he started to lean towards Sango.
The demon slayer had pretty much cleaned up the tail by now. She laid down the brush, and then, unable to resist, ran one hand along the silky pelt. A soft growl from beside her made her start. Miroku was leaning sideways, nearly touching her, his eyes half closed and a look of ecstasy on his face. She stared at him uncertainly, and then petted his tail again. This time she saw his throat work as he gave that soft little growl of pleasure.
Sango couldn't help but smile at this. He looked exactly like Kirara getting a particularly good scratch behind the ears. It was so different from his normal composed demeanor or his perverted behavior that she was curiously entranced. She continued to smooth his fur, watching him growl softly, completely unaware of himself. This odd tableau continued for several minutes until there was a soft cough from across the clearing.
Sango's looked up sharply to see Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo watching her wide-eyed. She turned red, shoved Miroku away, and jumped up.
"I'll go get some firewood," she declared curtly, and left the clearing with Kirara trotting along side her. Miroku sat up, shaking his head, wondering what on earth had just happened.
Shippo spun his top, wondering if he should mention that his mommy would start petting his daddy's tail like that right before they'd send him out to play for a while...
A/N: Wow, I can't believe the response I'm getting to this fic...thank you to all reviewers! Warning – some fluff ahead!
Chapter Three
"Keh! Why are we doing this again?" Complained Inuyasha. The rest of the party sighed nearly in unison. In a tone that most people would have recognized as dangerously calm, Kagome began to tick off points on her fingers.
"Kaede says the cure for Miroku's new curse is in the west past Sesshoumaru's lands. He has to get it before he changes entirely or it won't work. The route there is too dangerous for anyone to go alone so we're helping him."
"I don't see why the damn bouzo can't fix his own mess."
And since that was the eighth time Kagome had had to list these things off with the same response in the past two hours, the young miko's temper snapped.
"SIT! Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, SIT!"
"Break time," Shippo commented cheerfully, pulling out his top to play with. It was generally understood that the time it took Inuyasha to pry himself out of the hole created by the numerous 'sits' could be used as a break from the strenuous pace the hanyou set. Sango began to brush the purring Kirara, keeping a sharp eye on a certain monk. He had been untied earlier and his behavior had been scrupulously good ever since. Kaede's offer to make a rosary, which would subdue him in a manner similar to Inuyasha's, had helped keep him in line a bit.
Kagome was currently in possession of said rosary. After much argument it had been agreed that she would only put it on him if he could not control his behavior on the way to the cure. Miroku swore piously up and down that he would behave himself and that the rosary would never need be used. He did not like the glint in Sango's eye at the idea of him being subdued every time he tried something perverted.
The monk closed his eyes to meditate as they took their break, but was distracted by his tail. It was most disconcerting to feel an appendage he previously had not possessed moving about. The ears were bad enough, but his long silky tail was much worse. He glared at it out of one violet eye, and his face became thoughtful. Actually, it didn't look that silky anymore. Traveling, hitting the ground, and being tied up had left the fur draggled, knotted, and rather scruffy looking.
Miroku was not vain, but there were appearances to be kept up after all! Frowning, he tried to straighten out the fur with his fingers. It didn't work too well. For one thing it was difficult to get the fool thing to hold still, and for another it was really too messy for just fingers to do any good.
Sango had finished brushing Kirara, and was watching the monk's struggle with his tail. She bit her lip, a little torn. He did look rather pathetic, and she had seen Kagome brushing out Shippo's tail on several previous occasions. The fox kit had mentioned within her hearing once that it was quite difficult to brush one's own tail properly, and that he was still learning. It would be even harder for a full-grown human suddenly possessing such a tail to do so at all.
Miroku accidentally caught a knot and tugged it too hard, yanking several pieces of fur loose. He let out a strangled yelp, then glanced around in embarrassment, ears flattening over the rather inhuman noise. Sango's compassion overcame her distrust at that point. She picked up the brush and went over to where the monk sat. He looked at her in surprise, but before he could say a word she placed one hand over his mouth.
"I'm going to help you out, houshi-sama," she told him. His ears perked up, and the demon exterminator squashed the tiny part of her that squealed "kawaii!" She continued, "One word and I'll let you sort out those tangles on your own. And keep your hands to yourself!" He nodded in agreement, and she took her hand away from his face.
Sango lifted the length of bone, muscle and fur into her lap, marveling at the softness of it despite the bad condition. Difficult to believe it was attached to Miroku. She began to brush it carefully in long slow strokes, gently undoing knots and removing debris.
Miroku swallowed hard. The contact on his tail was doing all sorts of strange things to his insides. He kept his hands firmly in his sleeves and tried to look at other things. Kagome building up a fire – they were going to stop for the night here, it seemed. Inuyasha digging in the yellow backpack for ramen. Did he never get enough of that strange food?
A particularly firm brush along his tail made a shiver climb straight up his spine. Oooh... His eyes began to slide half closed, and unconsciously he started to lean towards Sango.
The demon slayer had pretty much cleaned up the tail by now. She laid down the brush, and then, unable to resist, ran one hand along the silky pelt. A soft growl from beside her made her start. Miroku was leaning sideways, nearly touching her, his eyes half closed and a look of ecstasy on his face. She stared at him uncertainly, and then petted his tail again. This time she saw his throat work as he gave that soft little growl of pleasure.
Sango couldn't help but smile at this. He looked exactly like Kirara getting a particularly good scratch behind the ears. It was so different from his normal composed demeanor or his perverted behavior that she was curiously entranced. She continued to smooth his fur, watching him growl softly, completely unaware of himself. This odd tableau continued for several minutes until there was a soft cough from across the clearing.
Sango's looked up sharply to see Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo watching her wide-eyed. She turned red, shoved Miroku away, and jumped up.
"I'll go get some firewood," she declared curtly, and left the clearing with Kirara trotting along side her. Miroku sat up, shaking his head, wondering what on earth had just happened.
Shippo spun his top, wondering if he should mention that his mommy would start petting his daddy's tail like that right before they'd send him out to play for a while...