Disclaimer~ I don't own Inuyasha or any related characters.
Dialog~ "Meep meep meep."
Thoughts~ 'Meep meep meep.'
Author's note~ I'm sorry for the prolonged update. I had actually planned to yesterday, but we had put our dog to sleep so I didn't really feel like writing anything. I do apologize. Enjoy the chapter. Thank you.
Chapter 15
Kagura's eyes widened as a small trickle of sweat ran down her face. "Monk?" she said as she turned around. She saw him and grinned. "You showed up just in time lover-boy."
Miroku's eyes hardened; he ignored the side comment. "Leave her alone," he said in an icy tone. His eyes darted over to Sango.
Sango was still on the ground, her eyes red and puffy and her face full of confusion. She made no motion to get up. It was as if she were frozen in shock
'Damnit, Sango,' thought Miroku. 'Get up! Let me handle this.'
A large grin pursed over Kagura's lips. "I think you greatly miscalculated things here. Your damsel in distress is no longer distressed. She's pitted to die and has no intention it seems to stop me."
"I do," came his short but cold reply. He gently clenched and unclenched his fist several times, still analyzing the situation. "Sango," he said gently. "Get up, please get up."
At his words she began crying and shaking her head. "I can't! I'm a terrible person. I deserve to die. Someone like me shouldn't go on living."
The shock on Miroku's face was evident. "What?"
"She said she didn't want to live," cut in Kagura. "Do the lady a favor and let her have her wish. It's the least you could do. Hmm? It's your fault after all."
"Yes," he agreed.
Kagura looked pleased.
"But"- he continued, "One should take responsibility for their mistakes. Guilt and self-pity won't help me now."
"That's right," Kagura chimed in. "Nothing can help you now."
"Aren't we cocky?" he coaxed.
"Just confident."
Nodding, Miroku just smiled and let out a small laugh. "Hopefully for you that confidence won't go to waste."
Kagura did not enjoy being made a fool of. She would put a stop to it. "Let's get this over with. I have things I need to do."
Miroku just shrugged. "Sorry, didn't know you were in a hurry to die."
"We'll see."
He nodded. "Right, but first things first," he turned his glance over to Sango, she hadn't moved an inch. "Sango dear, now may be a good time to move. I promise we can talk after I take care of Kagura."
Kagura grunted. "That'll be the day."
"Sango?" Miroku asked again, concerned.
She didn't respond. She had curled herself up into a fetal position. Her hands were tightly gripped over her head and she rocked gently back and forth.
'Shit,' Miroku cursed. 'Sango's being as pathetic as I was. It also happens to be at the worst time too.' "Damnit!"
"Indeed." Kagura laughed. She enjoyed seeing Miroku struggle to try and get Sango out of her shell. She knew he wouldn't proceed if she weren't safe. She was getting an easy victory.
In Sango's mind she was caught within a struggle of her own. Seeing Miroku as he was now made her feel even worse. He was so much stronger and better than her, and in her mind that she didn't deserve to be saved.
'I'm pathetic. I wish Kagura had killed me. I don't deserve to live. Miroku deserves someone better than I, and Kohaku deserves a strong sister. I failed them.'
'And now, now Miroku is risking his life to save me, and I don't do a damn thing to help him. I'm just too weak and stupid to do any good. I make things worse and complicate every incident because of my damn emotions.'
'I'm not like Inuyasha; I'm not strong. I'm always hiding. I'm also not like Kagome, either. She keeps trying even if she's too weak to do anything. She never looses faith in herself. Shippou, even he can muster a bit of courage in a tough situation. He's also loyal to his friends. And Miroku, he's beyond everything I hope to be. He keeps enduring life even when he knows he'll die soon anyway.'
'They all put me to shame.'
'I hate being weak!'
'I hate being pathetic!'
'I hate being a coward!'
'I hate living!'
'I hate life!'
'I hate everything!'
'But most of all... I hate myself! I hate myself, and everything that has gone wrong in this miserable existence. Nobody could ever love someone like me. Miroku should just leave me to die.'
'I'm not worth protecting.'
'I'm not worth a life.'
'I'm not worth kindness.'
'I'm not worth pity or even compassion.'
'I'm not worth anything.'
'I'm not even near worth anything to Miroku. Nothing... I'm worth nothing.'
Sango let out a long cry, a cry for everything, her heartache, her confusion, her guilt, her anguish, her stupidity, and her sorrow.
"Sango," whispered Miroku silently.
"It seems Sango has given up long before you could help her," criticized Kagura. "You failed. You were too weak to help her."
He didn't respond. His eyes were intensely focused on Sango. He didn't know what he felt for her. Pity? Sadness? No, it was something else. It was something much deeper than those things.
'What's he up to?' she thought. 'I wonder if he could be planning something.' She glanced at Sango and smiled. "There's nothing you can do, so don't waste your breath."
Miroku didn't listen. "Sango!" he screamed. "I love you! I love everything about you! Your smile, your warmth, your kindness, your compassion, your strength, your endurance, your body... Everything! I love everything about you. So please, Sango, don't doubt me. Don't be afraid. Just get up. Everything will be okay."
"Mi-Miroku," Sango whispered. "Is that you? Is it really you?" She released her arms from her head and looked up at the blurry figure, her tears still falling.
"Yes," he replied softly. "It's really me. I love you, Sango. Get up now because I don't want you to die."
"Miroku!" She sprang to her feet and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She nearly tackled Miroku as she clung tightly to him in a fierce embrace. She buried her head in his and let out a soft sob.
His body exhaled a great sigh of relief as Sango stood nestled in his arms. "I'm glad you're alright Sango," he said softly. "We can work some things out after this. I'm going to take care of Kagura now. It'll be okay though, so don't worry."
She seemed to understand and nodded, reluctantly letting go. She walked away some distance to a clearing where she would be safe.
Kagura watched as Miroku saw Sango off and felt a great deal of disgust growing in the pit of her stomach. "I'm glad you have some self-control, houshi. It would be rather sickening to have to watch you two give into your primal desires."
Primal desires. Miroku liked the sound of that. He let out a laugh and hung on tightly to his powerful arm. "Shove it."
"You plan on defeating me with your wind-tunnel alone? Do you really think that would be enough to beat me?"
"Maybe," came his calm response, "but I certainly wasn't going to use any conventional weapons with you. That's just not who I am."
His self worth and confidence would e admirable to some, but it only made Kagura angrier. "I'm not as weak as you may think."
"We'll see." He removed the beads sealing his powerful curse and focused all his strength and energy on that attack, hoping to have enough power to draw Kagura in enough to scare her off for a well until he could get help from the others.
"Foolish!" she shouted. "I'm not your average demon; I can defend myself." With a flick of her fan a powerful gust, much like a tornado, enveloped the houshi into.
Miroku felt sick inside the whirlwind of air as he tried to focus on keeping his attack steady and not suck up anything that wasn't intended. It was only Kagura he wanted. It unfortunately didn't pan out that way. The gust spit him out with such force that he collided into a tree and split a good part of it.
He was forced to seal the tunnel as he put his hands to his stomach and coughed out a fair amount of blood. 'Shit,' he cursed. 'So much for that plan.'
Kagura looked pleased at the monk's state for the moment. It gave her a shiver of pleasure seeing him struggling to breath as he writhed in pain. Yes, very pleasurable. "Is that all you got?"
"No," he spat, trying to smile. "There's this." He grabbed a piece of the tree that he split open off the ground and threw it as hard as he could in Kagura's direction.
His aim didn't fail him as the piece of wood hit her square in the head. This made Kagura let out an angered scream. A small stream of blood running down her face from a laceration now located on her forehead.
"You'll pay for that!" she screamed.
Miroku took advantage of the situation and struggled to his feet. His breath was knocked out of him on impact and he may have several cracked ribs. Still, this didn't detour him. He braced himself for the next attack, whatever it may be.
Kagura's recovery was short. While her head throbbed it only fueled her desire to see Miroku die an agonizing death at her hands. She waved her fan at Miroku and before he knew it his arms and legs were littered with small, but deep cuts from her attack.
Blood was spilling all over his clothing as he tried to keep standing; despite the fact his body was enduring a tremendous amount of pain. He was loosing a good deal of blood, fast. Too fast. "Shit."
"What an idiot you are. You deserve death, your stupidity is unbearable." She struck a hard blow to his face resulting in cut from his forehead down to the tip of his nose.
He immediately responded with an attack of his own. Even with his bare fists he was able to encore some damage. He gave her one of his strongest punches right to the gut.
She reeled back and gripped her stomach, trying hard to breath. Her breath was knocked right from her.
He followed this attack with several more blows to her face and upper body area before collapsing to his knees. His injuries held him down.
Not long after this small volley of attacks was Kagura up and ready to go again. She laughed at his state. "You really are pathetic. You can't face me without a weapon."
'If only I had my staff,' he thought. 'If only...'
Then he heard a sound; it was a loud 'clink' noise. "What the..." His eyes traveled to his side and a shimmering object surfaced. It was his staff. "Fuck," he finished in bewilderment. His eyes wide open in shock.
Kagura could not believe her eyes either. Last she knew Naraku had possession of the monk's staff. Now, now it was right there for him. Her eyes traveled to a nearby tree. She could hear the sound of laughter coming from it.
Naraku sat contently in the tree. A sinister smile on his face.
"You!" she yelled. "Why!"
"To teach you a lesson, Kagura," calmly replied Naraku. "This is what happens to those who dare defy me. You should have known better."
"Bastard!" she shouted. "How could you!?"
"Better watch out. He's coming for you." Naraku motioned in Miroku's direction.
Miroku was standing again with his weigh supported on his staff and did not look too happy. His had a burning drive and desire within them. His gaze was fixated on her.
"Damn you, Naraku!"
Naraku could only laugh in response. 'It's your own fault, Kagura. You shouldn't have defied me. Now you'll face punishment at the houshi's hands. And his wrath at the moment is far worse than mine.'
"Now, Kagura, you pay." Miroku swiftly charged the stunned demon. He raised his staff over his head and came down on her with all his power, blow after blow sending her reeling. He enjoyed listening to her anguish screams of pain as he smashed her face in and every other part of her body he could hit.
Finally, things seemed over. Kagura was beaten down black and blue and Miroku stood huffing trying to regain his breath.
Kagura made a motion to attack but the dull pain her body emitted was too much for her. She gave in. Calling her feather and ridding off into the wind, too ashamed to say anything further to him.
Naraku also disappeared, greatly pleased with Miroku's work. There was no point in pursing the duo, however. His plan was a failure and he already derived great pleasure from Kagura's pain that day.
Now it was just the two of them. Sango and Miroku.
Miroku looked relieved seeing Kagura leave. He wasn't in any condition to pursue her so leaving was just as good. He smiled and fell to the ground. Exhausted, and still bleeding heavily.
Sango, who had been watching everything, ran down to him. She had restrained herself from intervening but now she didn't have to worry. All that mattered was that Miroku got some medical attention that he desperately needed.
Miroku could feel her presence next to him and smiled. "See, Sango, everything is alright. I told you."
"Yes," she said, nearly crying. "You did."
He nodded. "I meant it, Sango. I really do love you."
"I know." Her eyes started to blur as tears threatened to pour out.
"Don't cry," he whispered. "I never know what to do when you cry."
"Kiss me."
His lips enveloped her in a soft but very sensual kiss. He had for so long longed for this moment. This kiss. This girl. He'd always wanted her so badly.
Sango almost felt like crying. Even though she felt an amazing sensation through kissing him her guilt was still holding her back. She beckoned for forgiveness, but Miroku wouldn't accept, he wouldn't let her be sorry.
Their lips parted from one another and Sango stood up, helping Miroku to his feet. She slung his arm over shoulder and smiled. "I'm glad you're still alive, but you may not be soon if we don't get to the village."
"Glad to see you still have your sense of humor."
"Always."
He smiled faintly and nodded. "Of course."
The two left the scene together supporting one another and their wounds. Both of them had been damaged but found strength through each other to carry on.
Their tired bodies were barely able to make it back to the village where Kagome, Inuyasha, and Shippou still waited patiently for them.
There was a knock on the door to their hut.
Kagome's face lit up. "It must be Sango and Xen! Hurry, Inuyasha, get the door!"
He wished to protest but didn't. He got up and opened the door. What he saw stunned him. "Mi-Miroku?"
"Hey," came his low reply. "What's up?" His body gave out and he collapsed to the floor. Sango stood over him worriedly.
"Oh my god, Sango!" shrieked Kagome, after noticing the state the two of them were in. "What happened to you guys?"
"It's a long story. I promise I'll tell you later. But for now..." Sango's voice trailed off. "I need to rest." Her eyes closed and she fell softly into Inuyasha's arms.
He looked at his friends intently, smiling slightly. "What should I do with these two idiots, Kagome?"
"Lay them down on the futons, Inuyasha. They need their rest."
"And their wounds?" he asked.
"We can tend to them when I get some supplies."
"Right." He picked up Sango and laid her softly down on a futon. Then hoisted Miroku to his feet and dragged him slowly across the floor and plopped him down next to Sango. "There you go, buddy. Rest well."
The two of them had peaceful expressions on their faces as they slept soundly.
"What do you think happened to them?" asked Kagome.
Inuyasha shook his head in dismay. "No idea. But it seems like Miroku has recovered his identity. How, I don't know, but we'll find out in time, I'm sure."
Kagome nodded and took out her assortment of bandages and medicines. "Yeah, we can ask them when they wake up. Let's just take care of their wounds for now."
"Right." Inuyasha knelt down next to Kagome and began helping to dress their wounds. Both of them working contently side-by-side, small smiles of satisfaction on their faces.
Things were looking better all around.
Shippou smiled. He was sitting in a corner contently next to Kilala. "This is the way things should be."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of chapter~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, so what did you guys think? I hope you liked it. I was unsure about this chapter but all and all it seemed to work out. The next chapter is a final chapter and I'm stunned to see how much this story has progressed and the positive reaction to it. Thanks everyone. I look forward to your reviews.
Tricky-the-Kitsune-Youkai~ I figured Inuyasha was either too busy with Kagome or perhaps they were just too far away for him to smell anything. That or his senses didn't work well between all the other smells coming from the forest. Your pick.
Rissi-sama~ Are you insinuating that I'm violent!!! *Laughs* Yeah, I don't kneed help with violence, that's for sure. But I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Aamalie~ Oi, sorry for making you brain dead, but it's a necessary evil I would say. As for you demanding fluff I'm sure the ending scene didn't do enough for you but that's what the next chapter is for. ^_~
Lar-lar~ I'm glad you didn't the part with the mother's voice wasn't too corny. I liked it but you can never tell the reaction to some things. Thanks for all the positive feedback.
Ai8~ Thank you!
Fanfictiongeek36~ Yes, hooray, hooray for frolicking indeed. Thanks for the nice comments, sorry for the last cliffhanger.
Small-buttercup~ Yes, I really do have some fun cliffies, don't I? I love torturing you slowly... But anyways, you have your resolution. I do hope you're happy with it. ^^
That's all for now. It's been a crazy ride but thanks to all the kick ass reviewers I had from chapter 14. The final chapter is coming up next. Don't know when I'll have time to update. It may not be till next weekend.
Till then,
Adios
Zero.
Dialog~ "Meep meep meep."
Thoughts~ 'Meep meep meep.'
Author's note~ I'm sorry for the prolonged update. I had actually planned to yesterday, but we had put our dog to sleep so I didn't really feel like writing anything. I do apologize. Enjoy the chapter. Thank you.
Chapter 15
Kagura's eyes widened as a small trickle of sweat ran down her face. "Monk?" she said as she turned around. She saw him and grinned. "You showed up just in time lover-boy."
Miroku's eyes hardened; he ignored the side comment. "Leave her alone," he said in an icy tone. His eyes darted over to Sango.
Sango was still on the ground, her eyes red and puffy and her face full of confusion. She made no motion to get up. It was as if she were frozen in shock
'Damnit, Sango,' thought Miroku. 'Get up! Let me handle this.'
A large grin pursed over Kagura's lips. "I think you greatly miscalculated things here. Your damsel in distress is no longer distressed. She's pitted to die and has no intention it seems to stop me."
"I do," came his short but cold reply. He gently clenched and unclenched his fist several times, still analyzing the situation. "Sango," he said gently. "Get up, please get up."
At his words she began crying and shaking her head. "I can't! I'm a terrible person. I deserve to die. Someone like me shouldn't go on living."
The shock on Miroku's face was evident. "What?"
"She said she didn't want to live," cut in Kagura. "Do the lady a favor and let her have her wish. It's the least you could do. Hmm? It's your fault after all."
"Yes," he agreed.
Kagura looked pleased.
"But"- he continued, "One should take responsibility for their mistakes. Guilt and self-pity won't help me now."
"That's right," Kagura chimed in. "Nothing can help you now."
"Aren't we cocky?" he coaxed.
"Just confident."
Nodding, Miroku just smiled and let out a small laugh. "Hopefully for you that confidence won't go to waste."
Kagura did not enjoy being made a fool of. She would put a stop to it. "Let's get this over with. I have things I need to do."
Miroku just shrugged. "Sorry, didn't know you were in a hurry to die."
"We'll see."
He nodded. "Right, but first things first," he turned his glance over to Sango, she hadn't moved an inch. "Sango dear, now may be a good time to move. I promise we can talk after I take care of Kagura."
Kagura grunted. "That'll be the day."
"Sango?" Miroku asked again, concerned.
She didn't respond. She had curled herself up into a fetal position. Her hands were tightly gripped over her head and she rocked gently back and forth.
'Shit,' Miroku cursed. 'Sango's being as pathetic as I was. It also happens to be at the worst time too.' "Damnit!"
"Indeed." Kagura laughed. She enjoyed seeing Miroku struggle to try and get Sango out of her shell. She knew he wouldn't proceed if she weren't safe. She was getting an easy victory.
In Sango's mind she was caught within a struggle of her own. Seeing Miroku as he was now made her feel even worse. He was so much stronger and better than her, and in her mind that she didn't deserve to be saved.
'I'm pathetic. I wish Kagura had killed me. I don't deserve to live. Miroku deserves someone better than I, and Kohaku deserves a strong sister. I failed them.'
'And now, now Miroku is risking his life to save me, and I don't do a damn thing to help him. I'm just too weak and stupid to do any good. I make things worse and complicate every incident because of my damn emotions.'
'I'm not like Inuyasha; I'm not strong. I'm always hiding. I'm also not like Kagome, either. She keeps trying even if she's too weak to do anything. She never looses faith in herself. Shippou, even he can muster a bit of courage in a tough situation. He's also loyal to his friends. And Miroku, he's beyond everything I hope to be. He keeps enduring life even when he knows he'll die soon anyway.'
'They all put me to shame.'
'I hate being weak!'
'I hate being pathetic!'
'I hate being a coward!'
'I hate living!'
'I hate life!'
'I hate everything!'
'But most of all... I hate myself! I hate myself, and everything that has gone wrong in this miserable existence. Nobody could ever love someone like me. Miroku should just leave me to die.'
'I'm not worth protecting.'
'I'm not worth a life.'
'I'm not worth kindness.'
'I'm not worth pity or even compassion.'
'I'm not worth anything.'
'I'm not even near worth anything to Miroku. Nothing... I'm worth nothing.'
Sango let out a long cry, a cry for everything, her heartache, her confusion, her guilt, her anguish, her stupidity, and her sorrow.
"Sango," whispered Miroku silently.
"It seems Sango has given up long before you could help her," criticized Kagura. "You failed. You were too weak to help her."
He didn't respond. His eyes were intensely focused on Sango. He didn't know what he felt for her. Pity? Sadness? No, it was something else. It was something much deeper than those things.
'What's he up to?' she thought. 'I wonder if he could be planning something.' She glanced at Sango and smiled. "There's nothing you can do, so don't waste your breath."
Miroku didn't listen. "Sango!" he screamed. "I love you! I love everything about you! Your smile, your warmth, your kindness, your compassion, your strength, your endurance, your body... Everything! I love everything about you. So please, Sango, don't doubt me. Don't be afraid. Just get up. Everything will be okay."
"Mi-Miroku," Sango whispered. "Is that you? Is it really you?" She released her arms from her head and looked up at the blurry figure, her tears still falling.
"Yes," he replied softly. "It's really me. I love you, Sango. Get up now because I don't want you to die."
"Miroku!" She sprang to her feet and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She nearly tackled Miroku as she clung tightly to him in a fierce embrace. She buried her head in his and let out a soft sob.
His body exhaled a great sigh of relief as Sango stood nestled in his arms. "I'm glad you're alright Sango," he said softly. "We can work some things out after this. I'm going to take care of Kagura now. It'll be okay though, so don't worry."
She seemed to understand and nodded, reluctantly letting go. She walked away some distance to a clearing where she would be safe.
Kagura watched as Miroku saw Sango off and felt a great deal of disgust growing in the pit of her stomach. "I'm glad you have some self-control, houshi. It would be rather sickening to have to watch you two give into your primal desires."
Primal desires. Miroku liked the sound of that. He let out a laugh and hung on tightly to his powerful arm. "Shove it."
"You plan on defeating me with your wind-tunnel alone? Do you really think that would be enough to beat me?"
"Maybe," came his calm response, "but I certainly wasn't going to use any conventional weapons with you. That's just not who I am."
His self worth and confidence would e admirable to some, but it only made Kagura angrier. "I'm not as weak as you may think."
"We'll see." He removed the beads sealing his powerful curse and focused all his strength and energy on that attack, hoping to have enough power to draw Kagura in enough to scare her off for a well until he could get help from the others.
"Foolish!" she shouted. "I'm not your average demon; I can defend myself." With a flick of her fan a powerful gust, much like a tornado, enveloped the houshi into.
Miroku felt sick inside the whirlwind of air as he tried to focus on keeping his attack steady and not suck up anything that wasn't intended. It was only Kagura he wanted. It unfortunately didn't pan out that way. The gust spit him out with such force that he collided into a tree and split a good part of it.
He was forced to seal the tunnel as he put his hands to his stomach and coughed out a fair amount of blood. 'Shit,' he cursed. 'So much for that plan.'
Kagura looked pleased at the monk's state for the moment. It gave her a shiver of pleasure seeing him struggling to breath as he writhed in pain. Yes, very pleasurable. "Is that all you got?"
"No," he spat, trying to smile. "There's this." He grabbed a piece of the tree that he split open off the ground and threw it as hard as he could in Kagura's direction.
His aim didn't fail him as the piece of wood hit her square in the head. This made Kagura let out an angered scream. A small stream of blood running down her face from a laceration now located on her forehead.
"You'll pay for that!" she screamed.
Miroku took advantage of the situation and struggled to his feet. His breath was knocked out of him on impact and he may have several cracked ribs. Still, this didn't detour him. He braced himself for the next attack, whatever it may be.
Kagura's recovery was short. While her head throbbed it only fueled her desire to see Miroku die an agonizing death at her hands. She waved her fan at Miroku and before he knew it his arms and legs were littered with small, but deep cuts from her attack.
Blood was spilling all over his clothing as he tried to keep standing; despite the fact his body was enduring a tremendous amount of pain. He was loosing a good deal of blood, fast. Too fast. "Shit."
"What an idiot you are. You deserve death, your stupidity is unbearable." She struck a hard blow to his face resulting in cut from his forehead down to the tip of his nose.
He immediately responded with an attack of his own. Even with his bare fists he was able to encore some damage. He gave her one of his strongest punches right to the gut.
She reeled back and gripped her stomach, trying hard to breath. Her breath was knocked right from her.
He followed this attack with several more blows to her face and upper body area before collapsing to his knees. His injuries held him down.
Not long after this small volley of attacks was Kagura up and ready to go again. She laughed at his state. "You really are pathetic. You can't face me without a weapon."
'If only I had my staff,' he thought. 'If only...'
Then he heard a sound; it was a loud 'clink' noise. "What the..." His eyes traveled to his side and a shimmering object surfaced. It was his staff. "Fuck," he finished in bewilderment. His eyes wide open in shock.
Kagura could not believe her eyes either. Last she knew Naraku had possession of the monk's staff. Now, now it was right there for him. Her eyes traveled to a nearby tree. She could hear the sound of laughter coming from it.
Naraku sat contently in the tree. A sinister smile on his face.
"You!" she yelled. "Why!"
"To teach you a lesson, Kagura," calmly replied Naraku. "This is what happens to those who dare defy me. You should have known better."
"Bastard!" she shouted. "How could you!?"
"Better watch out. He's coming for you." Naraku motioned in Miroku's direction.
Miroku was standing again with his weigh supported on his staff and did not look too happy. His had a burning drive and desire within them. His gaze was fixated on her.
"Damn you, Naraku!"
Naraku could only laugh in response. 'It's your own fault, Kagura. You shouldn't have defied me. Now you'll face punishment at the houshi's hands. And his wrath at the moment is far worse than mine.'
"Now, Kagura, you pay." Miroku swiftly charged the stunned demon. He raised his staff over his head and came down on her with all his power, blow after blow sending her reeling. He enjoyed listening to her anguish screams of pain as he smashed her face in and every other part of her body he could hit.
Finally, things seemed over. Kagura was beaten down black and blue and Miroku stood huffing trying to regain his breath.
Kagura made a motion to attack but the dull pain her body emitted was too much for her. She gave in. Calling her feather and ridding off into the wind, too ashamed to say anything further to him.
Naraku also disappeared, greatly pleased with Miroku's work. There was no point in pursing the duo, however. His plan was a failure and he already derived great pleasure from Kagura's pain that day.
Now it was just the two of them. Sango and Miroku.
Miroku looked relieved seeing Kagura leave. He wasn't in any condition to pursue her so leaving was just as good. He smiled and fell to the ground. Exhausted, and still bleeding heavily.
Sango, who had been watching everything, ran down to him. She had restrained herself from intervening but now she didn't have to worry. All that mattered was that Miroku got some medical attention that he desperately needed.
Miroku could feel her presence next to him and smiled. "See, Sango, everything is alright. I told you."
"Yes," she said, nearly crying. "You did."
He nodded. "I meant it, Sango. I really do love you."
"I know." Her eyes started to blur as tears threatened to pour out.
"Don't cry," he whispered. "I never know what to do when you cry."
"Kiss me."
His lips enveloped her in a soft but very sensual kiss. He had for so long longed for this moment. This kiss. This girl. He'd always wanted her so badly.
Sango almost felt like crying. Even though she felt an amazing sensation through kissing him her guilt was still holding her back. She beckoned for forgiveness, but Miroku wouldn't accept, he wouldn't let her be sorry.
Their lips parted from one another and Sango stood up, helping Miroku to his feet. She slung his arm over shoulder and smiled. "I'm glad you're still alive, but you may not be soon if we don't get to the village."
"Glad to see you still have your sense of humor."
"Always."
He smiled faintly and nodded. "Of course."
The two left the scene together supporting one another and their wounds. Both of them had been damaged but found strength through each other to carry on.
Their tired bodies were barely able to make it back to the village where Kagome, Inuyasha, and Shippou still waited patiently for them.
There was a knock on the door to their hut.
Kagome's face lit up. "It must be Sango and Xen! Hurry, Inuyasha, get the door!"
He wished to protest but didn't. He got up and opened the door. What he saw stunned him. "Mi-Miroku?"
"Hey," came his low reply. "What's up?" His body gave out and he collapsed to the floor. Sango stood over him worriedly.
"Oh my god, Sango!" shrieked Kagome, after noticing the state the two of them were in. "What happened to you guys?"
"It's a long story. I promise I'll tell you later. But for now..." Sango's voice trailed off. "I need to rest." Her eyes closed and she fell softly into Inuyasha's arms.
He looked at his friends intently, smiling slightly. "What should I do with these two idiots, Kagome?"
"Lay them down on the futons, Inuyasha. They need their rest."
"And their wounds?" he asked.
"We can tend to them when I get some supplies."
"Right." He picked up Sango and laid her softly down on a futon. Then hoisted Miroku to his feet and dragged him slowly across the floor and plopped him down next to Sango. "There you go, buddy. Rest well."
The two of them had peaceful expressions on their faces as they slept soundly.
"What do you think happened to them?" asked Kagome.
Inuyasha shook his head in dismay. "No idea. But it seems like Miroku has recovered his identity. How, I don't know, but we'll find out in time, I'm sure."
Kagome nodded and took out her assortment of bandages and medicines. "Yeah, we can ask them when they wake up. Let's just take care of their wounds for now."
"Right." Inuyasha knelt down next to Kagome and began helping to dress their wounds. Both of them working contently side-by-side, small smiles of satisfaction on their faces.
Things were looking better all around.
Shippou smiled. He was sitting in a corner contently next to Kilala. "This is the way things should be."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of chapter~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, so what did you guys think? I hope you liked it. I was unsure about this chapter but all and all it seemed to work out. The next chapter is a final chapter and I'm stunned to see how much this story has progressed and the positive reaction to it. Thanks everyone. I look forward to your reviews.
Tricky-the-Kitsune-Youkai~ I figured Inuyasha was either too busy with Kagome or perhaps they were just too far away for him to smell anything. That or his senses didn't work well between all the other smells coming from the forest. Your pick.
Rissi-sama~ Are you insinuating that I'm violent!!! *Laughs* Yeah, I don't kneed help with violence, that's for sure. But I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Aamalie~ Oi, sorry for making you brain dead, but it's a necessary evil I would say. As for you demanding fluff I'm sure the ending scene didn't do enough for you but that's what the next chapter is for. ^_~
Lar-lar~ I'm glad you didn't the part with the mother's voice wasn't too corny. I liked it but you can never tell the reaction to some things. Thanks for all the positive feedback.
Ai8~ Thank you!
Fanfictiongeek36~ Yes, hooray, hooray for frolicking indeed. Thanks for the nice comments, sorry for the last cliffhanger.
Small-buttercup~ Yes, I really do have some fun cliffies, don't I? I love torturing you slowly... But anyways, you have your resolution. I do hope you're happy with it. ^^
That's all for now. It's been a crazy ride but thanks to all the kick ass reviewers I had from chapter 14. The final chapter is coming up next. Don't know when I'll have time to update. It may not be till next weekend.
Till then,
Adios
Zero.