TWO Stop, Look and...Look Longer...

It would've been a much easier day for Sango. After all, it was just another day in a demon exterminator's life, full of surprises, danger, demons...and sometimes a little bit of embarrassment too. Even they are humans like the rest...

Inuyasha and the gang were practically and frantically wandering off the countryside again, scouring for any trace or gossip about the shard. Inuyasha was in his usual persona, ranting and mumbling about the shard and contemplating why they can't find a single one.

"This sucks! Where the hell are those damn fucking shards?!" he growled.

Kagome eyed him intensively, giving that cold stare that seemed to tame the hanyou at least for a while. Sensing danger if he didn't shut up, Inuyasha quietly turned his head away and walked ahead of the group with his arms crossed and the ever so wonderful "Fe!" expression. Knowing how pride can sometimes fill up his head, Kagome just let him go, without saying a single word.

It was quite unusual nowadays to see them in a war of words. For the part of Inuyasha, he finally realized the pain of hitting the ground every time Kagome would say "Sit!" whenever he rants about something that irritates her. And as for Kagome, she learned from her experience while traveling with the half-demon that mere words are useless against him. Words wouldn't get into that thick skull of his, and most of the time he lets his pride as a half-blood demon take over him and retaliate back. She realized it would go on for eternity if she ever exchanged words with such a proud and dense creature. Instead she would just stare at him intently, as if threatening Inuyasha to say the's' word if he doesn't stop without ever saying anything.

She had to admit, it did work every time.

Surely it's one bizarre sight, a mortal girl stifling a hanyou just like that. After all, in the world they're trudging upon, there are a lot of strange and fascinating things that sometimes fools the senses. So much weirdness and perplexity, like...Sango.

Inuyasha being tamed like a puppy by Kagome without ever saying a word was quite unusual, but it wasn't the only eccentric thing that happens now and then. Sango for instance, has been acting strange the past few days. At least that's what Miroku thinks.

Walking for long distances sometimes could prove tiresome and monotonous at the same time. So, once in every minute or so, Miroku would break the unusual silence hovering the rest of the group and ask a random question to his companions, mostly to Sango, for she always walks closest to him than the rest.

"Miss Sango, what do you think about the cherry blossoms? Aren't they nice to watch as they bloom?" Miroku suddenly asked.

Sango turned her head towards Miroku and she just stared at him, apparently frozen at the gaze of the monk. If it weren't for the inquisitive nature of Miroku, her stare would've been longer, much longer. Instead, the next question of Miroku broke the seemingly eternal silence between them, not letting his female companion admire his face even just a bit more.

"Are you all right? You seem...flushed." he retorted with a face of fascination.

Sango was so busy staring at his face that it didn't come to her that he had already noticed her blushing. She was trained to handle dangerous demons, but she was never trained for this particular situation.

"Um...yeah, I'm fe-feeling fine..." her words betraying her with a hint of nervousness.

"Oh, I see. I thought you were sick or something. You were in like a shock, just staring at me back there. Is there something wrong with my face or with what I have said?" Miroku responded.

It took her a while to get over her initial uneasiness as she summoned all her courage to mutter a whole sentence.

"N-no, there's nothing wrong with you or with anything. I just...I just..." her words trailing off as she seemingly didn't know what to say next.

"Did he just call me miss...again?" she thought as she gave off another innocent blush.

"I understand. Maybe all this walking has been taking its toll on you, on all of us. Maybe you're just tired, that's all. Sorry for asking such as stupid question." Miroku replied.

He let out a sigh, feeling slightly dejected about asking such a non-sense question in which Sango wasn't able to reply. He looked away from Sango and turned his eyes on the road they were walking on, looking a bit depressed.

"Maybe she's angry at me..." he talked to himself.

He thought of recent memories and events during the past days, searching for something he did to Sango that might have made her angry at him, so to speak. Well, there was the time they were walking and Sango dropped their purse containing all of their money. She bowed down to get it and Miroku, sensing the opportunity, grabbed her behind. Even before he could say "ouch!" Sango had once again slapped him. And then there was this time when they found a hot spring, and he was caught by the huntress spying on her while she was undressing and this time he got a kick in the shin. Thinking all of those made him sigh once more.

"Yeah, she's angry at me all right." he muttered.

But, now that he thought of all those lechery he did, he suddenly realized that he had always touched her here and there, and all he got was the painful slap of a demon exterminator, but it never did occur to him that she would be angry at what he did. She was just...acting like a woman...with pride and honor...showing that her body has to be respected, he thought. He never thought that she would be angry at him for that, not once, not ever.

"Maybe she's fed up...with me..." he thought as he sighed again.

Nobody could blame the monk. It's been exactly the fourth time Sango did the same thing to him, she just stared at him for a while and didn't answer back. The impression Miroku had was that he was being given the "silent treatment" as a punishment for touching her butt for oh so many times already. He sighed yet again as they continued to straddle the rest of the path towards the next village.

As for Sango, she was too busy savoring the moment. Like a worn-out gramophone, she repeatedly wound back to the instant a while ago when she was asked by her monk companion about the cherry blossoms. It wasn't the question she was minding about, it was how Miroku asked her that particular question.

"He called me miss..." she thought with a slight flush on her face.

It wasn't like she wasn't called miss before...well it was only the fourth time Miroku addressed her as such. And of all the men, it was Miroku, she thought. She gave another blush at the prospect. Why...Inuyasha never called Kagome that way. Surely the word wasn't so special but when Miroku opens his mouth and vocalizes "miss" with such finesse and suave, Sango seemed to become so uneasy and jittery around him. She thought about the moment ago, and she blushed once more, this time putting both of her hands in her cheeks and shaking her head.

"He really...did call me...miss..."

Sensing the unusual movement, Inuyasha's ears twitched and he looked back towards the direction of Kagome and the others. He caught the taijiya on the act of blushing and swaying vigorously. He strolled back towards Kagome as he continued to glare at the most unusual thing he was now seeing. Kagome noticed the hanyou walking back towards her and was puzzled herself.

"What's wrong?" she yelled

Like the half-demon that he was, he quickly hastened towards Kagome and covered her mouth. Kagome quickly gave that same cold stare she gave him a while ago, but it seemed like there was something more Inuyasha had to say.

"Sssh! Keep quiet you fool!" Inuyasha sneered. "Look behind you." he said while pointing his finger towards the direction of Sango and Miroku.

Kagome glanced back like she was told to and saw for herself how bizarre Sango and Miroku was acting. Shippou followed, peeping from behind Kagome's shoulders. Normally they would see the monk smiling, happily toddling the rest of the way, and sometimes telling jokes or just plain irritating Sango. As for the taijiya, she was usually alert, on guard, wary of anything that might attack them, always prepared for any youkai that could ambush them on their way. Kagome and Shippou's eyes widened at what they saw.

"What's wrong with those two Kagome? They seem rather odd today." the young fox demon retorted.

"I-I don't know. It's actually the first time I'm seeing Sango blush that much..." Kagome replied.

Inuyasha on the other hand was just as insensitive as ever and opened his wide mouth.

"Fe! Look at that monk! He's sulking like a child!" he uttered.

Kagome was quick to glare back at him and reprimand his insensitivity.

"What's wrong with you? Don't you see that he's...depressed? I don't know what happened there but it's not nice insulting people like that!"

"Che! I still think they're both acting weird!" he muttered before finally going ahead of the gang again.

Shippou pulled Kagome's sleeve and inquired about their two companions.

"Is there something wrong with them Kagome? Did Miroku touch Sango again?"

Kagome smiled at Shippou, then looked back at the two, gave a somewhat puzzled but thoughtful gaze then glanced back at the fox demon.

"No Shippou, I don't think that's what happened..." she said, giggling. "Let's just let those two alone for a while."

She was smiling and giggling, as if she had already known what happened between Sango and Miroku. Shippou on the other hand was still as baffled as ever, scratching his head as he looked at Sango, Miroku and the now giggling Kagome.

"Now even Kagome has acted so strange now. I guess that leaves me, Inuyasha and Kirara." he muttered as he gave a huge sigh.

They were still a long way from the nearest village, and the day was seemingly growing longer as they wandered. Yes, it would be one long day indeed for all of them, having to contend with fatigue, hunger, and each other's occasional peculiarities...

The sun was close to bidding its farewell when Inuyasha and the others arrived at a village. It was a rather obscure citadel for civilization, more like a forsaken encampment than it was a village. The place itself had a heavy aura enveloping it. Neither Inuyasha's temper tantrums nor the strange behaviors of both Sango and Miroku helped in making the queer feeling go away that something seemed wrong about the village. Aside from the fact that the houses seemed deserted (even though a faint glow of light can be seen emanating from them), there were hardly any villagers strolling around and if they saw one, he or she scurried rapidly towards the shadows, as if they didn't want to be seen. The wind scowled, breaking the dead silence momentarily.

"Now what !? Sango and Miroku are acting weird, but this damn village is even weirder! Everyone's weird all of a sudden!" Inuyasha scoffed.

This time, Kagome didn't retaliate. She knew he was right. She could sense that something wasn't right. Even Miroku and Sango didn't seem to disagree. Both had seemingly waked up from their oddity a while ago and were now back to reality. The monk surveyed the area with keen eyes and sense. He raised his shakujou up in the air as he performed some sort of ritual, with his eyes closed and his right hand stuck onto his chest holding a paper talisman. A ringing sound from his staff told him to lower and straighten it. Now he was using it like a compass, detecting anything that might be neglected by the naked eye. He made three passes of his staff, from the right then to the left and to the right again. Finally, he opened his eyes with his face painting a puzzled look.

"That was odd. I didn't feel anything unusual here. Unless of course my skills are waning already." he spoke with the confidence of a houshi.

"Bah! Maybe you're staff's acting weird too, just like its owner a while ago!" the hanyou retorted.

Miroku gave a blank stare at him, and just ignored his insult. During these times, it was Miroku who was seemingly the most mature among them. His cool and calm nature lets him take any insult from some insensitive dog-demon and treat it as if it's nothing. Sango would've crushed Inuyasha to dust by now if she hadn't realized that Inuyasha was indeed telling the truth. She was indeed acting weird lately, gazing at Miroku for a time for no apparent reason at all. It wasn't like her to do that. She was a demon huntress; she was always keen of her surroundings, not mesmerized by some lecherous monk.

"But I can't help it...what's wrong with me?" she thought as she remembered the moments she would freeze upon the gaze of his eyes, his youthful face, his...

"What's your opinion Sango-chan?" her thoughts suddenly cut off by Kagome's voice.

It seemed like forever before Sango gave a response. "Uhm...I don't sense any evil aura from any youkais either. Maybe we're all just tired and we're overreacting on things. Let's just call it a day guys."

"Okay then, Miroku-sama, it's your time to shine..." Kagome said with a huge grin in her face.

The monk didn't know how to take it, whether as a compliment or as an insult. She was pertaining to Miroku's "exorcism" act, in which he would knock at any house and then say to the occupants that there's a demon in their house, and he's willing to exorcise it if they were given lodging for the night. It didn't work all the time, and it wasn't the most honest of ways, but it did get them comfort once in a while, finally sleeping on real mattresses and blankets, a sight and feel for their aching backs gotten from camping in the open too often. Even Sango had to concede. She wasn't a fan of the monk's "exorcising talent" and she even reprimands him for doing such, but she had to admit, if it weren't for him, all of them would have been bitten by mosquitoes almost every time.

"My, my even Lady Kagome is now agreeing to my ingenuity." Miroku expressed with sheer pride.

"More like fooling other people..." Sango thought as she gave him quite a nasty look, very much the opposite of the sweet gaze she gave him earlier that day. But her ice-cold glare suddenly melted when the monk finally faced towards her, with his ever so charming and radiant smile. She began to blush once more as he insinuatingly prolonged his look upon Sango...who would've melted if that same look had been administered much longer.

"Sango-chan, let's go. I wouldn't mind your company. That's if you don't mind anyway."

"What's this? He's asking me to go with him. Speak Sango, speak! Tell him yes! Yes!" she argued within herself while blushing straightforwardly.

"O-of course houshi-sama," she said with a slight stutter. "How about you Kagome? And Inuyasha and the others?"

"Oh us? Well, we'll go ask other villagers about rumors about the shards. For now, it's best if you two go and search for a place to stay. I'll ask Inuyasha and Kirara to survey the surroundings, you know it doesn't hurt to double check the place anyway." she replied with a smile on her face. "Well then Shippou, Kirara, let's go!"

"But Kagome..." Shippou's voice trailed off as Kagome signaled him to stop whatever he was going to say. She winked at him followed by a grin and then a whisper. "Let's just leave those two alone. We have our own work to do." The fox cub nodded and Kirara meowed which Kagome swore was a "yes".

"Okay then, see you guys later! Take care of each other!" Kagome waved them goodbye but not before giving a smile and a wink at both of them. Miroku looked baffled while Sango, by some invisible telepathy and instinct, knew instantly what Kagome meant by that wink. She blushed again and then waved back at them.

"That girl..." she thought as her eyes alit with delight at her current presentiment.

Inuyasha had already left the scene even before Kagome said anything about the surveying the surroundings part, which made her a bit tad angry.

"Oooh I'm gonna get that hanyou! Come on Shippou, let's ask the villagers. Kirara, you better go find Inuyasha. He might need some company himself. "

As they saw their companions disappearing from the distance, Miroku and Sango started their own mission as well. Miroku seemed more than contented with his companion, walking happily and tuning a hum or two. It wasn't even close to what Sango was feeling right then. She felt she was going to explode, her emotions and feelings overflowing deep inside her. Although she was still confused about all of these, she tried her best to restrain them, so that the monk wouldn't notice a thing.

"So...I guess it's just you and me together huh. It's so nice of you to accompany me in my exorcising mission. I thought you rejected the idea." Miroku opened up.

"Well, I still don't like the idea, but then again I am the only one who could stand you and your 'exorcism' anyway." Sango replied with sarcasm and humor.

"Alas! That's a good one Sango!" Miroku laughed, getting the point Sango meant to convey. She seemed so eager in making him smile and laugh. Maybe it was because she just love the way he smiles. She didn't know. She was confused. It was just something that she had to do. She knew she had to do. She accompanied the monk's melancholy with a smile of her own. Miroku seemed pleased with the way the conversation was going, and he was ready to make it even more interesting.

"Now's my chance!" he thought.

Eyeing Sango intently, seeing she was too busy smiling, Miroku slowly slid his left hand behind her back and reached for her shoulder. He almost forgot that she was a demon huntress, and that she was always alert. This time, Sango had the best of him. She quickly yanked his hand and twisted it and locked it between her own arms. Miroku winced in pain as his poor arm was being strangled.

"What did you do that for?" Miroku protested.

"Well, I agreed to accompany you but it doesn't mean that you could have your way with me, houshi-sama." Sango replied with a sarcastic tone.

She immediately released the monk's arm after she was sure he had enough. She laughed at the monk's somewhat frustrated look, not being able to have his own way with her. Even so, her own conscience didn't seem to agree with what she just did. Inside, part of her regretted ever doing that thing. Part of her longed for Miroku to extend his arm over her shoulder, to hug her, then again her reflexes have always been programmed to either slap or strangle the monk. Period.

"Why did you do that Sango? It was the perfect chance..." she said to herself.

Miroku remained the calm person that he is, having been able to smile after what his companion did to him. "Anyway, let's just go over to that house. I have a good feeling we'll be sleeping soundly there tonight. "he said with brimming confidence. Sango just couldn't help but blush as she gazed at him, savoring every bit of detail of his face, his glistening smile that makes her light-headed almost every time. There was something in the monk that made her feel like fluttering in the heavens. She still didn't know what it was, she was thoroughly confused. Something was keeping her from finding why, why the hell is she staring at the monk who's been staring at nothing but her butt since the day they met. Who cares, she couldn't care less, the world surely wouldn't, it's just him and she, alone, together, and whatever that reason maybe, it had to wait, she thought. Yes, maybe she'll just enjoy looking at him for now...a bit longer...maybe even longer...