moggy201484271612345: Thank you n.n And, you know what they say; expect the unexpected.
moonsiren06: This story really inspired you? Whoa, I'm honored :) I'll definitely have to check out your story!
ZmajGoddess: What the others will say? Hmm... well, what they don't know won't hurt them n.n
shamansun: Thank you for the great comments! :) I appreciate your tips and suggestions; very helpful
Sango fan: Yes, surprise kisses can be sweet :)
Z.A.G: Ha, for some reason, your review made me start laughing. Thanks for the comment though n.n
purplepeopleeater: Things may or may not get awkward; you'll have to stick around to find out :) And, yes, Inuyasha really does look cute when he blushes!
high-off-life : Yes, Inuyasha and Sango really are the best pairing! In my world, at least :) Thanks for the comment; I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
MirokuLuvr: Yup, a surprise kiss n.n Miroku and Kagome? Well, they'll find out-- ::gets dragged off by people who don't want to be spoiled::
To everyone else: Either I wasn't sure how to respond to your reviews individually, or you basically said the same thing as someone else; thanks for the review! I appreciate each and every one I receive for this story, so don't think your review went unnoticed.
AN: Okay, I think that about does it. It's nice to see that a lot of you enjoyed the surprise kiss I threw in there last chapter :) Without further ado... onto the chapter!
Night went, and morning brought about a cool and sunny morning. The rain had ceased sometime during the night, and the morning air held a nice and refreshing scent. And, it wasn't long before the group of shard hunters had set out once again; after thanking the village chief, of course.
Shippou skipped happily ahead of everyone else, splashing in the puddles created by the previous nights rains. The kitsune's eyes sparkled with laughter as he kicked up bits of gravel and water, before glancing back to his other companions and grinning childishly. He would wait for them to get close, and then he would scurry ahead to find another puddle; though he was always sure not to stray too far.
Kagome smiled warmly as she watched the kit play. It was comforting, to think that even while they were on a seemingly never-ending journey to collect jewel shards, that Shippou could still find fun in the simplest of things. Her smile faded slightly as she glanced over to Inuyasha. He had seemed to be in thought since they had left the village. And Sango... the miko turned her attention ahead to Shippou once again, though her thoughts went to the taijiya. Sango was quiet; which wasn't too strange. Though... Kagome hadn't failed to notice that Sango would occasionally sigh, for no apparent reason. And, when she would look to her friend, Sango would merely smile and nod towards her. Add that onto everything that had happened the past couple of days, and it almost seemed like there was something going on between the hanyou and taijiya...
Kagome shook her head, that was just plain silly! What could possibly be going on between them? Kagome knew that Sango loved Miroku. And Inuyasha still loved Kikyou... despite how much Kagome hated to admit that fact, she knew it was true. So, there couldn't possibly be anything between Inuyasha and Sango.
While the group continued on in silence, Kirara suddenly stopped. The neko lifted her nose into the air and sniffed a couple of times, before growling; her fur bristling a bit.
Sango stopped walking, and looked down to her faithful companion, "What is it, Kirara?"
The fire-cat looked around warily, still growling, but remaining in her normal form.
"Wait a minute!" The taijiya called ahead to the others, as she gripped hiraikotsu's strap, "There's something around that Kirara doesn't like."
"Whatever it is, its been following us for a while now." Inuyasha said, stopping and glancing back to Sango, "It hasn't tried to make a move though, so I think we should be okay. Come on, we should keep moving." He added, beginning to walk once again.
Kagome glanced to Inuyasha, before shading her eyes with a hand and looking ahead to Shippou, "Shippou-chan, I think you should come back here with us." The miko squinted her eyes, trying to locate the kitsune, but she couldn't see him, "Shippou-chan? Shippou-chan!"
"What?" Shippou asked curiously, oblivious to the fact that something seemed to be tracking them. While the others had paused momentarily, the kit had ventured back and to the side of them; where he scampered to the edge of a stream that ran alongside the path they were taking.
Kagome let out an audible sigh of relief as she looked over to Shippou, "Don't scare me like that, Shippou-chan." She scolded lightly, before putting on a smile and adding, "Stay close to us for a while, okay?"
The little fox-demon nodded, and splashed some of the cool water on his face, "Okay, Kagome."
Just as Shippou began walking up the slight incline to return to the group, an ominous shadow passed overhead. And, a couple seconds later, a hawk-demon swooped down, trying to grab the kitsune in its claws.
"Shippou, get down!" Sango yelled, the moment she saw the shadow.
Immediately, Shippou dropped to the ground, covering his head with his paws.
The razor-sharp talons of the hawk cut through the air only inches above Shippou's now-crouched form, before the demon flew higher into the sky and turned, prepared to make another attempt at catching its meal.
Before it could, though, an arrow pierced through the air; though it missed the demon by about a foot. Kagome frowned, upset about missing, as she readied to fire another arrow. "Shippou-chan! Get over here!" She said, not taking her eyes off the hawk. She wanted to make sure the kitsune wouldn't be seen as an easy target, and the best way to do that, was to make sure he was with them.
Shippou nodded shortly as he stood up and scurried towards them.
When the hawk once again tried to dive towards him, Sango flung hiraikotsu towards it. The large weapon cut through the air, connecting with the birds' left wing.
The hawk-demon screeched as it broke out of its dive. It flitted carelessly about for a moment, before seemingly regaining its balance in the air and turning towards the taijiya. It let out another screech as it abandoned its attack on Shippou, and turned to dive at Sango instead; who was now without her main weapon.
However, Inuyasha saw this and he reached Sango before the hawk did. He grabbed her, intending to pull her out of the way, but, unfortunately, the demon moved faster than he had assumed, and the hawk hit Inuyasha square on the back with its talons.
The sudden impact knocked the hanyou down, and because he was holding onto Sango, he brought her down with him. The two fell, rolling down the slight incline before coming to a stop in the water of the stream. The water where they landed was only a few inches deep, but it was still very cold.
The moment Sango and Inuyasha were down, Miroku unleashed his kazaana; making sure the hawk wouldn't bother them again. As he wrapped the prayer beads around his arm once more, sealing the curse, he looked to where his two companions had fallen.
Once the kazaana was sealed again, Kagome had ran to the edge of the path, wanting to make sure her friends were okay.
Sango felt like wincing, but instead, gasped as she hit the water. "What is it... with you and water?" She asked, after catching her breath again since it had been knocked from her when Inuyasha landed on top of her.
"Yeah, you're welcome, Sango." Inuyasha said sarcastically as he pushed himself up, "You know, you're supposed to thank someone when they save you." He added, standing up and offering his hand to help pull her up.
The taijiya sat up, looking at Inuyasha, then looking to his outstretched hand. Really, what was it about him and water? First she had been caught in the rain because she had been thinking about him. Then she had run out into the rain to try and get away from him. And now, they had both fallen into water after he saved her from the hawk-demon. She shook her head slightly; she couldn't stay upset with him even if she wanted too. "Thank you, Inuyasha." She said, smiling slightly as she reached out and took his hand.
The hanyou snorted as he easily pulled her up, "It kind of looses its meaning after someone tells you to say it." He said, rolling his eyes.
"Do I really have to say thank you for you to know that I am thankful, Inuyasha?" She asked.
He crossed his arms and looked off to the side, "I... guess not." He mumbled, glancing back to the slayer.
"Then don't sound so offended if I don't." She replied, patting his back a bit. Though her smile slowly faded as she did so. She could feel that the back of Inuyasha's fire-rat coat was torn, and as she looked at her hand again, she saw blood, "Inuyasha, your back!"
"Huh?" Inuyasha looked over his shoulder, trying to see what she was talking about. Looking back to Sango, he noticed her hand had blood on it. "Ah, it'll take a lot more than a couple scratches to get rid of me." He said, smirking arrogantly.
Sango frowned slightly, her eyebrows furrowing together in concern, "This looks worse than just a simple scratch, Inuyasha... Maybe we should rest here for a moment, so someone can look at your back."
"Keh, I'm not a child, you know. I'm fine, and we don't need to be stopping just because that damned bird made me bleed a little." He replied, turning towards the path again.
"Mou, Inuyasha, don't start fighting with Sango-chan again." Kagome said, taking hold of his sleeve and pulling him down to a sitting position, "Sango-chan is right, that's not just a scratch. Besides, we could use a little break after that demon attacked."
Inuyasha, on the other hand, just snorted.
-A little while later-
Sango, now clad only in her slayers suit since her kimono needed drying, rubbed her shoulder slightly, before moving her arm in a circular motion. She winched slightly, and then rubbed her shoulder a bit more. 'Looks like I hurt it worse than I thought...' When she had landed in the water, her shoulder had hit a sharp rock; but that was better than what could have happened. Her eyes turned to look at Inuyasha and Kagome for a moment. Inuyasha had gotten the most force from the attack; he had taken it to save her. A sore shoulder was better than death. And, for his troubles, the hanyou had been clawed pretty badly. Kagome was wrapping bandages around his chest, covering the wounds on his back. And, Sango couldn't help but feel jealousy rise up in her. She quickly shook her head, though her gaze continued to linger on the hanyou and miko, 'Kagome-chan is the best when it comes to her medicines from the future... its best for Inuyasha if she do this.. Besides... besides, Inuyasha would have done the same thing for any of us… And… he hasn't even tried talking to me about that kiss. So... maybe it was just a spur of the moment thing... Maybe it didn't mean anything at all. I shouldn't be jealous of Kagome-chan anymore...' She sighed, feeling her heart sink, as she looked down to the ground. When she finally did look up again, her eyes met with golden ones, and her heart fluttered, as the despair seemed to melt away. The look he was giving her... it was... it was almost like an apologetic look. Could he... did he really... was it possible he felt the same way for her that she did for him? That thought alone made her smile slightly. And Inuyasha, she saw, returned the smile with one of his own; it was only a slight one, barely noticeable, but it was there.
Suddenly, though, Sango felt a hand on her shoulder and she jerked around to see who had startled her. "Houshi-sama, don't do that!" She said sharply, catching herself before she attacked him purely from surprise.
"Forgive me, Sango." The monk replied, raising his arms slightly, prepared to defend himself. Though, as he saw her relax again, he did as well, "I didn't mean to startle you. Are you alright? That demon didn't hurt you, did it?"
The taijiya shook her head slightly; glad to get her mind off of Inuyasha for the moment. She wasn't sure if she wanted to get caught smiling at Inuyasha, and she was sure Inuyasha wouldn't appreciate getting caught smiling at her. At least... not until they had figured out how and what to tell the others... "My shoulder's a little sore, Houshi-sama, but Inuyasha was the one who got hit the hardest. If it wasn't for him, I'd be hurt worse."
Miroku nodded, looking over to the hanyou, who was still being 'patched up', he then turned back to Sango and smiled, "I know. But I just wanted to make sure you weren't hurt, Sango."
Sango smiled a bit, "Thank you, Houshi-sama." She was prepared to say more, but before she could, arms wrapped around her and she found herself pulled into an embrace from the monk in front of her.
The moment the slayer was stunned into silence, a growl pierced through the air. From where he sat on the ground, Inuyasha growled as Miroku hugged Sango. He hadn't even realized he was doing it, until he had heard it. But something had awakened inside of him when he saw the monk pull her into a hug; a fierce protectiveness.
But luckily, or maybe un-luckily, depending on how you looked at it, he growled just as Kagome applied some medicinal ointment to one of the many claw marks on his back. So, the miko had attributed his growling to the stinging sensation, "Now, now, Inuyasha, it doesn't hurt that much." She said, smiling at the sight of Miroku and Sango.
Sango, even though her back was to the hanyou, immediately knew the real reason Inuyasha as growling, and she couldn't help but feel a slight fear for Miroku. The only time Inuyasha growled was when they were in battle, but here... "H-Houshi-sama, l-let me go!" She said, struggling to pull back.
Miroku, however, wasn't letting go, "I'm just glad you're okay. I was worried about you."
"You worry to much!" She stated, trying to push him away from her.
"How can I help but worry?" Miroku replied, grinning innocently, though even as he spoke his hand began to travel lower...
Sango let out a sound, which could only be described as a squeak, "Houshi-sama!!" She finally wriggled loose from his hold, and went to slap him. Her hand, however, only connected with air. She opened her eyes, and looked at where Miroku had stood seconds ago, only to see Inuyasha in front of her.
The moment he had noticed Miroku's hands roaming to where they shouldn't be, Inuyasha had jumped up, surprising both Kagome and Miroku. The monk had seen him coming and instantly let go of the taijiya and moved back.
As Inuyasha remained where he was, glaring daggers at the startled monk, everyone fell silent. Even Shippou, who had been playing with Kirara, had stopped and turned curious eyes to the scene that was unfolding.
Finally, Inuyasha broke the silence as he stepped closer to Miroku, taking hold of the front of his robes, "If I ever see you doing anything like that again..." He practically hissed through clenched teeth, "I will personally make sure that you never have to worry about 'wondering hands' ever again." He pulled the monk closer; growling out his next word, "Understand?"
"H-hai, Inuyasha! Of course!" Miroku replied, turning his head to the side slightly, giving Kagome a pleading look. While the hanyou was known for his jealousy streaks, Miroku had never seen him have one towards Sango before. And Inuyasha had never physically threatened him like this before either...
"Inuyasha..." Kagome began softly, standing up, "It's okay... Miroku-sama didn't mean anything. He was... he was just glad that Sango-chan wasn't hurt."
"I can think of better ways to show it." Inuyasha replied, not releasing his hold on the monk.
"It... it's okay, Inuyasha. Houshi-sama was just... it's fine. Just, let him go." Sango said, not quite sure what to do in the current situation. She hadn't thought that he would react like this, and, though she didn't appreciate Miroku's groping, she didn't want Inuyasha to hurt him either.
Inuyasha loosened his grip on the robes slightly, "It wasn't okay. And it better not happen again." With that, he let go of the fabric completely and turned to Sango. And, without another word, he took her by the wrist and pulled her away from the others.
Once they were out of sight, Miroku let out a sigh of relief, "Buddha has smiled upon me today..." He said, without a hint if sarcasm in his voice.
Kagome looked from the direction they had gone, to Miroku, "I'm sure Inuyasha wouldn't have really hurt you, Miroku-sama. But..." She turned back to the tree line, frowning slightly, "Why did he react that way?"
Elsewhere, Inuyasha stopped and turned to look at Sango, "Are you okay?"
Sango blinked, but nodded slowly, "Of course I am, Inuyasha. Houshi-sama didn't attack me or anything... but... why did you do that?"
The hanyou let go of her wrist as he looked to the side; much like he always did when he was embarrassed about something, "Well... I don't know why. Did you want Miroku to grope you or something?"
"Eh? O-of course not!" She replied, "I just want to know why you threatened him like that... You... you never did that before..."
'I've never felt like doing it before.' He thought, looking to Sango once again, "Well I... I just..." He glanced away again, "I've never seen him do that after I've kissed you before either..."
"Then..." The taijiya blinked, then a smile slowly spread across her face, "You're jealous!"
"I-I am not!" He replied, shaking his head slightly, "I was just... I was just trying to protect you!"
She took a step back, surprised, "Protect me? From Houshi-sama? Why were you trying to protect me? Admit it, you were jealous!"
"I am not jealous!" He said, moving closer to her, "I was trying to protect you because I felt like it! And because I... Because..."
"Because... what?" She asked, once he hadn't responded for a moment. She smiled inwardly, realizing just how familiar this conversation seemed. Although, now it was him answering with hesitant responses and not her.
He was once again quiet, before beginning to speak up again, "Because... I don't know, Sango. That's the truth. Just seeing Miroku holding you-- touching you like that... it... I was mad. My demon instincts..." He trailed off and looked at his hand, before clutching it into a fist as his head lifted again until his eyes met with Sango's, "I was ready to fight for you."
"Fight for me?" The taijiya asked, unsure if she had heard him correctly, "You were... then... that kiss... it really meant something?"
The hanyou nodded slowly, "Of course it did, Sango..."
Sango smiled and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him as she leaned her head against his shoulder, "I'm glad..."
He merely smiled a bit, as he slowly put his arms around her as well; returning her hug. If it were anyone else, he would've probably blushed. But with Sango... it felt... natural. Inuyasha wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but Sango seemed to move back too soon. He kept his arms around her waist though, making sure she couldn't move away from him completely. When she looked at him again, he noticed she was blushing, and he raised an eyebrow, 'What is she thinking?'
"Inuyasha?" She asked timidly, almost hesitantly. The taijiya paused for a few seconds, trying to gather the courage to ask what she wanted to ask. "Would you... ano... can I..." She trailed off for a moment, biting her lower lip in nervousness. "Could I... kiss you?" She asked finally, speaking quietly.
So quietly, in fact, that had he not been an inu-hanyou, Inuyasha probably wouldn't have heard her. He blinked and stuttered something, before collecting himself and clearing his throat, "Why... are you asking?"
"Well... you kissed me, but I didn't get a chance to kiss you back." She replied softly, though it was more audible than what she had said before, "And, one of the things you told Kagome-chan was that she shouldn't have kissed you without asking. So... I'm asking you, Inuyasha, can I kiss you?"
He smiled slightly, 'She really remembers everything I said?' He chuckled before replying with, "Sure, Sango."
She smiled, and blushed even more. She had wanted to make sure he wouldn't accuse her of doing something without his say so. But... he had said she could... so... The taijiya leaned up onto her toes, and hesitated only a second, before pressing her lips to his. It was something she had longed to do since he had first kissed her... she could hardly believe that she was finally returning the kiss he had given her only a day earlier.
The hanyou grinned inwardly at her timid-ness. She was a fierce fighter on the battlefield; but here, on a different type of field, one could say, she was shy... timid... inexperienced.
But that didn't matter. No, all that mattered now was that she was there, with him, kissing him. And, letting all other thoughts fall from his mind, he let his own lips move against hers; kissing her in return.
It seemed only a couple seconds had passed when a sound forced them to part; the sound of a twig snapping.
Inuyasha turned, positioning himself in front of Sango. Injured or not, he would defend her if need be.
AN: This. Chapter. Was. Impossible. To. Write. Ugh. But... it was worth it. ::hopeful look:: Right? R...I...G...H...T? Hehe. Guess what episode I got that from and I'll give you a cookie n.n Okay, I'm having entirely too much fun in this author's note. Anyways... you know, it's occurred to me that I've never read a story in which Inuyasha says he was prepared to fight for someone. Demons would fight for the right to have a certain female as a mate, right? And while Inuyasha may or may not think of Sango in that way, wouldn't it seem fitting that his demon-instincts would kick in at some point? Or am I just reading too much into things? Ah... either way... Until next time! Ja!