Chapter 3
"Kagome hasn't returned for a few weeks now," Miroku remarked thoughtfully as he sighed and gazed into the well. "I'm beginning to worry. She should have been back by now." Sango, who was sitting beside him, placed her hand on top of his. "Don't worry, Miroku. I'm sure she's fine. She mentioned something about her exams before she left last time, remember? That's probably what's taking her so long to return."
"Perhaps," he murmured in reply. And yet, he was not so sure everything was fine. There had been a time when Kagome had been gone for quite a while, and that had been because of a fight between herself and Inuyasha. Stirring up memories, the monk could not recall anything of the sort happening the last time the young girl had been back, but maybe he didn't know about it. Those two were obviously meant to be. It was obvious in the way that they fought, Miroku grinned to himself. But things were tense now. It was a dangerous era, especially with Naraku and the Shikon Jewel in the midst of it.
Now was not a good time to be falling in love. A mistake Inuyasha had unknowingly made with Kikyo. It had cost him decades of pain, and even now, there lingered traces of guilt and an indescribable heartache inside the hanyou. Kikyo would always be a part of him, and Miroku knew that she was the major barrier in the way of him admitting love for Kagome. That was no minor issue, for both Inuyasha and Kagome were equally sensitive about the topic of the priestess.
Like he said. Now was not a good time to be falling in love. He stole a peek at Sango from the corner of his eye.
But...
He had fallen in love. Miroku couldn't tell for sure if she was even aware of it, or if she returned the feelings. But he tried to hint at it often enough, in his own "special" way.
Unfortunately, this tactic was the exact same as the maneuver he used to hit on other women. Okay, so maybe there was a slight flaw in his plan. He coughed, turning his attention to her hand, which she had placed on top of his.
Miroku smiled and lifted a brow, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. "Why, Sango. I understand that you want me, but might I have my hand back?"
The demon exterminator blinked, and suddenly realizing what he was talking about, flushed bright red. Ah, yes. Sango was so easy to manipulate. She snatched her hand back, cheeks still flaming. "Well, I..." she stammered.
He grinned smugly. "You know, you look beautiful when you're angry."
Sango blushed even more. "Don't say things like that to me! I know that you say that to all the women!"
Miroku's face fell. "Sango, you wound me! Your disbelief offends me. I'm your friend, aren't I? Don't I have the right to make innocent comments?" He pouted, silently thanking Kagome for telling him that Sango was a sucker for his pout. And Kagome was right.
Sango looked genuinely concerned, and she edged closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm truly sorry, Miroku."
He smirked. Score! Playing on this valuable moment, he rested his head on her shoulder, knowing that she would be blushing at this time. Miroku glanced up at her, hoping that she would soon understand just how much she meant to him. "You're beautiful all the time, not just when you're angry."
Sango's face brightened, though her look of joy was replaced with fury when Miroku's hands wandered off his lap. It was then that she slapped him. And Miroku knew instantly what the phrase "Love hurts" really meant.
Cradling his wounded cheek in hand, he smiled dreamily at Sango when she wasn't looking. He hastily dropped his gaze when she turned to him with a worried expression on her face. "To tell you the truth, I'm starting to get worried about Kagome too."
"Yeah! Kagome's been gone too long!" The two of them gave a startled cry as the mushroom next to them spoke. Pop! It suddenly transformed into a scowling Shippo. "I bet Inuyasha did something stupid to make her mad!"
Miroku laughed. "Now, now, Shippo. Let's not jump to conclusions."
The kitsune scowled, crossing his arms. Inuyasha, who was sitting only a short distance away from them, had his back leaning against a tree. His ears twitched lightly, so Miroku knew that he was listening. The hanyou had not been in the best of moods for the past week or so. It was obvious that he was worried about Kagome.
Shippo puffed up his chest, suddenly turning to glare at Inuyasha. The hanyou's eyes were closed, so it wasn't as if he could see him. The kitsune pointed an accusing finger in his direction. "It's all your fault, Inuyasha!"
Miroku sighed and hit Shippo with his staff. The kit clenched his head in pain. "Ow! What'd you do that for?"
"Inuyasha's clearly very worried about Kagome. We shouldn't accuse him of doing anything."
Sango nodded. "Miroku's right. We should leave him alone."
Shippo pouted, crossing his arms. "Well, even if he didn't do anything, he should at least admit he's worried! We all know he is. He hasn't even gone to look for her yet! What a jerk!"
"It's more complicated than that, Shippo. If Kagome's really okay, she might get mad at Inuyasha for coming to her world. She might think he only wants her back to retrieve the shards. That's a touchy subject with her, right?" Miroku replied.
The kitsune nodded.
"Besides, we all know that Inuyasha's too stubborn to admit anything when it comes to Kagome," the monk added.
"That's for sure," Shippo snickered. There was a warning growl from Inuyasha that made the kit jump.
They all glanced towards Inuyasha, who hadn't appeared to move. He was still lounging comfortably on the tree, his arms crossed behind his head. The hanyou was wearing one of his infamous smirks, which Sango rolled her eyes at.
"Well, love is pretty complicated. They'll work it out soon enough, Shippo. They just need time," Miroku smiled as the kitsune mumbled some sort of agreement with his statement. When he looked up, he caught Sango watching him with something akin to wonder.
"What is it? Is something wrong?" He immediately asked, having never gotten this type of reaction from her. He hadn't said anything offensive for at least five minutes!
"No, it's nothing like that. It's just..." Sango stopped and smiled softly. "You really surprise me sometimes, Miroku." The way that she was smiling indicated that he wasn't in trouble, so he breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing his muscles.
"That's a good thing, right?" He grinned.
She nodded. "You're very thoughtful, monk. You seem to know much about the matters of love..."
Miroku couldn't let this moment slip by. He locked his gaze onto her beautiful face, staring straight into her irresistible eyes. She shifted uncomfortably, but there wasn't any way that he could let her go now.
"Of course I know. Do you understand why?" Miroku asked seriously.
Sango shook her head, her eyes wide open all the while.
"It's because I'm in l- Oof!" Miroku broke off his rehearsed line as Shippo plopped himself on the top of his head.
"Did you see that?" The kitsune asked excitedly. The monk sighed in disappointment, for the mood had definitely broken now. He looked longingly at Sango, who had turned away, and groaned mentally.
"See what?" he finally replied.
Shippo paused for a moment. "It's nothing. I just thought I saw something."
Miroku blinked suddenly. He thought Sango had just been watching him, but when he glanced back at her, her attention was focused on the well. The monk sighed softly. "I thought I saw something too."