AN: Wow! It's great to write a story that people actually like for a change! Keep reviewing! WARNING: this chapter contains LOTS of fluff!
Chapter 11
In the days that followed, Kagome found that the pain from her arrow wound gradually decreased until it had disappeared altogether. 'Being a demon is awesome!' she thought happily while rubbing where the wound had been only hours ago. 'I could really get used to this accelerated healing thing...' She stepped out of Kaede's hut after removing her bandages and marveled at how beautiful the scenery and flowers seemed. After she had killed Naraku, it was as if the Earth itself had been cured of a curse of darkness plaguing it's soil and all the beings that dwelled on it.
The sunlight danced on her face as she walked under the trees that enveloped the path that led to the Goshinboku. 'Inuyasha will be there, I know it.' she thought to herself pleasantly before giving in to temptation and skipping the rest of the way.
"Inuyasha?" she beckoned. "Are you here?"
The rustling of leaves, however, answered her question before her beloved hanyou could. Inuyasha leapt from a high branch and landed gracefully in front of the miko.
"Are you feeling better, Kagome?"
Before she responded she silently appreciated the fact that he no longer called her "wench" or made an attempt to hide his concern for her. In a thankful gesture, she pulled him into a loose hug before releasing him to look into his startled eyes.
"What was that for?" he asked, then quickly added "Not that I mind." as an afterthought.
"Just because, and yes, I am feeling better. Thank you for asking." she replied.
He smiled down at her and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you."
"And I love you." She whispered before kissing him softly on the lips. 'I'll never get tired of kissing him.'
Inuyasha pulled away and pressed his forehead against hers. 'Now that Naraku is gone we can finally admit our feelings for each other without worrying that it will be used against us. And we can have pups...' he thought, grinning the whole time. After staring into her eyes for several moments, he pulled her into another embrace, which she readily accepted.
"Kagome..." he breathed, "I love you so much. I'll never let anything happen to you, I'll always be there to protect you. I swear that I'll always be with you."
A wave of comforting warmth washed over her body as she heard his promise. She had always wondered what it would be like to love someone unconditionally, and now she knew. She would never stop loving him, no matter what, and didn't doubt his word for a second.
"I know."
Miroku had been following Sango all day in the hopes of striking up a conversation with the demon exterminator, but he had had no such luck.
She had been kept busy all day, helping Kaede and various villagers in their daily tasks. After helping the girl s of the village wash clothing in the river, she chopped wood, helped build a new hut, and even picked rice in a nearby field.
Sango looked up to see that the sun was finally setting. The sun's golden rays fell upon everything in its path and she decided that she needed to rest, she had done enough for the day. Slowly, she finished her work and trudged up the hill to the village. 'I can barely move my legs! Ugh, I am so tired!'
When she eventually made it to Kaede's hut, she fell onto her mat on the floor to get the sleep that she so desperately needed. 'I'm never going to offer to help Kaede again. I swear I heard her laughing when I walked in!' She grunted and rolled onto her side before she heard someone walk in and sit next to her. Annoyed, she lifted one eyelid to glare at Miroku.
"Sango, why so tired?" he asked while grinning.
"You know damn well why I'm tired, houshi! Now let me sleep in peace!" she growled before shutting her eyes once again.
"I'm sorry Sango, I just wanted to be near you." he whispered.
Sango waited for the inevitable presence of a hand on her butt, but it never came. Hesitantly she opened her eyes to find the monk looking at his hand and contorting face as though he was deep in thought.
'I wonder what he's thinking about? Why does he look so worried when his kazaana is gone? He should be happy!' she thought. Her eyes drifted from his hand to his face and she blushed when she found that he had caught her staring.
As if reading her mind, Miroku explained, "I keep wondering what it would have been like if I had never had that curse. My life would have been so different. Would I have met any of you? Would we know each other?"
"I don't know..." she replied softly. She could sense the desolation in his voice and moved closer to him.
"If I had never been under the curse, maybe I wouldn't have been so lecherous. Now that my kazaana is gone, I don't feel like I have to touch every girl I see..." 'Maybe you would love me Sango...'
"Miroku..." Her voice was soothing and he was grateful for her presence. She slowly pulled him into a hug and rested her head on his shoulder. 'His life has been so hard, maybe I can help him heal...'
Miroku was shocked to say the least. Normally, whenever he tried to hug her she would slap him. Now she was hugging him willingly. She even initiated it! He contentedly returned the embrace before whispering, "Sango... thank you."
Pulling away from him, she looked him in the eyes. "For what?"
"You've done more for me than you'll ever know Sango, and for that, I love you." He replied graciously.
Sango's head was spinning. 'Did he just say... he loves me?!' "You... what?"
"I love you. If you don't love me, I understand. But know this, I love you more than anything in the world and I want nothing more than to make you happy."
Once she had a grip on her emotions, Sango spoke. "Miroku, I... I love you too." She blushed a million shades of red and looked at the ground to hide her embarrassment.
"You do?" Miroku gasped. He couldn't believe his ears.
"Yes, I do. I never told you because I was afraid that you would run off with someone else. Someone more pretty or-"
"No one is prettier than you." he whispered before kissing her quickly on the lips. "I love you and only you."
They hugged for a moment and each reveled in the warmth of the other. Sango pulled away slightly and looked into Miroku's eyes adoringly. Her gaze seemed to penetrate his very soul and he quickly broke the silence.
"Sango, will you do me the honor of bearing my child?"
"I thought you'd never ask." she smirked before pinning him to the ground and kissing him as passionately as she'd always wanted to.
Chapter 11
In the days that followed, Kagome found that the pain from her arrow wound gradually decreased until it had disappeared altogether. 'Being a demon is awesome!' she thought happily while rubbing where the wound had been only hours ago. 'I could really get used to this accelerated healing thing...' She stepped out of Kaede's hut after removing her bandages and marveled at how beautiful the scenery and flowers seemed. After she had killed Naraku, it was as if the Earth itself had been cured of a curse of darkness plaguing it's soil and all the beings that dwelled on it.
The sunlight danced on her face as she walked under the trees that enveloped the path that led to the Goshinboku. 'Inuyasha will be there, I know it.' she thought to herself pleasantly before giving in to temptation and skipping the rest of the way.
"Inuyasha?" she beckoned. "Are you here?"
The rustling of leaves, however, answered her question before her beloved hanyou could. Inuyasha leapt from a high branch and landed gracefully in front of the miko.
"Are you feeling better, Kagome?"
Before she responded she silently appreciated the fact that he no longer called her "wench" or made an attempt to hide his concern for her. In a thankful gesture, she pulled him into a loose hug before releasing him to look into his startled eyes.
"What was that for?" he asked, then quickly added "Not that I mind." as an afterthought.
"Just because, and yes, I am feeling better. Thank you for asking." she replied.
He smiled down at her and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you."
"And I love you." She whispered before kissing him softly on the lips. 'I'll never get tired of kissing him.'
Inuyasha pulled away and pressed his forehead against hers. 'Now that Naraku is gone we can finally admit our feelings for each other without worrying that it will be used against us. And we can have pups...' he thought, grinning the whole time. After staring into her eyes for several moments, he pulled her into another embrace, which she readily accepted.
"Kagome..." he breathed, "I love you so much. I'll never let anything happen to you, I'll always be there to protect you. I swear that I'll always be with you."
A wave of comforting warmth washed over her body as she heard his promise. She had always wondered what it would be like to love someone unconditionally, and now she knew. She would never stop loving him, no matter what, and didn't doubt his word for a second.
"I know."
Miroku had been following Sango all day in the hopes of striking up a conversation with the demon exterminator, but he had had no such luck.
She had been kept busy all day, helping Kaede and various villagers in their daily tasks. After helping the girl s of the village wash clothing in the river, she chopped wood, helped build a new hut, and even picked rice in a nearby field.
Sango looked up to see that the sun was finally setting. The sun's golden rays fell upon everything in its path and she decided that she needed to rest, she had done enough for the day. Slowly, she finished her work and trudged up the hill to the village. 'I can barely move my legs! Ugh, I am so tired!'
When she eventually made it to Kaede's hut, she fell onto her mat on the floor to get the sleep that she so desperately needed. 'I'm never going to offer to help Kaede again. I swear I heard her laughing when I walked in!' She grunted and rolled onto her side before she heard someone walk in and sit next to her. Annoyed, she lifted one eyelid to glare at Miroku.
"Sango, why so tired?" he asked while grinning.
"You know damn well why I'm tired, houshi! Now let me sleep in peace!" she growled before shutting her eyes once again.
"I'm sorry Sango, I just wanted to be near you." he whispered.
Sango waited for the inevitable presence of a hand on her butt, but it never came. Hesitantly she opened her eyes to find the monk looking at his hand and contorting face as though he was deep in thought.
'I wonder what he's thinking about? Why does he look so worried when his kazaana is gone? He should be happy!' she thought. Her eyes drifted from his hand to his face and she blushed when she found that he had caught her staring.
As if reading her mind, Miroku explained, "I keep wondering what it would have been like if I had never had that curse. My life would have been so different. Would I have met any of you? Would we know each other?"
"I don't know..." she replied softly. She could sense the desolation in his voice and moved closer to him.
"If I had never been under the curse, maybe I wouldn't have been so lecherous. Now that my kazaana is gone, I don't feel like I have to touch every girl I see..." 'Maybe you would love me Sango...'
"Miroku..." Her voice was soothing and he was grateful for her presence. She slowly pulled him into a hug and rested her head on his shoulder. 'His life has been so hard, maybe I can help him heal...'
Miroku was shocked to say the least. Normally, whenever he tried to hug her she would slap him. Now she was hugging him willingly. She even initiated it! He contentedly returned the embrace before whispering, "Sango... thank you."
Pulling away from him, she looked him in the eyes. "For what?"
"You've done more for me than you'll ever know Sango, and for that, I love you." He replied graciously.
Sango's head was spinning. 'Did he just say... he loves me?!' "You... what?"
"I love you. If you don't love me, I understand. But know this, I love you more than anything in the world and I want nothing more than to make you happy."
Once she had a grip on her emotions, Sango spoke. "Miroku, I... I love you too." She blushed a million shades of red and looked at the ground to hide her embarrassment.
"You do?" Miroku gasped. He couldn't believe his ears.
"Yes, I do. I never told you because I was afraid that you would run off with someone else. Someone more pretty or-"
"No one is prettier than you." he whispered before kissing her quickly on the lips. "I love you and only you."
They hugged for a moment and each reveled in the warmth of the other. Sango pulled away slightly and looked into Miroku's eyes adoringly. Her gaze seemed to penetrate his very soul and he quickly broke the silence.
"Sango, will you do me the honor of bearing my child?"
"I thought you'd never ask." she smirked before pinning him to the ground and kissing him as passionately as she'd always wanted to.