A/N: Obviously, I'm aware that Kagura died, a while ago. We're going to ignore that for this story. I also know that there's a debate about Kirara's gender; here we're going to assume she's female.

The only sound that reached his ear was the chime of the golden rings clattering at the pinnacle of his staff. He was oblivious to all else as he solemnly walked back to the village, replaying the repugnant words in his head, over and over.

"...and much to your dismay, you'll probably even enjoy it. You will seduce Sango, or I will kill her."

"You'll probably even enjoy it..." he repeated to himself. He loathed those five words to no end, for try as he might, he couldn't deny the irrefutable truth in them.

"Not just her, houshi, but her beloved little brother as well. I'll make sure she sees it happen, and you will definitely be there to watch."

Miroku didn't bother to give much thought to all the resolutions he had formed in his head during his walk. He knew well enough the power that Naraku possessed, and he was not about to risk getting all of his companions involved in trying to help him escape this retched plan. Not while Sango's life was at stake. 'She can't bear any more pain... and I can't see her in any more pain.' But the question that was left unanswered still tormented him, and he couldn't help the fear the spread through his veins at actually finding an answer.

"Why do you want this Naraku? Of what use will it be to you? What the hell are you planning you bastard!" Miroku had asked as he tried to wrench free from the cold hand that held him pinned at his neck.

Low malevolent laughter erupted from the shadowed figure before him. "You are in no position to question my intentions, houshi." With that, his neck was released from Naraku's grasp and the castle he thought he was in disappeared, and he was left alone in the middle of a forest, the sun hanging high in the cloudless sky.

"Houshi-sama!" A warm, familiar voice broke his thoughts, and Miroku looked up to see the one person he had dreaded on confronting. Clad in her taijiya uniform, which clung so perfectly to her body, was his beautiful Sango riding on Kirara.

Miroku rummaged through his mind to try and find something, anything, to say as he watched the neko youkai fly down towards him from the corner of his eye. He maintained his gaze fixed to the jade grass below him, finding himself unable to even glance at the object of his emotions. 'Kami-sama, what am I supposed to say to her? What can I say to her!'

His self-interrogation ended abruptly as two soft, trembling hands landed desperately upon his shoulders, and he lifted his head slightly, just enough to see the tearful brown eyes looking up at him. 'Sango...' Momentarily, he held a battle within himself and attempted to uphold his stare, but failed miserably when he couldn't keep himself from turning his head away.

'It's as if he's... ashamed?' Sango absentmindedly dismissed her seemingly incoherent thought and fought her own internal battle to refrain from throwing herself onto Miroku. "Houshi-sama, I was so worried! You've been gone since yesterday and we couldn't find you, no matter where we looked! I was scared..." '...that I might've lost you,' she decided to complete that statement in her mind. She self-consciously waited for his response, and frowned when he didn't turn his face enough to look at her.

The abhorrent voice suddenly rang through Miroku's head as if he had heard it come from Sango herself.

"You will seduce Sango, or I will kill her."

And it was enough to provide the houshi with the willpower he needed to lift his head and penetrate her with his sudden stare. The intensity of his gaze was so near foreign to the taijiya that she couldn't withhold the crimson that invaded her features as she turned her own face away. 'Houshi-sama...'

Miroku softened his gaze and lifted Sango's chin, smiling faintly. "Everything's fine, Sango. I'm here now, don't worry." Being at such close range with her, normally he would've allowed his hands to wander and "accidentally" stumble upon a now familiar curve at the base of Sango's back. Such an act didn't even cross his mind now.

But whereas Miroku's mind was wandering away, Sango became completely aware of the absence of a familiar hand stroking her rear end. Instead of being relieved at that realization, she was oddly upset. 'Jeez, am I so used to it by now that it feels strange not having it there?' Then she realized Miroku was still softly holding her chin and his gaze hadn't drifted from her eyes. "Ahh.. uhm.. uhh, houshi-sama!" She couldn't control the reflex in her hand and it smacked hard against his cheek, leaving the usual red hand-print.

Sheer joy filled the houshi at the all too familiar contact, and he wanted to embrace Sango and spin around with her in his arms. "My apologies, Sango, but your eyes just bewitch me and I couldn't look away." He tried to say it in the lecherous tone he always used when making such comments, but it came out more serious than he'd intended. 'Well, I wasn't lying...' He turned his attention to the small kitten by his side and held out his arms for her to leap into them. "Konnichiwa, Kirara!"

Sango watched as her neko purred and meowed in Miroku's arms, licking his chin in delight. 'Obviously we're both glad he's back. But why isn't he being a lech like he always is?' Realization finally dawned on the taijiya. 'I can't believe I completely forgot!'

"Houshi-sama! What happened with Naraku!"

Miroku froze inwardly and fought hard not to stutter. "What are you talking about?" He forced his face into a perplexed expression.

Sango returned an equally confused stare. "You said you were going for a walk around the forest, then a few hours after Inuyasha picked up Kagura's smell and he followed it and realized she was headed towards you! By the time he got to where your smells met, you were both gone. He and I have been out looking for you since yesterday but we couldn't pick up any direct track."

'Crap! Think houshi, think!' "Oh yes, well um, Kagura... she did find me yesterday during my walk, because she wanted... uh... recent information on Inuyasha's Dragon-Scaled Tessaiga! Yes, and it took a fight to convince her that we knew nothing new about it." He concluded the statement with resolve.

Too much resolve, it seemed to Sango. "Really? There's not much else to know about it though. Besides, Naraku has sources everywhere, I'm sure he could find out anything fresh even before us. Why would he send Kagura to get that kind of information?"

Miroku outwardly shrugged, determined to keep up some kind of façade. "How should I know? Anyway, it was quite late and I realized I was rather far from the village, so I stayed at a nearby temple for the night. Kagura never brought me to Naraku."

Something about the story seemed a bit... off, to Sango. "But Houshi–sa-" Before she could finish her questioning, she felt a warm hand interlace with hers.

"Come Sango, I'm eager to return to a familiar place and rest for a while. Fighting Kagura alone really drained me you know." He didn't release his soft grip on the taijiya's hand as he climbed onto Kirara's back.

Sango, however, did let go (rather reluctantly) as she climbed onto the neko youkai herself, fixing her head so that her scarlet face was hidden from Miroku's view. "R-right, let's go."

She didn't turn away in time. Bittersweet emotions coursed through the houshi upon seeing how cute she looked with those rosy cheeks. 'Sango, why do you have to make this both so simple, and so difficult for me?'

Miroku and Sango rode back to the village in mutual silence, each fixing their gazes to the horizon, each deep in their own thoughts.

A/N: I know, I know.. "Dragon-Scaled Tessaiga... and Kagura!" Neither of the 2 are important in this story anyway, believe me. ((dodges tomatoes and dead roses))