A/N: Well, I haven't updated this story in a long time because I've been... busy, if you will. Or lazy. Whichever suits you. :grin: Well, yeah. Now I'm updating because reviews are inaccessible because our internet is down. So... I hope Chapter Seven was before this, otherwise this is an hour wasted.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I need to go cry now... :cries:

Chapter Eight: Magical Recovery

They were on their way to Kaede-baachan's hut, walking slowly but on the right path. Sadly, Miroku was still bleeding and they had to stop after a while to put on some makeshift band-aids over his wounds. Inuyasha and Sango had found the materials needed that Kagome had asked for, and Kagome did the actual dressing of the wounds.

The houshi had been unconscious throughout the whole process, and he stayed that way until they were halfway there. Sometimes he shifted or groaned in his sleep, probably out of pain. The tentacle had gone all the way through his stomach and went out the other side, so the wound was very deep and maybe even fatal. It was prone to infection, and they were hoping to reach Kaede's before that happened.

Unfortunately, they were having some difficulties.

"I'm HUNGRY...!" Inuyasha whined for the tenth time since they had bandaged Miroku's wounds. Kagome sighed, apparently in a hurry to get to Kaede's before anything serious happened to the injured monk.

"Inuyasha," Kagome started, and Sango could sense an argument coming. "We have to get to Kaede-baachan's before Miroku-sama's wounds get any worse. Look at him! He was bleeding on your haori earlier, and it is soaking his kesa. Sango's wounds aren't that bad, but I think she would like to get them healed also. I'm tired, and I'm sure you are also."

"Keh!" Inuyasha stated, moving the sleeping monk around on his back so he could carry him better. "I'm not tired in the least. And Sango and Miroku can rest when you cook the Ramen." He argued, looking at Kagome in the eye. "So let's just stop and eat!"

"No!" The young miko protested. "And anyway, I don't want to make any Ramen right now!" She also got in his face, glaring right back. "I don't have to listen to you, and you ate this morning! You're such a pig!"

Inuyasha looked like he took this personally, and Miroku shifted. "Just like... a married couple..." He muttered, and Kagome and Inuyasha glared. Upon seeing that he was still sleeping, they turned back around to each other to leave the monk to his dreamland. Sango hid a smile behind her hand, watching the two argue.

'Though the monk's got a point,' She thought. 'They do act almost like a married couple... always fighting, but they make up soon enough.' She was staring at them, and they soon turned away, Inuyasha finally relenting to just wait until they got to Kaede's.

They continued to walk on the well-known path to the old priestess' village. Sango was in the back, every few moments looking on Inuyasha's back to see how Miroku was faring. Kagome was in the front, looking around at everything, taking in all the fresh smells and bright sunny day. Inuyasha was just looking at the ground, feeling his stomach rumble and grumbling every few minutes about it. Shippou was on Kagome's shoulder, licking a little thing Kagome called a "lollipop." He looked fairly happy.

They finally reached Kaede's village, greeted with heartfelt and warming smiles and pats on the back by the village men. Someone alerted Kaede that they had arrived and she also came out, her usual eye patch covering one eye and her Miko uniform. She gave them a cracked and old smile until she saw Miroku. Slightly shocked but feeling like she should have expected it, she led them to her personal hut.

"Come sit down, children..." She said, motioning them to sit around the fire. She slowly prepared a futon for Miroku and Sango, letting Kagome, Shippou, and Inuyasha on the floor. "I shall prepare more beds for ye later," she told Inuyasha and Kagome. Kagome smiled. Inuyasha faced the wall, and after a while, their earlier argument came up again.

"Kagome, I'm hungry." He muttered, loud enough for her to hear him. Kaede had left the shelter so she could gather herbs, and told them to make themselves at home and cook themselves dinner if they pleased. Inuyasha had brightened at this comment, but waited patiently until the old Miko had left.

Kagome sighed. "Why are you so intent on food? I'm studying. Can't you wait for a while longer?" It was true; she said she had a "mid-term" to attend in a few days, and she had an Arithmetic textbook open in her lap. She had been reading its contents for a while, her lips moving as she took in the information quietly.

"Because I haven't eaten all day. I'm sure YOU'RE hungry too? Unless you're not human, wench." He added, and Kagome's temper flared at this remark.

"I am SO human, and you don't need to insult yourself saying that you're not." She muttered, but Inuyasha's ears picked this up. She immediately regretted the rude comment and said a hasty apology. Inuyasha seemed to accept this. "You want spicy Ramen, right?"

Inuyasha shook his head in a negative direction. "Nuh uh. Last time I tried something spicy, it was your mother's curry. That stuff made my tongue feel on fire!" He complained, and Kagome laughed a little. She had started to boil the water for the Ramen, and held up chicken flavor and beef flavor.

"Which one do you prefer?" She asked.

"Chicken. It tastes like chicken."

She blinked, then smiled slowly. "Well Inuyasha, just in case you didn't know, that's why they call it chicken flavor." She put the flavor in after the noodles and waited for a while. Inuyasha grunted.

"I knew that, wench. I was testing you."

Kagome smiled, watching him. After he asked her "WHAT!" she quickly looked down, an idea popping into her head. "Nothing..." She whispered, then tackled him. An unsuspecting Inuyasha was shocked and fell over, blinking confusedly.

"What the heck did you do that for!" he asked angrily from the floor, Kagome on top of him. They were both blushing, but Kagome answered anyway.

"Well, I was just wondering if you were the one that came up with that." She replied, tugging on his ears. He growled a warning, but she paid no heed to it. 'They're so fun to play with!' She thought happily, tugging on them and pulling on them. Inuyasha shivered. No one had ever touched them like that.

Inuyasha ignored her as he smelt something faint. "Kagome, the Ramen's burning." He said, and she instantly jumped up, running to the pot and stirring it. In a few seconds, she had it served up and handed it to him. Eagerly, he gulped it down.

Meanwhile, Sango had been laying down on the futon that Kaede had prepared for her, listening to Miroku's breathing. She listened to it and it was somewhat calming, although the various shudder or taking in of rattling oxygen worried her. Other than that, they were slow, deep breaths that made her shiver with pleasure, the knowledge of knowing that he was okay soaking into her conscious.

Her mind, though, was in turmoil. All the recent events had taken a toll on her, and she still had to sort through her emotions to get through it and try and ignore the subtle pain that throbbed. She stared at the wall or the ceiling, watching it but not really seeing it. She knew Kagome and Inuyasha were behind her arguing about Ramen and food, and it sounded as if it were far away.

Only when Miroku moved, it alerted her senses and she had to turn and look at him once more, just to assure herself that he was okay and living. Kaede had sneakily put their mattresses close together, and she was secretly glad for that. Instead of taking someone else's word for it, she would know right away with her own eyes and see if he was alright.

Turning around once more, she was surprised to see the monk's violet eyes wide open. She felt hers do the same, and he smiled as she blushed lightly. Not wanting to alert Kagome and Inuyasha, she whispered only so he could hear. "What are you doing awake! You have to sleep! You're so injured! You need time to he - "

He silently put his finger on her lips to interrupt her, his grin widening. "Sango," he said just as quietly. "I'm not some porcelain doll that needs constant looking after. I can do some things by myself, and I hope you can understand that." Without words, she nodded and he continued. "Good. And you're forgetting something just as important – you're wounded also."

She faintly remembered that she was injured because of Naraku, and that was why she was laying down in the futon in the first place. She blushed brighter, and Miroku's smile widened even more, if that was possible. 'Or maybe my imagination?' She thought.

Even so, he looked so happy that she almost smiled, but she managed not to. 'What's wrong with me?' She thought. 'I feel too giddy. I knew that he would get out alive, but why was I so...' Her thoughts trailed off as she realized she was staring at Miroku, and he looked at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and she again realized she hadn't spoken since he had put his finger on her mouth. Knowing that he hadn't moved his hand on purpose, she had no other choice but to move his hand away on her own.

She did so, and his warm hand was rough, but she paid no mind. Smiling a little sadly as she usually did, she said, "Yes, I am. Though you may be forgetting something also... you were wounded more seriously than I was." She sighed mentally. 'Yes,' she thought. 'I'm talking about who has more injuries to the man I might love. What an interesting topic.'

Miroku smiled at her, and she thought she might melt. 'I'm acting like a lovesick petty girl!' She thought angrily, shoving aside her infatuation. "Houshi-sama, you must rest. Please... turn around and sleep." She had hesitated and hoped that he hadn't noticed it, but unluckily enough for her, he did and he took advantage of it.

"It sounds like you don't want me to turn around." He said, lifting a weak hand to stroke her hair. Again she blushed, but didn't make any move to stop him. Noting this, he moved on. "Why not? Were you... pausing to command me?" He smiled again, brushing a hand against her cheek.

"Um... well, I... I mean, what I'm... trying to say is - " She stopped, not knowing what she was going to say. Her whole face had heated up, and it was beginning to feel very warm under the covers of the thick, comfy futon.

He slowly scooted over to her, finally managing to wrap his arms around her. She blushed even brighter, if that was possible, but snuggled against him. She felt warm and happy to feel at least cared about enough to be hugged, but she still had her doubts. 'What'll I do? Maybe he's just... doing this anyway, just to make me feel better. Yes. So I shouldn't get my hopes up...' She still pushed the feelings away, not wanting to get hurt if he WAS only doing it to make her feel better.

He looked at her, and she looked like she was facing an internal battle where he couldn't reach her, no matter how hard he tried. 'What can I do?' He thought, his heart racing. He was so close to her, yet her mind was so far... far away. He couldn't do anything to bring her back. Or could he...? But was he ready?

He looked down at her, lifting her chin up with his finger. She blinked, and another smile tugged at his lips. He leaned down closer so that his breath whispered across her cheeks. He went closer, closer... he closed her eyes.

Sango frantically wondered what to do. 'I've never been kissed before!' She thought, her thoughts wild. 'What'll I do? What's he going to do? I bet he's had a lot of experience...' This last bit of thought made her angry, and she quickly moved it to her subconscious. He had his eyes closed now. Was she supposed to close her eyes also? She tried to think of when Kagome and Inuyasha kissed at Kaguyahime's palace in the Mirror, and she remembered that at the end they both had ended up closing their eyes.

Slowly, she also did the same and resolved to follow Miroku's lead. 'I'll just... copy it to the best of my ability.' She thought, and his lips touched hers. She didn't do anything for a while, letting the truth sink in past the mild shock that he was actually doing this. A part of her enjoyed it, knowing that she loved him yet was too shy to admit it. The other part was still doubtful; she had heard things about men kissing women just to comfort them.

She knew Miroku wasn't like this, but she couldn't help being suspicious. No matter what, that moment was... magical.

A/N: Wow! I'm so surprised that this chapter came along so well::grins: I'm so proud of it, and it's long. I'm putting the reviews at the end this time because I was bored earlier and felt like writing the chapter then. Here is the review response:

Lady Sango 7: Yay! Domo arigatou gozaimasu::grins happily: I'm very glad for the complement. As of updating soon, summer is next week so hopefully I'll be able to update sooner. SUMMER!

Well, this is all for now! Jaa!

Sango-