AN: We promised to update more often and ta-da! Here we are with the latest chapter of Destructive Attraction. The plot thickens, the choice becomes more difficult and trouble is stirring all around… PoF and I hope you enjoy the newest installment and ask you to please review… We'd love to know what you think!

Have fun!

He felt like he had gotten the crap kicked out of him as he walked back to the shrine, after having escorted Kagome back to hers. He felt like his bones were bruised. Even his ass hurt, and Inuyasha didn't want to think about what his hair looked like.

It was a time of war. He had seen battle before, but the demons did it a little bit more civilized. They called out their best warrior to fight, and they battled to the death. It was an honorable fight… but Naraku didn't fight that way, and neither did the humans. It had been like a tornado of demons had surrounded him and he had to spin, kicking, clawing and slicing around and around and around until he became lost and confused. More than anything, his head hurt. He felt like shit.

It didn't help that as he remembered the way he had severed heads from their bodies with his bear hands, or punched through a torso or recalling all the blood and its overwhelming scent had had been sick on the way home. Luckily, he'd been able to keep it back until he was alone. Now all Inuyasha wanted to do was to get cleaned up, and go to bed.

Kikyo stood still, the wind blowing her hair over her shoulder, pushing her large pants with the flow of the wind flattening them against her body showing off her curves. "Inuyasha! Are you alright?" she called out and began running towards him.

Inuyasha looked up when he heard his name being yelled. He hadn't even heard her coming, or smelled her. Gods, he was tired! Inuyasha tried his best to smile. "Don't worry, Kikyo. This blood's not mine. I'm just tired."

Kikyo stopped in front of him, allowing her eyes to rake over him. "Come in, you'll get cleaned up and I'll make you some soup." Kikyo moved to his side so they walked up to the shrine side by side. "You do have some wounds. I'll tend to them," Kikyo stated matter-of-factly, hiding her worry under a hard exterior.

He was, in all honesty, taken a little bit by surprise. He looked at Kikyo as if she were someone different. The heartless, reserved Priestess offering to make soup? He looked away quickly. He didn't want to be caught staring at her. "I… I… thank you, Kikyo."

Kikyo acknowledged his thanks with a nod. "I'll heat up water for a bath," Kikyo said simply, turning on her heel to go around the house where they kept the kindling wood for fires and baths.

Watching her go, Inuyasha sank down against the sacred tree. The large branches of the tree hid the stars from him, though he knew that they were out there, shining down on him. He closed his eyes peacefully, taking a short break until Kikyo got the bath ready. She really was a nice person, deep down under that exterior. He'd made her laugh once. Maybe he could do it again. But thinking of a future together made of think of children, and of marriage, and that made him nervous.

So he just tried to take it naturally, and he leaned against the tree, waiting.

Kikyo tried to keep her mind blank as she carried the pieces of timber for the fire. She tried to keep her mind empty as she carried water from the well and poured it into the bath for her future husband. She tried to ignore the fact that she was doing wifely duties, rather then Priestess' ones and tending to those in the village.

She was aware of the fighting. She could sense the demons even from this distance, but before she managed to grab her bow and arrows to join the fight, she felt the clash of powers, and somehow had known it was better to stay back. If they broke through the defenses there, she would stop them here.

Kikyo didn't ask Inuyasha what had happened. He would tell her in time. But she somehow felt, deep down that if there were problems and something was wrong, that he wouldn't have come back this soon. She knew, even without evidence, that he had a conscious.

Straightening up, Kikyo braced herself mentally and walked back to where Inuyasha rested. "Do you need help removing your robes?"

He shook his head no as he straightened. Wearily, he walked to where Kikyo and the bath were waiting. He removed the sword and placed it by his side. His fingers were clean as he started undoing his jacket, but red blood was still wedged into the cracks of his skin. He managed to get it undone, but he suddenly hissed in pain as he tried to remove it all the way. The wound on his arm had clotted to the shirt he wore underneath the red one. Inuyasha carefully peeled the jacket away and tossed it over his sword. Fresh blood was beginning to trickle down his arm again, irritating his skin.

"Let me help," Kikyo said softly, touching his wounds without recoiling at the blood. "You're being too rough."

"I... I don't..." Inuyasha shut up before he said something he regretted. He, in all honesty, was kind of creeped out that she was still there. He had told her he didn't need her help, so why was she still there? Was it because she wanted to see what he looked like without his clothes on? No, hardly, she was a priestess after all. So it couldn't be that.

That made Inuyasha secretly glad. All his life he had been frowned upon for being the smallest one in his family (and given that he was taller than Kikyo by half a head, it gave you an idea of just how big his father was), teased for his ears, teased for not being strong enough or fast enough and that it was because of his genes that he had these faults. He liked the clothes he wore because they were baggy, because they hid what he really looked liked underneath. To finally meet somebody who actually wanted to know what he looked like underneath those clothes... it would take come getting used to.

Instead, he looked over at Kikyo. "Are you sure that you're even allowed getting this close to a demon?"

Kikyo narrowed her eyes at him. 'Inuyasha, you are softening up... But not yet. You are still so closed off,' Kikyo thought to herself. On the outside, her lips pursed into a thin line and her eyes narrowed and paled. "Inuyasha," she said simply, pausing to get his full attention. "I'm here not because you are a demon, or a man, or under contract, but because you are hurt. And it is my duty as a Priestess to tend to those hurt and in need of help. You are bleeding, and even if you put up a tough act, I don't want to be scrubbing blood stains from the bath tomorrow. So it would be better if I tended to those injuries now, rather then later. While you soak, I will make you soup and give you something to help you sleep. Since you are a demon, by morning you should be fine," Kikyo said in a very medical, clean cut way.

Inuyasha stared at her a moment, and then blinked. He held out the injured arm for her, already peeling the white undershirt off on his uninjured arm. "Fine, Kikyo."

Kikyo went about tending to it and cleaning it of dirt. She ignored the fact that he was male, that he was an adult, that he was a demon. She simply treated him as something different from everything else: a patient. When she finished she got up and dried her hands on a small towel. "I'll go make the soup now. If the water isn't warm enough, give a yell."

He nodded, folding his shirt and throwing it on the pile of clothes he had made. He didn't look back at Kikyo, but he called out anyway. "Thank you again, Kikyo."

Kikyo nodded. Walking away, Kikyo allowed her cheeks to turn a slight pink.

"Oh! Ladies! Such ravishing beauties... I've been around monsters and ghouls for so long I almost forgot what a bright spring morning reflected off of a shimmering lake looks like... And dare I say, your beauty makes those amazing mornings pale, and everything else one holds gorgeous in this world!" Miroku, clad in robes, moved from woman to woman. "Oh! You are as fair as the sun!"

"Oh! The moon light bows before you!"

"My dear, you could lure me away from Buddha..."

"Would you bear my child?"

Sango stared at him as he held her hand, kneeling before him and asking him that question. She was bristling in anger from his flirtatious display. It wasn't jealousy, it was anger, and frustration. She smiled as sweetly as she could at the moment, which made her look a little like she'd just eaten a very sour lemon. "Inside the tent, please."

"Oh, but dear Sango- Ey ey ey!" He yelped as she grabbed his ear and dragged him inside.

She marched him inside her tent and sat him right down on the bed. Standing over him, she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Listen, thief, I don't care if you want to be a womanizer, but I told you to keep a low profile going in and out of our camp, and if that is your idea of a low profile, then maybe you should work for the enemy so you can get them caught instead of us!" she hissed.

Miroku grinned. "You're jealous. Aren't you?" he asked, while patting the area by his side of the bed.

"No, I'm pissed off that you can't take me seriously for just one moment, that's what I am!"

"But Sango, you know I take you seriously! Anything you decide. On top. Beneath. Water. Which ever method you prefer, I am at your command," Miroku promised and bowed down, his little pony tail flapping loose out of its holding, allowing his long hair to fall over his face.

She sighed, and she did sit down. She felt uncomfortable when he started flirting with her. She didn't know how to react, though her face blushed. "If you can take me seriously, then why don't you ever listen to my orders?" she asked quietly. "You act like you don't care about the fact that you're risking your life and the lives of others. But I do care. I don't want to see any of my people die when it cane be avoided if people just followed the rules!"

"I have some battle plans. Forgive me?" Miroku asked, knowing that there was no use now in flirting. She was annoyed and he supposed he had given her enough reason to be. Blue eyes studying her, he really had to admit she was the prettiest girl around.

Sango looked around her tent. She gestured to the desk, where dozens of maps already lay. "I guess I do. You're still the best spy around, thief, even if you are a clumsy womanizer." She got up from the bed and pulled the desk around so they could study the maps he had brought together. Sango gestured for him to sit. She was about to sit herself, and then she suddenly changed her mind. Sango pointed a finger at him. "If you grope me like you did the last time that we sat down together, I'm throwing you in the brig for the night."

"But Sango," Miroku tried to reason simply. "You insulted my craft, and called me clumsy. I must prove you wrong. Don't I deserve the chance to?" Miroku asked simply.

"Of course, but you aren't going to find your redemption by pissing me off further, now are you?" she pointed out. She sat down, looking at the maps, and then she turned to look at him, her voice softening. "I'm glad to see that you're all right."

Miroku smiled. "Thank you. Likewise here," he said looking at her beautiful face. "Now, why would my touching you piss you off?"

"I never said anything about touching, I was talking about groping. Touches," she explained, reaching out to cover his fingertips with hers. "Touches are something completely different."

Miroku looked down at their hands, and then covered hers with his. "Yes, I know," he whispered and moved closer to kiss her hands. Bringing her delicate hand up to his lips, he kissed her soft knuckles and marveled all over again at how such a powerful woman could be so soft and feminine at the same time.

"But a grope, is also a form of touch..." Miroku tried to weasel in, his blue eyes looking slightly too innocent, even for a monk.

She shook her head, her dark hair spilling over her shoulder. She felt her face soften at the smooth sound of his voice. Sango wanted nothing more than to fall asleep listening to that voice. She closed her eyes briefly, just listening to him. She opened them, looking him in his eyes like an equal. "It is a form of touching, yes, but it makes me feel uncomfortable. It feels like you're trying to use me, of taking advantage of me."

"I'm trying to pleasure you and unite us..." Miroku purred, slowly throughout this entire conversation moving her over from her seat to his lap, where he cradled her now to him. "Sango, you know how I feel..." he purred softly in her ear, his hand massaging the nape of her head. "Is it because of the company I keep?" he asked with closed eyes, when he opened them, he looked completely different, a sinister look befell him. "Do you not trust me?"

She wanted to start crying when he said her name. It wasn't just her name, it was how he said it. There was a power in the way that he said her name. It was sweet, and seductive, and calming all at the same time. Hearing her name said in that way made her blood race. She relaxed against him, slipping her head under his chin and listening to the beating of his heart. Hers had become erratic, but his was steady and strong. It was the same rhythm his heart always had.

No, she didn't trust him, not in the ways he wanted her to trust him. She wondered about his womanizing, and she more than worried over what happened in the demon side of their continent. How were they sure that he wasn't playing both sides?

"It's because of who we are," she said quietly.

"You are a general and I'm a spy," Miroku stated the obvious, his arms closing around her rocking her a bit back and forth on his lap. Kissing her temple, Miroku brought his gloved hand slowly up to her face, turning her cheek so that she had to look at him. "But more then that, we're a man and a woman, just two people."

She jumped when he kissed her cheek. Sango listened to him, looked at him, but in the end she moved away from him and moved into chair a little bit further from the bed before she sat down again. Her eyes were lowered, and mouth was sit into a line, an expression that didn't reveal anything about how she felt. Eventually, she looked up at him, and her eyes looked as if they were glazed over.

"I am not just anything. I am, first and foremost, a general. I have people under my control that I have to protect. And you're one of them."

"Don't patronize me," Miroku requested politely, then moved to indicate certain things on the plans he had copied. "Naraku is gathering his forces here, in the western woods."

Together, they went over the plans that Miroku was bringing over from the enemy camps. Sango took careful note of everything he mentioned, and made notes on her own maps about where to concentrate her scouts, already planning ways to move her people to places where the demons were targeting without having it become obvious. Sango was always careful about that. She didn't want Naraku to realize that Miroku wasn't giving as many hints as he should have; she didn't want him to realize that they weren't doing as much damage to them as they should have been. Maybe her enemy thought it was just luck that the humans had somehow managed to evacuate cities the night before they were attacked, or how his plans to eliminate an entire legion were never as successful as he wanted, but sooner or later Naraku would realize that it was more than just dumb luck.

Then came the hardest part of their time together. Sango had to let some of her own plans slip, so that Miroku had some kind of information to bring back to Naraku. It was even harder than saying goodbye to him, because Sango knew that the next morning she'd have to go out into the camp and post a volunteer list for a suicide mission. She swallowed hard, and pointed to an encampment off to the east. Naraku's forces, according to Miroku, were fewer there, and Sango could give her men a head start if she sent them the following night.

"I'll have one legion stationed here in one week. The city will already be emptied by then, and we'll make it look like we're expanding our side of the no man's land by turning it into a fort. He shouldn't be able to muster enough men by that point. I'll have Kikyo and Inuyasha standing by for back up if the legion gets into too much trouble. After all, her shrine isn't too far away. It should look like she was able to sense their demonic energy and appeared on her own to fight."

Miroku considered Sango's plan and once again found himself amazed. Buddha works in mysterious ways, he thought to himself looking over the area she had spoken of. Here was a brain, a true mastermind. Watching her you could practically see the wheels turning in her head and you knew that she was thinking. She was always thinking and hers were brilliant thoughts. This amazing strategic mind, highly unfeminine in that respect, was packaged in that most alluring figure he could ever imagine.

Miroku confessed only rarely to himself, and would never day speak it out loud, but he knew that had he had a chance, had things been different, had the lines not been so blurred... He would remain faithful to her. He'd do anything he could to win her and keep her.

But things were simple and thinking of "maybes" and "what ifs" were useless. They could never be together, not unless this war ended the way they wished it too. And then also too many questions arose. If they would both still be alive, what would happen afterwards? Would he be regarded as a traitor?

Miroku tied his hair back and played with the links dropping from his staff. "It could work and I could string a few interesting lies along the way if they get suspicious. But do we really want to have Kikyo and Inuyasha that close? Rumors have reached Naraku of a treaty, but nothing solid yet. Sensing him would be open war."

"He may sense them anyway. Eventually Naraku will realize that we aren't attacking anyone under the control of Inuyasha's father. But if they do call them in, they won't be leaving anyone alive. Inuyasha has his father's anger, and was taught by him. No one has ever fought that man and lived to tell the tale." She looked at him. "If you think it can by you sway, you can even tell him that we have signed a treaty with the other demons."

Miroku thought it over. "A true paradox. It's a riddle, like a double edged sword. I tell him, he is furious and takes action against our forces. Or he is furious and keeps it well leashed in. He could become furious and kill the messenger… said messenger, being myself. Or, he knows this by now and I am being let out of the loop and by telling him I open Pandora's box," Miroku thought out loud. There was more to being a spy then just snitching; there were scenarios that had to be played out.

"You should know, Naraku has established enough power that he has created outgrowths of himself," Miroku remembered to tell Sango, as he was going over the information, the pros and cons of telling Naraku about the treaty. "One of these detachments can control the dead. We need to make it a habit now not even to leave the dead behind. Even if we retreat." It was a grim picture he was painting, but he knew Sango of all people could handle it.

"Inuyasha's father, from what I understood has already been making advances on his end, but Naraku pays it no attention. That worries me. It's known Naraku doesn't want to mess with the Dog Demons, but... It all seems odd to me," Miroku said and let the worries that have been troubling him of late consume him again. "I need a good lie, I need some proof of something." Miroku said and then looked doubtfully at Sango. "Have they married yet?"

"Proof of their engagement? You can say you stole my copy of our treaty." She shook her head, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. "They're just betrothed. The marriage isn't going to be for a while."

Miroku wasn't going for that. "It's too risky, I was thinking, well, the reason, one of the theories, rumors, folk tales, whichever term you wish to use, Priestesses aren't allowed to marry is because after the wedding night their powers are diminished. What if Kikyo cast some spell to make it seem like she was weak, Naraku would use that chance to attack and then Kikyo can join the forces with her full powers?"

She nodded, understanding. "We can use that as our last trick. I doubt Naraku would believe that Kikyo gave up her powers after only knowing her fiancé for less than a month. Until then… you are notorious for being a womanizer… what if you told him that you and Kagome…" Sango coughed and went red. "You know. She's farther back from the front lines, so he won't be able to tell that she doesn't have any of her powers, and I can tell Kagome to keep a low profile."

Miroku grinned his usual smile at that suggestion. "Or," he said tracing his finger over the maps. "What if we made he believe the alliance isn't as solid as it seems? He wouldn't believe it about me. However, a half breed dog demon and Kagome... Make him believe the agreement is shaky, that a Priestess is virtually powerless and that this land is his for the taking."

"Inuyasha is royalty. Do you think that Naraku would actually believe that he would ignore the rules of his own alliance?"

"Inuyasha is a halfbreed. It is openly known that his own brother scorns him. What reason does he have to stick to a contract forced upon him by those he hates?" Miroku answered simply, lying the same way water slides off of a ducks back… with ease.

Sango thought about a moment, and then sighed. She didn't quite agree with the plan, but if Miroku thought it would work and keep Naraku suspicious… "All right," she agreed. What do you need to make it work?"

Miroku frowned. "I don't know. Got sake?"

"No." Sango rolled her eyes.

"Damn!" Miroku cursed.

Sango giggled, beginning to roll up the maps. "Thank you for the information. When will you be back?" She tried to make it sound like she wasn't really asking when she would get to see him again.

"A week from tomorrow." Miroku promised and rolled up a few fake scrolls of his own to take back to Naraku. Then he stood facing her in silence, if a move was to be made, he would let her make it. And if not... Well, he'd come up with a better pick up line for next time.

She could feel him watching her, waiting for her to make a move. Sango couldn't even bring herself to say his name when he was around. She stared back at him, trying to think of something she could say that would give them both a small amount of satisfaction. Her brown eyes narrowed at him. "If I find out that they've killed you, I swear to God I'm going to hunt down your body and I'm going to break every single bone you have."

Miroku smirked. "I'll see that as a promise for a date." He winked at her and threw the flap of her tent open, leaving it. "Till next time!" he called over his shoulder waving to her.

Moving to the open tent flap, Sango watched him go, sighing when she saw him accost another girl. Shaking her head, she returned to her desk, sitting in one chair and putting her feet up on the other one, holding her maps in her lap and going over them again. Slowly, her brown eyes drifted to the door, wishing he could walk back into her life for just a moment.

She inhaled deeply. His scent still lingered in the room. Sango felt herself start to shiver, and she drew a blanket around herself. She always felt like crap after he had left.

"Good luck, Miroku…"