AN: I've gotten many reviews that I'm evil XD That I am. I'm not a fan of cliffhangers (I don't think anyone is), but I needed to stop somewhere, right? And there was the perfect spor! And there's a lot to cram into this chapter. A Sango x Miroku moment (or two), a Kouga x Kagome moment, a verbal battle with Inuyasha, not to mention visiting the wolf youkai den.
So…Here's the next installation of Devoted, dedicated to all my reviewers ^-^ Arigatou!
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"NANI!?"
Sango blanched, her already pale skin dropping a few notches to a ghastly white. Kagome smiled happily as she watched her friend stare at her numbly. Miroku was silent, eyebrows knit in concentration, lips set in a grim line. Kagome felt her smile waver. Was she wrong? Did Miroku not like Sango? But that wasn't possible!
"C'mon Sango-chan, Miroku-sama!" She urged. Kouga eyes the two with great interest. Neither taijiya nor houshi made any advances.
"Do it now before I make you both strip naked!" Kagome growled. That got them both moving. Sango scuttled shyly over to Miroku, who in turn turned to face her. She gulped audibly before glancing at Kagome.
"Kagome-chan, it doesn't matter where, right?"
"Nuh uh. Lips." She wagged her finger playfully. Of course, if Sango didn't say anything and had kissed him on the cheek she would have let it slide. But since she brought it up…
"I won't bite." Miroku remarked, trying to relieve some of the tension. Sango 'humphed' before slowly moving forward. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face as her lips hovered over his. Closing her eyes, Sango quickly moved in and pressed her lips to his.
She was about to pull back when she felt a strong pair of arms encircle around her waist and pull her towards him, her cry muffled by his lips. Sango struggled to break free of his grasp, very aware of how her body was pressed along his.
Kagome gaped at the couple, eyes wide. Kouga cocked his head to the side, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle until Kagome covered his eyes. Inuyasha glanced down from his position on the tree and rolled his eyes before turning away. Shippou and Kirara, thankfully, slept through the exchange.
Miroku slowly pulled back, nibbling gently on her bottom lip before separating completely. Sango stared at him, eyes wide, and could only imagine how flushed her cheeks were and how swollen her lips must have been.
"Sango…" He whispered huskily, his face still inches from hers'. She felt his breath dampen her cheek and was startled, as if suddenly awakened from a dream.
"H-HENTAI!" She slapped him, sliding back and away, breathing heavily. Miroku's face remained neutral as he cradled his injured cheek. Kagome sighed. This was not how she had planned it to be. Though that kiss had seemed rather…steamy, for lack of a better word.
"S-should we continue?" Kagome asked, shifting uncomfortably under Sango's intense glare directed at her. Sango said nothing, as did Miroku. Kagome sighed.
"Sango, it's your turn if it makes you feel any better." She offered. She watched as Sango's back straightened and a coy look replaced the scowl. Maybe this was a bad idea after all.
"Kagome-chan…Truth or dare?" She stressed each word, grinding them out from behind clenched teeth. Kagome winced.
"Umm…Truth." After pulling that stunt on Sango, she was afraid to even think about choosing dare. Disappointment shone on Sango's face, but it was soon replaced by a devilish grin, similar to the one Kagome had donned earlier. Two could play at this game.
"I want you to truthfully tell Kouga how you feel about him, and tell us what was going through your mind when Kouga and…Houshi-sama, so rudely interrupted our bath. Well, just tell us how you felt having Kouga see you. I saw the look in your eyes, so don't tell me it wasn't anything."
"B-but that's not one question! Y-you can't do that!" Kagome squeaked in horror, sneaking a glance at Kouga. She could already see the blush on his cheeks. The look on Sango's face was enough to silence her. She nodded slowly, causing a gleeful cry from the taijiya. Miroku still had yet to react to Sango's dare.
"Ano…How I feel about you…" Kagome shifted until she was facing Kouga, her head bowed. She heard some rustling in the trees and cursed, realizing Inuyasha was sitting above them.
"Spit it out, Kagome-chan." Sango stated dryly, leaning forward as if to hear better. Sometimes she swore Sango had no sympathy.
"I…really like you Kouga-kun…You're sweet and you protect me. And, umm….I really like you." Kagome felt the heated blush spread from her toes to her face as she doodled in the dirt with her index finger. A hand caught hers', stopping it, and forced her to look up. Kouga stared at her intently, silently urging her on. Suddenly feeling a boost of courage, she continued.
"And when you saw us-me, while I was bathing, I was embarrassed but also strangely….happy…."
Kami-sama, did she just say that!? Kagome's eyes widened as she quickly spun away from Kouga. Sango silently celebrated her victory, ignoring the still silent houshi.
"Kagome…I…" Kouga placed a hand on her shoulder and Kagome felt her heart speed up. She was just about to say something when Inuyasha jumped down from the bushes and stood next to the two, eyes flashing dangerously.
"Get your hands off of her." He growled, a deep rumbling sound from the back of his throat. Kagome panicked, sensing what he was about to do.
"I-Inuyasha! Damme!" It was hard to be tough and convincing while blushing, but she didn't have a chance to calm down. Inuyasha shot her a cold glance before turning to look at Kouga.
"Keep your fucking hands off of her."
"Like hell I will! You're the one who almost killed her! I'm protecting her from you!"
"The only one who can and will protect her is me!"
"Bullshit! Do you think I'll listen to that crap after what you did!?"
Kagome whimpered from her spot on the ground, her hands clenched tightly over her ears. She had heard enough, but she couldn't open her mouth to say anything as she felt tears prick at her eyes. Sango gasped when she saw Kagome huddled on the floor, eyes wide with fear. She quickly stood and hurried over to her, taking her friend in her arms.
"Enough!" Sango barked at the two men. Both stopped and looked down at Kagome, cradled protectively in Sango's arms.
"You're upsetting Kagome-sama." Miroku stated, standing and approaching Sango and Kagome. He was finally speaking again. Inuyasha's eyes widened when he saw Kagome trembling slightly.
"Ka-"
"Kagome!" Kouga hurried to her side, interrupting the hanyou. Inuyasha watched numbly as Kagome was transferred into his arms where he murmured in her ear and smoothed down her hair.
"Gomen, Kagome. I didn't mean to start anything. I didn't mean to scare you." He mumbled, tightening his hold while careful of the still healing wound in her stomach. She nodded, her face pressed against his chest. Inuyasha said nothing as he walked off into the forest. Surprisingly Shippou and Kirara had slept through everything, still soundly snoring.
"Come on, houshi-sama. I think we need to leave them alone." Sango pushed him in the back, forgetting momentarily about the dare. Miroku nodded before allowing Sango to push him out of the campsite.
Kagome gasped and pushed on Kouga's chest until he loosened his hold. She wiped at her eyes, embarrassed that she had been caught in a weak moment.
"Gomen, I was just…I don't want you to fight. I'm afraid…That one day I won't be able to stop either of you." Her bottom lip trembled slightly at the thought of loosing either Inuyasha or Kouga.
"Don't worry, Kagome. I won't leave you." He assured with a half smile. Kagome nodded. It was silly of her to worry, right? Two years away had softened her way too much.
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Sango found a dry patch of grass and sat down, running her hands through it. She picked a blade and twirled it idly between her fingers. Miroku sat beside her and she felt suddenly self conscious.
"Do you think Kagome-chan is okay?" Sango asked, tying to keep her mind off the kiss. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him consider this, then nod.
"Kouga is with her."
"Oh." They lapsed into a tense silence again, both staring out at the water before them. She felt something on her hand and darted her gaze to her, no, their hands. Blushing, she looked up at him.
"H-houshi-sama?"
"Gomen. I shouldn't have taken the dare that far." He watched her carefully for a reaction. Sango nodded slowly. He was apologizing for something that shouldn't have happened. Shouldn't she have been happy? Then what was this feeling? She took a deep breath before boldly speaking.
"Don't be sorry, houshi-sama. I…It was my first kiss…And I'm…glad it was you…" She mumbled the end, turning her face away. It grew silent, only the lapping of the water on the ground making any noise. She had humiliated herself, and was about to go back to camp when she felt an arm snake around her waist.
She stifled a gasp when she felt Miroku pull her against him, her side fitting snugly against his. She sat still for a moment, blushing profusely, before resting her head on his shoulder.
"I'm glad too, Sango." Her murmured, his hand tracing lazy circles on her back. She nodded, still not really believing that she was allowing him near her. He kissed the top of her head before leaning his cheek against her hair, allowing the silky strands to brush against his skin.
Sango's last thoughts were content ones before she felt her eyelids close and she fell fast asleep.
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AN: Because it's late and it's really really hard to type with acrylic nail tips, Neoshipper has to stop now! Gomen! ^-^;; Kagome had a little OOC-ness, but that couldn't be helped too much ^-^;; And once again it ended with more Sango x Miroku fluff. Okay, I will have more Kouga x Kagome in the next chapter!
Review please!
~Neoshipper~