A/N: I apologize for the lateness in updating, but I ran into a bit of writer's block. Thank you for all the kind reviews that keep coming in!
Enjoy!
The familiar smells and sounds of the campsite greeted Kagome as she woke, but she was confused when she opened her eyes to the hazy shades of dusk. The last rays of the sunset were quickly disappearing into the horizon and her head was pounding as she shifted in her bedroll to get up. She quickly fell back with a gasp as pain shot through her shoulder, and Sango appeared before her with a sympathetic smile.
"Why---what--why are we camped here?" Kagome squinted in the dim light, her mind slow and groggy.
"Shhh, don't get up Kagome-chan. We put your bedroll farther away from the fire to ease your eyes when you woke. I cleaned and bandaged the wound on your head, but I think you may have a concussion."
Kagome nodded slowly and forced a small smile at her friend.
"Kagome, Kagome, Kagome!" A blur of reddish fur went flying through the air as Shippou realized that she was awake. He bounced excitedly forward with the intention of embracing her, but Sango managed to grab his tail before he collided with her.
"Shippou-chan! I'm sure Kagome is just as happy to see you, but you have to be careful of her wounds." Her tone was gentle but firm, as she placed the small kitsune at Kagome's side. He gingerly hugged her and she chuckled at patted him on the back.
"It's ok, Sango-chan, I'm just a little sore. If you can just help me get up-"
Kagome was quickly cut off by a resounding "No!". Both Sango and Shippou had a wild, panicked look in their eyes that went way beyond concern.
Kagome squinted suspiciously at her friends, but did not move to get up. "What's going on here? Where are the others?"
"Inuyasha and Kouga are.....otherwise occupied. Houshi-sama was adamant that you get your rest so he made them camp near the river."
"He made them what?" Kagome raised an eyebrow incredulously.
"He was quite erm, upset at what happened in battle...."
Shippou squealed gleefully, "Miroku yelled at Kouga and Inuyasha!"
Even Sango had a hard time hiding her smirk. "Yes, well Houshi-sama was very distraught over your injuries, so no one wanted to cause any more trouble. He's down at the river right now getting water, but I think he just needed to blow off some steam. We promised we would watch over you until he returned."
"Now Shippou, help me get Kagome's dinner together so she can rest. Just call out if you need anything, Kagome-chan." Sango led the overeager kitsune through the thicket of trees toward the campfire, and left Kagome with her thoughts.
Kagome smiled gratefully at the taijiya and snuggled back down into her sleeping bag . The idea of both Inuyasha and the wolf-prince sharing a camp was utterly laughable. She was surprised that she couldn't hear them fighting from here, but she was even more amazed that Miroku had made such a demand.
He was usually so calm and collected, the last one of their group to ever lose his temper. And yet he lived life in the moment, seemingly free of curses and evil youkai. One moment he was leaping into battle to aide his friends without a thought of caution, confidently holding his own. The next he was comforting a child that had lost their family with a tenderness that was never feigned.
Miroku was correct in one thing, Kami did choose those with a great sense of responsibility. She had never seen him turn away from anyone in need. He had taken the task of instructing her very seriously, always challenging and prompting her to do better, adding the extra responsibility to the already large load he carried.
But surely he was only worried for his dear friend, for Sango had been surprisingly complacent about his concern for her. She was being overly sensitive about his actions, and her crush on the houshi was making her imagination run wild. Though she was ashamed of her feelings for Miroku, she was done denying it to herself.
Sango was her best friend, and regardless of how she felt she couldn't tell Miroku how she felt. Granted, Kagome suspected that her friends were having difficulties. She was still surprised that Sango had talked to her about the situation a few days earlier.
"Kagome-chan?" They had been sitting in a hot spring, bathing for the night when Sango had broached the subject.
"Hrm?" She had been utterly relaxed in the hot waters, but her friend's tone immediately caught her attention. Sango rarely talked about her personal life, Kagome usually had to pry every detail out of her.
"Do you think that love is a fleeting emotion? I mean, one would know if they were in love, wouldn't they? And one would know the difference between an infatuation and real affection?" The questions came out in a rush, a hint of desperation to her voice.
Kagome had nearly drowned out of surprise, her jaw dropping at her friend's complex questions. Its not that she didn't think Sango was capable of deeper emotions, its just that she thought the taijiya had decided to put off those sorts of thoughts until the final battle with Naraku was a distant memory.
"I....think sometimes people do mistake crushes for love. They are so focused on the warm, happy feelings that the other person brings them, that they don't want to decipher the reasons behind them." Kagome traced abstract patterns upon the water as she mused. "But if it is truly that, simply an infatuation, it will burn itself up soon enough when it has lost appeal."
"Then the only way to find out if it is real is to wait it out?" Sango frowned and gazed down at the water.
Kagome chuckled at the taijiya's troubled expression. "Once upon a time I thought I was in love with Hojo-kun, a boy from my time. He's very popular, caring, and attractive. He always goes out of his way to bring me presents and tell me how lovely I am. And yet..."
She sighed with a sense of regret. "Maybe it's the influence of being in this time, or growing up too fast, but now he seems so childlike to me. Any girl in my class would die to capture his eye like I have, but his little faults are so obvious to me, and now I can't imagine being anything more than his friend."
"But surely it is different with Inuyasha...?" Sango nervously asked, fretting with the wet strands of her hair.
Kagome's voice came softer and more yearning then. "I loved him as much as I could, but it wasn't enough. I didn't hold anything back, but he didn't take what I offered...."
Sango gazed sympathetically at her friend, seeing the hurt in her eyes. "Kagome-chan, I'm sorry I ever brought the subject up...."
Kagome forced a sad little smile. "Don't be, Sango-chan. Sometimes love is one-sided, and even so, I don't regret my choices. Everyone saw that it was hopeless but me, and I was too stubborn to listen to reason. I couldn't compete with the perfection that was Kikyo. I wouldn't even know where to begin."
Kagome smiled brightly then, with a flash of sincere optimism. "But my love life is nothing like the bond between you and Miroku-kun. No one else holds his heart like you do, and he would never do anything to hurt you."
Sango had smiled sadly at her then and changed the subject, leaving her to wonder as to their situation.
Kagome couldn't help but feel guilty about her feelings for Miroku none the less. How can I be sure I gave Sango the right advice? What if my words were colored by my own feelings? Due to her training sessions she spent more time with Miroku that his own fiancée did. How long can I keep how I feel a secret?
A rustling of a nearby bush startled Kagome from her thoughts, and she gazed into the darkness of the forest. Without preamble Miroku stepped out of the shadows with an unusually somber look on his face. "You're awake..."
"Didn't I tell you that you can't get rid of me that easily?" Kagome grinned crookedly up at him.
Miroku's eyes softened slightly and he sat down on the ground next to her. "You could have been seriously injured, little flower. I find no humor in the situation..."
Kagome rolled on her side to face him, resting her head on her arm. "But I wasn't, Miroku-sama. I'm fine. And even if I wasn't, we all know the risks of our journey. We take those chances every time we go into battle."
"It is not fine. No one was there to protect you, not your so-called protector, and certainly not that self-absorbed wolf." Miroku's eyes gleamed with anger as he stared into the dark.
"That's not true, you were there for me." Kagome said softly. She reached out to touch his hand, their gazes locked on each other.
Miroku ran a hand through his hair out of nervous habit . "It wasn't enough, Kagome-sama! I'm not a demon with superspeed, or a hanyou with special fighting powers. I'm just a man, and I couldn't protect you."
"Don't you dare cheapen yourself! You were the one who was there when those two idiots were tossing barbs and blows like it was some game!" Kagome felt a rush of anger flowing through her veins as she raised her voice.
Kagome drew back her hand from his, and clenched her fists tightly to her sides. I'm not sure if I want to shake or kiss the man, but I don't trust myself to touch him.
"And how can you train me day after day in learning my new powers, encouraging me to master them, and them turn around and tell me I need a protector?"
Instead of being taken back by her show of anger, her temper seemed to spur Miroku's own as he leaned in closer to make his point. "Maybe if you weren't so reckless, you wouldn't need a protector anymore!"
Kagome's eyes widened in fury as she pulled herself up from her bedroll, ignoring the pain. "Reckless?! I am not a child! No one would dare to treat Sango-chan in this manner! Why are you being so irrational?!"
"Because I....I...." Miroku stopped himself as he realized how close they were. Close enough that he could inhale the scent of her hair. Close enough that he could feel her breath against his skin, rapid in her anger.
"Because you what?" Kagome said softly, her voice just a whisper against his lips as she leaned closer.
"Because I care for...." Miroku watched as her full lashes swept lower, her blue eyes gazing up at him silently and forgot what he was saying.
"Yes?..." Kagome knelt up to brush her lips against his softly.
"..you." Miroku's hands fell to her shoulders ever so lightly with the admission and he gave in to the need to touch her.
Kagome leaned into his embrace and she kissed him.
She kissed him without thought of consequences. She kissed him without heed to what was right or wrong. She kissed him with all the pent up frustration and feelings she had been hiding, from him and everyone else. And the most amazing thing happened.
He kissed her back.
Miroku dazedly knew that it wasn't the most intelligent or even honorable thing he had ever done. He had given in to his passions, his heart, once again. And though he knew it was a mistake, it felt so....right. He raised a silent prayer to the heavens. Just this one moment, Kami. Just this one kiss, with her....
Miroku's hand raised to brush the hair from her face, and slid to caress the curve of her brow. He traced the length of her jaw and chin, his thumb falling to brush at the pulse of her neck feeling the flushed skin against his fingertips.
Kagome lifted her arms to wrap around his neck and slide her fingers through his hair with a soft sigh. They pressed closely to each other in that one slow, poignant kiss that seemed to last forever, and yet not long enough.
Pulling back finally, Miroku allowed himself one more moment to store in his memory. The feel of her in his arms, the stars shining in her eyes as she seemed to look into his soul.
"I deeply apologize, Kagome-sama. I swear that it won't happen again." He was unable to look her in the eye as he forced the words.
"Miroku, don't...." Her voice cracked as she touched his lips with her fingertips, her heart in her eyes.
"...Don't ever touch Kagome again." An enraged voice gritted out the words in a whisper, the promise of violence behind them unmistakable.
The pulled back from each other startled and saw Inuyasha standing a few feet away in the forest, hidden in the shadows. His golden eyes glowed dangerously with rage but he made no move to attack.
"Its only out of respect for your fiance that I am not tearing you apart with my bare hands. You know, the woman you promised to marry?" He spat the words out at Miroku. "Forgot her name, houshi? Its Sango."
"You don't know what you are talking about Inuyasha, we're not..." He glanced back toward the campfire where Sango and was stirring the stew pot. "Sango and mine's relationship is no one's business but our own." He said quietly.
"It became my business the moment you brought Kagome into the situation! Don't you dare lecture me about my duty and responsibility as her protector." He growled then, low in his throat, taking a step closer.
"Kagome-sama, I..." Miroku looked helplessly at Kagome, willing her to understand.
"You should go...there is Sango-chan to think of. Go, before she noticed anything is wrong." Kagome felt sick at betraying her best friend.
Miroku gave a slight nod and stood, walking back toward the camp without looking back.
"You are wrong, Inuyasha. Wrong about him, about what just happened." Kagome said quietly as she looked him in the eye.
Inuyasha gazed silently back, not saying anything.
"It was I that kissed Miroku, not he that kissed me." Her face flushed a deep red with embarrassment at the admission.
"I-If anyone betrayed Sango-chan, it was I." She hung her head in shame.
Without a word he spun and leaped into the air, flying toward the treetops. Only a blur of red could be seen against the stars of the evening sky as Kagome watched Inuyasha go.