I don't own InuYasha blah, blah, blah…

A Kiss on the Lips

Miroku stared up at the tree branch and the woman standing there, his heart pounding. Her name fell from his lips as he gazed at her face. "Sango,"

It had been so long since he had last seen her. Miroku's eyes traced over her face and down her neck, following the curve of her breasts and waist and down her long slender legs before slowly returning to her face. She had always been beautiful but what his eyes saw now was not the skinny young girl he remembered but an extremely beautiful woman. His breath caught as Sango slowly lifted her eyes to his and he felt himself being thrust ten years into the past. Her dark brown eyes, that had always seemed bottomless to him, had changed so little, they still looked at him with a combination of wariness and longing that still had the power to make his heart jump. He was glad when she dropped her eyes from his and jumped from the tree as a horde of old feelings and questions from the past began to resurface inside of him. Sango…Taking a deep breath he squashed them down, clearing his mind but not before the one question that had plagued him for the last ten years reared its ugly head. Why did you leave me?

Sango could feel Miroku's eyes on her as she walked toward the small group. When she had looked straight into his eyes she had felt weak with the emotions that had threatened to swallow her. Why? Why Miroku? Why? Sango almost stumbled as the question erupted from nowhere in her mind. Her hand tightened on the leather strap of her weapon and she took a deep breath. It didn't matter, she told herself, it was so long ago. They were different people now. What had happened between then was the past, it didn't matter anymore, but as she came to a stop in front of the group she quickly stole a look at Miroku from the corner of her eye and her heart pounded painfully in her chest.

"Sango?" InuYasha asked confusion on his face. Standing he pulled Kagome along with him keeping her close by his side. Kouga gritted his teeth and shot InuYasha an ugly glare.

"Are you ok Kagome?" Sango asked, ignoring InuYasha for the moment and looking Kagome over, checking for any injuries. Kagome nodded her head and Sango smiled slightly in relief, finally turning her attention to InuYasha.

"Hello InuYasha," she greeted quietly. Her eyes quickly scanned him, noting absolutely no change in his appearance from the last time she had seen him ten years ago. Not really surprising considering his demon blood. Taking a small breath she made herself turn her head slightly to acknowledge Miroku. Careful to keep her eyes from meeting his, she said quietly and with no emotion "Hello Miroku,"

Miroku's mouth opened to say something and he shifted as if he was going to step forward but as Sango quickly turned her head away from him he stopped his hand, clenching it at his side. "Hello Sango," was all he said, his tone filled with an emotion Sango could not identify.

It was all in the past, Sango kept telling herself but at the sound of his voice saying her name, an inkling of forgotten pleasure shot through her only to be smothered by a dull pain that she remembered all to well. His voice….how she had loved the sound of it whispering her name. She tensed and resisted the urge to look into his eyes and let him take her back to that place in time when she had wanted nothing more than to be held by him. Her nails dug painfully into her palm. Forget it; she told herself, there are more important things to worry about.

"What the hell is going on?" InuYasha suddenly demanded, sick of the heavy atmosphere that had descended over them. He'd had enough of this crap ten years ago when these two had been together. As far as he was concerned they should get the hell over it already.

"How the fuck did that demon just appear from nowhere like that?" he directed his questions at Sango, his brows drew together in a frown as he looked at her.

"And where the hell did you come from all of a sudden?"

"What do you care dog breath? She saved your life didn't she?" Kouga injected sick of being ignored and sick to the stomach of the sight of Kagome in InuYasha's arms. InuYasha's lip curled up in a snarl and he was about to pick up where the two of them had been interrupted earlier when he felt a tug on his shirt.

"Please don't fight," Kagome said her voice somewhat breathless. She looked over at Kouga and tried to smile, her hand pressed against her chest as if she was in pain.

"Please Kouga don't….."

InuYasha quickly grabbed her shoulders as she slumped against him.

"Kagome!" Kouga and Sango cried coming to stand close by her as InuYasha laid her down on the grass.

"What's going on?" he asked looking up at Sango for answers "what's wrong with her?"

Sango shook her head and knelt down beside Kagome only to jump slightly as Miroku suddenly knelt beside her and started to unbutton Kagome's shirt.

"What the fuck are you doing?" InuYasha demanded about to knock Miroku's hand aside but he stopped his hand above Kagome's breasts as her shirt fell open revealing a large bruise in the shape of a handprint.

"What….?" Kouga came to stand over them and stared at the dark purple handprint. Dark veins ran outward from it, spreading across her chest and disappearing under the cloth of her bra.

"It looks like she's been poisoned," Miroku said.

"Naraku," Sango murmured staring down at her charge "I need to take her home," she raised her eyes to Kouga "Quickly Kouga…..," he nodded, moving to pick Kagome up but InuYasha was already sliding his arms under her prone body and lifting her. Kouga made a move as if to take her from InuYasha but was stopped as the hanyou's eyes locked to his. They burnt into him, daring him to try to take her, promising him pain if he did. Kouga gritted his teeth. What right did this dog have to hold Kagome as if she belonged to him? He wanted to fight, to smash his fist into the mutt's face but reluctantly he stepped back. If Kagome had not been ill he would have gladly done so.

"Show me where to take her," InuYasha commanded talking to Sango but not taking his eyes off the furious Kouga. Sango quickly glanced between them before nodding.

"Fine. Let's go,"

"Kohaku!" Sango yelled his name as soon as they entered the front gate closely followed by InuYasha, Miroku and Kouga. Not stopping, she lead InuYasha to a large building off to the side of the main house and slammed open the doors to reveal a long room that was empty but for a shrine at one end and some bedding in the centre of the floor. InuYasha moved quickly over to it and gently laid the unconscious Kagome down.

Leaning her boomerang against the wall, Sango knelt behind Kagome's head, smoothing her hand over her brow, and watched as she struggled to breathe, her chest heaving painfully, the dark hand print becoming darker and darker.

"Kohaku!" she yelled again just as he appeared in the doorway. He looked curiously at Miroku standing beside Kouga just inside the door, then at the silver haired hanyou kneeling besides an unconscious Kagome.

"Kohaku, get Mother's medicine's," Kohaku took one look at the dark handprint on Kagome's chest and nodded at his sister, quickly hurrying away and returning just a moment later with a small wooden chest. Sango took it from his hands and placed it by her side. On the front was an elaborate lock that had no key hole and no latch. The lid of the box was covered in very detailed carvings in what looked to be some sort of language. Placing her hands on the carvings Sango closed her eyes for a moment and her lips moved silently. Beneath her hands the carved letters glowed and the lock lifted upward, the chest springing open.

Reaching inside Sango brought out a small glass vial filled with a golden yellow liquid.

"We have to get her to swallow some," she said looking up at InuYasha who nodded. Gently he held Kagome's mouth open as Sango poured in about half the liquid, holding her mouth closed he forced her to swallow it. Kagome's breathing started to ease almost immediately.

"Will she be ok now?" InuYasha asked looking down at the girl and wondering why he even cared.

"I think so. This medicine was made especially for this," Sango sighed and held up the half empty vial "in a little while she'll need to take the rest of it and then she should be fine,"

"Good," was all InuYasha said before standing up and striding outside.

He had to get out of there and away from that girl. InuYasha stopped and looked up at the afternoon sky, what was with him? Why did he feel so strange around her? Why did she seem so familiar to him? He swore he didn't need this sort of shit; he should leave here right now. He'd done his good deed for the day. She was going to be fine. Still….when she had called his name as she lay unconscious he couldn't deny that he had felt something, something he couldn't describe. Then there was the demon. Why hadn't he been able to sense it? How had it appeared from nowhere like that? And where did Sango fit in all of this? He looked over his shoulder as Miroku, Sango and Kouga walked up behind him, his eyes fixing on the wolf, his eyes narrowing. What was the deal with him? Did he have some claim on the girl? His fists clenched at the thought. Why should he care? He asked himself again.

InuYasha swore under his breath at all the questions that were unanswered in his mind. Screw this! He wasn't leaving here until he found out exactly what was going on.

"I want to know what is going on," he demanded suddenly turning to face Sango. Kouga snarled at him. "Why don't you go and f….."

"Kouga!" Sango cut off his insult and frowned at him. Kouga gave InuYasha a look of pure dislike before spinning on his heel and leaving the yard, slamming the outer gate behind him. Sango watched him go sighing.

"Let's go inside," she said and without waiting for a reply she disappeared inside the house.

InuYasha looked over at Miroku to find him giving him a questioning look.

"What?" InuYasha demanded. The corner of Miroku's mouth lifted in a bemused smile.

"It's just I've never seen you take so much interest in a woman before,"

InuYasha frowned heavily at him and with a mumbled "Shut up," as he followed Sango.

Sitting opposite InuYasha and Miroku, Sango waited as her brother carried a tray of tea in and placed it on the table before placing a cup in front of each of them. InuYasha ignored his and instead focused on Sango.

"Well?"

Sango took a sip of her tea, stalling for a moment. She was going to have to be careful exactly what it was she told InuYasha here. She needed him to be around Kagome, to protect her but if he knew too much he would never do it. Shooting a glance under her lashes at Miroku, she wondered how much he had ever known about her family. It didn't matter; he had once told her something about InuYasha's family that she could now use to get InuYasha to do as she wanted.

"A demon called Naraku is hunting us,"

InuYasha and Miroku blinked at the blunt statement and waited for her to elaborate.

"Kagome is from a line he wishes to destroy. My family made a vow to protect them and now it is my turn to protect Kagome,"

"So that's it? Some demon is after you? InuYasha looked unimpressed.

"He's not a normal demon," Kohaku piped in "He's an ancient,"

"An ancient?" Miroku said, staring at Kohaku in shock.

"Ancient?" InuYasha looked at Miroku for an explanation.

"I've heard stories of the demons who lived so long ago they were known as ancients. In all of my studies I've had only come across one actual record referring to one and by all accounts he was pure evil," Miroku frowned at InuYasha. "Their powers are said to outclass even the highest ranking demons such as your brother," Miroku's brow furrowed and he looked across at Sango. If it were true and a demon even more powerful than Sesshomaru was after the girl Kagome, then Sango was in serious danger. There was no way she would be able to fight against such a powerful demon.

"Yes," Sango nodded in agreement at Miroku's words "He's very powerful. I know that he's existed for at least a thousand years. He has the ability to call up other demons to do his bidding. They're hard to detect and appear almost from thin air," Her face clouded over for a moment before she added "and it seems his powers are growing," the image of the dark handprint on Kagome's chest flashed across her mind.

InuYasha was picturing the same thing; a strange feeling that might have been worry for the girl filled him. He shouldn't care about this, he told himself, and this was none of his business. He had only one use for the girl and he could get that anywhere without having to deal with a whole lot of crap about ancient demons.

"He'll attack again as soon as he has an opportunity,"

"Yeah well, that's great," InuYasha said standing up "but it ain't got anything to do with me. Come on Miroku," He turned to go but stopped at Sango's words.

"I want you to protect Kagome,"

InuYasha turned back around "You want me to protect her?" InuYasha squashed down the possessive feeling sprang up inside him. "I got enough problems without having to worry about some brat," he said intending to leave but once again Sango's words stopped him.

"I saved your life, you owe me,"

InuYasha swore under his breath and cursed the stupid rules that bound his family. She had saved him. Whether or not she'd saved his life or just saved him from injury, according to a nearly forgotten code he owed her. He gritted his teeth. How the hell had she known about that? He shot a disgusted glance at Miroku who looked innocently back at him. Damn all humans, he thought but all he said was "Fine," and walked out.

Stepping out into the early evening air InuYasha wondered why he had given in so easily. He could have ignored Sango's request, she would have been able to do nothing about it. His gaze moved to the building where the girl lay. It was because of her. He wanted to protect her. Slowly he walked to the building and pushed aside the doors. Entering he walked over to where she lay. She was asleep, her chest slowly lifting up and down, her breathing now even. Kneeling down beside her, he gazed at her face. Against the pale of her skin her lips were a deep rosy pink, tempting him. Raising his hand he traced her lips with the tip of a finger, feeling the warmth of her breath as her lips parted slightly in her sleep. Slowly he lowered his head to hers until his lips were a bare inch from away from hers. He could remember what they felt like beneath his, soft and warm. He groaned, he wanted to taste her again. He moved closer, his lips just a breath away.

Suddenly he pulled back and stood up "Damn it!" he swore. What the hell was he doing? What hold did this girl have over him? Looking down at her his eyes narrowed. What hold did this girl have over him? Cursing himself and Kagome he left.

"Well," Kohaku said glancing between Miroku and his sister "Excuse me I've got things to do," and standing up he quickly left, a grin across his face.

Miroku took a slow sip of his tea and watched as Sango's gaze followed her brother's departure. He lowered his cup and she shot him a quick glance before getting without a word and moving to follow Kohaku.

"Sango how long are you going to keep ignoring me?" At his words Sango stopped but didn't turn around.

"I don't think we have anything to say to each other," she said quietly and started to walk away again but was stopped as Miroku moved quickly placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I think we do," a small smile touched his lips "At least I know I do," Sango jerked away from his hand and spun around to face him.

Bitter anger flashed in her eyes "You don't have anything to say that I want to hear,"

"Don't I?" Miroku searched her face for some clue to why she seemed so bitter toward him. "Is it so hard for you to remember what we had?"

"I remember," Sango said quietly, turning away from him again, the anger she felt slightly dampened by the bitter pain his words made her feel "I remember and I want to forget," Sango froze as Miroku's arms wrapped around her, his breath tickling her ear as he spoke.

"Sango I…." his voice crackled with emotion his hands tightening around her for a second before he spun her around and covered her lips with his own. Sango stood still at the feel of his lips on hers. Shock, anger and something else she didn't want to admit to pumped through her freezing her to the spot. His lips began to move on hers and she felt herself leaning toward him, her body softening, beginning to betray her. Shocked to the core at how easily her walls had crumbled she quickly raised her hands up between them and pushed him away from her. All the emotions that she felt swam around inside her, blinding her so that she didn't see the pain and longing written across Miroku's own face. Spinning away she quickly bolted through the door, closing it behind her.

"Shit!" Miroku swore, running his hand through his hair in frustration. He shouldn't have done that but she had looked so venerable in that moment, so much like the fifteen year old girl he had loved. He sighed, he didn't know what had happened to make Sango so bitter toward him or what had made her leave him ten years ago without so much as a word but he did know that his feelings for her were still well and truly alive. He wondered if she still cared for him.

Leaning against the closed door, Sango listened for Miroku's footsteps waiting until she heard him leave before letting the tears fall from her eyes. She slipped to the floor and leant her chin on her knees. It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair. These feelings were supposed to be dead. She should hate him, or at least feel nothing when she looked at him. She touched her lips, still feeling his on hers. Why did he do that? Raising her head again, she looked at the ceiling, the tears slipping silently down her cheeks as she realised that she still loved him.