Pairings: Inu/Kag Mir/San Sess/Rin
A/N: WHEE! Happy people like my fanfiction! ANYONE WHO LOVES INU/KAG AND MIR/SAN FLUFF WILL LOVE THIS CHAPTER!
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Chapter 15
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Miroku woke up by an extreme pain in his side. His eyelids felt heavy, and he didn't want to lift them. But the pain in his side was too great, so he opened them anyways. He glanced over to see that there was indeed a large cut deep into his side, luckily missing his lung. He grimaced, staring at the caked blood surrounding it. He stole a look around the place, noting that he was definitely not where he was before. They were somewhere deep within the swamp, no longer near the edges of it. It would take days to make it out, perhaps, the point being whether they stayed alive long enough to do so.
Suddenly, he felt something warm rub against him, and realized that Sango was laying unconscious next to him. He glanced at her sleeping form, remembering that when Kikyo had cast her spell, all that was on his mind was reaching Sango. Thankfully, he grabbed her at the last second, and both of them were sent here together.
'I only hope that the others are okay, and paired up with someone as well…' Miroku thought. 'Who knows what could be in this area? The best thing any of us can do right now is regroup and search for the serpent.'
Miroku found a yearning to reach down and touch Sango, but slapped himself. This was no time for fantasies. Right now, he needed to focus on what was intended to do. Instead, he clasped his hand on the slayer's shoulder, and gently shook her.
"Sango," he whispered softly in her ear. "Sango, wake up."
Slowly, Sango began to stir, and her eyes fluttered open, revealing the chocolate brown hues. She sat up groggily, her eyes clearing just in time to see Miroku ripping up his robe and creating a makeshift bandage for a deep cut in his side.
"Miroku, are you okay?" Sango asked, a worried expression plastered on her pale face.
Miroku grimaced as the dirty cloth touched the wound in his side. He would like to clean it out , as well as the cloth bandage, but the waters around here would probably only make things worse. He made an awkward expression as he stared at the algae-infested lake water with who-knows-what living in them. He was very reluctant to use the water, and thankful that he hadn't landed in the lake a mere two feet in front of them.
"I'm all right, Sango, don't worry," Miroku replied reassuringly, giving her a warm smile. "I probably cut myself when we fell."
"Did Kagome or Inuyasha fall with us?" Sango asked, looking around.
"I'm afraid not," Miroku replied solemnly. "However, our main focus here would be to try to locate our friends, and then search for the serpent. Or perhaps catch the serpent by chance, and then search for our friends."
Sango sighed; things were just piling up one after the other. Even if they did regroup, find a serpent, and make a pact with it, they still needed to find Nali and challenge her. Not to mention win four out of seven challenges, and get back to Nagori, who could already be dead by now. Who knew how long they'd spent in this swamp already; Sango glanced upwards to find only small streaks of light escaping through the abundant trees that towered before them, meaning that they were somewhere near the middle of the swamp; not a good sign.
Suddenly, Miroku stiffened. Sango, who was still dazed slightly from her fall, wondered why. Finally, she realized that they were surrounded by demons on all sides. She could barely feel their aura; they must be strong demons in order to disguise their demonic aura so thoroughly. Still, Sango reached for her boomerang, which lay on the ground, and glanced around at the glowing red eyes that leered at them; predators finding the first fresh humans since who knows how many years.
"Sango…you ready?" Miroku asked, going into a defensive position, readying his staff.
"Yes, but you are injured; you should take it easy," Sango muttered, concern for the monk showing vividly in her tone and face. "We aren't up against any ordinary demons, and this time, Inuyasha won't be here to back us up You should rest, and let me fend off the demons."
Miroku only grinned. "Thanks for your concern, Sango, I appreciate it. But I'll be fine. You just worry about yourself, and try not to obtain many injuries. We don't know how many hours or days it will take to see daylight again." Sango merely nodded, fighting back the urge to cry. She didn't know exactly why she wanted to cry, only that she felt a huge surge of emotions enter her form. It was a bittersweet moment, to want to cry and let it all out right before a battle; to know that Miroku truly cared for her, and that they still may likely meet their end here, in this ignoble place.
And then, the demons charged.
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"Man, why'd I have to get stuck with you?" Kouga asked bluntly as he walked through the swamp, Jaken following at his heels. The squelching of mud under their feet only worsened Kouga's mood; he HATED swamps! They sent a chill up his spine, and sent his native instincts awry; he'd go crazy until he had his arms around the girl he vowed to protect: Kagome.
"Hmph! I don't see any flattery in joining YOU either!" Jaken scoffed bitterly, turning his head away. However, in doing so, he tripped over a root, landing a well-rounded face-plant in the gushy mud. The cold gunk entered through Jaken's mouth and nose, and the small toad leapt up screaming and spluttering.
Kouga stood there, amused at Jaken's relentless cries of agony, and decided to continue on, gritting his teeth at every squelch or gush in the mud.
"I don't see what's so great about this swamp," Kouga murmured bitterly under his breath. "Why would a serpent hang in this dump?"
Jaken gasped and shouted, "You insult me! This swamp reminds me of home! Aw, the wonderful ponds, sweet aroma, large trees, total darkness! Oh, it's heaven!"
Kouga wanted to kill that toad instantly, but he knew that if he did, Sesshomaru would probably kill him. Unlike that mutt, he was actually sort of afraid of Sesshomaru; how he never seemed to be afraid of anything, how he always kept his cool, even in the face of possible death; he would also intimidate any foe just by sending them his emotionless stare of pale gold eyes. Kouga held respect for him, though he was too headstrong to ever admit it.
The wolf demon sniffed at the air, and growled. "Man, this stinks. I can't pick up Kagome's scent at all! All I can smell is dirty water and mud."
"Really?" Jaken asked, bewildered. "Well, that tells how inferior your nose is. I can detect that simple human's scent easily!"
"WHAT! YOU CAN!" Kouga exclaimed, grabbing Jaken by the collar and bringing him up to eye level with him. "Then lead me to them!"
"Hmph! Why should I?" Jaken replied defiantly. Kouga growled, and bopped Jaken over the head. "Okay, follow me."
As Jaken led Kouga down a different pathway, full of squelching and squishing, the wolf demon thought, 'One good trait for a whole bunch of bad ones…hmph. Glad I wasn't born a toad.'
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"…Inuyasha?" Kagome asked as the two walked down the muddy path.
The half demon turned, giving Kagome a normal glare, like when they first met. "What?" he asked gruffly.
"Are you sure you don't remember anything?" she asked quietly.
"No," Inuyasha replied, turning away. "You may seem familiar, but that may be just because you look like Kikyo."
At Kikyo's name, Kagome felt tears come to her eyes. Her legs felt weak; she couldn't support herself any longer, so she just fell into the mud, despite the gooey coldness that sent shivers up her body. Hot tears fell down her cheeks; Kikyo caused both her and Inuyasha so much pain, erasing everything from him, and testing out the effects on her.
Inuyasha was immediately in front of Kagome, kneeling down and lifting Kagome's chin up, using his free hand to dry up her tears. "Hey, why are you crying?" he asked softly, the rude voice he used earlier blown away, leaving behind a kind, gentle tone that made Kagome cry harder.
"Inuyasha," she managed to mumble out. "Why do you love Kikyo when she's put you through all this? Even though she made you forget most of it, she still hurt you earlier!"
Inuyasha could only stare at her, his eyes attaining a softness to them at eased Kagome's feelings. "I…don't know why she did that. I don't know what's going on at all, but I promise you this…"
Kagome wiped away her tears and looked at Inuyasha. Suddenly, to her surprise, Inuyasha pulled her into a heart-warming embrace. His arms wrapped comfortably around her waist, resting on her back, his warm breath blowing hot on her cheek. She felt a blush creep towards her as her body sat limply, still shocked from what Inuyasha was doing.
"I promise that I will regain my memories. In the meantime…Kagome, was it? Well, Kagome, I promise that I will protect you, no matter what."
"…Do you really mean that?" Kagome asked softly, tears rolling unnoticeably down her cheek.
Inuyasha tightened his grip on Kagome, burying his face in her raven-black locks, taking in a deep breath of her sweet scent.
"Of course I do," he replied in that same, gentle voice. "I swear it. I'll protect you with my life." With Inuyasha's words glued to her mind, Kagome relaxed, and fell asleep in Inuyasha's embrace.
TO BE CONTINUED……