Sango watched with amusement as Kohaku twitched, once, twice, and then nearly dropped his chopsticks when Kirara rubbed against his leg. She caught her husband's eye, exchanging a simple Well, well, what's this? look
Coughing purposefully, her ever crafty husband spoke first. "Kohaku... is something the matter?" Miroku's voice was laced with a sly undertone that Sango had heard many a time used against Inuyasha.
His brother-in-law nearly jumped out of his skin, if it were possible. "N-No!" Kohaku's voice practically cracked and came out in a squeak. "What- what could possibly be wrong?" He laughed nervously.
Miroku merely stared at him, watching him even as he lifted a cup of sake to his lips. "I see." He murmured sagely, taking a small sip, and then placing the cup back down. "Kohaku... did something happen when you took Rin to the festival?" he asked slyly.
Kohaku went beet red and Sango fought the urge to make proud sisterly squeals and hug her brother until he went blue.
"Because you simply have seemed distracted ever since then..." Miroku trailed off, smiling blankly. Sango barely controlled the urge to laugh.
"I..." Kohaku's face was so red that it matched Inuyasha's garb.
Sango could not resist anymore, and rolled her eyes, reminiscing about having to deal with a moping Inuyasha after his fights with Kagome. "Oh, Kohaku. There's nothing to be ashamed about. Rin is a perfectly nice girl,"
"With a taiyoukai lord for a guardian." Miroku finished, and there was a mischievous gleam in the monk's eyes as Kohaku went stiff as a board. "Perhaps, my dear, it is not that your brother has offended Rin, so much as he is afraid of repercussions from Sesshomaru-sama." As Kohaku seemed to go whiter than a ghost, Miroku felt that his idea was confirmed.
"No need to be ashamed, Kohaku," Miroku began, swinging a brotherly arm around the young boy's shoulders. With a wistful sigh, the arm pulled the boy closer. Kohaku looked decidedly uncomfortable and redder than Inuyasha's demon form eyes. "All men have these urges... but you must learn to control them, Kohaku."
Sango made a disbelieving cough. This, coming from the man whose loving whispers consisted of "One more go?"
"I didn't!" Kohaku denied, his voice coming out less angry and more like a frightened, embarrassed squeak. "I didn't do anything!"
"If you didn't do anything, why are you so red?" Miroku asked, and only years of not laughing at Inuyasha's love-lorn antics kept him from sniggering like a snarky teenager.
"Ijustkissedherthat'sall." Kohaku muttered, and Sango couldn't help herself.
"Oh Kohaku, that's wonderful!" Sango practically squealed, wrapping herself around her baby brother and hugging him tightly. "You might have been the fastest out of all of us to show affection!"
Miroku coughed, looking a bit put out. "Well, if I may interject, my family has always-"
Sango gave him her patented "You're-Pushing-It-So-Shut-Up" glare, used when Miroku had not yet made a complete perverted jackass of himself.
"But Sango! Now she's going to hate me and then Sesshomaru-sama is going to kill me for even touching Rin!" Kohaku complained, somehow able to get air to his lungs past Sango's enthusiastic hug.
"I'm sure she won't mind. Rin likes you very much, Kohaku!" Sango assured him, smiling with almost maternal pride.
"Are you sure?" Kohaku asked, sounding rather dubious.
"I'd ask if you were blind, but I've dealt with Kagome and Inuyasha." Sango muttered, ruffling her brother's hair gently. "But yes. Rin likes you."
Kohaku smiled slightly, still blushing to the roots of his hair.
Over his head, Sango looked over at Miroku.
Miroku smiled.
After all, Inuyasha owed him three jugs of sake.