A/N: My thanks to those of you who reviewed my first three chapters. I wrote this because my Kagome/Miroku fic wasn't getting any hits. Oh well. I like Sango/Miroku better usually, depending on my mood.

Review Responses

Demon Exterminator Barbie: I'm glad my story has such an impact on you!

Princess Stephanie: Like hell! Miroku is just being Miroku!

Itsa Mia: Thanks! That's so what I was going for!

Mazy-Chan: There were three. Sometime the site delays updates though. It can take 24 hours to load. Anyway here's another!

Chapter Three: Explanation

Miroku grinned with a sigh. Technically, he was awake but when he had woken up, he had noticed Sango was still asleep. He had decided to stay in bed as well because A: he didn't want to wake Sango and B: he couldn't really think of a better way to spend his time then enjoy the too unfamiliar feeling of holding his wife in his arms. He had tried to fall back asleep, and was lightly dozing. That is until a rather loud banging alerted him.

"Mommy! Mommy, let me out! The door is stuck! Mom!"

Miroku rolled his eyes and arose. He donned his black robe and pulled his staff from blocking the door. He slid the door aside and put his finger to his lips. "Haruko, be quiet! You'll wake your mother!"

Haruko smiled up at him. "Thank you for opening the door Houshi-sama."

Miroku grinned back. "She's her mother's daughter alright. Please Haruko. Call me Daddy. I am your father after all."

Haruko frowned and looked perplexed. "But I don't know you."

"That's true." Miroku agreed. "I was away."

"Why?"

"Haruko, do you remember having a black mark on your right hand?"

"Yes." the girl answered. "It hurt, and I had to wear a cloth over it. Mommy told me to never uncover it."

"That," Miroku began to explain, "Was the Wind Tunnel. A long time ago a demon put that curse on your great grandfather. If I had stayed here the Wind Tunnel would've consumed us both. I had to leave to find the demon and stop the curse."

"A demon? Like Uncle Inuyasha?" Haruko asked.

"No. Inuyasha is a good demon. This other demon was an evil, evil demon. He was named Naraku."

"How did you stop the Wind Tunnel?"

"Well, Daddy had to kill him." Miroku said gravely.

"You…k-killed him? But only bad people kill! You are a bad person!"

"You are right. Usually only bad people kill. But Naraku did some terrible things. He killed many people, including both your grandfathers, and your uncle."

"But Uncle Inuyasha is alive." Haruko protested. "He was there yesterday. He told me a story."

"You had another uncle named Kohaku. He was mommy's brother, but he was killed by Naraku as well." Miroku was doing his best to explain to his daughter what had happened without frightening her, but he hadn't exactly had much experience with children.

"Mommy says that you shouldn't do something just to get back at someone."

"Sango and her lessons of virtue. Look Haruko, you'll understand when you are older. Why don't we wake up your mother?" Miroku suggested.

"Okay!" Haruko replied with enthusiasm. Miroku was grateful that young children had such short attention spans. "Mommy, Mommy, wake up! It's day!" Haruko exclaimed, tugging on Sango's arm.

"Just five more minutes." Sango mumbled.

"But Moooommy!" Haruko whined. "The sun is already high in the sky! Houshi-sama is awake and so am I!"

"Oh alright." Sango said, sitting up in her bed. "What time is it?"

Miroku looked at a wristwatch that Kagome had brought as a gift from her time. "It is 11 o'clock."

"I guess it is a little late." Sango admitted. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"I figured you might be worn out after last night." Miroku said with a wink.

Sango blushed. "Miroku! Don't say things like that in front of Haruko."

"Don't say things like what?" Haruko asked innocently.

"Nothing." Miroku answered for Sango. "It's just another thing you need to be a certain age to understand."

"Alright then. I'm going to go find Kirara." Haruko told her parents.

"Don't go too far!" Sango called after her daughter as she left. "Wait a minute. Am I hearing things, or did she call you Houshi-sama?"

"Unless were both hearing things, I'd say she did." Miroku replied.

"But why? You're her father!" Sango remarked.

"For the same reason you continued calling me Houshi-sama a year after we were engaged." Miroku responded logically with a bit of a reminiscent grin.

"Not true! I only did that because it's what I was used to calling you that." Sango argued.

"Well, maybe it's because at this point I'm only her father in a biological sense. I've missed out on three years of her life." Miroku said; a tone of regret evident.

"Don't be hard on yourself about it. You had no other reasonable option." Sango reasoned, draping her arms over Miroku's neck. "Besides, she'll come around. She just needs sometime to bond with you."

"I know, but that doesn't change the fact that I abandoned my wife and child."

"Take that back." Sango ordered. "You didn't abandon us. You left us temporarily for our own safety. Now if you had stayed and let the Wind Tunnel devour you. That would've been abandoning us."

Miroku sighed. "Again, you are correct but you still don't understand the way I do."

"Perhaps not." Sango admitted. "But what I do understand is that you are a sweet and caring husband and father, and that Haruko loves you too. She may not know or understand it yet, but you don't think Haruko didn't know she had a father, do you? She's said that she wished you would come home more than once."

"Is that so?" Miroku asked.

"It is. And she's not the only one." Sango added.

Miroku chuckled. "It nice to know our family keeps similar interests."

After several moment of silence Sango spoke up again. "Miroku, I've been wondering, while you were gone with Inuyasha and Kagome was there any you know…chemistry?"

"Sango!" Miroku exclaimed, looking aghast. "Surely you know you are the only one for me. I know that I'm irresistibly desirable, but of course there wasn't any chemistry between me and Lady Kagome, or any other women for that matter."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Not you and Kagome you egoistical monk! Inuyasha and Kagome!"

"Oh, but of course." Miroku stroked his chin in thought. "Not that I noticed. Why? Has Lady Kagome's gossip begun to rub off on you?"

"No." Sango said contrarily, with a slight blush of embarrassment. "I just assumed there would be since you and I took the first fall."

"You must remember Inuyasha is quite reluctant towards letting on his feelings. And Kagome won't confess a word until she knows Inuyasha has forgotten Kikyo. How can she not see Inuyasha is clearly in love with her?" Miroku wondered.

"So you think they're stalemated?" Sango asked.

"Unless they're given a push, yes."

"Well, enough about that. What'd you say we go find our daughter? She's surely found Kirara by now." Miroku figured.

"Yes, let's."