DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha or any related characters. The story and art is property of the great Rumiko Takahashi. This fan fiction is for entertainment purposes only, and in no way will be used for my betterment. I wrote this because I admire the owner's work and wish to daydream about the characters.

Whoa… look at all those reviews... and we are on chapter 9 here people! Can you believe it? Neither can I. So let's get on with it huh?

nreep

YOU MAKE ME BREATHE

Chapter 9: Mending Bridges

It was driving him mad.

Sango had learned the truth, something Miroku had hoped wouldn't happen. But she only knew one side of the story, not his part. Now he wouldn't even be able to stand up for himself. Literally.

He had been staring at her since she'd moved away from him, angry that it was he was to blame over their horrid situation. If there were only some way that he could get to her, reach her one last time…

"Sango…"

Sango ignored him, pulling her knees tighter to her chin, staring out of the caves opening. It would be so easy to leave him in here, and let him rot away. But for some reason she just couldn't bare that thought.

Houshi-sama might have tried to kill me before… but he's doing his best to keep me alive at the moment… even if it is killing him.

The caves walls echoed loud rustlings and bell like sounds with a slight hushed, "Damn". Curiosity got the better of her, and Sango turned her head slightly to see what he was up to now.

Miroku had moved, trying to get besides her once again and had toppled over in his feeble attempt. He was crawling over, his face set in grim determination with a hint of humility. It was like doing such a thing had hurt his pride. If he has any.. After going a small distance he tried to stand up again, this time with success and walked to Sango, shaking with every step. When he was close enough he sat besides her.

"Sango"

"I don't want to look at you. You make me sick," she spat at him, her voice filled with venom. Sango turned herself around so that he was now staring at her back.

"Why do you have to be so difficult!" Miroku exclaimed frustrated with the taija "I've never met a girl as stubborn as you."

Sango knew he was expecting her to turn and face him. "I'm sorry I'm not as easy as those other girls. But what do you care? You like them easy." She was hitting below the belt, but at the moment she didn't care for tact.

Miroku grabbed her shoulder violently with his good hand and spun her towards him. "I do not. You just see the girls who are willing to say yes to me come. If I really wanted one of them that badly, and am what you think I am, why would I keep offering? Don't you think they would have satisfied me?"

There came no answer.

Yet again silence filled their tomb neither one wishing to say anything, fearful lest they make the other more agitated.

"It's too bad about breakfast.." Miroku finally spoke.

"Because it got us here?" Sango snapped.

"No.. well yes. But I know you don't like cooking much and I was looking forwards to it. That's why I had followed you when you went to clean up. I wanted to tell you that."

The two shifted in unison. "I thought it was for your normal reasons. That's why I brought the Hirakotsu. So I guess that part of the blame is mine."

Miroku shook his head fiercely. "Don't say that. It was my fault entirely. The only reason why I came over was so that you wouldn't think of me as a demon to slay."

"What really happened houshi-sama? Tell me the truth, from your side now."

Miroku took as deep a breath as he could manage and burst into the longest fit of coughing yet. Sango rubbed a hand around on his back trying to bring comfort to him. When she realized how intimate that was she pulled her hand back like it had just been on fire.

"Please don't stop…" Miroku whispered, pleading her, "That felt so good. My father did that when I was young and had a cough. He'd rub my back until I could fall asleep."

It was touching that the monk would allow Sango this small window into his past. Tenderly she resumed her prior activity. He relaxed noticeably and began to tell his side of the story.

"I had problems sleeping the night before, having spent most of the night pondering over some trifle. I felt sluggish by breakfast and couldn't get my body to do what my mind wanted it to do. When you gave me my dish, I wanted to eat, and thought to myself, why not sit next to the angel that I was with. But the food fell… and you know the rest."

"But there's something I don't know. How is it that I fell into the river, but you ended up besides me?"

Miroku moved his left arm just slightly, trying to get it to hurt less. He might as well have been asking for Naraku to drop dead at that exact moment. "I grabbed your hand, and didn't think about holding onto anything myself. We got separated by the current and I reached out to you again when we went over the waterfall…"

"That's what it was then… I thought that was a dream…."

"More of a waking nightmare. I couldn't reach you. We found each other once we hit water again. You were unconscious and I swam us here, but I just couldn't go any farther."

Time passed by as it always will. The two were becoming more and more aware how they needed the other to stay in the world of the living. Sango needed Miroku to keep her awake, and he needed her to keep him breathing. They talked when he was able. She kept fluttering back and forth between awake and semi-asleep.

"Miroku do you think you can talk again? If not then can you listen?" Sango asked standing up and walking to the mouth of the cave. By now she felt like herself again, though utterly exausted. Her voice carried well.

"Ears," was the only thing that Miroku could manage to say. He was having another rough spot in the breathing process. It didn't help that he was slowly making his way to the cave mouth after her.

"We need to get out of here. It was a good place for us to heal ourselves, but it will be the death of both of us if we can't get out of it."