Chapter 26

Sweat trickled down the side of Miroku's face, as if the actions of the night before were just starting to catch up with him. He didn't stir at all, the lack of sleep all night was holding him under the sand man's power deep into the day.

Soft padding footsteps entered the room, followed by a short gasp at the sight of the slayer and monk. Wide, emerald eyes widened even further as the kitsune stared down at the two.

Kirara mewed from beside Shippo, her eyes wide as well. The twin tailed feline knew Sango and this wasn't like her at all. Yet, there she was, laying across Miroku's bare chest, her lips red and her face sweaty. Her arm was stretched over Miroku and placed, limply, on the side of his sweaty face as they lay in the middle of the floor, both sleeping soundly.

Shippo felt his face turn completely red and heat form around his whole body. Usually there was someone around to clap a hand over his eyes, but now he was free to stare at the passionate sight.

"M-Miroku? Sango?" Shippo called out, stuttering and dazed by the sight of them so close.

"Hm…hm?" Miroku murmured, still asleep but beginning to stir under the warm slayer's body.

Sango groaned in reply, easily awakened even through that thick sheet of sleep. Her dark eyes slowly opened but only a blur wavered in front of her eyes. She moaned softly as her cheeks turned a soft rosy color. She could feel Miroku's bare skin beneath her cheek and she could see Shippo staring at her with an odd look.

The slayer flew upward and flung herself off the monk, her cheeks burning red from embarrassment. Miroku's eyes flew open as a rush of cold blanketed his nearly bare body. He cursed inwardly as she departed from laying against him, warming him.

"Shippo!" Sango cried out, her eyes widening. Where was Keade to cover his eyes and bring him away? Now that Kagome and Inuyasha were gone, the kitsune could more freely walk around on his own without anyone hanging over his shoulder. He regretted that now.

"What are you doing?" The small fox demon cried out, confused.

"N-Nothing, Shippo! We were…" Sango knew the kitsune was too young to understand or even know what they had been doing or close to doing.

"Wha-?"

"Where's Keade?" Sango cut him off, her tone rushed and eager to get off of the subject they were on. The slayer had always been so modest and maybe a little shy around the monk and all that she had done had just shattered that front.

"She's outside. But what were-"

Shippo just wouldn't drop it, clearly confused and interested and perhaps even accusing.

"Shippo!" Called out a raspy voice of an old women as she threw aside the bamboo weaving that hung before the door.

The elder miko's single eye bulged as she peered down at the slayer kneeling between the shirtless monk's legs.

"Um…" Miroku muttered, lifting his head from the cold floorboards as his warm hand moved up the side of Sango's arm.

"AH!" The slayer screamed, her hand lashing out and striking Miroku across the cheek, sending his head falling back down to the floor.

"Ooooh…." He grumbled, rubbing his cheek as Sango breathed furiously with no time to say sorry for her jumpy reaction.

"Shippo, ye were supposed to be outside, helping me pick herbs." Keade said, turning her eyes away from Sango and Miroku for one moment to try to get the intrigued kitsune out of the room.

"I was but I needed something and-"

"What do ye need, Shippo?" Keade cut him off, no time to waste, every second they stood there it only got more and more awkward.

"I…forgot when I saw…them…" Shippo replied, his eyes wide as he struggled to remember what he had even come for in the first place.

"Ye come along, Shippo, we'll get it later." Keade replied, guiding the young fox demon away by a hand to his back.

The two waited a moment, watching Kirara follow them out with a disgusted look on her face. Was everyone disgusted at them now? Had they really done such a bad thing by falling in love? Did everyone have to criticize? But, she had to ask herself, did she really love the monk enough to throw it all away, let them be disgusted just so she could hold Miroku like this every night?

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Kagome could barely breathe under the hanyou as he leaned in, his lips so close to hers and his silver hair falling over his shoulders and tickling her neck and cheeks. She could feel the tip of his nose brushing against hers and she began to tremble. What was that feeling? Why did she suddenly feel the urge of wanting to touch him, wanting him to kiss her. Was she just going to let him, let him kiss the Kikyou that he saw in her eyes?

Closer. His breath was right over her lips as he slowly moved in to close the space, his eyes switching between her quivering lips and her watery brown eyes, as if making sure she was going to be okay when he placed his lips over hers. His head tilted, his eyes began to close and his lips moved dangerously close to Kagome's.

She breathed out, softly and slowly against his lips, inching towards hers, feeling his other hand move to the side of her face where he gently caressed her skin. Why was he doing this to her? Why was he torturing her by being so slow, tempting her with his lips so close and with the way he touched her?

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Souta darted to the doorway, his mouth already wide to cry out to Kagome for attention. His jaw dropped from the O it had been in, to call out to his sister. He stared, his eyes wide as he watched Inuyasha, his big brother he never had, slowly move closer and closer until there was but an inch between their mouths. The white sheets, dirt and grass stains grinded deep into the bleached threads, lay all around them, winding around them and trapping the miko and hanyou against each other.

"S-Sis?" He stuttered, pleasantly shocked by the sight as a grin moved over his face. Would Inuyasha really be his big brother some day? If they would just do it, get it over with.

If Inuyasha would just move an inch closer, kiss Kagome, Souta urged, his hands balling into fists of encouragement.

"Souta!" The boy's grandpa quickly cried, a hand tossing over the young boy's eyes to block his vision from the two. "That is not for someone of your age to see! Let's leave those two alone, shall we?"

Forcefully, Kagome and Souta's grandfather tugged Souta away, the boy protesting loudly as he fought against the blindfold of his grandfather's hand.

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"Inuyasha…" The miko muttered, her eyes closing and her back arching slightly as the hanyou's fingers trailed across her slender neck. Quietly, the choked breath escaped as a soft moan.

'It's not me. It's not me he wants to kiss…it's Kikyou.' She told herself. The fact that it seemed so true, brought the tears to her eyes, struggling to push through thick lashes.

Even if the kiss wasn't for her, she was longing for it. She could feel it, that she really wanted what he wanted from her, from Kikyou. What he didn't know, wouldn't hurt him. She wasn't Kikyou.

One question. She had to know, one question. That day, when she had been injured by taking that blow for him, had he cried for her? Had he felt like he had let her down? Were those tears she had seen, over her, or over Kikyou?

"Were…you crying….for me?" She whispered, so softly that she could barely hear. But Inuyasha had. Just as he had, she wished she hadn't said anything at all and accepted it as it was. But at least now she knew.

Inuyasha's eyes flew open, relaxed at the brows at first, until he brought in her words and his cheeks reddened. She couldn't tell whether because she knew he had been crying, or that he was about to kiss her.

He pulled back, breaking through the sheet's tight grasp, his eyes narrowed at her, all over that one question. Why hadn't she just kept it to herself? She could only scold herself for it now.

"I don't cry." He stated firmly, his brows angled inward, his statement firm as he barked at her.

He stared down at her, the rims of his eyes red and his cheeks as rosy as Kagome's. Finally, he realized what he had just about done. He looked ashamed, foolish of what he almost brought upon them both.

The hanyou shook his head, pulling himself to his feet though paused to stare down into Kagome's watery eyes. He parted his lips, the ones that had been almost upon hers just a few moments ago, as if to speak but he just moved on, shaking his head at himself. He turned and walked back into the house, leaving Kagome lying in the dirtied sheets.

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Is it just me, or do these things seem reeeeeally short. My story on my microsoft word...what I have finished of it...was 97 pages long! Now it's about 50!

O.o