Thanks everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I'm glad that most everyone disagreed and liked the scene. I rewrote it a billion times so hopefully it was satisfying. And hopefully, I won't have that problem in the future, haha. Happy New Year everyone!
Chapter eight
"Inuyasha, do you even know how to use any sorts of weapons?" Miroku questioned the next day as we traveled down the road. Sango and Miroku were riding on top of Kirara, and Inuyasha was carrying me on his back, racing beside Kirara.
"Hmph! Well, it's not as if I've ever needed a weapon!" Inuyasha scoffed. "I'm strong enough without one!"
"That ego of yours is going to get you in trouble one day." I commented, and his ear flicked, but he just 'hmphed' at me too and ignored me.
"I'm just curious to discover how this demon swordsmith is going to react. If he's evil, we might have a fight on our hands." Miroku continued.
"I have some skill in crafting weapons, but I'm not terribly good at it." Sango admitted. "If worst came to worst, I could do it but we would have to find a demon with the ability to erect barriers and slay it, to give that weapon the power."
"If we're going to do that anyway,what's the point of even going to see this demon swordsmith?" Inuyasha demanded, sounding aggravated. "I mean, Sango could just make a weapon."
"But I'm not good at it." She repeated. "And plus, I don't really have any materials anyway. The weapons of my demon slayer tribe are all made of don't have any demons around that are dead that I can use."
"Well, seeing this Totosai can't hurt." Miroku interjected. "So, that's where we're going. Besides, even if he can't make us a weapon, he can surely give us more leads to go on."
We stopped after that for lunch, and Sango told me that she would handle the cooking. I had been right; she and Miroku had spied last night, so they knew Inuyasha and I only had eyes for each other, and it was going to stay that way. She was trying to let Inuyasha and I sit back and enjoy each other's company.
Currently at the moment, Inuyasha's head was in my lap, and his eyes were closed and he was dozing. Miroku was playing with Kirara, and Sango was cooking. It was peaceful, and despite all the battles and hardships that I knew were before me, I was relaxed, and I felt peaceful myself inside.
And I was happy. I'd never thought that anything like love or marriage could possibly be in my future, but it was definitely looking that way right now. I looked down at Inuyasha, examining his face, seeing his own content expression. Everything about him called to me, even the parts of him that were bad. And I knew he complimented me in a lot of different ways.
I reached down, absently playing with his hair, and he stirred only slightly, before relaxing again as I threaded my fingers through the silvery white strands. I looked up at Sango, who was busy with her cooking, not paying us any attention. "Sango, now that I've got all of my love issues solved, what about you?" I asked.
"Huh?" she looked at me, startled, and her eyes flickered surreptitiously to Miroku, who was out of earshot, but I didn't miss it. "I don't know what you mean."
"I think you know exactly what I mean." I teased. "I mean, you always seem to be worrying about Miroku, and vice versus."
"And you always get mad when he strokes your butt. Or another woman's butt." Inuyasha interjected without opening his eyes. I yanked sharply on his ear, and he grunted. "What'd ya do that for, Kagome!"
"Don't be insensitive." I fussed. I looked back to Sango. "But Inuyasha does have a point."
Sango had flushed by this point, and she wouldn't look at us, but especially not Miroku. "Kagome, Miroku and I don't have that type of relationship. I mean, it's just not Miroku's style, anyway. He's too busy womanizing or being a lecher." her tone hardened at the end, and she looked furious.
"That's my point exactly." Inuyasha muttered. I chose to ignore that one.
"But you get jealous when he womanizes." I pointed out.
"I-I do not!" Sango stammered, staring at her hands. "I don't care what that lecherous monk does."
"What lecherous monk?" Miroku had walked over by this point, Kirara resting on his shoulder. Sango only turned redder.
"What other lecherous monk do we know?" Inuyasha quipped, opening one eye. "And you guys call me dense."
Miroku looked genuinely offended. "Oh, me? Well, if you guys are going to insult me, you could at least make it something more original." he sat down beside us.
"Ugh. I'm going to go get more firewood." Sango stood up, and marched off, looking peeved.
"Miroku, you really should stop the womanizing." I said, looking over at him.
"You've never seemed to care about it, Kagome." he replied.
"But Sango does care. Haven't you figured it out yet?" I went on.
Miroku's eyebrows rose. "Sango? But I thought she usually only got mad at me for womanizing. I never really thought there was another cause behind it."
"Oh, you're dense too!" I complained, frustrated. "Sango likes you, Miroku. Maybe instead of trying to grope her you should try to court her."
Miroku's expression turned thoughtful. "An intriguing notion. But . . . there is one problem."
"What's that?" I asked.
"Well, you see, because of my wind tunnel, I've never really entered into any committed relationships. I've never wanted to make that sort of commitment, just in case I couldn't carry it out farther to the woman in question." Miroku explained quietly. "As long as Sango and I travel together to carry out our tasks, me to get rid of this wind tunnel, and her to avenge her slain village, I'm afraid it's impossible for me to love her as an ordinary woman."
"So you're saying you don't care about her?" I demanded.
"I didn't say that, either." Miroku replied, looking up at me. "I suppose it won't hurt to admit that Sango is special to me. She's more special than any other woman I've ever met. And I would love to court her . . . sometimes I wish that I could just be an ordinary, traveling monk without the worries of this wind tunnel. I could court Sango then without any worries."
Inuyasha sat up, and glared at Miroku. "Look, why don't you just court her anyway?"
Miroku looked to Inuyasha, surprised. "You, Inuyasha, of all people, I didn't think would get involved."
"Feh! I don't care what you or Sango do. But what I'm sayin' is that if Kagome and I can manage, so can you. Stop makin' excuses and be a man."
I stared at Inuyasha, amazed and proud of him. I smiled to myself. Hemaybedensewhenitcomestolove, butothertimes, hecompletelyastoundsmebecauseheknowsjustwhattosay.
"Well, I can't be entirely sure that Sango would feel the same way." Miroku replied, glancing down at his right hand again, his expression solemn.
"She does." I assured him softly, resting my hand on his shoulder. "I promise she does. I know Sango better than anyone else right now. And trust me. She does."
"Well . . . I suppose I'll think on it for a while. You've made vaild points, both of you." Miroku admitted. "I just need time to consider."
Sango'sP.O.V.
My back was against the tree, as I listened in on their conversation. My heart was pounding. To think that Miroku actually cared about me was breathtaking, and though I wouldn't ever admit it, I cared about him, as well. I wanted him to court me. I wanted to be happy and secure like Inuyasha and Kagome. I wanted to think there was a future like that for me. I was a woman, after all.
ShouldIconfronthimabouthisfeelings? Wouldhejustlieaboutthem? Orwouldhebehonest? ShouldIadmitmyfeelings? I thought, clasping a hand to my chest. The other hand held the firewood.
I tried to imagine what Kagome would say. "Go for it, Sango! You should tell him! Why don't you take the initiative?" I sighed. That's exactly what she would say. I didn't even have to ask her to know. So why didn't I take the initiative? Why couldn't I just admit my feelings? Couldn't I make a move on the handsome yet perverted houshi?
Allright! I'm . . . I'mgoingtodoit! I'mgoingtoadmitmyfeelings! Icandothis! IknowIcan! I thought determinedly. I took a deep breath, and ventured from around the tree. The others looked up when I walked forward, all supporting looks of surprise on their faces. I knew how strange I must look, feeling so determined.
I tossed the firewood down, and stood my ground. "Miroku, can I have a word with you?" I asked, surprised my voice sounded so strong.
"Sango? Oh, well, of course." Miroku grabbed his staff and stood.
"Alone?" I added, as an afterthought. I glanced at Inuyasha and Kagome, and Kagome's eyes widened when she realized what I was going to do. She smiled, and simply nodded to me. Inuyasha looked dumbfounded.
Miroku followed me a bit of a ways away from everyone else, and my heart began to pound. Thisisit. I'mgoingtotellhimmyfeelings. Andhecancompletelyshootmedown. But . . . Iwon'teverrestifhedoesn'tknowhowIfeel! Ihavetodothis! I thought. IhavetobelikeInuyashaandKagome! IhavetobestrongandtellhimhowIfeel!
I stopped walking, and my back was still to him. My heart was now racing, and I was trying to breathe steadily. "Sango? What did you wish to speak about?" Miroku prompted, sounding patient and gentle.
"Miroku . . . I . . . I . . . I have a confession to make." I clasped my hand to my chest and faced him, feeling my cheeks burning.
"Oh? About what?" he looked simply curious, as if he didn't think I was going to confess anything even remotely romantic.
"About . . . my feelings . . . for you." I managed to say. NowIsimplyhavetotellhim. Ijustneedtocomeoutandsayit. IneedtotellhimthatIlovehim. Andthatwillbeenough. Justtotellhimthat. "Miroku, I-"
Suddenly there was a loud crash, and I heard the howling of wolves. I tensed, and Miroku said, "I'm sorry, but this will have to wait until later! I sense a demonic aura! Come, Sango!"
"Oh, I . . . Miroku . . ." he ran off, and I sighed. He was right though. Demons were more important right now. I began to pull off my kimono to change into my battle gear, running after him.
Kagome'sP.O.V.
"Oh, why do there always have to be interruptions during these kinds of things?" I grumbled as Inuyasha carried me on his back toward the source of the crash. I could sense the demonic aura as well, and Inuyasha could smell it. We had both been spying on Miroku and Sango, of course, and I knew she had been about to tell him her feelings.
"Hmph! There'll be plenty of time for that mushy stuff later!" Inuyasha replied, as Sango and Miroku, riding Kirara, appeared beside us. "Right now we've got to focus on this demon!"
We hadn't been running long before we reached a large cloud of smoke, surrounding a bed of rocks around a large waterfall. I heard wolves growling, yipping, and barking amongst themselves.
When the smoke cleared, there was a young man laying in the middle, and gravely injured, from the many wounds along his body. "Inuyasha, let me down. I need to help him." I said.
"Why? He's of no concern to us." Inuyasha replied.
"Just let me down!" I snapped, and he did so with a huff. I ran over to the man, and my eyes widened when I reached him.
"You . . . you're the demon?" I whispered.
He had long black hair, pulled back into a ponytail, and his skin was tanned, his eyes blue. He was handsome, and he wore brown fur for clothing, and black armor across his chest. He had a long brown tail as well, and he was barefoot.
"What of it, human woman?" he snapped. His voice was rough, and his ears were pointed. He had fangs, much like Inuyasha.
I glanced up, seeing brown and white wolves steadily approaching me, all of them growling. "If those are your minions, tell them to back off." I said to the young man. "I'm trying to help you."
"I don't need your help." He said stubbornly.
I smacked him over the head, and he stared up at me in fear. "Don't be ridiculous. You'll die if I don't treat these wounds. Now call off your wolves."
"Hmph. You heard the woman." the man called, and the wolves subsided their growling, though they didn't move away.
"Good. Sango, can you bring me my supplies?" I asked her.
"Sure." Sango jumped from Kirara's back and brought me my pack, and I began to rummage around in it.
As I started cleaning his wounds, I decided I would find out more information. Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango were standing off to the side with Kirara, and they were talking amongst themselves. Apparently they didn't think this demon would hurt me. And I was beginning to learn, from seeing Inuyasha and Kirara, that not all demons were bad.
"So, what's your name?" I asked, as I worked.
"Koga. I'm the leader of the wolf demon tribe, or, one of the." He replied, wincing as I began to stitch a gash in his thigh.
"Koga, huh? Well, my name is Kagome. And the other girl is Sango. The monk is Miroku, and the other guy is Inuyasha." I introduced, though none of my friends were paying attention to us.
"Huh, he's a half demon. I can smell it from here. And a damned dog, at that." Koga sounded haughty, and I felt a rush of irritation for his insults to Inuyasha.
"What was that, you bastard?" Inuyasha had obviously overheard, for he marched over, bearing his fangs. "You're just a mangy wolf demon, anyway. S'not like you're any better than me!"
Koga growled as well, but I gave him a dark look. "Both of you cut it out. Don't be ridiculous." I finished bandaging the most serious of wounds, and began to stitch another wound in his side. "Here."
"Are you the priestess who is guarding the sacred jewel?" Koga asked me.
I faltered in my movements, but figured it wouldn't hurt to tell him the truth. If he tried anything, Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha were nearby and would kill him. And he was in no condition to fight anyway. "Why? Are you after the jewel?"
Koga snorted. "I don't need that jewel. Sure, the power's good, but I'm fine with my own power. And besides, I don't wanna have to fight off the small fry that will come after the jewel all the time."
I felt a rush of relief. "Well, I'm done stitching you up, so, let's get you somewhere that you can rest, and you can tell us how this happened to you."
"Take me to my tribe. They're up there. Behind the waterfall." Koga said, his voice growing weaker.
Sango and Miroku used Kirara to get inside, and they carried Koga in with them. Inuyasha used his superhuman speed and jumping skills to get us up there, and once we were inside, we were all soaked with water. Inuyasha shuddered and bent down, shaking the water off like a dog as I rung the water from my ponytail.
Within, were all sorts of wolf demons, and many of them were human in appearance like Koga, and others were ordinary wolves. They gaped at all of us as we carried Koga through the cave, and when I spotted a soft bed of grass at the end of the cave, we took Koga there and laid him down.
"So he didn't kill ya, boss." A wolf demon with a strange hairstyle that was spiked up on his head said, coming over to look at Koga.
"He? Who is he?" Inuyasha asked, looking suspicious.
"A demon called Hakudoushi. He tried to break through the barrier surrounding our cave, but he didn't have the power to break our barrier." Koga explained, and moaned in pain from his wounds. I was by his side immediately, pulling some herbs out of my sack for him to eat, that would ease his pain.
"Hakudoushi? It only makes sense that that bastard would be involved in this somehow." Hatred lined Inuyasha's voice, as he bared his fangs. "Why was he after this tribe?"
"Because we possess an artifact that can cast a powerful barrier. He wanted to break it to be able to possess an ability to make an even stronger barrier." Koga replied.
"So he was already thinking ahead. He knew we were going to find a way to break his barrier." I realized. "So he wanted to strengthen his so no matter what we did, we wouldn't be able to find something to break through his barrier."
"Did he get the artifact?" Miroku asked urgently.
Koga shook his head. "No. He couldn't even enter the cave because of the barrier. He threatened to make the mountain come down on us unless the leader of the tribe came out to face him. So I did, and I wound up like this. When he realized nothing he could do would convince me to give him the artifact, he left. He also mentioned something about that mutt-face before he left."
"Mutt-face?" Inuyasha snarled. "You'd better watch it, you stupid-"
"Sit!" I sighed, as Inuyasha crashed to the ground behind me. "That means that Hakudoushi knew we were nearby and decided to leave to avoid a confrontation. He doesn't want to kill us yet. He wants to draw it out. But we'll be ready."
"Koga," Sango stepped forward, "If Hakudoushi didn't get the artifact, where is it now?"
"It's a red crystal orb. There." Koga pointed farther back, and sitting on top of a stone altar in a stone bowl, was a large red orb. It was humming faintly.
"Koga." I looked down at him. "I know this is going to sound selfish, but we need that orb. Hakudoushi has been senselessly killing villages, and he plans to make it so I can't get rid of the Shikon no Tama, which means that this world will never fully be at peace. But he can cast a barrier to protect himself, and we need to break it. Please, can we have that orb?"
"You want the orb?" Koga's blue eyes widened. "It protects our tribe. It's been passed down for generations, and it's the reason our tribe has survived this long."
"But even if that's true, Hakudoushi will find a way to break through this barrier and he'll wipe out your tribe for the artifact. He'll stop at nothing. You're in even more danger as it is." Miroku added.
"I'm sorry, but I can't just hand that over to you." Koga was shaking his head.
"Listen, you stupid wolf!" Inuyasha stood up, growling. "We need that orb! So either you're gonna give it to us, or we're gonna take it by force!"
Ihatefighting. Ihatethesenselessnessofit. Butweneedthatorb. AndifwehavetotakeitfromKoga, thenwehaveto. Wedon'thaveanychoice. I thought. I looked down at Koga, pleading with him with my eyes.
"All right. I'll give the orb to you on one condition." Koga finally said, after a long pause. I felt a rush of hope.
"What's that?" I dared to ask.
Koga reached down, and took my hands in his, sitting up enough, so he was eye level with me. "Kagome, come here and be my wife, and I'll give the orb to them."
"WHAT!" Inuyasha lost it. He grabbed me by my shoulders and yanked me away from Koga, crouching down so he was nose to nose with the wolf demon. "You've got a hell of a lot of nerve, asking such a thing when I'm around!"
"Now he's in for it." Sango muttered, as I joined her and Miroku. I still couldn't believe Koga had even asked.
"Why do you want me for your wife anyway?" I demanded.
"Because you're a priestess. You're able to cast a barrier with the right spells, and whenever we need one. And you could do it at any place, too. Not to mention, you saved my life. I can't forget something like that. I'm gonna make you my woman, Kagome." Koga grinned wolfishly at me, and I looked to Inuyasha, who was infuriated.
"She won't be with the likes of you!" Inuyasha snarled. "In case you haven't noticed, Kagome isn't exactly on the market!"
"So she's your woman, huh? Then that'll make it even more fun taking her away from you." Koga went on, unperturbed by Inuyasha's rage.
"I'm not anyone's!" I said angrily. "I'm not a trophy, Koga!"
He looked surprised that I'd stood up to him, before he smirked, looking pleased. "You've got fire, too. Even better. Tell ya what, mutt-face, I'll make you a deal." Holding the wound in his side, Koga stood up, and I gasped upon seeing that the wounds along his body were already healing, as if they were never even there. "I challenge you to a duel. If you win, you walk away with Kagome and that orb."
"And if you win?" Inuyasha growled.
"Then I get to keep both." Koga replied, still smirking.
"Hmph! As if I would bet Kagome like that! Besides, you're too weak to fight anyway. You're half dead. Fuck your stupid orb." Inuyasha growled, and turned away. "Let's go Kagome. We'll find another way." All of us began to walk away, but Koga's voice stopped us.
"What, are you afraid you can't even defend your woman properly? If I were you, I'd take the challenge. I know I'm not gonna lose to you, and Kagome will be mine. Obviously you know you'd lose her, so you're walking away." Koga mocked. "I'm more than strong enough to take you on, dogbreath."
Inuyasha began to growl, and I knew that was the end of his temper. He whirled around to face Koga. "Nobody talks to me like that and gets away with it! I'll fight you, Koga, and I'll walk away with Kagome and that orb!"
"I thought that's what you would say." Koga smiled.
"This is so stupid." I whispered, once we were all outside. We were in the middle of a large field, and the sky was clear above us. The wolf tribe was on one side, with Koga, and me, Sango, Miroku and Kirara were on the other, with Inuyasha.
"No, this is men." Sango replied. "They're fighting over you and that orb. And we know how determined and stubborn Inuyasha can be. I'm not really worried."
"But keep in mind that we haven't seen Koga's strength yet. He's a wolf demon, and the leader of the tribe." Miroku reminded us. "That's got to stand for something."
Inside I was praying, praying that Inuyasha would win. I was mad at him, honestly, for agreeing to such a thing, but I wouldn't marry Koga, even if Koga did win this stupid duel. I would refuse. Nothing he could do would make me.
"Ready to lose, pup?" Koga called from across the field.
Inuyasha settled into a battle crouch, and grinned in the anticipation of a fight, flexing his claws. "Hmph. I'm not gonna lose to such a weak demon. This'll be a piece of cake."
"I'll make you eat your words!" Koga bounded forward, and Inuyasha did as well. They met in the middle, and Koga struck out with his fists, and Inuyasha ducked, so they sailed over his head. Inuyasha slashed at Koga's chest, and Koga growled as his claws cut into his skin, blood spraying off to the sides.
Koga jumped back. "Not too bad, mutt. But I'm just warmin' up. I wanted to see how tough you really are. Now I'm serious!" he leapt forward again, and one fist sailed up, to smash into Inuyasha's stomach, and he dodged, but Koga's other fist moved, and hit him in the jaw. Inuyasha howled and flew backwards, a red mark forming on his face.
"Hmph, speak for yourself." Inuyasha muttered, as he climbed to his feet.
"Oh, this is so stupid!" I cried, stamping my foot. "Can't we do something?"
"No. This is a duel. If we interfere, Inuyasha will lose immediately." Miroku commented, not once taking his eyes off Inuyasha and Koga as they fought. "And that means we won't have any chance of getting the orb . . . or keeping you, Kagome."
I wanted to argue, but I knew he was right. I settled back, watching Inuyasha. Please, Inuyasha, youhavetowin. Youcan'tlosethis. It'stooimportant.
Koga leapt in the air and came flying down, foot stuck out, and Inuyasha jumped out of the way, leaving Koga to slam into the ground. Koga was on his feet, however, and he moved quickly out of the way as Inuyasha came at him with his claws, shouting, "IronReaverSoulStealer!" The yellow slices missed him by inches, and Inuyasha landed neatly on his feet, his back to Koga.
"Inuyasha, watch out!" I screamed, but it was too late.
Koga's fist smashed into Inuyasha's back, and went straight through his body, his fist sticking out grotesquely from Inuyasha's stomach. Inuyasha screamed in agony, and fell to his knees when Koga jerked his fist back out, blood splattering on the ground. "Inuyasha!" I screamed.
"Hmph, weak! You're just a half demon mutt anyway!" Koga eyed the blood covering his fist, glaring over at Inuyasha.
Inuyasha rose slowly, and faced Koga, his fangs bared, his face showing signs of pain. "I may be half demon, but I'm stronger than the likes of you!" He thrust his hand into his wound, bathing his hand in blood, before he flung the blood in Koga's direction, shouting, "BladesofBLOOD!" My eyes widened as the blood turned into red bolts, and began to slam and slice into Koga's body. I only vaguely heard Koga's cries as the bolts seared through him, and there was a bright flash of red light.
When the light cleared away, and I could see, Koga was on the ground, on his back, and Inuyasha was standing over him, his foot planted on his chest. "You lost." Inuyasha growled. "This duel is over." Blood still dripped from his hand and from his stomach.
Koga was covered in cuts and dirt and grime, and Inuyasha could have finished him off with one blow and he knew it. Koga still bared his fangs at Inuyasha though. "Then finish me off, you damn mutt!"
"Don't tempt me, Koga." Inuyasha glared down at the wolf demon. "But I'm not gonna waste my time. Give me the orb so I don't have to see your stinking face anymore."
"Koga?" A wolf demon asked, the one who was holding the red orb. "Do we give it to him?"
". . . I lost." Koga said simply.
"Uh . . . right." The wolf demon stepped forward, proffering the red orb. Inuyasha took it in his hands, and began to walk away from Koga, back toward us, but suddenly he groaned in pain and his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, the orb falling from his hands and rolling across the grass.
"Inuyasha!" I raced to his side, and Miroku picked up the orb, storing it away.
Inuyasha was unconscious, so he didn't answer me. I was sick with worry, and I looked over to Koga. Members of his tribe were helping him up, so I knew I didn't have to worry about him, at least.
"Kagome, I may have lost this time, but I'm determined to have you as my wife. This won't be the last time you see me. I'll be back, and I'll take you as mine." Koga swore, his voice weak, yet determined.
I didn't say anything to that, but I knew it wasn't going to happen, ever. I helped Miroku and Sango lay Inuyasha on top of Kirara, and I turned back to Koga. "Thank you for giving us an opportunity for the orb, Koga." I made myself say. "But if this wound costs Inuyasha his life . . . you'll wish that you had just given it to us straight away. And you won't see me again, after this. Not ever." I said, shocked by how angry and cold I sounded. I knew it was because Koga had hurt Inuyasha, and I couldn't stand it.
"Kagome, we need to get Inuyasha to the nearest village and take care of his wounds." Sango reminded me.
"Let's go." I said quietly. I climbed onto Miroku's back as Sango took off with Kirara, and we were off.
When we reached a nearby village, Miroku didn't even have to run a scam to convince them to let us stay. One look at my face and Inuyasha's condition was enough. I took Inuyasha into the house and laid him down, and began to pull off his red kimono.
To say that I was worried was an understatement. I didn't even pay attention to Inuyasha's bare upper torso as I normally would have, I was so worried taking care of the wound in his chest. I began to clean at it, and Miroku and Sango sat off to the side, quiet and simply watching.
Once Inuyasha was all bandaged up, I pulled a pillow under his head and covered him up with blankets. Sango fetched me a bowl of cool water and a rag, and helped me clean the grime and blood off his face.
After that, we just sort of sat there in silence, me occasionally wiping Inuyasha's face off, and Sango going to change the water out. "Kagome." I looked to Miroku.
"Now that we have the orb, we should discuss what needs to be done with it while Inuyasha rests." he said.
I sighed. "I can't really think about it right now. I remember something about-"
"He said . . . to break it."
I looked down at Inuyasha, who was breathing irregularly, his golden eyes open halfway. "Inuyasha, you're still gravely injured. You need to rest." I urged, leaning down closer to him.
"That damn Koga . . ." Inuyasha's voice was rough, as usual, despite his injuries. "He said to . . . break the orb!"
"Break it?" Miroku's brow furrowed. "To give us the power to break barriers? To absorb the power of something that can cast a very powerful barrier . . . that would make sense. But we need something to break it."
"A . . . a weapon. Totosai . . . a . . . sword . . ." Inuyasha was starting to sound delirious. I leaned down closer, and said softly, "Inuyasha, rest. You are weak and you aren't thinking clearly. Just rest."
"Kagome, I- I . . ." his eyes slipped closed, and he was unconscious once more. I sighed, and settled back.
"Inuyasha said something about a sword. Do you think he's remembering something?" Sango asked.
"I remember him saying that the name Totosai sounded familiar. Maybe there's a connection?" Miroku suggested. "We'll have to ask him more when he recovers further. He's still far too injured, and delirious."
I looked down at Inuyasha, studying his face. Soit'spossiblethatherememberssomethingaboutaswordandthisdemonnamedTotosai? I thought. Itdoesn'tmatternow. Wecan'tevenaskuntilhe'sfeelingbetter, anyway.
"There's nothing we can do now. Kagome, you should get some rest. I'll watch over Inuyasha while you do." Sango told me gently. I sighed and nodded. She was right. I was just worrying myself sick, and Inuyasha would be all right once his fever went down.
Sango'sP.O.V.
Once Kagome had laid down and was asleep, Miroku and I were the only ones awake. Kirara was curled up beside Kagome, also fast alseep. I glanced over at Miroku, who was busy writing enchantments on little slips of paper. I realized he was making sutras, and tried to think of a way to bring up the conversation we had been having earlier. I still wanted to confess to him, while it was still on my mind and I was determined to do it.
"Um, Miroku . . . about earlier . . ." I began.
"Oh yes. You said you had a confession you wanted to make?" he replied, still writing.
"Yes, I . . ." I blushed a little. I'mlosingmynerve. I'mnotgoingtohaveabettertime. Ineedtotellhimnow. Now, beforeIdon'thaveanotherchance. Ijustneedtocomeoutandsayit. "I wanted to tell you . . . about the nature of my feelings for you."
"Yes?" he prompted, patient.
"Miroku." I turned to face him, feeling the blush burning on my face.
"Yes, Sango?" he looked amused, now, as he glanced over at me. It only served to fluster me further. It was almost as if he knew what I was going to tell him, and he was teasing me.
I felt a rush of annoyance, and looked away from him. "Miroku, I . . . I lo . . ." I could barely form the word, and my hand was shaking.
Miroku suddenly laughed. He set down his quill, and scooted over to me, reaching down, and taking my hands in his. "Sango, if you have something to say to me, then just say it. I'm not going to laugh at you."
I felt myself stiffen as his hand reached down and stroked my bottom. I felt myself flush further. Growing angry, I slapped him, and he sighed, smiling to himself. "I was going to confess something very important to you, you perverted houshi, but you just had to go and ruin it!"
Miroku just shook his head, and smiled at me again. "Sango, I care for you as well."
"You're such a- what?" I stopped when I realized what he'd said, my eyes widening as I looked at him.
"I said, I care about you as well, Sango. And there is no shame in you confessing that to me." he went on, and took my hands in his again.
"You . . . you love me?" I managed to whisper, my heart pounding at the thought.
Miroku smiled. "You are very special to me, Sango, and if for no one else, I will break this curse and live with you. Sango, after the battle with Hakudoushi is over . . . will you be my wife? And bear my children? Plenty of them?"
I felt tears fill my eyes, and spill over. "Oh . . . Miroku . . . of course I will!" I leaned against him, and he wrapped his arms around me as happy tears trailed down my face. It felt so good, to be held in his arms. Knowing that he loved me was more than enough.
"Well . . . at least those two aren't awake to spy on us. We actually get to tell them some good news." I said, when my tears had stopped. Miroku murmured his agreement and just held me tighter. I sighed, feeling completely content.