InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Facets of the Living Jewel ❯ Interfice errorem, diligere errantem ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the other characters. Ms. Takahashi does.

 

 

Interfice errorem, diligere errantem

by Licentia poetica

 

Sango stalked back toward the village, grumbling under her breath. She had wanted a bath! `Inuyasha and Kagome drive me crazy! They're always arguing, when everyone can see that they care for each other. Well, maybe I can work out some more frustration and then take a quick bath later. I hope the monk hasn't burned our dinner, at least!'

 

She exited the forest, glancing at the fire pit area where dinner was cooking. The fire was banked and the stew pot pushed just to the side of the coals, where it would keep warm. `Well, at least he didn't mess that up.' She pushed a stray strand of hair from her face and sighed at her own irritable behavior. `Why am I looking for a fight with Miroku? And where is he, anyway?'

 

As she came closer to the hut, a movement in the fields caught her attention. Miroku was practicing with his shakujou. She paused, watching the grace and agility with which he handled his weapon. There was a masculine beauty to his movements and, as always, she was impressed with his abilities. It still amazed her that this monk, who loved to read books and meditate, could be such a deadly opponent. He had even beaten her once when she was possessed by the egg of a salamander youkai.

 

`Of course, the only reason that I did become possessed was that he was with one of the women in that village. I lost my concentration because he was making a pass at another woman. Again.'

 

It was why she could never trust him, but he was as skilled a fighter as any of the youkai slayers that she had been raised with; she had never known anyone better with the shakujou. `And of course, there's his right hand. The Wind Tunnel.'

 

It was such a deadly weapon, but one that he used sparingly and with great caution. He had used it to save her life more than once: in the caves of Mount Hakurei, in the fight with Sou'unga's undead…he took risks with it when he knew his friends were in danger.

 

She stared at him, mentally cursing as warmth began to pool in her stomach in response to his movements. `Damn. My body does this every time he touches me, and now it's doing it just because I'm looking at him.` For a brief moment she let her mental barriers down and fantasized about his touch, wondering what it would be like to kiss him, but then she forced the thoughts away. `I am taiji-ya. I am the last of my family and I must act with honor. We are not married or even promised.' He had proposed once, in a way, but only if they defeated Naraku. She sighed. `I will probably never get married. Why can't my life be simpler?'

 

Lost in her thoughts, she was unaware that she was still staring at him. In one of Miroku's overhead spin passes, he caught sight of her watching him.

 

“Sango! Is something wrong?”

 

She started, and rubbed a hand over her hair and the back of her neck, embarrassed.

 

“Umm…no. I was just thinking about doing another kata. Uhh…can I practice next to you?” She smiled at him, weakly.

 

Miroku frowned slightly at her uncharacteristic embarrassment. He had emerged from Kaede's hut to find that Inuyasha had left the area and, for a brief moment, he had thought about sneaking off to “guard” the women in the hot spring. But after thinking about what Inuyasha had said about their condition, he decided the wisest course was to practice his staff katas. To help his concentration, he had begun to recite the words of the nijukun in his head as his body and staff went through the stylized movements.

 

`Know yourself first, and then others.' Overhead strike, block right.

 

`Spirit first, techniques second.' Block left, disarm. Backwards strike, front thrust with the point of the staff followed by a disarming spin, overhead strike.

 

`Always be ready to'…as he had spun around to begin the reverse portion of the kata, he caught sight of Sango, staring at him with a bemused smile on her face.

 

As they conversed he thought back over his kata form, wondering if she was smiling because he was doing something wrong. Mentally he shrugged. Styles differed and his technique with the staff was second nature to him now. He was delighted that she would want to practice next to him…but she would be a bit of a distraction.

 

“Why don't we practice against each other?”

 

Sango paused. It might be a good way to relieve some of my anger. I know his fighting style and I'm pretty confident I can take him. He's strong enough and we won't hurt each other.' She smiled and acknowledged his request with a formal bow.

 

Miroku returned the bow and mentally grimaced. `I'm in for it now.' He walked over to the stand of trees behind her and placed his staff against the nearest trunk. “No weapons, agreed?”

 

“Agreed.”

 

He winced at the business-like tone of her voice. `She's going to hurt me, I can tell.' Turning around, he saw her stretching out, back to him, reaching her left arm over her right side and pushing her hip to the left. He had to place both hands firmly behind him in order not to reach out and fondle her as he followed her out into the center of the meadow.

 

They faced each other, bowed respectfully, and began to spar.

 

Anyone watching would have thought that they were trying to kill each other. Knife hand attacks, side kicks, and punches were struck, but all were blocked. Through training they had learned to strike only at the surface of their target in practice. If it had been a real battle bones would have been broken.

 

Miroku cocked an eyebrow at Sango and gave a half-smile as he avoided a spin kick. “Are you taking it easy on me?” he taunted.

 

Sango narrowed her eyes at him. `This is helping me feel better.' Driving him back with a side kick, she answered “No, houshi. But if you want I'll take it up a notch…” and she began a series of spin kicks and knife hand attacks to drive him back toward the tree line.

 

As they neared the trees, both began to shake their heads as a throbbing pressure built in the air around them.

 

Sango stopped, placing her hands over her ears, as her bones vibrated. `What is that? It's making my head ache!' She retreated, brows furrowed in pain.

 

Miroku followed her, wincing and rubbing at the base of his ears. As they reached the middle of the field where they had begun to spar, the pressure eased off and he took a deep breath to center his ki. The pain vanished but Sango continued to massage her temples. As she staggered for a moment he put his arms around her and asked quietly “Sango, are you all right?”

 

“I…I think so. What was that? Kagome and Inuyasha are in those trees. I hope they're all right.”

 

Miroku glanced back at the forest. “If they're together I'm not too worried.” He looked down at the beautiful woman in his arms and resisted the urge to move his hands lower. Something about the incident had made him definitely aware that he was male and that she was female.

 

She leaned against him with her elbows folded tightly between them, comforted by the feel of his forearm spanning her shoulders and his hand stroking her sleeve. She felt a queer sense of security staying within his arms. “My head still hurts.”

 

“Come.” Pulling her along next to him, he drew her over to the side of Kaede's hut and sat down.

 

She watched in puzzlement as he held both of her hands. He began to do something soft and wonderful to the backs of them, rubbing them slowly with his thumbs from wrist to knuckle while she sat in confusion. She told herself to pull her hands free from his but became lost in the gentle tether of the touch. It was tender and soothing, affectionate in a way that she had never expected from him. She glanced up and the look in his violet eyes as he returned her gaze made her blush.

 

“Relax, lovely Sango.” Slowly he brought one of her hands to his mouth and his eyes closed as his warm lips traced the inside of her palm. His other hand stole up to her waist and he tugged her toward his lap.

 

“Stop. We can't do this.” She struggled against the feelings he was invoking in her.

 

“Why not?” he whispered. His strong hands pulled her closer and then stole up to cup her face, turning her mouth up to his.

 

“Because, you'll just…” but he stopped her words with his lips while one hand held her in place and the other stroked up and down her back. She tensed as it came close to her buttocks but he went no lower than the belt of her uniform. His lips were gentle, sliding over hers with a light touch that invited her to surrender, and she leaned into him in spite of her earlier protests. He took her arms and placed them behind his neck, holding them in place until he felt her acquiesce and curl them around his head. She began to kiss him back in earnest as his hands explored the sensitive skin of her neck and shoulders.

 

The murmur of voices came from inside the hut.

 

“I tell thee, Shippo, I cannot hear these sounds you describe! We shall find Kagome, if that will comfort thee.”

 

They could hear heavy steps and the patter of Shippo's feet moving towards the door of the home.

 

Miroku held on to the kiss but mentally cursed, his hands leaving Sango's body in a gesture of frustration.

 

`Damnit! She won't know how to respond to our kiss in front of the others.'

 

To save her feelings he allowed his hands to go lower and cup her firm buttocks, wincing and closing his eyes as he braced for the inevitable slap.

 

“You hentai!”

 

At the familiar and expected sensation of her open handed slap he raised his eyebrows in surprise. `Hmmm. Not as painful as usual. She was holding back.' He brought his hand to his stinging face and opened his eyes. Though she was backing away, she was smiling at him.

 

 

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Translations:

Interfice errorem, diligere errantem. Latin; Kill the sin, love the sinner (St. Augustine).

Japanese:

Shakujou: Miroku's staff.

Nijukun: A set of principles in addition to the dojo kun (see future chapters) that are used to help students in karate place the body under complete control of the mind.