InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Scorched ❯ Troubled ( Chapter 4 )

Troubled

A/N-Thank you so much for reading! And for those who reviewed, I've personally never seen reviews that wonderful. Please keep talking to me! It really helps me think and write when I know how people view my story!

Things are slow at first, but things do pick up, and there WILL BE LEMONS, but I will tell you so you can avoid it. I mean, come on, it's NC17; I can't resist the lemon pull!
Also, I'm not putting all my effort into this story because school sucks everything out of me; this is a hobby and a side project. I will continue it as long as people like it (which so far, I think is pretty good), but if I eventually find no point any longer, I may take it off or stop writing. *shrug* Sorry, just pointless if people don't read.

But, I do want opinions.

*~*~*

The Kitsunes were not only surprised to find humans being dragged along behind their leader, they were also shocked to learn that they weren't items Inuyasha had kidnapped for ransom; they were new helping hands until further notice, issued by the human hater himself.

They were also a bit surprised to learn of their new mission, and how it now involved the only really valuable thing Inuyasha had ever lost in his entire life. Needless to say, everything was pretty hard to soak in, but Inuyasha gave them no time to protest, or room to start a fight.

So both Shippo and Kira bombarded the humans with questions to find the limit of their skills in the limo on the way. Learning that Sango had quite the upper hand in Karate and that Miroku was slightly more than human with his set of supernatural abilities had Shippo convinced that they weren't so bad for business.

Kira, however, seemed a little jealous if anything, and was less than welcoming. She attempted to lay down boundaries until Miroku informed her politely (and quite annoyingly) that Inuyasha was the only one he listened to because his bond went with Inuyasha alone, and the same went with Sango.

The monk showed more intelligence than Inuyasha certainly gave him credit for…

Now in the downstairs part of their home, Kira fumed quietly on her side of the couch, Shippo beamed childishly while sharing stories of past-times with Miroku, and Sango spent most of the time she could keeping Miroku on his side of the couch, because he continually intentionally eased himself a little closer, like her body was the only source of warmth in the room.

And yet somehow, through every moment of this from the limo ride until now, Inuyasha was less than amused with his comrades…

All risks and consequences were well thought out before he had agreed, but living with them turned out to be harder than he planned. Every second of every day someone was fighting with someone, or Shippo was cheering someone else up with something he held absolutely no interest in, which was completely worse than the fighting, and it was all slowly driving him insane. No matter how many times he told them to shut up, it wouldn't be five minutes later before he had to tell it to someone else.

Since he had given up, he now sat in the only quiet place of the suite; his bedroom. Nice, dark interior, dark red hues of carpet and blanket, with absolutely no windows, and walls that had to be very thick so that no one else could be heard or hear him. It was the only place in his own home that he could think for himself without hurting someone.

And he really needed it, too. Barely any leads were found on the whereabouts of this woman, and he knew every moment they spent sitting around here was another moment shorter on her life. The problem was he really had no clue where the hell she would have been taken to, and he held no clues to what demon had taken her since everyone wanted her dead.

All he had was the time of day, what kind of car had taken her, and a scent that led to a dead end. It'd be pointless and go out searching if he wasn't going to find anything.

Currently cross-legged on the bed he hardly ever slept in, in his own form of pajamas with loose pants and a black sleeveless shirt, his observations of the papers and Kagome's information in his hands told him nothing. He knew of her family, of her past, of her perfect grades, and that was pretty much it. He could know everything about her life and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference.

No human would know she was Miko because that wasn't information thought possible to be factual anymore.

The worst part was he was affected by it, too. Her loss upset him, and thoughts of her death only further angered him. He hadn't ever even truly had a conversation with her, either.

Never before had Inuyasha had such a problem locating something. He had always known where everything was, always picked up on the correct information right off the bat, but this was damn near ridiculous. They left nothing for him to find, nothing for anyone to find, and it was really starting to piss him off.

He sighed meaningfully. If only he could still feel the Shikon No Tama, then he could track it down like he did the first time, and most likely, Kagome with it.

Despite the thickness of the walls, the doorway was still slim enough that the arguing voices of Kira and Miroku were heard directly outside his door before a firm knocking was induced.

Things were certainly going downhill…if they didn't put him in the insane asylum, he'd kill them all…

Deciding to scare someone, he pulled the letter opener from beside his paperwork, held it properly beside his head and narrowed his eyes to the exact point he intended to hit on the wall, responding with a strangely kind voice. "Come in."

The hesitation was more than obvious, as Kira knowingly forced Miroku to go in first. Without another thought Miroku opened the door, spotted the attack and ducked from the airborne weapon that damn near hit his neck in a dead-on collision.

Inuyasha snorted and relaxed his arms into a cross position. "Well shit; I missed."

"Yes, well then…remind me to never again walk in first." Miroku shuddered and, still a bit paler than usual pulled the fire cat behind him into the room and proceeded to close the door behind them.

"I think, Inuyasha, we have a lead."

"And I think he's insane," Kira countered, holding up papers in her hands. "This demented little creature you hired as a first hand is simply confused. This proves nothing; it's a coincidence."

"Give me that," He huffed, taking the papers from her hands and scanning over them quickly. After a minute, his unamused eyes darted to either person bothering him. "What the fuck is it?"

Kira cut Miroku off intentionally before he could respond. "Those are the paperwork of an underground demon club; the club guest listings, to be precise, about an hour after the time range of this 'Kagome's' disappearance."

"Inuyasha, listed in the highlighted area are four names; three of which I've heard quite a few times myself in my exploration of the demon realm. The leader is Kouga, well known bad news. He works for a powerful demon force that even I have yet to uncover, and does all the dirty work that his boss would have him do. With him always are his two lackeys Ginta and Hakkaku. They practically never leave his side."

Kira gestured towards the papers with a tired expression, deciding unwillingly to help explain what Miroku wanted to show their boss. "The fourth name is unlisted; never heard of before by demon citizens. Her name is Sakura; a registered kitsune from the area, but somehow, no one around has ever heard nor seen a kitsune named Sakura. Especially hanging around with Kouga."

"The other strange part is Kouga never hangs out with anyone other than his thugs. Wherever he goes, it's always just those three; other parties that join him come on their own."

"B-but Inuyasha," Kira added sharply. "This doesn't prove a thing. I do think we should look more into it before acting upon it."

His beautiful eyes scanned the information quickly, taking in everything he could. It was elementary; why didn't he think of it? Her name was there, but there wasn't even a registered type of kitsune, and her age was listed as anonymous. Although there were no pictures, there wasn't a doubt in his mind; Kouga had been there with her not a day ago. Just how the hell did he pass off a human woman, a miko, nonetheless, as a kitsune?

His whereabouts right now were certain to be different. He had heard of Kouga before and never bothered to investigate since Kouga had never been involved in anything he was. The wolf-demon was known for many things, and his ruthlessness and sneakiness was just a couple of them.

They had their man, he knew it; now to do a search and find his location now.

"Kira, run a background check on all the characters; find out all the places they like to go, and any places they've been to. Miroku, begin an all area scan on the computers and locate that sonofabitch, and the kitsune known as 'Sakura'."

Kira's jaw dropped as the male continued looking through the papers while he rose from his bed to find better clothes. "Inuyasha-"

The male decisively glared at her, daring her to object with his orders. "Kira, I think you know better than to argue with me. This is a clear lead and the only one we've got, so shut up and get to work."

His bathroom door slammed and left her standing in the dark. With a huff, she turned around and left the room to do what she was told in the downstairs computer systems. "Well, I can't wait to find more human counterparts to play with…maybe the woman will kill people and make things around here enjoyable…"

The statement didn't go unheard from the bathroom, but he didn't care. Inuyasha could only smirk at Kira's parting comment. He remembered the fire in the woman's eyes hidden just beneath the surface. It was a strong fire that only waited to be fed, one that he'd surely enjoy feeding once he actually figured out how.

He chuckled at the irony of it all. He didn't even know this woman, but he could tell her things about herself that she didn't even know, and he longed to speak to her again because of it. Inuyasha probably knew more about her than he did about anything else he had ever stolen or owned.

Somehow, he knew it'd be worth it in the end, just as long as she didn't lose the jewel.

"You're probably right, Kira," He whispered to himself, still smirking. "When I find her, she'll probably be the death of us all."

*~*~*

"Well, well…"

"Would you get out of here?!"

He ignored her vile attempt to damage his hearing and continued looking through the newspaper he had fathered from that morning. "How interesting…your name hasn't even shown up as missing on the missing list. You must not have a lot of friends."
The score hit home harder than she expected it to. Kagome let her chin hit her chest in defeat in the freezing room as she ground her teeth together. "Get out."
"Sure, sweetie, but I've got a surprise for you today. I'll be back shortly."

"Don't bother," She said weakly. "I'll be dead by then, anyway."

Kouga snorted softly. "If I haven't let anything happen to you thus far, nothing's going to, not by other forces, and not by your own will."

And that was how he left her, in a suddenly emotional heap in the room she'd been in for the past two days.

The silence of the room remained empty as one lone tear slide down her cheek.

But Kagome wasn't upset about being gone for two days without anyone she actually cared about knowing where she was. She also wasn't sad because of fear for her life, and whether this would be the last day on earth she would spend as perfect "Kagome Higurashi" before they turned her into something else.

The chair she was bound tightly in and the room she had spent that time away with all its accessories that she'd been staring at for days hadn't affected her mood, either.

No, she cried because of her regret. Her regret for taking things in her life too seriously, her regret for never believing Sango, especially in the end; her regret of not speaking to any members of her family for weeks, and now they probably never would again. Her regret for knowing and liking Hojo, and now truly hating someone for the first time in her life for the things his existence now forced into her mind. Her regret for the stupid demon war that was apparently brewing beneath human noses, too far gone already to be stopped once the beasts began to lash out.

And yes, she regretted not being a good enough friend to listen.

But mostly, the biggest regret she had made as a human being, never meeting a man she could have seen herself living her life with forever, never even knowing a man that could make her happy without any doubts in her heart about his true intentions. She would never know what that kind of love is. Unfortunately, Hojo had been close, but he had betrayed her, and now (she also regretted) if she made it through this, she wouldn't be able to trust someone so openly again.

The time in the limo of complete numbness was now fully taking its toll on her heart. All at once an incredible sadness overwhelmed her, the thoughts accompanying it, and the tears that her eyelids couldn't stop she let fall openly and did not try to hide them. She wasn't ashamed of crying, after all, they had probably been expecting that all along, or some kind of hysteria, not the hostile behavior she'd been using instead. She could care less if someone walked in right now and gave a damn.

It had been a long time since she'd last cried. She hadn't really given herself a reason to before. Her mental energy didn't improve any, but her body felt strangely better after releasing some of that strangled tension that'd been building for quite some time now.

No sobbing, no vocal distress at all other than the occasional sniffling…just a never-ending flow of tears, like her tear ducts were leaking. That was something she knew was strange because in the past she was the biggest crybaby anyone had ever seen for anything that had made her cry at home.

It was as if something refused to let her give up completely. Something deep down saying that complete hysteria wasn't needed for this because she wasn't going to need it.

Or maybe she had just grown up; who knew?

She had to admit, Kouga had been pretty good to her thus far. The only bruises she had obtained were the ones on her arms from the brute manhandling when he had first explained to her his reason for kidnapping her. Her sides suffered very little damage from being squished between his idiot goons on the trip up while trying to defend her hair from getting cut with those abusive scissors.

What she couldn't figure out for the life of her, was if he was supposed to kill her, or at least do some freaking damage, then why didn't he? Why was he doing the exact opposite than what he was told?

Why her?

Never in her wildest dreams would something like this have ever happened to her. She always followed the rules, even as a child, where it would leave her no friends or willing classmates for play, no respect from any children because every one else absolutely never did anything someone else wanted them to. She'd sacrifice her Saturdays to homework and studying, right after she cleaned her room and her mother's house. She'd put money back into the machines if it gave her too much change. Hell, she even stopped and picked up all trash on her way to anything, even if the result was a tardy slip.

All those twenty years of life just thrown in the trash in the past forty eight hours. She'd tasted alcohol, she purposefully refused to do what she was told until a threat had been made, and even then she wasn't exactly cooperative.

Everything completely weird only started happening after she had bumped into the very attractive man with the amber eyes, as if that one stroke of odd luck (definitely not something she'd rate as bad just yet) triggered everything else now occurring in her miserable life.

Kagome frowned. She knew it; those feelings told her to stay indoors that day. Maybe none of this would have happened if she hadn't run into him!

Maybe…

But she couldn't regret it, because looking into those expressive eyes and finding the jewel around her neck was symbolic to her. She wasn't the only one pretending things were alright in this world when they weren't. That man had seen so much worse than he should have with as young as he looked…he was pretending badly and she felt badly for him.

Well, wait…Kouga's at least four hundred, he said, and he looks only twenty…if that man was demon, which I suppose is entirely possible, he could be even older than that.

The thought of demons running people down into the ground like Sango said in the past was a terrible thought that made another unaccounted for tear spill over the edge. Kouga now intended to turn her into one of the beasts fighting on their side, and she knew she would have to even if she wanted to fight back for the humans.

Damn…this fucking sucks! I can't do shit about this, about anything! What was going to happen now? Who was going to get her out of this?

Sigh…who cares?

The only door to the room opened again, and in entered Kouga, wearing a dark brown trench coat over his normal black attire that brought out the color of his skin. His eyes settled on her instantly, and something between joy and worry passed his features as he came closer. "Come on, Kagome, we promised not to kill you or hurt your family, remember?"
"Well, what would you have me do, Kouga? Smile? Be happy about changing species?"

He sighed. "At least don't cry."

If she could have, she would have smiled bitterly, but her mind just wouldn't let her. "What do you care, anyway? You're getting what you want."

Picking out a random chair, he placed it down in front of her and sat in it backwards to rest on the back. His voice spoke in matter-of-fact quality as he calmly informed her. "You have no idea what I want."

She sat straighter at his tone.

"You know, I have noticed your tears for quite some time now; I could smell them through the door. I figured it would only be a matter of time before you broke down and panicked."

"That's not what I'm doing, you asshole."

"What else would it be? You're frightened, cold, worried, and you know there's a chance that you could die."

"So what? I'm not panicking."

He grinned, a mere show of fangs and teeth. "Liar."

She let her chin fall to her chest so that her lap filled her vision easily. "I'd rather die than be turned into something else. I don't want any part of this."

Kouga sighed as he stood from the chair and moved to one of the cabinets that occupied the tiny room. "Naïve, Kagome; you're already part of this war. You are practically what it's all about. I'm converting you so that your true side will no longer have you, even if you still fight for them. They will never know what it is they've lost."

Kagome snorted and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "You're so full of shit…"

"Am I?" She stiffened in alarm immediately when his hand rested on her shoulder and gripped just tight enough for her to feel the prick of claws on her skin. "I'll turn you into a demon, and then claim you for myself. Duties to your mate will be instinct, and you won't want to worry about humans anymore. Not when your base instincts are to serve me and our children."

Her eyes set forward; she merely sat there and worried her lower lip as the full throttle force of denial prodded into her mind. A technically married woman…to Kouga…no words could quite describe the shock of the entire "proposal", if that's what she could even call it.

Ginta and Hakkaku came in then, and while Kouga gripped one shoulder, Hakkaku gripped the other to hold her back firmly against the seat. Out of what seemed like nowhere Ginta pulled a syringe full of a clear liquid, waving it in front of her face, and it was then that Kagome began to really panic.

She feared needles badly; it was the only thing she dreaded. Of course, she wasn't going anywhere when demons held her down like this, which only frightened her more. Her tight pulling at Kouga's side caused her coat and shirt beneath it to rip, and a small trickle of blood flowed freely where his claws had accidentally pierced her skin. Kouga swore under his breath before reinitializing his grip, pinning her harder against the back of the chair, purposely wounding her so she'd stop pushing against the sting.

Ginta grinned sardonically at her obvious discomfort. "One of the greatest scientific marvels this world has ever seen and you will be the first to ever try it."

Her struggling was useless, but it didn't stop her from trying. All she knew was she did not want them to put that needle in her.

Even if it caused her even more trouble than it was definitely worth…

*~*~*

Interesting…

The floor plan of the building was about as simple as a car's engine to her, full of nothing but wires, tanks, compatible parts that would end up anything but if she messed with them…and hidden secrets, which is what the plans screamed in her head.

Ironically, the building that Kouga had last been seen at and apparently never left belonged to the world's most dangerous demon; the only demon Sango had already known the name of before she had seen demons for herself because he was the only demon her family could not defeat.

Lord Sesshoumaru of Japan; the last of the four lords.

If everything that Miroku had stated upon arrival was true, then there were a number of reasons that Kagome would be forced anywhere near such a demon, especially one as powerful, intelligent and ruthless as Sesshoumaru. To be killed by a minion of him was one thing; for him to personally kill you himself meant that he either had a personal hatred towards you, or he found you too dangerous to be dealt with by any other means.

Or, perhaps there were other means for bringing Kagome to him…after all, a demon that powerful that had lived this long wasn't without his wits. He could have thought of a better use for her by now.

The trick was helping her out without coming across Sesshoumaru. According to Miroku, in all his academic glory, being anywhere near the demon could give minor demons a heart attack. He also said that only once had he been near the king of intellectuality and his skin crawled as a result, breaking out into a sweat with a speeding heartbeat.

Of course, Miroku was more than human in a sense, because he was definitely not your average day monk, and according to Miroku, because of her Taiji-ya heritage, she was more than human, as well.

Now surely that would pose a problem for their little minor group. Weak humans, half-demons and pathetic kitsunes who relied on magic and illusion for a vast amount of protection wouldn't stand a chance against the mighty Lord Sesshoumaru, and even if they did manage to escape with their lives, he'd probably track them down in a heartbeat and finish what he started being as he never leaves anything unfinished.

Her eyes squinted for a better view on the layout as she groaned hopelessly. She wasn't going to find anything looking at a picture like this; she could tell where the hidden rooms were in the building by looking easily.

She just didn't know where the openings were. Where the hell were those doors?

By this point in time, still taking too damn long, in her opinion, her friend could be at the demon lord's mercy, attempting to understand something she can't even fathom in her intelligent mind. Even if she hadn't been kidnapped by demons, Kagome wouldn't have had much time left, anyway, but she'd be damned if that slowed her down.

Something that did aggravate her a little about this, though, was the place in which she was forced to overlook her current assignment. It was so damn degrading, and all because of that perverted monk…

The bathroom; she was stuck in a fucking bathroom, reading blueprints and reports while sitting on the toilet, just because it was the one place in the suite that Miroku wouldn't follow, and that was only because it was also the only room in the suite with a lock on the door (even though it was a nice bathroom, with bear fur coating on the toilet seats and on the floors so the tile was never too cold to stand). If he wasn't admiring her from afar he was admiring her up close, and informing her of how beautiful she looked when she studied things so seriously.

Men had never made Sango comfortable, and they've also never showered her in emotion like this monk did. She had to get away from him before she killed him. Besides, the lower portion of her right palm which she'd been using with an uppercut to put him into unconsciousness and out of her way was beginning to ache from constant use.

Her eyebrow twitched at the reminder of the devious monk. If he really wanted to keep that cursed hand of his to use for the good of mankind, he'd better learn to keep it to himself…

A characteristic knock firm enough to be forceful, yet light enough to not be demanding had her cursing the very gods for her existence. It was like The Cosby Show in this place; no one ever leaves you alone!

"Sango, I need to speak with you…please?"

"Miroku, for the umpteenth millionth time, my body is not a statue and my ass is not a hand rest. Until I think you understand this concept in your thick skull, I have nothing to say to you."

A stifled snicker still sounded through the doorway, and Sango cast a glare into the door that she could almost burn into Miroku's amused form. "I understand and accept your boundaries, Sango, but I must speak with you, or our new owner will have my head."

She heaved a loud sigh, placing her papers on the countertop and moving halfheartedly to unlock the door. "This had better be good," She growled as he entered behind her.

"Oh, I think it is…" She sat and scooted away cautiously on her toilet seat when he made himself comfortable sitting against the wall in front of her, out of touching range. "Inuyasha's got a plan and he thinks he wants to make a move."

Honestly, this monk had no true brains in that head of his…"He thinks? Apparently, Inuyasha's good at thinking, Houshi, he's practically running a demon gang, here."

"Ah, no longer demon, since he's hauled us into it as well."

She scoffed. "He hauled you; I volunteered."

"It's not really a gang, per say…it's more like a club…Anyway, Sango, he wants to know what you've found as far as secret passageways."

She sighed again, shaking her head hopelessly. "I know where the secret rooms are possibly located, but there's no trace of doors. We probably don't have time to stand around and look foolish, and that's all that would be accomplished through these plans."

He pulled the blueprints into his lap and overlooked the areas she had marked as possible secret rooms. His brows snapped together when she motioned towards a wall for example. "This wall here is bare, so if there are any secrets, there's gotta be a secret button somewhere on the floor or in the wall, like in the movie."

"Indeed," The monk shot an obnoxious glance in her direction without moving his head. "I'll tell you something that I believe. Inuyasha's not at all the patient type. Since we cannot find a way in just by looking at pictures, he'll gladly make a mess of things to get his jewel back."

Sango's head tilted as she caught on to his idea. "You're saying he'd expose himself to get Kagome and his jewel back?"
"Hai…he'd gladly tear into the walls if he had to, leaving evidence against him and out of the ordinary, but I'm betting there's a scent to follow, too. We'll simply tell him the fort's impenetrable, and he'll do all in his power to prove us wrong."

Finally satisfied that the monk was good for something other than exercise, she rose and brushed off her lap with her now relaxed hands. "We need to watch out for Sesshoumaru, though. Do you think Inuyasha can handle it?"

"Inuyasha's survived that man's turmoil for plenty of years. Inuyasha's still alive; I think we can trust him."

"Yeah, but he can't look out for all of us."

"Of course; the Kitsunes are to help in that area, since we humans cannot possibly look out for ourselves."

She chuckled and bent over to twist up the blueprints. That, apparently, was her mistake. The moment she let her guard down she felt a familiar hand exactly where it shouldn't be, patting and giving one squeeze to her finely toned ass.

Rage suddenly boiled in her stomach like an evil thing, too sudden and too forceful to be denied. Her body moved before her mind (being as she had actually WARNED him this time!), her waist spinning and then her leg following, twisting up into the air high enough so that her heel would land on his cheek, or better.

However, her body's spin was halted by both of the monk's humble hands bracing her ankle just barely away from his head in one, lightning fast, inhumanly strong (and notably experienced) maneuver. He not only blocked the kick that could have very possibly killed a person not trained in any art of self defense, but he also held it there and held her immobile at the same time so that if she made any other movements she'd embarrass herself by falling flat on her ass. It was all about balance now since the kick, meant to be a facial blow, left her leg bowed in such a high position, and he'd made it so that they were perfectly balanced, as long as she stood still.

And it annoyed her to no end, like it was probably meant to.

"You shouldn't be so callous, Sango dear. You would have taken my head off with those powerful legs."

"MONK! If you have ANY desire to use your fucking BALLS next week you had better let me go…"

He merely grinned, and Sango wished that he hadn't been holding her leg so high and securely, or she could have twisted and sent her other foot into his nuts to prove herself. "That's a mighty large threat coming from someone in a position such as yourself."

Still frozen until he let her go, she did her best impression of an Inuyasha growl and glared holes into his skull, letting him know just how much trouble he was in when she came down.

"You see, normally, I wouldn't be so bold as to do something like this, but I really want to ask you something, and I don't want to be harmed in the process, because, also normally, I do not defend myself from a woman's defense, no matter how cruel they are."

She huffed.

"I wish to know why you're afraid of men."

That took the cake, plain and simple. "WHAT?!"

"When I first came, Sango, I don't think you knocked me out because you thought I was a burglar. I think you hit me because I was a man, and men are not permitted in your home."

She favored her shock for something more...her. "Now listen you, you put me down-"

He did that annoying thing he does; denied her request. "I must know, Sango, if not for my own curiosity, then for the sake of all un-castrated men out there. You're far too beautiful to have such a deep wound towards the opposite sex."

Sango jerked on her leg roughly, and about all she could without falling over, but Miroku held her firmly. "Anything that occurs with me is none of your business, now put me down!"

"I was hired to protect you, and protect you I will. Under that note, I believe that you should know everything about me, and I about you."

What the hell was wrong with him? How the hell could he remain so calm about something like this, so fucking civil?! Where did his brains go!!! "This isn't important or valuable to you in any way!"

"Very well, then; you leave me no other option."

She definitely did not like that devious look in his eyes. He was going to do something she wasn't going to enjoy at all. "What? What are you doing?"

He did exactly what she though he would; he pushed her ankle up slowly, gradually causing it to be a battle for balance. If he managed to make her lose it, he could pin her to the floor if he maintained control of her leg, and she did not want that. "Goddammit, you amethyst bastard!"

"Would you trust me with your life, Sango, should the time ever come that you'd need the help of another?"

The question was so unexpected, but not as unexpected as his halting of her foot. The new angle proved more difficult than adjusting regularly, and she now held her arms out to the side to aide in her balance. She felt utterly foolish, and she hated it. "You want an honest answer, Houshi, you'd better lower the stakes, or you'll get nothing from me but a very painful castrating."

Slowly, he lowered her leg to a more tolerable level and proceeded to wait for her answer.

Blowing the now sticky bangs out of her face, Sango directed her eyes to look anywhere but on him, instead favoring the doorway behind him. "If things became very serious, and I had to depend on someone else, I'd trust you with my life, and you are the only man I would trust. Is that what you want to hear?!"

He just grinned. "You aren't simply saying that?"

"No, Houshi…"

"Why me? Why not the all powerful Inuyasha?"

Muttering incoherently because of her aide to his ego, she sighed again and straightened her balance. "Because, Miroku, you're the only man other than members of my family that ever seem to give a damn about me or my life, and you did that without even knowing me first. I'll always owe you at least my loyalty in that area."

Satisfied, Miroku dropped her foot and expertly ducked the kick she rounded on the second her foot hit the ground, whether to test him or to kill him, he wasn't certain. "Calm down, it was only a test!"

"I'll have no more of these 'tests' Houshi, I swear to the god you worship that I'll send you to heaven a lot sooner than you're expected if you ever do that to me again."

He sat himself on the floor again once he realized that she wouldn't try anything else unless he groped her again. "There's more than one reason for that…"

Sango was busy stuffing papers under her arms, but she glared at him anyway.

"I also wanted to a) test your strength, and b) see if you'd actually be a worthy sparing partner."

She all but threw the papers at him. "Did I satisfy your curiosity, you thick headed jackass?"

"I should very much like to spare sometime, in the art of Karate, Sango-sama. It would please me to have a worthy opponent that for once does not wish to have my head on a post."

"Keep this shit up and that will be arranged."

Miroku daringly jerked her by her arm down to his level, pulling a pouch out of his jean pocket.

"What?!"

"Observe, Sango, and you shall always learn more than any teacher could ever tell you."

Rendered silent without rage for the first time that night, she calmed, ever watchful of his hands, and watched as he opened the sack. Inside was two watches that looked ordinary, but she didn't get her hopes up since the monk always had surprises of one sort or another up his sleeve.

Hopefully, this would aide in their locating of Kagome.

"I'm afraid this is very cliché, but you will need both your hands at all times when working on any missions with Inuyasha, I promise. But like I have said before, I'm sworn to protect you, and I want to remain in contact with you at all times."

Also out of the sack were two earpieces, one of which he gave to her. "These are ultra sensitive and very quiet, just out of demon hearing range. That means to hear me properly you'll have to be somewhere quiet. To speak to me, press this button here." He motioned towards the correct button. "Don't whisper, but don't shout, either. And don't turn this off."

She felt a sudden wave of confusion hit her like a meteor; everything the monk said began to blur. He was serious about this. He was seriously going to protect her.

"Sango? Are you alright?"

She gasped and blushed when she realized she'd blocked him out. "Sorry…"

Miroku glanced into her eyes, and for the first time Sango felt a sense of comfort with a man (even a lecher like him) as he searched her in all seriousness. "You scared?"

She smirked. "I'm terrified."

"Good, you should be…just don't say anything to Inuyasha or Kira, or you'll never hear the end of it."

The door opened and a very impatient Inuyasha glowered down at them. "You two gonna kiss, or you gonna work?"

They stood, Sango finishing with the rolling of the papers, ignoring the deliberately placed bait. If anything, their boss was simply waiting to go… "I couldn't find a way in, but I think I know where some rooms are."

"Great; I'll follow scents and tear down the walls if I have to."

She shivered, holding herself carefully. "I hope she's still alive."

"She's not dead," Inuyasha said instantly, like he had proof.

Miroku eyed the temperamental Hanyou carefully, wrapping an arm for comfort around the unwilling, protesting participant until she settled into him. "How could you know something like that?"

He didn't know how he knew. His heart of ice was melting at the thought of finding the human that unknowingly held his attentions. He wasn't necessarily proud of it, but he felt that link between them somehow gave him a seventh sense that he was just now beginning to find.

"Believe me, the wench is not dead. I wouldn't let her die now."

*~*~*

A/N-YAY! Keep reviewing me! I love it, and I really want to know what you think!