InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Trust ❯ Chapter 14

Another lemon-type thang.

Chapter 14

When Kagome and Sango descended to dinner that evening, they were a far cry from the dusty, travel worn fighters who had arrived at the fort the night before. Despite her earlier assurances, Nzinga was not ready when they were, and told them to go on ahead without her.

Kagome's hair was drawn up into a bun, with some tendrils around her face to soften the effect. The long top flowed as she walked, and her amber jewelry caught the last of the sun's rays in their depths. The amber fabric warmed her skin, as Sango predicted, and her upswept hair drew the eye to the graceful line of her neck and back.

As lovely as Kagome looked, it was Sango that received second glances from everyone. Now pressed and slightly altered, her gown fit her even more beautifully than before. It emphasized every curve without being too revealing. Her hair and jewelry were kept simple. She wore only an armband and her hair was left hanging down her back in a straight swath.

Miroku could hardly believe the shot of desire that went through him at the sight of Sango. He had wondered how she would look in more formal attire, but his daydreams were nothing compared to the reality. His eyes followed her from the stairs to the door of the dining hall. Once the door closed behind her, he shook himself and began to walk to dinner. On the way, it occurred to him that he would not be the only man to see his Sango this evening.

He began to move faster.

"Monk," the call had him turn in response. Nzinga stood on the stairs, two flights up. "Wait for me."

She ran lightly down the stairs as he waited politely. When she reached the bottom, she took his arm.

"She looks beautiful, doesn't she?" she asked. He nodded, a soft smile curving his lips.

"Try not to ruin tonight. It took us forever to get her to wear that dress in public…don't make her regret it."

Miroku shook his head. "She is beautiful no matter what she wears…but I would be a fool to discourage her from wearing that gown again."

She patted his arm. "Good. Shall we?"

He frowned slightly. "Will you promise to protect me from Sesshomaru? He will not take kindly to your being on my arm."

She smiled, though there was little humor in it. "Don't worry, he would never make that kind of scene."

The Commander motioned his daughter and foster daughter to join him at his table. Sango's parents were already there, as was Inu Yasha and Sesshomaru.

Sango's father eyed the women askance at their uncustomary attire, but Leilani stood and embraced each in turn, complimenting them on their clothing. Sango visibly relaxed at her mother's words, although she continued to have a difficult time meeting her father's gaze.

Kagome sat next to Inu Yasha, who, after an unreadable glance, placed a possessive hand on her back.

"What now?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he muttered.

Kagome sighed. "What's the matter?" She turned her face to his, trying to meet his averted gaze.

He refused to answer…instead slowly running his claws down the bare skin of her back. She stiffened; trying to stifle the reflexive arching that would have pushed her chest into relief against the golden fabric of her gown.

"I like this…" he sent to her, fire burning in his gaze. "I can mark you in public if I want, and everyone will know exactly who you belong to."

"Would you mind restraining yourself until my father is gone?" She responded. "I would rather not have to explain that to him."

Again, giving no response, he slid one claw up to her nape and lightly slid it along her neck and collarbone.

The Commander gave the signal to begin eating, and plates began the rounds. The kitchens had outdone themselves that day. Sango and Kagome's favorite dishes were sent to the head table, compliments of a loving staff.

Miroku and Nzinga made their way to the table right after their friends began eating. There were four free seats. One of them was between Sango and Sesshomaru, while the others were on the end of the table, next to Sesshomaru and across from Inu Yasha and Kagome. Nzinga released her friend's arm, and motioned him towards the free seat next to Sango. Grinning at her, he kissed her cheek before greeting Sango and asking her permission to be seated, doing so once she assented.

Zi herself stepped back suddenly as Sesshomaru rose from his own chair. He only eyed her briefly before holding out her chair, but she knew he had gotten a good look. She wore a lime colored skirt that rode low on her hips. Her white vest left her midriff bare, displaying a thin beaded chain. All of her jewelry was silver, from her earrings and bracelets, to the bangles around her ankle. Most of her braids were left to swing freely, only a few tied back out of her face. Her toenails were stained bright red.

Her forehead wrinkled as she sat in the offered seat. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

"I would not want to be thought predictable." Was his only response. As she reached for a plate, she felt his eyes still on her.

"Does my attire offend?" she asked, as she began to fill her plate.

He did not answer immediately. "Is that type of skirt customary in Kush?" He asked instead.

"In some parts."

"So you did decide to wear it! Why did you hesitate? It looks beautiful." Kagome asked.

"Well, the skirt was not the problem. I couldn't decide what to wear with it." Nzinga filled her goblet with fruit juice.

"What would you normally wear with it?" Sango asked, curious.

"Nothing." Nzinga popped a piece of fruit into her mouth.

Sango blinked. "N-nothing?"

"Yes. I would go bare-chested where I am from. Not all of Kush is that way, but my clan still has that practice. At times." She continued to eat unconcerned as her friends looked at her in shock.

"Well, if you start to feel homesick," Miroku began. Sango shot him a fiery glare that had him moving slightly away from her…only to move right back again when hit with Sesshomaru's icy stare. He sighed and began eating, hunched in on himself.

"Oh Miroku," Nzinga sighed to herself. "Already off to a poor start…"

The friends then began to eat heartily. Inu Yasha kept toying with Kagome's bare skin, while Miroku kept stealing glances at a subdued Sango. Kagome was torn between trying not to show the effect of Inu Yasha's claws on her back and trying to be subtle about watching the interactions between her friends. The only ones that seemed unconcerned about it all were the two oldest. Nzinga was once again lost in the bounty of good food in front of her, while Sesshomaru was his usual taciturn self.

In contrast to her friend, Sango merely picked at her food. Aside from a brief comment when she sat down, Miroku had yet to comment on her new look. To be fair, even if he had she would have doubted his sincerity. She sighed. If only she could take him seriously. He was the most frustrating man…

She stood abruptly, shoving her chair back from the table. "Please excuse me, everyone." Without another word, she turned and strode out of the dining hall.

A slap was heard at the now silent table. "Ow!" Miroku rubbed the back of his head.

"That was for whatever you did." Nzinga resumed eating.

"I did nothing! What is it you think I have done?" Miroku demanded.

The two remaining women eyed him coldly. Kagome stood to go after her friend. "Well, I'm going after her."

"No, you should stay here." Nzinga said. "Let him fix it."

"What do you mean?" Kagome said, pausing in her rise from the table.

"You made her upset. You fix it." Nzinga pronounced, waving an eating knife for emphasis.

Miroku looked dazed. "Do I even get a hint?"

Nzinga shook her head. "Stop being so lazy."

"Did you compliment her new gown?" Everyone's heads swiveled around to face Sesshomaru, who had remained silent through the whole exchange.

"Of course, that was the first thing I did."

The silver-haired man snorted. "And the second thing was to ask another woman to walk around bare-breasted for you. No woman wants to be made to feel unwanted."

Miroku's eyes grew enormous. "No woman has ever felt unwanted around me."

"My point exactly. Sango knows this. You need to let her know where she stands." Sesshomaru calmly forked a piece of beef into his mouth. "Idiot human."

Miroku stood up, a pensive look on his face, and slowly left the hall in search of Sango.

Leaving an incredulous group of people behind staring at his benefactor, coolly eating as though nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

"When did you become the fount of fucking knowledge?" Inu Yasha burst out.

"The women seemed content to let him twist in the wind…and who was going to give him advice? You?" Sesshomaru snorted. "If you had not Bonded, you would still be driving women away to this day."

"Hmmph." Lacking a better comeback, Inu Yasha subsided.

Sango had run right to the training yard, where Hiraikotsu had been left after her earlier match with Miroku. Still in her gown, she kicked off her sandals, and hoisted it with one arm. Drawing in a breath, she heaved it at a bale of hay, and caught it on its return. Standing there, she decided it was not enough to work off her frustrations.

Hoping against hope, she called out, "Kirara?" A tiny mew answered her, although she could not initially tell the direction. Shifting into her larger form with a burst of flame, the cat became visible and padded over to Sango.

"I need some exercise. Are you up for it?" Her friend purred and rubbed her head against Sango's midsection in response. She hiked up the skirt of her gown and threw one leg over the feline's back. Leaping into the air, she called out to the gate guards, alerting them to her departure.

"I'll be right in sight." She called. Muscles bunched and released, and Hiraikotsu flew through the air. It sliced through the air with a satisfying noise on the return trip, slapping into her hand. She threw it again.

That was how Miroku saw Sango when he reached the fort walls. Her gown streamed behind her in the moonlight, her strong bared legs clamped around Kirara's sides, hair whipping in the wind.

He watched her for a good thirty minutes as she worked out her aggression with her boomerang. She turned to head back towards the fort, and noticed him standing there. Instead of heading back for the yard, she decided to land next to him. Not because she wanted to talk to him, of course. It was just closer to her room.

Jumping off Kirara's back, she whispered thanks to her friend. Kirara grumbled in response and shifted back to her tiny cat form. Mewing, she jumped on the wall and curled up, watching the two humans. Sango took an inordinate amount of time leaning Hiraikotsu against the wall before turning to face the monk.

"Did I do something to offend you, Sango?" Miroku asked her.

She looked at her feet. "No, you didn't do anything." She sighed.

The two stood together in an awkward silence for some moments.

"Sango," he began. "I don't know what to do."

She looked up at the serious note in his voice.

"I cannot change what happened before I met you, and I usually make it a point not to regret anything I have chosen to do. But I can now say that I regret that my previous behavior makes you doubt how much you mean to me." Sincerity shone in his violet eyes. "Please, I can no longer guess. Tell me what you need from me."

Her dark eyes met his, stunned. She never would have believed he was capable of such depth of feeling.

Her first instinct was to brush off his remarks as if nothing was wrong…but something stopped her. It may have been the near defeat she heard in his voice…she couldn't hurt him that way.

Taking a deep breath, she began to speak, eyes on the ground. "No one who ever pursued me did it out of real feelings. They either wanted to conquer me because I am a warrior or they acted out of simple lust." She gathered her courage and raised her gaze to his.

"It hurt me enough when the men meant nothing to me…if I ever found out you were insincere, it would crush me."

The two gazed at each other. This was the closest she had ever come to admitting having any feelings for him.

Miroku clenched his fists. "I know no plainer way to say it than this: I would die to keep you safe. Your moods govern my own…and your doubt rips at me like nothing I have ever felt.

"I cannot change who I am, but I will do all I can to win you."

Spoken that way, in the moonlight, she could not bring herself to doubt his quiet, forceful tones. Stepping close to him, she laid a hand on his arm. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her body up against his own, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She wrapped her own arms around the monk, and they stayed that way for a few moments.

Not knowing why, Sango raised her head. She could see the surprise in his eyes as he met her gaze. There was something else there, something she did not immediately recognize. Her breath hitched as his grip tightened slightly, and his gaze intensified.

Miroku caught himself. It would not do to scare her away after the ground he had gained this evening. But the gods knew it would be hard to let her go after this.

"Sango," he said huskily. "I apologize, but it is probably better if I leave you now."

"Why?" She asked. "Is something wrong?"

He sighed, not letting her go just yet. "Sango, you are a beautiful woman, and your effects on me are powerful."

Her eyes widened, understanding his meaning.

He smiled at her. "Rather than risk your newly won confidence in me, I will leave before my desires get the better of my judgment."

Sango barely recognized the voice that whispered, "And what of my desires?"

Miroku had been gently pulling away from her when she spoke. He froze at her words; using every once of will he possessed to remain unmoving. When he thought he could speak normally, he began.

"Sango, you have to tell me what you want."

Face flaming, she averted her eyes. There was no way she could say that out loud! She wondered sourly why he picked then of all times to restrain himself.

Steeling herself, Sango raised her face to Miroku's, lightly and quickly pressing her lips to his. Just as quickly, she withdrew, thinking to apologize for her bold behavior. She never got the chance.

Tightening his arms around her, he drew her back to him and placed his mouth over hers. It was not a tender kiss. There was too much anticipation, too much frustration, and too much repression on both their parts for their first kiss to be gentle.

Sango pulled back first, a hand to her lips in shock. Who knew a man's lips could be that soft? Who knew there was such fire beneath his lighthearted exterior?

Who knew she would want to sink to the flagstones of the wall right that second and let him show her everything else she had missed?

At that thought, a tiny moan escaped her, further inflaming the monk. Looking down at her, he found that the kiss had only fueled his need instead of assuaging it. Pushing her against one of the turrets, he pressed himself against her and began to nibble at her neck. Sango had never felt anything like that in her life, and could only pant helplessly against him, running her hands up his back.

He responded by sliding his hand up to one breast and lightly stroking it through her gown. She gasped. When he took her nipple in between his fingers, she cried out, fisting her hands in his hair, and undoing his ponytail in the process.

Miroku knew he had to stop soon or he would take her, right there on the fort wall. He raised his head. "Sango…I'm afraid I do not have much restraint left. We must stop."

Caught up in the new feelings he had woken in her, it took Sango a few seconds to register his words. She nodded dazedly. Taking her arm, Miroku gently steered her back inside and towards her room.

She did not remember the walk back at all. She let them into her sitting room, which was empty. Kagome was most likely still in the dining hall.

Miroku began to feel nervous…all of these available flat surfaces were not good for his current state of mind. In the light of the torches, she was as beautiful as he had ever seen her. Suddenly, her face firmed, and she grabbed the front of his robes, dragging him against her. He was stunned for a split second before he returned the kiss. As he ran his hands down her back to her bottom, kneading and caressing the globes of flesh, she moaned into his mouth.

"Oh my," Sango thought. "It never felt this good when he did it before…"

Lifting her off her feet, he carried her over to a nearby table, sitting her down. He began raising the skirt of her gown as he kissed her. She felt incredibly exposed with him standing between her legs, and began to feel nervous.

He pulled away from her lips to look her in the eye. "Sango, I want you to trust me. I won't do anything you feel uncomfortable with. I just want to show you how good this can be. Do you believe me?"

He lightly ran his hand down the side of her face, desperate for her assent, but not wanting to frighten her.

She nodded, her eyes liquid with need.

Miroku lowered his mouth to hers again, continuing to run his hands up her legs. When he reached his goal he massaged her lightly, reveling in the involuntary jerk that produced. He lightly ran his fingers along her folds, letting her grow accustomed to his touch. As her pants and movements gained strength, he inserted one finger and began to move it within her.

Gasping, Sango tightened her grip on his arms. Breaking their kiss, she let her head fall onto his shoulder. With her neck so exposed, he couldn't help running his mouth along it. Knowing she was close to her release, he inserted a second finger into her. Her cry only made him burn. Wanting to show her how good it could be for them, he brushed over her center with his thumb.

Her mouth formed an "o", and her legs drew up around his back. The sensations were new and overwhelming and she didn't want them to stop. Something inside her was telling her that she didn't have long before the tightly wound feelings inside her snapped.

Her breath was rasping, and she was gulping for air. Miroku seemed to be in similar condition, and she couldn't imagine how he was still able to stand. Suddenly, the waves of her release began to spread and she cried out as her body quivered on the table.

When she came back to herself, she was completely wrapped around the monk. Her hands clutched his upper arms, and her legs were around his hips. Her gown was pushed up around her waist, and she could see wisps of her hair in her eyes. She didn't even want to imagine what kind of picture she presented.

A pair of soft lips kissed her forehead. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," she said hoarsely. "Yes, thank you."

He shook his head. "I must thank you. Judging by the look of surprise on your face, that was a first for you. Am I correct?" After she nodded, he continued. "Then it was an even more precious gift than I knew." He kissed her again, lingering.

He stepped back and loosened her legs from his waist. Sango shivered from the loss of warmth as he lowered the skirt of her dress. Miroku smiled as he brushed hair from her eyes. Her mouth was swollen, her clothing in disarray and her hair mussed. She had never been more beautiful to him.

"I had better leave." He said. "People will begin to wonder where we are."

She nodded. "I-I need to freshen up, in any case. I'll see you downstairs?"

He nodded, and bent over to give her one last kiss before he turned and walked out. Once in the hall, he groaned to himself. There was no way he could go back into the dining hall in his condition. He needed privacy, and he needed it now.