Bonding Time – Part Three

Sango never thought she had ever been so happy to see the village. She had also never dreaded it so much. Kagome would sympathize with her plight, but Inuyasha could be as bad as Miroku at times; both were worse around each other and might make a crack at them. Myouyga would definitely say something, and hopefully Shippo knew something about the cuffs since he was kitsune... but Myouga might know more simply because he was usually a font of information.

The moment she and Miroku stepped on to the dirt pathway leading through the village's center, Kagome appeared and latched on to her left arm. "I need to talk to you, Sango-chan," she said while tugging her off the path.

Miroku had no choice but to follow. Kagome looked over her shoulder at the monk. "Miroku-sama, I need to talk to Sango-chan alone."

Miroku held up their joined wrists before Sango could answer. "You sorta have to talk to both of us."

A gruff voice from overhead snorted. "What did you now, bouzu?"

Miroku rolled his eyes. "I didn't do it- ow!" He slapped his neck and looked at his hand.

Sure enough, Myouga the flea lay on his palm. "How did you get a kubiwa-ai if you didn't do anything?"

Sango peered at the flea. "What is a kubiwa-ai? I've never heard of it."

"Kitsunes and tanukis use it for courtship."

"Courtship?" Miroku asked," So how do we get it off?"

Myuoga hopped to Kagome's shoulder. At a safe distance, he answered, "It's locked by magic. There are different kinds of kubiwa-ai. They can only be opened by completing particular steps in the courtship... uh, ritual."

Sango glanced sidelong at Miroku. "Oh no."

Miroku looked at her then back to Myouga. "Any other ways?"

Myouga shrugged. "Not that I know of." The flea chuckled. "Good luck." He moved to Inuyasha, who had jumped down from the tree, and hid in the hanyou's hair.

Kagome tilted her head. "How did that happen anyway?"

Sango explained briefly, leaving out their argument over ogling and breast size. When she reached what Hachi had told them, Inuyasha inhaled deeply. "Shippo's the only kitsune for miles," he informed them.

Sango slumped. "Great. We _have_ to find that kitsune. I refuse to do... that."

Kagome reached forward and squeezed her shoulder.

Myouga reappeared. "Well, just to let you know, sex is only the final step in the courtship. If you're lucky, your kubiwa-ai is unlocked by one of the earlier stages."

"And if it's not?"

Myouga shrugged. "Then you're screwed... in more ways than one." For his snide comment, Inuyasha squished him between thumb and forefinger and dropped him to the ground.

"Is Kirara out with Shippo? We'll use her nose to track the kitsune."

Kagome offered, "We could go with you."

Inuyasha nodded in support.

Sango shook her head and drew Kagome away from the boys (which wasn't very far, but it's the thought that counts.) She lowered her voice until it was barely a whisper, intending her message for Kagome's ears alone, "If worst comes to worst, at least no one would be around."

Because of their proximity, both Miroku and Inuyasha heard also, but at least Sango could pretend privacy. Kagome nodded and hugged Sango. "Hope you find him soon."

Sango returned the embrace. "Me too."

The four headed to Kaede's hut to gather supplies for Sango and Miroku. On the way, Miroku and, consequently, Sango dropped back. The monk leaned close to her and murmured, "It won't come to worst. I would rather stay attached to you forever than force you to sleep with me."

Sango bit her bottom lip, silent for a long moment. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Thank you, Houshi-sama."

Sango heard him chuckle. "You can call me Miroku, Sango."

Sango rubbed her hands on her yukata nervously. "Okay, I guess... Miroku-sama."

Miroku sighed. "You're hopeless, you know that... Sango-sama?"

Sango turned her head sharply, and he winked.

Inuyasha called from ahead, "Are you two done yet?"

Miroku glared at the hanyou. "Stay out of our conversation, eavesdropper!"

Inuyasha smirked and continued down the path without a word, his ears twitching in amusement.

Miroku turned his attention back to Sango, but she was staring into the forest, pointedly ignoring him.

Miroku felt, than than saw, Kirara glaring balefully at his back. The neko youkai was quite displeased at how close he had to walk to Sango. Miroku imagined that the only reason Kirara had not attacked him already was because Sango would yell at her if she did. He glanced at the demon exterminator. She was focused on the kitsune tracks in front of them that Kirara had found an hour ago. This was the first sign of their quarry in the two days since they had left the village.

The tracks were plainly visible, obviously the maker not being concerned about being followed. Sango had mentioned that the tracks were at least a day old, the kitsune passing by the village without their knowledge and without stopping like they had hoped.

Other than that, Sango had not said much to him. And she still would not call him Miroku. She had humored him while they were with the others, but the moment they were alone, it was back to- "Houshi-sama."

It took Miroku a moment to realize that Sango had just called him. "What?"

Sango kept her eyes locked to the ground to avoid looking at Miroku. "When we find the kitsune, what if he can't take these off?" She gestured at the kubiwa-ai. "What if we're the only ones who can?"

Miroku shrugged and joked, "I guess we'll have to perform the kitsune courtship ritual."

"That involves sex you know. And biting, even when they're in human form."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "How much do you know about it?"

Sango flushed. "Well, I am taijiya. I was taught many things about many youkai, even relatively tame ones like kitsune. Never heard of the kubiwa-ai though." She lapsed into silence.

In an attempt to open her up again, Miroku asked, "So kitsune bite each other? Before, after, during?"

Sango looked bewildered. "During what? Oh," her cheeks burned hotter. "Um... I'm not sure. Probably all three, but from what I remember, it's only really significant before."

"So if I bit you right now, this," he shook the chain, "could disappear?"

Sango's eyes widened. "I-I um..." She found her voice. "No- I mean, it might, but you have to draw blood and- well, kitsune have sharp teeth, and it would take awhile for you..." She hesitated when Miroku wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. "An-and you'd have to- um, be at it for a long time to uh, break the skin, and it might not work anyway," she finished in a rush.

Miroku bent his head and murmured against her neck, "But there's the chance that it would."

Sango inhaled sharply and stepped away, pushing at his chest. Kirara growled, fur standing on end.

Miroku drew back and licked suddenly dry lips. "Sorry, guess I got a little carried away." He mentally kicked himself. What was he _doing_? Congratulations, Miroku, you've just scared Sango away. A quick peek at her as they resumed their tracking revealed that she was dividing her time between watching the trail of pawprints and taking surreptitious glances at him.

He had several opportunities to speak to her, to explain why he had nearly done... something to her neck. But how could he explain whatever it was when he didn't even know what it was or why he had done it or why- Sango had stopped walking.

At the inquisitive slant of his eyebrows, she pointed to the ground. "I've lost them."

Miroku looked down and did not see the kitsune tracks. He raised his head. "When?"

Sango shrugged sheepishly. "I-I'm not sure. I really wasn't paying attention."

"That's unlike you, Sango."

Sango nodded, her cheeks stained pink. Miroku turned around. "We'll find them again if we just backtrack. Come on."

Sango followed him, too embarrassed to reply.

The rain pattered through the foliage, dripping down on to the forest floor and forming puddles wherever the outstretched branches of tall trees did not reach. Miroku, Sango, and Kirara huddled beneath one such tree, an oak, to escape the deluge. Initially, the tree was not their camp; the had chosen it to wait out the storm, and then they had planned to continue.

The rain had lasted longer than expected, and gray, wet day had been replaced with dark, wet night. Since they were (mostly) dry and protected where they were at present, they had decided to sleep beneath the tree's massive sheltering arms. Well, Miroku was sleeping; Sango could not. She was not guarding the camp either; they had Kirara for that. She simply could not sleep.

So she resigned herself to lying on her stomach next to Miroku and watching the young man drool. She guessed at the source of her insomnia. Embarrassment. How could she, a taijya, lose a clear kitsune track? Because she had been too busy _ogling_ her traveling companion. Too busy admiring his jaw line and the way his robes fell across his shoulders and chest. She shook herself. "I'm getting as perverted as him," she muttered.

Miroku shifted in his sleep and rolled over on to his front. This left Sango in an awkward position. Because their attached arms were on opposite sides of their bodies, Miroku had pulled her right arm beneath his body when he turned. Thus Sango was quite uncomfortable. To alleviate this discomfort, she scooted closer to him and on to her right side. Now she could bend her pinned arm somewhat, but was _very_ close to Miroku, practically on top of him.

Hoping he would not wake up, Sango struggled to find a position that would not look too ecchi. And if he did wake, what would he think? Though now that she thought about it, why did she care what he thought? Sure, he looked good, but he was a pervert. Never mind that he had not touched her for days, except for that odd moment earlier. And he had been quite considerate to her needs since- Oh, who was she trying to fool? She could argue until she was blue in the face about how she did not care what he thought, but she did. She wanted him to think of _her._ Why? She was not entirely sure.

Feeling her hand begin to numb, she flexed it and then flattened it against Miroku's chest. Oooh, definitely nice chest.

"Mmmm, Sango," Miroku groaned and flipped on to his back, taking Sango with him. Sango "eeped" in surprise at finding herself on top of the monk, straddling his hips (definitely not a position to be in whilst wearing a yukata.) Another shock came when Miroku moved his right hand down her back to her behind.

Sango stiffened, but held back pounding the monk's face into the ground. Doing so would only wake him up; and, besides, the errant hand was not actually doing anything, just resting lightly on her ass. Sango could become accustomed to his hand's presence, no groping, no problem. And, Sango decided as she set her head in the crook between his neck and shoulder, he made an excellent pillow. Too bad he was such a pervert.

The first thing Miroku noticed as he drifted towards the waking world was that he could not move his body. Except for his right hand. Being able to do that much, he flexed it, and his fingers encountered something that was definitely not a blanket. He opened one eye and inhaled sharply. Sango was straddling him!

Eyes nearly bugging out of his head, Miroku tried to pull out from beneath her, but Sango had a solid grip on the back of his neck and ponytail. Panic shot through him. What was he going to do? But more importantly, what was _she_ going to do? His body was reacting to the close contact, and she would certainly notice _that._ And then she would hit him, call him a pervert, and they would not speak to each other for the rest of the day.

The panic, indeed all thought good or bad, suddenly vanished from his mind. Sango had caressed his side, and not through his clothes either. Sango's right hand, the hand bound to his own, was _inside_ his robes. Desire crashed into him, jump-starting his brain. So, he thought smugly as he studied the sleeping woman, I'm not the only lech around here.

He craned his neck to the side so he could see her hand and whistled softly in surprise. The front of his robes was peeled back to his waist, his shoulders, chest, and most of his stomach naked to the world. Sango was lying quite comfortably on top of him, oblivious to the fact that she had stripped him. Not even _he_ had done that to her.

Sango was shockingly bold in her sleep... or, at least, while he slept. Miroku banished the mental image. He just could not imagine Sango consciously undressing him. She was too... Sango to do something like that.

He was overjoyed for a second that he was who he was at that moment. That he was touching Sango without being rebuked, and that she was touching him quite willingly. A terrible thought occurred to him. What if Sango was thinking of someone else while she was sleeping on him and caressing his side? What if she did not want to touch him? What if-?

Miroku shook his head violently, growling. So he would just kill the other man and- and what? Claim Sango as his? Geez, he'd been hanging with youkai too long. Sighing, Miroku moved his free hand from Sango's rear to her back and held her tightly. Whether or not there was someone else, whether she wanted to be with him or not, for the moment, one short, beautiful, valuable moment, Sango _was_ his. And no one could take that moment from him.