InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ My Priest Charming ❯ Long-lost, But not Forgotten ( Chapter 1 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha…or Miroku…or Sango..or Kagome…I'm sure you get the picture!

A/N: Hey everyone! This Miroku/Sango idea popped into my head, and made me laugh, so I said to myself, "Self, I think you should write down this story. Give it a clever name and you're all set." So, that's precisely what I did! Miroku and Sango make a fantastic couple, and they're so much fun to write about.

Read and review please!

"My Priest Charming"

CHAPTER 1: Long-lost, But not Forgotten

There he was in her memory, his bright smile still making her heart flutter and his violet eyes twinkling good-naturedly. She remembered him so clearly that their first meeting could have been yesterday. The swish of his robes, the jangle of the rings on his staff and the light shuffling of his sandals on the wooden planks of their home. She still heard them in the back of her mind, and yearned to hear those sounds once more.

But, most of all, she missed his laughter. Deep and warm and comforting like the rays of the sun. And he was so tall. When he'd laughed at her childish whimsy or found the antics of the other villagers amusing, his entire body would shake with mirth, and she would admire his lanky, muscular figure. To her, such a man was like Buddha himself- someone of perfection and beauty, but also of humanity and of humility.

Gods, how she missed him.

Sango heard a faint sizzling, and the smell of something burning lifted to her nostrils. She felt a little disoriented, and whipped her head up to see what had happened.

"Sango! It's burning!"

"AHH!" Suddenly awakened from her stupor, Sango noticed that the pot of food that she was supposed to be watching was now practically in flames, and she panicked as her friend moved expertly to douse the fire with water.

The dish was left steaming and crackling, now a sizzling mass of charcoal, in the pot. Sango sighed, staring down at it regretfully. That's what she got for daydreaming. "Sorry, Kagome….I guess I kind of just drifted off there…." Not that she was a particularly fabulous cook in the first place…but usually she was able to notice before the rice coagulated into a lump of coal.

Kagome sent her an understanding smile, scraping out the remains of the rice and tossing them into the roaring fire. "Don't worry about it, Sango. You've had a long day…."

Sango had the urge to roll her eyes at herself. It wasn't fatigue that had caused her to drift off. There was still a slight blush painted on her cheeks, too…..and that definitely wasn't from the heat of the fire.

Kagome put down the dish for a moment, glancing at her friend in the silence. "….Are you sure you're alright, Sango? You look kind of flushed…"

….Leave it to Kagome to notice that kind of thing. Kagome hadn't been living in the village for very long- not much longer than half a year, but already she and Sango were bonded almost as close as sisters. She was intelligent and intuitive, and a natural caregiver.

Although not a demon exterminator like the villagers, Kagome was skilled as a priestess, and was very appreciated as a cook in the chief's household. Sango's father had once joked that Kagome must have been sent by the gods as repentance for forcing the family to survive on Sango's cooking.

Sango played with her hair nervously, curling a piece of her short bangs around her index finger. "….Ah….I'm just fine…..it's nothing…."

Kagome's grin spread widely across her face, and Sango dreaded what was about to come as her friend scooted toward her. "So, who is he?" she goaded.

Sango acted as if she was offended by such a preposterous question as she blushed back in agony. "WHAT in the world are you talking about, Kagome?! Who is WHO?!"

Kagome tapped her nose with a knowing smile. "Whatever boy caused you to burn that dinner!" She nodded pointedly at the charred pot.

"…..Boy….?" The thought of calling Miroku merely a boy made Sango want to scoff. Oh, he was far more than a boy. Even when she had known him, he was already a man.

She scowled at her friend, who was now giving her a mushy-dopey grin that bordered on idiotic. Sango sighed deeply, and began poking at the ashes of the cooking fire with a stick. Sparks scattered across the floor as the coals cracked deafeningly. "It's nothing, Kagome! It's just a long-lost memory, and there's no use talking about it!"

Kagome noticed the hurt that welled into Sango's voice as she spoke, and decided to drop the subject. Who knew that Sango had a mystery man? -Oh well,-- she thought. -I'm sure I'll find out who he is eventually…--

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Miroku sighed deeply in satisfaction, smiling to himself.

A day of hard work completed once again. Yes, doing the priestly duty certainly was wholesome and all, but sometimes a man just had to use other measures to get by in life. Cheating, stealing, lying……all so underrated….

He laced his long fingers together, holding them behind his head of tousled dark hair, and relaxed into his soft futon. So what if he had made that tiny white lie in order to get this room? He was a priest after all, wasn't he? He did have a sixth sense for evil energy…..and he did have the power to seal up evil demons…..So half of what he had told the owner of the estate was entirely the truth.

…..The other half…..well, that was a tiny lie he liked to tell people. Sure, there weren't really any evil spirits looming over their mansions….but they didn't need to know that, did they? A few seals here, a couple ritualistic chants over there, and everything was settled. With a nice meal and a comfortable bed in the deal to boot. Everyone was happy.

He had first been drawn to the expansive estate, not because of the promise of a place to sleep, but because of his lecherous hand. Boy, did it just itch when he had trekked by the mansion. The courtier's daughter, even from afar, was graceful and ladylike, and Miroku had found it necessary to use his excuses to weasel his way into her company.

What lovely ladies, the girls of this mansion. So hospitable and friendly. Maybe not so friendly towards his advances, but they still were a sight for sore eyes.

Miroku hummed a little tune to himself.

Life was good.

Things could have been better, though. For example, those pesky enemies of his who disapproved of his scamming ways….So many of them let their egos get the best of them, so they decided to track Miroku down to beat sense into him. Not that they ever succeeded, of course, but it got annoying after while to have to fend them off on a daily basis.

This meant he would most likely have to leave his new abode at the break of dawn. He couldn't afford to put the count's daughter in danger.

He sighed irritably, just thinking about it. Some people would just never learn. Once you got your belongings and your dignity conned away by Miroku, you never got them back….

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The sharp clang of the hammer rang out in the enclosed room, causing the hard surface to hiss at every hit. Sango set the hammer down for a moment, wiping the thin film of sweat off her brow with the back of her sleeve, and blowing out a gust of air to move her short bangs that were sticking to her forehead.

Her hiraikotsu lay across the fire, its bone surface heated and glowing red from the flames. It had been broken in half by yesterday's demon extermination. When she had launched the oversized boomerang at the huge insect-like demon, it had caused damage, but had also snapped in two in the process. Her weapon was like her old friend and therefore, needed close attention. Sango was currently welding it back in place with the bone materials in the village workshop, shaping her work skillfully with the long iron hammer.

Clang. Clang. Hammer. Clang. Clatter. Scream.

….Scream?

Sango growled teasingly at her little brother, who was having trouble containing his laughter. She regretted now that she had trained him how to sneak up on demons without making a single noise. He had become far too good at it!

"Kohaku!" she threw down the hammer. Sango gave Kohaku a mock-stern look, placing her hands on her hips. In one swift movement, she had pulled him into her lap, ruffling his hair violently. "Haven't I told you before not to use that on people?"

His round, freckled cheeks were pierced in a wide smile as he giggled. She tickled him and he struggled wildly, his childish laughter increasing by the moment. He finally apologized loudly, and she let him loose, both of their cheeks flushed with laughter.

"Sorry, sis!" He laughed, panting he sat cross-legged against the opposite wall of the workshop. "I just couldn't help it!"

She smiled over at him, and lovingly watched him play with Kirara, Sango's pet demon cat. He had grown up so much, almost overnight. He still had his baby face and delicate features, but his limbs were growing stronger, and he was now moving with the grace of a hunter. At eleven, he would soon be allowed to join the ranks of demon exterminators. He was already so skillful with his chain-and-sickle and with the sword, that it wouldn't be long before he surpassed her in ability.

"….have you been practicing today?" She asked lightly, turning back to finish fixing her boomerang.

Kohaku pulled his knees up to his chest, watching the two-tailed cat under his hand as she rolled around playfully. "Of course I have! I was out practicing in the field all morning."

"You're getting so strong, Kohaku. You'll be going out there, too, you know."

Kohaku was thoughtful. "I know. I'm training hard so I can make you and Dad proud."

Sango smiled quietly, eyeing the melting cracks on the bone beneath her. Kohaku rolled to his feet gracefully, and joined her over the fire to inspect hiraikotsu. "So, what happened to her, sis? That's a pretty nasty break!"

"A demon with real tough armor came into contact with her, but she'll be as good as new once she cools!" Sango dealt the final blow, and then deftly handled it with the large tongs, immersing it deep into the vat of cooling liquid in the center of the room.

Once she was done, she removed the apron around her waist. "So, why did you come in here in the first place?"

Kohaku perked up. "Oh! Yeah! Dad said there's a guest at home that he would like you to meet, and he sent me to tell you to get over there once you were finished."

Sango ruffled Kohaku's hair again, and shook out her cramped limbs.

"Well, let's go then…" She gave Kirara a light pat as the tiny cat leapt onto her shoulder, mewing as if in response to Sango.

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Kagome looked up as Sango and Kohaku entered their home, already poised over a tea set next to the cooking fire.

"There you are!" She leaned forward to place the small porcelain cups in order on the tray, arranging the hot pot of steaming liquid. "Your father had been waiting a while for you to show up. There's-"

"-someone he wants me to see? Kohaku came to tell me. Are they in the back room?"

"….they are." Kagome responded, distractedly, pursing her lips as she placed the finishing touches on her tray. -What a show-off-Sango thought, ruefully, as she watched her friend work.

"I think maybe you should bring the tea in, since you are the lady of the house!" Kagome grinned deviously at Sango.

Sango groaned. What was she getting at with that smile, anyway? Kagome knew she was horrid with tea- almost as bad as she was with rice. Of course, only the gods knew why she could deliver a series of snapping kicks in mid-air or hoist a 60-pound bone boomerang with ease, but couldn't balance a tray of teacups without hurting her pride.

Sighing loudly, Sango carefully picked up the tray. She moved with small steps, not because they were ladylike, but because she knew no other way of keeping the hot liquid from flying across the room.

As she tentatively shuffled closer to her father's room, she heard her father's deep voice booming, followed by the chuckling of a younger man. She was a little relieved to note that the important guest wasn't an ancient priest or daimyo, because she loathed having to pretend lthat she was a traditional lady of the house, and not a woman trained in combat.

Balancing the tray on one arm, she reached to push the bamboo covering of the door aside.

When she laid her eyes upon the visitor, Sango blanched.

At this moment, the teacups were very much in danger of falling, as her body wavered slightly.

It was him.

Her dear monk had come back to her.

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