"Sango, would you help me with something?" Miroku asked.
She looked at the monk suspiciously. InuYasha had pissed off Kagome yet again,
and was in her own world, so their journey was yet again at a standstill. "What is it you need?" she asked him cautiously.
"I need some help with my arm. Nothings wrong with it," he added quickly, seeing
the alarm on her face.
"Then /what/ do you need help with?" the demon slayer asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Washing it," Miroku replied. "Sometimes the part of my arm underneath the
fabric starts to feel, well, awful. I think it would be easier to clean if I had someone helping me."
Sango could see the logic, but still had one more question. "Why not ask InuYasha?"
Miroku smiled. "Hes not the careful type. I'd rather not suck up the entire
hot spring. That could put a damper on our visits here."
Sango laughed. "Alright. I will help you."
"How do you want to go about this?" Sango asked, kneeling on the edge of the hot
spring. She wasn't about to get in with the monk. Miroku untied the clasp that held the whole band together, then pushed the
sacred beads up to wrap around only his hand and wrist.
"Just take the outer cover up off," he replied, holding the beads around his
hand. Sango did so. "Now, if you could just soap up my arm..." Sango grabbed the soap and began applying the suds to
the monk's lower arm. Miroku watched her as she did so. Her eyes never left her work. He didn't even realize he was staring
until she snapped her fingers in front of his face, startling him. "Oh, Sango, I'm sorry. My mind must have wandered,"
he apologised.
"I should say so," she replied with a smile. "Well, your arm isn't going to
get any soapier."
"Yes, of course." Miroku dipped his arm into the hot spring. Sango reached
down and rubbed the suds off. Miroku was touched by the gesture. "Thank you," he murmured.
"You're welcome," she replied, still smiling. She reached for the nearby towel
and dried off his arm. Making sure his undercovering was secure, she retied the outer part. Miroku watched how careful she
was.
InuYasha sat up in a tree, watching the two. "Ugh," he muttered. "I hate the smell
of humans in heat."
Miroku heard the comment. 'Alright,' he thought. 'It's time he know
there's more than one in this group with sensitive hearing.' Arm now securely bound, he yelled, "Too bad you can't smell
yourself in the same situation, InuYasha!"
The hanyou fell off the tree as quickly as if Kagome had 'sat' him.
Sango looked confused. "What was that about?" she asked the monk.
Miroku smiled. "Nothing. Just putting InuYasha in his place."
"It'a about time somebody did," she replied.
