HEARTSICK

A short little…something-or-other, inspired by my illness last week. Dedicated to all those I tortured with Double O Demon…please forgive me!

—SANGO—

Some women, when they sleep, look angelic.

I drool.

Some women, when they cry, look nobly put out and feminine.

My face gets red and blotchy, my nose runs, and I sob like a dying boar.

Some women, when they are sick, have adorable little sneezes and fainting spells.

My eyes run. My nose runs. My head hurts. I can't think straight. My mouth is fuzzy. My throat is sore. My eyes are bleary. I have a grating cough. I give explosive sneezes that leave my throat raw.

Which brings me to my story.

I was sick. Not so sick that I could justify lying down and being babied for a few days—but not so well that I could really function properly. I certainly would be no use against a demon. Fortunately (sort of), Kagome had managed—don't ask me how, I certainly couldn't have done it—to convince Inuyasha to let us take a break until I got well. We were staying in a village about a day's travel north of Kaede's home.

And I had nothing to do. As I said before, I wasn't so ill that I could justify being lazy, nor so weak that I could enjoy it. But nobody wanted me to help with anything. I could understand why not, of course. Nobody wanted to risk getting whatever infernal disease I'd caught. But it made for incredibly dull days, as my companions were all busy helping the villagers in exchange for our lodging in their homes (even Shippo, who was keeping the children distracted with his kitsune tricks while the adults worked).

It was the third day of my illness, and I'd already mended every miniscule rip, tear, and torn hem in every article of clothing owned by Shippo, Kagome, and myself (Inuyasha's clothing never seemed to rip, and I certainly wasn't going to ask that blasted monk to take of his clothes). I'd given a protesting Kirara a bath in some strange potion from Kagome's era that was supposed to keep her safe from ticks and fleas (Myoga immediately took refuge with Inuyasha, who countered my jesting offer of a flea bath with a not-so-jesting offer to end my illness in a very permanent way—if you catch my drift. Kagome sat him so many times he couldn't walk upright for nearly six hours). I'd taken so many baths at the hot springs (and, consequently, was seen by and slapped a certain pervert) that, in addition to my bleary, less than healthy appearance, I had more wrinkles than Kaede.

So really all I could think of to do was polish Hirakotsu and my sword. Neither one needed it, but the only other alternative was another bath, and I'd given Miroku enough opportunities to peek in the past two days to last even him several lifetimes.

I found a warm rock to sit on by the road a short distance from the village and sat down, with a disgruntled Kirara at my side (she still hasn't forgiven me for the bath incident. Neither have Inuyasha or Myoga). Sniffling slightly, I pulled my sword from its sheath and began to work, running the smooth, dark polishing stone down its deadly length.

That worked well for about, oh, four seconds. Then I sneezed.

Ouch!

I frowned at the blood blossoming on my thumb. Note to self, I thought grumpily, Do not handle sharp, pointy objects while expelling mucus from your nostrils. With a frustrated sigh I stuck the offending digit in my mouth.

Well, at least it would give me something else to do. If I walked as slowly as I could stand, I could occupy myself for at least half an hour getting back to the village, bandaging my thumb, and returning to the rock. If I took a short detour to watch Shippo—no, I couldn't risk giving the children this blasted sickness.

"Sango!"

"Miroku," I replied, removing my thumb from my mouth a little guiltily. He came to sit beside me, looking healthy and glowing in his neat monk's robes.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked.

"Not really," I sighed, turning away. I really didn't want him to see me like this.

"That is unfortunate. Perhaps some medication from Kagome's era would help?"

"She gave me some already," I replied, then sneezed again. Blargh. I must look terrible. A part of me argued that I didn't care what he thought, but it was wrong, and it knew it, so its protests were feeble in comparison to my illness-induced depression.

At least he hasn't groped you, it reminded me, still trying to win its loosing debate.

Of course he hasn't. Who wants to grope an ugly, sick mess?

Well, he still wants to look at you. All those times at the springs—

I am trying to work myself into a state of hopeless depression. You are NOT helping.

"Sango?" Miroku asked, cutting into what I realized was an extremely pathetic inner monologue.

"Ah, sorry. I was thinking."

"About what?"

"Eh…" I flushed. No way was I going to tell him that! "It's not important."

"If you say so." He seemed content to leave me to my thoughts, and we sat in silence for several minutes, until—

"Lord monk!"

Deep inside my head, I cursed.

—MIROKU—

"Lord monk!"

I looked up as I heard someone calling my title. It was Mimiko, a young girl I'd come to know quite well (No, not that well. Unfortunately.) during our stay in her village.

"Mimiko," I replied evenly. I noted with some curiosity that Sango's shoulders had grown very tense against the lines of her yukata.

"Oh, lord monk, do come back to the village!" she pleaded. "There are demon rats in the shrine!"

"Your pardon, fair lady, but I believe Inuyasha said he was going to take care of them. He is far more capable of dealing with this than I."

She pouted prettily. "But he, too, is a demon—he will not get rid of them!"

"It is my experience that Inuyasha will do anything if Kagome bribes him," I said dryly. "I truly am sorry to refuse such a beautiful woman—" Sango snorted "—but I have no experience with such creatures. But if Inuyasha is incapable of removing them, perhaps Lady Sango will be able to render assistance. She is very good at dealing with such matters."

This was obviously not the answer Mimiko had wanted. I found it odd—and more than a little amusing—that she seemed so set on obtaining my affections. Most girls refuse my advances flat out, on account of my being a man of the cloth, but she seemed determined to have me. In the past I would have been overjoyed, but…

I glanced at the woman beside me, pointedly ignoring our conversation with her shoulder blades rigid against the cloth of her yukata, and smiled slightly. But things change.

—SANGO—

A week passed, and my condition stayed the same. Poor Kirara had been subjugated to three more flea baths, and Kagome and I managed to trick Inuyasha into taking one (Now that was funny. Unfortunately, laughing that hard tore my throat.). Kagome taught me to make daisy chains, and I soon had enough to cocoon the village thrice over. I took so many baths that Miroku's face was permanently marked with my handprint.

"I just don't get it." Kagome shook her head, looking at the funny metal device she called a 'thermometer'. "You don't have a fever, and I've given you every antihistamine and decongestant I can think of. You should be better by now, even without the medicines from my era."

I refrained from pointing out that I had no idea what an 'antihistamine' or a 'decongestant' was, other than that they were in those weird white tablets she made me swallow.

"I, too, am confused," said Tsuna, the village's wise woman. "Such illnesses as these rarely last longer than a few days."

"Blargh," I muttered darkly.

Kagome smiled. "Don't worry, Sango, I'm sure we'll think of something."

"I am not so sure."

I blinked at Tsuna. Gee, thanks, I thought. I feel so much better.

"Sicknesses of the body can be cured by knowledge of the proper herbs," Tsuna clarified. "Yours was not. That leads me to believe that this is a sickness of the mind or of the heart."

I blinked at her. "You think I'm lovesick?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"

When I didn't answer, she continued, "It is the only answer I can think of. If it is indeed a sickness of the heart, then you are the only one who can cure it."

I sighed and got to my feet. "Thank you for your council, Lady Tsuna." Not really sure what to make of her diagnosis, I brushed it aside and walked down the path out of the village.

Gyah, I hate this. I wish it would just go one way or the other—either get really bad so I could enjoy being miserable, or get better so we could get going again.

As I wandered, I noticed Miroku coming out of Mimiko's hut. An all-too-familiar swoop of jealousy and hurt pitched through my stomach.

Gyah, I hate this. I wish I could figure this out one way or the other. If he doesn't like me at all, fine, I can be depressed and cry on Kagome's shoulder and throw rocks at trees and get over it. If he does l…lo…love me (my heart started beating very fast) well, then…then…then I don't know.

Hn. Maybe the whole 'heartsick' thing was pretty accurate.

"Really, Lady Mimiko, I must—" Miroku's sentence was cut off by a lyrical voice within the hut, obviously Mimiko. "Well, if you insist…"

I sighed, trying to fight the tears springing into my eyes. Suddenly I was just tired, so very tired of watching him and not saying anything, not doing anything at all to let him know how I felt. But I couldn't do it; I couldn't bring myself to lay my heart bare before him. As if he'd notice, I thought dully. Oh damn…The tears had escaped my control and were running down my face. Biting my lip to keep from crying out, I turned and went back inside.

—KAGOME—

The next morning Sango didn't wake me up as she had the previous days. Concerned, I went to check on her and found Tusna there as well.

"How is she?" I asked, coming to kneel by her side.

Tsuna shook her head. "Not well. Not well at all."

Frowning, I put my hand to her forehead and pulled away with a hiss. "She's burning up!"

"I know. Has something happened that would…" Tsuna trailed off, looking up as the mat covering the door was pushed aside.

"How is she?" Miroku asked. "I got worried when I didn't see her at the hot springs."

I sent him a fierce glare and then shot a significant look at Tsuna.

She understood my meaning, giving me a slight nod before saying, "It would seem her illness has gotten worse. Do you know of anything that could have impacted her condition?"

Miroku shook his head. "No…"

"I know you said it won't help," I said in an undertone to Tsuna, "but I think we should try some stronger medicines." Raising my voice, I said, "Miroku, I'm going back to my era to get some medicine to help her."

He nodded his thanks to me. "She should not be left alone."

"No," Tsuna agreed. "But Kagumi is birthing, and I must be there to assist. I cannot stay with her. If Kagome is going to get medicine for Sango, who can be here?"

"Inuyasha will want to come with me," I said, my face showing nothing but mild concern for Sango. All right monk, come on, don't fail us. We're giving you one chance to fix this—get it right!

"I will stay with her," he said softly, brushing his fingers over her hot cheeks.

Instantly I felt guilty for my anger with him. Despite his…shall we say, less than pure behavior, he truly did love her. "I'm sure she will be fine," I reassured him, giving him my cheeriest smile. "Perhaps all she needs is sleep."

—SANGO—

The first thing I noticed on waking was the heat coursing through my body. My throat was dry and raw, and I was terribly thirsty. I opened my eyes and shut them quickly. That hurt.

I guess you got your answer, I thought bitterly, to both problems. The end.

—MIROKU—

I spent the morning with Sango, watching her back as she slept. She was curled on her side, facing the wall, and for some reason I felt oddly shut out. It was like she was ignoring me on purpose…but that was ridiculous, as she was asleep…right?

"Lord Monk!"

I bit my lip. "Yes, Lady Mimiko?"

"There you are—I've been looking all over for you! The cherry-blossom viewing festival is tonight, and—oh!"

"Lady Sango has worsened," I said unnecessarily.

"Oh," Mimiko said with saccharin sympathy. "Poor dear…" She brightened suddenly. "But as I was saying, Lord Monk, the cherry blossom festival is tonight, and I would be so honored if you would come and walk with me!"

I glanced over at Sango. Her shoulders had tightened against the cloth of her dress. So, not asleep at all. You are a vixen, I thought, amused.

"Lord Monk? Does your smile mean you accept?"

Hastily smoothing my expression, I replied, "No, Lady Mimiko, I am sorry, but I must refuse. Sango is not well, and it would be wrong of me to leave her alone."

She pouted prettily. "You prefer the company of an invalid who is barely a woman to me?"

Well. I blinked in shock. How does one respond to a statement such as that? Coughing slightly, I replied, "Lady Sango needs me more than you do right now. And I fail to see how she is barely a woman," I added softly.

Mimiko looked at me like I was crazy. "She is a fighter! A demon hunter! She runs around in leggings half the time, showing her legs to any man who cares to look…and she travels with men!"

I glanced at Sango. Her shoulders were shaking with repressed fury.

"Lady Sango protects those she cares about—as would any sensible woman. She works to defend all from the demons that would destroy us. She is an excellent friend to Lady Kagome, and has acted as mother to our companions on more than one occasion. If she wears leggings, what of it? If she is confidant enough in her body to display it, good for her. I happen to think she has very nice legs. And as for her traveling with men…you seem to forget that I am one of those men she travels with. Do you not trust me to let her keep her honor?"

I didn't take my eyes from Sango's back. Over the course of my speech her shoulders had grown very still, then slumped at my profession of virtuous intentions. I could just imagine the look on her face—the dry, deadpan look that said 'I can't believe you're doing that—but since it's you, yes I can'.

Ah, Lady Sango, you know me too well…

Mimiko didn't seem to know what to say. "But—surely, Lord Monk, no man would want a woman such as her for a wife! And what good is a woman if she has no husband?"

"You have no husband," I said softly. "And I can think of one man who would be very glad indeed to have Sango for his bride." Sango's shoulders grew tense again, and her breaths faster and shallower.

Mimiko's face was red. "If you'll excuse me, Lord Monk, I believe I have business to attend to elsewhere!" she said tightly, and stormed out of the hut.

In the silence of her absence, I reached over to brush Sango's bangs out of her eyes. She flinched.

I sighed, tracing the curve of her cheek. "Did you really think I cared so little for you?"

—KAGOME—

"What now, wench?" Inuyasha demanded when I asked him to stop. It was nearing nightfall, the sun's fading light casting orange shadows over the forest.

"Look." I pointed to the trees a short way off. "The cherry trees are in bloom…"

"Keh. Stupid trees. Can we go now?"

I sighed. Not exactly the most romantic of people, my hanyou. "You can if you want. I'm going to go look."

"But—Gyah, wait for me!"

—INUYASHA—

By the time I caught up with her, Kagome was seated under one of the trees, watching pink blossoms tumble down around her.

"Wench, we don't have time for…" I trailed off, watching her. Gods, she's beautiful…

I gulped. No she's not!

Yes, she is.

Not!

Is.

Not…

A cluster of blossoms fell softly down into her lap. She picked it up and separated one from the bunch. "Here, Inuyasha," she said, reaching up to tuck the flower behind my ear. "Come sit with me."

Confused and more than a little scared by the effect she was having on me, I pulled it out of my hair. "Men don't wear flowers. Demons don't wear flowers."

She bit her lip and turned away. "Of course they don't…"

Oh, damn, now I'd hurt her. At least she wasn't crying—yet. I gulped, glancing around me for some way to cheer her up. My gaze landed on the blossom in my hand.

"Girls look better in them, anyway," I mumbled, tucking it in her hair.

—SANGO—

The next morning I woke feeling better than I had in quite a while. My fever was gone, my throat was healed, my mucus glands were taking a much-needed vacation—I was healed.

"Awake at last, I see."

I sat up quickly. "L-lord Monk," I mumbled, looking away.

"Feeling better?" he asked, dropping to kneel beside me.

"Y-yes."

"It will be good to get on our way again," he said solemnly. "Naraku has no doubt collected many shards while you were ill."

I looked up at him, a little hurt. Was that really all he cared about? Then I flushed. He's teasing me…Glaring, I smacked him lightly.

He rubbed his jaw with a crooked smile, amethyst eyes dancing in amusement. "Good to know you're back to normal."

"And there's plenty more where that came from," I told him severely. "So watch ou—" I squeaked as he leaned forward and kissed me gently.

"I suppose I get one for that?" he said tentatively.

I told myself to breath. "Maybe not," I said shakily. "That all depends on what you do next."

—FIN—

Well, I hoped you liked it. Just a little fluffy bit to apologize for the mess I made of DOD. Merry Christmas to all, and please review!