Eternally Missed [PG]

[Leia Avenrose]

<center>Disclaimer: I don?t own Miroku & Sango, or any of the other characters cast within the amazing show that I am now completely obsessed with: Inuyasha. Eternally Missed is from Muse. God, how I love his whiney voice?. *sighs in content*
Dedication: To Mellie, Lady Casper, Noko Marie, Lara Winner, Iron Dog, and Ice Princess. Again, you are all my stepping-stones, my inspiration.





Eternally Missed
By: Leia Avenrose
Rating: PG

Part I</center>


He stood just at the other side of the fields. The grassy grounds stood between them, the wind rolling through the long stream of dark green, the quarter moon high in the sky. His dark robes rippled against his legs, the golden rings of his staff making music, which drifted along the breeze, reaching her ears. He continued to stand there, silent, watching her, and as she staggered, catching herself on her large weapon, he started towards her, not once taking his eyes from her.

Her outfit was torn, and the ripped skin that was revealed was heavily stained in crimson. Her hair had come undone; the leather that she had always tied it back with missing and long forgotten.

She had been on a mission; a mission to save the one last piece remaining of her only family.

?Miroku,? she whimpered, tears blurring her vision. The sight of him faded out. She felt so alone, lost, afraid; desperate to just get away of the pain that coursed through her body, numbing it further.

Her gait was slow, her steps unsteady.

She had gone off during the middle of the night, leaving the hut in silence, praying for the strength she needed to be strong in order to reclaim her younger brother. The hanyou, the monk, and the girl from the well had continued to sleep, undisturbed by her departure. As the stinging warmth burned her eyes, blinding her, spilling over her lashes onto her cheeks, her foot twisted beneath her and she stumbled, but she never hit the ground.

The sound of twinkling bells was at her side, strong arms encircling her. She pressed her face into his chest, groaning. Her grip had been long gone on her weapon, and it lay somewhere behind her, hidden beneath the rolling grass. She tried to wrap her arms around him, to curl up into a ball against him, but the pain had grown to the point of excruciating, and her sob was muffled against the thick robes that swathed his broad frame.

?Sango, why didn?t you wait?? the monk asked in a soft voice, grateful to have her back and in his arms. She was safe, she was alive; that?s all that mattered.

Miroku brought a hand up, gripping her hair and kept her pressed to him. Sango shook her head; her only reply a stifled moan. Slowly, and carefully, Miroku pulled back. He tenderly brushed the hair off her face, squinted while examining the extent of her injuries on her face.

?We need to get back to the village,? he murmured, brushing a finger over the slight abrasion on the side of her jaw. ?Kagome is frantic; she?s worried about you.? His voice was soothing. She wanted nothing more then to lie against him and bury her face into his chest, along with her fears and pain. ?Inuyasha is the only thing holding her back from charging out into the fields to look for you,? he continued, his deep blue eyes never leaving her pained, hooded brown ones.

?I? didn?t mean to,? she tried to explain and winced, immediately pressing a hand at her side. As she leaned over, Miroku saw the crimson oozing freely from between her fingers. He sat there, dazed, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders.

It wasn?t until she hissed out in pain that he snapped back to the present time.

His fingers squeezed her shoulders. ?Please, Sango, we have to get your wounds treated.?

Sango gave a weak chuckle, falling forward onto an elbow, her hands still pressed against her side. ?I?m going to die.?

Miroku grit his teeth, shaking her shoulders. ?Don?t be stupid! You?re in shock; I need to treat you, and so help me; if I have to carry you back to that damned village, I will.?

He stood, pulling her to her feet. She collapsed against him, breathing heavily, and shook her head, feeling her knees tremble and give out beneath her. Miroku caught her under the arms just before she could fall completely away from him. Sango cried out, trying to flinch away, and fell to the grass as he released her. She shuddered, leaning over her knees, gasping for breath.

Gradually, he knelt beside her, gingerly touching her arm. ?What is it?? He raked his eyes over her back, searching anxiously for the injury.

?He took me from behind,? she whispered, feeling entirely nauseous. She squeezed her eyes tight against the memories that assaulted her.

??Kohaku??

Sango barely managed a nod, feeling her stomach heave. Miroku shifted over, lightly moving his fingers over her back, gently probing for her injuries.

?What ? happened, Sango? Was it??

?Naraku,? she moaned in disbelief, and her stomach heaved again. Whatever contents had been in her stomach were emptied out onto the grass, and as she continued to retch, all that left her lips was blood and saliva.

Miroku watched her, tenderly stroking a hand down her back, pulling her hair away from her face. ?Let us go, Sango,? he spoke softly, trying not to disturb the ghastly gashes that had tore the skin clean off her back as he helped her to her feet. ?When you are rested and safe within Lady Kaede?s hut, I?ll send Inuyasha to retrieve your weapon.?

?Oh, Miroku,? she sobbed quietly, her shoulders hunched against the pain. Sango buried her face into his chest, and he held her as close as he dared, his hands pressed over her wounds. The gashes on her back were extensive; he wasn?t sure if he was going to be able to help her?

?I?m here,? he replied soothingly, feeling her fingers tighten on his sleeve. Together they moved slowly across the fields towards the burning lights of the village.

As they entered through the gates, Sango grabbed onto the front of his robes, almost losing her footing on the soft gravel. She shook her head; her eyes carrying a far away look within their depths. ?I won?t make it, Miroku; I can feel it??

Miroku stopped, looking down at her. ?Feel what?? he asked in a hesitant tone.

?There ? was something on his weapon; poison,? she whispered, her skin glistening with the heavy sweat that had broken out. ?I?m not ? sure; I can?t feel my back, or my legs.?

The blood in his veins ran cold.

?No, you can make it,? he encouraged, trying to keep a firm voice. He continued to walk, pulling her with him. As he spoke, he felt as if he were reassuring himself more then her. ?I?ll take care of you; you?re going to make it, Sango, I won?t let anything happen to you.?

The grip she had on his robes went slack. He felt her slipping, and made a hasty grab for her, almost panicking as he saw her eyes roll back into her head, blood trickling from the corner of her lips. He went down with her, kneeling on the ground, his arms around her as he pulled her into his lap.

?You can?t die,? he whispered, his voice breaking. ?Don?t die, Sango, please.?

He sat there, holding her in his lap, and buried his face into her neck, his grip tight. He didn't want to let her go, he didn't want to lose her; she was everything to him. Gathering her up in his arms, she weighed nothing. Her body was still warm. Miroku broke into a jog, his chest feeling suddenly tight. He wasn?t going to let her die; she wasn?t going to get off that easily, it just didn?t work that way.

He burst into the hut, panting for breath. ?Sango! Help??

They were stunned by his appearance, by the blood smeared along the bridge of his nose and down his right cheek, but were moreso by the woman lying limp in his arms.

Kagome was the first to move into action, the bowl of rice slipping from her hands. It rolled along the ground, the contents spilling out. She made a quick gesture to her sleeping bag and moved to unzip it, hastily shoving the flaps open and spreading them out. Miroku carefully laid the unmoving woman down, and sat back on his heels, running a hand down his face. He stared down into her face, his hand pressed over his mouth and nose; he was at a severe loss on how to react. He felt numb, lost.

He watched as Kagome knelt down, pressing her fingers into the pale, blood stained neck.

Inuyasha kept to the shadows, watching in disbelief, Tetsusaiga clutched tightly to his chest. He could smell the lingering scent of death and the overwhelming, sickening odor of blood and ash in the air. His eyes were riveted to the young woman lying on the sleeping bag.

Kaede came forward with a steaming bowl of thick brownish liquid, and Kagome hurriedly went into her pack, searching frantically for her medical kit. The two women went about their work quickly. Kagome pressed her fingers back to the woman?s neck, and she blanched. Miroku looked to her immediately, his expression pained, his eyes shocked; he shook his head, watching as she began to desperately tear at Sango?s outfit. Her hands were pressed together, pressing over her breastbone, pressing down onto her chest, repeatedly moving, as she performed what she called CPR.

?Come on,? she grunted softly, pulling her lips away from her unmoving friends', and continued to press down on her chest. ?Come on!?

The sleeping bag had begun to soak up most of the blood.

Miroku shook his head, falling back off his knees. He felt his eyes sting, and again shook his head, stumbling back, crawling backwards on his hands. ?No? no, no,? he moaned, his voice barely a whisper, and immediately turned, jumping to his feet.

Inuyasha shrank back against the wall, his ears flattening out. He lowered his head against the burning scent of tears, his grip on Tetsusaiga tightening.

Miroku left the hut, a hand to his mouth. He felt cold, he felt sick, and still entirely numb. Shock had begun to further settle in, as he moved to the back of the small house. His fingers thread through his hair, the heels of his palms digging into his eyes to restrain the tears threatening to fall. This wasn?t happening; Kagome would make it better, she always made it better. Her medicines were far advanced; they were from the future time, she would surely be able to sort this mess out?

Slowly he collapsed back into the wall, and began to slide down until his rear touched the soil. His shoulders trembled, and it was then that the first sob broke past his trembling lips.

[Noko Marie]

Oh,Mistress of the angst Gods! Look, over there, baby ducks and kittens being drownded! Snaches up poor Sango and runs off with her to bother Sesshoumaru. Or, rather, his sword (Tessaiga's such a softy).

[Roa_Aoife]

You have truly earned your title...... I am depressed and must leave to read something funny....now.....

[Lady Casper]

But...but sagno is not supposed to die...*whimpers* you truly lived up to your name. Miroku is actually crying!!

[ice princess]

I was there with Noko Marie, watching as the squishily cute kittens and bunnies drowned in your ocean of ANGST!!!!! Really, now, Sesshoumaru is there for a REASON!!!!!!! ACK!!!! Inu no Taisho, why didn't you give INUYASHA the Tenseiga?!??!?! If only to keep Leia from depressing us all with her ANGST!!!!! AUGH!!!!!

The only reason I'm bitching, moaning, and groaning is because I'm trying not to BAWL MY EYES OUT!!!! Which, by bitching, moaning, and groaning, I am not preventing. So, let me go ahead and type what I'm really doing right now.

Sob. Wail. Blot raccoon eyes. Sniffle. Bawl. Sob. Sob. and Sob. Blow nose. Snort. Hiccup. Sob.

And...end scene.

God, you rock, Leia. Really, you just plain *sob again* rock.

~ice *wail, snort* princess

[Lara Winner]

Yeah... like they said... *sniff* really good... *sob*... where's Fluffy when you need him?"

[Mellie]

Shivers!!! My first reaction! It was chilling and emotional, and very well done. Sad and wonderful, my friend, sad and wonderful *goes off to find comfort in the sesshy/kag pic*