Sango stepped off the train, her back muscles screaming in protest from the heavy backpack weighing down her shoulders. Sighing, she hurried her step, causing the luggage she was dragging behind her to bump and catch along the uneven pavement beneath it. She squinted slightly, and attempted to read her rushed handwriting on the piece of torn notebook paper that held directions to her new apartment. Suddenly, she wished she'd asked her new roommate, a girl named Kagome, to meet her at the train and show her the way to her new temporary home. Truth is, Sango had only been to the city once when she was little, and all she remembered was holding her father's hand while he lead her through the busy streets.
Taking a moment to reminisce, Sango found herself lost in memories of her old home - a small town deep in the mountains. Sure, their town had been secluded, but that made it better, or at least Sango felt that way. It meant that everyone was family; everywhere you turned there were open arms and smiles. She'd heard that many people found small towns suffocating and intrusive, everyone knew everyone's business and there was nowhere to go, but that wasn't how Sango had felt growing up at all. Everyone in her town was supportive and welcoming, like an extension of her own family, and the area they occupied was too open to ever feel trapped. In fact, right now, standing on the corner of a foreign street, with people buzzing around her and giving her dirty looks for stopping short, Sango felt more trapped than she ever had before.
Heaving another heavy sigh, the young woman squared her shoulders and crossed the street, walking towards her destiny. A wave of relief flooded through her as Sango realized the street signs started to match the names sprawled across the paper in her hand. She was almost to her new dwelling place. Once she was a few blocks away, she spotted a gym that seemed to register somewhere in her mind. Suddenly, she recalled a conversation she'd had with Kagome a couple of weeks prior.
"Yes, I'm sure I have enough money saved to cover my half of the first month's rent, but after that, well…" Sango trailed off, holding in the anxious sigh that gathered in her lungs. Instead, she quickly followed with, "I'll have to look for a job as soon as I get to the city. I'm just not sure where I could apply…"
"I'm sure you'll find something! It's a big city, Sango, there must be something you can do. What are you good at?" Kagome replied, her tone as cheerful as always. Sango paused.
"Well...I'm not sure," the older girl admitted. "Where I'm from, all we do is farm and study self defense. Two very opposite things, I know," Sango was quick to say, not wanting to hear the usual reaction of "Farm and self defense? Do you have to defend yourself from the cows?" It very well wasn't Sango's fault that, along with having to farm for the food they ate, her town was well known for weapon development and martial arts.
"I don't think you'll find any farming jobs around here, but hey! There's a gym not too far from the apartment that just opened a dojo where they're teaching martial arts! I'm sure they could use some more instructors, you should try applying there first! Ugh," by the volume of Kagome's voice, Sango knew she pulled the phone away from her face, "Sota! Put that down or I'm taking you home right now!"
Sango shook her head and found herself smiling at the memory. Following Kagome's advice, she quickly entered through the glass double doors and into the gym. Leaving her heavy luggage with the guard by the door, Sango wandered off to find a desk where she could apply for the instructor job.
"That's it, just like that," Miroku purred as he watched his current client doing squats from behind. It was just the right position to get the perfect view of her rear as she worked out. "Remember," he stepped forward as his client stood straight again, and pressed himself against her back, placing his hands on her flat stomach, "really feel it in your core as you're doing it, okay?" He smiled innocently, although his thoughts were anything but. From the way his client blushed, he assumed that their minds were on the same track.
He stepped away again, and allowed his client to finish up while his eyes wandered the gym, taking in all the other beauties around him. His eyes focused on the full glass windows at the front of the gym, or more importantly, what laid just beyond those windows. Standing in front of the gym had to be the most beautiful woman the monk had ever seen, and that was saying something; the young man had seen his fair share of beautiful women. Still, the one who had just entered the building caught his eye like none other, and he found himself desperate to speak to her. Clearing his throat, he focused his attention back to his client and said, "Good work today. You can finish up with a short jog on one of the treadmills if you would like. Otherwise, that's all I had planned for today. I'll see you next week!" With a smile and thank you, his client was off to find a free treadmill, and the personal trainer wasted no time walking towards the information desk.
With a pen in her hand and an application in front of her, Sango was shocked by how nice and helpful the workers at this gym were. Usually staff members at places like this were unenthusiastic and rude, but when Sango walked up and asked if they were looking to hire any more martial arts instructors, the woman behind the counter smiled widely and quickly thrusted an application her way. She frowned as she began to fill it out though, finding that she was lacking much of the needed information. And to her dismay, a male about her age had just posted himself right next to her. Great, Sango thought, here we go…
Miroku casually leaned one arm against the countertop of the desk, and sighed happily, running a hand through his bangs that had fallen loose of his ponytail. Turning towards the striking woman to his right, he gave his best smile. "Hello there! My name is Miroku, I'm one of the personal trainers here. Are you signing up for a membership? If you are, I'd be more than happy to help you get settled into a workout routine that's best fit for you. You can just write my name down on the line for requested trainer."
"I'm sorry," Sango said, without looking up from the application. Oh no, she thought in dismay. Previous martial arts instructor name and place of work? She couldn't fit the explanation that she'd trained alongside everyone in her town, and that everyone was a teacher as well as a student, into just the two lines given on the application. Remembering that she was addressing the man next to her, she quickly finished, "I'm not signing up for a membership, I'm interested in the martial arts program."
"Ah, you've heard about the new dojo they opened up!" Miroku responded, not being discouraged by her seemingly lack of interest. They all started out like this, but then they would fall victim to his charm eventually. "I actually happen to be one of the instructors there myself. I could give you a few pointers now if you'd like." When the woman didn't seem to intend to answer him, Miroku stole a glance at her application to learn her name. Sango was the name neatly printed in the first box, and next to it the bubble in front of the word "instructor" was checked off. Oh. "Oh, forgive me. I seem to have underestimated your skill. Where have you worked previously? And where did you study? Maybe I know your old teacher."
Sango couldn't help but snort at that, and Miroku smiled fondly; finally, he was getting somewhere with her. Considering that most of her application was blank and there was no way of getting her two letters of recommendation that were required according to the print at the bottom of the application, Sango made the split decision to see if this man could be useful to her after all. "Actually," she began hesitantly, "I come from a small town in the mountains a few miles away from here. Self defense was something our family has been practicing for generations...I sort of grew up with it. I never went somewhere outside of home to learn, and I've never worked as an instructor before, except to teach the younger kids in my town. And my little brother…" Sango had said too much, and quickly stopped herself and the negative memories that threatened to fill her mind. She heard the woman behind the counter sigh.
"Oh, so you aren't certified? You might as well throw your application away, then," the woman sounded as disappointed and heartbroken as Sango felt. But then again, she kind of knew that this would happen. Her shoulders slumped as she turned away, but the man next to her placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Wait a minute. You must be very good at this art if you grew up with it. You probably know it better than the instructors we have now. Give me your application, I'll look it over and arrange for an interview where you can show me what you know. If you prove to be fit to teach then you've got the job," Miroku said seriously, finishing with an assuring smile. He'd noticed that the woman had entered the gym with a rather large luggage, too big to be carrying school or business things, and she was also carrying a bag on her back. For her to even be applying for this job knowing that she lacked so much of the required information, Miroku could only assume that she really needed the income. She was probably new to the city, since she'd spoken of her home town being so far away. The monk didn't have the heart to turn her away, at least not before she could prove herself to be unworthy of the job.
Sango's eyes lit up. "Really? You'd do that for me? Thank you!" she quipped quickly before he could change his mind. "Thank you so much! Oh, how rude of me. I'm Sango," she introduced herself politely to him now that she realized she needed him. When she thought he was just some gym bozo who was trying to get her number, Sango had tried to avoid giving him her name. Now she found herself sticking out her right hand for him to shake, and noticed that the hand that met hers was covered in an odd purple sleeve that covered about half of his forearm. There were also beads wrapped around the dark material. Sango noted that it must be very uncomfortable to work out while wearing that, but forced herself not to stare or think about it while the man was in front of her. She couldn't afford to lose this job. Literally.
"Sango, I look forward to your interview," he smiled at her and pulled his hand away. He noticed that she'd looked at his covered hand, but politely met his eyes again as quickly as her gaze fell. He appreciated that. Not many people had the decency to pretend they didn't notice it. He hated having to explain to people what he himself didn't understand. And the lie he usually gave people was starting to make him feel heavy.
The monk felt his smile grow as Sango excused herself and left the gym in slightly better spirits than she had entered it in. Something about this girl was different, and Miroku hoped that he would get the chance to figure it out. Taking a quick glance at her application, he saw that she had marked "weapons" as her specialty. He wondered what that would include, and shook his head hard to keep the dirty images of what Sango could do with weapons out of his head. Turning to the pretty woman behind the counter, Miroku flashed one of his devilish grins. "So, when does your shift end?"
With a little more pep in her step, Sango quickly walked the rest of the short way to her new apartment. She easily lifted her over packed luggage up the many flights of stairs before finally setting it down in front of the door that would soon become familiar to her. Her hands shook slightly as she pulled out her newly made key, and she took a deep breath before closing her eyes. It's okay, she told herself. You'll only be here for a little while. You don't have to become close with Kagome. No one has to know about your past. You won't lose anyone else…
Opening her eyes, Sango noded to herself and pushed the key into the lock, turning it slowly before pushing the door open. She blinked when she saw Kagome standing on the other side of the door with her hands folded together by her face, smiling widely. "Hello!" she chirped happily, leaning forward to grab Sango's luggage and drag it inside. "Here, let me help you!"
"Oh...Thank you," Sango replied quietly, hesitantly walking into the apartment. She noticed that there was a nice smell coming from the kitchen, and that the table was already set for two. Did Kagome have company? Maybe she was being nice so that she could tell Sango that she wanted the apartment to herself tonight.
Noticing her gaze was lingering on the table, Kagome quickly explained, "Oh, I thought you might be hungry after your travels, so I made us dinner. It's okay if you're not up to eat yet though! I can put your portion away for later if you'd rather get settled first." The younger girl finished with her signature smile, and clasped her hands together behind her back. Sango just blinked again, the kindness taking her by surprise.
"Thank you, Kagome. I'm starving, I'll pay you back for the food right away," Sango promised, realizing as she said it that her stomach really was empty. She hadn't been eating well these past few weeks, and the food Kagome had made smelled amazing. The older girl moved towards the kitchen while Kagome waved a hand in her direction.
"Don't worry about it! Take it as a welcoming gift," Kagome smiled again before busying herself with bringing out the food. It was silent for a moment before Kagome asked her how her traveling went.
"Pretty well. The train ride wasn't as awful as I thought it would be," she smiled, and Kagome giggled in agreement. Suddenly remembering the gym, Sango went on to say, "Oh! I passed the gym you told me about. I went in to apply, and I thought they would turn me away really quickly, but a man that works there offered me an interview. Since I can't give them a reference from where I learned martial arts, he said he's going to observe my skills and see if I'm fit to be an instructor."
"Are you nervous about that? I mean one guy's opinion could make or break you," Kagome commented, scooping some rice into Sango's bowl. Sango found herself smirking when she shook her head.
"Not really. I've been training and teaching my entire life. I think I'm probably better than he is, to be quite honest."
"Hmmm," Kagome said, finally sitting down after serving the food. "What did you say the man looked like?" she asked, picking up her chopsticks.
"I didn't," Sango said, beginning to eat. While she chewed she considered the man's appearance. "He was about my age. Dark hair tied into a ponytail, pierced ears, fairly tall - oh! He wore a strange glove on his right hand. I didn't make a comment about it though, I didn't want to seem rude."
Kagome nodded her head with a knowing smile, and Sango couldn't help but narrow her eyes. "I knew it," Kagome laughed to herself while she chewed. "So you've met Miroku."
"That's what he said his name was!" Sango said, mostly to herself as her fist pounded lightly on her thigh. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten! Well, I mean he had said his name when she thought he was just trying to womanize, it's not her fault she wasn't paying complete attention. "So, how do you know him?" Sango couldn't help but question. She wondered if maybe they were dating. Somehow that image just didn't seem right.
Just then there was a knock on the door, and a gruff male voice shouted Kagome's name. Sighing with a smile on her face, the younger female said, "That's Inuyasha. I wondered how long it would take for you two to meet - I have to admit though, I didn't count on you meeting Miroku first." Kagome laughed to herself as she stood up to answer the door.
Inuyasha? Sango thought. What an odd name. She stood with her new roommate and walked towards the door a few steps behind her. When the door opened, there stood a boy around Kagome's age with long silver hair tied into a ponytail. A few strands on either side of his head were let loose, though, and covered his ears. He wore a red tshirt and dark blue jeans. Sango noted that his feet were bare as he stood in the hall.
"Kagome," he barked, crossing his arms in anger, "Will you please tell Miroku that Shippo is NOT staying with us when he comes to visit? We already agreed that he'd stay with you!"
Suddenly, by his side was the raven haired man Sango had just previously met, except he adorned a new expression. Rolling his eyes, Miroku leaned against the doorway like the action was one familiar to him. "I was just saying that maybe it was a better idea that Shippo stay with us! Kagome is getting a new roommate and it might be wise that he - oh," Miroku broke off, eyes landing on Sango, "why, hello again. What a pleasant surprise. Sango, was it? How you are a sight for sore eyes." The monk had moved away from the door and was now standing in front of Sango, holding her hands in both of his. He smiled as she stiffened and blushed softly.
"Who the hell is Sango?" the silver haired male said, his tone clearly annoyed. Kagome sighed, and for the first time, Sango noticed that her expression wasn't happy.
"This is Sango, my new roommate? I only mentioned her about a hundred times in the past couple of weeks, really, do either of you boys ever listen to me?" Kagome's fists her were balled at her sides, and Sango watched as both boys' expressions turned to slight discomfort, edging on fear. Sango herself had to admit that Kagome did seem a little scary when she was angry.
"Sorry, Kagome, I guess I was so excited about a new girl living across the hall, I failed to remember all the details," Miroku said, a small smile on his face as he released Sango's hands to scratch the back of his head. His friend snorted.
"I remembered your roommate's name, alright, I just didn't think this could be her since it seems like Miroku already knows her," the one who must be Inuyasha said, and Sango watched as Miroku lit up.
"Ah yes! Sango and I just met at the gym earlier this evening," he explained, and Inuyasha scoffed.
"So you're following them home now, huh? That's a new one for ya, monk, I'll give ya that."
"Monk?" Sango couldn't help but question, and Miroku frowned as he turned his head between the two of them. "You're a monk? I thought you were a trainer...and a martial arts instructor?"
"I didn't follow her home, I had no idea she was Kagome's new roommate! And we live right across the hall, dumbass," the dark haired man said in Inuyasha's direction. When he turned to Sango, he voice was only slightly less annoyed. "And yes, I am a monk. Well, not really."
"Good," Sango said before he could say any more. "I don't think a monk should behave towards women the way you do." Inuyasha outwardly laughed before Kagome slapped his arm to tell him to stop. Although she herself was holding in giggles after looking at Miroku's shocked face.
"My dear Sango, what ever do you mean?"
"Oh please," the girl rolled her eyes, placing her hand on her hip. "Save it. I saw how you were working with your client today, and don't think I didn't hear you ask out the woman behind the desk! Face it, Miroku, you're a womanizer."
Kagome didn't even try to stop Inuyasha's laughter while they both looked at Miroku's defeated face. For some reason, Kagome felt proud of her new roommate. Every other girl had immediately fallen for Miroku's tricks, and he'd used them for whatever he wanted. She had to admit to herself that she was worried about how Sango would fair with Miroku, but she was happy to see that the older girl seemed to be the only woman who Miroku couldn't conquer.
"You've got me all wrong, Sango, I'm much more than that!" the monk tried to defend himself, but he was answered with another eyeroll.
"Uh huh, I'm sure. Anyway, it was nice meeting you Inuyasha, but I think I'm going to get back to my dinner. If you'll all excuse me," Sango said, just trying to get out of the room. She couldn't believe she had said all of that to Miroku! Especially after he was already doing her such a huge favor. She didn't know what came over her, something about the way he easily grabbed her hands, like it was a move he'd done a million times before; he didn't even really see her there, he just inserted the name of whatever pretty girl was in front of him and said his magic lines and what? Expected her to fall for it? No way! What gave him the right to just play with her emotions like that? Yeah right, like she would ever fall for a guy like that. Still…
She was really embarrassed and glad to be alone in the kitchen with her food. She didn't want to consider the fact that Miroku might cancel her interview because of her disrespectful outburst. All she wanted to do was eat the delicious food that Kagome had made.
"Dinner? Is that Kagome's cooking I smell?" Miroku asked before Sango could leave the room. His voice seemed hopeful and Sango cursed to herself. Oh god, please no.
"I thought you two might come over tonight," Kagome sighed, but Sango heard the ever present smile in her voice. "I made enough for all of us, and don't worry Inuyasha, it's nothing spicy."
"Good," Inuyasha said, walking past a distressed Sango towards the kitchen. "I don't know how you people eat that stuff. It feels like my tongue is going to fall off!"
"Oh come now, Inuyasha," Miroku said, walking next to Sango as she silently made her way to the kitchen after the silver haired male. "Don't be such a baby. For a man that can take multiple bullet wounds, you'd think your one weakness wouldn't be curry…"
If that statement didn't spark a million questions in Sango's head, nothing could. However, the girl kept her questions to herself, fearing that her mouth had gotten her in enough trouble tonight. Miroku sat down next to her, and he and Inuyasha filled the dinner conversation without noticing how quiet she had become. Kagome, on the other hand, noticed that Sango hadn't said much since they started eating, and kept glancing at her throughout the meal. She didn't want to pry, especially in front of the two males, and she figured Sango must just be tired from her travels, so she let it go.
After dinner, Sango offered to clean the dishes. She said it was the least she could do since Kagome had prepared the meal all by herself. Before he left, Inuyasha stopped by the kitchen to say goodbye to Sango. "It was nice to meet you, especially since I've known Miroku for years now, and you're the first girl to ever reject him," he told her, and she started blushing, wishing she could go back in time and keep her mouth shut. At that moment Miroku walked in and roughly slapped his hand down on Inuyasha's shoulder.
"Ha ha, very funny," he said, turning to give Sango a very genuine smile. He noticed she was blushing pretty hard, and only smiled wider. "It was nice to see you again, Sango, I'll stop by sometime this week to set up a date for your interview."
Sango was shocked that he was still giving her a chance, so all she could do was nod her head, her mouth slightly hung open in shock. He smiled again and both men left the apartment together. Kagome walked in not long after that to help Sango dry the dishes, and then said goodnight. Finally alone, Sango sighed in relief, feeling like she could breathe again. Today had been long, and quite eventful to say the least. She dragged her luggage into her new room, and dumped her backpack next to it. Kagome had already put clean sheets on the bed, and Sango gratefully stripped down to her underwear, too tired to search in her bags for pajamas, and collapsed onto the mattress. Sooner than sleep had found her in weeks, Sango was passed out snoring, comfortably snuggled under the sheets.