Freshman Dilemmas
Summary: Sango is faced with a dilemma between the loyalty to her sister and her heart when she falls in love with Kagome's new boyfriend.
a/n: this actually came from an extended dream I had about some quite different characters.
Characters: Sango, Kagome, Miroku, Inuyasha, Kikyo, and a couple of fictional people I added into the mix to make it all the more exciting!
Pairings: SxM, KaxI, KixI
Disclaimer: Yadayadayada…I don't own any of the characters from Inuyasha. Lo and behold, they all belong to Ms. Rumiko Takahashi – although we do all appreciate her work…and Sesshoumaru…but that's a whole new disclaimer -
Chapter One
"What does she need with all this stuff for a tiny dorm room anyway?" Sango muttered to herself as she dropped, unceremoniously, another box full of miscellaneous items onto the floor of the cramped double room. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she took a look around the small space her sister would call home for the next year.
"I haven't seen my own dorm yet, but please God, don't let it be this bad." She murmured a prayer as she shook her head. Bare white brick walls, two bare double beds stacked against those walls, and a combination desk/wardrobe against another wall was what made up the pricy room in the all-women's dorm. Sango could only be grateful that this was not her college.
"Come on, sis, stop hanging around, doing nothing. We need to get the rest of my stuff out before orientation starts." Kagome entered the room, arms full of blankets and bedding. Her addition made the room claustrophobic. Sango decided to follow her order and head back to the car.
The sun beat down heavily on the dark haired girl as she left the Madonna Hall building. She watched, amusedly, the many girls that hurried to unload from their cars to move-in. Sango was still a bit surprised on her sister's proud decision to enter an all women's college. She could still remember the night at dinner that April when Kagome had said aloud, as conversation died down between their parents, that she had accepted the offer to attend St. Joseph College in quiet Connecticut.
Their parents had been thrilled. Not only was their adopted child going to college, she was also protecting herself from evil men by attending an all female school. They had almost seemed to expect Sango to do the same.
Sango laughed to herself, recalling the later conversation with her mother at the kitchen table:
"Don't you think it's a good idea? That way she can concentrate on her studies, and not be distracted by boyfriends and such nonsense."
Sango had shrugged, concentrating more on the computer screen and an online chat.
"Yeah, good for her. She's probably just doing it though to get away from Inuyasha. She never did get over him after they broke up last year."
"I don't know why she went out in the first place. Really, a boyfriend at seventeen. I know we adopted her rather late in the process – you can't do to much to a thirteen year old – but I at least thought we gave her better training than to chase boys."
"Maybe that's why she's going to St. Joseph." Sango didn't bother to add 'because it would make you happy.'
Silence then, broken only by the intermittent sounds of typing, as Sango responded to a message on her laptop, and the sounds of dishes clattering while being washed in the sink.
"You haven't written back a letter to Yale, have you? Saying that you'll attend – " Mom kept her voice casual, but it was obvious she was hinting something.
"Of course I did, months ago. As soon as they accepted me, Early Action. We both know that Yale was my choice from the start. Mom-"Sango turned around to see her mom worrying at the sink.
"Don't you think you'll be distracted too? All those men there; you're so young…"
"I'll be fine. I don't plan on dating under after medical school anyway. You know that, mom." Sango returned to her online conversation.
"That's what you say now, but by this time next year, you'll be wishing you were in the same school as your sister, Kagome."
'No way am I wishing that.' Sango thought cheerfully to herself, nodding as she passed harried moms and daughters bustling boxes and furniture up the sidewalk. Tomorrow she would have to do the same at Yale.
'Except there'll be men there. I wonder if I'll be able to get some handsome strapping athletic young man to – ' her thoughts trailed off in her mind as she reached the back of her sister's car. Parked opposite to Kagome's Ford Taurus was the said young man. He wasn't strapping, but he did seem pretty athletic, and she couldn't help but stare while he unloaded suitcases from the SUV for a pretty blonde haired girl. The girl rewarded him with a brilliant smile for the hard work. He smiled back and tucked back his longish raven hair from in front of his eyes.
Two other men approached from the other end of the vehicle. The second man to enter walked over to the blonde, kissing her on the lips lightly. The last stood near the black-haired man, scowling at the cargo. All three seemed related. 'Probably brothers,' Sango thought. 'Awful nice of them to help out their brother's girlfriend like that.' She imagined she had a pretty good handle on the situation already. The blonde girlfriend goes to college; the faithful boyfriend helps out with moving and ropes in his brothers for extra help. 'There's a girl whose example I need to follow, should I get a boyfriend.'
Remembering her purpose outside in the first place, Sango opened the trunk for the next round of unloading. Kagome was not the most organized in her packing, Sango decided as she puzzled over what to take up next. Although some items were in boxes, others were simply lying in the trunk, not packed, and would need some prior organizing to make the next trip to the upstairs dorm worthwhile.
"Need any help?" A deep voice asked from beside her. Sango started, letting out a yelp.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you mademoiselle." It was the young man from the SUV. "I just saw you having some difficulty in unloading so I came to assist." Although it was obvious he was not French, he had an undeniably cute affectation to his voice, as if he was trying to act Parisian. Sango smiled at him, thinking to herself. 'A guy like him could be trouble.' She was always rather suspicious of the flirtatious ones.
"I'm sorry to waste your time, but I don't need your help. I'll be fine on my own, thank you." If a guy like him was around by the time her sister got down, they would still be unpacking by sunset.
"Are you sure? You seem to have a bit of a problem with small items." He looked down at the trunk as he said it. "I can get some spare boxes for you."
"That would be nice, but that's all, really." Suddenly she jumped again. This time her instinctive reaction was not to yelp, but slap. Sango slapped him across the face hard enough to leave a visible red mark and an audible report.
"You pervert! I don't even know your name and here you are, grabbing my ass. Are you mad?"
The man smiled ruefully and rubbed his cheek. "I'm sorry, yet again. But I saw you as you leaned over the car, and well, the temptation was too strong to bear."
"Sick." Sango muttered. "Go away."
"What about the boxes?" He asked.
"Go stuff them up your ass." Sango had had enough of the conversation. She grabbed a desk lamp and the printer from among the pile in the back and closed the trunk.
"That doesn't sound very exciting."
"Oh I'm sure you could manage." The dark-haired girl headed around the side of the car, away from the perverted boy. To her chagrin, it was then that her sister took the opportunity to show up.
"Hey, who's the cutie?" She asked; rather loudly in Sango's opinion.
"A sick, twisted pervert. Don't talk to him." Sango warned angrily.
"Oh really, then he must be great, because you never like the guys who are most fun." Kagome laughed and walked up to the strange man, adding an extra sway to her walk, an addition toss of her long dark hair to fall in front of her eyes. Sango had seen it before, especially with Inuyasha. Sango rolled her eyes and left the pair, heading up the walkway.
Behind her, she could hear voices; her sister's, saying, "So what's your name?", and the man's response, "Miroku." Another comment was made between the pair, and she heard laughter, and further conversation in flirtatious tones.
"At least my taste doesn't run to immature." Sango contented herself with a final muttering.