One

March 3, 1998

The Takeda house was full of joy and laughter. Kuronosuke had gathered a couple of his close friends together to celebrate his birthday. He sat at the end of their large dining table. Inuyasha and his fiancee, Kagome, sat across from him. They were telling jokes to one another which resulted in overly obnoxious laughter from all three of them. Beside Kagome, Sango's little brother Kohaku sat playing with a handheld game. The entire room was having a great time.

Except for the man that sat alone at the front of the table.

Kuronosuke left his conversation long enough to have his eyes shift to the man in question. "Miroku, cheer up," he began sweetly, "it's not everyday that your big brother turns twenty-five."

The man turned his deep violet eyes up to his brother. He wore a blank expression and only sighed in annoyance before resting his head in his hand, and reverting his eyes. 'Big Brother? You're 10 months older than me, get over yourself.' He thought. He didn't get along well with his so-called 'older brother,' but he wanted to keep the peace among the family. After all, they were the only remaining members.

"Man, I'm starving. Where's Sango with the dinner?" Inuyasha rudely called, yawning and stretching his arms out in front of him.

"Be patient, Inuyasha," Kagome began, "Sango has a lot of weight to carry around these days." She then flashed a small smile at Kuronosuke, who nodded in agreement. Kohaku also looked up from his game and smiled.

At that moment, a very pregnant Sango pushed open the sliding door of the dining area. She was carrying a large steaming pot, and wore mits to protect her hands. She carefully walked over to the table, and set the large pot down in the center. She uncovered it with a free hand, and waved the outgoing steam out of her face. "I hope you guys are hungry!" She exclaimed excitedly. Inside the pot was a tower of freshly cooked lobster and other assorted sea food. It was Kuronosuke's request on his birthday.

"Sango, this looks amazing!" Kagome squealed. She had already began picking at the food before Sango even finished her last statement. Even sour faced Miroku was astonished by how delicious her meal looked.

"Thank you! I'll be right back with the rest." Sango said before turning around to face the kitchen. Kagome rose from her spot and stopped eating for the moment. "No, you sit right back down, Sango. You have to be careful in your state." Kagome offered, though she made it sound like Sango had some horrible and deadly condition. She placed a gentle arm around Sango, and lead her to the empty chair next to Kuronosuke, who greeted her with a peck on the cheek. Kagome fleeted to the kitchen to grab the rest of the food that Sango had left behind.

"Thank you darling," Kuronosuke said quietly, making sure only Sango could hear him. "You have made this birthday wonderful." With that, planted a gentle kiss on her rosey lips.

Miroku happened to see the whole event, and glared roughly at the pair. Then averted his eyes back on the delicious food, so not to look suspicious. Kagome returned with the rest of the food, and placed it around the area neatly.

Shy little Kohaku stood up in front of the guests and tapped his glass with a fork. "E-excuse me," he began, taking a series of deep breaths, "I'd like to make a toast." Everyone else raised their glasses and smiled at the young boy as encouragement. "I'd like to wish Kuronosuke a happy birthday, and thank him and my sister, Sango for taking me in." Kohaku stated, happily. Sango flashed him a beautiful smile and nodded. When Sango and Kohaku's parents passed away only months before due to a tragic illness, she opened her home to her little brother and made sure he was as comfortable as he could be. Besides, the two needed to get used to having children in the house. Just as Kohaku was about to end his little speech, he remembered something. "Oh, and here's to my little niece or nephew."

"Hai!" The party shouted as they sat down and took a gulp of their drinks.

"Wait, niece OR nephew?" Inuyasha asked, "shouldn't you guys know by now?"

Kuronosuke placed his arm around his wife. "We wanted it to be a surprise." Then Sango placed one finger against her lips in a 'shushing' gesture. Miroku did nothing but continue the glare he had set on the two before, and growl softly under his breath.

Kagome witnessed this whole thing, and looked around for anything that might help them change the subject. That was when she noticed a beautiful painting on the wall behind Sango and Kuronosuke. It was a painting of the Tokyo nightlife reflected off a large river. The shading and detail were all done perfectly. She wondered why she had never seen it the times she had visited before today. "That's quite a masterpiece you have there." She pointed her finger at the painting.

Both of them turned around, "Oh, the painting?" Sango asked, "yeah, Miroku painted that for Kuronosuke's birthday. Isn't it beautiful?"

Miroku looked up when he realized that he was being complimented. He gave Sango a small smile.

"Yes, he has quite a gift," Kuronosuke began, "but being skilled with a brush and paint can only get someone so far in life." Everyone stopped what they were doing. They knew which direction this conversation was heading in, and all eyes were fixed on Miroku. "Our parents told him that he should have gone to a prestigious school like I did and become a doctor or scientist. After all, he had the grades. But he decided to be a rebel and attend a silly little art school." Kuronosuke boasted, the malicious smile never leaving his face.

Miroku's expression never changed. He just sat there with his eyes closed, and his chin resting on his upward turned palm. Almost as if he were in a meditative state. Kuronosuke wasn't finished with abusing his brother just yet. "Even as they lay dying," he continued with a sigh, "they begged him to do something valuable with his life. But, it seems that Miroku's childish little hobby was far more important."

The only thing that could be heard from this point were small gasps gathered around the area. Miroku let out a forced cough as he slowly got up from where he was sitting, and threw the napkin that he had on his lap down on his plate. He left the room without another word, and the only noise that came from him was the slamming of the front door. The entire room was overcome by an uncomfortable silence.

"...Jackass." Inuyasha mumbled under his breath. Kagome gently elbowed him in the side.

"I'll go talk to him. Please continue eating, everyone." Sango insisted, as she got up and rushed out as far as her body would allow her. It was still cold this time of year, so she was hoping that she could get him inside quick before becoming too chilled. She walked outside and looked through the evening fog to see if she could find him. A few feet in front of her, she saw the outline of a figure, and a small ornge light that kept fading and getting brighter again. "Miroku?" She called.

The figure turned around at the sound of her voice. It definitely was Miroku, because he turned around again without saying a word. Sango walked closer and she saw that the orange light she had seen was a cigarette that he had lit. "I thought you quit smoking?" She asked, disappointed that he had taken up this habit.

"I did," he began, "but sometimes I need one to get through the day." He finished by taking a heavy puff of the toxins and blew them out in an over-dramatized sigh.

Sango had felt guilty that her husband was the cause of him taking up this disgusting habit again. They had all worked with him for months to get him to quit. Miroku had taken an even bigger huff than the one before and blew it all out again. The smoke crowded Sango's breathing space. "Well, would you mind putting it out? It's bad for the baby." She asked between coughs.

Miroku sighed in half anger and turned slowly toward her, "Then why are you out here?"

Sango was mad that Miroku was acting this way. It was her house, and she had every right to go where she wanted. However, she decided to take the high road and try to take some tension off the situation. "Are you excited about being an uncle, Miroku?" She asked sweetly, staring down at the swollen mound that had become her belly. Miroku gave no answer. He just stared off into the distance, but Sango was sure he heard her.

"When are you supposed to be dropping that kid, anyway?" He asked rudely, never once making eye contact with her.

She ignored it and answered, "we are hoping by the end of the week. Being pregnant was an amazing experience, but I think I'm done with it for a while."

"Hmm..." was all he managed to comment.

"Do you want to know the name?" She asked excitedly, hoping he would be interested. He , of course, wasn't and just shrugged his shoulders. Sango decided to tell him anyway. "If it's a girl, we are going to name her Kyouko. It means 'Strength', and it was also my mother's name. My mother was a very strong and beautiful woman, so I hope she'll be just like her."

"And if it's a boy?" Miroku asked, finally looking up. He actually seemed to be concerned about the names. Just thinking about it made Sango so giddy, that he decided to play along. Sango smiled brightly and answered softly;

"...Miyatsu..."

Miroku's entire expression completely changed. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened slightly. he even dropped the cigarette he had been holding, and had been threatening to burn his fingers. "My grandfather?" He asked, his voice almost devoured in a sad tone.

Sango nodded. "We had a hard time choosing a boy name. We went through countless amounts of baby books trying to find a good one. When your grandfather died in November, I saw how heartbroken and devastated you were. I even remember you being extremely close to him when you were young. I wanted to bring him back, so to speak. Is that okay?"

Miroku immediately recollected his previous sour attitude. "It's okay." He huffed.

She looked at her friend in concern. She wiggled her way over closer to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. he didn't pay any mind to it. "Miroku, what happened to you?" She asked, her big brown eyes locked on his. "You used to be so happy. Now you can't even look at me anymore."

"Maybe I've always been like this," he began, hissing through his teeth. "Maybe you just never notived it!" He was almost shouting near the end. But suddenly, his entire disposition changed, and he became calm once again. "Or maybe the old me left the same time you did."


I decided to make chapter one a little short. I want it to leave on a cliffy so you guys become interested.
I know that I shouldn't start anything new without finishing "Without Wings", but I can't seem to get in that mind set.
Besides, I am currently suffering a serious case of writers block.
I hope people still read this. I am still a MirSan fan girl, and will be until the day I die.
Especially after watching Final Act. if you guys haven't seen it, watch it. NOW.
Well, this seems like a good place to end it. I hope you guys enjoy.