You Piss Me Off – Never Change

Summary

Naraku is dead and Miroku insists he and Sango get married immediately, but Sango fears that marriage may change the relationship. Please read and review. One shot.

The dust had barely cleared and the wounds barely healed when the words came from Miroku's mouth. Sango had expected them, in time, but so soon? She found herself in stunned agitation as his violet eyes dug into her, crawling under her skin like they always did.

"Are you going to answer?" he asked, rather impatiently, making her even more irritated.

They were sitting on a small hill just outside of Kaede's village, where they had been the last two days to rest. Inuyasha was nursing a injured shoulder, Kagome was visiting her family in her own era, and Miroku, who was no windtunnel free, had still not completely recovered from the poison he'd sucked in. Sango had been uninjured, for the most part. A few scratches, but she was okay. Though, she didn't know how long she would be if Miroku didn't stop staring at her like that.

"Already?" she said, turning to him. "Right now? Miroku, the Naraku has only been dead a few days. Kagome's still in her era, resting, and Inuyasha is still injured . . . you haven't even recovered from that poison yet."

The monk extended his right arm and looked, yet again, at the ungloved hand. He was still not used to seeing it. "I'll be alright," he said. "The poison is nearly out of my system, but I want an answer, Sango. If . . . If you've changed your mind."

"I haven't."

"Then why not right now?"

Sango hesitated. In all truth, she could find no reason why now wasn't as good a time as any. Why was she hesitating so? At length, she gave a sigh and a small nod. "Alright," she said. "Fine. But I'll have to start planning and I'll have Kagome help me and--"

"What planning?" he asked, getting to his feet and pulling Sango up with him. "We can do it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!" Sango blurted out. "Miroku, that's . . ."

"We don't have to have a big wedding," he said, then paused. "Unless that's what you wanted."

Sango thought a moment. She had never really considered it. A big wedding or small one wouldn't really matter. She had no family to invite. Kohaku was still missing. All she had was with her. Kagome, Inuyasha, and Miroku. Miroku seemed to read the look on her face and smiled.

"So tomorrow," he said. "We can go to my old village. Master Mushin can perform the service."

Sango nodded. "I guess we can ask Inuyasha to go back through the well and get Kagome tonight. I want her to be there."

"Of course," Miroku said, clasping both her hands in his. "I would have it no other way."

They didn't have to tell Inuyasha twice. He was through the well in a heart beat, to the objection of Kaede, who insisted that he rest a bit longer.

"Now, Kaede, you know that isn't Inuyasha's way," Miroku reminded her. "And for once, his impulsiveness is to our advantage. The sooner he get Kagome, the sooner we can go." At this point he would smile at Sango, who could feel her stomach writhing. She was happy, sure, but she was still a girl, and that gave her every right to be nervous about her wedding day.

It still didn't feel all too real. Only two days ago had Naraku fallen. Only two days ago had they embraced their freedom. Only two days ago had she just been so glad to know that Kohaku was out of the demon's grasp – even if he was still not found. And now she was to be married tomorrow? To Miroku?

In some ways, it was easier to imagine herself marrying Kuronosuke, who had proposed so long ago. It was easier to imagine being his wife, his queen, though it was not the life she chose. She loved Miroku, but the transition from their current life to the life as his wife would be difficult, to say the least.

What would change? This question kept resurfacing. Would he change? Something inside her told her he would become somehow different as her husband, and though part of her looked forward to this, another part dreaded it. She didn't want him to change. Sure, he angered her at times – a lot – but . . . but this was the man she'd agreed to marry, to live with. If he changed, would things still be the same?

Kagome and Inuyasha returned that night, with Kagome full of excitement about the next days nuptials. Sango couldn't help but wonder if she was supposed to be more excited than Kagome, but found that she had little time to concern herself. As soon as their companions arrived, Miroku insisted upon setting off.

They started their travel, resting only for a few hours that night, and came to Miroku's old village by noon the next day.

They found Mushin, drinking sake, in his home.

"Master Mushin," Miroku said. "We have come to ask for your services."

"What kind of services?" Mushin asked, raising a drunken eyebrow.

"Wedding services," the young monk answered.

"Wedding! I love hearing that word!" Kagome exclaimed.

She loves to hear it, and it makes me ill, Sango thought, uneasily. That doesn't make any sense, does it?

Mushin smiled. "Aw, so you finally found a woman who would agree to marry you?" His eyes fell on Kagome, who was still red in the face with her eager joy. "This one? But I thought there was something between her and the half demon?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha said, surprised.

"Not me, Master Mushin," Kagome explained. "Sango." She put a hand on the demon slayer's arm. "She may not look it, but she's really excited, too."

Mushin nodded. "Aw," he said. "Alright then. Let me just get some sake and we can get started."

"You already have sake," Inuyasha said. "And what do you mean, something between her and the half demon?"

Mushin looked down at the half empty bottle in his hand. "Oh, so I do." He ignored Inuyasha's second question and got, rather shakily, to his feet. "Well, let's walk out to the yard, shall we?"

Shippo, who had been on Kagome's shoulder the whole time, looked over at Sango, who's face was quite pale. "Nervous, Sango?" he asked.

Sango looked quickly at her fox friend. "What? N-no. Not nervous at all."

They walked out to the yard, the hot sun beating down upon them. Mushin did not hesitate in beginning the service as Sango, with Kagome on her right looking exuberant, stared into the face of her soon-to-be husband. Their hands were looked, and she felt her stomach shrivel and her heart pound.

Maybe she should end it here and now. If being married would mean a change in their relationship, she didn't want it. Sure, she wanted more closeness, the intimacy that came with marriage, but what if that meant a changes in other aspects, she could live without it.

But before another thought could cross her mind, she had said "I do", and had been instructed to kiss her new husband.

With a pain in her stomach, she leaned into Miroku. Why did this first kiss, their wedding kiss, feel more like a kiss goodbye? She closed her eyes and pushed all thought away as his arms wrapped around her and his lips fell upon hers. Then, as her heart began to break with worry, something happened that changed everything.

In the midst of this, their first kiss, she felt the all too familiar feeling of his hand slipping from the small of her back to it's seemingly favorite spot on her rear end. By instinct, her hand landed in a sharp slap across his cheeks, though their lips never parted.

She was not angry. She was not annoyed. She, instead, pushed closer against him, falling more happily into the kiss. She was suddenly assured that he would not change. He would always be this Miroku – the lecherous monk that angered her to no end – the one she was in love with.

Maybe being married wasn't such a dramatic thing after all.