Title: Ice Queen
Rating: Pg-13

Prompt: Tear
Character: Miroku and Sango

AU/CU: AU
Word count: 2197

Warnings: Some language

Summary: When Fire meets Ice

A/N: this little plot bunny just jumped into my brain and then exploded, at least that's my excuse for how long it is.

He'd earned this, more than earned it, he deserved it. After years of law school, late nights studying for the bar exam and overall working his ass off he'd made it. He was a licensed attorney working for one of the biggest firms in the city, Takahashi, Takahashi and Taijiya. Sure it'd helped that he had an 'in' since his best friend from college happened to be one of the partner's son -and one of the other partner's brother-, but he'd earned his place in the company. Inuyasha may have gotten him the interview but it was his own time tested charm that had gotten him the job.

So here he sat, hands folded on the polished wood of the conference table, sitting next to Inuyasha waiting for the orientation the third partner would be giving them to introduce them into the firm.

"So what's atty. Taijiya like?" Miroku said casually, Inuyasha had interned at his father's firm for his and Miroku's entire college careers.

"She's alright I guess," Inuyasha said lazily, feet kicked up on the polished wood table. -It must have been nice to have an automatic in.-

"She huh?" Miroku said with a lecherous smirk.

"Believe me Sango isn't like those college girls you're used to chasing after," Inuyasha said with a sidelong glance in Miroku's direction.

"I enjoy a challenge," Miroku said smugly.

"Keh, don't I know it, but believe me Sango is not your type of woman," Inuyasha said insistently.

"What does she have a hair lip? Physically deformed? Hell I don't care there isn't a woman I'm not capable of seducing, even this Sango woman," Miroku said proudly.

"Is that so?" A crisp businesslike voice cut through the room from behind them. A stunning woman around thirty years old walked in, she wore a pressed gray business suit and her long chestnut hair was held up in a high pony tail. She walked around the table to face the two men.

"You're atty. Hioshi I presume? Well as you can see I don't have a hair lip and I'm not deformed physically or otherwise," she said briskly. Miroku's mouth hung open; he wasn't in a hurry to close it. "Judging from how carelessly you speak, I doubt we will be sharing any intimate moments anytime soon," She said with a quirk of the brow. Inuyasha could barely stifle his laughter. "You don't have anything to say?" Sango prompted Miroku. He found his senses and shut his mouth nodding mutely. That had to be the first time a woman had rendered him speechless. "Then let's get started."

A few hours later Inuyasha and Miroku were lounging in their new combined office. He couldn't believe he'd embarrassed himself like that. He'd always been a lady's man, smooth words, smooth actions; that's what he was all about.

"So, you still think Sango's your kind of woman?" Inuyasha said with a smirk.

"She's definitely different than what I expected," Miroku said honestly.

"Keh, don't even waste your time. She's a complete ice queen," Inuyasha said throwing a pile of ramen into a filing cabinet.

"She was a little…business-like..." Miroku conceded.

"Oh it's worse than that, she's a total ball buster, and she's the youngest partner this firm has ever had, after my bastard brother."

"Impressive."

"Not really, she inherited the spot after her old-man died,"

"Oh?"

"The craziest part of the whole thing is before she became partner she was pleasant. Then the day after her old man died she came in strictly business, and started kicking ass and taking names," Inuyasha recalled with a hint of admiration in his tone.

"She didn't even take time off after her dad passed?" Miroku said incredulously.

"Nope, I never even saw her cry, not a single tear it was like nothing had happened at all," Inuyasha said plopping down on the office sofa.

"That's not right," Miroku said shaking his head.

He chanced a glance out the window looking across the communal office space. Sango's personal office was a mere feet away. Her door was ajar and he could see her leaning on her hand for support as she stared at her laptop in concentration. 'Could anyone really be that cold?' he wondered.

Months passed and Miroku got his first big case, he was the prosecuting attorney in a serial theft case. It was highly publicized and he still wasn't sure how he'd gotten assigned to it, though he had a feeling his best friend had something to do with it.

All the studying he done leading up to this had conditioned him for the long nights he spent in his office eating Chinese food and pouring over reports. There wasn't much time to think about 'The Ice Queen', as Inuyasha so delicately put it.

Late one night Miroku finished his work for the night and closed his laptop. He raised his hands over his head and stretched. It had to be nearly eleven o clock. He stood to gather his things when he noticed a light on outside his door, assuming it was the cleaning crew he grabbed his briefcase and head for the door. One step out the door and it was obvious where the light was coming from; Sango's office door was slightly ajar sending a thin stream of light into the communal office space. He'd seen her stay late more than a few times, but he'd never had the chance to say hello to her, she always had the door closed or was preoccupied.

Considering his options he decided against interrupting her. If what Inuyasha said was true he wouldn't get a warm welcome, that coupled with his previous experience with Sango drove his decision home.

He passed by her door on the way to the elevator when he swore he heard a sniffle. He stopped, she couldn't be… the sniffle was followed by a choked sob. 'No way.' He thought, he backed stepped a few paces till he was nearly to her door. She was definitely crying. Common sense said to walk away but curiosity said why not find out why? He crouched down and peaked around the crack in the door way. Sango was sitting at her desk picture frame in hand. He couldn't make out the picture clearly but it seemed to be an older man with dark hair, maybe it was her father? Tears rolled down her cheeks freely, she'd let her hair fall and her blazer was on the back of her chair, the white blouse she wore tugged her curves invitingly, but he didn't notice that. He was transfixed on her face. 'She's so beautiful when she cries.' He mused. Never in his life did he want to hold a woman more than he wanted to hold her in that instant.

Miroku shifted his weight from one foot to the other, unsuccessfully. Losing his balance he was too late to catch himself and instead he fell to the floor with a thud.

Sango shot up in her chair. "Who's there?" She demanded hastily wiping the tears from her eyes. Miroku scuttled back away from the door, not quick enough, she was standing before him in an instant. "What are you doing here?" She said looking as if she'd rip his head off.

"I saw the lights on and then I kind of…" Miroku said shifting to stand.

"Kind of what?" Sango said with narrowed eyes.

"I heard you crying, you know if you need someone to talk to…"

"You must be mistaken I wasn't crying," She said cutting him short.

"Oh," Miroku said lamely.

"If you have nothing else to say I have some work to finish," Sango said turning back into her office.

The next thing he said before he even had time to analyze its meaning, "You look beautiful when you cry."

She stopped in the doorway, her shoulders tense, "No I don't," she said just above a whisper, "Crying is for the weak," with that she slammed the door in his face.

"Well that was unexpected," Miroku said to her closed door before he gathered up his fallen suitcase and head for the door.

In the weeks that followed, Miroku pulled a couple more late nighters always hoping to catch Sango after hours again but she didn't seem to stay past office hours since their confrontation. He couldn't help but notice her careful avoidance of him around the office, and the glances she made when she thought he wasn't looking. He was intrigued himself, but not sure if he was willing to be involved with a woman with so many issues. With his first court date coming up however, he managed to push it all to the back of his mind.

Finally his court date came, and boy did he shine. He had the jury and judge wrapped around his little finger; he played them all like a fine tuned violin. In the end he won his very first case. Inuyasha insisted they celebrate at the local bar. Miroku was more than happy to unwind, have a few beers with his co-workers; he'd earned it, hell he deserved. What he hadn't been expecting was to see Sango walk into the bar.

Miroku was sitting at the bar drinking a beer chatting with Inuyasha and his fiancée Kagome, when Inuyasha nodded his head towards the door, looking over his shoulder he noticed Sango standing in the doorway looking very out of place in her pressed black blazer, pencil skirt, and soft pink blouse, among the belly shirts and tube tops.

"What's she doing here?" Miroku said nodding in her direction.

"Beats me," Inuyasha said with a shrug of the shoulders while taking a swig of his beer.

"She's a co-worker of yours?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah she's my boss," Inuyasha said matter-of-factly.

"You should invite her to sit with us," Kagome said sweetly.

"I don't know…" Inuyasha said. But it was too late Miroku had already jumped up and was across the room approaching her.

She looked a bit like a bewildered animal as he approached her, "Sango, what are you doing here?"

She blushed slightly -which looked charming on her-, "I heard some people at the office talk about this place I thought I'd try it out."

Miroku gave her an accessing look she didn't exactly seem like the type of girl who just 'tried out bars.'

"Why don't you come have a beer with us then?" he said leading her over to the bar.

Sango took a seat at the bar, introductions were made and drinks were ordered.

The conversation flowed nicely, and Miroku was starting to see past the cracks in Sango's façade, she was loosening up little by little. What surprised him the most is how much he wanted to get to know her, to hold her; Flashes of memories from that night he'd found her crying in her office were still fresh in his mind. He'd never felt this way about a woman before, it'd always been a handshake and a good lay, then goodbye. As he talked to Sango -even making her laugh once or twice- he realized he wanted to get to know her, really get to know her.

The bar crowd began to thin out as the hour grew late and eventually Inuyasha and Kagome said goodnight. Miroku finished his last beer, and set it down on the bar.

"It's getting late," he said not trying to hide his disappointment. This would have to be one of the best nights of his life.

"Yeah," Sango said fiddling with a coaster idly.

Suddenly the question that'd been at the back of his mind all night came to the foreground,

"Sango, why did you really come here tonight?" Miroku said as straight forward as possible.

She looked away not meeting his gaze, "Really?"

"Yeah."

"I heard some people at the office saying you were having a celebration for winning your first case, and I guess I just wanted an excuse to meet with you."

"You could've asked me out for drinks I wouldn't have said no."

"You don't understand I can't," she paused.

"Because you're my boss?"

"No…"She said turning away from him, he grabbed her shoulders to turn her and face him. "I can't be like a regular woman. I can't be weak and cry. I can't have relationships, my father he…" tears rolled down her face and he couldn't fight the urge to kiss her any longer. He lifted her chin with his finger, wiping the tears away with his thumb. He leaned in and their lips met. Her lips were soft and the kiss was tender. He pulled away after a few passionate minutes.

"Even though you're beautiful when you cry, I'd hate to see you cry."

"I don't want to be weak."

"You're not."

"I just want to be a regular woman."

"Then be one."

"Who could love an Ice Queen?"

"Someone with fiery passion and that person is me." With that he brought her lips to his a second time. He would be her support, he would show her it was okay to be weak sometimes, he would be her fiery passion.