OH! WARNING - frightening content later on…adult supervision required, turn lights on, grab blanket and pillow, and keep out of reach of sharp objects - as some viewers tend to jump and land on said items.
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Chapter 9 - Understanding
"Sango…are you going on that date tonight?"
"Mm-hmm…" She nodded…not too happily though.
Kagome noticed this. "You sure you want too? I'm sure Toshiro would understand. Besides Miroku-"
Sango took to an abrupt stopped and turned to face the shorter girl. "What about Miroku?"
"Uh…n-nothing!" She laughed nervously.
"Good! Now come one, ya gotta help me find something to wear tonight!" She grabbed her hand and off to Sango's they went.
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Chapter 10 - Not How I Pictured It To Be
Sango stood staring at the female figure in the long portion of reflecting glass standing in her bathroom.
'It doesn't look that bad! Humph!… Kagome wouldn't know how to dress for a date if her life depended on it!…'
(Flashback)
Kagome yawned and lay her top half down on Sango's bed.
"…hey, Kagome, whaddaya think of think of this one? Too much…right…umm. OH! How about this one? I love this color. Mom said it brings out the color of my eyes…but it's a bit too short, he might try something. Hey! I love the frills on-"
"SANGO!" Kagome shot up and glared at the girl who was standing in a lake of clothing and talking about the few hundred dresses and skirts she had for an hour and a half. "Enough already! You asked me to help you, but so far, you haven't 'asked' me about any of them. Sure you held 'em up, but not a single word's been able to come from my point of view, so shut up already and just take that red dress hanging on the door!" Kagome angrily pointed to the burgundy wine-ish strapless, knee length dress with a sash that covered the waist area.
Sango dropped the black, frilly dress she was holding and stepped out of the mess of clothes. "This?" She fingered the soft material. Her brows came together and a sigh escaped her lips. "Kagome, this is for the father daughter dance next week. I'd rather not wear this at all, but my mom insisted. Besides, I'd like something nice!" She turned and glared at the raven- haired girl.
"That one is nice!"
Sango rolled her eyes and resumed digging for 'the perfect choice'. And after a few minutes, Sango pulled out a big white box and laid it on the bed, right next to a drowsy Kagome.
"What's this?" She asked.
"Sango smiles at her. "This," She took off the lid, "is it!" She squealed with delight as she pulled out a very short, sleeveless, black dress that completely covered up her chest and neck area and tied around her back. It had two strips of silky material that loosely hung from under each arm on the wearers body and tied around the wrists. All in all, it was a very beautiful dress. "I got it last month! Like it?"
Kagome, on the other hand, had somewhat of a disgusted look on her face.
"What? You don't' like it?" Sango held an injured look on her face.
"No, it's not that, Sango…it's just that, well, it looks a little…" She waved her hand about, as if trying to have it describe the word for her.
"A little what?" She put her hands on her hips.
"Uh…well, revealing don't you think?"
Sango looked slightly appalled. " I- …but-…you- … NO!" She stammered.
Kagome sighed. "Sango, it's much shorter than all the other ones! Like that one," She pointed to a pretty dark green dress that Sango was holding earlier. "You said that one was too short, but it's not even half as short as this one!
"Yes it is!"
"That's not what I mean, Sango."
"Well, then what do you mean?"
"I mean, if you wear that…you'll look…I dunno, desperate."
Sango sighed. "Kagome, I appreciate you're help, but I'm not desperate. I dunno, but Toshiro's really nice and I want him to like me, 'kay?"
"He already does like you, Sango. And what's so special 'bout him, what about Miro-"
Sango clapped a hand over her mouth. "Don't. Even. Say it! There's plenty special about him. For example," She let Kagome go, "he's not a pervert…"
"Yeah, but-"
"But nothing-" Sango cut her off and began pushing her out the door.
"Yeah, but-"
"Buh - bye Kagome!" She closer the door.
On the other side, Kagome sighed and walked down the stairs. In Sango's room, she too sighed. "No way am I gonna look desperate…" She ran into her bathroom and put on her dress, did her make-up and her hair, and accessorized.
(End Flashback)
"It's not 'desperate' at all! Kagome doesn't know what she's talking about! Hmm…" She licked her finger and wrapped it around a few strands that she withdrew from their current place and twirled it, causing it to hang at her left temple in a spiral manner. She smiled, albeit slightly empty.
"Well, off I go…" She took a deep breathe and stepped out of her bathroom, but stopped; suddenly remembering something. She ran off toward the staircase. "Dad, is mom home yet?" She yelled down to him.
"No, Sango, why?" He called back.
"When you two went dancing last week, mom took my shoes! Did you see where she put them?"
"No, sorry, just wear a different pair!"
"Dad!"
"What now? I'm busy!"
She put her hands on her hips and headed downstairs. "Doing what pray tell?" She said with a demanding air as she walked down the many steps.
"Something very…important!"
"What? Where are you?"
"…"
"Hmm?" She stopped and looked around. "Dad?"
A cough was heard from the kitchen. "Shh! Kohaku, quiet, she'll hear you!"
She smiled wickedly and headed for the kitchen. "Gotcha!" She jumped into the doorway. "Hmm?" She looked at them. "What are you doing?
"I told you! We're busy!" He said trying to hide whatever it was he was doing.
A look of horror came onto Sango's face. "Dad, please no…don't tell me…" She took a step back, balancing herself, as if, if she didn't, she would surely fall over.
"Sango, honey, um…I'm so sorry! I walked into the kitchen and wanted to make a snack. Kohaku called me over to watch a movie, and I accidentally hit it with the tray…" He stepped aside and Sango put her hand up to her mouth and shook her head.
"Yeah! He got it real good!" Kohaku beamed, looking from at his father to the demolished art project and back, a proud look on his face. "Couldn't have done it better my- oomph!" He was cut off by a smack in the head by the man of whom he was so proud of.
"Now's no the time son!" His face softened and saddened as he looked back to Sango, stepping towards her in the process. "I'm really sorry." He smiled, although still looking quite grim and ashamed, "I tried to fix it though…"
Sango looked back at the disaster. It was supposed to be a self-sculpture. It didn't look half bad too, and was do next Friday. She was almost done with it too.
Sango looked back to the 'model' the nose was very pointy, unlike how she did it, the eyes were pressed in and the mouth was uneven. The overall display looked very lopsided and brought tears to her eyes. But she bit them back and smiled a warm smile at her dad, knowing that he really didn't mean it and that he tried his best to fix it.
"Thanks dad." She went up to him and gave him a small hug. She pulled away. "So, where're my shoes?"
"I really don't know. Ask Kohaku. He had them last after mom told him to put 'em away."
Sango glared at her younger brother. "Well?"
"Closet. Duh! That's where they always are!" He shook his head as if annoyed and walked away.
Sango rolled her eyes. "Dad, I'd better go. You're not gonna wait to meet him, are you?"
He smiled at her. "I'm sorry I ruined your project, but not that sorry…" He chuckled.
Just…don't say anything that'll make me regret you're my dad, 'kay?"
"Fine. Now hurry, you said he'd be here around 6:30..." He looked at his watch. "It's 20 after."
"I have time, now let's find those shoes." And the hunt for her sandals began; but was cut short.
"Sango, apparently my watch is wrong!" Her dad yelled after opening the door to Toshiro.
"Damn!" She silently cursed as she looked through the many shoes. "HAH!" She pulled out a pair of black, open-toed slippers that tied around her ankles and half way to her knee. Quickly putting them on, she ran to the door, almost stumbling if it were not for the side table at the edge of the door.
"Toshiro! Hi!…you're early."
He stared at her, dumbfounded. She looked beautiful. The dress showed every curve of her perfect figure.
Sango blushed, realizing why he never replied. She shifted her weight.
Her dad noticed this too. "Ahem." He taped his foot and crossed his arms, not liking this boy already.
Toshiro blushed and gulped. He looked up at her, smiling. "Sango Ishikawa, you look absolutely stunning. That dress is amazing on you and you've got a wonderful body for it. How do you keep so thin?" He was drooling again.
Mr. Ishikawa stepped in front of his daughter. "Where will you be going? What time will you be coming back? Can I get a number? How old are you? How long have you known my daughter? Will you…"
Sango sighed. Just like every time she goes out with a guy she likes, her dad bombards him with stupid questions.
"Dad… Movies, 11:30 or so, we don't have one, my age; give or take a year -"
Toshiro interrupted, "Give!"
Sango smiled and resumed. "okay then; give, about a week, I love you, Bye!" She kissed him on the cheek, grabbed her bag and coat, and pulled Toshiro out of the house before he could continue.
"So sorry about that. So, what movie are we watching?"
"That's okay, he's over-protective, lots of dads are. Oh, um…I think it's called "Mekura Shinrin" (Blind Forest)
Sango nodded and stepped into his car.
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The drive there wasn't a long one, about 15 minutes. They still had about 10 to spare, and decided to spend it getting food and drinks.
"A large popcorn and a large soda, one straw." He looked at her and wiggled his eyebrows.
She blushed. 'That seems so like Miroku…only he would have ordered a small soda, hoping I'd kiss him for relief of the saltiness of the popcorn after the soda was empty…' She smiled and then mentally slapped herself. 'No! I'm out with Toshiro, he's very sweet. I can't be thinking about Miroku. He doesn't deserve it…the pervert…' And again she smiled and then quickly frowned.
The lady at the register gave them the food and Toshiro paid. "Lets go!" He put an arm out for her. Sango put her right arm through his left and away they walked.
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The movie was alright, not too interesting, all in all, it was scary. But she'd seen better ones. She was afraid at some points and was startled at a few. But Toshiro was there and her held on to her hand. Then eventually he put an arm around her. At one point though, she couldn't wait until it was over…
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(Flashback)
The lady in the movie ran over to her 7 year old son, who was on the floor. His back faced her and he would not awaken. The boy hadn't moved for a long while. She began stroking his back and shaking him gently, as tears ran down her cheeks. "No, Soitsu…please wake up. Please, honey. It's mommy. Wake up baby. Wake up…" She put her head down on his back and listened intently for a heartbeat as she quieted her sniffling.
None.
She gasped. "Soitsu! SOITSU! Wake up, please. Don't be dead, just don't be-" She broke out into a fit of sobs. "Please baby, wake up. Stop scaring mommy." The woman stroked her sons back gently and sniffled. Something dawned on her. She still hadn't looked at her baby to see if her was awake or not. But something told her not to. She didn't know what, but something in the back of her head said turn away and forget it. But this was he son. She loved him more than anything else. She couldn't just leave, more or less forget. "Soitsu. Please, if you're awake, look at mommy. Look at me Soitsu. Honey?" She put her hand on his shoulder and shook him again.
She gently pulled on him, trying to turn him around. "Soitsu? Are you-" She jumped up and screamed. She began bawling uncontrollably as her heartbeat sped up and her fear rose. She'd been through ghosts, strange people, darkness, and everything. But she wasn't prepared for this. Soitsu, her son, was lying on the floor, staring back at her. But he wasn't alive. He was dead, but it was as if someone…or something, had known right where she'd be when she moved back, for he was staring directly at her. With cuts over his face, his brows knit into a frown and…he was smiling… his face looked deadly, evil, taunting almost. She moved closer, his eyes remained on her. She got up, panicking and crying loudly to herself. She looked around and saw a door, the one she went through to find this room.
She looked back at him. Maybe it was just her, but he seemed closer. She began to get very frightened and, still looking at him, slowly moved toward the door. She stopped after a few steps. Fear spread throughout her body. Her heart and brain both stopped. Her son, the dead boy on the floor, his taunting eyes, they followed her… She gasped and ran for the door. The door wouldn't open. She turned around and saw no one in her son's place. He was gone. She stepped forward and paled at how afraid she was. She turned around, wanting to make a second attempt at opening the door. But stopped dead in her tracks. There was her son, deadly face, taunting eyes staring at her.
Sango jumped at seeing his face so close, it was scary. Toshiro saw her flinch and moved his hands on hers. She smiled, but frowned again at his next actions. He moved his hand onto her knee, then up to her thigh, then higher and higher until - "Toshiro! Stop it!" She blushed. 'Miroku would have done that too…' She thought, then shook her head.
Toshiro smirked. "I'll stop…for now." She gulped and turned back to the movie…but didn't really mind it much. She kept thinking about a certain pervert, and then eventually each though was followed by a mental slap and scold.
(End Flashback)
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"That was such a scary movie! Especially when That guys head fell off!" exclaimed a 14 year old as she exited the theater.
Toshiro grabbed her hand and led her out to his car. "Well, Sango, it's 9:30, the night is still young, whaddaya wanna do now?"
"Um…I don't really-"
"Oh, come one, lets go get something to eat, 'kay?"
Sango nodded, hesitantly though.
The drove off to a nearby sushi bar and Toshiro, once again, ordered for them. "So, what's new, we didn't get to talk much at the movies." He smiled handsomely at her, but she didn't think it to be all too handsome.
Sango saw him, heard his voice, and smelled his scent, but she saw Miroku's face. Something in her stomach turned, a feeling swept over her for the first time that week…guilt. She felt horrible. The whole week she had ignored him and his feelings…she had ignored hers too. She felt ashamed. Sango didn't realize it before, but Miroku was better that Toshiro. He had done things…perverted things, before, but never had they made her feel that uncomfortable, he protected her, helped her, even when he was mad at her.
Sango couldn't take it anymore. She hated people like that…people like Kikyo and her group of friends. But now, now she was just like them. Her hands slammed down on the table and she stood, interrupting what Toshiro was saying.
"Sango? What are you doing? Sit down!" He demanded, embarrassed at the commotion they caused.
"Toshiro, you're very sweet, and a nice guy, but I think I should go now…" She looked at him seriously, hope showing in her eyes. 'Please take me home…'
"Sango, I told you, sit down. You're not going anywhere yet, we're not done with tonight, now sit!" He roughly grabbed her wrist and pulled her down.
She grew afraid. "Toshiro, what are you doing, let me go! I wanna go home!"
"I said no!" He pulled her down again, this time looking at her intensely. "I asked you out, you said yes, I paid, we ate, now I want to have some fun!"
She gasped. 'Does he mean-?" She got her answer when he smiled wickedly.
"No…" She whispered. "No!" Sango stood and pulled away, then began running away. She opened the door quickly and stopped, as cold drops fell onto her back. 'I knew I should have brought a coat!' She thought anxiously. 'I don't care anymore! I've hurt Miroku, and now…if I don't get out of here and away from him, I'm gonna hurt myself!' Sango ran out the door, into the cold night.
"Sango, get back her you damn girl!" Toshiro ran to his car and unlocked it.
She kept running. The car started and her pace quickened. She turned her head. An alleyway…dark though.
He was coming.
'I don't care, I have to!' And in she went. The rain was making her shiver. 'I'm gonna get so sick…and so grounded…' She thought as she felt a sneeze coming on. The dark haired girl ran helplessly to a neighborhood where she hadn't been in a long time. But it was one of the few places that held a home for her…a home that she felt very safe in.
'I think…I…lost him…' Sango couldn't think…she was so tired and cold. Her brain was slowing down and she felt as if she would collapse at any minute.
Sango came up to a big house with a car parked in front. 'Please be home…' She knocked on the door, quietly.
Nothing.
She used up all the strength she had and banged on the door, tears slid down her cheeks. She was afraid of Toshiro, and didn't want to be outside alone anymore. She wanted someone to comfort her…
"Please…open up…" She whispered. "…please…"
Sango felt lightheaded. She slammed her fists against the door one more time.
"Alright, I'm comin', I'm comin'!" A voice from behind the door yelled. The door opened. "Whaddaya want?" A young man asked in an aggravated way.
He stopped and his featured softened. There stood a wet and messy— "Sango?"
Sango smiled. Her heart fluttered. The only comforting face she'd seen all day, besides her father. She was more than happy to be here, in his presence, and she hoped to god that he would forgive her. She didn't know why, but she cared…a lot.
"Miroku" was the last word that escaped her blue, trembling lips before she fell unconsciously into his arms.
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A/N - HURRAH! I'm all better… Well, I have been for awhile.. And then I kind of forgot about the computer and my fic too. But now that I'm back on it, it shouldn't matter, right?
OH! And I'm sorry that I didn't reply to the reviewers in this, but I decided to give you a longer chapter.
Give me some ideas for the next chapter, please!
Please review, constructive criticism is much appreciated, yaddah, yaddah, so on and so on…
Oh, and about the "IMPORTANT"message, I thought it was scary…so don't hate me…just regard the note…
Dragon