Another morning, another fleeting glimpse of Kagome as she rushed off again. Miroku hadn't seen more than a passing glimpse of either Kagome or Inuyasha for the better part of the last week. In fact, were it not for Sachiko, he wouldn't have had any human contact at all. Well, besides his customers, and none of them bothered to ask him how he was, ever.

"We're going into the middle of Tokyo," Kagome said, "And we won't be back for quite some time. So you won't need to cook anything for us, okay?"

"Why do you have to go too, Inuyasha?" Miroku pouted.

"There's a kick-ass video arcade there, and I need to check this one game to make sure nobody beat my high score."

"Do I need to remind either of you that I never asked to be brought to this time?" Miroku pouted. "Or to be stuck here with no one to talk to?"

Kagome stopped rushing for a moment and put her hand on Miroku's shoulder. "I'm really sorry. I haven't had much time for you at all lately. Well, I'm busy today, and in two days time it's me and Inuyasha's anniversary, and then the day after that we go back to the feudal era-you did remember this time didn't you?"

"Yes, my schedule is completely clear."

"How about we do something tomorrow then?" she suggested. "We can all go out to dinner, all three of us. We can catch up then. Would you like that?" Miroku nodded. "Then," Kagome continued with a wink, "You can tell me all about your new girlfriend."

Oh well, thought Miroku after they left. I suppose a dinner is better than nothing. Still it would be nice to have them around and-

He looked at the clock. Oh, no! He was going to have to run very fast if he was going to open up the agency on time! He grabbed his keys and his briefcase and dashed out the door.

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Miroku gasped for breath as he unlocked the door to the matchmaking agency. He needed water and he needed it badly. He hadn't realised just how much he had let his physical training slide now that he no longer needed superhuman strength for the purposes of fighting Naraku. And it made him feel so hot and sweaty, he needed to take off his coat before he passed out from the heat.

Only, he wasn't wearing a coat, he realised. He must have forgotten it in his hurry to get out the door. So he had managed to work up that much of a sweat, wearing just a suit, in this cold weather? He must have been running pretty hard.

As his first client came in, he staggered towards his desk.

"Just…a…moment," he gasped, clutching the side of the desk, hurriedly trying to catch his breath.

It took him five whole minutes to compose himself after that. All of his appointments were knocked off schedule and he started his lunch fifteen minutes later than usual. He didn't even plan to eat lunch today, not that Kagome had even had time to pack him anything. He just needed the time to catch up on work. The price of being successful was getting to him. More and more new customers poured through the doors every day, and he couldn't find enough hours in the day to actually pore through the notes and match people together. He was beginning to desperately need help, but Kagome wouldn't stay in one place long enough for him to ask her what he should do. Tomorrow. Tomorrow at dinner he would ask her for help, and this whole mess would be sorted out once and for all.

In that case, he may as well take advantage of having an empty house tonight and invite Sachiko over. As long as he'd be getting help for his workload soon, there was no need to spend the entire evening working. He could let it go, just for tonight.

He called Sachiko.

"Is that weird guy going to be there?" she asked hesitantly. "I don't think he likes me very much. He kept staring at me last time."

"You mean Inuyasha? Don't mind him, he's just shy around new people. But he'll be out. We'll have the house to ourselves."

"Are you going to cook?"

"If you would like me to, it would be my pleasure."

"Great. I'll meet you outside your office, if you want. Is seven o'clock okay?"

Miroku smiled as he put down the phone. He was so delighted, he didn't even notice his stomach protesting the complete lack of food anymore. He swallowed another glass of water. The sooner he began the afternoon appointments, the sooner he got to see Sachiko.

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Miroku locked the door of the agency at exactly 7pm. He unscrewed the cap of the soda drink he'd bought to stave off the hunger pangs, and took a sip. Darkness had already fallen, and the crowds were beginning to thin. He shivered in the cold night air, and wished that he hadn't forgotten his coat this morning.

At ten minutes past seven, he leaned against the wall, his legs beginning to grow weary of standing. He took another sip of his drink, by now half finished, as his stomach growled angrily at being kept empty for so long.

At twenty minutes past seven, he gave up standing and sat down on the brick planter on the opposite side of the sidewalk. Although the coldness of the bricks pierced through his trousers as if he were sitting on a block of ice, it was better than standing in one place. Setting his empty drink bottle beside him, he tucked his hand under his arms in an effort to keep them warm. With a tinge of sadness, he began to wonder if Sachiko had forgotten about him-or worse, decided she didn't want to see him. Maybe he would wait another few minutes before he left. The cold air began to tickle his nose, and he sneezed twice.

At 7:28, after realising he was shivering and sneezing much more than a person ought to, he picked up his empty bottle to throw it in the bin, and then leave. He threw the bottle into the bin with a sudden force that betrayed the pent up frustration he felt and the clatter it made echoed into the near empty street. Scowling, he turned into the darkness to make his way home.

He ignored the footsteps that quickly approached from behind. He ignored them until they stopped behind him and he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I am so, so sorry I'm late," Sachiko said with pleading eyes. "Believe it or not, I was actually working. I was doing Demon Slayer, for a review and lost track of time."

Fortunately, Miroku being stunned and at a temporary loss for words kept him from saying something involving demons and demon slayers with a little bit of Naraku thrown in, that most likely would have sounded odd to Sachiko's ears.

"It's the new video game at the arcade," she explained. "I was playing it, and I got really far, and there wasn't a clock there and I just…I'm really sorry."

"Do you realise how cold it is out here?" grumbled Miroku.

"Why did you wait outside, and not inside?"

"Because I couldn't wait to see you," he muttered, and let out another sneeze.

Sachiko looked at the ground. "Do you…do you still want to spend time together tonight, or are you really mad?"

Miroku's expression softened. "Of course I want to spend time with you tonight."

"You don't have to cook. We can order in, my treat. It will be my way of making it up to you, a little bit at least." She put her arms around him. "Maybe this will keep you warm."

The two walked, arm in arm, down the darkened, streetlamp-lit street. Noticing that Miroku continued to sneeze periodically, Sachiko stopped. She unwound the scarf from around her own neck, and placed it around his. Miroku stroked it appreciatively.

"That's very kind of you," he said. "It's so very soft."

He stopped for a moment, and clasped her hand with his, intertwining their fingers. As he gazed into her eyes, Sachiko wondered for a moment if he might be about to kiss her. But then, he turned his gaze skyward and, with a barely perceptible laugh, continued walking without a word still holding her hand in his. If she could see his face in the darkness, she would have seen he wore a smile.