"Are you guys okay? Both you and Sango are completely pale! Not to mention you're quieter than usual." Miroku and Sango both chose to ignore the question, and politely accepted more tea from Kagome. She lowered the kettle after refilling their cups, and leaned back, and sat as still as a tree from Buddha training grounds.
"Do you guys hear that? It sounds like Kuranosuke's...firing...firing the boy!" At that instant, Miroku leapt up from the small wooden table, and pounded his fist on it almost triumphantly. "Aha! I told you Kuranosuke would get the boy punished! I told you the boy stole Sango's garland! That night, on the festival grounds!"
Inuyasha sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in exhaustion. "All right, you were right and we were wrong. So, the boy stole something, and now he's outta here. Can we please just drop the subject? It's a good morning and I don't even feel like arguing." Miroku listened closely after everyone left. Suddenly, an elaborate purple package slid under the door. A note written on Kuranosuke's fancy paper was attached.
Miroku's throat burned as Shippo delivered the package to Sango. Sango's eyes widened, and she patted the fox demon's head as she folded back the paper. She lifted the note close enough to read, and her hand raised to her face. "My...Kuranosuke has sent a lovely poem. It says 'I give greetings to you, My Demon Slayer, in the morning light. Please meet me at dawn by the old bridge later, just at the second before night.' My, how exciting! I wonder what he wants..."
Miroku clenched his fist, trying to keep his feelings under control until the last second. Since when did Kuranosuke start writing poetry? When did he decide to just force Sango to meet him? Miroku's eyes narrowed as he read the first two lines again. And since when was Sango his Demon Slayer? This was too much! "Argh..." Miroku said under his breath, cursing himself for letting his guard down. Now that he had relaxed when he thought Kuranosuke had left, he returns and blows this note in Miroku's face! "If Kuranosuke wants someone to meet him by the old bridge later, at the second before night, he'll have someone there. Only it isn't going to be Sango," he said to himself when the others left.
Miroku thought his plan out carefully before placing it into action. He was going to make it so Sango would not be able to see Kuranosuke. Then, Miroku would slip out and confront him there, head-on. No violence of course, just man-to-man logic and reasoning. Perhaps if Miroku explained the situation more clearly, and included that Sango still had not succeeded in rescuing Kohaku, Kuranosuke would give up right there and then. It would be perfect, as long as Shippo would not go off telling Sango, Kagome, or Inuyasha. "If this works, I will not be ashamed in calling myself a genius," the monk whispered to himself, writing his whole plan on the back of Kuranosuke's note. He folded the note into a baggy fold in his monk's robe, and slipped upstairs to initiate plan "Kuranosuke Minus Sango."
Everything went according to plan at first. The moment Miroku hid the note in his pocket, he started with the one person who could ruin his entire plan. He must keep Shippo away from Sango. After all, Shippo was a child, and children seemed to tell adults everything at those times. With all the gossip and people to give the gossip to, Miroku did not want Shippo to spill the secret plan to the one woman he loved.
Miroku approached Shippo slowly, as though the fox demon was a hungry beast with an appetite for holy men. Shippo sat there on the floor, laughing and spinning his toy top around the neatly polished wooden floor planks. "Lovely afternoon, isn't it, Shippo?" he asked, and the young child turned from his play.
"Hey, Miroku. Wanna play with me?" Shippo asked, bouncing up and down with excitement. Miroku rocked back and forth on his heels, pretending to think about it.
"Sorry, Shippo, my time schedule is completely loaded. But how would you like to play with Sango? She'd love to...uh...spin those toys with you. You know how she's been feeling these days. Maybe a good play date will raise her spirits," Miroku said in a casual voice, trying to hide his false interest. Shippo nodded, still bouncing excitedly. "Okay! Oh, Saaango!" he called, scampering upstairs with his toys in hand. Miroku chuckled to himself when the fox was gone, and nearly felt sorry that he was using Shippo for his plan. Next, Miroku decided to take Kagome and Inuyasha down. He found them sitting on a rug, stitching up a hole in one of Kagome's socks. "Hi, Miroku," she said, patting the rug beside her. Miroku took a seat, watching Kagome as she made perfect, tiny stitches around the hole. Inuyasha sat next to her, eyeing the sock with a curious look. Miroku pictured the sock as his heart, and no matter how many times someone would try to stitch it up, the hole in his heart could never fill. Not with Kuranosuke wanting to marry Sango, that was for certain.
"Kagome, Inuyasha, I was told to tell you that one of the servants wanted to speak to you outside," Miroku said, choosing his words carefully. "They wanted to...uh...hand back your laundry." Kagome leapt up, leaving her sock-repairing. "Thanks, Miroku, I'll go get them right now." Inuyasha turned to go as well. As they left, Miroku began to follow.
"Miroku, do you need anything else?" Kagome said, turning to face her friend. Inuyasha crossed his arms. "What's the matter?" Miroku waved his hands, reassuring them. "No, no, I just want to be sure that the door doesn't lock when you go out. I don't want you guys to be stuck out there in the cold."
Kagome and Inuyasha walked out the door slowly, turning their heads in search of the servants. At that moment, Miroku took the door and closed it firmly, locking it. He wiped his hands when he was through, and rested against it for a moment. "I'm sorry, you two, but it's for your own good and Sango's. Mostly Sango's, but...anyway, I'm sorry." He turned to leave, whistling as he thought of his next strategy. Now all he had to do was keep Sango from leaving, and Miroku prayed that the gods would handle the rest.
Shippo was asleep when Miroku knocked on Sango's screen. She slid the screen open, holding her finger to her lips, signaling Miroku to enter quietly. He eyed the sleeping Shippo, and felt a twinge of guilt as he realized that he tricked his friends to keep his own happiness. If this goes through, Miroku thought, I promise that I will let them pay me back as much as they want. Now, I must release Sango from Kuranosuke's well-manicured, yet somewhat annoying grip. "Sango...Kuranosuke wanted me to tell you not to follow the note," Miroku said, trying to ignore the burning guilt of lying to the girl he loved. "He said...he said that he didn't want you to go out of your way to just to see him. Besides, he has a meeting to go to." Sango listened carefully, and Miroku quickly prayed that she did not sense the lying in his voice.
"Oh," she said blankly, staring at her bed. "Oh," she said again, more in surprise this time. "Well, to be perfectly honest, I really wasn't going to go anyway. And if I did, I would have hurt his feelings." Miroku was taken back. "W-What do you mean?"
Sango's beautiful, sloping eyes still stared at the bed, then down at the floor. "Well, I was hoping that I would...you know...let him go. I don't want to hurt his feelings in the process, though! I'm just...not that kind of girl. Instead, I'll wait. If he still continues, I will have no choice but to break up with him straight-on." She looked Miroku in the eye now, and he knew that he still had a chance if Sango would break up with Kuranosuke soon. Still, something didn't feel right about his trick.
"Thank you for coming up here, Miroku," she said, a small smile forming on her soft, pink lips. "I'll be sure to remember this moment, always." She gave his hand a small squeeze, and Miroku felt his legs go clammy. She released his hand after a moment, then returned to staring at the floor. Miroku knew that it was almost sunset, so he decided to leave now. He had to catch Kuranosuke the exact second before night. He knew that Sango wouldn't follow. Not after what she just told him, and that's what gave Miroku the confidence.
He reached the old bridge the second before night. Kuranosuke stood there, dressed in his usual fancy silk clothing. Miroku could see in the distance, and Kuranosuke was pacing. He stopped pacing when Miroku arrived, but he didn't seem alarmed. He didn't even show a small bit of surprise. "Oh, monk Miroku," Kuranosuke said, giving a small tip of his head. Miroku was surprised that Kuranosuke was addressing him formally. He was trying to take Sango away from him, after all. Why on earth would Kuranosuke be so nice? Why now?
"What brings you out? Anything I can do?" he asked, and Miroku couldn't stand it anymore. His kindness, his gifts to Sango, his voice that was coated over with phony calmness...he couldn't take it!
"Yeah, you can stop going after Sango. I know why you've been pretending to be so nice to us," Miroku said, and Kuranosuke's calm smile slowly began to change into a 'what-are-you-talking-about' kind of smile. Miroku took a step forward, but Kuranosuke never moved. His expression didn't even change in the least.
"Are you ill, Miroku?" Kuranosuke asked. "You must be listening to some rumors around the castle. Surely there's some mistake here. I merely wish for Sango's comfort while she's staying in the village, and yours as well. There's absolutely nothing more to it!" Kuranosuke said, throwing his hands up. Miroku gave a quick, cold shake of his head, and clenched his fists.
"Your lying surprises me, Kuranosuke. Not so tough for a wealthy man, are you? You have the respect, but you don't even live up to it, do you?" Miroku asked, the anger in his voice raising like smoke from a forest fire. Kuranosuke gave another smile, only this one was bitter, almost as cold as Miroku's voice.
"I don't see why you're so hostile to someone who's trying to give you a place to stay," Kuranosuke said, his voice calm but his smile cruel. A steely voice in the back of Miroku's head warned him not to be intimidated. Not now, not when Kuranosuke was trying to take Sango away from him. He would fight for her if he had to. "You said so yourself. You have no place to go. You're after a demon madman who took Sango's brother. I'm merely trying to help, trying to raise your spirits, trying to make Sango happy. That's what you want, isn't it? Don't you want Sango to be happy, monk Miroku?" Kuranosuke also took a step forward, feeding the fire of Miroku's anger.
Miroku raised his fist. Kuranosuke's eyes glistened suddenly, and Miroku sensed a very tiny, almost microscopic bit of fear in Kuranosuke's soul and eyes. He took a step backward, and Miroku felt like a bully attacking a young child. He just wasn't worth it. Miroku lowered his fist slowly, leaving Kuranosuke standing in shock. "I'm not going to attack you," he said slowly, turning to leave. "I'm not that kind of man. Just know, Kuranosuke, that Sango is and always will be my own. Try all you like. In the end, you'll see that I'm the victor. As a monk, I am never wrong." And with that, Miroku turned and walked across the bridge, not looking back at Kuranosuke or his frightened, quivering eyes.