Here's Chapter 2! All the reviews make me so happy ^-^ Keep them coming please! This chapter finally sheds some light as to Mizuki's relevance to the story, as well as Miroku's sad past I made up. Since he doesn't suffer from a life threatening air-rip, he had to have SOME kind of tragic event happen and it just so happened that it made him a pervert.
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Miroku & Sango: The Ecchi & the Furious
Written & Edited by: Yoshida Saori & Taijioku Christina
~:~ Chapter 2: Painful Secrets ~:~
"You need to!"
"No way! I'm not going to!"
Mizuki glowered, turning towards Sango who was sitting at the table eating breakfast and silently laughing at the near daily tirade. Mizuki was silently asking for some help but Sango merely gave her a look that said she was on her own. "Miroku, you need to get a job! My father is not going to be that lenient anymore with your rent going unpaid now that you have a roommate!"
"Can't you needle him for one more month?" he practically begged, eyes going abnormally wide in a successful attempt to look innocent. "Just one!"
Even the strongest of girls crumpled under a puppy dog stare. Combined with Miroku's natural charm and – as much as Sango hated to admit it – good looks, it was a lethal weapon that Mizuki was helpless against. "Fine! I'll see what I can do! Just wipe that damned look off your face before I ask Shippou to scratch it off!"
Miroku immediately got to his feet, a trademark smile on his face as he gave her a hug. "Arigatou, Zuki-chan!"
His hand traveled to the girl's rear.
::CRASH!::
A now floored Miroku twitched in the debris of the floor, Mizuki's right foot planted painfully on his back as a vein popped out of her clenched fist. "Sukebe!"
Sango walked up, tapping his side with her foot as he continued to twitch and didn't get up from the floor. "How hard did you hit him?"
"He'll be out for a while," she quipped, nudging Miroku so he was on his back near the foot of the couch. Sitting down on the plush cushion, she propped her feet on his stomach and flipped the TV on; apparently, she was well accustomed to this routine. "I guess I'll stay here until he comes to so I can badger him about a job and some other debts."
Smiling, Sango shouldered her briefcase and sports bag. "Tell the sukebe I'll be late; I have fencing and martial arts practice and I promised Kagome I'd help her with archery."
"Have a good day," she chimed with too much cheerfulness, waving until Sango was out of site. Once she was, Mizuki looked down at her foot rest. "You hear her, sukebe?"
"Hai; now can you please let me up?" Miroku's said, his face buried in the carpeting, "I'm getting rug burn on my nose."
"Nope."
Kirara seemed to agree, lying on Miroku's head, growling and bearing her claws when he tried to move; why was everyone ganging up on him today?
* * * * * *
"I can't believe it! They want me to be a part of the archery exhibition!" Kagome was nearly bouncing with joy as she and Sango walked into a café for a drink, "Are you taking part in any exhibitions for Sports Day?"
Sango sweat-dropped as she mumbled some inaudible words under her breathe. Ever since she had come, her athletic talents had been spotted quickly and she had been talked into joining nearly every sport there was. She had been asked to participate in all of the exhibitions and had yet to decide which to help with; she wanted SOME free time to enjoy the day after all. "Yeah; I don't know which ones though."
"You'll do great in any of them," Kagome said cheerfully.
Sango nodded absently, looking at the ticket in her hand. Kagome had gotten two and was going to give hers to Inuyasha and Mizuki but Sango didn't know who to ask to come watch her. Normally she would have three -- one for her father, mother and Kohaku – but now she didn't have anyone to watch her compete proudly. Kohaku was in the coma and her family was gone…who would she ask to go?
"Are you going to give one to Miroku-sama?" Kagome asked innocently, breaking Sango from her depressing thoughts.
Sango pondered it for a long while before shrugging. "I guess so…and maybe I'll ask Rin-chan if she'd like to come too…"
"Who's Rin?"
"A girl I met in the hospital," Sango answered without thinking. Once she realized what she said, Kagome's brown eyes were staring at her intently.
"Why were you at the hospital? You're not sick, are you?" Kagome paused for a moment before her eyes widened at some sort of revelation she was thinking of. "Oh my god! Did Miroku-sama…and you…are you…?!"
Sango spit the coke she was drinking out, flushing red and giving Kagome a dirty look. "Of course not! My brother's in the hospital!"
Kagome went from dreamy happy to shocked horror. "I'm so sorry! I didn't even know you had a brother!"
Sango nodded sadly. "The fire that destroyed my home in the mountains with the rest of the clan left him in a coma. I came here to Tokyo because they said he might have a better chance of recovery here."
Kagome gave Sango a comforting hug. "I'm sure he'll get better soon."
"I hope so…he used to come watch me on Sports Days." Sango laughed sadly at some stray memory. "Kohaku was never very athletic himself but he loved watching sports and always cheered me on at my games. He was starting to try out for a baseball team when the fire happened…"
"Oh Sango-chan…"
Sango wiped the tears in her eyes away furiously before they could fall. "Would you like to come with me to visit him? I was going to go and see how he was doing today."
Kagome smiled gently as she said, "I'd love to."
* * * * * *
Rin peeked into Kohaku's room, the sound of monitors beeping assaulting her ears. Sango was there again but with a friend this time, sitting by Kohaku's bed and talking about some festival. "Sango-sama?"
"Ah, Konnichiwa, Rin-chan," Sango said, her voice a bit cracked, "How are you?"
Rin immediately walked over, watching the older girl with big eyes. "Rin's fine but why is Sango-sama crying?"
"It's a grown up thing," she said with a tiny laugh before turning towards the other girl. "Kagome-chan, this is Rin. Rin-chan, this is my friend Kagome."
"Konnichiwa, Rin-chan." Kagome looked at the little girl's hand curiously, "Who's that flower for?"
"Rin brought it for Sango-sama's otouto!" she said brightly, handing it to Sango, "Rin brought it so Sango-sama's otouto will get better and Sango-sama won't be sad no more."
"That's sweet Rin-chan, Arigatou gozaimasu." Setting the girl down in her lap comfortably, she held out a ticket towards her. "My school is having a festival for Sports Day…would you like to come with us, Rin-chan?"
It seemed impossible for Rin's eyes to be any wider. "Sugoi! Rin like festivals! Rin go ask Sesshomaru-sama!"
"Sesshomaru-sama?" Sango whispered to herself in confusion, "Who's that?"
"Her doctor; he's also Inuyasha's half-brother. I remember hearing something about Sesshomaru taking care of a little girl who was in a car accident and nearly died like the rest of her family…" Kagome murmured, "I guess that's her."
* * * * * *
"For the last time, NO!"
"You have to get a job! Otou-sama refuses to give in on anymore free rent!"
Sango sighed, toying with the ticket as she sat at the table doing her homework with her headphones on. Even through the music, Mizuki and Miroku's bickering could be heard. They looked like an old married couple; they even acted like it.
I wonder if they ever dated, Sango thought idly, her homework forgotten, They get along like friends but its hard to believe Houshi-sama would pass even his best friend up. She's beautiful, talented and can certainly put him in his place… Sango shook her head rapidly; why did she even care?
"Fine! Don't get a job!" Mizuki finally huffed, a glint in her eyes that made Miroku lose his triumphant grin and raise a questioning eyebrow, "You'll just have to ask your parents for the money then!"
THAT made Miroku pale until he was as white as Sango's bed sheets. "No way! I can't do that! The only reason they let me live on my own is because I don't ask them for money! They'd make me move back and I'd never get any privacy!" He let out a sad sigh as he muttered something about never being able to have pretty girls in his room anymore. "Besides, what would Sango do for a home then?!"
"Don't bring me into this," Sango protested; she was in full agreement with Mizuki and didn't want to be his escape card into getting out of a job.
"Right! Besides, she could always live with me if she needed a place to say!" The land lady smirked as she saw Miroku desperately trying to search his brain for a good excuse.
It came to him as he grinned, looping an arm around her shoulders. "Come on Zuki-chan…can't you try again for your best friend in the whole wide world?" Miroku ignored her disbelieving snort. "For all the good times we had those years ago?"
For some reason, that made the girl pause and think. She huffed after a minute of silent debate, finally growling out, "Whatever; one more month!" before storming out the door with a loud bang.
Sango blinked in confusion; so maybe they DID have something before. "What was that about?"
Was it just her imagination or did the lecher look sad for a moment? "Nothing…just something between Zuki-chan and I." Within a moment he had his well constructed happy mask on, grinning as he sat across from her at the table. "So…Kagome-sama says the Sports Day Festival is coming up in a few days. Are you doing anything in it?"
"Exhibitions for the fencing, martial arts and soccer clubs," she said idly, fiddling with the ticket more. She could already feel heat creeping up her cheeks. "Ne, Houshi-sama…"
"Hai, Sango?" Damn his smile; he was enjoying her blush.
"Would you like to come see it?" She held out the ticket, her head turned to the side as she tried to hide her blush in a futile attempt. Sango tensed as he took it, his hands wrapping around hers gently making her look towards him with an even brighter blush. What is the sukebe doing?!
"I'd be honored to, Sango." There was a cloud of seriousness in his eyes that Sango couldn't understand. "I'll cheer you on with the others."
Did he realize what those words were doing to her heart? Sango wondered idly if he could hear it pounding against her rib cage. "Kagome-chan told you, didn't she?"
Sango watched him intently, mildly irritated. She hated being pitied and it looked as if he were going to lie, but he digressed and finally sighed, "Yes she did." When she moved to take her hand away, he grasped it tighter. "I'm sorry about your brother…if you need to talk to anyone…just know you can talk to me if you need to, OK?"
Sango looked at his speculatively before relaxing; maybe there was more to him then just a perverted hentai. "Arigatou gozaimasu." She slowly stood, a small part of her mind protesting about the lack of warmth on her hand. "I think I'll just go study in my room for awhile."
"I'm cooking tonight so is there anything you want?" he asked, "I was going to go to the store to pick up a few things anyway."
"Anything is fine," Sango called before shutting the door, leaning her back against it as she gave a small smile. She could hear Miroku shuffling around in search of his wallet that suspiciously never seemed to empty. This Miroku I could get used to, Sango thought with a wistful sigh, too bad he's normally such a damn sukebe...he's a lot more appealing this way.
* * * * * *
"Sugoi!" Rin hopped up and down in unconcealed excitement as she entered the school grounds with Kirara in her arms, Miroku, Shippou and Mizuki following. Candy booths and exhibitions were setup everywhere, each and every one attracting the little girl's attention.
"Sango said archery was first and then the fencing, tennis and track exhibits before lunch. Soccer, basketball and martial arts," Miroku said as Rin made him follow her to the candy stand for some cotton candy. Dutifully paying, he let the little girl drag him every which way, inwardly smiling.
He wanted this someday; he wanted a little girl of his own to spoil rotten and protect from the harsh reality they lived in. He could see Kagome's little brother Sota and Inuyasha near the archery setup, watching Kagome practice. Miroku wanted a son too, one he could teach everything he knew and tease when he got a girlfriend.
You have to settle down first, sukebe, that snide voice in his head quipped. Miroku wished he could smack it away but he would probably look psychotic smacking himself in the head.
He had thought he'd found the one for him with Mizuki, but fate had kicked him in the ass with her. They had met their first year in high school and had lasted 3 years; his only long term relationship. Only a year ago did the big secret come out and any hope of settling down – which he had been seriously thinking about – was crushed because of one damned secret.
That had been the main reason he'd become such a lecherous guy; his first and only long term relationship had crushed him hard. He still wasn't fully over it and he didn't want to tie himself to one girl, only to have his heart crushed as it had been. He had been young and jumped into a relationship, heart and all then; he'd been foolish. Not now; everything was working well. Grope, fool around and keep your heart out of any girl's reach; that was his policy now.
"Rin-chan certainly seems to like you," Mizuki quipped as she fell into stride with Miroku, walking towards the bleachers to watch the archery contest. Kagome and her cousin Kikyou were among the competitors, Inuyasha a few rows down on the bleachers fidgeting. Apparently, he wasn't all that at ease with both girls being in such a close proximity of him. Rin was sitting next to them with Kirara and Shippou in her lap, feeding them cotton candy that Shippou seemed to especially like. "But why are you so quiet? You haven't groped or flirted with one girl since we entered the school."
"I don't always grope women," Miroku protested feebly. Mizuki fixed him with an incredulous. "Well I don't!"
"You were thinking about it again." It was more a statement then question. "I can see it in your eyes, Miroku. You never could hide anything from me."
"I do miss those days," he sighed, regrettably, "I had seriously been thinking about…"
"Don't think about it anymore; thinking about those times only depress us both," she half growled at him but softened her voice as she said, "But if it makes you feel any better, I miss those days too. If you had asked, it would have made the break up harsher then it already was so it was good you never got the chance to." She took his hand that was resting on the cold metal bleachers hesitantly. "We're still good friends now, ne?"
He cracked a small smile, "Yeah, I'm glad for that."
His hand not so subtly moved towards her butt.
::CRACK::
"Sugoi! Mizuki-sama is strong! Miroku-sama went right through the metal bleachers!"
* * * * * *
"That was right in the center!"
"She was off!"
"She made it!"
"Off!"
"Made it!"
Kagome sighed, pulling on the back of Inuyasha's red shirt to pull him away from fighting with the judge. "My arrow was off of the bulls eye so lets just go! We'll be late for the fencing exhibition!"
With an angry, "Feh," Inuyasha and Kagome walked away, Inuaysha flipping the judge a bird when Kagome wasn't watching. It elicited a few yells from the man but he ignored them.
"That wasn't very sportsman like, Inuyasha," Kagome scolded as she dragged him onto the bleachers. Sango was down in front practicing with the flimsy fencing sword, tugging at the stuffy white uniform in discomfort. From what Kagome had seen, Sango was an excellent swordswoman but did better with the old katana she had. "I thought you'd be glad Kikyou won anyway." The bitterness in her tone was covered by the sadness.
Inuyasha opened his mouth to explain when Kagome shushed him, the fencing competition starting. Scowling and crossing his arms, he leaned back and watched with only mild interest, already knowing Sango would probably come out the winner. He'd never understand what women wanted, especially the one beside him.
* * * * * *
"I forgot how fun Sports Day was!" Sango exclaimed, stretching. She was in her soccer uniform already so she could save time in changing. All she needed to do was put her pads on before she went out.
"You did great in the fencing exhibit. Everyone went out pretty quick," Miroku said with a hint of admiration in his tone. She had looked so graceful in her movements, knowing exactly where to hit and when.
"So you and Kagome have until 12:30 to walk around, ne?" Mizuki queried.
The two girls nodded. "Neither of us is racing in the track meets. They're letting people sign up and race too."
Wistful grins slid onto Miroku and Mizuki's faces. "I remember the last time we raced…" Miroku smiled at his companion cheekily. "I won of course."
She snorted in the most undignified way she could. "Yeah right; I out ran you by a mile."
"Did not!"
"Did to!"
"In your dreams maybe!"
Miroku grinned wider, pointing to the booth where they were signing people up for the race. "Prove it then!"
She glared at him murderously. "I don't have to prove anything to you!"
"Because you know I'm right."
That did it. Mizuki stormed over to the booth, raging mad and slammed her palms on the booth as she hissed, "Sign me up!"
"Mizuki-san is freaking scary…" Kagome murmured to Sango who nodded.
Miroku was grinning wildly as he joined her, signing himself up and taking the irate girl away before she scared Kouga any worse then she already was.
"Have Mizuki-san and Houshi-sama ever gone out?" Sango asked curiously. If anybody would know, Inuyasha would, right?
The dog boy snorted in indignation. "Of course they did. All three years of high school they dated and it was sickening. They were the sappiest couple this side of Tokyo."
"It was sweet," Kagome protested, "They competed like this all the time but they did really like each other. It's a shame they suddenly broke up after graduating…no one knows why and they never had any problems. Some say she fell for someone else and others say he fooled around with some other girl but its all rumor. Neither will tell anyone what happened either."
"Sou ka…" Sango watched them in fascination as the two tore up the tracks, leaving everyone else in the dust they kicked up, "They seem to be good friends though now…"
"Good friends that still have a thing for each other," Inuyasha snorted.
Sango only seemed mildly surprised; she had suspected that somewhat. "I bet he fooled around with another girl."
"Maybe, but why would the bouzou buy an engagement ring the day before they broke up?"
That news made even Kagome gawk. "NANI?!"
Inuyasha nodded. "I was with the idiot. He'd been planning on asking her to marry him after they graduated from Tokyo U but the next day he came stumbling into our apartment saying it was over and drank until he passed out. I think he still has the ring somewhere since it was so freakin' expensive." Inuyasha snorted disdainfully. "Why would you spend that much on a stupid ring?"
"Maybe that's why Miroku-sama suddenly started acting so perverted a year ago…" Sango heard Kagome murmur.
She didn't listen to them musing anymore; Sango was focused on the young man racing around the track with Mizuki who was yelling at him about never losing to him but laughing while doing so. She couldn't place Miroku -- a guy who seemed unable to ever settle down --, in her mind with a young man buying an engagement ring that would tie him to one person forever; it just didn't click in her mind. If what Kagome said was true, it had to be something really big for Miroku to become such a pervert that she knew. The question was what had happened?
And did she really want to know?
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So how am I doing? I hope this wasn't too corny…so how was it? I'll explain the 'secret' in the next chapter!