Chapter 5, coming up! I'm so happy with all the good responses I'm getting for this!
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Miroku & Sango: The Ecchi & the Furious
Written & Edited by: Yoshida Saori & Taijioku Christina
~:~ Chapter 5: By the Fire's Light ~:~
Kohaku watched with a smile as Rin pranced around the apartment, wearing the new dress Sango had bought her for Christmas. Her guardian Sesshomaru had reluctantly let her come with them to Miroku's house for Christmas since he had to work in the hospital.
Kohaku was looking forward to spending time with her; Rin was so cheerful it was hard not to smile when she was around. She always made him feel happy.
Her cheerfulness wasn't helping the others though.
"I can't do this! I can't! I can't! I can't!" Mizuki exclaimed for the umpteenth time. She was dreading staying in the same house with Aya and made no move to hide it. "Every time I see her she always gets this look in her eyes and I always end up feeling uneasy! I always remind her of Hatori-san's playboy days! I just know it!"
"You're paranoid!" Miroku exclaimed as he paced behind her, trying to calm her down without much success, "My mother likes you!"
"Do you try looking her in the eye when I'm in the same room?" she hissed, pulling her hair into a low ponytail with a blue ribbon Sango lent her to match her eyes, "Aya-san always gets this depressed look and I know she becomes just as uncomfortable as I do! I'm a living reminder of Hatori-san's eventful past!"
"You'll be fine," Sango said, pushing the girl to sit down on the couch and calm down. Miroku couldn't help letting his eyes roam over her body appreciatively, the form fitting red dress covering to her knees with a white shirt to cover her bare shoulders. Red was certainly her color. Yes, yes…always wear red, Sango…red suits you very nicely…
"I can't do this Sango-chan!" she cried out, nearing hysteria, "There is no way I can go!"
::CRACK::
Mizuki blinked, her head turned from the force of Sango's slap.
"Get a hold of yourself, Mizuki-san!" Sango was mad and glared at her sternly.
It took the girl a few moments to gather her wits back together before giving a relieved smile. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Sango-chan…I really needed that." She gave a sad sigh. "I just always feel like I'm the lowest person on earth when I'm around her…I'm the other woman's daughter…"
"It could have gone the other way too you know," Miroku piped in, "You could have been the other man's daughter. Mother was a wild girl in her days from what she told me…I'm not sure if she was as bad as my father or not but she did bed with a few men. She understands what happens and I highly doubt she holds a grudge against you because you're another woman's daughter."
"I guess so." Looking at the clock, Mizuki stood and brushed her blue skirt with a huff, straightening her black cover up before turning towards Miroku who was still staring at Sango as she fixed Kohaku's shirt. "So are we going or are you going to stand there staring at Sango-chan all day, Miroku?"
Sango blinked, looking at Miroku just in time to see him turn away. Was it her imagination…or was he blushing?
* * * * * *
Kohaku didn't know what he found more amazing; the large house that Miroku said he had lived in or the large woman in front of him gushing how cute Rin and him were. How could she stand straight with her stomach sticking out so far?
"And you're Sango, Miroku's new roommate?"
Sango nodded dumbly. On the way over, Miroku had given them a small warning that his mother may seem a bit intimidating. Even with her rather large stomach that clearly showed she was VERY pregnant, the air of refinement and grace she gave off was intimidating. "Hai, Aya-san. I've heard many things about you."
Aya eyed them critically, her pale lavender eyes glancing over both of them before breaking out into a huge smile. "I'm so glad to finally meet you! Mizuki-chan had mentioned what a wonderful influence my Miroku-chan's new roommate was on him."
Miroku glowered; he really wasn't looking forward to this…that is, until several little bodies ran out of the house in a small dust cloud and tackled him to the ground.
"Miroku-niichan!"
Sango blinked as the little kids crawled all over him, hugging and asking for presents that they were obviously expecting. She noticed the little girl was hugging him the tightest. Are these kids Miroku's siblings?
"We missed you Onii-chan! Why were you gone so long?!" The oldest of the boys said, stomping his foot on the ground with his cheeks puffed out angrily; he looked about Kohaku's age.
"Yeah! You haven't been to visit in months!" The one around Rin's age pouted.
The third and youngest of the siblings looked about ready to cry as he whimpered, "Was Miroku-niichan mad at us?"
"Miroku-niichan wasn't mad at us, ne?" the little girl clinging around his neck exclaimed, suddenly horrified.
Miroku didn't know what to do, sweat-dropping as four pairs of big, shimmering eyes stared at him from all sides. "I was really busy with school…" He recollected himself, hoisting a big red bag from the back seat of his car. "I brought presents though."
All four of them jumped up and down, cheering.
"They're his brothers and sister," Mizuki clarified as Rin and Kohaku ran to go play with the other children, "The oldest is 12. The next one is 10, the girl is 7 and the youngest boy is 6."
Sango nodded in understanding. I'm surprised he didn't mention them before…
"Come on inside now before you all freeze out here," Aya said as she herded the little children in.
Sango fell into step with Miroku as he let out a sigh of relief, giving him an amused smile. "I didn't know you had siblings; they're adorable."
Miroku turned to give her a matching grin. "They're little demons in disguise." He ducked the smack to the head his father was about to give him as he passed him. "I love them though. They make any event interesting."
* * * * * *
After unpacking and having a nice lunch that Aya had prepared herself, Sango saw what Miroku meant by they made things interesting. The youngsters had all but thrown a tantrum before convincing Miroku to setup their Christmas tree which was all the way in the attic. Right now, his father could be heard shouting as they tried to bring everything down.
"Kyah!"
There were several yells before Hatori went tumbling down the steps, followed by Miroku who fell next to him. Both were mumbling vulgarities until a large plastic container – presumably filled with Christmas decorations -- came tumbling down the steps, crashing onto their backs making them let out a similar stream of very loud curses.
"Oh dear, what happened?" Aya fretted over both of them worriedly once Mizuki and Sango hoisted them up, frowning when Hatori winced in pain.
"His back went out again," Miroku muttered.
"Is there any more containers upstairs that you need to get?" Sango asked.
"One more; it's at the bottom of the second floor steps."
"I'll get it then." Without a word, Sango went upstairs, walking down the immaculate hallway and studying the pictures idly. It was all of the family, especially of the children. Miroku was cute as a kid, she noted idly as she saw one of him playing soccer with some other kids. He had a big smile and was laughing in earnest, holding up a peace sign to the camera.
Shaking her head, Sango cut off her musings before eyeing the large container. It looked about ready to bust open and upon trying to lift it up Sango realized why they had so much trouble getting the first down. This must way a ton! What's in here?!
"Is this it?" Sango called from over the railing, pushing the container along. Growing up in the mountains had done wonders for her strength and she was thankful for it now.
"Yeah, do you think you could bring it down?"
Sango eyed the thing skeptically. It was heavy and she could probably carry it for a minute or two at most but she'd never get down there in time; she'd end up like Miroku and his father. Almost as an after thought, she eyed the railing and gauged how far it was to the ground. I could always jump over…it's only about seven or eight feet so I could probably hold it until I got to the bottom.
Kohaku saw where she was looking and paled. "Ane-ue, you're not thinking about jumping over it, are you?"
"Of course." She lifted the container onto the railing. "It's not that far; I'll be fine."
"Are you crazy? It's too dangerous!"
"Sango, I'll help you bring it down." Miroku began walking up the stairs, wincing every few seconds because of his back.
Sango shook her head. "With your back hurting so much that you can't walk up the steps? Do you really want to break it?"
"You'll break yours if you jump over!"
Sango shook her head. "I've done this before." Grabbing the sides of the container, she gave a leap and jumped over the railing to the first floor.
Miroku's jaw went slack as she landed effortlessly on her feet. His family stood their amazed, clapping as she smiled and pushed the container along the floor. Sango, Sango, Sango…you're going to give me a heart attack if you do things like this again.
"See, Miroku? I told you I'd be fine." Sango looked at his slightly pale face curiously, her cheeks pinking slightly after a moment. "Were you that worried about me?"
Miroku gave her his best grin. "Of course I was."
Sango blushed a bright red. He was really worried about me?
Sliding up to her side, Miroku let his hand move out, rubbing her bottom with that grin still on his face.
The blush of embarrassment turned to anger. "CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE WITH THAT HAND OF YOURS!?"
::CRACK::
* * * * * *
The angry red handprint on his cheek was still there as Miroku laid there sprawled on the living room floor, setting the Christmas tree up in front of the large bay window. Sango was sitting on the bay seat with Mizuki and Kohaku untangling lights while Rin helped his father and siblings put up the stockings and sort through the decorations. His mother was in the kitchen, baking some apple turnovers that were making everyone's stomach growl.
Sighing, Miroku vowed to find whoever made this tree that you had to screw the branches in and bolt them in to keep them straight; it was annoying to put up. Not to mention he still had to straighten the branches that were all tangled from being shoved in the containers for so long.
Sango brooded and glared at him from her seat, one leg stretched out while the other was propped up. Miroku's home was nice and warm thanks to the fire roaring in the fireplace, shedding a reddish tint over the living room. Outside the estate was quiet, the Christmas lights illuminating the sky enough for Sango to see the snow that had begun to fall. She had to admit, his home was very cozy. Kirara and Shippou were curled up by the fireplace, enjoying the warmth and attention that the younger children were bestowing upon them. The peaceful atmosphere had calmed her considerably since his grope of her behind, glancing at Miroku again before sighing.
Mizuki watched the scene with the faint traces of a smirk on her lips in the fire's light. "Sango-chan, why don't you help Miroku? Kohaku-kun and I can finish the rest of the lights."
Sango paused a moment before catching the glint in both their eyes. Giving a sigh of resignation, she stood up and slowly walked over to the tree before sitting down and working on the branches opposite of Miroku. He gave her a surprised glance before smiling, sitting up and working on the bottom row.
Every so often, he'd spare her a glance, admiring the silent determination in Sango's eyes. With the fireplace giving off their only source of light besides the small candles in the windows, her eyes looked like deep crimson pools, glaring at one particularly stubborn branch that was tangled so much she couldn't find the branch ends.
Beautiful, he thought admiringly, even if she is in a plain yukata she's still beautiful. How do you manage to take my breath away, Sango? Miroku shook his head at the thought. I did not just think that…it must be the atmosphere and lighting…yeah, that's it…I'm not falling for another girl again…
* * * * * *
Rin yawned largely, her hands loosening their grip on the lights she was trying to help Kohaku untangle. She was tired but she had to help Kohaku finish untangling the strand first.
"Are you tired, Rin?"
Rin was nodding before she realized what she was doing and her eyes snapped open, her head shaking back and forth. "No! Rin's wide awake!"
Kohaku gave her a disbelieving look. Even if she did her best, he could practically feel Rin's fatigue from his spot next to her. Blushing slightly, he swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in his throat and said, "You can lean on my shoulder if you want." That was what Miroku told him to do, wasn't it? When a lady is tired you offer to let her lean on your shoulder and then wrap an arm around her.
She was reluctant but the offer of a warm and rather comfortable resting spot was too good to pass up. Leaning her head on his shoulder, Rin found it increasingly hard to actually work, her eyes drifting close and the light clump falling to her lap. Unconsciously, she snuggled closer to his side for more warmth, prompting Kohaku to blush harder.
Confused as to why he was so embarrassed, Kohaku pushed it into the back of his mind before putting his arm around Rin's shoulders, feeling his body relax to her rhythmic breathing. It was hypnotic, lulling him to sleep before he even knew what hit him.
Mizuki watched it all with a fond smile. Turning around and tapping Sango on the shoulder, she motioned towards the two sleeping children with a smile. Sango's face broke out into a large smile as well, giggling quietly as Mizuki gently pried the lights away from them.
"Cute," Miroku commented under his breath as he peered around the tree. With their teamwork, Sango and him had almost finished, the only branches left being the very top ones. Casting one last glance at Kohaku and Rin, he smiled before going back to work. So entranced with it he didn't even notice Sango's hand as he went for the last one, his hand landing on top of hers.
The physical contact made both of them come crashing to reality. Sango stared at their hands, her blush shooting up her neck and all the way to her ears. His hand seemed very comfortable on top of hers, slowly closing around her fingers. Looking up, she was met with his gentle smile. The fire glinted off of his sapphire eyes and she noticed they had the faintest tint of violet and grey. Kami…why do his eyes always do this? She mused to herself as she felt her knees start to buckle underneath her. It's always like this whenever he looks straight at me…why do I get weak in the knees? Why can't I ever keep my composure? Breathing an inward sigh of annoyance, she maintained her composure and slowly pulled her hand away, avoiding eye contact. It must be the fire's light or something…that's it…Too many of Kagome-chan's romance stories have gone to my brain.
Miroku couldn't stop the small frown from appearing on his lips as she turned away. It had felt so undeniably warm her hand, the smooth skin under his palm sending something akin to a jolt of electricity through him. NO ONE had ever made he feel like that, and by just a mere touch of her skin? He let his mask slip back on and turned to gather the decorations, busying himself so he didn't have to contemplate it further. If he did, Miroku didn't want to think of what might happen.
Mizuki unconsciously clenched the now untangled lights in her hands until her knuckles turned white. That was a perfect moment! A sly grin crossed her lips as she stood to help Sango put the lights on the large tree. Looks like Miroku is turning shy with Sango-chan…normally he'd go all out with such a romantic atmosphere. Mizuki sweat-dropped. I never thought the words 'Miroku' and 'shy' would ever be used in the same sentence but it seems he's not being as…forward as he would be. She cast a glance in his direction and shook her head. Mattaku…I was never one for meddling but… She let out a sigh despite her efforts to keep it in. I guess I could consider this my first duty as his sister; kick his butt into gear so he can be happy! His fear of rejection is grating on my nerves anyway; as traumatizing as it was, its not like every female on this planet will be his half-sister!
"Is something wrong, Mizuki-san?" Sango asked, turning her attention to the suddenly brightly beaming girl.
She cast an almost scary smile at Miroku and Sango. "Just thinking!"
Everyone sweat-dropped, not wanting to know what exactly she was thinking about.
* * * * * *
Miroku let out a long sigh as he stepped from the bathroom, pulling his still wet hair into its normal ponytail so the back of his yukata didn't get wet. The day was long and the nice hot bath was nice but his back was still hurting like hell. Shuffling down the steps, he made his way into the kitchen to grab a pastry his mother had made before going into the living and sitting in front of the still roaring fireplace, the fully lit Christmas tree shining in the corner to his right. Rubbing his back, he downed the last of the mini pies before laying down flat on the floor, relieving the aching pain only slightly. Damn; that container hit harder then I thought…
There was a slight shuffling and Miroku whirled around, only to see Sango walking in with a hot cup of tea in her hand. "Still up, Miroku?"
Miroku nodded, his eyes trailing Sango's form at her own yukata outlined. "Yeah…I sleep late..."
An annoyed tick formed on her head but Sango refrained from hitting him. No groping then there is no need to smack him. "What are you staring at?!"
He chuckled, turning his gaze towards the fire. "Nothing really." Absently, he rubbed his back and winced.
Anger melted to worry as she sat next to him by the fireplace. "Your back still hurts?"
He gave a short nod, stretching back onto the floor. "It's nothing; I've gotten a lot worse before. It'll go away after awhile."
Sango frowned, looking away so he couldn't see her face. She knew of a massage that usually helped but this was MIROKU. She knew all too well that his hands liked to travel but he really DID seem to be in pain… "I know something that might make it feel better."
He gave her a curious look. "What?"
She thanked the lord that the fire covered her rapidly rising blush. "Lay on your stomach." Setting her tea down, she turned away angrily at his amused look.
Obediently, he rolled onto his stomach, watching out of the corner of his eye as Sango hesitantly crawled over before cracking her fingers. Oh, how pretty she is when she blushes.
Recalling how her mother used to do it, Sango sighed and began rubbing his back through the yukata material in small circles, watching as he stiffened like a board before sinking into the floor. He was obviously enjoying it, his hands folded under his head as a make shift pillow and away from any part of her anatomy. Smiling, Sango let out a sigh of relief. "Feel better yet?"
His head nodded lazily. "Where did you learn this?"
"Okaa-sama taught me since my father would throw out his back while in the forest chopping trees for wood or while he was hunting."
Miroku let out a hum, curiosity perked. "Did you ever go with him hunting?"
Sango felt more at ease now, smiling as she continued to massage his back the opposite way. "All the time; it was fun hunting and stuff. There were lots of fruit trees too so I'd climb up and pick those with Kohaku."
Miroku grinned. "Is that why you jumped over the banister and landed on the ground so easily?"
Sango blushed again. "I suppose so; I kind of miss everything. Evil spirits we'd ward away and the so called demons were only abnormally large animals that are common in our area of the mountains for some reason. It's nothing like what Kagome-chan probably thinks."
Miroku nodded thoughtfully. His back was feeling great now but he was rather enjoying her massage. He and Sango hadn't ever really sat down and talked like this, much less about her background. He still didn't know about her family or how she grew up and oddly enough, he did want to know. "In the car when we picked up Kohaku…what did he mean by you needing to get a husband?"
Miroku winced as the force of her hand against his back became a bit too hard; perhaps it was the wrong thing to ask.
"The village elders thought that I needed a husband since I was becoming a bit too much like a guy and I needed to be a bit more feminine." She snorted to herself. "My father told me it was because this snobby rich kid we saved in the woods from a large bear six years ago took a liking to me. His family offered the village a large sum of money if I would marry him."
Miroku's eyebrow quirked; his family was very wealthy and social so he knew many of the socially inclined family's around Japan like the Takeda's. He had heard of the 'warrior princess' that the Takeda family's son, Kuranosuke, had bragged about when they met three years ago. Sango couldn't POSSIBLY be the same 'warrior princess' the boy bragged about, could she? "Out of curiosity, would this snobby rich kid be Takeda Kuranosuke?"
Sango stopped her massage, looking Miroku in the eye as he sat up. "I think that was his name, why?"
Miroku tried rather unsuccessfully to hold his smirk down. "I seem to recall Kuranosuke-san bragging about a warrior princess when I met him three years ago. She was like a water lily blooming in battle as he described her, if I'm not mistaken."
Sango choked on her tea, her face burning. "Oh no…"
Miroku couldn't help it; he burst into a round of chuckles. Sango glared at him, grabbing a throw pillow from the bay seat and began smacking him with it. "It's not funny!" He grabbed her arm to prevent any further abuse, but Sango struggled to free her hand until he gave a sharp tug and made her fall forward on top of him.
The blush on her pale cheeks couldn't have gotten any deeper. It was such a beautiful sight, Miroku giving into his temptation and brushing his fingers over her cheeks. "You're very beautiful, Sango…"
She struggled to sit up straight but his left arm was wrapped firmly around her waist, preventing her from getting off of him. What would anyone say if they saw them?! But it was so nice and warm…and his eyes…they seemed sincere when he had called her beautiful…
Miroku stared at her eyes that had begun to close, her struggle ceasing. She was so soft and warm, his eyes not moving from hers. He would have kissed her then and there had he not realized what he was doing. His safety instincts kicked in and his hand traveled to her rear, eliciting the wanted reaction.
"SUKEBE!"
::CRACK::
By the time Miroku sat up, Sango had stormed out of the room and towards her room. With a sigh, Miroku stood to sit down on the bay seat, one knee propped up as he looked out the window with a sigh.
"You're a fool, Miroku." Mizuki had been there and saw everything, though he had suspected it since she was as bad as him with insomnia. She had probably stayed hidden in the kitchen until Sango stormed out. "Why did you ruin the moment? It was perfect!"
"It's too dangerous for me to become so attached to anyone; something always goes wrong." Miroku said a bit bitterly, ignoring Mizuki as she sat on the other end of the bay window and sighed, fixing her yukata. "I almost messed up before."
An annoyed tick formed on the girl's forehead; she had forgotten how dense Miroku could be. "It's hard for us to see each other as siblings now, you know? We grew up being friends and dated until we found out a year ago so I suppose the wound is still fresh." Narrowed and angry sapphires turned towards him sharply, filled with annoyance that Miroku couldn't remember ever seeing in them. "But you're blowing this chance! You're getting a chance to find someone else and your blowing it! You need to put the past behind you and stop dwelling on it."
"It's not that easy for me to do." Miroku narrowed his own eyes at her, annoyed. "With you I find out you're my sister, then there was Koharu but she had been toying with me to get back at an old boyfriend. I've tried but something always ruins it!" His voice had risen slightly, his pent up anger releasing. "I'm tired of having my heart broken just when it's starting to heal!"
Mizuki sighed once before turning towards the window, watching the snow build up. The fireplace shed its light along her oddly calm features, her eyes still glinting a bit dangerously. "Consider this my first advice to you as your sister; love is not always smooth and many times your heart will be broken. However, if you choose to hide from the inevitable pain you may very well miss the best thing that ever came to you." Looking him straight in the eye, Mizuki stood over him with a determined look in her eye. "Sango-chan's a rare girl that's basically exactly what you need but you keep pushing her away. What will you do when she finally gets tired of being forced away and moves on?"
Miroku didn't even get a chance to speak, Mizuki turning on her heels and walking up stares with a brief good night. Her words were still lingering in his head.
"What will you do when she finally gets tired of being forced away and moves on?"
And deep within his heart he already knew. He'd become too attached to her already not to know.
His heart would finally completely shatter.
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OK, so I piled on a little drama at the end. Ah well, now I can start wrapping this up in the next chapter or two. Read and Review!