The Haunting: Are You Happy Now?
By Seabreeze
A/N: This chapter is a light 'n fluffy songfic, and is also WAFFy. Yay for WAFF! You know I had to put some in after all that action and gore. Or lack thereof, but whatever. As a warning, it's not going to be * too * waffy, because I don't like to overdo it, and I'm not going to change the basic plot of the series (MirokuxSango, at least). Oh! And I have a fanart I drew that goes along with this story, but I'll give you the link at the end. I'm not going to spoil it, and don't look at it now! No! Resist. . . look later. . . good. You know, I should leave the author's notes alone, I tend to ramble, but. . . ok, nevermind.
Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha and Michelle Branch owns "Are You Happy Now". The song has a different meaning than what I'm putting in, but you'll get that, you fiend you.
*~*~*
Sango sighed and then slowly untied the clasp that kept her hair out of her face. It had been hardly 7 AM and already they had fought and destroyed one of Naraku's demons. Kagome had been severely injured, but she insured her friends that she was fine, and that all she needed was a little rest. Inuyasha, more worried than any father could ever be, had hurriedly said that they would remain in the village until Kagome was healed.
"But after that," he had growled, "We're gone." Sango smiled softly. Just like Inuyasha to act tough while making such a soft decision. He really did love Kagome, whether he admitted it to himself or not. Then Miroku suggested that after such a battle, they all get some sleep. Kenji had quickly offered his dojo up for them to stay in while Kagome healed, and they took advantage of it.
At the moment, Inuyasha sat against the wall, leaning against his sword as he always did when he slept, but now he cradled Kagome carefully in his arms. Her head was tucked under his chin and he supported the rest of her torso with his arms. Shippo lie awkwardly in Kagome's arms, twitching every three minutes or so. Sango noticed that Inuyasha was blushing slightly and couldn't help but grin some more.
Miroku lie in his bed roll across the room, asleep and as unmoving as stone. She shook her head, and then crawled into her own bedroll precariously between Inuyasha & Kagome and Miroku, and instantly fell asleep. It was 11:15 in the morning.
*~*~*
The group slept surprisingly long, and when Sango awoke it was well after midnight. Someone- Kenji, no doubt- had come in and given them each an extra blanket and lit soft lights around the room. She yawned, no longer feeling tired, and looked to see if anyone was up. Kenji snored lightly a room over, and Kagome and Inuyasha breathed deeply in unison. Shippo was twitching, as usual, and Kirara mewed in her sleep. But Miroku's bedroll was empty and unfolded. She opened the door to the porch and found him silently watching the stars. He didn't move.
"I thought you'd be up." He said simply. Sango paused and then sat next to him.
"You and Kagome-chan seem to know my sleeping habits better than even I do," she said. For a moment they were silent.
"Funny how well you get to know a person after traveling with them," Miroku stated softly. Sango looked away. He needn't be so obvious.
"Hmm," she said pointlessly. Miroku looked at her directly.
"Are you staying?" he asked. Sango was taken aback.
'The monk's strong point was never subtlety. . .'
"Staying. . . here?" she asked, somewhat flustered by his directness. Miroku nodded impatiently.
"Are you staying here or leaving with us? Your decision was to be made by now." He looked back at the stars.
"I. . . I haven't decided." Sango knew this was something to be ashamed of, but although her face burned she stared defiantly at him. Miroku laughed softly and didn't look at her.
"Mushin always said indecision would be my downfall. Either that or women." He grinned almost bitterly when Sango choked back a suspicious sounding sneeze. Then he continued. "The thing is, Sango," he faced her. "That I- and all the others, of course- wouldn't take it too lightly if you decided to stay here." She frowned at him, not understanding. "Not only are you a vital part of our team, you're our companion and friend. No, not only those things, but we would be offended if you left us. Or, rather, forced us to leave you behind." Miroku watched her face, which showed nothing. "You know that you really hurt Kagome even by considering staying here, don't you?"
"I know," she replied regretfully. He was very craftily getting to her- phrases like "you really hurt Kagome" and "leave you behind" and "I would miss you". 'Hold on,' she thought quickly. 'He never said "I would miss you". . .' but Miroku continued.
"And we do need you in battle. How many times have you saved each of us? What will happen when you're not there in the future?" he implored. Sango's stomach contracted in a spasm of pain and she bit her lip.
"You survived before I was there. . ." she argued weakly. Miroku shrugged.
"I believe that was fate. But now that you're a part of us, it will be hard to adjust without you." He looked right at her. "In more ways than one."
'"More ways than one"? What did he mean by that?' she wondered. She sighed and shook her head.
"I. . . don't want to leave you, Houshi-sama. It's just. . . you don't understand. I can't choose."
"I think you underestimate me, Sango." Miroku sounded angry. Sango looked reproachfully at him.
"I didn't mean it like-" but Miroku interrupted her with an impatient sigh.
"Just tell me truly that you're happy here,"
*~*~*
now
don't just walk away
pretending everything's ok
and you don't care about me
could you look me in the eye
and tell me that you're happy now
could you tell it to my face
or have I been erased?
Are you happy now?
*~*~*
Sango looked down at her hands.
"I don't know." She scowled, angry with herself, and avoided his gaze.
"Then let me help you decide." His voice was distinctly deeper than usual, and it caught Sango by surprise. She looked up to find his eyes intense, but didn't have time to ponder it. Miroku pulled her roughly to himself and pressed his lips firmly against her own. Sango's eyes flew open and for moments she did nothing in pure shock, even when his cursed hand came up to caress her face. Her stomach and heart seemed to have become one organ, pulsing and rolling together nervously. Then he pulled back and returned to his previous position.
"Then let me help you decide." He said again, in the exact tone as he had before, only this time he sneezed afterwards and didn't kiss her. Sango's mind whirled in confusion and shock that still hadn't worn off from being kissed. She tried for a few moments to get fully formed words out, flustered.
"I'm sorry. . . excuse me?" she asked, her voice bordering on insanely bewildered.
". . . let me help you decide. . ." Miroku glanced at her, looking suspicious and somewhat confused.
"Help me decide HOW, exactly?" she demanded, voice rising. Miroku now leaned slightly away from her.
"With. . . questions, and. . . reasoning. . ." he looked as if he truly didn't understand, and Sango began to get angry.
"Oh, "reasoning", is THAT what you call it??? HENTAI!!!!!!!!!!" she was standing now, fighting to keep from yelling or beating him senseless. Unfortunately, he only looked more confused.
"Well, yes, Sango, I usually do call giving someone reasons "reasoning", but as far as I know you have no reason to accuse me of being a hentai. At least. . . not right at this moment, you don't." he was almost scared, and Sango sat down, holding her head heavily in her hands.
"Are you telling me," she breathed dangerously, "that you have NO idea what just happened?" Miroku looked at her oddly.
"From what I can tell," he said. "you want to kill me for offering to help you decide if you are happy or not." He was starting to watch Sango with a worried air now.
"You truly don't. . . you really have no idea. . ." Sango began almost hysterically. She ran her fingers raggedly through her hair. "Kami-sama. I'm hallucinating."
*~*~*
A/N: wow, I enjoy being evil. Ok, for a fanart to go with this chapter, go to my IY website (in my profile) and then click on "pairings" and then "Miroku and Sango" and then "Fanfiction and fanart" and then "fanart" (whew!). It's the last picture on the page, mind you. Heh heh heh.
Also, I thought that I should explain "the kiss", since it's kinda unclear as to whether it happened or not. If you want a simple yes or no to that question, it's yes and no. You see, the kiss didn't * really * happen. At least not in this dimension. At that moment, Miroku wanted to kiss her as part of his "helping her decide" thing, and, subconsciously, Sango wanted to be kissed. But he didn't, because it would've been wrong. Yet in another dimension, he didn't care if it was wrong and he just kissed her. Sango was momentarily thrown into the alternate dimension, and then brought back just in time to hear Miroku repeat himself.
I really have WAY too strong an interest in alternate dimensions and time travel. But I figure, hey, if Kagome can jump through a well, Sango can too (though maybe not literally).
Youkai of the flame Hishu- I'm glad my action scene didn't suck terribly. I'm not quite sure what you mean about the "losing your best friend" comment, but then again I only slept for 2 hours last night. Arigato, read on.
RK-128- glad you liked my action scene as well. I thought the whole thing was rather awkward and sporadic, but hey. I'm so sad that the next chapter is the last. . . I won't know what to do with myself. Hmmm. Well, keep on writing because I'm interested in keeping on reading ;)
Kawaii M-chan- thanks much!
Echelon- trust me, I'm really upset that this story's almost done. I might have to find an excuse to keep it going. Sorry the update took so long, but basically I'm prolonging the inevitable end * cries * Oh well. Thanks so much for reading along and reviewing, it's so nice to get feedback like yours.
By Seabreeze
A/N: This chapter is a light 'n fluffy songfic, and is also WAFFy. Yay for WAFF! You know I had to put some in after all that action and gore. Or lack thereof, but whatever. As a warning, it's not going to be * too * waffy, because I don't like to overdo it, and I'm not going to change the basic plot of the series (MirokuxSango, at least). Oh! And I have a fanart I drew that goes along with this story, but I'll give you the link at the end. I'm not going to spoil it, and don't look at it now! No! Resist. . . look later. . . good. You know, I should leave the author's notes alone, I tend to ramble, but. . . ok, nevermind.
Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha and Michelle Branch owns "Are You Happy Now". The song has a different meaning than what I'm putting in, but you'll get that, you fiend you.
*~*~*
Sango sighed and then slowly untied the clasp that kept her hair out of her face. It had been hardly 7 AM and already they had fought and destroyed one of Naraku's demons. Kagome had been severely injured, but she insured her friends that she was fine, and that all she needed was a little rest. Inuyasha, more worried than any father could ever be, had hurriedly said that they would remain in the village until Kagome was healed.
"But after that," he had growled, "We're gone." Sango smiled softly. Just like Inuyasha to act tough while making such a soft decision. He really did love Kagome, whether he admitted it to himself or not. Then Miroku suggested that after such a battle, they all get some sleep. Kenji had quickly offered his dojo up for them to stay in while Kagome healed, and they took advantage of it.
At the moment, Inuyasha sat against the wall, leaning against his sword as he always did when he slept, but now he cradled Kagome carefully in his arms. Her head was tucked under his chin and he supported the rest of her torso with his arms. Shippo lie awkwardly in Kagome's arms, twitching every three minutes or so. Sango noticed that Inuyasha was blushing slightly and couldn't help but grin some more.
Miroku lie in his bed roll across the room, asleep and as unmoving as stone. She shook her head, and then crawled into her own bedroll precariously between Inuyasha & Kagome and Miroku, and instantly fell asleep. It was 11:15 in the morning.
*~*~*
The group slept surprisingly long, and when Sango awoke it was well after midnight. Someone- Kenji, no doubt- had come in and given them each an extra blanket and lit soft lights around the room. She yawned, no longer feeling tired, and looked to see if anyone was up. Kenji snored lightly a room over, and Kagome and Inuyasha breathed deeply in unison. Shippo was twitching, as usual, and Kirara mewed in her sleep. But Miroku's bedroll was empty and unfolded. She opened the door to the porch and found him silently watching the stars. He didn't move.
"I thought you'd be up." He said simply. Sango paused and then sat next to him.
"You and Kagome-chan seem to know my sleeping habits better than even I do," she said. For a moment they were silent.
"Funny how well you get to know a person after traveling with them," Miroku stated softly. Sango looked away. He needn't be so obvious.
"Hmm," she said pointlessly. Miroku looked at her directly.
"Are you staying?" he asked. Sango was taken aback.
'The monk's strong point was never subtlety. . .'
"Staying. . . here?" she asked, somewhat flustered by his directness. Miroku nodded impatiently.
"Are you staying here or leaving with us? Your decision was to be made by now." He looked back at the stars.
"I. . . I haven't decided." Sango knew this was something to be ashamed of, but although her face burned she stared defiantly at him. Miroku laughed softly and didn't look at her.
"Mushin always said indecision would be my downfall. Either that or women." He grinned almost bitterly when Sango choked back a suspicious sounding sneeze. Then he continued. "The thing is, Sango," he faced her. "That I- and all the others, of course- wouldn't take it too lightly if you decided to stay here." She frowned at him, not understanding. "Not only are you a vital part of our team, you're our companion and friend. No, not only those things, but we would be offended if you left us. Or, rather, forced us to leave you behind." Miroku watched her face, which showed nothing. "You know that you really hurt Kagome even by considering staying here, don't you?"
"I know," she replied regretfully. He was very craftily getting to her- phrases like "you really hurt Kagome" and "leave you behind" and "I would miss you". 'Hold on,' she thought quickly. 'He never said "I would miss you". . .' but Miroku continued.
"And we do need you in battle. How many times have you saved each of us? What will happen when you're not there in the future?" he implored. Sango's stomach contracted in a spasm of pain and she bit her lip.
"You survived before I was there. . ." she argued weakly. Miroku shrugged.
"I believe that was fate. But now that you're a part of us, it will be hard to adjust without you." He looked right at her. "In more ways than one."
'"More ways than one"? What did he mean by that?' she wondered. She sighed and shook her head.
"I. . . don't want to leave you, Houshi-sama. It's just. . . you don't understand. I can't choose."
"I think you underestimate me, Sango." Miroku sounded angry. Sango looked reproachfully at him.
"I didn't mean it like-" but Miroku interrupted her with an impatient sigh.
"Just tell me truly that you're happy here,"
*~*~*
now
don't just walk away
pretending everything's ok
and you don't care about me
could you look me in the eye
and tell me that you're happy now
could you tell it to my face
or have I been erased?
Are you happy now?
*~*~*
Sango looked down at her hands.
"I don't know." She scowled, angry with herself, and avoided his gaze.
"Then let me help you decide." His voice was distinctly deeper than usual, and it caught Sango by surprise. She looked up to find his eyes intense, but didn't have time to ponder it. Miroku pulled her roughly to himself and pressed his lips firmly against her own. Sango's eyes flew open and for moments she did nothing in pure shock, even when his cursed hand came up to caress her face. Her stomach and heart seemed to have become one organ, pulsing and rolling together nervously. Then he pulled back and returned to his previous position.
"Then let me help you decide." He said again, in the exact tone as he had before, only this time he sneezed afterwards and didn't kiss her. Sango's mind whirled in confusion and shock that still hadn't worn off from being kissed. She tried for a few moments to get fully formed words out, flustered.
"I'm sorry. . . excuse me?" she asked, her voice bordering on insanely bewildered.
". . . let me help you decide. . ." Miroku glanced at her, looking suspicious and somewhat confused.
"Help me decide HOW, exactly?" she demanded, voice rising. Miroku now leaned slightly away from her.
"With. . . questions, and. . . reasoning. . ." he looked as if he truly didn't understand, and Sango began to get angry.
"Oh, "reasoning", is THAT what you call it??? HENTAI!!!!!!!!!!" she was standing now, fighting to keep from yelling or beating him senseless. Unfortunately, he only looked more confused.
"Well, yes, Sango, I usually do call giving someone reasons "reasoning", but as far as I know you have no reason to accuse me of being a hentai. At least. . . not right at this moment, you don't." he was almost scared, and Sango sat down, holding her head heavily in her hands.
"Are you telling me," she breathed dangerously, "that you have NO idea what just happened?" Miroku looked at her oddly.
"From what I can tell," he said. "you want to kill me for offering to help you decide if you are happy or not." He was starting to watch Sango with a worried air now.
"You truly don't. . . you really have no idea. . ." Sango began almost hysterically. She ran her fingers raggedly through her hair. "Kami-sama. I'm hallucinating."
*~*~*
A/N: wow, I enjoy being evil. Ok, for a fanart to go with this chapter, go to my IY website (in my profile) and then click on "pairings" and then "Miroku and Sango" and then "Fanfiction and fanart" and then "fanart" (whew!). It's the last picture on the page, mind you. Heh heh heh.
Also, I thought that I should explain "the kiss", since it's kinda unclear as to whether it happened or not. If you want a simple yes or no to that question, it's yes and no. You see, the kiss didn't * really * happen. At least not in this dimension. At that moment, Miroku wanted to kiss her as part of his "helping her decide" thing, and, subconsciously, Sango wanted to be kissed. But he didn't, because it would've been wrong. Yet in another dimension, he didn't care if it was wrong and he just kissed her. Sango was momentarily thrown into the alternate dimension, and then brought back just in time to hear Miroku repeat himself.
I really have WAY too strong an interest in alternate dimensions and time travel. But I figure, hey, if Kagome can jump through a well, Sango can too (though maybe not literally).
Youkai of the flame Hishu- I'm glad my action scene didn't suck terribly. I'm not quite sure what you mean about the "losing your best friend" comment, but then again I only slept for 2 hours last night. Arigato, read on.
RK-128- glad you liked my action scene as well. I thought the whole thing was rather awkward and sporadic, but hey. I'm so sad that the next chapter is the last. . . I won't know what to do with myself. Hmmm. Well, keep on writing because I'm interested in keeping on reading ;)
Kawaii M-chan- thanks much!
Echelon- trust me, I'm really upset that this story's almost done. I might have to find an excuse to keep it going. Sorry the update took so long, but basically I'm prolonging the inevitable end * cries * Oh well. Thanks so much for reading along and reviewing, it's so nice to get feedback like yours.