New chapter! Will all of your questions be answered? Will Miroku get slapped again? Is that even a real question? Will the Halloween party be the coolest Halloween party ever had by the Inuyasha-tachi? Well…in this story, probably. Will there be surprises in store for our characters? Will the surprises include even more twisted love lives, or will we straighten things out a bit before they get more ridiculous? Oh brave reader! Read on, and you too may be able to revolutionize the world! (okay, no more Utena for me.)
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Center Stage
Part 3
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"How utterly pathetic." Kikyo stuck her nose up, snorting slightly at Inuyasha and Kagome.
"What's that, sister?" Kagome turned a calm gaze to the other girl, sounding as though she was merely being polite in addressing the other.
"You call me that as though you think I care." Kikyo narrowed a hateful glare at Kagome before nodding at Inuyasha. "I was talking about your little puppy."
"Would you shut up?" Inuyasha snarled at her, immediately on the defensive. Kikyo looked at him momentarily before smiling at them both.
"As you haven't said it, I think she'd like to hear it from her sister." Kikyo turned to address Kagome as though Inuyasha was not standing beside her. "Sakage's in love with you, Midoriko. He wants for you to quit being a priestess so that you can give him many babies and a clean home. How does that idea suit you?" At her words, Inuyasha's face went red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment, but Kagome did not seem affected at all.
"Rei, do not speak of things which do not concern you. Sakage, come. We leave in the morning." Kagome didn't bother to look and see if he was following her. She knew that he would.
"Uh…okay." Apparently at a loss for any other words, Inuyasha followed her offstage as the lights came down.
"Alright! Great job you guys! Let's take five, okay?" Sango called out. Immediately, the lights came back up and the cast and crew began mingling and talking to each other on the stage as well as around it.
"You're still a little rough on those lines, Kikyo." Miroku called out toward the actress. "Sango doesn't write suggestions, she writes lines. Learn them."
"It's close enough." Kikyo rolled her eyes at him, seemingly unconcerned with his displeasure.
"Really, Miroku, go easy on her." Inuyasha spoke up for the girl. "She's doing her best."
"Inuyasha, Miroku wasn't talking to you." Sango cut in before Miroku could respond. "Just take a break."
"Oh, Sango, I want you to look at these really fast!" Rin exclaimed even though she was sitting right next to the other girl. "I'm really excited with how the designs are turning out." Rin handed a sketchpad to her friend, turning it to the proper page.
"Oh, the costumes!" Sango smiled happily as she looked over the designs while Rin explained them.
"Here's what I have for Kagome. See the wings? I made them with some gauzy material and wire, so they're lightweight and don't really get in the way." Rin pointed to a figure dressed as a fairy like creature. "And I did the skirting with similar material."
"When does Midoriko wear that?" Miroku was leaning over to look at the costume design. "I don't recall any scene…"
"For our Halloween party, Houshi." Sango spoke to him in a tone considerably cooler than the one she used with Rin. "Rin made costumes for the three of us."
"I wish you wouldn't call me Houshi, Sango dear." Miroku gave her a pained look. "It makes me feel as though we are strangers."
"I wish we were." She retorted before returning her attention to Rin. "So how far are they?"
"Mine was really easy, so I finished it a while ago." Rin pointed to a picture of an angel in draping robes. "And I finished your headpiece last night, so all I have to do is have you come over so I can adjust it right before the party. I want it to fit really well, so I want both of you to come over an hour before we need to help set up at Kagome's house."
"Headpiece?" Miroku was interested in all this talk of parties and costumes. "What is your costume, Sango?"
"None of your business, Houshi." Sango gave him a dry look. "You're not invited, by the way."
"Nice of you to go out of your way to be sure that I know of your wishes." Miroku spoke as if she had actually invited him, instead of doing the opposite. "I believe my dear cousin is going to your party? She told me that Rin had invited her."
"Oh, yeah, that's right!" Rin's excitement became even more pronounced, if that was possible. "She's really great, Miroku. I don't know what I'd do without Kagura as an assistant. She's a lifesaver. Inviting her to the party seemed the least I could do with all that she's helped me. I think without her help I wouldn't have time for a party."
"I knew that she would enjoy working with you." Miroku smiled at the happy girl, but she had barely returned the look before Sesshoumaru, who was now standing right next to her, grabbed her attention.
"Oh…um, I have to go." Rin ran off with the older man before she could say anything else.
"Exactly how old is Sesshoumaru?" Miroku asked as the couple left together.
"Huh? Oh, he's about three and a half years older that Rin." Sango told him. "They've known each other since we were in junior high, but they didn't get together until our sophomore year. Sesshoumaru goes to college, but he wanted to win her over so much that he still lives here. I suppose it's a good thing that the college is so good that he wasn't making much of a sacrifice applying here, but it still is quite a gesture."
"I thought you said they were unofficial." Miroku observed.
"Well…I mean, everyone knows they're together." Sango explained. "And neither of them are about to deny it, but it's not like they're married or anything. It kind of seems like they are sometimes though. I mean, I really couldn't picture either of them with anyone else. So it's not that they aren't an official couple. It's kind of a joke that we have really, since they're unofficially engaged."
"How does Inuyasha feel about the idea of his brother and his friend becoming married?" Miroku was being perfectly friendly, and Sango wasn't aware of it at first, but now it was starting to worry her that he had yet to make some lewd comment or try to grope her.
"Um…he doesn't really get along with Sesshoumaru." Sango told him. "They used to be pretty close, but…well, you've seen Sesshoumaru. He was a bit of a playboy in high school, and when Rin and him started out, Inuyasha was furious with his brother for using one of his best friends like that. See, Inuyasha acts like he doesn't give a damn, but I'm sure you've seen by now that there's a lot more to him than what's on the surface. So he's really protective of all of us. It's really sweet sometimes, but I think it really is sad what it's done to Inuyasha's relationship with his brother."
"Doesn't he realize by now that Sesshoumaru means well with Rin?" Miroku asked. He still wasn't trying anything, and it was making Sango nervous.
"Uh…he's stubborn." Sango told him. "Doesn't like to be wrong."
"Yes, but—" Unable to take the tension anymore, Sango interrupted him.
"Okay everyone! Let's get ready again! I want to start right where we left off! Sakage and Midoriko! This is your scene!" She called out. Miroku was giving her an odd look, and she wasn't surprised. She would find it strange too, if she'd been in his place. Miroku…that boy made her nervous, and Sango wasn't one who liked to be nervous.
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"We've been doing this for a couple weeks now, so everyone should know their cues." Sango was nearing the end of her post-rehearsal speech. "Sesshoumaru, I noticed that you missed your whole scene, and I find that unacceptable. I mean, it's not as though you have a lot of things to memorize, and I understand that you're helping Rin with the costume and set construction, but try not to get too distracted? Okay, that's all I have to say." Sango looked down at her notebook to be sure. She noticed a little doodle of a rose in the margin that she didn't remember drawing. Of course, it was on Miroku's side of her…
"I have one further comment." Miroku spoke up, so she couldn't ask him. Although the small heart next to the stem made her suspicious. If he thought his cute little tricks would work on her this time, he was mistaken. "Inuyasha and Kagome, you have wonderful chemistry, but I fear that there is a big obstacle in your performance ability. Every time the two of you kiss, I am reminded of a pair of five year olds trying it out for the first time. I mean no offense, and I'm sure you're both wonderful kissers, but you need to remember that this is acting! Don't be afraid of another pair of lips. I understand that tomorrow's rehearsal is cancelled due to the holiday, as well as the party that many of you will be attending, but I hope that Sango would approve of you getting together for an hour or so tomorrow to work on those trouble scenes. Remember that Sakage and Midoriko are in love, and it means nothing to Inuyasha and Kagome if they kiss, so please, sell it to me."
"We'll try." Kagome felt a little embarrassed by this focus of criticism. It wasn't that she minded being critiqued in her acting, it was just that it made her uncomfortable to think about practicing kissing scenes with Inuyasha. It sounded like some sort of a set up from a bad love story. Biting her lip, Kagome glanced at Inuyasha to see how he felt about it, but he was apparently discussing something with Kikyo, both of them bent near each other, faces hidden by the tilt of their heads. Kagome could see the curve of a smile on Inuyasha's lips, though, and for some reason she felt a little bit jealous. What could Kikyo be saying that was so terribly entertaining?
"I think that sounds good." Sango nodded, approving his suggestion. She wasn't nearly as belligerent as she had been when he first came on to help with the play, but she still felt a bit weak whenever she agreed with him. She didn't like feeling weak. "And if that's it, I think I can say goodnight to all of you, and if I don't see you tomorrow, have a happy Halloween."
"Spooky Halloween!" A young boy, with reddish brown hair spoke up. He was Kouga's little brother, and a good friend of Souta's, as well as the object of maternal adoration from many of the girls involved in the play. "You should say have a spooky Halloween!"
"Thank you Shippo." Sango smiled warmly at the boy. "Alright then, lets get out of here!"
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"Okay, so I was thinking we could just run through the first kiss scene a couple times and call it good." Kagome was trying hard not to blush as she spoke, but it was just so difficult to talk casually about practicing kissing each other. She had thought it would only be convenient to have the supplementary rehearsal at her house, but now that both of them were there, in her room, she felt as though she was doing something that was against the rules. It was only Inuyasha, but still…
"Uh, sure." Inuyasha sounded no better than her, and she saw that he too was blushing quite a bit.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome suddenly felt as though she needed to ask him something. "Have you ever…you know…with a girl before?"
"You mean kissed?" Inuyasha didn't look like his face could get any more red than it was. "Um…not really. Well, except in the play."
"Well, that doesn't count." Kagome assured him. "No wonder we're having so much trouble." She felt foolish as soon as she said it, but she couldn't exactly take the words back.
"What?" Inuyasha suddenly looked indignant, even through his embarrassed blush. "Like you're the big kissing expert."
"I didn't mean it like that!" Kagome felt stupid for saying something so insensitive. "I mean…I was saying just…I think we're both thinking about it too much."
"Whatever." Inuyasha grumbled, but after a short pause he sat down at her desk, picking up the script he'd dropped there when he'd come up to her room. "Have you ever kissed anyone?"
"Of course." Kagome sat up indignantly. "I mean, I haven't really kissed a lot of guys, but you know."
"Like who?" Inuyasha asked. "How many guys?"
"What, are you my mother?" Kagome couldn't decide whether to be embarrassed or angry with him, but her face was red either way.
"I told you." Inuyasha told her. "I don't see why you have to make such a big deal out of it."
"I'm…not really." Kagome frowned slightly. Inuyasha's questions weren't really worth getting upset over, but still, it was making her uncomfortable, and she could feel his eyes on her. "Fine. I've only kissed two other guys. Kouga and I kissed once when we were going out, and then I was kissed by Sango's cousin at that Christmas party we had two years ago. We were under some mistletoe and…you know."
"You kissed him?" Inuyasha sounded like he was ready to rip the script in half.
"No, he kissed me, but it wasn't even a real kiss." Kagome began explaining, feeling a bit foolish that she was even telling this to Inuyasha. "Just on the lips for a second. More of a peck than a kiss anyway. And you know that whole tradition with the mistletoe, so I wasn't just letting him get away with it for nothing."
"I meant Kouga." Inuyasha told her. "I can't believe you let that guy kiss you."
"Okay…I think we understand that neither of us are master kissers here, but we really should do some work." Kagome was a bit angry at his challenge, but she didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she decided to get to work. Turning her back to him, she began. "Sakage," suddenly she was Midoriko, calm and sure of herself, but more than a little flushed. Not that it was a big deal, since it did fit the scene she was starting on. "I mustn't be selfish. I would love nothing more than to live a life quietly at your side, away from all of this death and pain, living only with you and ignoring the world that has forever ignored us…but…I cannot abandon them, Sakage. The people need me. I know how strong I am, and I fear what would happen to this world without me…perhaps in itself, that is selfish." She finished her speech as Inuyasha stood, falling into character easily even though she could tell he was probably put out by the about the abrupt topic change.
"Midoriko, you can't just brush this off as easily as that. Do you understand that this world will have to survive without your powers one day anyway? No matter what happens now, you will die one day, Midoriko." Here he paused, and Kagome had to hold back a smile. She really loved how Sakage's character evolved through the play, from the foul-mouthed, obnoxious orphan to a respectable sounding warrior. "You can't be so foolish as to think this can be ignored. Yet you refuse to live what life you can while you have the chance? Why?" Here Inuyasha stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face him.
"Yes, but should I not use these powers while I can?" Kagome didn't meet his eyes, imagining that Midoriko would not have wanted to face down Sakage at that point, when she finally found a vulnerability that he could see as well.
"Can you never use them again if you learn to love?" Inuyasha moved a bit closer, and Kagome had a hard time staying in character as she noticed how he was obviously trying to screw up his courage for what was about to happen.
"The master…" she spoke after a pause, but instead of cutting her off, Inuyasha gripped her shoulders more tightly, giving her a considering look before he finally leaned in and pecked her so quickly she wasn't even sure their lips had met. "Okay…um…I think that's our problem."
"Shit, Kagome, right in the middle of the scene…fine then, what should I do?" Inuyasha released her, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I don't know! You just have to…you know…" Kagome didn't know how to explain what was wrong, as she wasn't really sure what he should do herself. "It's just…why don't we try something else?"
"Like what?" Inuyasha asked her.
"Well, I can't really tell you how to kiss, so what if we switch for one shot? I'll be Sakage and you can be Midoriko." Kagome told him.
"Uh…sure." Inuyasha looked like he was going to laugh at her, but he only snickered slightly. "But seriously, I think I'm way more badass as him than you would be."
"Okay, smart guy." Kagome rolled her eyes. "Let's just do this. Okay, see I just confessed my love to you, thinking that you'd never feel the same way, but then you do, and of course I'm all excited, but you're sworn to live the life of a priestess, and I guess they aren't allowed boyfriends, so…"
"I know all that." Inuyasha was obviously a bit impatient, not that Kagome was surprised by that.
"Okay, so I'm trying to convince you that love is more important than all of that. I mean, not like you can't still go around protecting people, but you need to see that love is really important, not just something you can ignore." Kagome told him. "That's what this first kiss is all about. Since Sakage has been going around with Midoriko all this time, he's picked up on how she talks, and he's a lot more clear in his speech, but he's still not all that eloquent, so he's trying to show her how they feel with this kiss."
"Are you going to do this or just lecture me?" Inuyasha wanted to know. Kagome, thoroughly frustrated with his attitude, lunged forward, grabbing both his shoulders as she went on tiptoe, pressing her lips to his. He was so surprised by the suddenness of it that he almost pulled away, but as the feel of it went to his head, his arms wrapped around her. After a bit, Kagome pulled away, blushing when he looked down at her.
"You…were supposed to pull away." Kagome told him finally.
"Huh?" Inuyasha was having a hard time with forming words at the moment.
"You know…Midoriko." Kagome's blush deepened. "She pulls away."
"Better start over." Inuyasha told her.
"From what—" Kagome didn't get to finish her question, as Inuyasha swept her up into a sudden kiss, pulling her in close as she began to relax into his embrace and return it. After some time, he broke the kiss and looked down at her sheepishly. "You forgot."
"Huh?" she asked, still a bit surprised.
"To pull away." Inuyasha reminded her.
"Oh…yeah." Kagome sighed slightly, not bothering to pull away even then. "This is gonna take a lot of work."
"Yeah, well I've got time." Inuyasha told her, not letting her answer before he kissed her again.
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"Um…I don't know if this is what we agreed to." Kagome looked down at herself as Rin busily adjusted the bodice of her costume. "Is this…latex?"
"It's purple!" Rin exclaimed happily. "It'll look really cute when I pull it tight in back." She told her, lacing up the corset type costume top with silver cord and cinching it tight. "You aren't uncomfortable, are you? Tell me if I'm making it too tight."
"Sango…are you seeing this?" Kagome could swear her face wasn't capable of reddening any more than it was at that moment. "Sango? Are you still in there?" Kagome raised her voice, not wanting to move and ruin Rin's efforts, but trying to crane her neck toward the bathroom where Sango had been preparing herself for what seemed like an endless amount of time.
"I'm…just…okay, you guys better not laugh." Sango called out, and after some noises of rustling, one red latex clad leg peeked out of the doorway, and then Sango emerged fully, in a long sleeve crimson body suit and heels, her arms wrapped nervously around her middle and her face unsure under the black and red eye shadow and the red lips lined in black. Topping it off were a pair of dark horns so cunningly placed in her long black hair that they seemed to be growing there. "Do I look evil yet?" It wasn't until she spoke that they could see she had placed fake fangs over her top canines as a final touch.
"Try not to blush." Kagome told her. "Turn so I can see your tail." Sango nodded, turning and showing off the tail that came out of her costume as well as showing the lace up back that Rin had designed to leave a large triangle of flesh visible under the black lacing.
"The back is…open." Sango commented. "I feel kinda naked."
"Your hair covers it up most of the way." Rin told her, even though the triangle continued well below where Sango's hair ended, midway down her back.
"How come we're dressed like sluts and you're in that?" Sango asked, pointing to the billowing robes that Rin was covered in.
"I'm an angel. This is what I'm supposed to look like." She told her. "You wanted to be the devil, I made your costume. I think it looks good."
"Sure." Sango sighed. "but honestly, don't I look like a slut?"
"At least your legs are covered by more than nylon." Kagome pointed down to the sparkling nylons that she wore under the top of her costume.
"You have a skirt." Rin cinched the last fastening closed and begin tying the silver cord quickly. "Fairy's don't wear long dresses."
"This is not what I would call a skirt." Kagome touched the gauzy scraps of silver, purple, blue, and pink that were attached to her waist. "I don't think this is going to be very warm."
"That'd be bad if you were trick or treating, but since you're having a party, no big deal!" Rin told her cheerily steering her into the bathroom to do her hair. "Sango, you wanna help her finish up? I need to do my hair too, and then I need you guys to help me attach my wings."
"Fine, fine." Sango took over. "Let's…um…let's pull it up." She used her extra two inches of height combined with her heels to begin work on Kagome's hair as Kagome brushed silver eye shadow over her lids.
"Am I moving too much?" Kagome asked, continuing with her make up as Sango fastened the hair in a high bun, pulling a few tendrils loose and looking over the effect critically.
"No, you're fine." Sango turned to the third girl who was busily pulling her hair out of the curlers it had been in all day, creating a lovely cascade of ringlets. "Rin, is that curling iron on?"
"You need it?" Rin asked, plugging it in so that it would be ready soon. "She's looking pretty good."
"Yeah, well, this costume is pretty cute now that I'm used to it." Sango nodded to the girl she was working on. "You think Inuyasha will like it?" she added, her voice dropping slightly, and her smirk showing off her fangs.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome asked, unable to stop the blush that rose to her cheeks. She busied herself with removing the plastic seal from the glitter make up she'd bought to go with her costume.
"Well, I just thought it was funny." Sango shrugged. "What time did you guys start your little practice?"
"Um…around noon." Kagome was having a hard time concentrating on not getting the glitter on her gauzy arm trim while she was worrying more about either of the girls seeing her blush.
"And we showed up at two." Sango continued. "And he was just leaving?"
"It took a while to get started." Kagome told them, brushing the glitter over her other shoulder as though it required her full attention.
"Really." Sango reached for the make up on the counter, picking up a jar of lavender lip gloss and looking at it before handing it to Kagome. "Here, use this with that glitter on your lips."
"Thanks." Kagome seemed pleased that the subject had been changed, but she wasn't safe for long. Just as she finished her lips, Sango made another comment.
"With that color, we'll be able to tell right away if Kagome and Inuyasha decide they need more 'practice.'" She laughed at her own joke, and Rin giggled as well. Sango reached for the curling iron, which was now ready to use on the stray tendrils of Kagome's hair and turned to Rin. "Hey, how many times can you practice kissing in two hours?"
"Depends on how good the kisses are." Rin answered, her innocent grin somehow making the comment seem more racy. "And whether that's all you're doing."
"So, how good were they, Kagome?" Sango asked casually, as if she was still talking about lip gloss and make up. Kagome's mind searched desperately for a different topic, and she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"What's the story with you and Miroku?" it sounded rushed, panic in her tone from where the conversation had been heading. She didn't want the girls to get the wrong idea about Inuyasha and her. They were friends, and just that. They didn't like practicing kissing at all!
"Well." Sango had been silent for so long Kagome thought she was only going to be quiet, which was just fine with her. "I guess I've held out on you guys long enough. Do you remember last summer how I went on that stupid trip with my parents?"
"Yeah…that cruise?" Kagome recalled. "I didn't think it sounded all that bad."
"Well, Kohaku was fine with it since he's still young enough that playing in a pool all day is great fun for him." Sango told them. "But I was bored out of my mind. I tried working on the script, but it was so hot all the time, and I didn't want to just swim all day. Finally I decided to look around and see if there were any other people my age to hang out with on the ship. I figured they'd be as bored as me, so maybe we could be bored together."
"Miroku was on the cruise?" Rin guessed.
"Unfortunately." Sango admitted. "I hadn't heard of him then. I mean, I remembered seeing him around the school, but I hadn't heard of his reputation and all that, so I was just excited to see someone even vaguely familiar. Of course, he's always so polite at first, and I thought he was sweet. We spent a week together perfectly fine. We hit it off really well, and I was really excited to hear that he had experience in drama as a director from his old school. I suggested my play, and he said he'd definitely be interested in helping out. It was going great."
"Then what?" Kagome asked.
"Then on the last night of the cruise we found some…uh…well, we found some booze in his parents' cabin, and he suggested we play a drinking game. I was dumb enough to agree, since it isn't like I'd never had anything to drink before. Huge mistake. First of all, you guys know that game I Never? That's what he suggested we play." Sango told them.
"That game's fun, I guess." Kagome told her. "But I wouldn't want to play it with someone I'd only known a week."
"Isn't that the one where you have to say something you've never done, and then the people who have done it have to take a drink?" Rin asked. "Didn't we play that on Kagome's fifteenth birthday with soda?"
"Yeah, that's the one." Sango nodded. "But this wasn't soda, and you guys weren't there, sadly. So of course, at one point, I'm a little tipsy and I say I've never had a boyfriend. Of course, Miroku had never had a boyfriend, but I wasn't thinking very clearly when I said it. He thought I was lying, or so he claimed. He went on and on about how beautiful and smart I was, feeding me every 'you're the greatest woman' line you've ever heard. Now, the game went on, and pretty soon it just got to the point where we were taking shots just to drink them. I was so completely drunk…it was ridiculous. I never let myself get out of control like that, and I don't know why, but I felt like it would be okay with Miroku. Huge mistake." Sango paused. "So, I don't really remember everything with great clarity, but basically, I ended up in bed with Miroku, and we were both totally naked. I know we didn't…you know. But still, we got pretty far. He totally took advantage of me."
"Whoa." Kagome's eyes went wide. She had stopped working on her makeup long ago, but she still held the jar of glitter gel in her hand. "I didn't really think it would be anything like that. No wonder you didn't want to talk about it. I bet if you told Inuyasha, he'd kick Miroku's ass for you."
"I'm sure." Sango shook her head. "But I'd be a lot happier just pretending it never happened."
"You know." Rin finally spoke up. She had finished with her hair, and the curly ringlets made her look even more innocent than she usually did. She was currently fussing with her halo. "I don't think it's all that fair to place all the blame on Miroku."
"What?" Sango squawked, jerking her arms angrily upward. Kagome was suddenly very glad she wasn't using the curling iron anymore. "Are you kidding?"
"Well, I guessed that you guys had some sort of fling already." Rin told her, adjusting her headpiece to her satisfaction. "It's pretty obvious with all the romantic tension between you two. And even though I can see where you're coming from, I don't think it's entirely fair to say that Miroku took advantage of you. I mean, he had just as much to drink as you, so I don't think he was thinking clearly enough to plan what would happen. And even though he suggested the drinking game, you agreed to it. Also, you didn't go all the way. If he had been taking advantage of you, why wouldn't he finish?"
"Well…maybe…uh…" Sango was at a loss for words, so she reached forward, opening a package of hair jewels and began applying them to Kagome's hair.
"I'm just saying that you aren't being fair about all this. Imagine what Miroku must feel like." Rin lectured, finally satisfied with her halo. "I know that people say bad things about him, and I know that he has dated a lot of girls, but there are a lot of boys that I hear worse things about. After all, Sesshoumaru was seen as quite the playboy before we were together, but he has always been faithful to me since then. A lot of rumors are blown way out of proportion. Sesshoumaru only dated five girls before me, and the longest one of those relationships lasted three weeks. If you listened to the rumors, it sounded as though he had dated half the high school, but that simply wasn't the case. It's very cruel of you to condemn Miroku like this because of a mistake that both of you made. In fact, after hearing your story, I think that you've made me see Miroku in a better light than before. You may have fooled around with him, but it was entirely consensual, and you were both drunk, yet he still had enough control not to take you. I don't think you're being fair at all."
"Whoa." Kagome repeated, turning to face Rin. "I had no idea you were that smart."
"You never asked." Rin smiled sweetly before humming gently and leaving the room to retrieve her wings.
"So…Sango." Kagome looked over at the other girl. Sango looked very red, and Kagome couldn't tell if she was angry, upset, or just embarrassed. "What do you think?"
"I hate him." Sango answered before storming out of the room.
*****
The End (Of Part 3, That Is)
Sorry! I fully intended to have the party take place in this chapter, but hey, at least you got to hear about the mysterious past of Miroku and Sango. I think this is getting too long, so it's going to wait until the next chapter.