To Play
Chapter 2: "Action"
By Yioujuin
~~~~~~~~~~
By the time night fell, the heavens had mercifully breathed a cool front of air into atmosphere, relieving weary travellers all over Japan. Sango took in a deep breath while setting up her traveling blanket and smiled. It was a beautiful, starry evening, from what she could gather, looking up through the forest clearing. Nights like these often reminded her of nights at home, in her village. Images of Kohaku capturing fireflies flooded her mind before she could stop herself. She shook her head. No. Don't allow your emotions to overcome you, Sango. You're the only one left. If you despair, you'll give up, and then how can you get Kohaku back?
For now... Just imagine that this is your family, and that everything is all right...
"Kagome?"
Kagome, who was in the middle of reading another one of her strange books, looked over at the fox-cub climbing onto her lap. "Hai, Shippou-chan?"
Shippou settled comfortably between her arms and stared hard at the shapes and squiggles on the page. "What are you reading?"
"Geometry."
The kitsune squinted up at her. "Gi... geome... Ge-om-etry..."
"Hai." She shifted her gaze back to the text.
"Ano... What does geometry do?"
A sweatdrop formed on her face. "Erm... Well... It's a kind of math, but... actually, I don't know if it has any practical applications or anything..."
Inuyasha looked over casually and spoke from the tree limb he had been reclining on. "Feh! I thought so. I told you your ' tests' were unimportant to begin with, and now you admit that the subjects are also totally useless."
Kamoge didn't bother to restrain herself this time. It was enough that he had been rude and unresponsive the whole day. She slammed the book shut and whipped her head around to glare at the hanyou. "Well, excuse me, but I don't really have a choice. I have to go to school and learn that stuff if I want to make it on my own some day."
"Oh yeah? Why?" Inuyasha sat up and sneered. "Don't tell me they pay you to sit and draw those shapes in your time!"
"What if they do? What do you know?" Kagome shot back.
"A lot more than you, stupid! You couldn't even survive out here if I weren't around!"
"Well, in my time, the world's a lot safer, so people can afford to think intelligently!"
"Wha...?!" Inuyasha scowled and jumped down from the tree to get in her face. "Fine, then! If your world is so great, why don't you just go back?!"
Kagome stood up angrily. "Fine! Maybe I will!"
Shippou, unable to continue watching the stupidity of the argument, pounced on Inuyasha's head and yanked his ears back desperately. "Inuyasha, you baka! We need Kagome to keep going!"
*CLONK*
"Stay out of this, bastard!"
"Aah!" Shippou, arms wrapped around his head protectively, fell to the ground in a dazed heap. "K-Kagome!" he sniffled innocently. "Inuyasha's picking on me again...!"
Kagome formed deadly dagger eyes at the offender. "In-u-ya-sha..." she seethed in a warning tone.
"...Eh?" Inuyasha's eyes widened a bit in panic, sensing the danger, but then—
"Oi!"
Both Kagome and Inuyasha turned around. Miroku entered the clearing carrying a bundle of firewood. He set it down at a safe distance and walked up to the two of them firmly. "You guys should go to bed. I'll stand the first watch. Inuyasha, you can cover the second."
Secretly grateful to the houshi for saving him from another "sit," Inuyasha bit the urge to talk back and waved him off instead. "Yeah, yeah, I know..."
"O-okay..." Kagome agreed, relieved to calm down a bit.
After a moment of staring at each other, Inuyasha and Kagome sheepishly parted to their separate sleeping places without another word.
Sango observed thoughtfully. It looked almost as if Miroku were the mature one. Almost, she reminded herself firmly, recalling with no great effort the incidents of his shockingly inappropriate behavior since she'd met him.
Then, as if on cue, the subject of her thoughts turned and looked at her. "Sango, you too. We'll have a long day ahead tomorrow."
She avoided eye contact as she lay down on her back, pulled the blanket over her, and sighed. "Aa. I know."
Sango closed her eyes.
A long and quiet hour passed.
She couldn't fall asleep. Sango opened her eyes, rolled onto her side, and looked across the campfire. Miroku had his back to the rest of the group, sitting comfortably with his shakujo in hand.
It's good... to see him there like that. Somehow, it makes me feel safe... Although I would like it if he were nearer...
Suddenly embarrassed by her train of thought, Sango shut her eyes tightly and tried to focus on sleeping. Sleep, don't think... just go to sleep...
But due to a nagging thought in her mind, she opened her eyes again to observe the houshi.
A light breeze rustled the edges of his robes. Miroku turned his face upward, brushing the dark hair out of his eyes and looking at the sky with clear eyes. He seemed to be contemplating something serious, from the look on his face. That face...
He looks so serious now that he thinks no one is watching... not at all like the houshi-sama who would ask any woman to bear his child. I wonder what he thinks of in the middle of the night...
That face... He is himself now.
Sango shifted back onto her back.
Houshi-sama...
She closed her eyes.
That's the you I want to know...
Finally, lulled by the wind gently tousling her hair and the quiet breathing of her companions, Sango felt herself slowly drifting into a soft darkness until she felt no more.
* * *
The next morning, Sango awoke to the sound of scraping. She opened her eyes. The sky was tinged with the gentle orange-pink blush of an early dawn, with a few trails of wispy cloud scattered across the sky. Turning her head slightly right, she saw the source of the noise: Inuyasha had been digging up dirt to cover over the smoldering remains of the fire he had already doused out.
Inuyasha looked up briefly from his work and saw her. "Oi, Sango. Time to get up," he said gruffly.
Sango nodded, understanding that this was his way of saying "good morning." She packed away her blanket and looked around. Kagome and Shippou were still curled up together, sleeping. Miroku was...
"Inuyasha."
He looked back over his shoulder again. "Hn?"
"Where is houshi-sama?"
Inuyasha paused to flick a worm off of his left hand. "Oh, that guy. He went down to the steam a little earlier to wake himself up."
"I see..." Sango stood up and stretched, trying to appear nonchalant. "I think I'll go check up on him, then."
"Sure."
After she left, Inuyasha stared after her and seemed to be waiting. Finally, he turned to Kagome. "Oi... She's gone now. You can stop pretending to be asleep."
Kagome opened her eyes and sat up, grinning. "See? I thought she would go look for him."
Inuyasha frowned and sratched his head. "But why did you have to be sleeping? I don't see how that helped."
"Oh..." Kagome giggled. "You don't get it, do you? If all of us had been awake, it would have been more awkward for her to go see Miroku-sama. But since it was just you..."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean, 'just me'? "
"Well... She knows you don't care about those kind of things, so you probably wouldn't notice."
"Huh... So that's it..."
Kagome nodded and grinned again. "Now, it's up to them to make the most of some time alone!"
Ganbatte, Sango-chan!
* * *
As Sango walked down the uneven dirt paths surrounded by wild grass, she couldn't help asking herself what she was doing. It was only early morning. She could afford to wait until later to see him.
But it wasn't just that. Looking at him last night... She had wanted to get up and sit beside him, perhaps to reassure the vulnerable part of him that no one else saw. Or maybe it was just the air of mystery about him that intrigued her. Either way, she wanted to.. to...
As she drew nearer to the stream, hidden from view by a low hanging branch, she heard a distinct splash of movement in the water. Oh no...
Panic flooded her senses. Trying to stay calm, Sango looked around, and sure enough... There, on a large rock on the shore, lay a familiar pile of purple and black fabric, complete with the shakujo propped beside it.
Sango kicked herself mentally. Of all the... Of course! Why didn't I think? I should have known he came down here for more than just a morning drink. I should leave... but...
Supressing her instinct to flee, she forced herself to reconsider. Now's my chance. Perhaps... Perhaps I could let him catch me to see how he would react.
She found herself taking a step nearer to the water's edge. That might shock him out of that shell of composure, and then...
The practical side of her scoffed. What was she thinking? Even if she did manage to shock him, what good would it do in the long run? Surely she couldn't sit there and expect him to be sincere while he was naked. He would probably just be surprised for the first few seconds, and then accuse her of spying with a satisfactory grin on his face. And I'm not about to sink to his level...
But before Sango had more time to think, she heard another splish of water. And then another. It was almost as if...
Her eyes widened. Oh no! He's coming out! I have to get out of here. Slowly, now...
She turned backwards to leave.
And snapped a twig in the process.
Sango ran.
* * *
When she arrived back to the campsite, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou were already packed and sitting around, waiting. She slowed down into a walk before reaching the clearing. She didn't want them to know she had been running, though her flushed face and rapid breath were already evidence enough.
Kagome put on her most innocent smile. "Good morning, Sango-chan. Did you sleep well?"
Inuyasha looked on passively. Shippou just stared. He noticed Sango appeared pinker than usual and out of breath. Was it possible that she and Miroku--?
Kagome elbowed Shippou. The fox-cub caught on and tried to be casual. "A-ano, Sango. Good morning."
Sango looked back at them. Something seemed strange, but... oh well. She smiled. "Ohayo, minna-san." Walking over and, gathering her Hiraikotsu on her back once more, she straightened and looked around. "Are we leaving now?"
"Wait." Kagome looked curiously at Sango. "Where's Miroku-sama?"
Reluctantly recalling where she had just come from, Sango looked away, still flustered, "O-oh. Houshi-sama. I think he's still--"
"I'm right here."
A slightly wet Miroku rejoined the group, smiling as jovially as ever. Sango stared. ...So quickly...?
"Sorry to make you wait," the monk apologized, cocking his head to one side and patting some water out of his ear. "Shall we go now?"
Inuyasha, thoroughly sick of all this "mood," propped Kagome's bike over his shoulder and walked past him onto the dirt path. "Un. Let's go."
* * *
As Inuyasha led the group out of the forest, everyone fell into usual formation: Kagome at his side, Shippou on her shoulder, Sango a bit behind, and Miroku next to her.
It was about at this time that Sango would usually say good morning to the houshi, but now, she felt as if she had swallowed sand. Her throat was still dry from almost running in on his morning bath. And the fact that she almost gave herself away... Sango shook her head. The consequences of getting caught were too awful to imagine. No matter what kind of a serious side he had, he was still a lecher. She would never have been able to live it down.
"Sango."
She forced herself to respond normally. "Yes, houshi-sama?"
His lips parted into a small smile as he held out a familiar strip of white ribbon. "...You dropped this by the stream this morning."
Sango froze. After a moment, she slowly reached back and felt her hair to confirm its absence. So it was her ribbon. Recollecting her wits, she rushed to explain herself. "H-houshi-sama, it was an accident! I would never…" She stopped and blushed furiously, unable to complete her sentence.
"Never peep on me?" he finished innocently, winking at the taiji-ya. Upon seeing her horrified reaction, he laughed and held his hands up in reassurance. "Ah, don't worry, don't worry. Of course, you would never do such a thing on purpose. I believe you."
Embarrassed beyond words, Sango took her ribbon back with a trembling hand and kept her head down. She felt his eyes watching her closely, scrambling all of her thoughts into nothingness. She looked at the ground, allowing her silky brown hair to fall over her right shoulder, shielding her face from his view.
"Besides..." she heard him continue, lowering his voice to a murmur. "...I don't mind if you do."
Sango's eyes widened. It didn't seem possible for her to turn any redder. But it wasn't just his words that affected her. He... The way he said that... I can't tell if he is serious or not. Usually he is clear about his joking, but he seemed as if...
Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as she took a deep breath and focused on the opposite horizon. The sound of his voice was enough to make her insides flutter. He always seemed to have the upper hand on her. How?
Anticipation.
Action.
Sango was almost positive she couldn't predict the houshi. And starting any sort of spontaneous action with him would certainly be dangerous and likely to backfire.
But perhaps she stood a chance to get under his skin... by reaction...