Chapter 22
'Look out for yourself.' Sango remember Inuyasha had warned her about Miroku one day at the park.
'He warned me...but I didn't listen. I'm such a fool.' Sango thought to herself as she was in the shower.
Sango sighed as she heard the song that was playing next on the radio. It was 'What happened to us?' by Hoobastank.
'What happened to us?
We used to be so perfect, now we're lost and lonely
What happened to us?
And deep inside I wonder, did I lose my only?'
When Sango got out of the shower, the song was over. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw Miroku standing in the night.
'SANGO, I CAN'T LOVE YOU!' his voice screamed in her head.
A single tear dropped down her face, but was wiped by her hand before it could fall.
'I'm sure there's an explanation.' Kagome's comforting voice came into her head.
"But the explanation is that he doesn't trust me, Kagome.." Sango said to herself.
"Hey Sango!" Inuyasha's voice called out from downstairs.
"What?" she called back.
"You wanna go somewhere to eat? I'm hungry."
"I guess..sure."
Sango went into her room and fixed her hair in a bun with black chopsticks. She put on her eye shadow and a white, black, and magenta string tie tube halter top. After Sango had put on her dark blue denim jeans, she was off downstairs.
"You're such a girly girl." Inuyasha grunted.
"What?"
"Dressing up just for a bite out to eat." he grunted again.
"For your information, this is a casual look. Just because I would rather dress in something clean instead of my dirty old pajamas that doesn't make me a girly girl." Sango said defensively.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and laughed.
"Calm down, Sango. Don't go biting my head off."
"Are we going to eat out or not?" she replied.
"Feh. Let's go." Inuyasha said as he grabbed his car keys.
==============================================================================
By the time Miroku reached his destination, he was worn out and tired.
'I should've just taken the bus...' he said to himself as he locked Inuyasha's bike on the rack.
Miroku stood outside of the mall and wiped the sweat off of his face.
'That was one of the longest, and hardest bike rides I've ever taken. And I need to do it all over again...' Miroku sighed to himself as he entered the mall.
'...but to me, it's worth everything.' Miroku smiled to himself as he walked around.
He had no idea which store to go to for the items he wanted. The only stores he knew were the ones that Kagome and Sango took him to. The downside about it was that they were all stores for girl clothes.
Miroku sighed to himself at the beginning of his long, long, day.
=================================================================================
"Do you ever eat anything BESIDES ramen?" Sango asked as she watched her brother slurp up his noodles.
"So wha-hat? I lioke Wamen, ish that simpo." Inuyasha tried saying as his mouth was full.
Sango rolled her eyes and looked down at her Ramen. She played with a piece of meat with her chopstick and sighed to herself.
"Ish derr sumshing wong?" Inuyasha asked as he stuffed another portion of noodles in his mouth.
Sango looked up at her brother's face and laughed. His cheeks were puffed out and filled with noodles.
"Whaat?" he questioned as his eyes got bigger.
Sango laughed even more, because his eyes widened and his cheeks were still puffy.
"It's nothing.." she laughed as she began to eat some of her ramen.
Inuyasha shrugged and began to eat more.
"Miwokoo shtawped by errlier." he said as he ate.
Sango stopped eating and looked up at him.
"What did he say?"
Inuyasha swallowed his food.
"Nothing, he wanted to use my car so he could go somewhere. I wouldn't let him, so he used my bike." he stuffed another portion of ramen in his mouth.
"Do you know why?"
Inuyasha shook his head in a gesture that meant 'no'.
"Maybe he went out to see another girl..." she mumbled to herself as she played with her noodles once more.
Inuyasha's ears caught her mumbling.
"Shut-up, Sango! Stop doing yourself like that. It's pathetic." he grunted.
"Pathetic?!"
"Yeah! Usually you're this strong, funny, happy wench. But ever since that stupid club opening, you've been this ghostly, sad, mysterious wench. What's going on with you, wench?!"
"I guess you're right...things haven't been the same since that night." Sango said as she ate a piece of meat.
"...and that strength." Sango laughed to herself. "That strength now has a weakness...him."
Sango looked down at her bowl. Everything remained untouched, and hardly anything was eaten.
Inuyasha stared into his bowl. There were only bits and pieces of vegetables left, and the broth was practically gone.
He looked at Sango and saw that she was stirring her food. Inuyasha frowned.
"Well, you can either mope around with that weakness of yours, or you can learn from it and become stronger." he said as he placed his bowl aside.
"I guess. It just hurts, you know? I mean...after all that's happened..after all that I've learned..I just can't stop myself from loving him."
Inuyasha was silent as he watched her stir her soup.
"And I know that you told me to watch out for myself, but I didn't. I'm sorry.."
He looked up at her and pitied his sister. She hardly ever said sorry to him and meant it.
"Sango, when I said that back there...I was talking about the Miroku I knew back when we were kids. Now whenever he's with you, he doesn't act a thing like he did before. He's actually civilized." Inuyasha and Sango laughed.
"And I can't tell you what to do, or what to feel. I know that my advice isn't all too well, also. But what I can say to you is that Miroku's been through a lot...and sometimes when somebody goes through a lot of pain it's hard to cover up those scars. You get me?"
Sango nodded.
"So....you gonna eat that?" Inuyasha asked as he pointed to her soup.
Sango's eyes dropped as she nodded and slid the bowl to Inuyasha. He began eating her ramen savagely.
Inuyasha looked out of the window of the restaurant they were in and his eyes widened.
"Miwo–? Miwo–. Miro–?!" he yelled out as he looked behind Sango where the window was.
"What?" Sango looked behind her at the window, but saw nothing but the cars in the parking lot.
She looked back and Inuyasha, who was looking down at his bowl of soup and stuffing more noodles in his mouth.
"What was that about?" she asked him.
Inuyasha looked up at her and swallowed his food.
"Nothing..."
"You were saying something? Miwo? Miro?"
Inuyasha tensed up and began thinking of something to say.
"Uhh.. Mir...heh. You see..err. Mirror, Mirror, on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all? Who? What? Oh! I see! Okay! Good-bye!" Inuyasha said as he looked in the mirror next to them.
Sango raised an eyebrow at her brother.
"You just get weirder and weirder each day.." she laughed.
===============================================================================
After they had eaten, Sango and Inuyasha went home. Sango thought she would visit Kagome and see how she was doing after her fight with Inuyasha.
:: DING DONG ::
Kagome answered the door and was in the pj's. There were splotches, scrapes, and smudges of make-up all over her face.
"Whoa! What happened?!" Sango exclaimed as she inched a step back. She hadn't recognized it was Kagome at first.
A tear went down Kagome's cheek and Sango went inside the house and closed the door behind her.
"What did you do?!" Sango asked as she observed Kagome's face.
There were different colors all over her face. Many colors of lipstick were smudged across Kagome's lips. Different types of eyeliner smeared around her eyes. Several shades of concealer splotched her face. Sango even gasped as she saw a bit of white powder sprinkles across Kagome's face.
"I...I...tried looking different."
"Aww! Kagome!" Sango said sympathetically as she hugged her best friend.
"If thought...that if I didn't look like Kikyo so much...maybe it wouldn't be so hard for Inuyasha."
"Don't even worry about how you look, Kagome. You're beautiful for who you are, and your personality makes you even more beautiful."
Sango rushed into the kitchen and wet a towel. She sat down Kagome on the living room couch and began cleaning off the make-up.
"How long have you been...trying to make a new image?" she asked as she tried cleaning off all of the eyeliner.
"Since this morning..." Kagome said.
"You poor thing. Don't ever do this again, okay? You really shouldn't try to change your face. It's perfect already." Sango smiled at Kagome.
"It's perfectly not mine.." Kagome sighed.
"And who else would it belong to?"
"Kikyo.."
"Oh, Kagome! Okay.. Yes, there are some features on you that look like her. But there are even more things that she doesn't have that you have."
Kagome gave a little smile.
"There's that smile that I've always loved!" Sango said as she caught Kagome.
"I'm a real mess, aren't I?" Kagome laughed as she saw Sango's determined expression on her face.
"No...." Sango said as she gave an uneasy face.
"Oh, come on, Sango! I look like a clown!" Kagome and Sango laughed.
After about 25 minutes, Sango was finished and had cleaned off all of the make-up.
"There. Done." Sango held up the towel.
There were so many different colors on it. Sango and Kagome laughed as they stared at the splotches.
"What was I thinking?" Kagome laughed to herself.
Sango and Kagome sat in the living room and watched TV. They talked about how they've missed each other and how good it was to finally be laughing together.
Kagome looked out of the window in her backyard and held and confused facial expression.
"Miro...Miro–" she stopped her words and resumed watching the television.
Sango turned around and looked out of the window, but saw nothing but the grass.
"What?" Sango asked.
"Nothing.."
"You said something.. Miro?" Sango became even more confused.
"Uhhh....Miro....Miro...." Kagome thought quickly.
"...Me row the boat! Me row the boat! Ta-da-la-la-la-la-la Me row the boat!" Kagome forced a smile as she blushed with embarrassment.
Sango looked at her best friend and laughed.
'What's up with everyone? First, Inuyasha talks to himself in the mirror...now Kagome is singing a child song.' she thought to herself.
===============================================================================
It was already 9 by the time Sango thought she should leave Kagome's house. As she walked home, she felt the feeling that somebody was following her.
"WHO'S THERE? SHOW YOURSELF!" Sango called out as she pulled out her chopsticks from her hair. Her hair flowed through the night.
A squirrel then ran across the street, and Sango laughed to herself.
"Only a squirrel.." she laughed as she resumed walking.
When she entered her house, the lights were all turned off.
"Inuyasha?" she called out as she walked upstairs.
Nobody was home.
"Wonder where he went...his car keys are still here." Sango shrugged.
Sango went into her room and heard a door bell downstairs.
'Must be Inuyasha..' she assumed as she opened the door.
To her surprise she found no one there.
"Damn kids." she said as she closed the door.
As she stepped back upstairs, the doorbell rang once more.
This time, when she opened it, there was half of a card board box on her doorstep. On the front, it was colored and drawn on to look like a house. On the back, it was cut and there was something inside. Sango eyed it suspiciously as she bent down to see what was inside.
Her mouth dropped as she found a stuffed animal toy. It was a toy of a fire cat demon. The fur was soft and it purred when you pet it.
Sango held the fire cat toy in her arms, suddenly she looked up as she heard the sound of a guitar.
Sango was shocked to see that it was Miroku. He stood there and smiled at her. There was a chair right down the stairs of the front door, and Miroku gestured Sango to sit in it.
As she sat, Miroku stood in front of her and began to play a song with the guitar. Sango held the fire cat in her arms.
Miroku looked down at the guitar as he played. Sango's heart lifted as she heard him start to sing. He was singing 'Hands Down' by Dashboard Confessional.
"Breathe in for luck.
Breathe in so deep.
This air is blessed you share with me.
This night is wild, so calm and dull.
These hearts they race from self control..." Miroku began to sing.
Sango looked at him and her heart began pounding. Her eyes shifted to his fingers on the guitar. They moved so easily and calm. Miroku's singing voice had a tone of compassion and serenity.
Sango listened and listened to his voice as he sang.
"My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me.
So won't you kill me, so I die happy.
My heart is yours to fill or burst to break or bury or wear as jewelry.
Which ever you prefer.
Hands down this is the best day I can ever remember
I'll always remember the sound of the stereo.
The dim of the soft lights
the scent of your hair that you twirled in your fingers
and the time on the clock when we realized it's so late..."
Sango began to form tears in her eyes as he sang more and more.
"The street was wet and the gate was locked
So I jumped it and let you in and you stood at the door
With your hands on my waist and you kissed me
But you meant it and I knew that you meant it
That you meant it, that you meant it
And I knew, that you meant it, that you meant it..."
Then Miroku looked up at Sango, who was sniffing and tearing. He walked closer to her and pulled out a tiny box from his pocket.
He opened it, and pulled out a ring. Then, Miroku gently lifted up her hand and placed the ring on her finger.
Sango looked at the ring, and then at Miroku. It had three charms on it: The first was the letter 'M'; the second was a heart; and the third was the letter 'S'.
"I was afraid, Sango. I was afraid to lose you. The past three days without you have been hurting me more than ever. I'm sorry that I've caused you pain..." Miroku whispered as he held her hand.
Sango swallowed her tears and tried to stay normal.
"But now I'm not scared anymore, Sango. I'm not afraid to admit how I feel, nor am I afraid about losing you. And that's because I trust you.."
Sango tried to force a smile as she breathed heavily to fight back tearing any more.
"...I trust you with my heart, with all of my heart. I love you, Sango."
Sango stopped fighting back her tears and began to cry. She jumped on Miroku and wrapped her arms around him while crying on his shoulder.
After she was stable, she brought her head back and looked at him. He smiled at her as he held her in his arms.
"You don't know how long I've been waiting for those words." she smiled as she moved her face closer to his.
Their lips were only an inch apart.
"I love you too, Miroku." she said as they moved closer and kissed.
Sango put her arms around Miroku and laughed with tears in her eyes.
"How long have you been planning this?" she laughed as they sat outside on the sidewalk looking at the stars.
"Just about the whole day." Miroku laughed as he held her.
"Oh really?"
"Imagine it, me riding on a bike around this town the whole day." Miroku laughed. "And almost blowing my cover twice."
"Twice?" she looked at him. Miroku smiled.
"I saw Inuyasha and you at the restaurant today. I could tell he was about to call out for me, but then I gestured to him to be discreet about my presence. As for the same thing with Kagome in the backyard." Miroku and Sango laughed.
"So that's why they were acting so weird." she said as she placed her head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat.
"Were you surprised?" Miroku asked as he placed his head on top of hers.
"Yes, very." she laughed.
Sango looked at her ring that Miroku had given her. She then looked at the card board house and the fire cat.
"What were those for?" Sango asked as she pointed to the box.
"Don't you remember?"
"Uhh.." Sango replied embarrassed.
Miroku sighed, but smile. He got up and turned the box around. There was something that Sango missed while she opened it.
There was a piece of paper taped on the inside.
Sango smiled as she saw what it was. She went towards Miroku and kissed him again.
It was their first game of MASH.
=================================================================================
Kagome sat on the couch watching TV. Her eyes shifted from time to time at the kitchen table. She sighed heavily as she thought about that person being in the same room with her...
....it was Inuyasha.
'Out of all the places, Miroku! Why'd you have to put him here?!' Kagome thought to herself, but she smiled at the thought of Sango being happy again.
Inuyasha sat there at the kitchen table and stared at the back of Kagome's head.
'She won't even look at me. Not to mention talk to me.' he thought to himself.
:: FLASH BACK ::
"INUYASHA!" Miroku yelled as he panted and panted.
"What?" Inuyasha grunted.
"I...me...a favor...do...you...to...need." Miroku panted.
"Was that a sentence?"
"Could you please do me a favor?" Miroku asked when he finally caught his breath.
"What?"
"Could you go to my house, please. And just leave Sango alone in the house after work?"
"Why?"
"Because! Just, please?!"
Inuyasha eyed Miroku suspiciously. Miroku held several bags in his hand and a giant cardboard box in his arms.
"Feh. Whatever." Inuyasha said as he walked away.
"Thanks Inuyasha!" Miroku called out as he ran into his house.
:: END OF FLASH BACK ::
'I should talk to her...' Inuyasha thought to himself as he continued to stare.
Kagome thought about Inuyasha's words from their fight. She felt so angry that he was near her, yet she felt sad.
Inuyasha walked up from the kitchen table and went towards the couch. Kagome looked at him oddly as he sat near her.
She tried not to look at him, but her eyes kept on shifting.
Inuyasha looked down at first, but then licked his lips. He looked at Kagome, but then looked down again. After a deep sigh, he turned to her.
"Kagome..."
'Look out for yourself.' Sango remember Inuyasha had warned her about Miroku one day at the park.
'He warned me...but I didn't listen. I'm such a fool.' Sango thought to herself as she was in the shower.
Sango sighed as she heard the song that was playing next on the radio. It was 'What happened to us?' by Hoobastank.
'What happened to us?
We used to be so perfect, now we're lost and lonely
What happened to us?
And deep inside I wonder, did I lose my only?'
When Sango got out of the shower, the song was over. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw Miroku standing in the night.
'SANGO, I CAN'T LOVE YOU!' his voice screamed in her head.
A single tear dropped down her face, but was wiped by her hand before it could fall.
'I'm sure there's an explanation.' Kagome's comforting voice came into her head.
"But the explanation is that he doesn't trust me, Kagome.." Sango said to herself.
"Hey Sango!" Inuyasha's voice called out from downstairs.
"What?" she called back.
"You wanna go somewhere to eat? I'm hungry."
"I guess..sure."
Sango went into her room and fixed her hair in a bun with black chopsticks. She put on her eye shadow and a white, black, and magenta string tie tube halter top. After Sango had put on her dark blue denim jeans, she was off downstairs.
"You're such a girly girl." Inuyasha grunted.
"What?"
"Dressing up just for a bite out to eat." he grunted again.
"For your information, this is a casual look. Just because I would rather dress in something clean instead of my dirty old pajamas that doesn't make me a girly girl." Sango said defensively.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and laughed.
"Calm down, Sango. Don't go biting my head off."
"Are we going to eat out or not?" she replied.
"Feh. Let's go." Inuyasha said as he grabbed his car keys.
==============================================================================
By the time Miroku reached his destination, he was worn out and tired.
'I should've just taken the bus...' he said to himself as he locked Inuyasha's bike on the rack.
Miroku stood outside of the mall and wiped the sweat off of his face.
'That was one of the longest, and hardest bike rides I've ever taken. And I need to do it all over again...' Miroku sighed to himself as he entered the mall.
'...but to me, it's worth everything.' Miroku smiled to himself as he walked around.
He had no idea which store to go to for the items he wanted. The only stores he knew were the ones that Kagome and Sango took him to. The downside about it was that they were all stores for girl clothes.
Miroku sighed to himself at the beginning of his long, long, day.
=================================================================================
"Do you ever eat anything BESIDES ramen?" Sango asked as she watched her brother slurp up his noodles.
"So wha-hat? I lioke Wamen, ish that simpo." Inuyasha tried saying as his mouth was full.
Sango rolled her eyes and looked down at her Ramen. She played with a piece of meat with her chopstick and sighed to herself.
"Ish derr sumshing wong?" Inuyasha asked as he stuffed another portion of noodles in his mouth.
Sango looked up at her brother's face and laughed. His cheeks were puffed out and filled with noodles.
"Whaat?" he questioned as his eyes got bigger.
Sango laughed even more, because his eyes widened and his cheeks were still puffy.
"It's nothing.." she laughed as she began to eat some of her ramen.
Inuyasha shrugged and began to eat more.
"Miwokoo shtawped by errlier." he said as he ate.
Sango stopped eating and looked up at him.
"What did he say?"
Inuyasha swallowed his food.
"Nothing, he wanted to use my car so he could go somewhere. I wouldn't let him, so he used my bike." he stuffed another portion of ramen in his mouth.
"Do you know why?"
Inuyasha shook his head in a gesture that meant 'no'.
"Maybe he went out to see another girl..." she mumbled to herself as she played with her noodles once more.
Inuyasha's ears caught her mumbling.
"Shut-up, Sango! Stop doing yourself like that. It's pathetic." he grunted.
"Pathetic?!"
"Yeah! Usually you're this strong, funny, happy wench. But ever since that stupid club opening, you've been this ghostly, sad, mysterious wench. What's going on with you, wench?!"
"I guess you're right...things haven't been the same since that night." Sango said as she ate a piece of meat.
"...and that strength." Sango laughed to herself. "That strength now has a weakness...him."
Sango looked down at her bowl. Everything remained untouched, and hardly anything was eaten.
Inuyasha stared into his bowl. There were only bits and pieces of vegetables left, and the broth was practically gone.
He looked at Sango and saw that she was stirring her food. Inuyasha frowned.
"Well, you can either mope around with that weakness of yours, or you can learn from it and become stronger." he said as he placed his bowl aside.
"I guess. It just hurts, you know? I mean...after all that's happened..after all that I've learned..I just can't stop myself from loving him."
Inuyasha was silent as he watched her stir her soup.
"And I know that you told me to watch out for myself, but I didn't. I'm sorry.."
He looked up at her and pitied his sister. She hardly ever said sorry to him and meant it.
"Sango, when I said that back there...I was talking about the Miroku I knew back when we were kids. Now whenever he's with you, he doesn't act a thing like he did before. He's actually civilized." Inuyasha and Sango laughed.
"And I can't tell you what to do, or what to feel. I know that my advice isn't all too well, also. But what I can say to you is that Miroku's been through a lot...and sometimes when somebody goes through a lot of pain it's hard to cover up those scars. You get me?"
Sango nodded.
"So....you gonna eat that?" Inuyasha asked as he pointed to her soup.
Sango's eyes dropped as she nodded and slid the bowl to Inuyasha. He began eating her ramen savagely.
Inuyasha looked out of the window of the restaurant they were in and his eyes widened.
"Miwo–? Miwo–. Miro–?!" he yelled out as he looked behind Sango where the window was.
"What?" Sango looked behind her at the window, but saw nothing but the cars in the parking lot.
She looked back and Inuyasha, who was looking down at his bowl of soup and stuffing more noodles in his mouth.
"What was that about?" she asked him.
Inuyasha looked up at her and swallowed his food.
"Nothing..."
"You were saying something? Miwo? Miro?"
Inuyasha tensed up and began thinking of something to say.
"Uhh.. Mir...heh. You see..err. Mirror, Mirror, on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all? Who? What? Oh! I see! Okay! Good-bye!" Inuyasha said as he looked in the mirror next to them.
Sango raised an eyebrow at her brother.
"You just get weirder and weirder each day.." she laughed.
===============================================================================
After they had eaten, Sango and Inuyasha went home. Sango thought she would visit Kagome and see how she was doing after her fight with Inuyasha.
:: DING DONG ::
Kagome answered the door and was in the pj's. There were splotches, scrapes, and smudges of make-up all over her face.
"Whoa! What happened?!" Sango exclaimed as she inched a step back. She hadn't recognized it was Kagome at first.
A tear went down Kagome's cheek and Sango went inside the house and closed the door behind her.
"What did you do?!" Sango asked as she observed Kagome's face.
There were different colors all over her face. Many colors of lipstick were smudged across Kagome's lips. Different types of eyeliner smeared around her eyes. Several shades of concealer splotched her face. Sango even gasped as she saw a bit of white powder sprinkles across Kagome's face.
"I...I...tried looking different."
"Aww! Kagome!" Sango said sympathetically as she hugged her best friend.
"If thought...that if I didn't look like Kikyo so much...maybe it wouldn't be so hard for Inuyasha."
"Don't even worry about how you look, Kagome. You're beautiful for who you are, and your personality makes you even more beautiful."
Sango rushed into the kitchen and wet a towel. She sat down Kagome on the living room couch and began cleaning off the make-up.
"How long have you been...trying to make a new image?" she asked as she tried cleaning off all of the eyeliner.
"Since this morning..." Kagome said.
"You poor thing. Don't ever do this again, okay? You really shouldn't try to change your face. It's perfect already." Sango smiled at Kagome.
"It's perfectly not mine.." Kagome sighed.
"And who else would it belong to?"
"Kikyo.."
"Oh, Kagome! Okay.. Yes, there are some features on you that look like her. But there are even more things that she doesn't have that you have."
Kagome gave a little smile.
"There's that smile that I've always loved!" Sango said as she caught Kagome.
"I'm a real mess, aren't I?" Kagome laughed as she saw Sango's determined expression on her face.
"No...." Sango said as she gave an uneasy face.
"Oh, come on, Sango! I look like a clown!" Kagome and Sango laughed.
After about 25 minutes, Sango was finished and had cleaned off all of the make-up.
"There. Done." Sango held up the towel.
There were so many different colors on it. Sango and Kagome laughed as they stared at the splotches.
"What was I thinking?" Kagome laughed to herself.
Sango and Kagome sat in the living room and watched TV. They talked about how they've missed each other and how good it was to finally be laughing together.
Kagome looked out of the window in her backyard and held and confused facial expression.
"Miro...Miro–" she stopped her words and resumed watching the television.
Sango turned around and looked out of the window, but saw nothing but the grass.
"What?" Sango asked.
"Nothing.."
"You said something.. Miro?" Sango became even more confused.
"Uhhh....Miro....Miro...." Kagome thought quickly.
"...Me row the boat! Me row the boat! Ta-da-la-la-la-la-la Me row the boat!" Kagome forced a smile as she blushed with embarrassment.
Sango looked at her best friend and laughed.
'What's up with everyone? First, Inuyasha talks to himself in the mirror...now Kagome is singing a child song.' she thought to herself.
===============================================================================
It was already 9 by the time Sango thought she should leave Kagome's house. As she walked home, she felt the feeling that somebody was following her.
"WHO'S THERE? SHOW YOURSELF!" Sango called out as she pulled out her chopsticks from her hair. Her hair flowed through the night.
A squirrel then ran across the street, and Sango laughed to herself.
"Only a squirrel.." she laughed as she resumed walking.
When she entered her house, the lights were all turned off.
"Inuyasha?" she called out as she walked upstairs.
Nobody was home.
"Wonder where he went...his car keys are still here." Sango shrugged.
Sango went into her room and heard a door bell downstairs.
'Must be Inuyasha..' she assumed as she opened the door.
To her surprise she found no one there.
"Damn kids." she said as she closed the door.
As she stepped back upstairs, the doorbell rang once more.
This time, when she opened it, there was half of a card board box on her doorstep. On the front, it was colored and drawn on to look like a house. On the back, it was cut and there was something inside. Sango eyed it suspiciously as she bent down to see what was inside.
Her mouth dropped as she found a stuffed animal toy. It was a toy of a fire cat demon. The fur was soft and it purred when you pet it.
Sango held the fire cat toy in her arms, suddenly she looked up as she heard the sound of a guitar.
Sango was shocked to see that it was Miroku. He stood there and smiled at her. There was a chair right down the stairs of the front door, and Miroku gestured Sango to sit in it.
As she sat, Miroku stood in front of her and began to play a song with the guitar. Sango held the fire cat in her arms.
Miroku looked down at the guitar as he played. Sango's heart lifted as she heard him start to sing. He was singing 'Hands Down' by Dashboard Confessional.
"Breathe in for luck.
Breathe in so deep.
This air is blessed you share with me.
This night is wild, so calm and dull.
These hearts they race from self control..." Miroku began to sing.
Sango looked at him and her heart began pounding. Her eyes shifted to his fingers on the guitar. They moved so easily and calm. Miroku's singing voice had a tone of compassion and serenity.
Sango listened and listened to his voice as he sang.
"My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me.
So won't you kill me, so I die happy.
My heart is yours to fill or burst to break or bury or wear as jewelry.
Which ever you prefer.
Hands down this is the best day I can ever remember
I'll always remember the sound of the stereo.
The dim of the soft lights
the scent of your hair that you twirled in your fingers
and the time on the clock when we realized it's so late..."
Sango began to form tears in her eyes as he sang more and more.
"The street was wet and the gate was locked
So I jumped it and let you in and you stood at the door
With your hands on my waist and you kissed me
But you meant it and I knew that you meant it
That you meant it, that you meant it
And I knew, that you meant it, that you meant it..."
Then Miroku looked up at Sango, who was sniffing and tearing. He walked closer to her and pulled out a tiny box from his pocket.
He opened it, and pulled out a ring. Then, Miroku gently lifted up her hand and placed the ring on her finger.
Sango looked at the ring, and then at Miroku. It had three charms on it: The first was the letter 'M'; the second was a heart; and the third was the letter 'S'.
"I was afraid, Sango. I was afraid to lose you. The past three days without you have been hurting me more than ever. I'm sorry that I've caused you pain..." Miroku whispered as he held her hand.
Sango swallowed her tears and tried to stay normal.
"But now I'm not scared anymore, Sango. I'm not afraid to admit how I feel, nor am I afraid about losing you. And that's because I trust you.."
Sango tried to force a smile as she breathed heavily to fight back tearing any more.
"...I trust you with my heart, with all of my heart. I love you, Sango."
Sango stopped fighting back her tears and began to cry. She jumped on Miroku and wrapped her arms around him while crying on his shoulder.
After she was stable, she brought her head back and looked at him. He smiled at her as he held her in his arms.
"You don't know how long I've been waiting for those words." she smiled as she moved her face closer to his.
Their lips were only an inch apart.
"I love you too, Miroku." she said as they moved closer and kissed.
Sango put her arms around Miroku and laughed with tears in her eyes.
"How long have you been planning this?" she laughed as they sat outside on the sidewalk looking at the stars.
"Just about the whole day." Miroku laughed as he held her.
"Oh really?"
"Imagine it, me riding on a bike around this town the whole day." Miroku laughed. "And almost blowing my cover twice."
"Twice?" she looked at him. Miroku smiled.
"I saw Inuyasha and you at the restaurant today. I could tell he was about to call out for me, but then I gestured to him to be discreet about my presence. As for the same thing with Kagome in the backyard." Miroku and Sango laughed.
"So that's why they were acting so weird." she said as she placed her head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat.
"Were you surprised?" Miroku asked as he placed his head on top of hers.
"Yes, very." she laughed.
Sango looked at her ring that Miroku had given her. She then looked at the card board house and the fire cat.
"What were those for?" Sango asked as she pointed to the box.
"Don't you remember?"
"Uhh.." Sango replied embarrassed.
Miroku sighed, but smile. He got up and turned the box around. There was something that Sango missed while she opened it.
There was a piece of paper taped on the inside.
Sango smiled as she saw what it was. She went towards Miroku and kissed him again.
It was their first game of MASH.
=================================================================================
Kagome sat on the couch watching TV. Her eyes shifted from time to time at the kitchen table. She sighed heavily as she thought about that person being in the same room with her...
....it was Inuyasha.
'Out of all the places, Miroku! Why'd you have to put him here?!' Kagome thought to herself, but she smiled at the thought of Sango being happy again.
Inuyasha sat there at the kitchen table and stared at the back of Kagome's head.
'She won't even look at me. Not to mention talk to me.' he thought to himself.
:: FLASH BACK ::
"INUYASHA!" Miroku yelled as he panted and panted.
"What?" Inuyasha grunted.
"I...me...a favor...do...you...to...need." Miroku panted.
"Was that a sentence?"
"Could you please do me a favor?" Miroku asked when he finally caught his breath.
"What?"
"Could you go to my house, please. And just leave Sango alone in the house after work?"
"Why?"
"Because! Just, please?!"
Inuyasha eyed Miroku suspiciously. Miroku held several bags in his hand and a giant cardboard box in his arms.
"Feh. Whatever." Inuyasha said as he walked away.
"Thanks Inuyasha!" Miroku called out as he ran into his house.
:: END OF FLASH BACK ::
'I should talk to her...' Inuyasha thought to himself as he continued to stare.
Kagome thought about Inuyasha's words from their fight. She felt so angry that he was near her, yet she felt sad.
Inuyasha walked up from the kitchen table and went towards the couch. Kagome looked at him oddly as he sat near her.
She tried not to look at him, but her eyes kept on shifting.
Inuyasha looked down at first, but then licked his lips. He looked at Kagome, but then looked down again. After a deep sigh, he turned to her.
"Kagome..."