Trapped
Disclaimer: The characters in this story don't belong to me, although I wish Miroku did (sorry Sango)!
A/N: Hmm…Nothing much. Just wanted to thank the people who reviewed (they helped me greatly). And I wanted to apologize for waiting so long to update. Just remember to review. They kinda act as a "fuel" for me, encouraging me to write. But don't worry, if you have a short-term memory, I'll remind you at the end of the chapter, 'k?
Chapter 2: The Beginning
A few days later…
"Dr, X4338 is now done with her episode," said a nurse, not bothering to knock before walking into Ajikenai's office.
The old doctor looked away from his computer, and then at the nurse.
"Alright, then," he said. "Get Katsuragi."
"Yes, Dr," the nurse said, bowing slightly.
She walked down the hall, towards the patients' wing, and went into one of the rooms. Inside was Miroku, backing away from his patient. The patient had a threatening look on his face, and stared menacingly at the young doctor as he walked closer and closer…
"Dr. Katsuragi?" the nurse asked timidly.
"Y-yes?" Miroku asked, a crack in his voice.
"Dr. Ajikenai would like to see you. You're going to go examine another patient."
Miroku, a look of supreme relief on his face, said "Well, Mr. Numata, I'm sorry, but we'll have to continue this some other time."
As Miroku walked out the door, the patient screamed "I'll get you, you bastard! You'll see! One day roaches are gonna rule the world, with me as their court jester!"
With that, Numata began laughing hysterically, yet eerily. As soon as Miroku closed the door, he heard something pretty big (A chair? he thought), being thrown against it.
Miroku just rolled his eyes. Numata was his worst patient. He would be talking to you one minute, then the next, he'd be strangling you because you didn't "bow down to his minions of darkness".
Obviously, Miroku didn't feel like bowing down to a horde of cockroaches today.
He knocked on Ajikenai's door. When he heard a gruff reply, he walked in the office.
"Sir?"
"Katsuragi, X4338 needs to be examined," he threw the patient's folder at him. "This one is slightly different from the others, so be warned."
Miroku gulped. Would he finally meet a patient that was worse than Numata?
"Well?" Ajikenai asked impatiently. "Are you going, or not?"
Miroku nodded, grabbed the file, and left to visit his new patient.
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Sango sat on her bed, looking out her window. It was a nice day outside, sunny, and clear, and alive…
So unlike this place…
After living here a year, Sango had learned to hate this asylum. And not just because of the name, which she felt was offensive, but because of the people here. She couldn't relate to anybody; the staff treated her like an outcast, and the patients, half the time, would be stuck in their own little worlds, and not interact with her at all.
She somehow felt that she drifted between the worlds of the mentally ill and the mentally secure. And because of this, she was punished…
Imprisoned…
Trapped…
In a place she didn't belong…
With people who didn't understand…
"Hello, Sango?" said a deep voice.
She jumped and spun around. Before her was a young man whom she had never seen before. He had a little black ponytail, small gold hoop earrings, and wore a white lab coat over a pair of black dress up pants and a dark blue button up shirt. His eyes were kind and brown, and his smile friendly and genuine.
"Wh-who are you?" Sango asked, shock and fear etched on her face.
Miroku looked at her questioningly. "You don't remember me?"
Sango shook her head.
"Well…um…I'm Miroku Katsuragi," he said, holding out his hand. Sango shook it. "And I'm a new doctor here."
"What happened to Dr. Ajikenai?" she asked, as if she didn't trust Miroku.
"Don't worry. He's still here, I'm just taking over for today," he replied.
To this, Sango said nothing. She began to stare out the window.
Great, another doctor here to think I'm a freak, she thought, pessimistically.
Sango looks much different from before, Miroku thought.
Instead of the blank expression she had before, Sango looked alert and attentive. She wasn't nearly as pale, and she didn't have those purple bags under her eyes. She looked just as thin as ever, though. In her eyes, Miroku read loneliness and distrust.
He pulled a chair up to Sango's bed. When he sat in it, he asked, "So, would you like to talk?"
"Not really," she answered, sounding bored.
"Alright, then," Miroku said. "I'll just have to check your heart and lungs, I'm sure you know the drill."
Sango did nothing, just continued to stare out the window, that same hurt look in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Miroku took out his stethoscope and checked her breathing and heart rate. Comparing today's results to that of the results in the file, he saw that everything was normal.
"Well, Sango, I'd really like to get to know you better," Miroku said.
She nodded.
"Um…so, have you adjusted to life here?" he asked, searching for any topic to discuss.
"Oh, yes. I just love living in an insane asylum, with no family, friends, or ties to the outside world," she said sarcastically.
Whoa! Wrong thing to say, I guess, Miroku thought, taken aback.
"Would you like to tell me about your life before…" he began.
Sango finally looked at Miroku. This time spite and pain filled her eyes, along with a few tears…
"YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU HOW LIFE WAS BEFORE I CAME HERE, HUH?!" she yelled. "YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT HOW MY MOTHER DIED WHEN I WAS SEVEN?! OR HOW MY BROTHER WENT BERSERK, AND KILLED MY FATHER?! WHAT ABOUT WHEN I COULD ONLY WATCH AS HE THEN COMMITTED SUICIDE?! YEAH, I'M SURE THAT'LL CHEER ME UP!!!"
Miroku, guilt ridden, watched as Sango buried her head in her arms and cried. If there was one thing Miroku couldn't stand, was to make a woman cry.
Doing what only came naturally, he got up and sat next to Sango, putting his arms around her. At first, she tried to resist and pull away from him, but then she quit, and allowed him to hold her. She then cried into his chest, letting out all the pain and suffering she had experienced from the past year.
"It's ok, Sango," Miroku whispered to her. "From how it sounded, that was the first time you truly let out your emotions. Usually that is the first step to recovery, and if I could help you do that, I could feel as though I weren't here in vain."
"S-so, it's ok for me to cry, as long as it makes you feel better?" she asked bitterly.
"No, none of this is about me," he assured. "It's all about your way back to recovery."
For a long time, they just sat there on Sango's bed. Since he felt silence was the best medicine for the moment, Miroku said nothing as Sango continued to cry. He gently rocked her back and forth.
Does he really care for me? Sango wondered. Or is he just saying it?
When her sobs began to subside, Miroku decided it was time to cheer her up.
"You know, I think you hang around Ajikenai too much," he observed. "You both give me a rough time."
As she imagined Ajikenai insulting Miroku, Sango laughed.
"See? I know just how to cheer you up," Miroku bragged.
"No, it's just that I can't picture Ajikenai doing that. He's just a sweet old man, you know?" Sango said innocently.
Startled, Miroku fell off the bed, anime style.
Are we even talking about the same guy? he wondered, still seeing stars.
Sango looked over the bed and chuckled. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah," he replied, embarrassed.
Again, they stayed like that for a while, staring intently into each other's eyes. They searched each other's soul, wanting to know more of this mysterious person they found solace in. It was the best moment of their life, yet it was mixed with grief and heart-ache.
Slowly, Miroku began to move closer to Sango. He was within inches of her face. He felt a sudden urge to…
"Ahem!"
Miroku, heart pounding, tore his eyes away from Sango's brown ones, and looked at the nurse at the door.
Blushing, he immediately hopped up, dusted himself off, and muttered, "Just checking for pupil reaction."
The nurse knew better, but nodded instead. "Ajikenai would like you to look at another patient."
"Of course," he walked to the door, and without turning around, stopped and cleared his throat. "Um…bye Sango."
"Bye…" she replied, smiling. "Miroku."
He caught his breath. Hearing her say his name gave him an unnerving feeling in his stomach.
After he left, the flustered Sango couldn't help thinking,
Yes, I think he does care…
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A/N: Aww…they almost kissed! ^_^ Kinda short, I know, sorry about that. Did you like it? Do you think I should fix something with my writing? Write your opinion in a review!