Author's Notes: Beware! I LIVE!! Thank you all for the abundant feedback. I really appreciate all of it. I've heard people give high praise and a few of their own musings as well as a request or two. At this this time, I'd like to give a few general responses.
A lot of people want more attention given to the other characters. Worry not, this chapter will give us some insight into the workings of Miroku and Sango and the next chapter will be mindless Shippo/Kirara fluff that you all keep asking for.
I've been asked why the story is rated R. The answer: for foul language and violence down the road. Though I usually make things up as I go (as I've state before) there are a few things I'd like to put in, some of which are a little messy. Without giving spoilers, suffice to say that the band will wind up in a rather unpleasant incident, Inuyasha will have a showdown that I think several people might already be expecting, and (for those of you who want to hear something more positive) there will be a very sappy scene that tells you all why the story is called Let the Music Be Your Master (though I think some of you may already have a guess).
Saro commented that she found it surprising that Inuyasha and Miroku had no noticeable female company. I am aware of the whole thing with angst-ridden boys attracting optimistic girls. I went through that phase in my freshmen year when half the cheerleading squad adored me for my mysterious attitude. That issue will be further addressed in this chapter, but bear in mind that Inuyasha has his birth defect, social stigma, and the only side of himself he shows in public is his violent streak. Miroku also has his creepy mysticism that scares a lot of people off and he has his unpleasant reputation as a skirt-chaser. That tends to ruin one's social life. The angst-thing will only get you so far.
On a smaller note, slight apology to Ama for that gender mix-up. I've gotten into a bad habit of thinking I'm one of the few remaining male writers of anything vaguely romantic. It's rare for a guy to be straight and a hopeless romantic like I am, at least where I come from. God, I hate this town. (No offense meant to gays by that, by the way. Some of the coolest people in the world are gay. Ian McKellan, for example.)
Finally, I'm pleased to know you all enjoy the unusual directions I'm taking this thing in. I find myself doing things differently sometimes for the hell of it. Expect more of that.
Anyway, moving on...
Let the Music Be Your Master
Chapter 6: What You Say About His Company Is What You Say About Society
Miroku calmly plucked at his bass, not really paying attention to what he was playing. That was actually how he came up with Otherworld. Today, however, it was because he was distracted. Shippo was chattering endlessly about Kirara once more, despite the fact that no one was listening. The boy was lovestruck in less than a couple days, faster than Miroku had ever seen anyone fall for someone. What was eerie was that Kirara seemed to feel the same way. (AN: I actually know two people who started dating within 24 hours of meeting each other.) Why couldn't they just go make out in a corner somewhere and get it overwith?
Inuyasha, on the other hand, wasn't behaving like himself. He played the songs as well as he always did, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Right now, they were taking a break and Inuyasha was just standing there staring at his guitar like the secrets of the universe could be found within the strings. "You feeling alright?" Miroku asked carefully.
Inuyasha looked up to his friends and sighed. "Of course I am," he said snidely, though his heart wasn't in it.
"You want to talk about it?" Miroku set his bass down and leaned back into one of the patio chairs they had dragged into the garage weeks ago.
Inuyasha paused uncomfortably as he set his guitar down. He scratched at one of his ears in a rather obvious attempt to stall.
"Let me guess," Miroku said, "woman troubles?"
Inuyasha turned to Miroku in surprise. "How the hell do you do that?"
"It's not that difficult to figure out," Miroku said matter-of-factly. "The Higurashis visit yesterday evening and the next day you seem to have let your mind wander without a leash, compass, or even a trail of bread crumbs."
Shippo snickered slightly but quickly silenced himself when Inuyasha sent him a dark glare. "Miroku's right, you know. There are only two people in the world who can get to you, and that's Koga and Kagome. And since Koga only makes you violent and irritable, guess who that leaves?"
"We know you too well, Inuyasha." Miroku cleared his throat and turned serious. "However, if there is something bothering you, you know you can tell us anything. If anyone can keep a secret it's you, Shippo, and myself."
Inuyasha stared at them for a moment as if sizing them up for a fight then sighed in defeat and retold the events of last night.
Miroku was particularly surprised to hear that Kagome had actually complimented Inuyasha on something. There was more to this girl than met the eye.
"So that's what happened," Inuyasha finished. "I tried to talk to Sessh about it, but he went to sleep as soon as they left. Looked like he was on friggin' Cloud Nine."
Miroku sat thoughtfully for a moment. There were a lot of possible explanations for Kagome's behavior, but one in particular stood out. "I think Kagome acted the way she did because she's finally starting to see that you really don't need a collar and tags."
"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha snarled.
"It means," Shippo chimed in, "that she started looking at you differently. Remember what Kirara said on her first day? The only reason people treat us the way they do is because they don't think of us as being as human as them. You just had it rough because of your ears."
"Shippo's right." Miroku folded his arms over his chest and looked up at Inuyasha. "You're visible differences made it easier for people to think of you as less than human. That's what we've been studying in History, if you recall. If someone looks obviously different from you, they're easier to hate."
Inuyasha calmed down and flopped into a chair of his own. "I guess you're right. I wonder if this time it'll last a little longer."
"You seem oddly hung up on this, though," Miroku said gently. "Is there something else to this?" Miroku knew that look. He had seen it before on his own face in the mirror too many times and he was beginning to get an idea of what was going on.
There was a long awkward silence. Inuyasha was staring at the floor and hardly seemed to breathe. Finally, he folded his arms over his chest and frowned. "Feh. I don't know."
"Confused?" Miroku asked softly.
There was another pause before Inuyasha lifted his eyes to his friends. "Yeah," he admitted reluctantly.
"Why don't we get back to practicing? We can talk more later when you've had some time to think things through." With that, Miroku stood up and readied his bass. As Shippo and Inuyasha got ready themselves, Miroku wondered just how he could help his friend this time. Inuyasha didn't know what was going on, and communication wasn't his strong suit. Miroku would have to find other means to help his oldest friend clear his mind and work out this new problem.
**************************
Sango was trying her hardest to finish the essay she'd been assigned to write for Literature. Their teacher was a Lord of the Rings geek and after spending most of the year making them slowly read through the trilogy, he had stuck them with a five page essay on Celtic legends and how they influenced Tolkien. Not that Sango didn't like the books, but this was just plain irritating.
From downstairs, she could hear her brother Kohaku, along with Sota and Rin playing Soul Caliber on the Dreamcast. Kohaku and Sota were always trying to beat one another at that game and Rin cheering them on every match didn't help. The essay was due in three days, and Sango still had to write another page. If those three didn't shut up, she may never finish.
She heard the phone ring from downstairs and the shouting came to a halt. She heard her brother's muffled voice when the ringing stopped and after a slight pause...
"SANGO!! PHONE!!" After that, the battle resumed.
With a sigh, Sango hauled herself up, dashed out of her room, downstairs, snatched up the phone, raced back to her room, and shut the door behind her, leaning against it in relief. She really did not trust herself to make eye contact with any of the three children downstairs right now. She lifted the phone to her ear slowly. "Hello?"
"Sango?" It was Kagome.
"Hey, Kagome!" Sango felt her spirits lift slightly. At least now she had an excuse not to try and work through the chaos downstairs. "How are you doing?"
"Actually, Sango, I need to talk to you about something important." Kagome sounded distant, nervous. That was unusual. Normally she was very sure of herself and full of life. Now her voice was filled with self-doubt.
"What's wrong?" Sango felt a little worried. She got a slightly nervous feeling and wondered if her friend was hurt. "It's nothing serious is it?"
"No," Kagome replied, "but I just need to get this off my shoulders. Let me explain..." And explain she did. In great detail. "...and when I got in the car, I looked back and he was right at the door looking at me and smiling again."
"Wow," Sango said in awe after the story was finished. "Inuyasha smiling. There's a mental picture I have a hard time with. And you say he was being a perfectly nice guy the whole night?"
"Yes, he was. I've never seen him like that before. You should have seen how he actually acted like a big brother to Sota! I heard my mom saying at breakfast that if Inuyasha agrees, she'd pay him to teach Sota how to play guitar!"
"You're serious?!" Sango had a hard time believing this, but Kagome wasn't lying. She wasn't even stretching the truth. If Inuyasha had a softer side, what did that mean about the rest of the school's outcasts? Did that mean Miroku was actualy telling the truth when he said he wasn't trying to cop a feel or doing something else really perverted to her?... Okay, maybe that was stretching it a little bit, but still.
"Very serious. Here's the worst part, though..." Kagome paused as if gathering up the courage to continue. "After Inuyasha was so nice to all of us last night, I... I kinda... feel bad about the way I've been treating him all these years."
Sango was shocked. Never, ever, not even once did she imagine she would hear something like that from Kagome. "Why?"
"I don't know," Kagome said defensively. "I just... do. The whole night he acted as if I had never done anything to him. He acted as if... as if it didn't matter anymore. Now I feel really guilty about all those things I said to him and all those rumors I started about him..."
Sango was beginning to see her friend's point. Knowing Kagome, she would have pitched a fit about having to spend the evening with the Morimotos, but Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had been perfectly civil, even charming, hosts. That would tug at anyone's conscience. "You feel pretty confused, don't you?"
"Yeah," Kagome admitted softly. A comfortable silence set in for a moment. "Sango?"
"Yeah, Kagome?"
"I need to get my mind off of this. Do you have any plans for today?" Kagome sounded very hopeful.
Sango glanced up at her desk with the unfinished essay. It was a pretty clear choice. Stay here and not finish the essay with her brother and his friends making all that noise, or not finish the essay and go out to help comfort her friend. At least some decisions were easier than others. "No, not really. You want to go someplace?"
"Yeah. How about the mall at the waterfront? We haven't been there in a while."
"Sure. I'll be at your house in about ten minutes."
**************************
The boys found themselves in the arcade at the waterfront mall a half-hour later. Miroku, in an attempt to help a distracted Inuyasha who was starting to have a hard time focusing on his music, suggested they grab a couple twenties, go down to their favorite arcade, and blow off steam by going to an FPS and destroying everything that moved.
Naturally, Shippo was very insistent they bring Kirara along, threatening to start turning his devious, scheming little mind on them if they didn't comply. Miroku and Inuyasha were quick to agree after that.
What they weren't expecting was that Kirara would challenge them to Soul Caliber and kick their asses without breaking a sweat.
"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed as Seung Mina knocked Siegfried out for the umpteenth time. "How the hell do you do that?!"
Shippo, who had been standing behind Kirara with his arms around her waist the whole match, giggled childishly and kissed her cheek. "They're just sore losers."
"Eat me," Inuyasha snarled under his breath.
Miroku simply sighed and stepped up to take his turn. "You don't help your case when you do that," he kindly reminded Inuyasha.
Inuyasha merely made a rude gesture and stalked off. "I gotta get something to eat. See you in a few."
Miroku selected Kilik with a smirk and proceeded to have Sophitia beat him into the ground. "Damn," he cursed softly. "I would ask for best seven out of thirteen, but there are other things I'd like to waste my money on."
Kirara leaned back into Shippo and smirked proudly. "Whatever you say. I'll humor your fragile male ego this time."
As the two freshmen walked off with their arms around each other's waists, Miroku somehow doubted they would be lacking for entertainment. Shippo was a very lucky man.
Miroku mused for a moment on how a lot of girls at the school would jump at the chance to go out with him, all of whom were among the outcast demographic, but he never took any of them up on any of their offers. For many, it was the biggest paradox in the world. Here was a guy with a reputation for womanizing, and yet they had never actually seen him out with anyone. So far, not one rumor or theory and even touched close to the truth.
As Miroku casually strolled out of the arcade to grab a coffee, he felt his chest tighten slightly at that hidden truth. The fact of the matter was, he had met Sango Nanasawa at daycare way back when they were only five. He immediately developed his first boyish crush and tried to impress her, but she hardly seemed interested. He saw her at daycare every day for about six months before she just stopped coming. As much as a little boy could be, Miroku felt heartbroken. He had tried his hardest to show Sango he liked her, and she vanished from his life before even realizing he was there.
He didn't see her again until they ended up in the same third grade class. It was the same year he had met Inuyasha if Miroku remembered correctly. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and in the little boy's case, it was very true. Miroku was overjoyed at having found Sango again and immediately set about trying all over again to get her attention and win her over. And so he would continue for two years.
Miroku could remember quite well the day everything took a turn for the worst. It was in fifth grade, when Inuyasha had finally admitted to Miroku, his only friend then, that he had a crush on Kagome Higurashi.
One day, a boy started teasing Kagome and calling her names. Inuyasha tried to stand up for her, but Kagome only got even more enraged and started screaming at Inuyasha that she didn't want or need his help.
Miroku, naturally, tried to defend his best friend, saying that Inuyasha was only trying to help, but that's when Sango came in and started yelling at him. She told them both to leave Kagome alone and not get in her way then slapped the two boys smartly and stormed off with her friend.
Before Sango left, however, she turned back over her shoulder and told Miroku to stop following her around, that he was beginning to scare her and that she hated him. Upon the revelation that Sango really had noticed him all this time, but had never liked him, Miroku felt his heart break all over again.
The years dragged on, but Miroku couldn't bring himself to forget Sango. Something about her, something he couldn't quite place, would not let him. He was only torturing himself, he knew, but he could not make himself give up. To this day, Miroku refused to let another woman into his life because there was simply no room.
An odd thing to think about, right now. Usually he thought about it during one particular song. He and Inuyasha wrote their second song, So Much Glass, based on those experiences and it was often the only time Miroku could ever allow himself to think of his hopeless situation.
At that moment, he swore that fate must have some strange agenda in mind for him, because who should be walking down the sidewalk right now but Sango herself accompanied by Kagome. The problem with open-air malls like this was it wasn't nearly as easy to lose yourself in a crowd.
Seeing no way out, Miroku simply swallowed back the tightening grip on his chest and prepared himself for another painful encounter with the woman he cared so much for.
**************************
Sango was much happier now to see Kagome in bright spirits again. It bothered her to see anyone troubled or upset. She much preferred to see a smile on people's faces. She had gone through her own share of hardships in the past, so she tried to help her friends in any way she could whenever they needed her.
However, her luck seemed to be changing once again when she spotted ahead of her the most infuriating person on earth: Miroku Watanabe. Try as she might, Sango could not figure him out. He seemed to be some kind of freaky stalker back in elementary school before she told him off in fifth grade, but after that, it was as if the boy's spark of life had been snuffed. He gradually grew more and more detached and distant.
Sango seemed to be the only one who didn't buy into his tormented, angsty act, though this year she had to wonder if it really was an act. He seemed so cold sometimes, as if he didn't care whether it was night or day, life or death. Only when he was around his friends did there seem to be any life left to Miroku. That or when he was groping some girl.
Kagome seemed to catch on to what was bothering Sango and spotted Miroku slowly walking out of the arcade toward them. Both girls schooled their faces into expressionless masks and continued on walking. The three closed in on each other, and it seemed Miroku had no intention of stepping aside for either of them. 'Typical guy,' Sango thought. Her expriences with men had left her a little cold to the idea of romance and she thought she might simply stay single her whole life.
The distance continued to shrink, and none of the three showed any intention of standing aside. Any second now. Sango braced herself, preparing to slam her shoulder against Miroku when he passed by so that she wouldn't have to move for him, but that idea literally fell flat on its face. At the last second, Miroku seemed to have a change of heart and stepped away, leaving Sango with a lot of pent-up momentum in her shoulder and an inconvenient loss of balance. She came crashing to the ground in an instant and was seething inside as she heard a crowd to her left laughing.
"Sango, are you okay?" came Kagome's voice from the left.
"Shut up and get on with your lives," she heard Miroku shout to the unseen crowd. "It was my fault. Besides, I thought you people preferred me as a target." Miroku said the last sentence almost challengingly as Sango picked herself up.
"Go have sex with yourself, queer!" one guy shouted back.
"Oh, you'd like to see that, wouldn't you?" Miroku shot back. "After all, you know what they say about homophobes!"
That certainly got them to back off. Sango saw their retreating backs before she turned back to Miroku who was smirking coolly with his hands shoved in the pockets of his duster coat. "I don't need your help," she spat.
Miroku's smirk immediately fell and his face once again became devoid of emotion. "You're welcome, princess," he said flatly.
"If you wanted to help, then why didn't you give me a hand?" Sango challenged putting her hands on her hips. What was this guy's problem?
"Because you would've slapped the bejeezus out of me for touching you." There was no mocking or spite in his voice. Only a cold monotone that Sango knew was only to drive home the fact that she knew he was right. If he had tried to help her up, she would have beaten him senseless.
Sango opened her mouth to speak, but Miroku turned his gaze from her to the arcade. A new song was playing and he smirked softly. "The song about me," he practically whispered.
Before Sango could react, Miroku turned on his heel and strode off back to the arcade, singing along to the song.
A modern-day warrior,
Mean, mean stride.
Today's Tom Sawyer,
Mean, mean pride.
Though his mind is not for rent,
Don't put him down as arrogant.
His reserve a quiet defense,
Riding out the day's events.
The river!
"Hey!" Sango shouted indignantly. Ignoring Kagome's protests, she followed after Miroku, ready to kill him for blowing her off like that. On the other hand, why was it that important? She didn't care what he thought, did she? No! No, she just wanted to make sure he understood that no one interrupts her.
Miroku stopped at the entrance of the arcade and turned to face Sango again, still singing along with the song.
What you say about his company,
Is what you say about society!
Catch the mist, catch the myth,
Catch the mystery, catch the drift.
Miroku gave her a very intense look, as if daring her to try and figure out what he was getting at.
Sango stared back at him for a minute, unable to figure out what it was he wanted from her. What was he getting at? She was beginning to feel a little uneasy. He had never acted like this before.
The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep.
Maybe as his skies,
Are wide.
"Kagome can treat Inuyasha like a human," he said suddenly. Sango heard Kagome gasp from behind her, obvbiously terrified to see that other people knew about last night's events. "Why can't you do the same for me?"
With that cryptic thought, he turned again and disappeared quickly into the arcade. Sango just stood rooted to the spot in confusion. 'What just happened?' she thought.
**************************
'That'll give her something to think about,' Miroku thought proudly. He wasn't quite sure why he did what he did, but it felt good. Maybe this would teach her something about him... or not. Most likely she would go to her grave never knowing anything about made Miroku tick. There's a depressing thought.
He wandered the arcade aimlessly for a minute, searching for a sign of his friends. The music continued on. Tom Sawyer by Rush really was a song about him. It reminded Miroku so much of himself, at least how he percieved himself, that he would even go so far as to call it a theme song.
Today's Tom Sawyer,
He gets high on you,
And the space he invades,
He gets by on you.
No, his mind is not for rent,
To any god or government.
Always hopeful yet discontent,
He knows changes aren't permanent.
But changes are!
And what you say about his company,
Is what you say about society!
Catch the witness, catch the wit,
Catch the spirit, catch the spit.
The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep.
Maybe as his eyes,
Are wide.
Exit the warrior,
Today's Tom Sawyer.
He gets high on you,
And the energy he trades,
He gets right on to the friction of the day.
Good old Rush. Miroku's favorite band. A trio of Canadians that could always sing him to enlightenment. Geddy Lee was the whole reason he took up the bass, partly because the man was one of the few musicians who could play bass guitar and not be thought of as the loser of his group.
The next song to come on certainly made finding two of his friends easier. Two loud whoops stood out above the din of the arcade as the speakers started playing All My Best Friends Are Metal Heads, a song which just about skate park, video arcade, and trendy clothing shop was required to play at least once daily.
Following the sound of the high-pitched cries of joy, Miroku soon found Shippo and Kirara attracting an audience as they stood directly underneath one of the speakers and danced together to the music. The sight was at once funny as hell, annoying, and really cute.
"Christ, those two are starting to make me sick."
Miroku started slightly and glanced over his shoulder to see Inuyasha. "Where did you come from?"
"Somewhere else," he remarked casually.
*************************
Sango couldn't get what Miroku had said out of her head. 'Kagome can treat Inuyasha like a human. Why can't you do the same for me?' He was just playing mind games, trying to get to her. Had to be. Then why was it working?
Sango glanced over at Kagome who now was looking very interested in the arcade. She turned to see what was so strange and saw a crowd of people gathered around someone or something unseen. (AN: The arcade is open-air with sliding glass doors for bad weather.) "What's going on over there?"
"I don't know. Want to find out?" Without waiting for an answer, Kagome walked over to the arcade and started pushing the crowd aside.
Was everyone determined to ditch her today? Sango growled in frustration and proceeded to roughly shoulder her way through the mass of people to her destination. Once she joined Kagome toward the inside of the circle, however, she had to hold back a powerful attack of laughter. Underneath a speaker blasting a very familiar song stood Shippo and Kirara who were dancing like maniacs.
Sango and Kagome looked at one another and did their best to hide the smiles they couldn't supress. Even if they didn't like Shippo and Kirara had ditched them to hang out with a bunch of dregs, the whole thing was still very funny.
The song went on for another couple minutes, during which time the two girls lost control and burst into fits of laughter. What Sango wouldn't have given for a camera right about then. They calmed down as the song wound to a close and Kirara pulled Shippo down into a very passionate kiss which he was quick to return. 'Damn,' Sango thought as she settled herself, 'those two really hit it off.'
Suddenly, Inuyasha and Miroku emerged from the crowd, but stopped dead when they saw Kagome and Sango. They remained still as the crowd began to disperse. Sango could easily tell that Kagome, Inuyasha, and Miroku were all thinking exactly what she was thinking. 'Oh hell. This won't end well.'
A lot of people want more attention given to the other characters. Worry not, this chapter will give us some insight into the workings of Miroku and Sango and the next chapter will be mindless Shippo/Kirara fluff that you all keep asking for.
I've been asked why the story is rated R. The answer: for foul language and violence down the road. Though I usually make things up as I go (as I've state before) there are a few things I'd like to put in, some of which are a little messy. Without giving spoilers, suffice to say that the band will wind up in a rather unpleasant incident, Inuyasha will have a showdown that I think several people might already be expecting, and (for those of you who want to hear something more positive) there will be a very sappy scene that tells you all why the story is called Let the Music Be Your Master (though I think some of you may already have a guess).
Saro commented that she found it surprising that Inuyasha and Miroku had no noticeable female company. I am aware of the whole thing with angst-ridden boys attracting optimistic girls. I went through that phase in my freshmen year when half the cheerleading squad adored me for my mysterious attitude. That issue will be further addressed in this chapter, but bear in mind that Inuyasha has his birth defect, social stigma, and the only side of himself he shows in public is his violent streak. Miroku also has his creepy mysticism that scares a lot of people off and he has his unpleasant reputation as a skirt-chaser. That tends to ruin one's social life. The angst-thing will only get you so far.
On a smaller note, slight apology to Ama for that gender mix-up. I've gotten into a bad habit of thinking I'm one of the few remaining male writers of anything vaguely romantic. It's rare for a guy to be straight and a hopeless romantic like I am, at least where I come from. God, I hate this town. (No offense meant to gays by that, by the way. Some of the coolest people in the world are gay. Ian McKellan, for example.)
Finally, I'm pleased to know you all enjoy the unusual directions I'm taking this thing in. I find myself doing things differently sometimes for the hell of it. Expect more of that.
Anyway, moving on...
Let the Music Be Your Master
Chapter 6: What You Say About His Company Is What You Say About Society
Miroku calmly plucked at his bass, not really paying attention to what he was playing. That was actually how he came up with Otherworld. Today, however, it was because he was distracted. Shippo was chattering endlessly about Kirara once more, despite the fact that no one was listening. The boy was lovestruck in less than a couple days, faster than Miroku had ever seen anyone fall for someone. What was eerie was that Kirara seemed to feel the same way. (AN: I actually know two people who started dating within 24 hours of meeting each other.) Why couldn't they just go make out in a corner somewhere and get it overwith?
Inuyasha, on the other hand, wasn't behaving like himself. He played the songs as well as he always did, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Right now, they were taking a break and Inuyasha was just standing there staring at his guitar like the secrets of the universe could be found within the strings. "You feeling alright?" Miroku asked carefully.
Inuyasha looked up to his friends and sighed. "Of course I am," he said snidely, though his heart wasn't in it.
"You want to talk about it?" Miroku set his bass down and leaned back into one of the patio chairs they had dragged into the garage weeks ago.
Inuyasha paused uncomfortably as he set his guitar down. He scratched at one of his ears in a rather obvious attempt to stall.
"Let me guess," Miroku said, "woman troubles?"
Inuyasha turned to Miroku in surprise. "How the hell do you do that?"
"It's not that difficult to figure out," Miroku said matter-of-factly. "The Higurashis visit yesterday evening and the next day you seem to have let your mind wander without a leash, compass, or even a trail of bread crumbs."
Shippo snickered slightly but quickly silenced himself when Inuyasha sent him a dark glare. "Miroku's right, you know. There are only two people in the world who can get to you, and that's Koga and Kagome. And since Koga only makes you violent and irritable, guess who that leaves?"
"We know you too well, Inuyasha." Miroku cleared his throat and turned serious. "However, if there is something bothering you, you know you can tell us anything. If anyone can keep a secret it's you, Shippo, and myself."
Inuyasha stared at them for a moment as if sizing them up for a fight then sighed in defeat and retold the events of last night.
Miroku was particularly surprised to hear that Kagome had actually complimented Inuyasha on something. There was more to this girl than met the eye.
"So that's what happened," Inuyasha finished. "I tried to talk to Sessh about it, but he went to sleep as soon as they left. Looked like he was on friggin' Cloud Nine."
Miroku sat thoughtfully for a moment. There were a lot of possible explanations for Kagome's behavior, but one in particular stood out. "I think Kagome acted the way she did because she's finally starting to see that you really don't need a collar and tags."
"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha snarled.
"It means," Shippo chimed in, "that she started looking at you differently. Remember what Kirara said on her first day? The only reason people treat us the way they do is because they don't think of us as being as human as them. You just had it rough because of your ears."
"Shippo's right." Miroku folded his arms over his chest and looked up at Inuyasha. "You're visible differences made it easier for people to think of you as less than human. That's what we've been studying in History, if you recall. If someone looks obviously different from you, they're easier to hate."
Inuyasha calmed down and flopped into a chair of his own. "I guess you're right. I wonder if this time it'll last a little longer."
"You seem oddly hung up on this, though," Miroku said gently. "Is there something else to this?" Miroku knew that look. He had seen it before on his own face in the mirror too many times and he was beginning to get an idea of what was going on.
There was a long awkward silence. Inuyasha was staring at the floor and hardly seemed to breathe. Finally, he folded his arms over his chest and frowned. "Feh. I don't know."
"Confused?" Miroku asked softly.
There was another pause before Inuyasha lifted his eyes to his friends. "Yeah," he admitted reluctantly.
"Why don't we get back to practicing? We can talk more later when you've had some time to think things through." With that, Miroku stood up and readied his bass. As Shippo and Inuyasha got ready themselves, Miroku wondered just how he could help his friend this time. Inuyasha didn't know what was going on, and communication wasn't his strong suit. Miroku would have to find other means to help his oldest friend clear his mind and work out this new problem.
**************************
Sango was trying her hardest to finish the essay she'd been assigned to write for Literature. Their teacher was a Lord of the Rings geek and after spending most of the year making them slowly read through the trilogy, he had stuck them with a five page essay on Celtic legends and how they influenced Tolkien. Not that Sango didn't like the books, but this was just plain irritating.
From downstairs, she could hear her brother Kohaku, along with Sota and Rin playing Soul Caliber on the Dreamcast. Kohaku and Sota were always trying to beat one another at that game and Rin cheering them on every match didn't help. The essay was due in three days, and Sango still had to write another page. If those three didn't shut up, she may never finish.
She heard the phone ring from downstairs and the shouting came to a halt. She heard her brother's muffled voice when the ringing stopped and after a slight pause...
"SANGO!! PHONE!!" After that, the battle resumed.
With a sigh, Sango hauled herself up, dashed out of her room, downstairs, snatched up the phone, raced back to her room, and shut the door behind her, leaning against it in relief. She really did not trust herself to make eye contact with any of the three children downstairs right now. She lifted the phone to her ear slowly. "Hello?"
"Sango?" It was Kagome.
"Hey, Kagome!" Sango felt her spirits lift slightly. At least now she had an excuse not to try and work through the chaos downstairs. "How are you doing?"
"Actually, Sango, I need to talk to you about something important." Kagome sounded distant, nervous. That was unusual. Normally she was very sure of herself and full of life. Now her voice was filled with self-doubt.
"What's wrong?" Sango felt a little worried. She got a slightly nervous feeling and wondered if her friend was hurt. "It's nothing serious is it?"
"No," Kagome replied, "but I just need to get this off my shoulders. Let me explain..." And explain she did. In great detail. "...and when I got in the car, I looked back and he was right at the door looking at me and smiling again."
"Wow," Sango said in awe after the story was finished. "Inuyasha smiling. There's a mental picture I have a hard time with. And you say he was being a perfectly nice guy the whole night?"
"Yes, he was. I've never seen him like that before. You should have seen how he actually acted like a big brother to Sota! I heard my mom saying at breakfast that if Inuyasha agrees, she'd pay him to teach Sota how to play guitar!"
"You're serious?!" Sango had a hard time believing this, but Kagome wasn't lying. She wasn't even stretching the truth. If Inuyasha had a softer side, what did that mean about the rest of the school's outcasts? Did that mean Miroku was actualy telling the truth when he said he wasn't trying to cop a feel or doing something else really perverted to her?... Okay, maybe that was stretching it a little bit, but still.
"Very serious. Here's the worst part, though..." Kagome paused as if gathering up the courage to continue. "After Inuyasha was so nice to all of us last night, I... I kinda... feel bad about the way I've been treating him all these years."
Sango was shocked. Never, ever, not even once did she imagine she would hear something like that from Kagome. "Why?"
"I don't know," Kagome said defensively. "I just... do. The whole night he acted as if I had never done anything to him. He acted as if... as if it didn't matter anymore. Now I feel really guilty about all those things I said to him and all those rumors I started about him..."
Sango was beginning to see her friend's point. Knowing Kagome, she would have pitched a fit about having to spend the evening with the Morimotos, but Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had been perfectly civil, even charming, hosts. That would tug at anyone's conscience. "You feel pretty confused, don't you?"
"Yeah," Kagome admitted softly. A comfortable silence set in for a moment. "Sango?"
"Yeah, Kagome?"
"I need to get my mind off of this. Do you have any plans for today?" Kagome sounded very hopeful.
Sango glanced up at her desk with the unfinished essay. It was a pretty clear choice. Stay here and not finish the essay with her brother and his friends making all that noise, or not finish the essay and go out to help comfort her friend. At least some decisions were easier than others. "No, not really. You want to go someplace?"
"Yeah. How about the mall at the waterfront? We haven't been there in a while."
"Sure. I'll be at your house in about ten minutes."
**************************
The boys found themselves in the arcade at the waterfront mall a half-hour later. Miroku, in an attempt to help a distracted Inuyasha who was starting to have a hard time focusing on his music, suggested they grab a couple twenties, go down to their favorite arcade, and blow off steam by going to an FPS and destroying everything that moved.
Naturally, Shippo was very insistent they bring Kirara along, threatening to start turning his devious, scheming little mind on them if they didn't comply. Miroku and Inuyasha were quick to agree after that.
What they weren't expecting was that Kirara would challenge them to Soul Caliber and kick their asses without breaking a sweat.
"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed as Seung Mina knocked Siegfried out for the umpteenth time. "How the hell do you do that?!"
Shippo, who had been standing behind Kirara with his arms around her waist the whole match, giggled childishly and kissed her cheek. "They're just sore losers."
"Eat me," Inuyasha snarled under his breath.
Miroku simply sighed and stepped up to take his turn. "You don't help your case when you do that," he kindly reminded Inuyasha.
Inuyasha merely made a rude gesture and stalked off. "I gotta get something to eat. See you in a few."
Miroku selected Kilik with a smirk and proceeded to have Sophitia beat him into the ground. "Damn," he cursed softly. "I would ask for best seven out of thirteen, but there are other things I'd like to waste my money on."
Kirara leaned back into Shippo and smirked proudly. "Whatever you say. I'll humor your fragile male ego this time."
As the two freshmen walked off with their arms around each other's waists, Miroku somehow doubted they would be lacking for entertainment. Shippo was a very lucky man.
Miroku mused for a moment on how a lot of girls at the school would jump at the chance to go out with him, all of whom were among the outcast demographic, but he never took any of them up on any of their offers. For many, it was the biggest paradox in the world. Here was a guy with a reputation for womanizing, and yet they had never actually seen him out with anyone. So far, not one rumor or theory and even touched close to the truth.
As Miroku casually strolled out of the arcade to grab a coffee, he felt his chest tighten slightly at that hidden truth. The fact of the matter was, he had met Sango Nanasawa at daycare way back when they were only five. He immediately developed his first boyish crush and tried to impress her, but she hardly seemed interested. He saw her at daycare every day for about six months before she just stopped coming. As much as a little boy could be, Miroku felt heartbroken. He had tried his hardest to show Sango he liked her, and she vanished from his life before even realizing he was there.
He didn't see her again until they ended up in the same third grade class. It was the same year he had met Inuyasha if Miroku remembered correctly. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and in the little boy's case, it was very true. Miroku was overjoyed at having found Sango again and immediately set about trying all over again to get her attention and win her over. And so he would continue for two years.
Miroku could remember quite well the day everything took a turn for the worst. It was in fifth grade, when Inuyasha had finally admitted to Miroku, his only friend then, that he had a crush on Kagome Higurashi.
One day, a boy started teasing Kagome and calling her names. Inuyasha tried to stand up for her, but Kagome only got even more enraged and started screaming at Inuyasha that she didn't want or need his help.
Miroku, naturally, tried to defend his best friend, saying that Inuyasha was only trying to help, but that's when Sango came in and started yelling at him. She told them both to leave Kagome alone and not get in her way then slapped the two boys smartly and stormed off with her friend.
Before Sango left, however, she turned back over her shoulder and told Miroku to stop following her around, that he was beginning to scare her and that she hated him. Upon the revelation that Sango really had noticed him all this time, but had never liked him, Miroku felt his heart break all over again.
The years dragged on, but Miroku couldn't bring himself to forget Sango. Something about her, something he couldn't quite place, would not let him. He was only torturing himself, he knew, but he could not make himself give up. To this day, Miroku refused to let another woman into his life because there was simply no room.
An odd thing to think about, right now. Usually he thought about it during one particular song. He and Inuyasha wrote their second song, So Much Glass, based on those experiences and it was often the only time Miroku could ever allow himself to think of his hopeless situation.
At that moment, he swore that fate must have some strange agenda in mind for him, because who should be walking down the sidewalk right now but Sango herself accompanied by Kagome. The problem with open-air malls like this was it wasn't nearly as easy to lose yourself in a crowd.
Seeing no way out, Miroku simply swallowed back the tightening grip on his chest and prepared himself for another painful encounter with the woman he cared so much for.
**************************
Sango was much happier now to see Kagome in bright spirits again. It bothered her to see anyone troubled or upset. She much preferred to see a smile on people's faces. She had gone through her own share of hardships in the past, so she tried to help her friends in any way she could whenever they needed her.
However, her luck seemed to be changing once again when she spotted ahead of her the most infuriating person on earth: Miroku Watanabe. Try as she might, Sango could not figure him out. He seemed to be some kind of freaky stalker back in elementary school before she told him off in fifth grade, but after that, it was as if the boy's spark of life had been snuffed. He gradually grew more and more detached and distant.
Sango seemed to be the only one who didn't buy into his tormented, angsty act, though this year she had to wonder if it really was an act. He seemed so cold sometimes, as if he didn't care whether it was night or day, life or death. Only when he was around his friends did there seem to be any life left to Miroku. That or when he was groping some girl.
Kagome seemed to catch on to what was bothering Sango and spotted Miroku slowly walking out of the arcade toward them. Both girls schooled their faces into expressionless masks and continued on walking. The three closed in on each other, and it seemed Miroku had no intention of stepping aside for either of them. 'Typical guy,' Sango thought. Her expriences with men had left her a little cold to the idea of romance and she thought she might simply stay single her whole life.
The distance continued to shrink, and none of the three showed any intention of standing aside. Any second now. Sango braced herself, preparing to slam her shoulder against Miroku when he passed by so that she wouldn't have to move for him, but that idea literally fell flat on its face. At the last second, Miroku seemed to have a change of heart and stepped away, leaving Sango with a lot of pent-up momentum in her shoulder and an inconvenient loss of balance. She came crashing to the ground in an instant and was seething inside as she heard a crowd to her left laughing.
"Sango, are you okay?" came Kagome's voice from the left.
"Shut up and get on with your lives," she heard Miroku shout to the unseen crowd. "It was my fault. Besides, I thought you people preferred me as a target." Miroku said the last sentence almost challengingly as Sango picked herself up.
"Go have sex with yourself, queer!" one guy shouted back.
"Oh, you'd like to see that, wouldn't you?" Miroku shot back. "After all, you know what they say about homophobes!"
That certainly got them to back off. Sango saw their retreating backs before she turned back to Miroku who was smirking coolly with his hands shoved in the pockets of his duster coat. "I don't need your help," she spat.
Miroku's smirk immediately fell and his face once again became devoid of emotion. "You're welcome, princess," he said flatly.
"If you wanted to help, then why didn't you give me a hand?" Sango challenged putting her hands on her hips. What was this guy's problem?
"Because you would've slapped the bejeezus out of me for touching you." There was no mocking or spite in his voice. Only a cold monotone that Sango knew was only to drive home the fact that she knew he was right. If he had tried to help her up, she would have beaten him senseless.
Sango opened her mouth to speak, but Miroku turned his gaze from her to the arcade. A new song was playing and he smirked softly. "The song about me," he practically whispered.
Before Sango could react, Miroku turned on his heel and strode off back to the arcade, singing along to the song.
A modern-day warrior,
Mean, mean stride.
Today's Tom Sawyer,
Mean, mean pride.
Though his mind is not for rent,
Don't put him down as arrogant.
His reserve a quiet defense,
Riding out the day's events.
The river!
"Hey!" Sango shouted indignantly. Ignoring Kagome's protests, she followed after Miroku, ready to kill him for blowing her off like that. On the other hand, why was it that important? She didn't care what he thought, did she? No! No, she just wanted to make sure he understood that no one interrupts her.
Miroku stopped at the entrance of the arcade and turned to face Sango again, still singing along with the song.
What you say about his company,
Is what you say about society!
Catch the mist, catch the myth,
Catch the mystery, catch the drift.
Miroku gave her a very intense look, as if daring her to try and figure out what he was getting at.
Sango stared back at him for a minute, unable to figure out what it was he wanted from her. What was he getting at? She was beginning to feel a little uneasy. He had never acted like this before.
The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep.
Maybe as his skies,
Are wide.
"Kagome can treat Inuyasha like a human," he said suddenly. Sango heard Kagome gasp from behind her, obvbiously terrified to see that other people knew about last night's events. "Why can't you do the same for me?"
With that cryptic thought, he turned again and disappeared quickly into the arcade. Sango just stood rooted to the spot in confusion. 'What just happened?' she thought.
**************************
'That'll give her something to think about,' Miroku thought proudly. He wasn't quite sure why he did what he did, but it felt good. Maybe this would teach her something about him... or not. Most likely she would go to her grave never knowing anything about made Miroku tick. There's a depressing thought.
He wandered the arcade aimlessly for a minute, searching for a sign of his friends. The music continued on. Tom Sawyer by Rush really was a song about him. It reminded Miroku so much of himself, at least how he percieved himself, that he would even go so far as to call it a theme song.
Today's Tom Sawyer,
He gets high on you,
And the space he invades,
He gets by on you.
No, his mind is not for rent,
To any god or government.
Always hopeful yet discontent,
He knows changes aren't permanent.
But changes are!
And what you say about his company,
Is what you say about society!
Catch the witness, catch the wit,
Catch the spirit, catch the spit.
The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep.
Maybe as his eyes,
Are wide.
Exit the warrior,
Today's Tom Sawyer.
He gets high on you,
And the energy he trades,
He gets right on to the friction of the day.
Good old Rush. Miroku's favorite band. A trio of Canadians that could always sing him to enlightenment. Geddy Lee was the whole reason he took up the bass, partly because the man was one of the few musicians who could play bass guitar and not be thought of as the loser of his group.
The next song to come on certainly made finding two of his friends easier. Two loud whoops stood out above the din of the arcade as the speakers started playing All My Best Friends Are Metal Heads, a song which just about skate park, video arcade, and trendy clothing shop was required to play at least once daily.
Following the sound of the high-pitched cries of joy, Miroku soon found Shippo and Kirara attracting an audience as they stood directly underneath one of the speakers and danced together to the music. The sight was at once funny as hell, annoying, and really cute.
"Christ, those two are starting to make me sick."
Miroku started slightly and glanced over his shoulder to see Inuyasha. "Where did you come from?"
"Somewhere else," he remarked casually.
*************************
Sango couldn't get what Miroku had said out of her head. 'Kagome can treat Inuyasha like a human. Why can't you do the same for me?' He was just playing mind games, trying to get to her. Had to be. Then why was it working?
Sango glanced over at Kagome who now was looking very interested in the arcade. She turned to see what was so strange and saw a crowd of people gathered around someone or something unseen. (AN: The arcade is open-air with sliding glass doors for bad weather.) "What's going on over there?"
"I don't know. Want to find out?" Without waiting for an answer, Kagome walked over to the arcade and started pushing the crowd aside.
Was everyone determined to ditch her today? Sango growled in frustration and proceeded to roughly shoulder her way through the mass of people to her destination. Once she joined Kagome toward the inside of the circle, however, she had to hold back a powerful attack of laughter. Underneath a speaker blasting a very familiar song stood Shippo and Kirara who were dancing like maniacs.
Sango and Kagome looked at one another and did their best to hide the smiles they couldn't supress. Even if they didn't like Shippo and Kirara had ditched them to hang out with a bunch of dregs, the whole thing was still very funny.
The song went on for another couple minutes, during which time the two girls lost control and burst into fits of laughter. What Sango wouldn't have given for a camera right about then. They calmed down as the song wound to a close and Kirara pulled Shippo down into a very passionate kiss which he was quick to return. 'Damn,' Sango thought as she settled herself, 'those two really hit it off.'
Suddenly, Inuyasha and Miroku emerged from the crowd, but stopped dead when they saw Kagome and Sango. They remained still as the crowd began to disperse. Sango could easily tell that Kagome, Inuyasha, and Miroku were all thinking exactly what she was thinking. 'Oh hell. This won't end well.'