When compared to Miroku, Sango has not been a guardian very long, and he makes it a point to rub this in when arguing a point. And it is natural, when you view someone as an authority, to tend to submit to their arguments. So it makes sense for Sango, being placed in a position where Miroku is an authority, to not be very aggressive against him. That is until she realizes he's full of crap.
Also, I thought it fit because she is rather respectful of his wisdom in the series. I'm just playing off that for a while.
The Low Down: Yeah… so I'm a smart kid. It didn't even occur to me that it was Halloween when I posted the last chapter and that the scene in the garden played perfectly with the seasonal fright fest.
It was not intentional, but damned if it didn't work out well. ^_^
Stone Gardens
Chapter 3
Sunrise Sunset
Sango wandered around the shrine grounds looking after each member of the Higurashi family. She greeted the mother, cleaning out extra rooms for storage or guest housing, and smiled little Sota being lectured by the grandfather while sorting through old, and if her knowledge served her correctly, completely useless demon wards.
She sighed and smiled thinking of the family she had guarded for sixteen years, loving each in their own way and still saddened, knowing they never knew her and to them, she was not part of that family.
However, there was one Higurashi Sango had not summoned the nerve to go see, at least not visibly.
Kagome had been sitting in the garden for quite some time now, and Sango could easily understand. The girl's life had been completely turned upside down in a matter of hours, and she had become the object of blame.
But she didn't mind that guilt. After all, she had helped turn Kagome's life upside down and had been working to do so for five centuries. Which brought a new and disturbing thought to mind:
Did she even have the right to do that?
It was her mission, yes. It was her duty as a guardian angel and her reason for watching Kagome, but to try to force her upon a stranger in a strange home with the hopes of making them fall in love, based on the actions of past lives… Could she excuse that blatant manipulation of an innocent girl's free will?
She sighed and rubbed her aching head. Too much thinking over something she couldn't find an answer to yet.
"Sango!" Miroku's voice called behind her and she turned to see him approaching quickly with a strange determination. He did not stop when he reached her, but grabbed an arm and almost dragged her off her feet as he tugged her along, down the hall. "Shippo needs to speak with us. It's urgent."
She noticed a little red and white mushroom sticking out of the folds in Miroku's robes, looking at her… and if it wasn't strange enough seeing a mushroom with eyes, the fungus darted back into the folds when her eyes caught it. Confused by this newest oddity, Sango was caught off guard when Miroku stopped short and dragged her through a door.
It was dark.
"Miroku…" she said flatly.
"Yes?" he replied, unnerving close and yet completely invisible.
"We're in a closet." Sango observed.
"Why yes we are…" There was an edge of seduction in his voice and Sango could just picture the smirk gracing his lips. "Ouch!"
A slap sounded in the dark with Miroku's exclamation.
"I was only trying to turn on a light." His voiced defended.
"Touch that again, and I'll turn out your lights." She growled.
"That's enough you two!" Shippo's high piping one, called on in the dark. They heard two claps, and the place lit up, revealing a much larger room than just a closet.
In the middle of the expansive room, in a high, wing-backed chair, and glaring down at them, was Shippo. His little tail twitched back and forth in obvious irritation.
"What the heck are you guys doing?!" he yelled.
Sango and Miroku shot each other questioning looks before Miroku plastered on a grave face and stepped forward.
"What do you mean, Shippo?" he smiled innocently. "We've brought Kagome and Inuyasha together, the spell has been broken, and I have good hopes that they will soon fall in love."
He ignored the cough he got from Sango behind him and the incredulous look from Shippo.
"Do you think I'm stupid or something?" Shippo glared down at him. "How is the spell broken?"
"Inuyasha has woken." Miroku replied, the vision of serenity and wisdom.
"He turned back to stone in the morning!" the little ancient cried and grabbed his heads in his hands.
"A minor inconvenience." Miroku shrugged.
Sango shook her head watching them. Miroku was casually ignoring Shippo's anxiety, while Shippo was doing just about everything to keep from being ignored. He was actually standing on the tips of his toes on the chair while he yelled. This almost put him at eye level with Miroku and if she weren't so frustrated herself, she would have laughed at the pair.
"And how can you say they're anywhere near falling in love?" Shippo was almost spitting in aggravation. "He tried to kill her!"
"He was confused." Miroku said calmly, eyes closed to the seething ancient. "She will forgive that easily enough and that kind of passion can be easily turned to romance."
"Miroku!" Shippo yelled and launched himself at his deviant angel's chest and fisted his little hands in the robes to hold himself there. "How many times do we have to do this?! Why can't you get it right?! Don't screw it up this time!"
"Shippo," Sango stepped forward. "What do you mean this time?"
The reaction was instantaneous. Shippo and Miroku stopped and stared at her with slighting paling faces, with Shippo still hanging off the front of Miroku's robes and Miroku prying him off by his tail.
They stuttered quickly, mumbling nonsense, as Shippo jumped back in his chair and did his best to look regal and Miroku stepped back. Sango's brow twitched with aggravation. They were keeping something from her.
"Back to the point, Miroku," Shippo said when he smoothed his frustration away. "You better just watch out and make sure nothing goes wrong with Inuyasha and Kagome. They have been upsetting the balance for two long and we can't afford any complications now."
"Of course." Miroku nodded, pointedly ignoring the cold look Sango was sending him.
Shippo nodded to them both and grandly clapped his hands twice. Just as it appeared, the light vanished leaving the two angels alone in the dark again, shuffling for a door.
"Well that was pleasant…" Miroku groaned as he emerged.
Sango gave one quick look over her shoulder, marveling at the now ordinary closet, before clenching her jaw and staring at Miroku's back. She was going to find out what was going on.
"We've still got a long while before the sun sets." He said with boredom. "What do you say we… whoa!"
Sango caught hold of his robes at the shoulders and using her weight to balance, turned and swung him against the wall with a sound thud. The look of surprise on his face was quickly descending to a smile she didn't want to deal with and she pressed him harder and fisted the material.
"I'm going to ask you again, Miroku." She growled before he could say whatever inappropriate thing was fueling that smile. "What happened 'all the other times' that can't happen 'this time?' What don't you want to tell me?"
His smile faded and he sighed. "You won't let this go will you?" He asked. She fisted his robes tighter, showing him how little his question required an answer. "Ok… ok…" he sighed. "Put me down."
She hesitantly released his robes and stepped back while he rubbed his shoulders. With a quick nod, he motioned for her to follow and began leading her in the direction of the garden.
"This is not the first time the two souls have been reincarnated." He said quietly. "Every time, I have seen them come together. And yet, every time, something has gone wrong."
"How wrong?" Sango asked.
"Horribly wrong." He said simply. "Kikyo was not even the worst of it. At least he survived that one."
They stood in the garden now and Sango looked to see Kagome sitting on the stone bench, lost deep in thought and looking troubled. She didn't like the sound of Miroku's explanation.
How do you protect someone from fate?
~*~
Kagome felt her stomach gurgle and tried to shut out the sound with embarrassed hands. Although, a quick look around ensured her there was no one to be embarrassed for. Still, her stomach was not her greatest friend and was protesting not being fed yet that day.
What a morning! Most of it spent with her best attempts to avoid Sango and Miroku, all the while keeping her family in sight at all times. But, at the moment, not too close, because ten minutes with her grandfather had been enough to convince her to keep her distance.
The old man was still rattling on about this sealing spell he'd been studying for days.
That's how she ended up here, sitting in the garden. Everything was fine. Everything was normal. Just as if last night was nothing more than a bad dream, but she knew better. The evidence was staring right back at her.
Her stomach rumbled loudly again and she sighed. She leaned back and her hands brushed something course, much different than the cool smoothness of the stone bench. She glanced down and to her great surprise, found a lunch tray sitting at her side. Kagome looked around confused, but there was no one anywhere near her.
However, the sight of food, her stomach insisted violently she not ask questions and just be grateful.
"Thanks…" she whispered quietly.
Sango watched with a gentle, yet sad smile as Kagome began eating. She only stood a few feet from the girl, and yet for all her courage, couldn't bring up the nerve to face her directly. She couldn't stand the thought of Kagome hating her.
So close and yet so far away? That seemed a fitting sentiment to Sango.
But for now, she was content just to watch over Kagome as she had throughout the younger girl's life. She loved the girl as though she was her family, and the thought of losing her… it was too much. She already lost one family, a team of demon hunters, in a battle long ago. Spider demons were always unpredictable…
Sango had not been able to rest in the other world. She had died with a soul too lonely and too sad for that. Instead, she asked that she be allowed to guard the souls of the living to keep others from facing what she had.
Miroku warned her not to get attached. Mortals will grow old and die, leaving her behind to rest, and she would be lonely again, but those words never got through to her. She wanted to have someone to love and care for as she had her family, whether they knew it or not.
"You're welcome." Sango said with a voice Kagome could not hear.
~*~
The sun was large and red and hanging just over the trees in the kitchen window. Kagome watched the picturesque scene while putting away the food left over from dinner. Usually, leftovers were not a problem, but considering the ungodly amount of food her mother prepared, now able to actually cook for her family and not work double and triple shifts, the refrigerator would soon be stocked.
In addition, Sango had not come down to dinner, leaving her share untouched. Kagome sighed, knowing it was because of her that Sango was staying away, but the anger she held was ebbing against her will. She just seemed so sad every time Kagome had seen her that it was difficult to keep her heart stone.
Speaking of…
Kagome looked out the window again to the darkening sky. Would Inuyasha's statue awaken again? A shiver ran through her spine at the thought. She didn't know anything about spells, so as far as she knew, it would never happen again.
But she couldn't help wondering, it had been five hundred years since Inuyasha had eaten. Granted he was stone, but still, wouldn't he have to eat?
He had attacked her, after all, so why should it matter to her if the jerk starved! But Kagome's heart just wouldn't let her be without sympathy. He thought she was Kikyo, the woman who turned him to stone. Though she couldn't excuse his violence towards her, she could at least understand where his anger came from.
And just being angry didn't merit anyone having to starve to death on top of being a statue for half the day.
"I can't believe I'm doing this." Kagome sighed.
She glanced around before quickly throwing together a dinner tray. As quietly as she could manage, she snuck through the house to the side door and slipped outside. She'd have to hurry to make it back inside before the sun went down. She didn't want any nasty surprises tonight.
The garden was unnervingly quiet as she walked hurriedly down the path. A breath of wind stirred the willow branches in front of her and she stopped sharp with a gasp.
But the sun had not gone down yet.
Kagome chastised herself for her jumpiness and hurried closer to the willow. She set the tray on the little stone bench and backed slowly away, always keeping her eyes on the place she knew Inuyasha was hidden.
With one last look to the sky, she turned and ran quickly from the garden, back into the house, before the sun could set. Kagome locked the door behind her.
Sitting on the little stone bench and watching the young girl run back to the safety of her home, Miroku looked from the tray to the house with a victorious little smile on his face. Oh yes, this was working out perfectly.
He watched the sun dip into the earth and disappear and soon the sound of cracking stone came from behind the curtain of branches. The unmistakable roar of life filled the air and Miroku's smile broadened.
'Good.' He thought. 'It does happen every night.'
Inuyasha chose that moment to emerge from the branches, wearing the expected scowl. Miroku watched him with the confidence of an invisible form as Inuyasha sniffed the air tentatively. The hanyou's brows knitted in confusion.
Inuyasha sniffed the air again. He could smell the girl from last night had been there, and recently, but he also smelled something completely unexpected and also completely tantalizing. He looking to the stone bench to discover the source of the smell, and to his shock, discovered the little dinner tray.
Inuyasha's stomach growled loudly and, involuntarily, he took a quick and famished step towards the food. But after one step, the ears on top of his head swiveled back and forth quickly and he stopped in his tracks. It was faint, quiet…
The ears pressed firmly against his head and he flexed his claws. "I know you're there." He snarled. "Show yourself!"
Miroku jumped a little from his position on the bench and looked at the demon curiously. His yellow eyes were darting back and forth wildly, so obviously he was still not visible to the youth. 'He couldn't possibly…' Miroku was thinking when his thoughts were interrupted.
"Show yourself now, or I'll just start randomly ripping through the air with my claws!" Inuyasha growled dangerously.
Without flash, or puff of smoke, or bang of any sort, a monk with a wonder filled face appeared on the bench where a moment ago, there had been no monk. "How did you…" Miroku said disbelievingly, but then shook his head, "Never mind. It doesn't matter."
He made a quick motion with his chin to the tray at his side and looked up at Inuyasha with smiling eyes. "You've been left a present, my friend." He said with cheer.
The demon stared down at the food like a mirage in the desert. "Ahh," Miroku drawled on in the background, "I thought as much the moment Kagome discovered your stone form. Lady Kagome fell in love with you instantly and her fragile heart was broken with the confusion last night. She is trying to win your heart."
Inuyasha poked the tray. Definitely solid.
"After all, what way to a man's heart is more proven?" Miroku said with a cunning gleam in his dark eyes. "And with good cause, I am convinced, if she would devote the time and effort to preparing this meal as a peace offering for you. What a well mannered, kind, demure young maiden she is!"
Inuyasha was far from charmed by this show of generosity.
Without a word and an expression Miroku had difficulty interpreting other than resolute, Inuyasha grasped the tray.
He was tense… very. He gripped the wood hard, and muffled cracking sounds came from beneath his hands. A fierce look flashed across his eyes and he smelled the air quickly.
He was growling as he bounded over the garden walls in the direction of Kagome's bedroom.
Miroku stood and watched him leave, giving a sad sigh when he passed over the wall and leaning heavily on his staff. "Somehow I don't think that went how I wanted…" he muttered full of self pity.
~*~
Inuyasha jumped high into the boughs of a tree near where the scent was strongest. He balanced the tray in his hands and saw light streaming out through a window which had foolishly been left open. Silly girl… one never knows just what kind of things roam around at night. He agilely leapt to the sill and slipped inside without any hesitation.
Kagome, who had been reading over a class schedule at her desk, spun around with the soft thump behind her. She yelled out in shock and fear to see him standing in her room and unconsciously backed away. She soon felt the wall pressing against her back and realized too late she was cornered and had no where to run if he attacked her again.
But he wasn't attacking… not yet at least. He sneered at her with obvious disgust and dropped the tray to the floor. She flinched with the plates' clattering and slowly dared to meet his eyes.
"Get this straight right now," he sneered when she looked at his face, "I don't need your fucking charity and I want nothing to do with you. If you know what's good for you, you'll just leave me alone and stay out of my garden."
He flashed his claws at her and smiled cruelly. "Remember that." He growled and broke a fallen dish with his bare foot. Satisfied when he shattered it to pieces, he jumped back out the window and left her breathlessly looking from the broken plates to her window, to the floor again. She repeated this for several moments.
And then, suddenly, Kagome found that she wasn't afraid.
Just very, very angry.
Without a thought to sanity or personal well being, Kagome flung herself to her window and threw her head outside. It only fueled her frustration when she was no longer able to see him any where. That didn't matter too much, however.
"Fine!" she screamed loud enough to shake the leaves. "Go ahead and starve to death, you ungrateful jerk. See if I care!"
She pushed herself back inside, fuming, just long enough to grab half a bowl that was once filled with rice, and lobbed it out the window as hard as she could in the direction of the garden with a shriek.
Inuyasha's ears perked up as he heard the bowl crash into the wall behind him and spray porcelain shards in every direction. 'She was actually pretty close.' He thought with a self confident smirk at his method of handling the girl.
He caught the sound of quick foot falls coming toward him and gave a dramatic sigh. "I know you're there, so just give up the sneaking aro…"
He forgot what else he planned on saying when someone punched him in the back of the head and sent him sprawling to the dirt. Turning to his back quickly, he found an angry Sango seething down at him.
"That's for being an idiot and an ass!" She yelled before turning and stalking back to the house.
That was it!? The crazy woman walks up and completely blind-sides him and that's all he got? He rubbed his head and watched her walk away and heard a quiet chuckle behind him.
"Hey Angel?" he snapped over his shoulder. "Aren't you supposed to guard?"
Miroku nodded gravely. "Oh yes." He said with eyes closed and a serene expression. "It's very high on my list of priorities. Right under self-preservation, actually."
Inuyasha grumbled, quite colorfully, in aggravation. "What did I ever do to deserve this kind of torment?" he muttered.
"In which lifetime?" Miroku asked cheerfully and quickly dodged an air-born stone flying at his head.
Next Chapter: Whispers to the Heart