A/N: ACK! So sorry for the long delay! We got a new computer since the old one was dying, but we're still waiting for the cable man to install the cable internet…so I had to resort to hooking up the old computer to our old dial-up service for the time being! Anyway, here's the second half of Sango and Miroku's meeting…as I said before, I wasn't too happy with it the first time, but I did some editing and now I think it meets my standards. I just hope it meets all of yours!
A Big thanks to chinita, Pan-Chan42, Tsuki Karasu, HMPrune, hAdOwCat, Lunar Kitty, Hekiru Kamanachi, Inuyasha Loves Kagome 4391, Jadegoddess, Lunatic Pandora1, X-with stars, sashlea, youkai chick supreme (thanks for reviewing all the chapters! Hopefully some questions will be answered in later chapters ^__^), drake220, Kibethan, Fuzzy 'Lil' Bella-Chan, Aejavu, NinjaChicks, chibilee, Crystal jade2, LSR-7 for your support and patience in waiting out the story! You guys make my day every time I read your reviews! Enjoy!
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Chapter 9: Hired Help~^~^~^~
Miroku, armed with Sango's dagger, dashed out into the living room with Sango—armed with a snoozing Kirara—following close behind. She ditched the blanket for the added movement she would gain, deciding that if Miroku looked at her like that again, she'd break her promise and kill him after all.
With everything that had happened, Miroku wasn't very shocked to see two black-garbed men standing in the remaining shards of his broken window, each holding a gun. In fact, he hardly registered anything except that he needed to get behind something solid, and fast.
"Duck!"
He grabbed Sango and pulled her behind the kitchen counter, an effective block for the many bullets ripping through his favourite couches and chair. A soft mew suddenly managed to break through the resounding blasts and both Miroku and Sango gazed down at the blinking cat as they gasped for a moment's breath.
Sango looked from her cat to the man beside her as she saw an opportunity. She hated to put Kirara through any kind of danger, but after years of having her as a sidekick in battles, it was something the huntress had gotten used to. Besides, if she wanted to get away from the strange allure of the man next to her as fast as she could possibly could, then Kirara was the best solution to that particular problem. Her demon companion would get the job done faster than the two of them put together, meaning she could be long gone soon enough.
Kirara didn't need any kind of vocal encouragement; all she needed was the look her mistress gave her to understand the situation. When the gunmen paused briefly to reload, Kirara quickly crept out of the kitchen—using the shadows as her cover—leaving the two humans to their own devices while she worked her way around.
"You'd think they'd run out of bullets," Miroku yelled over the new bursts of thunder. He knew that no guards were going to be rushing to their aid anytime soon because he had given them the specific warning to stay away from his apartment, no matter what they heard. He had assumed only the lovely Sango would be visiting, not an entire group of assassins. Guess it was just his lucky day.
Sango shrugged, and was about to say something when suddenly the shooting stopped, catching them both off guard.
"We want the man, Mr. Houshi," A gravely voice called out. "Give him to us, and you will be spared."
The assassin and the businessman exchanged a glance. Since his first encounter with Sesshomaru's hired help—about a month ago when they had been prowling around the hotel trying to find Inuyasha—Miroku had realized that they always seemed to lie. He had a feeling that no matter what they did, Sango would no longer exist after this encounter.
Later, he would wonder why that idea was strangely alarming, especially since she had only just come into his life with the purpose of slitting his throat. But at the moment, he had pushed that last thought from his mind, and instead tried to think of a way of getting all of them—girl, cat, and himself—out of this nasty little situation.
Without truly thinking over the consequences, Miroku stood up as much to get a look at the latest of Sesshomaru's cronies as to see if seeing him would distract the men for a moment. He ignored the swift tug on his jeans and faced them fully.
"Well, boys, you seem to have gotten him. But what would you want with an innocent businessman like me?"
"That's none of your concern," One of the men growled, but Miroku had a hard time distinguishing one from the other due to the black ski masks, so he couldn't decided which one it was.
"I think it's every bit of my concern seeing as it happens to include me."
Out of the corner of one eye, Miroku spotted a quick flick of a black-tipped tail disappearing behind the chair. The smug smile he tried to fight must have had some appearance on his face, because he soon found himself peering down the dark barrel of a gun.
"What are you laughing about?"
He tried to look nonchalant, leaning against the counter, desperately wishing that Kirara were ready to jump out at any second. There was only so much time he'd be able to stall.
"Simply the fact that I managed to get myself stuck in another situation like this, that's all," Miroku said, fighting the urge to grab the barrel of the gun in his face and smash it into the man holding it. By the time he got his hands off the barrel, no doubt the other one would have riddled him with one too many holes. Not a very effective plan in the long-run.
One of the men snorted. "Yeah, I heard that broad screwed up last time. Well our boss won't have none of it this time. We've been told to take one prisoner, and take him we will."
Sango's muffled screech of indignation was cut off by a quick kick from the man standing above her, but she fumed none-the-less. 'Broad?! If only I had my dagger, that jerk wouldn't be able to call himself 'male' any longer.'
Spending an entire day with Kirara had Miroku expecting the usual 'mew' when she would emerge to save both of the humans' hides. What he realized was she had a much more powerful version of it—a version that seemed to come with her growth spurt.
The roar that emanated from a suddenly enlarged demon cat had even Sango covering her ears. Miroku could only imagine what it did to the two men she was standing behind just before those great exposed teeth came down onto their backs.
It took only a few brief seconds before Kirara had caught the shirts of both men, hoisted them off the ground and—with a quick flip of her powerful head—tossed them out of the broken window and into a chaotic below. Sango had barely risen from her position, only to find a large Kirara standing with her head poking out of the window, Miroku next to her as they stood amidst the shambles of what had once been a rather nice apartment.
"You know, little cat, you're starting to convince me that I need someone like you around the house," Sango heard Miroku comment as he reached out to the "cat" in question to scratch behind one ear. Wondering what the man had done right to win the confidence and acceptance of her usually doubting friend, the assassin began to assess the damage.
The couch in front of the counter was in ruins, as was the coffee table. She picked her way around the remains of what could only have been a vase of some sorts, and avoided books that now sported bullet holes on their covers. There was only one gun left on the ground, and she was left to assume that the other one had gone for a trip out the window as well.
"You've got a good sidekick here."
Sango looked up at the dark-haired man who was standing with one arm comfortably propped up on Kirara's back, and found she could only nod.
"She serves her purpose."
"She does more than that," Miroku stated, calculating how he was going to go about approaching a certain subject he had just thought of. As he had watched the flurry of events that filled the last hour, he had come to the comprehension that Tokyo was no longer a safe place for him, let alone Inuyasha. And he had also understood the need to get away from it, hideout if you must for a little while, at least until they could fully understand just what Sesshomaru's motivation was.
Of course, between him and a hanyou, they would not be able to fend off all attackers—especially if Inuyasha's dear brother decided that he needed more than just one or two men to finish the job. Or if he decided to do it all himself.
Miroku also knew that Sango would no longer be out of harm's way from her old employer, particularly since she had been caught "consorting" with the enemy's friend. Even if those two men were dead, he knew Sesshomaru would find ways of pertaining knowledge that only dead men knew. The youkai was a very good businessman in that sense.
"Look, I have a proposition for you."
That stopped Sango in her tracks. Nothing following that sentence could be good—as she had found out these last few days—and with it coming from the man before her, she was even more wary.
"What are you talking about?" Confused, she gestured for Kirara to come closer, not missing anything when she noticed the sidelong glance the cat gave Miroku as it moved away. 'The little traitor. He must have drugged her up pretty badly.'
"As you know, my friend is in trouble. More trouble than he's worth, mind you, just don't mention I said that. But now, because of him, I seem to have found myself in a spot of trouble too."
"So?"
"So we need to get away for a short period of time, somewhere far away from this city and from his brother. But just between the two of us, Inuyasha isn't as strong as he likes to think. And the spirits know I can't fight half as well as a half-demon, let alone a trained assassin."
Sango sighed and stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Subtlety was definitely not one of his most admirable traits. "You want me to what? Protect you? Fight for you?"
"Maybe a bit of both." Miroku grinned, running his thumb along the flat side of her dagger. "Besides, it wouldn't just be you. Kirara would be more than welcome on this little venture."
Kirara gave a small purr, butting her large head against Sango's solid frame, and the assassin began to wonder if Miroku slipped her friend more than just a drug. Maybe he'd put a spell on her or something. She'd never seen the demon act so…so smitten with another human being.
Trying to quench the flash of jealousy at this thought, Sango put on her most steely face. "I'm not here to do you any personal favours. You should think it a favour that I spared your life today. There were many moments I could have easily broken your neck."
"But you didn't," Miroku shot back, "And that makes me wonder about just how thick that barrier of yours is. Wait, as much as you want to, don't start cutting into me yet. Just listen. I need someone who'll watch our backs, keep an eye out for us when we can't. It won't involve hunting down anyone, just a bit of alertness really. Besides," Miroku said casually, trying to hide the strange surge of desperation that was welling up inside, "It would be a much easier job than hunting down wayward youkai and hanyou."
Sango could only stare, thoughts of her duties to her family, her father's company, and her own services to the villagers in the wilds of Japan, running through the jumble her mind had turned into over the last few hours. Then she once again surveyed the shattered remains of Mr. Houshi's apartment, wondering how her life could have done such a turnabout in such a short time. It was hard to believe only a few days ago she had been prowling around the coast, waiting out a mischievous ocean demon that enjoyed pulling unsuspecting fishers into his watery void.
She made the mistake of glancing over at Miroku, and discovered just how much of a hopeless case she had become. Seeing him there, standing among glittering shards of glass and the remains of his furniture was enough to push her decision in his favour. Turning closer to Kirara, Sango chewed on her bottom lip, trying to make up her mind.
Miroku only saw a steely glance—not the distraught mind of one in conflict—and took her movement to be a negative thing. Desperate to somehow keep her out of Sesshomaru's grasp, and to keep her in his own, the young man took a step forward.
"You'll be paid for this," He blurted out.
"What?"
"I said," Miroku began, taking a breath. "That you will be fully compensated for this assignment. Did you think I was going to ask you to do it for free?"
Sango didn't quite know what to think anymore. She had gone from youkai hunter to assassin and now, it seemed, to bodyguard.
It was tempting to brush him off and escape up to her beloved forests and mountains, but an image popped into her mind she had a hard time overlooking. A little thatched house nestled among mossy rocks and gentle bamboo, with the gurgle of a waterfall in the background. Forget hot, sandy beaches or tropical conditions; that was her paradise right there. Among the wonders of nature, she knew she would be able to finally take a rest from the strenuous route of life.
And her bank account needed just a few more boosts in order to achieve that dream.
Banishing thoughts of duties and of escaping, Sango decided that she would be able to deal with the handsome man before her like she would deal with all men. Keep them ten feet away, and keep your heart gripped tightly in your chest; that was her motto. It seemed to work every time too.
"You make a tempting offer," Sango said coyly, keeping her eyes on the remaining strips of bandage around Kirara's leg—the pieces that had survived her growth. "I accept."
Why did the tension suddenly melt out of his shoulders? And why oh why did he suddenly feel as though everything was finally going right in his life for once?
Shrugging the unnatural emotions off, Miroku extended a hand, regarding the rather cold, business-like contact as the only way he could express his gratitude without sweeping her into an enthusiastic, groping hug. Sango's grip was just as icy, and he wondered if he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. He had always thought the all night drinking binge he had pulled off in college had been his worst mistake, but now the fact that he had hired his friend's ex-assassin seemed to overshadow the previous experience.
'There will be enough time for me to regret this later. Right now, I think we should pay Kagome and Inuyasha a special visit.'
"So what's your plan? Where are we running away to?"
Sango's voice broke his train of thought and brought him back to the real world. Well, as real as a situation like the one facing him could possibly get.
"I'll tell you when we're out of here," Miroku said, gesturing to the room with narrowed eyes and a pointed finger at the computer screen.
So he suspected that the apartment was bugged? Finally, a demonstration that his brains didn't reside solely in his pants.
Sango merely pushed that particular thought back into her mind—her half-hearted attempt at trying not to think about what exactly was in his pants. Instead, she focussed on pulling the useless pieces of bandage off of Kirara, admiring at the demon's quickness in healing herself.
"Do you have extra clothes or things you need within an easy-to-reach distance?"
Sango nodded, prying the last piece of white fabric away from her cat's creamy fur. "In my car. It's parked a few blocks from here."
"Good. Do you think Kirara would mind substituting as our transportation temporarily? I have a feeling Sesshomaru's got his eyes on this hotel, and seeing as all but one of my cars is in the garage, it wouldn't do any good to use them."
"As long as we stop off at my car to get what I need. What happened to the other car?" Sango had to call out to Miroku, for he had darted into his room to collect what he needed—and to get Inuyasha's meagre stash of belongings. Time was crucial, and any minute wasted could be bringing them closer to some disastrous demise.
"I had an unfortunate accident with a patch of black ice. I just forgot to pick it up from the shop, so now we can benefit from that little lapse in my memory," Miroku's voice echoed back, unable to remain serious for long periods of time.
She had been expecting to wait a little longer than five minutes for the man to get organized, but he surprised her yet again when he appeared carrying two small bags, and a grin plastered onto his face in a record amount of time.
Sango—of course, always prepared—was already sitting on Kirara, and could only narrow her eyes when she saw his face. "What are you so happy about?"
The grin grew, but she couldn't quite follow how wide it got as soon as he got on the cat, resting comfortably behind her. Little did the businessman know that the sudden closeness made the usually stern assassin's stomach flip.
"Oh nothing, nothing at all."
Sango took hold of one of the bags, so Miroku could hang on in case the sudden dive Kirara was about to take might throw him off balance. She didn't realize that it was probably the stupidest thing she had done so far.
Kirara leapt smoothly off of the edge, and soon they were airborne. Sango was too involved in trying to spot suspicious onlookers that she didn't sense the approaching presence until it was too late.
"You…YOU pervert!" The assassin screamed—embarrassed and flustered at this sudden violation of personal space—bringing her elbow back swiftly to ram it in whatever it came into contact with first. She would have done more—much more—but the lack of firm ground directly beneath and balance stopped her from doing anything else drastic.
It was with an ounce of satisfaction that she could the familiar grunt of pain emanating from the man behind her, and she glanced back to notice the offending hand—which had been gripping her delicate, off-limits rear end a moment ago—was now cradling his abdomen.
"You deserved that," She sniffed, perturbed by the sudden change in Miroku's entire attitude. Before, he had seemed like a tired, wise man. Now he appeared to be a horny college boy with busy hands. "Didn't you ever learn to keep your hands to yourself?"
"Countless people tried to teach me, but it went in one ear and out the other. " She could sense the underlying smile she knew was probably trying to appear despite the pain. "At least they tried."
"Well they didn't try hard enough," Sango grumbled, yet she was more than amazed to find she was fighting a strange, rare smile herself. Sighing, she steered Kirara in the right direction, sensing once again the oncoming motion of a flexible hand.
It would only be a little while later—when her elbow began to hurt from all the pain it was trying to inflict—that Sango began to understand just how big of a mistake it was to accept Miroku's proposition.
Of course, this struck her after she accepted the deal, and she wasn't one to go back on a promise once it was made. But as they began to descend, the young assassin decided that if her butt was groped one more time there was one promise she was truly going to go back on.
She just hoped that Inuyasha wouldn't mind having a comatose friend with no hands.
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Chapter 10 is in the making…