Author's Notes: Let me tell you something... If you can't properly run
a web site or host or server or whatever the fuck it is, then give the
job of maintenance to someone who knows what the hell they're doing.
All these god damn forum hosts that most of my favorite groups have to
rely on don't know what the hell they're doing. My biggest issue is the
host for the Paragon City forums which has gotten this bizarre notion
that my account somehow exists and doesn't exist at the same time,
making it impossible for me to log in. I'm currently in the process of
getting that straightened out.
This is just another example of how when people tell you not to sweat the small stuff, you just want to knock their teeth out. Yeah, I know it's a minor problem in the big scheme of things, but it's still frustrating. How many times have you felt like raging against the ATM machine because it was being slow, huh? I prefer to go ahead and sweat the small stuff, but not to spend more than five minutes doing so. Get it all out of my system with some wild, flailing gestures and colorful language. Afterwards, I feel much better. It's all off of my chest, and I can to begin to pursue a solution.
I'm not really sure where I was going with this. I do this a lot in real life. I go off on all these tangents, and I'm sure there was some kind of point to them when I started, but somewhere along the line, that particular train of thought got derailed after leaving the station. And I'm just standing there feeling like a fool because I just rambled on as if I didn't actually listen to myself talk.
It's times like that which make me second-guess my decision to swear off medication.
Chapter 10- The Morning After and a First Date
Inuyasha sat at the table with his steak and cheese sub in the pub, looking curiously at Shippo and Kirara. There was something different about them. They seemed unusually distant. They were staring at each other way too much for just that one kiss last night. What was it about them? Wait a second... those slacks. Shippo wore those for his costume last night. And since when did he own a Bob Marley T-shirt? Wasn't that Kirara's?... Oh. Suddenly, it all came together. "You two scored last night, didn't you?" Tact was overrated.
Kagome nearly choked on her sandwich and the two freshmen in question simply looked up from their meals in surprise. "Huh?" Shippo asked in mild confusion.
"You know what I mean," Inuyasha grumbled with a frown.
Suddenly Shippo's eyes widened and he leaned back in his seat. "Oh! Oh, that! Yeah, we did. But seriously Inuyahasa, we're all adults here. You can say 'sex.'"
"Fuck off," Inuyasha snarled.
"What, here?" Kirara asked with feigned sincerity. "Really, Inuyasha, we're not that kinky. But if you like to watch so much..."
"Gah! To hell with you both!"
Kagome couldn't help but laugh. "You have to admit Inuyasha, you walked right into that one."
Inuyasha just shot her a dirty look. Whose side was she on, anyway? "So, anyway, you two..."
Shippo just rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Inuyasha. It's just a three-letter word. Sex. Sex, sex, sex." Shippo then went on to sing out the word "sex" to the tune of Beethoven's Fifth, The William Tell Overture, and Ode to Joy, giving each segment about ten seconds each complete with melodramatic hand gestures and facial expressions (creating a cumulative effect to Inuyasha's rising annoyance) before he paused and slouched into his seat. "Great, I've gone and turned myself on. I hear the word 'sex' and even though it's lost all meaning as a word by now, it still brings back memories of last night."
Kirara leaned over in her seat and glanced down at Shippo's lap. "Better make that coke and fries last, babe," she remarked. "You aren't gonna be getting up anytime soon."
Shippo just gave her a flat look. "Staring at my package isn't going to help. There'll be time for that later."
Inuyasha just dropped his head into one hand. "You know," he said, lazily stirring his drink with his straw as he spoke, "this conversation could have ended about 60 seconds ago, and I would have been perfectly fine with that."
That sent the whole table into a round of laughter. "Remind me to poison your food later," Inuyasha grumbled at his so-called friends. "Can we please get back on topic? The reason we're here to begin with?"
"Okay," Kagome said as she slowed her laughter. "Okay. So... let's start with Substance With Style. Shippo, is there anything specific you had in mind?"
"Well, all I really want is to introduce two new segments to the show. One that we could do... say, every other episode. And another that we could use to wrap up the show.
"The first one I had planned was actually inspired by something Inuyasha, Miroku, and myself did last year at my graduation party. The concept is simple. Just picture this." He started making elaborate gestures with his hands as if dramatically framing an image. "Four champion students, each with a specialty. A challenger ready to usurp the mastery of one of our champions. A panel of judges. Put it all together with two kitchens, a time limit, and the kind of ingredients you'd find in a bachelor's fridge, and you've got... Iron Chef Redrock."
"I'm sold," Inuyasha immediately with a smirk.
"Which is just as well," Shippo said. "I was going to ask you to be on the pantheon of champions as Iron Chef Ramen Noodles."
Inuyasha raised his eyebrows. "If you were paying me for this, I would say that I may very well have found my calling."
Kirara had worn a thoughtful expression for the past minute or so. "Shippo, unless I'm mistaken, you're graduation party involved you guys getting into a contest to see who could create the best hodge-podge of junk food after you all mixed a Killer Shrew."
"Hold it," Kagome interrupted. "Did I hear that right? 'Killer Shrew?'"
"It's based on a host segment from an old episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000," Inuyasha answered. "We got a blender and filled it with... what was the ingredients list?"
Shippo thought for a moment and began ticking off the ingredients on his fingers. "Let's see... Chocolate ice cream, Cap'n Crunch with crunch berries, peanut M&Ms, Mrs. Butterworth, Circus Peanuts, Mr. Pibb, marshmellow peeps, Sweet Tarts, vanilla frosting, Good n' Plenties... stick it all in a blender for a couple minutes and bottoms up."
By the time Shippo was finished, Kagome looked absolutely horrified. "Please don't tell me you guys actually drank that."
"What, you want me to lie?" Shippo asked innocently.
"Yes," Kagome answered quickly, "lie."
"We gave it to the dog."
Kagome now looked thoroughly disinterested in her food. "You guys can do that segment, but I want no part of it."
"That's a shame," Inuyasha said with a smirk. "I was hoping you'd like my cooking. Nothing better than ramen nachos and Nutrageous pizza to go with your Killer Shrew."
Kagome just sent him a look that told him she would get even later. It was just too damn fun to mess with her head.
"That same night," he went on, "inspired by the exact same host segment, we spent about thirty dollars in junk food at a local convenience store and went on to invent the Vulcan Mindprobe and, my personal favorite, the Pelican Callipso Flipper Hop-Skip-&-Go Zombie."
Kagome sighed in exasperation. "Please tell me your other segment you want to do is something not gross."
Shippo took a swig of his coke and smirked. "There, we can help you out. Between Kirara, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, and myself, we have amassed an impressive collection of B-movies from the mid-twentieth century on DVD. The concept is brilliant in it's simplicity. Just show clips from the movies, turn the audio off, dub over it with our own original scripts, and then tout it as adverts, reality shows, or whathaveyou."
"Okay, now that is an idea I can live with," Kagome said with relief. "Get some scripts in at the next meeting this weekend and we'll get to work on it."
"Bitchin'," Shippo said with a very Inuyasha-like smirk.
"Alright, now for Ace Space, I figure we need a little variety. I was thinking that for the next episode, we could do a case that seems to have a supernatural explanation, but it's really just mundane."
"Oh, Christ," Inuyasha growled, "you're not gonna have us doing some retarded Scooby Doo thing, are you?"
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of a Hound of the Baskervilles kind of thing," Kagome answered with a raised eyebrow. "And why the hell did Scooby Doo leap to your mind first?" she asked teasingly.
Inuyasha shot her another dirty look. "My niece is six years old and refuses to watch her favorite show without either her father or her uncle. A whole summer of that gets stuck in your brain like it was carved in with a red hot knife."
"Keep telling yourself that," Kirara said slyly from across the table.
Inuyasha just scowled and raised both of his middle fingers. Bastards. The whole lot of them.
After lunch, he seriously felt like he was about to take somebody's head off. After having to endure the bastards at the pub, Miroku was focusing less on his assignments and more on smoothing out every minor imperfection in his appearance. "Miroku!" he barked. "Will you fucking sit down already? You're driving me insane!"
Miroku just gave an almost-frown at Inuyasha and went back to his dresser, going through his various shirts. "You'll pardon me for my nerves, but this is the proverbial finish line," he said evenly. "I don't want to trip up."
"The finish line is when you guys either fuck or get hitched," Inuyasha ground out. "Whichever occurs first. Now will you chill? You're acting like a fucking woman!"
"Your crass stereotype aside," Miroku said with a hint of irritation entering his voice, "how would you know how women act before going on a date? You some kind of voyuer?"
"Do you wanna pick Sango up with a fucking black eye on your face? 'Cause I can fix you up." God damn, these people were annoying.
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Miroku really didn't want to have to argue with Inuyasha, but his nerves were shot. This was his first real date with Sango. He couldn't afford to screw this up. He had managed to overcome his urge to cop a feel at every opportunity, he impressed her with that night at the cafe, and had even managed to win her father's approval. This was the last step and then they would be official.
Of course, with Inuyasha in his current mood, it was probably best to try and collect himself and go about his preparations a little more subtly. One could easily gauge Inuyasha's temper by listening to how colorful his language was. The more f-bombs he dropped, the closer he was to snapping. Miroku often wondered how someone who was clearly such a talented actor could be so bad at articulating his thoughts. It was a very odd paradox. No matter. Inuyasha wasn't Miroku's concern right now.
He spent another ten minutes trying to settle on an outfit, ultimately deciding that jeans and a sweatshirt would do fine. After all, when you got right down to it, anything else was just false advertising. Decking himself up to look really slick was going to get him nowhere. Besides, Sango had known him long enough by now that she'd probably be a little put off by him trying to be something she knew he wasn't. At least, that was his theory... For all his people skills, women were still a mystery to Miroku. They simply did not make sense.
But right now, what he really had to do was stay calm. Inuyasha was clearly on the breaking point, and there was still another hour before he had to go pick Sango up. He just needed to sit down, and not think about it for a while. He had already taken a shower, he had gotten his outfit straightened out, and there was still plenty of time to spare. Everything was fine.
... Maybe a touch of sandalwood cologne wouldn't hurt.
Naturally, once Miroku had applied the cologne, Inuyasha sniffed audibly behind him. Oh yeah, that's right. He hated all forms of cologne, perfumes, scented shampoos and soaps, and so on and so forth. Whether it was just a matter of personal preference, an unusually keen sense of smell, or just an insecure attempt to try and prove his masculinity, Miroku would never know.
"Okay, that fucking tears it!" Inuyasha bellowed. Poor guy was really having a bad day. Shippo must have been giving him hell at lunch. The long-haired young man snapped his notebook and textbook closed and snatched up his cell phone and jacket. "Come on, come on," he growled as he tried to get his jacket on one-handed while going through his cell phone's menu and holding it up to his ear. "Yeah, Kagome?... Yeah, I'm studying over at your dorm... Because Miroku is fucking pissing me off. Sango better be ready for their date because I need to get some work done!" By this time he was storming out the door with his books under his free arm.
Miroku just sat there stunned for a moment. That was unexpected. Inuyasha only stormed out on people when he knew he couldn't get away with beating them senseless. Even in a foul mood, it seemed Inuyasha didn't want to screw this up for Miroku. He couldn't help but smile at that.
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Kagome wasn't faring much better than Inuyasha as Sango continued to fuss over things. She was having flashbacks to the last time Sango was nervous about being somewhere with Miroku, the same night as the elevator incident. "Sango, take it easy. Just pick out an outfit that looks nice without being formal. You're going to Thriller Chiller, for crying out loud!"
Sango stopped and collected herself. She obviously wasn't used to this. She had already admitted to Kagome that this was her first actual date in five years. She was rather picky about men, it seemed. Which was both a good thing and a bad thing. On the downside, you'd never find somebody perfect so there was no point in looking for that. But setting certain standards meant you were more likely to get something serious.
Kagome went back to trying to study for a while as Sango tried to pick out the right outfit, finally settling on a pair of tight jeans and the pink sweater Miroku liked so much. Made sense, anyway. It was a little chilly out.
Kagome glanced over at her cellphone as it started ringing to the tune of The Minuet. It wasn't that she liked that one in particular, but it annoyed her little brother to no end. Sibling rivalry never discriminated and it never rested. She quickly flipped it open and answered the call. "Hello?"
"Yeah, Kagome?" Inuyasha. Wonder what he wanted this time.
"Hey, Inuyasha. You need something?" she asked pleasantly.
"Yeah, I'm studying over at your dorm," he answered bluntly with a slight snarl to his voice. Kagome could practically see his eyelid twitching over the phone.
"What? Why?"
"Because Miroku is fucking pissing me off," he snarled. Oh great. When he got foul-mouthed that meant his mood had taken a huge turn for the worst. "Sango better be ready for their date because I need to get some work done!" Same for when he raised his voice. She could hear his voice echoing off the walls now and heavy footfalls so it seemed he was already on his way over.
"Alright," Kagome sighed in resignation. It really wasn't worth it to get into it with him right now. "I'll meet you downstairs in a couple minutes. What do you need to study for?"
"Fiction Into Film," he grumbled on the other end.
"Oh good," Kagome said with a hint of relief. "I need to study for Friday's test myself."
"Cool," Inuyasha replied curtly and hung up. That man had all the charm of a surly rottweiler when his temper started acting up.
"I'll be back in a minute Sango. Inuyasha has apparently gotten sick of Miroku." She stretched a moment, giving a smile to her friend before heading to the door.
"I swear," Sango remarked, "you're the first person I've ever seen who can handle him so well."
Kagome froze in her tracks. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Sango just put a little jasmine fragrance on. "Remember the first night you guys met?" she asked casually. "That was slowly becoming the norm for him. He's contrary by nature, but I swear I have never seen him have as much fun arguing with someone as he does you. I don't know what's going on in that warped little mind of his, but whatever it is you've got, it's kept him pretty stable lately."
Kagome just nodded and walked out the door to process that information. The Inuyasha she had gotten to know was much different from the one she had met that night banging his head in the studio. He was still contrary, confrontational, quick-tempered, stubborn as a mule, and he cursed like a sailor. But he did have a brighter side. He was also very strongly loyal and determined. He was a lot smarter than most people would think, he just wasn't terribly quick on the uptake. There was an odd sense of ambition in his eyes, as if he still wasn't sure what it was he wanted, but he knew he would find a way to get it. He was a very strange individual to say the least.
Kagome let all of that turn over in her mind a few times as she waited in the lobby. She didn't have to wait long, though, because the object of her musing stormed up and didn't so much knock as bang on the door with his fist, causing a couple girls who were studying over at the couches to jump out of their skin. They looked at Kagome in surprise and mild terror when she opened the door, letting Inuyasha in.
He grunted in what Kagome guessed was a greeting and strode in, only briefly making eye contact as she followed beside him. She faintly heard the two girls behind them whispering. "She really needs to get away from that guy. He must be one of those abusive types."
"I heard that!" Inuyasha snapped testily, causing the two to jump once again and pale as they looked at him. "I'm here to study, not fucking make out with her!"
Kagome shook her head and looked at the two frightened girls. "He's not my boyfriend," she mouthed with a roll of her eyes before she and Inuyasha continued back to her dorm room.
Of course, no sooner had they stepped in than Inuyasha took one sniff of the air and growled irritably. Oh, that's right! Sango's jasmine perfume. Kagome remembered a couple weeks back having to endure Inuyasha's tirade on his intense loathing of "artifical smells." He must have had a nose like a bloodhound if things like that bothered him so much. But seeing as he had nowhere else to go, and was just too proud to walk out anyway, he ignored Sango's confused look and sat down in Kagome's new beanbag chair. Well, correction, "sit" wasn't really the right way to describe it. More like, he walked in front of it with his back turned then let his legs give way beneath him so that he crashed down into it like a small avalanche.
Kagome grabbed her notes and flopped down on her stomach on her bed and looked at Inuyasha. "Okay, what do we need to go over?" For the next half-hour, Kagome and Inuyasha worked on making sure they got all the critical points regarding The 39 Steps.
They were interrupted only briefly when Sango grabbed her denim jacket and went out to meet Miroku out front. At the thought of her friend getting to enjoy herself out on a date, the matchmaker instinct kicked in again. "Hey, Inuyasha? What do you say we-"
"Kagome," Inuyasha curtly interrupted, "don't you dare finish that sentence. I have one word: no!"
Kagome sighed and pouted slightly. "You're no fun."
"Eat me," he drawled. "I'd just rather not have a repeat of last time. If it hadn't been for the elevator, they'd probably have gone to Shippo to find a way to rain horrible fiery vengeance on us."
"True." Well, scratch that plan. Oh well, this wasn't too bad. They both needed to study anyway, and this way they had a better chance of getting things done quicker. And besides that... the company was kind of nice. Now that Inuyasha was calming down, his tough guy act was starting to fall and he was behaving like himself again.
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Sango went out to meet Miroku at the front of Ravencroft Hall, where he stood patiently waiting for her in his big black duster coat. The coat aside, he really looked like the starving artist he so-often called himself. Which wasn't really a bad thing. His self-awareness of it was kind of cute. He fixed her with a soft smile and Sango couldn't help but return it as she walked up to him. "Evening," she said casually. Was that sandalwood he was wearing? It seemed like an oddly appropriate fragrance for him.
"You too," he answered softly. "Let's get going. The dinner rush is about over, so we shouldn't have much trouble getting seated." He lead her over to his car and opened the door for her like a gentleman before climbing in himself.
As the engine came to life with a gentle roar, the stereo immediately came on about halfway through the third verse of Layla. Sango couldn't help but smirk. "I swear you time this kind of stuff."
"Whatever do you mean, my dear?" Miroku asked innocently.
"That's twice now that some sappy Clapton song has been playing when I'm alone with you," Sango explained. "Not that I'm complaining, but doesn't it feel in the least bit contrived?"
Miroku just smirked. "I like to think that it's just the universe trying to pay off my good karma." They both shared a good laugh at that one.
Not long afterward they found themselves in the parking lot for Thriller Chiller Dine-In. It was the restaurant they had passed by when Miroku had given Sango's family a tour of Newfield, the one with the skull and tiki mask fighting on the sign. "What are tonight's features?" Sango asked conversationally.
Miroku locked up his car and gave a half-grin. "Well, we've made it in time for the ending of The Screaming Skull. At 7 it's Trailer Park Hour, and at 8 they're showing The Horror of Party Beach."
"What more could we ask for?" Sango joked. She took Miroku hand as they walked in out of the cold. The front was done up like the lobby for a movie theater. The couple strode up to the front desk which looked like a ticket booth and recieved a smile from the young blonde woman standing behind the counter.
"Hi!" she said cheerfully. "Welcome to Thriller Chiller. How many in your party?"
"Just two," Miroku answered. There was no need to ask for a non-smoking section as the whole restaurant was smoke-free.
"Alright, let me get one of our servers to escort you to your table." The girl hit punched a couple of buttons on the little computer at her desk, and a moment later, a young waiter with long red hair in a ponytail and a soulpatch came in.
"Hey," he said with a quirky half-grin. "Name's Rex. I'll be server for your tonight. Table for two, right?"
Sango only nodded and walked hand-in-hand with Miroku through the double doors into the restaurant itself. It was all one big room with a black tile floor, tables designed to look like old convertible cars, a huge drive-in movie screen at one end, and the entrance to the kitchen which was dressed up to look like a concession stand at the other. The ceiling was painted like the night sky, with small recessed lights simulating stars. The walls had also been painted to look like scenery from a drive-in theater, complete with cheesy looking monsters hiding in the bushes here and there, and a flying saucer next to the movie screen. This place was so cool.
Rex lead them over to a seat around the middle of the room and handed them their menus. He then pulled out a notepad and pen and sat down on the "hood" of the table-car. "Anything I can get you to drink? Or do you need a moment to decide?"
"I'll just have a cherry coke," Sango answered first.
"A regular coke for me," Miroku followed up.
Rex nodded and jotted down their answers before hopping off the table with a smile and tossing a quick hybrid of a wave and a salute before striding off to the kitchen.
"Nice guy," Miroku remarked off-handedly. "So, was Inuyasha much of a pain before you left? I'm sorry about driving him into your room."
Sango laughed a little and shook her head. "No. But he obviously wasn't pleased about my perfume. Kagome kept him in control, though."
"Oh, really?" Miroku asked with a huge grin and a phony British accent. "Kept him under wraps as it were? Know what I mean? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge."
Sango playfully shoved him and shook her head with a smile. "You're impossible," she muttered.
They made small talk a while longer through the end of The Screaming Skull and watched a few of the old movie trailers that made up Trailer Park Hour before The Horror of Party Beach came on. It was supposed to be a horror/musical, which basically meant there was a band in it. Specifically, a surf band calling themselves the Del Aires. They weren't bad as far as surf music went, though the middle-aged people cast as teenagers dancing to all of it was a little off-putting. The monster was more reminiscent of a Jim Henson TV show than a nuclear mutation, the acting was banal, and the directing was poor at best. Typical Atomic Age schlock.
Their waiter Rex was rather amusing. Every time he showed up he had something witty to say, trying to help them enjoy the evening, and during the song sequences in the movie, he would come out onto the floor and start stomping around in circles as he was bent over playing air guitar which brought a lot of laughs from everyone who saw him. Sango made a mental note to make sure she and Miroku gave him a really good tip.
The movie continued sucking as Sango and Miroku continued talking and enjoying their food. During a sequence that involved scenes of the monsters re-killing previous victims as super-imposed images of newspapers with monster-related headlines came spinning at the screen, Sango felt and arm slide around her waist. She glanced over at Miroku and caught him staring at her. She smiled gently and leaned up against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
They shared a comfortable silence. They were both watching the movie, but Sango knew that Miroku was taking in about as much of it was she was. Which was to say that though their eyes were on the screen, their minds were off in a whole other little world where no one and nothing else was important. It was such a nice little romantic moment. The kind that in a movie would promptly be spoiled by some terribly contrived deus ex machina.
But this wasn't a movie, thank god. They finished their meal together quietly, Miroku managing to eat one-handed as he refused to let go of Sango's waist. After they payed for the food and left Rex a generous tip, they donned their jackets and headed back to the car, Sango already missing the warmth of being curled up next Miroku.
As they drove back to campus, Sango softly smiled at the man sitting next to her. It may not have been a night of bell-ringing, earth-shattering drama. But it had been so enchanting, so romantic nonetheless. "Thanks for everything tonight."
Miroku glanced over at her a moment before putting his eyes back on the road. "If you'll have me for a second date, then tonight is only the beginning."
The very idea gave Sango a small thrill. "I never was one to just leave something unfinished. If this is the beginning, then I wanna see it all the way to the end."
Miroku gave a smitten smile as they parked beside the college center. They strolled hand-in-hand together back to Ravencroft Hall and stopped in front of the door. "There's just one last thing to do to make this a full date," Sango said.
"And what would that be?" Miroku asked, even though he clearly knew what she had in mind.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Sango just smiled. "This." With that, she craned her head up slightly and kissed Miroku on the lips. She felt him return the kiss as his arms went around her waist once more. It was like a moment out of a dream. The one you got to finish before you woke up. The kiss became more passionate and Sango felt lost in her emotions. It felt so right.
At last, the kiss ended, and Sango leaned her head back a little with her mind feeling fuzzy. She felt rather than saw Miroku dip his head down with his lips to her ears and whisper softly, "I love you, Sango."
"I love you too, Miroku," she whispered back, unable to believe she hadn't realized all of this sooner. She could have stayed like this all night. But even the warmth of their bodies wasn't a match for the crisp November air, and reality had a bad habit of reminding people that they did need to sleep because of their responsibilites the next day such as going to class.
Sango and Miroku reluctantly stepped apart, still holding each other's hands. "I'll talk to you tomorrow at breakfast," Miroku offered. "Maybe we can squeeze in another date night this week."
Sango chuckled softly and kissed Miroku on the cheek. "We'll see," she said before walking over to the door. She fumbled with her keys for a moment before getting the lock open and looking back to Miroku. "Good night."
"Good night." With that Miroku took a few steps backward before Sango walked into the commons and Miroku dreamily wandered off toward Barker Hall.
She sighed contentedly and made her way back to her dorm. She opened the door and to her surprise, Inuyasha and Kagome were still there, but fast asleep. Inuyasha was half-seated in the beanbag chair with his back resting up against the bed and his notes sprawled out in front of him. Kagome was laying on her stomach and holding onto a lock of Inuyasha's long black hair like a teddy bear.
Sango smirked as a wicked thought came to her mind. This was too perfect. She crept over to her desk and took up her digital camera. She wondered if maybe Shippo would be interested in this.
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Author's Notes: Well, another chapter finished. The next one might take some time since I'm messing with the pacing and the story a little bit. There are a few scenes in particular I have in mind that I really want to do, and sometimes being patient is difficult. For example, I have this really cute/funny scene planned with Rin during our little troop's Christmas break, but that's a way's off.
Anyway...
Mimiko: Exactly, for some reason, I'm still operating under the delusion that I'm funny because I don't actually listen to myself talk half the time. I hope this little Miroku/Sango moment was enough to catch your fancy. I wanted something with an ethereal kind of romantic charm to it. Now if only knew women in real life who were willing to give me a chance. Maybe if I can actually get them to watch the campus TV station this year.
Father Malvado: While most greyhounds are about as bright as midnight in a coal chute, Sakura is quite devious. She picks the meds out of her food. We tried coating them in peanut butter, but she just licked it all off and puked the pill back up. Brat. Tell your friend that instead of pathetic, you prefer to think of it as "hitting a romantic drought."
exyvixen: Isn't there a song that says you can't kill love? There should be.
Gina: That's actually one of the few romantic scenes I've ever done that I was really very pleased with.
Araine: My brother once almost hanged himself when he was like 2. Hard to explain. I hope you like the scenes with Sesshoumaru and Rin that I have planned.
DarkRoses217: I hope you're not disappointed with my other works. They suck so bad. I actually no longer look at Kindred Spirits because when I do, I feel the temptation to slam my face off of a wall while screaming "What the fuck was I smoking?!"
Divine-Red-Crayon: The Midnight Society is an internet-based writing group that pays homage to the pulp fiction era of the early 20th century. They're hoping to soon have enough material to get published, and I was invited to join them as a full-time member with my original character, the wealthy adventurer Nathaniel Christopher Lockhart.
bluefuzzyelf: It wasn't the tiara that convinced me so much as it was the nipple ring. Ew. I'll see if I can squeeze in more scenes involving the Ace Spade show.
Magellan-Chan: I'm going to assume the double review is because you like the story that much, and not because the whole site's been wonky lately. ;)
Lady-of-the-Dragons: The thought of bringing these shows to life has crossed my mind. But even if I had the scripts, I still need money.
This is just another example of how when people tell you not to sweat the small stuff, you just want to knock their teeth out. Yeah, I know it's a minor problem in the big scheme of things, but it's still frustrating. How many times have you felt like raging against the ATM machine because it was being slow, huh? I prefer to go ahead and sweat the small stuff, but not to spend more than five minutes doing so. Get it all out of my system with some wild, flailing gestures and colorful language. Afterwards, I feel much better. It's all off of my chest, and I can to begin to pursue a solution.
I'm not really sure where I was going with this. I do this a lot in real life. I go off on all these tangents, and I'm sure there was some kind of point to them when I started, but somewhere along the line, that particular train of thought got derailed after leaving the station. And I'm just standing there feeling like a fool because I just rambled on as if I didn't actually listen to myself talk.
It's times like that which make me second-guess my decision to swear off medication.
Chapter 10- The Morning After and a First Date
Inuyasha sat at the table with his steak and cheese sub in the pub, looking curiously at Shippo and Kirara. There was something different about them. They seemed unusually distant. They were staring at each other way too much for just that one kiss last night. What was it about them? Wait a second... those slacks. Shippo wore those for his costume last night. And since when did he own a Bob Marley T-shirt? Wasn't that Kirara's?... Oh. Suddenly, it all came together. "You two scored last night, didn't you?" Tact was overrated.
Kagome nearly choked on her sandwich and the two freshmen in question simply looked up from their meals in surprise. "Huh?" Shippo asked in mild confusion.
"You know what I mean," Inuyasha grumbled with a frown.
Suddenly Shippo's eyes widened and he leaned back in his seat. "Oh! Oh, that! Yeah, we did. But seriously Inuyahasa, we're all adults here. You can say 'sex.'"
"Fuck off," Inuyasha snarled.
"What, here?" Kirara asked with feigned sincerity. "Really, Inuyasha, we're not that kinky. But if you like to watch so much..."
"Gah! To hell with you both!"
Kagome couldn't help but laugh. "You have to admit Inuyasha, you walked right into that one."
Inuyasha just shot her a dirty look. Whose side was she on, anyway? "So, anyway, you two..."
Shippo just rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Inuyasha. It's just a three-letter word. Sex. Sex, sex, sex." Shippo then went on to sing out the word "sex" to the tune of Beethoven's Fifth, The William Tell Overture, and Ode to Joy, giving each segment about ten seconds each complete with melodramatic hand gestures and facial expressions (creating a cumulative effect to Inuyasha's rising annoyance) before he paused and slouched into his seat. "Great, I've gone and turned myself on. I hear the word 'sex' and even though it's lost all meaning as a word by now, it still brings back memories of last night."
Kirara leaned over in her seat and glanced down at Shippo's lap. "Better make that coke and fries last, babe," she remarked. "You aren't gonna be getting up anytime soon."
Shippo just gave her a flat look. "Staring at my package isn't going to help. There'll be time for that later."
Inuyasha just dropped his head into one hand. "You know," he said, lazily stirring his drink with his straw as he spoke, "this conversation could have ended about 60 seconds ago, and I would have been perfectly fine with that."
That sent the whole table into a round of laughter. "Remind me to poison your food later," Inuyasha grumbled at his so-called friends. "Can we please get back on topic? The reason we're here to begin with?"
"Okay," Kagome said as she slowed her laughter. "Okay. So... let's start with Substance With Style. Shippo, is there anything specific you had in mind?"
"Well, all I really want is to introduce two new segments to the show. One that we could do... say, every other episode. And another that we could use to wrap up the show.
"The first one I had planned was actually inspired by something Inuyasha, Miroku, and myself did last year at my graduation party. The concept is simple. Just picture this." He started making elaborate gestures with his hands as if dramatically framing an image. "Four champion students, each with a specialty. A challenger ready to usurp the mastery of one of our champions. A panel of judges. Put it all together with two kitchens, a time limit, and the kind of ingredients you'd find in a bachelor's fridge, and you've got... Iron Chef Redrock."
"I'm sold," Inuyasha immediately with a smirk.
"Which is just as well," Shippo said. "I was going to ask you to be on the pantheon of champions as Iron Chef Ramen Noodles."
Inuyasha raised his eyebrows. "If you were paying me for this, I would say that I may very well have found my calling."
Kirara had worn a thoughtful expression for the past minute or so. "Shippo, unless I'm mistaken, you're graduation party involved you guys getting into a contest to see who could create the best hodge-podge of junk food after you all mixed a Killer Shrew."
"Hold it," Kagome interrupted. "Did I hear that right? 'Killer Shrew?'"
"It's based on a host segment from an old episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000," Inuyasha answered. "We got a blender and filled it with... what was the ingredients list?"
Shippo thought for a moment and began ticking off the ingredients on his fingers. "Let's see... Chocolate ice cream, Cap'n Crunch with crunch berries, peanut M&Ms, Mrs. Butterworth, Circus Peanuts, Mr. Pibb, marshmellow peeps, Sweet Tarts, vanilla frosting, Good n' Plenties... stick it all in a blender for a couple minutes and bottoms up."
By the time Shippo was finished, Kagome looked absolutely horrified. "Please don't tell me you guys actually drank that."
"What, you want me to lie?" Shippo asked innocently.
"Yes," Kagome answered quickly, "lie."
"We gave it to the dog."
Kagome now looked thoroughly disinterested in her food. "You guys can do that segment, but I want no part of it."
"That's a shame," Inuyasha said with a smirk. "I was hoping you'd like my cooking. Nothing better than ramen nachos and Nutrageous pizza to go with your Killer Shrew."
Kagome just sent him a look that told him she would get even later. It was just too damn fun to mess with her head.
"That same night," he went on, "inspired by the exact same host segment, we spent about thirty dollars in junk food at a local convenience store and went on to invent the Vulcan Mindprobe and, my personal favorite, the Pelican Callipso Flipper Hop-Skip-&-Go Zombie."
Kagome sighed in exasperation. "Please tell me your other segment you want to do is something not gross."
Shippo took a swig of his coke and smirked. "There, we can help you out. Between Kirara, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, and myself, we have amassed an impressive collection of B-movies from the mid-twentieth century on DVD. The concept is brilliant in it's simplicity. Just show clips from the movies, turn the audio off, dub over it with our own original scripts, and then tout it as adverts, reality shows, or whathaveyou."
"Okay, now that is an idea I can live with," Kagome said with relief. "Get some scripts in at the next meeting this weekend and we'll get to work on it."
"Bitchin'," Shippo said with a very Inuyasha-like smirk.
"Alright, now for Ace Space, I figure we need a little variety. I was thinking that for the next episode, we could do a case that seems to have a supernatural explanation, but it's really just mundane."
"Oh, Christ," Inuyasha growled, "you're not gonna have us doing some retarded Scooby Doo thing, are you?"
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of a Hound of the Baskervilles kind of thing," Kagome answered with a raised eyebrow. "And why the hell did Scooby Doo leap to your mind first?" she asked teasingly.
Inuyasha shot her another dirty look. "My niece is six years old and refuses to watch her favorite show without either her father or her uncle. A whole summer of that gets stuck in your brain like it was carved in with a red hot knife."
"Keep telling yourself that," Kirara said slyly from across the table.
Inuyasha just scowled and raised both of his middle fingers. Bastards. The whole lot of them.
After lunch, he seriously felt like he was about to take somebody's head off. After having to endure the bastards at the pub, Miroku was focusing less on his assignments and more on smoothing out every minor imperfection in his appearance. "Miroku!" he barked. "Will you fucking sit down already? You're driving me insane!"
Miroku just gave an almost-frown at Inuyasha and went back to his dresser, going through his various shirts. "You'll pardon me for my nerves, but this is the proverbial finish line," he said evenly. "I don't want to trip up."
"The finish line is when you guys either fuck or get hitched," Inuyasha ground out. "Whichever occurs first. Now will you chill? You're acting like a fucking woman!"
"Your crass stereotype aside," Miroku said with a hint of irritation entering his voice, "how would you know how women act before going on a date? You some kind of voyuer?"
"Do you wanna pick Sango up with a fucking black eye on your face? 'Cause I can fix you up." God damn, these people were annoying.
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Miroku really didn't want to have to argue with Inuyasha, but his nerves were shot. This was his first real date with Sango. He couldn't afford to screw this up. He had managed to overcome his urge to cop a feel at every opportunity, he impressed her with that night at the cafe, and had even managed to win her father's approval. This was the last step and then they would be official.
Of course, with Inuyasha in his current mood, it was probably best to try and collect himself and go about his preparations a little more subtly. One could easily gauge Inuyasha's temper by listening to how colorful his language was. The more f-bombs he dropped, the closer he was to snapping. Miroku often wondered how someone who was clearly such a talented actor could be so bad at articulating his thoughts. It was a very odd paradox. No matter. Inuyasha wasn't Miroku's concern right now.
He spent another ten minutes trying to settle on an outfit, ultimately deciding that jeans and a sweatshirt would do fine. After all, when you got right down to it, anything else was just false advertising. Decking himself up to look really slick was going to get him nowhere. Besides, Sango had known him long enough by now that she'd probably be a little put off by him trying to be something she knew he wasn't. At least, that was his theory... For all his people skills, women were still a mystery to Miroku. They simply did not make sense.
But right now, what he really had to do was stay calm. Inuyasha was clearly on the breaking point, and there was still another hour before he had to go pick Sango up. He just needed to sit down, and not think about it for a while. He had already taken a shower, he had gotten his outfit straightened out, and there was still plenty of time to spare. Everything was fine.
... Maybe a touch of sandalwood cologne wouldn't hurt.
Naturally, once Miroku had applied the cologne, Inuyasha sniffed audibly behind him. Oh yeah, that's right. He hated all forms of cologne, perfumes, scented shampoos and soaps, and so on and so forth. Whether it was just a matter of personal preference, an unusually keen sense of smell, or just an insecure attempt to try and prove his masculinity, Miroku would never know.
"Okay, that fucking tears it!" Inuyasha bellowed. Poor guy was really having a bad day. Shippo must have been giving him hell at lunch. The long-haired young man snapped his notebook and textbook closed and snatched up his cell phone and jacket. "Come on, come on," he growled as he tried to get his jacket on one-handed while going through his cell phone's menu and holding it up to his ear. "Yeah, Kagome?... Yeah, I'm studying over at your dorm... Because Miroku is fucking pissing me off. Sango better be ready for their date because I need to get some work done!" By this time he was storming out the door with his books under his free arm.
Miroku just sat there stunned for a moment. That was unexpected. Inuyasha only stormed out on people when he knew he couldn't get away with beating them senseless. Even in a foul mood, it seemed Inuyasha didn't want to screw this up for Miroku. He couldn't help but smile at that.
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Kagome wasn't faring much better than Inuyasha as Sango continued to fuss over things. She was having flashbacks to the last time Sango was nervous about being somewhere with Miroku, the same night as the elevator incident. "Sango, take it easy. Just pick out an outfit that looks nice without being formal. You're going to Thriller Chiller, for crying out loud!"
Sango stopped and collected herself. She obviously wasn't used to this. She had already admitted to Kagome that this was her first actual date in five years. She was rather picky about men, it seemed. Which was both a good thing and a bad thing. On the downside, you'd never find somebody perfect so there was no point in looking for that. But setting certain standards meant you were more likely to get something serious.
Kagome went back to trying to study for a while as Sango tried to pick out the right outfit, finally settling on a pair of tight jeans and the pink sweater Miroku liked so much. Made sense, anyway. It was a little chilly out.
Kagome glanced over at her cellphone as it started ringing to the tune of The Minuet. It wasn't that she liked that one in particular, but it annoyed her little brother to no end. Sibling rivalry never discriminated and it never rested. She quickly flipped it open and answered the call. "Hello?"
"Yeah, Kagome?" Inuyasha. Wonder what he wanted this time.
"Hey, Inuyasha. You need something?" she asked pleasantly.
"Yeah, I'm studying over at your dorm," he answered bluntly with a slight snarl to his voice. Kagome could practically see his eyelid twitching over the phone.
"What? Why?"
"Because Miroku is fucking pissing me off," he snarled. Oh great. When he got foul-mouthed that meant his mood had taken a huge turn for the worst. "Sango better be ready for their date because I need to get some work done!" Same for when he raised his voice. She could hear his voice echoing off the walls now and heavy footfalls so it seemed he was already on his way over.
"Alright," Kagome sighed in resignation. It really wasn't worth it to get into it with him right now. "I'll meet you downstairs in a couple minutes. What do you need to study for?"
"Fiction Into Film," he grumbled on the other end.
"Oh good," Kagome said with a hint of relief. "I need to study for Friday's test myself."
"Cool," Inuyasha replied curtly and hung up. That man had all the charm of a surly rottweiler when his temper started acting up.
"I'll be back in a minute Sango. Inuyasha has apparently gotten sick of Miroku." She stretched a moment, giving a smile to her friend before heading to the door.
"I swear," Sango remarked, "you're the first person I've ever seen who can handle him so well."
Kagome froze in her tracks. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Sango just put a little jasmine fragrance on. "Remember the first night you guys met?" she asked casually. "That was slowly becoming the norm for him. He's contrary by nature, but I swear I have never seen him have as much fun arguing with someone as he does you. I don't know what's going on in that warped little mind of his, but whatever it is you've got, it's kept him pretty stable lately."
Kagome just nodded and walked out the door to process that information. The Inuyasha she had gotten to know was much different from the one she had met that night banging his head in the studio. He was still contrary, confrontational, quick-tempered, stubborn as a mule, and he cursed like a sailor. But he did have a brighter side. He was also very strongly loyal and determined. He was a lot smarter than most people would think, he just wasn't terribly quick on the uptake. There was an odd sense of ambition in his eyes, as if he still wasn't sure what it was he wanted, but he knew he would find a way to get it. He was a very strange individual to say the least.
Kagome let all of that turn over in her mind a few times as she waited in the lobby. She didn't have to wait long, though, because the object of her musing stormed up and didn't so much knock as bang on the door with his fist, causing a couple girls who were studying over at the couches to jump out of their skin. They looked at Kagome in surprise and mild terror when she opened the door, letting Inuyasha in.
He grunted in what Kagome guessed was a greeting and strode in, only briefly making eye contact as she followed beside him. She faintly heard the two girls behind them whispering. "She really needs to get away from that guy. He must be one of those abusive types."
"I heard that!" Inuyasha snapped testily, causing the two to jump once again and pale as they looked at him. "I'm here to study, not fucking make out with her!"
Kagome shook her head and looked at the two frightened girls. "He's not my boyfriend," she mouthed with a roll of her eyes before she and Inuyasha continued back to her dorm room.
Of course, no sooner had they stepped in than Inuyasha took one sniff of the air and growled irritably. Oh, that's right! Sango's jasmine perfume. Kagome remembered a couple weeks back having to endure Inuyasha's tirade on his intense loathing of "artifical smells." He must have had a nose like a bloodhound if things like that bothered him so much. But seeing as he had nowhere else to go, and was just too proud to walk out anyway, he ignored Sango's confused look and sat down in Kagome's new beanbag chair. Well, correction, "sit" wasn't really the right way to describe it. More like, he walked in front of it with his back turned then let his legs give way beneath him so that he crashed down into it like a small avalanche.
Kagome grabbed her notes and flopped down on her stomach on her bed and looked at Inuyasha. "Okay, what do we need to go over?" For the next half-hour, Kagome and Inuyasha worked on making sure they got all the critical points regarding The 39 Steps.
They were interrupted only briefly when Sango grabbed her denim jacket and went out to meet Miroku out front. At the thought of her friend getting to enjoy herself out on a date, the matchmaker instinct kicked in again. "Hey, Inuyasha? What do you say we-"
"Kagome," Inuyasha curtly interrupted, "don't you dare finish that sentence. I have one word: no!"
Kagome sighed and pouted slightly. "You're no fun."
"Eat me," he drawled. "I'd just rather not have a repeat of last time. If it hadn't been for the elevator, they'd probably have gone to Shippo to find a way to rain horrible fiery vengeance on us."
"True." Well, scratch that plan. Oh well, this wasn't too bad. They both needed to study anyway, and this way they had a better chance of getting things done quicker. And besides that... the company was kind of nice. Now that Inuyasha was calming down, his tough guy act was starting to fall and he was behaving like himself again.
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Sango went out to meet Miroku at the front of Ravencroft Hall, where he stood patiently waiting for her in his big black duster coat. The coat aside, he really looked like the starving artist he so-often called himself. Which wasn't really a bad thing. His self-awareness of it was kind of cute. He fixed her with a soft smile and Sango couldn't help but return it as she walked up to him. "Evening," she said casually. Was that sandalwood he was wearing? It seemed like an oddly appropriate fragrance for him.
"You too," he answered softly. "Let's get going. The dinner rush is about over, so we shouldn't have much trouble getting seated." He lead her over to his car and opened the door for her like a gentleman before climbing in himself.
As the engine came to life with a gentle roar, the stereo immediately came on about halfway through the third verse of Layla. Sango couldn't help but smirk. "I swear you time this kind of stuff."
"Whatever do you mean, my dear?" Miroku asked innocently.
"That's twice now that some sappy Clapton song has been playing when I'm alone with you," Sango explained. "Not that I'm complaining, but doesn't it feel in the least bit contrived?"
Miroku just smirked. "I like to think that it's just the universe trying to pay off my good karma." They both shared a good laugh at that one.
Not long afterward they found themselves in the parking lot for Thriller Chiller Dine-In. It was the restaurant they had passed by when Miroku had given Sango's family a tour of Newfield, the one with the skull and tiki mask fighting on the sign. "What are tonight's features?" Sango asked conversationally.
Miroku locked up his car and gave a half-grin. "Well, we've made it in time for the ending of The Screaming Skull. At 7 it's Trailer Park Hour, and at 8 they're showing The Horror of Party Beach."
"What more could we ask for?" Sango joked. She took Miroku hand as they walked in out of the cold. The front was done up like the lobby for a movie theater. The couple strode up to the front desk which looked like a ticket booth and recieved a smile from the young blonde woman standing behind the counter.
"Hi!" she said cheerfully. "Welcome to Thriller Chiller. How many in your party?"
"Just two," Miroku answered. There was no need to ask for a non-smoking section as the whole restaurant was smoke-free.
"Alright, let me get one of our servers to escort you to your table." The girl hit punched a couple of buttons on the little computer at her desk, and a moment later, a young waiter with long red hair in a ponytail and a soulpatch came in.
"Hey," he said with a quirky half-grin. "Name's Rex. I'll be server for your tonight. Table for two, right?"
Sango only nodded and walked hand-in-hand with Miroku through the double doors into the restaurant itself. It was all one big room with a black tile floor, tables designed to look like old convertible cars, a huge drive-in movie screen at one end, and the entrance to the kitchen which was dressed up to look like a concession stand at the other. The ceiling was painted like the night sky, with small recessed lights simulating stars. The walls had also been painted to look like scenery from a drive-in theater, complete with cheesy looking monsters hiding in the bushes here and there, and a flying saucer next to the movie screen. This place was so cool.
Rex lead them over to a seat around the middle of the room and handed them their menus. He then pulled out a notepad and pen and sat down on the "hood" of the table-car. "Anything I can get you to drink? Or do you need a moment to decide?"
"I'll just have a cherry coke," Sango answered first.
"A regular coke for me," Miroku followed up.
Rex nodded and jotted down their answers before hopping off the table with a smile and tossing a quick hybrid of a wave and a salute before striding off to the kitchen.
"Nice guy," Miroku remarked off-handedly. "So, was Inuyasha much of a pain before you left? I'm sorry about driving him into your room."
Sango laughed a little and shook her head. "No. But he obviously wasn't pleased about my perfume. Kagome kept him in control, though."
"Oh, really?" Miroku asked with a huge grin and a phony British accent. "Kept him under wraps as it were? Know what I mean? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge."
Sango playfully shoved him and shook her head with a smile. "You're impossible," she muttered.
They made small talk a while longer through the end of The Screaming Skull and watched a few of the old movie trailers that made up Trailer Park Hour before The Horror of Party Beach came on. It was supposed to be a horror/musical, which basically meant there was a band in it. Specifically, a surf band calling themselves the Del Aires. They weren't bad as far as surf music went, though the middle-aged people cast as teenagers dancing to all of it was a little off-putting. The monster was more reminiscent of a Jim Henson TV show than a nuclear mutation, the acting was banal, and the directing was poor at best. Typical Atomic Age schlock.
Their waiter Rex was rather amusing. Every time he showed up he had something witty to say, trying to help them enjoy the evening, and during the song sequences in the movie, he would come out onto the floor and start stomping around in circles as he was bent over playing air guitar which brought a lot of laughs from everyone who saw him. Sango made a mental note to make sure she and Miroku gave him a really good tip.
The movie continued sucking as Sango and Miroku continued talking and enjoying their food. During a sequence that involved scenes of the monsters re-killing previous victims as super-imposed images of newspapers with monster-related headlines came spinning at the screen, Sango felt and arm slide around her waist. She glanced over at Miroku and caught him staring at her. She smiled gently and leaned up against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
They shared a comfortable silence. They were both watching the movie, but Sango knew that Miroku was taking in about as much of it was she was. Which was to say that though their eyes were on the screen, their minds were off in a whole other little world where no one and nothing else was important. It was such a nice little romantic moment. The kind that in a movie would promptly be spoiled by some terribly contrived deus ex machina.
But this wasn't a movie, thank god. They finished their meal together quietly, Miroku managing to eat one-handed as he refused to let go of Sango's waist. After they payed for the food and left Rex a generous tip, they donned their jackets and headed back to the car, Sango already missing the warmth of being curled up next Miroku.
As they drove back to campus, Sango softly smiled at the man sitting next to her. It may not have been a night of bell-ringing, earth-shattering drama. But it had been so enchanting, so romantic nonetheless. "Thanks for everything tonight."
Miroku glanced over at her a moment before putting his eyes back on the road. "If you'll have me for a second date, then tonight is only the beginning."
The very idea gave Sango a small thrill. "I never was one to just leave something unfinished. If this is the beginning, then I wanna see it all the way to the end."
Miroku gave a smitten smile as they parked beside the college center. They strolled hand-in-hand together back to Ravencroft Hall and stopped in front of the door. "There's just one last thing to do to make this a full date," Sango said.
"And what would that be?" Miroku asked, even though he clearly knew what she had in mind.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Sango just smiled. "This." With that, she craned her head up slightly and kissed Miroku on the lips. She felt him return the kiss as his arms went around her waist once more. It was like a moment out of a dream. The one you got to finish before you woke up. The kiss became more passionate and Sango felt lost in her emotions. It felt so right.
At last, the kiss ended, and Sango leaned her head back a little with her mind feeling fuzzy. She felt rather than saw Miroku dip his head down with his lips to her ears and whisper softly, "I love you, Sango."
"I love you too, Miroku," she whispered back, unable to believe she hadn't realized all of this sooner. She could have stayed like this all night. But even the warmth of their bodies wasn't a match for the crisp November air, and reality had a bad habit of reminding people that they did need to sleep because of their responsibilites the next day such as going to class.
Sango and Miroku reluctantly stepped apart, still holding each other's hands. "I'll talk to you tomorrow at breakfast," Miroku offered. "Maybe we can squeeze in another date night this week."
Sango chuckled softly and kissed Miroku on the cheek. "We'll see," she said before walking over to the door. She fumbled with her keys for a moment before getting the lock open and looking back to Miroku. "Good night."
"Good night." With that Miroku took a few steps backward before Sango walked into the commons and Miroku dreamily wandered off toward Barker Hall.
She sighed contentedly and made her way back to her dorm. She opened the door and to her surprise, Inuyasha and Kagome were still there, but fast asleep. Inuyasha was half-seated in the beanbag chair with his back resting up against the bed and his notes sprawled out in front of him. Kagome was laying on her stomach and holding onto a lock of Inuyasha's long black hair like a teddy bear.
Sango smirked as a wicked thought came to her mind. This was too perfect. She crept over to her desk and took up her digital camera. She wondered if maybe Shippo would be interested in this.
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Author's Notes: Well, another chapter finished. The next one might take some time since I'm messing with the pacing and the story a little bit. There are a few scenes in particular I have in mind that I really want to do, and sometimes being patient is difficult. For example, I have this really cute/funny scene planned with Rin during our little troop's Christmas break, but that's a way's off.
Anyway...
Mimiko: Exactly, for some reason, I'm still operating under the delusion that I'm funny because I don't actually listen to myself talk half the time. I hope this little Miroku/Sango moment was enough to catch your fancy. I wanted something with an ethereal kind of romantic charm to it. Now if only knew women in real life who were willing to give me a chance. Maybe if I can actually get them to watch the campus TV station this year.
Father Malvado: While most greyhounds are about as bright as midnight in a coal chute, Sakura is quite devious. She picks the meds out of her food. We tried coating them in peanut butter, but she just licked it all off and puked the pill back up. Brat. Tell your friend that instead of pathetic, you prefer to think of it as "hitting a romantic drought."
exyvixen: Isn't there a song that says you can't kill love? There should be.
Gina: That's actually one of the few romantic scenes I've ever done that I was really very pleased with.
Araine: My brother once almost hanged himself when he was like 2. Hard to explain. I hope you like the scenes with Sesshoumaru and Rin that I have planned.
DarkRoses217: I hope you're not disappointed with my other works. They suck so bad. I actually no longer look at Kindred Spirits because when I do, I feel the temptation to slam my face off of a wall while screaming "What the fuck was I smoking?!"
Divine-Red-Crayon: The Midnight Society is an internet-based writing group that pays homage to the pulp fiction era of the early 20th century. They're hoping to soon have enough material to get published, and I was invited to join them as a full-time member with my original character, the wealthy adventurer Nathaniel Christopher Lockhart.
bluefuzzyelf: It wasn't the tiara that convinced me so much as it was the nipple ring. Ew. I'll see if I can squeeze in more scenes involving the Ace Spade show.
Magellan-Chan: I'm going to assume the double review is because you like the story that much, and not because the whole site's been wonky lately. ;)
Lady-of-the-Dragons: The thought of bringing these shows to life has crossed my mind. But even if I had the scripts, I still need money.