A/N: my goodness, oh my friggin goodness! I'm bathing in the chocolatey goodness of reviews. Weeehee I love you all so much. Be patient, the story is moving along and soon good stuff will be coming. Here chapter 10. Things needed to be patch up sooner or later.

Someone Out There
Chapter Ten: Forgiveness Goes Both Ways

Sandy watched Sango down the third shot of tequila. He knew his cousin had the shittiest alcohol tolerance. Even a bystander would know looking at her beaten red face stained with tears. Her body couldn't take it anymore, but her will kept her moving. Shot after shot. "Drunkenness is temporary suicide. Bertrand Russell." quoted Sandy. "Like hell I care," muttered Sango. Sandy gritted his teeth as Sango slumped down to sleep on the counter. Well at least it was better than her getting on a bar stool and start dancing or something.

"My God you're heavy," panted Sandy trying to shift the weight of Sango on his shoulders. He threw her in the car and fasten the seatbelt. "Frigid bitch…" moaned Sango. She was oblivious to what she was saying. Sandy smiled amusedly at his cousin's language. At least she admitted she liked him. About time too, he thought. Sandy heard quiet sobs beside him. "Why…did…how…happen…" bits of words jumbled out of her mutterings.

He drove her home and heaved up the stairs with Sango pushing the weight. He finally reached her door. "Cuz? Is this your door?" he prodded. A harrumph as a response. "Uh, great," he looked around wildly. Where was pretty boy when you need him?

"Is that Sango?" asked a voice behind them. Sandy turned around and for the first time, was grateful to see Miroku. "Oh my god what happened to her?" asked Miroku sharply. "You LET her drink that much?"

Sandy cried defensively, "You can't exactly stop her when she's on a roll like that."

"Easy for you to say, you're a bar tender. You're paid to do this kind of stuff, you encourage people to blow cash on alcohol." retorted Miroku, "I thought you cared about your cousin."

Sandy let go of Sango and pinned Miroku to the wall. "Don't even mention that, I am not the one who blow off a life long friend for a good lay with some foreign chick." he glared. Miroku was about to snap back but decided to close his mouth instead.

The hallway felt more cramped than usual with two guys and one very drunk girl. Sandy picked her up from the floor where she nestled. "Ooga?" gurgled Sango. "Can you open her door?" grunted Sandy, "she's heavier than it seems you know."

Miroku lifted his eyebrows and checked his pockets for a paperclip-object to pick the lock with.

"Mayybeeee it's in youuuurr back pocccket," slurred Sango as she slapped his behind showing him exactly where his back pockets where. Sandy bit back a laugh as Miroku stood there mouth opening and closing.

The sticky silence in the hallway lingered awkwardly. The stench of alcohol concealed the sweet tangy scent that Sango usually smelt like. "My head hurts," pouted Sango. She sank to the ground and refused to budge. Oh boy, it was going to be a long night.

… … … … …

Sango strolled through the campus. Despite the sunshine and clear skies it was a chilly autumn day. Sango huffed and watched her breath rise to the air. She sat alone in the courtyard, doing nothing in particular. The bench was kind of cold: it had some ice on it making her butt freeze. She crossed her arms and huddled over to keep herself warm.

A wave of remorse washed over her as she recalled the incident at the ice cream parlor two weeks ago. The way she just abandoned her best friend because she gave in to her own selfish desires…they haven't talked much since then.

The rides home have been quiet, and hellos were barely audible in the hallways. Neither talked about what happened but both refuse to let matters go. Maybe it was a pride thing…or maybe she was embarrassed, or maybe she didn't want to face them at all.

Sango silently reflected on herself. She was so caught up in her own little crush that she totally forgot what being a best friend was all about, she realized sadly. She didn't have the decency to tell Miroku why she didn't like Kagome either. Well besides the obvious that she was her "competition." Ha. She was no competition against Kagome. For one thing, love wasn't a competition or a race. Secondly, It doesn't matter if you think it makes more sense that you should be with someone, just because you've known them your whole life. No! Love wasn't suppose to make sense at all. That's why everyone goes all crazy about it.

Friendship, now that was different. Friendship makes sense: two people who are practically each other's hands. They are comfortable with each other, they laugh about jokes, they cry over chick flicks (yes Miroku did that with her too!) and…talk to each other about their separate love-of-their-lives. See the difference? One is when you're actually IN love, and one is when you TALK about being in love. We all know which side of the equation she was on right?

Friendship is always more important. Isn't that what she was trying to protect when keeping her crush a secret? So why go and ruin it all now? Sango smiled as she came onto her epiphany. She'll have to go and patch things up. Two weeks of sullen coldness is more than enough to freeze both their hearts over. Someone's got to thaw it out. She slowly walked to Miroku's dorm while planning her conversation in her head.

… … … … …

Miroku looked up to see Sango leaning on his door. It felt weird seeing her so casually there after her being mad at me for so long, he thought. Sango shifted awkwardly, "Can I come in?" He nodded, clearing some laundry from his chair for her to sit. He threw his plaid boxers aside and motioned for her to sit down. Sango looked nervous yet still at the same time. Her face was unreadable but it looked like she wanted to talk. Good, so did he.

"I'm sorry." Miroku looked up into her eyes half-surprised. She stared back, daring him to look away. Her apology hung in the air. After what felt like an hour, Miroku broke her gaze but said nothing. His mind flickered back to the night where she was drunk and slapped him there. Sango looked around the room, thinking of how to elaborate. Miroku's room smelled good, not sweaty. Not cologne-polluted either. A faint smell of Axe tickled her nose.

"I'm sorry for being such a total bitch about you being with Kagome. I never told you never how I felt about her and I just gave you attitude and a hard time. I didn't even have your best interest in mind. The time at the ice cream parlor…I guess I just got sick of seeing you guys so happy like that," confessions tumbled out of her mouth.

He looked blankly at her. So all this time she was jealous because he found someone and she didn't? he marveled. Miroku stood up and pulled Sango into a hug. "Hey," he said softly, "I missed talking to you."

So that was it? "You're not going to yell at me?" asked Sango taken aback He chuckled and shook his head. No wonder they call him outgoing. "It's hard to stay mad forever Sango." Especially when you are more-than-just-friends-almost-like-sisters.

After a pause, they stood there without saying a word. Sango pretend to shift her foot and leaned against the wall to create some personal space. Awkward silence in the room. Miroku licked his lips, daring to ask The Question that has deprived him many nights of sleep. You know you want to ask, urged a tiny voice in his head. Miroku steadied his breathing and looked at Sango. She stood there, half smiling waiting for him. She knew he had something to ask.

"Do you hate Kagome…would you hate me, no, us, if we dated?"

A day ago she would've told him straight out that it was either Kagome or Sango, never both together. But she knew better.

"No. Miroku, I will always be your best friend, even if I don't agree with you and think you're an idiot." Sango chuckled. The creases on Miroku's forehead softened.

"So would you mind if I talk about her?" asked Miroku.

"Nah. You better tell me the juicy and privy things to your love life, seeing I am your frister." She replied with mock firmness.

She paused. "I don't like Kagome, I'll tell you that. But I don't hate her either…she's not stupid like the other girls you've dated. Sure she seems like a bitch to me, but hey, aren't all girls like that?" She lightly punched his arm, signifying that the ice age between them was over.

Miroku pushed Sango back onto the bed and tickled her. Snort. More laughter. Maybe things will be like old times again. Maybe.