Disclaimer: [holds up blueprint of Takahashi-san's house] Not yet... not... yet...

A/N: [waves hands over head] Ooh! Guess what? This fic's up for Best M/S Romance at Iyfanguild! =D The link's at the top of my bio. If thou lovest, thou will vote! [points frantically in random direction]

A/N 2: Yay for semi-fluff!

Chapter 10: Charcoal

The familiar sound of writing instruments on paper began, and Sango tried to tell herself that she was only doing this for the students' benefit, not for her own...

...and not for Miroku's either. Right? Right.

At first, the thought of the position that she was in was enough to keep Sango quite occupied. As she gradually became comfortable (which took all of ten minutes), she actually began to get bored. Trying to move her mouth as little as possible, she whispered, "You had this planned from the beginning, didn't you?"

Small tremors began to shake Miroku's body, and Sango became slightly alarmed before she realized that he was trying his best not to burst out laughing. "Of course I wasn't planning this," he finally answered, "it just worked out in my favor."

Sango remained silent, looking out of the corner of her eyes at the students that were in her limited view. They all seemed to have different strategies; some drew with their noses nearly pressed to the easel while one young woman was sketching with a pencil in each hand.

"So..." she murmured, "when will you be graduating from this place?"

"This year, actually," he replied. Though it was an innocent enough answer, a shiver ran up Sango's spine. Her mind had conjured up an unprovoked image of Naraku, and the possibility surfaced that Miroku might not live long enough to graduate.

It seemed almost impossible that she was to kill Miroku. After all, here she was, sitting on his lap, wrapped in his arms. She had to admit, Miroku was quickly becoming less of a sick-o who lacked morals and more of a curiously endearing young man. It wasn't as if she had known him long enough to adequately judge his character, but his openness made her feel as if she'd known him for much longer.

For the first time, Sango began to doubt her ability to pull the trigger.

How was it that one man could upset everything that she had lived for the past three years? How was he reaching through the professional shell that she'd made her home? How could she cut his life short?

"Sango? Something wrong?"

Sango didn't reply for a while. She was looking down at the places that their bodies touched. It seemed as if they fit together perfectly, like the final pieces of a complex jigsaw puzzle. Up until now, the piece that completed her had been lost...

But at the same time, she couldn't let Miroku's file be ignored. According to Naraku, his terrorist activities had slain about forty people and destroyed millions of dollars' worth of government property. That was inexcusable, even though she found it improbable that her sweet, gentle Miroku could do such a thing. But in case he was...

"I'm fine, Miroku. Really."

His arms tightened slightly around her, as if he knew that she was thinking of something distressing. Giving in to the side of her that was very content at her present location, she relaxed.

'At least I won't have to consider the mission for a couple of weeks,' she reasoned to herself. 'That's plenty of time to prepare myself...'

She looked at the students once more, trying to take her mind off her melancholy thoughts. Something that struck her immediately was that there seemed to be an empty easel. Now, who was missing?

'Charcoal-man...' she thought. 'Now why would he have left before the sketch was... over...?' she trailed off. "Hey, Nakano?"

"Yes?"

"How long have we been here?"

"No clue. Hold on." She felt his head shift as he glanced up at Myouga. Immediately after, there was a surprised sound from the old professor.

"Oh! Time's up!" he yelped, glancing at his watch. "Oh, boy. I hope that doesn't make a huge difference in the sketches..."

Somewhat reluctantly, Sango pushed herself from Miroku's lap and stood. She could still feel his warmth along one side of her body; it was quite comforting. Some part of her was glad that Myouga had accidentally let the time run a little longer.

She heard Miroku stand up behind her and turned to see him stretching his arms over his head. The little paintbrush that he'd tucked behind his ear came loose and clattered to the floor. As he stooped to pick it up, he called out, "Finish up your sketches, everyone! Color's not required, but if you think it'll improve your grade..." He slipped the paintbrush into his back pocket. "Myouga, you'll be here, right?" At the professor's nod, Miroku smiled. "Great. I'll be taking Sango home, then!"

He snagged his blue button-front shirt from a nearby stool and slipped it on. "Sango, you can change now; I'll be back there soon. Thanks again for doing this." He smiled brightly at her and began to button up his shirt, wandering toward the empty easel that had been vacated by charcoal-man.

Sango made her way back to the door that she'd walked through about an hour ago. Her exit was much more graceful and confident than her entry; she knew now that art was the students' focus and besides, she was quite comfortable with her body.

She plopped onto the small bench, beside her clothes, and began to dress. It only took around three minutes, a large quantity of which was spent fooling around with her hair. She had no clue what Miroku had done with her ponytail holder.

Fully clothed, Sango withdrew her phone from one of her shoes, then put those on as well. The sight of her phone reminded her of something that she'd been thinking about since the previous night. Glancing at the door to make sure that no one was about to enter, she pressed one of the small buttons on the side.

The robotic voice intoned, "Say a name or command."

"Kagome cell," Sango said, and the other line immediately began to ring.

It wasn't long before Kagome answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Kagome. At work?"

Kagome sighed. "You know it. You need something?"

Sango stood and began to pace the room thoughtfully. "I want you to run a check on someone. If you can't do it without a bias, I'll just get Shippou to do it. No big deal."

Kagome's confusion was completely audible. "Who would I be biased against? Really, Sango. You know me better than that!"

"Fine. I want you to give me everything that you can about Inuyasha."

"...Huh? But... Inuyasha... the cute guy who worked at Chateau? What could you possibly suspect him for?"

"Don't worry about it. Just do this for me, okay? And don't let whatever you think you feel for him cloud your judgement."

Kagome said nothing for a while, then coolly responded, "As long as you take your own advice."

Sango somehow felt that a tirade about Miroku was coming, and she cut in. "Thanks, Kagome." Before the other woman could reply, Sango snapped her phone shut and sighed.

As if he'd been waiting courteously for Sango to finish her conversation, Miroku burst into the room as soon as she was getting to her feet. "The students have left," he announced. "You did great, Sango. Thanks again."

Sango smiled faintly. Her mind was still in turmoil when it came to Miroku; that was the reason that she'd made that particular request of Kagome. Hopefully, whatever information she'd find would make up her mind for her. "No problem, Nakano."

Miroku plucked his black bag from the chair near the door and slung it over his shoulder. "Do you want to see a few of the sketches before we leave?"

Curiosity effortlessly overwhelmed Sango's desire to go home. "Sure. Are they any good?"

Miroku pushed the door open and made an 'after you' gesture. "Sango, any work of art with you as a subject is beautiful."

On her way out of the room, Sango slapped him playfully on the arm. "You and your lines," she sighed, rolling her eyes slightly.

The room was empty of anyone other than Sango and Miroku, and the huge sketchbooks set on the easels were closed. "This one first," Miroku said, moving toward an easel near the middle of the room. "Don't be surprised if some things come out a little different," he warned. "Art is not perfection, you know." He flipped the sketchpad open and it fell to the first pose that Sango had done.

She could do nothing more than gape for a while. There was minimal color in the picture; there was only a pale peach cast to her skin and a light pink blush at the tops of her cheeks. Her hair and bikini were solidly blacked in. The color wasn't the most alluring thing about the picture, however. "It looks like... a photo..." Sango whispered.

"Not exactly," Miroku said from behind her. "You see, he made the hips a little thin. Maybe he didn't want to offend you. Also, the fingers are rather short. Yours are much longer and more slender."

Sango shot a distrustful look over her shoulder. "Been keeping an eye on me, have you?"

Miroku held up his hands in defense. "I wasn't watching you like a pervert, honest. I was watching you like an artist." He moved forward and flipped the book closed, then moved three easels to the right. "Here's a good example of the second pose. It's Ginta's, if you can believe it." He opened the sketchbook and flipped to the pose.

Sango blinked. "I don't look anything like that!" The face of the Sango in the picture seemingly wore more makeup than Sango had in her entire life. Her eyelids were half-closed and filled with a bluish hue, her lips were filled in with a slutty red, and huge earrings that Sango had never and would never allow in her house hung from her lobes.

Miroku laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, well... Ginta was in his own little fantasy world today. But if you- well, let me..." Miroku moved forward and covered the Sketch-Sango's face.

Immediately, Sango saw what Miroku had been talking about. The ridiculous amount of makeup had drawn her eyes away from the perfect lines of the pose. She could even make out her muscles and a slight shadow where her body parts overlapped. "Wow."

"One more pose to go!" This time, Miroku walked to the very end of the aisle, stopping at charcoal-man's easel. Sango followed at a more leisurely pace, eyeing the closed easels and wondering how the sketches inside them looked. Once she caught up, Miroku opened the book to the third pose.

Speechless wasn't the right word for what Sango felt. It was as if her very thought processes had ground to a halt. It was a full-color depiction of the very puzzle that she'd envisioned Miroku and herself making. The detail was perfect, even down to the one stray bristle that jutted out of the small paintbrush behind Miroku's ear. The most captivating detail, however, was Miroku's eyes. They seemed to glimmer out of the picture, bearing some sort of unfathomable emotion. 'Is that... what he really looked like?' Sango wondered.

"I know what you mean," Miroku said, even though Sango hadn't said a thing out loud. "He does beautiful work... and he's always the first one out of class. I can't explain it. I might not want to be on the art scene with him on the rampage, after all," he joked lightly. "Come on, let's go." He reached out a hand to close the sketchbook, but not before taking one more look at the drawing. "He's really something, that Sesshoumaru," he stated, flipping the pages back down. "Now, what say we get some lunch?"

"Run that by me again."

"I suspect that their relationship is growing beyond that of killer and prey. It may be wise to withdraw her from her position before she jeopardizes our organization."

"I will do no such thing. 'Jiya is one of my prime operatives, and I will not dismiss her from this case because of your idle speculation."

"You are a fool."

"And you are tying up my phone line. We will speak on this later. For now, I have phone calls to make."

There was the click of a dead line. Utterly unconcerned, the man slipped his phone into his coat pocket and drew out a pair of sunglasses. As he did so, two small nubs of charcoal fell from his pocket and onto the sidewalk, leaving small dark streaks.

[evil] Muahahaha! [/evil] The thot plickens!!! I didn't get to as much in this chapter as I thought I would... but no worries. At least I know exactly what's coming now... I think... [huggles Milfoy] He was just out stalking things. [twirls happily] I hope you liked! More soon, and don't forget to vote for meeee...

The Beta Special!

Sango: [melancholy musings of Miroku]

[BOOM! CRASH!]

Easels: [domino effect]

Artists: o.o

Sesshoumaru: [lying on ground, swirly eyed]

Everyone: [stunned blink]

Sesshoumaru: [holds up sign, a la Wily E. Coyote] 'OOC, I know.'

Inuyasha: [sniggers from the shadows as he winds up tripping string]

Miroku: What do you say we get some lunch?

Sango: ...

Miroku: Uh... Sango?

Sango: [picks up a sketch from the floor. Eye twitch] Nakano... Who drew this?

Miroku: [looks over her shoulder at the sketch!Sango... Which is missing an important element: The bikini.]

Sango: [glares]

Miroku: [forces himself to study the signature] o.o Erm... That's... Myouga's...

Both: ..........................O.O!!! [jump away from the picture]

Sango: That's just...

Miroku: Wrong. I know... If I did it, it'd be one thing... But... HIM?! Ugh. You poor girl. [Hugs Sango comfortingly]

Sango: -.-; Hand. Off. Now. [thwap]

Miroku: Eh heh... About lunch...?

Review Responses

FlamingRedFox: Ah, it's okay. I understand about vacations and real life. =) I'm very glad you like! Yeesh... you feel bad for Sango? I envy her, myself... thanks for the review!

Xichiathik: =D Thank you! I will!

aska19: I'm glad you think so! And don't worry, I'd never abandon this fic!

Blondie hanyou: Hiya! I'm glad you liked the chapter! I really haven't had the time to read your fic, but then again, I still have a lot of catching up to do from when I was on vacation... and then school's started... Eh. I'll try my best.

Sango-chan-ness: =) I'm glad you like... but a lemon?! [topples to side, then scurries off and hides under couch] I'd embarass the heck out of myself! o.o; Thanks for reviewing, though! [un-hides]

XxSherabarooxX: Even though you reviewed... er.. chapter 5 or such, I figured I'd just reply to you here... I'm glad you're enjoying this fic!

Blackcat8610: Finally, someone who understands the Evil Cliffies! [huggles you] It feels great to be understood! And Milfoy has been found! [throws small party] Thanks for the review!

iLOVEcheese: Interesting username... XD Thanks so much for the encouragement!

Kyoko Kasshu Minamino: [huge grin] Woohoo! I get all caps in the review! [happy] And yes, I was gone for a while, huh? Now ish time for you to get out the next chapter of 'Jessica', eh? [innocent smile]

Virago: =) Aww... Miroku was pretty tame in this chapter, I think! . [begins plotting Pervert!Miroku moments for the next chapter. Thankies for the review!

Azaya: =) Thank you! I'm glad you like it! Wow... Germany... I'm in shock. [grins] I don't know when this story is going to end, but I think I still have at least seven chapters left... Err... Auf Wiedersehen! XD

Raruka: Wow... you're enthusiastic... =D Thank you!

Lily Thorne: Eh, s'okay. Reviewers are never late... that is, unless they skip chapters... [secretly glares around] Hrrrmm... Visitors, huh? I guess I should feel grateful that everyone visits my great-grandma instead of us! [innocent]

Aryll: Thank you! [accepts pep talk] =) Also... sleep is good... I just got back from a church yard sale in which I was standing outside all day selling hot dogs and pickles... Gwaa... [falls asleep at computer]

Aamalie: XD Yesh. This site (doesn't want QE to eat the name... --) is quite insane about things like that... =) Gwaa... it's not even school any more! It's my grandma! She's absolutely insane! [considers dart gun option] Well, that won't work... my grandad'll get suspicious... [wanders off, pondering other options and Lonnie's Infamous Choice C (XD)]

AnimeAnna22: =D I'm glad you think so! XD You're not the only one who simply loves the compromising position... [considers drawing it... then remembers that she doesn't have a scanner... ;-;] Yish, Vogue is a magazine. It's also a Madonna song, in which she sings, "C'mon, Vogue!" and poses... hence the connection... [watches reference go flying over some people's head] v.v Guess I should stick with the last five years, huh? XD And yes, them getting recruited for a magazine would rawk. =D

B4By K4K4Sh1: XD I'm glad you found it amusing... Thank you for reviewing!

Sango's Counterpart: [apologizes profusely] I know, I know, the chapter was rather short... and this one isn't much better... . The next one should be a little longer, though; I have lots of plot to handle in that one... I hope the update was soon enough for you, and thanks for the review!

Soli-chan: [glomps] I miiiiiiisss...... ;-; That said... [running glomps] Thank you! [squeals and hops in circles] You flatter me. Really, you do. Heh. Yes, Sango was quite the lucky one, huh? And yes, she'll have quite a few momentos, ne? Hee! Giddiness good! I hope this chappie lived up to expectations... It was more emotionalistic (yes, that is a word in MY world) than funny... I hope this counted as 'soon'... [doubtful] Ja!

Matsemunei: [kicks you] How dare you mock me about being back at school! And how DARE you point and laugh?!? [throws purple paint on you, then points and laughs] Muahaha! [end randomness] Yesh, the guy was Sesshou, as you have seen above! You know, you were the only person to actually mention it in a review... [gives you candy] I think it went right over some people's heads, no da? And yes, this fic should be pretty long... I still have a lot of ground to cover... Later-ness, and thanks for the review!

Queenizzay: XD [viciously glomps] You caught the Madonna reference! [loves] I reeeeally need to get on AIM soon... but I'm a jerk and so are my grandparents... XD And Miroku was innocent in this chapter! I don't know what that says for future chapters, though... [ponders] Ja!

Demon Exterminator Barbie: =D Yes, Sango is quite the lucky one, ne? XD Left you quite speechless, huh? Thanks for reviewing... [tosses you a cool cloth and a fan] =)

Rikou Suiyou: Bwaa... yes, Miroku can be subtle when he wants... [watches the glomp] Heh. People keep doing that... including me... =) I'm glad you like the way I wrote it... I was rather apprehensive, myself... [glomps you] Thanks!

jade eyed neko: I'm glad you understand! I'm trying to keep it regular so that I don't get attacked by hordes of people... . I'm also grateful that you don't hate the short chapters... =D [waves Sango/Miroku banner around] Whoo! I hope this chapter was soon enough!

Kibethan: =) You're not the only one that loves Miro-kun! [counts out about 10 in three seconds] XD I'm really glad that you liked what I did with that last chapter!

Let me know what you think and review!