"Let's see, what do I have next?" Miroku's eyes impatiently skimmed the contents of his program. 11:15 was his next class…11:15 was his mystery category.
"Maybe if I would've joined in the beginning of the semester, like everyone else," he murmured, "I would have had the pleasure of choosing my own schedule!"
The corridor was deserted. Lonely footsteps echoed off the tile floor and rang against the simple, unadorned walls.
"Room 664, room 665…" Sunlight hit the number on the quarter's door. The thick, black ink was chipping and worn. But, if you squinted long enough, you could still make out the digits.
"Room 666…" Miroku read aloud. And with an air of sarcasm, he added, "Sounds promising."
The door creaked open as the author reluctantly peeked in. As a result, his violet eyes widened to the size of two giant milk saucers. The entire learning space was dominated with beautiful women.
"Ahh! Mr.…. Sherbert." The professor said, pushing his round glasses, up the bridge of his slightly crooked nose. "You may be new, but you may NOT be late for Women's History!"
"Women's …History?"
"Yes, this is Women's History Class," the middle age man studied his student's expression. "You seem a bit surprised. Did you not kno-"
"Professor…I'll be right back." Resealing the poor excuse for a door, the novelist cornered himself into the nearest wall and stared blankly into space.
"Women's history… Oh kami-sama, why must you make this so difficult? What harm have I done?" He rethought this for a moment. "On second thought…don't answer that."
Forever an Illusion
Chapter 5: Kohaku
"Kagome-chan, can you watch Kohaku this afternoon?"
She placed her pen down for a second and looked up at Sango. "Why? Whatcha have planned?"
"So you won't?" Her bottom lip curled into a pout.
"I never said that! I just have this 20 page, single-space, essay to do, on the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet. It's due in a couple of weeks and I'd like to get started. So, unless you have a good reason-"
"Miroku and I are going out on a date!" The woman giggled in delight.
"What! When did this happen?" Kagome had completely forgotten about her story, and closed her binder, letting it collect dust.
"He asked me in the girl's bathroom yesterday…" Her voice trailed off. She was becoming shy.
"But-but I was with you-"
"You stormed out when Inuyasha mentioned your menstrual cycle…"
"All right, all right!" Kagome's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. "I'll watch Kohaku for you, but have you considered that he's old enough to watch himself? He is thirteen, after all."
Sango's chocolate colored eyes filled with anguish. "You know I don't like to leave him alone. He's my little brother; I want him to feel comfort."
Two years ago when Sango was 17, her brother turning 12, their father was bringing Kohaku to his first Martial Arts Tournament. Kohaku, although trained from youth, was a bit hesitant to compete. That day there had been horrible weather. The clouds had fallen so low that a severe mist had blurred the roads. When you glanced out your fogged up window, all you were able to see was a sheet of white. For that one day, it seemed as though the world was robbed of its color and beauty. Such depressing weather can make one drowsy. And so, not wanting to be late, their father drove on through the fluff. Sango, like her brother had taken up the same hobby of fighting. She kept whispering advice. She continued on trying to give contentment to her hilarious brother.
"Don't worry Kohaku; we deal with this stuff all the time. There's nothing to be scared of." She watched as Kohaku drew doodles on the smeared up windows. "You are scared, aren't you?"
He turned over in his seatbelt. "What if it gets carried away? What if one of the bigger kids attacks me?"
"We've been trained for this sort of thing." She combed her hand gently through his brownish-black hair. "Father will always make sure we're all right."
"Easy for you to say, you're the best there is. Father loves you." His freckles were consumed by rosiness, as Sango draped an arm around his shoulder.
"Father said we're the best there is, I think we should take his word for it."
'Father lies…' "Sango…" With that, he leaned his head into her, accepting her warm embrace.
"Don't forget Kohaku, our ancestors were demon slayers, you'll be just fine…"
"Kagome…I'm going to get ready for tonight." Sango swung a towel over her arm and walked down the hallway to the girls' shower. She quickly got undressed and wrapped the towel around her. She was drowning in memories right now.
We've all had memories, haven't we? It be pretty hard not to. Although, it is my sad duty to say, not all memories are happy. Not all memories are cheerful. Some memories are bad, some memories...
Are just plain rotten.
Pulling open the shower curtain, Sango stepped in.
"Kirara? What are you doing here?" There, on her lap, was a cat. As Sango looked around, she was in a hospital bed. She tried to pet the sweet thing, sitting innocently on her lap, but her body was searing in pain. It was unbearable. The 17-year-old looked at her arms, noticing they were badly-no- horribly bruised with colors of black and blue. She had the sense that she was bleeding. Just the thought of blood sickened her. The way it trickles down an arm or leg when you cut it, the way it looks when you receive a shot, the way it…the way it…
Tastes?
Her mouth had that…salty taste to it. The corner of her lip driped the black red liquid in which she despised. Sango sat there awestruck for only a moment, before desperately screaming out her father and brother's name. They were in a car... she remembered being in a car!
"FATHER! KOHAKU!"
A doctor came rushing in, at the sound of her piercing scream. She would've run out the door in panic, but Sango's body was not at all up to it. So, the young woman begged for information from the expert. There was a dreaded silence that lasted for who knows how long.
"I'm sorry miss…but your father seems to have…left us."
If you have ever lost a loved one, then you must know how it feels. And if you haven't…then you couldn't possibly imagine.
Sometimes, it feels as though life as you know it has been consumed by darkness You can be sent into a state of serious downturn. You can even be sent…into denial.
"Father and Kohaku are all I have! Please tell me you're lying!"
And if losing your loved won isn't hard enough, try to imagine finding out that your little brother, the one you try so hard to protect, is suffering from memory loss. Kohaku, of only 11, had lost his long-term memory and that…
killed her inside.
The back of Sango's eyes burned with unshed tears, as she turned on the shower. Two years she had been working to improve Kohaku's memory. There was progress, yes, but that didn't stop Sango from crying herself to sleep, every so often. The doctor said that it was, in fact, possible for Kohaku to regain his memory. As long as Sango kept trying, there was hope.
It was hard to go to college and support a 13-year-old boy. That's why Kagome offered to do whatever she could to help. Mrs. Higarashi, Kagome's mother, suggested that Kohaku go to school and then come to live at their family shrine. Kohaku would never be lonely there. The 18-year-old schoolgirl had a brother too. He was younger than Kohaku, but they had become wonderful life-time pals. Souta and Kohaku were inseparable. Add in their adorable neighbor Shippou, and you had yourself 'The Three Musketeers'.
"I have no time for pity…I have a great life, I just had to remind myself of it!"
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times-"
"I believe that's called plagiarism!"
"Quiet! I'm on a role!" Miroku typed frantically on his laptop.
"80…"
"What?" The writer remained in his crouched over position, staring at the word processor.
"You have 80 words." Inuyasha repeated.
"…"
"You know, it's not so bad being stuck in Woman's His-"
Miroku growled. "Don't say that name! I could hardly contain myself from stroking a lovely lady's bottom! I must write about one fair maiden…not 80! This, my friend, is both good and bad. Hence the line 'It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.'"
"You amazed me…" The Inu deeply sighed.
"Is that a good thing?" His fingers were beginning to hurt…
"I don't know…" Something then struck a thought in the hanyou's head. "Hey, Miroku?"
"Yes, Inuyasha?"
"Are you bringing Sango here tonight?"
"I hadn't thought that far…why?"
Amber eyes starred down at the bookshelves of Miroku's living space…
The bookshelves…filled with his mature writings…
"No reason…"
TBC!
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