Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

Author Note: I think this will be my longest chapter yet! I added some random mushy stuff at the end. I hope it all ties together and makes sense. Cookies and thank yous to all the wonderful reviewers! Your encouragement was great!

PreciousLover170: Kouga is coming up soon to help Inuyasha realize his possible feelings for Kagome and cause a little trouble. So yes, there will be flirting and jealousy. Sango, on the other hand, has to deal with all the girls that are a part of Miroku's life...poor girl. I hope my answer helped.

Chapter 12
The Invitation

Sango rummaged through the picnic basket and pulled out a folded checkered cloth. It was green and white, and covered an assortment of goods such as fruits, sandwiches, and cold drinks. Miroku offered to unfold the picnic blanket with Kohaku's help while Sango divided up the meal so that it would be suitable for a party of three.

"Nii-chan, you have to twist your end up!" Kohaku laughed joyfully and continued to instruct Miroku who was progressively drawing himself into a knot. Sango felt her heart warm at hearing her little brother refer to her crush as 'brother'.

"Yes sir!" Miroku saluted. He did as he was told but only succeeded in getting into a tighter situation. Sango watched from the corners of her eyes and felt her lips twitch into smile.

Kohaku pouted. "Nee-chan, don't just stand there!" he motioned for her to come help free Miroku from his entangled condition. Sango giggled and closed the lid to the basket. She strolled over to where Miroku sat mummified. Now how had this happened?

Placing her hands behind her back, Sango acted as if Miroku were a display at the zoo or an artifact at a museum. She paced leisurely round and round, finally stopping to look him directly in the face. Of course, she had to squat down to perform this task, and at that instant, Miroku just happened to free his arms from the bandages.

Let's just say that for the rest of that day, while the trio enjoyed a picnic lunch in the chilled autumn sun, Sango sat as far away from the pervert as she could. He had done his share of touching for the day, as far as she was concerned.

Sango twirled a lock of hair around her finger and continued to stare off into space. When she'd tried to help untangle Miroku, the two had somehow gotten intertwined. When only his hands were free, he'd "accidentally" pulled her to the ground. Then, by chance, his right hand had somehow grazed against her backside. By the time that the ordeal was over, the two had a lot of explaining to do.

Sango rubbed her temples and shook her head from side to side. "Poor, poor Kohaku."

"Miss Taijiya, you appear to be shaking your head." The physics professor observed. "Perhaps you can explain to the class what a coulumb is?"

Sango flinched visibly and looked down at the blank sheet of paper that lay on her desk. Sneaking a peek sideways, she noticed that the boy seated beside her had scribbled on at least three sheets of paper, front and back. Damn it! Now is not the time to be thinking about Miroku!

"Miss Taijiya?" The snow haired man smiled, pushing his spectacles up a bit. Sango blushed and cleared her throat. Now everyone was staring, people in front had swiveled their bodies round to face her.

Sango gulped and smiled nervously. "C-could you please repeat the question?"

"Of course," the professor answered pleasantly. "What is a coulumb?"

-:-:-A little while later-:-:-

Sango wasn't a happy camper. Apparently, the kid that had answered the question about the coulumb had gotten it right and the teacher had assumed that she wanted to contradict when she had shaken her head. So she'd made herself look like a complete moron when she restated his definition, which came right out of the text.

"That does it!" Sango fumed, turning the dial on her locker. "I'll just give up on this stupid, pointless, inconsequential-mm?" something white dropped out and landed on the ground. Sango looked around suspiciously before leaning down to pick up the object which was at once identified as an envelope. The envelope was bare of design save for the word SANGO which was centered and written in trim, capital letters on the front.

:-:-:

Kagome sat in apprehension as the teacher passed out the exams. She zipped open her pencil case and extracted a set of mechanical pencils and an eraser. Going over the hyperbolic functions in her head one last time, Kagome exhaled quietly and waited to receive a copy of the exam. When the instructor had nodded his approval, the class began working vigorously.

"X plus Y…one-fourth E to the…X subtract Y" Kagome mumbled all sorts of jumbled phrases as her pencil brushed against the paper. The room was filled with the sound of lead against paper and sighs and scratches. The clock ticked away precious seconds, and it was soon time to hand in the stapled bundle.

Kagome turned in her exam wearily. When she returned to her seat, she was surprised to find a white envelop placed neatly atop her desk. Kagome sat down, but not before looking around at who could've possibly put it there.

Printed in ink on the front was her name, KAGOME.

:-:-:

Miroku rubbed his sore shoulders as he walked down the crowded hallway. In his opinion, after school was probably the worst part of the day since it meant either swim practice, soccer, or some other crazy extracurricular activity. One of these days, he promised to throw the obligations aside and grab a bunch of girls and take a road trip. For now, he would just have to put up with this hectic life.

"Hey Miroku!" the older boy looked to his right and into a pair of honey brown eyes.

"Shizu," His low, gentle voice rumbled sensuously. "How can I help you?" He almost wished that she would ask for a lift home. That way, he would have an excuse to…to what?

"Are you going to take me out this weekend?" Shizu hooked her arms around his right and hugged tightly.

She blushed. "My parents won't be home so we could…" Miroku chuckled lightly and placed a small kiss on her forehead. Nowadays, girls were so eager to please. Regrettably, they went about it the wrong way.

"We'll see," Shizu released her grip on his arm when they reached the locker rooms. Miroku smiled softly at her and then proceeded towards the men's room.

-:-:-Swimming Pool-:-:-

The penetrating sound of the whistle sent a batch of swimmers hustling into the water. It was like soccer practice all over again! The water whipped angrily as a flurry of arms beat down against its once composed surface. Raspy breathing filled every inch of the spacious room. Miroku swam the 600 yards of nonstop freestyle, leading the pack as usual.

The head coach roared as he watched in the sidelines, cheering his swimmers on. "COME ON! HOMESTRETCH! LET'S GO! SPEED IT UP!"

The whistle blew again and had another set of swimmers diving in. Miroku exited, breathing in and out, shallow breaths. The claps on the back he received from his teammates had the star swimmer wheezing. Another school record meant another step towards winning the gold cup.

Miroku sat down on the bench beside his duffle bag and toweled himself dry. The navy blue bag was left open and Miroku reached inside for his bottle of water. His hand groped around until it touched something foreign. The object was moderately thin, and had four corners. Pulling it out, he discovered a white envelop addressed to himself, MIROKU.

:-:-:

Inuyasha stuck his head out of the driver's window. "Move it ya bastard!" The man driving in the black Chrysler gave the finger making the short-tempered hanyo bristle. Driving home during traffic hour was impossible! Just as Inuyasha was about to prove that when it came to arguments, he was unmatched, the other man made a left.

The hanyo smirked triumphantly. "Hah!"

That smirk was wiped away hours later when he finally made it to his apartment…

"Stupid traffic hour…" Inuyasha muttered, running a hand through his silver tendrils. He kicked his shoes off and threw off his red and white track jacket. It lay in a puddle on his floor. Moments later, a white t-shirt joined, along with a pair of shorts. At least the dog boy had the decency to toss his plaid boxers in the hamper before entering the shower.

Inuyasha whistled as he stepped out from a refreshing shower ten minutes later. "Ah, that felt good."

The phone began ringing, forcing the hanyo to throw a towel around his waist and trudged out to the living room to pick up.

"What?" he demanded.

"It's Miroku," the fuzzy hum indicated that the caller was using a cell phone. Various noises in the back prompted the hanyo to assume that Miroku was still at school.

"Have you checked your mail lately?"

"What the fuck kind of question is that?" Inuyasha gripped the towel around his waist angrily. He was still dripping wet from the shower.

"Just answer me," Miroku replied coolly.

"Keh, no I haven't," Inuyasha growled. "Now what's this all about idiot?"

Miroku lowered his voice as someone walked by. "Can't talk now, coach is coming." There was a click as the other boy turned his phone off. Inuyasha was confused. He placed his phone down slowly and stared blankly at the TV screen. That was a weird conversation…

Inuyasha changed into a pair of comfy sweatpants and a faded blue-grey shirt. After drying his exquisite silvery hair, he grudgingly began working on his homework for tomorrow. Pulling out a stack of books from his backpack, he took notes on the Japanese Parliament. Half and hour into his study session, Inuyasha felt bugged. What the hell did Miroku mean!

'I guess there's only one way to find out' Inuyasha lifted up one of the sofa's cushions and searched for the mail key.

-:-:-Checking the Mail-:-:-

Inuyasha was completely unaware that he was about to experience something similar to what Kagome went through when she opened his closet at Takahashi's. Carelessly slipping the key into the keyhole, Inuyasha wasn't ready for the stream of papers that assailed him. The way those letters and advertisements blasted out resembled nothing short of an avalanche.

"Arrghh, stop damn it!" Inuyasha tried in vain to command the mailbox to stop.

-:-:-Several Minutes Later-:-:-

The hanyo drew in a sharp breath as he sealed up another cut with the clear band aid stuff his coach had recommended for minor bruises. After five or so trips to the mailbox, Inuyasha managed to bring all his junk into the living room. He dumped them all on the ground.

Good thing the maid came every weekend…

Inuyasha tore open the first letter in the pile. It was an invitation to dinner from his parents. He tossed that one aside since it was dated a couple months back.

The next couple papers were advertisements and cut-out coupons. Inuyasha kept those that hadn't expired and would be useful for future purposes. The more he sorted through the mail, the more fun the task seemed to be. It was odd, but true. Inuyasha stacked the magazine subscriptions that he planned to skim though later and picked up a crumpled square envelope.

Funny, it doesn't have an address…just my name printed on the cover.

Sticking a clawed finger into the slightly opened flap, Inuyasha tore the envelope open and extracted an expensive-looking marbled colored card.

:-:-:

Kagome kneeled beside the low table where both envelopes were placed. She rested her chin on her fists and sighed. Sango paced the floor nervously and then finally flopped down beside the other girl. "Ok, let's open them."

Kagome tried to contain her enthusiasm and picked up her envelope.

"No wait." Kagome groaned and dropped her envelope. This had been going on for the last half hour, during which Kagome's mood switched from boredom to exuberance to boredom, and so forth.

"Kami, it's just a letter!" Kagome growled.

Sango winced. "I know…it's just …"

The older girl scoffed and picked up her own. When she'd found the envelope, which practically begged to be opened, Sango had had this weird feeling that she wouldn't like what was inside. She sensed an obligation of sorts and quickly stuffed the dreadful thing away in hopes that she could forget about it. When the last bell rung, she only got as far as the door before Kagome appeared brandishing a look-alike envelop.

Which brings us back to Sango's house, where one girl appears perplex, the other frustrated.

"We'll never know until we open it!" the shorter girl quipped. Sango muttered an agreement but didn't budge from her arms-crossed position.

Kagome smiled delightedly. "I'll just open mine and tell you what's inside then." She carefully tore open the seal and drew out a fancy little card. It resembled a wedding invitation because of its lavish appearance, but upon close inspection, turned out to be an invitation to a party.

"A party!" Kagome exclaimed, handing the invitation over to Sango.

"From dawn to dusk," Sango read, skimming through the material. "Games, surprises, and…" Sango blanched. "Yura."

Kagome looked up confused. "Yura?"

Sango nodded, handing the letter over to Kagome who gulped audibly. "I'm sure it's just a misprint…"

:-:-:

Inuyasha scanned though the invitation. Why had they sent him an invitation? Everyone knew that if they wanted Takahashi at a party, all they had to do was ask.

"Games and surprises?" Inuyasha snorted. "What am I, eight?" He started to laugh but then froze up. 'Yura? No way in hell am I going to this thing if it's hosted by Yura!'

'But everybody knows that she throws the best parties!' A voice in the back of his head snapped. Inuyasha tried to perish the thought by focusing on something else. Like the remaining mountain of papers on his coffee table.

"Think of something else…think of anything else…" Inuyasha grinded his teeth together and began focusing on his homework. The phone rang.

The hanyo picked up eagerly. "Hello?"

"I take it you read the invitation?" Miroku laughed and took a sip from his water bottle.

"Keh, so what if I did?" Inuyasha retorted. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you got one too."

The swimmer simply nodded. "Yup, though I'll admit I first thought it was a love note from my sweet Sango-chan."

"Che. In your dreams bub," Inuyasha snickered. "That girl hates your guts."

Miroku thought back to the dreamy kiss that they'd shared that faithful day she visited the swimming pool. Ok, so it wasn't dreamy…and she probably hadn't come intentionally, but still, he Miroku had snagged the impossible. "I wouldn't speak too soon my friend."

Inuyasha snorted.

"So anyway, are you going?" Miroku didn't have to specify to what, because he knew it was already on the dog demon's mind. Inuyasha grunted. It was his favorite substitute for KEH, which he used whenever he was unsure of something.

"Do you know anyone else she invited?"

Miroku let the thought roll over and over in his mind. "Nope, I figured that if she invited me, then she's bound to have invited you."

"H-hey! Is that an insult?" Inuyasha barked.

Miroku rolled his eyes atypically. "Yes, Inuyasha, I'm insulting you."

Inuyasha ignored that. "She probably invited the whole school." While it might sound exaggerated coming from someone like Inuyasha, the idea was not altogether impossible. Yura came from a well-to-do family and was the sole heir to the family's silk company. Yura lived in a huge mansion, rivaling that of Sesshoumaru's, which was definitely saying something.

"If she's inviting the whole school, then we should be safe." Miroku mused. 'If she's inviting the whole school, then there will be a lot of lovely young ladies for me to…' Miroku stopped himself before he began giggling and drooling. THAT would be very bad indeed…

"What are you mumbling about?" Dog boy asked, holding back a laugh.

"Uh, nothing!" Miroku denied. "Coach is calling." That last part was followed by a click and a dial tone. Scoffing, Inuyasha hung up and got back to work.

:-:-:

The next day, word got around about Yura's party and, as Inuyasha predicted, everyone received an invitation. During passing period and breaks, it was all people talked about. Yura this and Yura that. The hair demon rarely ever threw parties of her own, but when she did, they were big events. Everybody just had to go, or miss out on a years worth of gossip.

"Nothing is off limits!" the social butterfly let out an imperious laugh and flicked her hair aside as she lectured a group of girls that tagged along after her. "After all, my parents will be out of the country."

Inuyasha could've sworn that the devious girl-demon winked at him as she walked down the hallway. The half-demon tried to hold in his breakfast and pretended to puke. Yura rolled her purplish-pink eyes. Didn't he know that all girls had eyes in the back of their heads?

"Love you too, Inu-koi" Yura smirked when she could practically hear the steam blowing out from his cute little dog ears. Her followers giggled and the sickening word Inu-koi was resonated throughout the group, a delight to the hair demon's ears.

The silver-haired boy stalked away in the opposite direction with a firm scowl on his face. His thoughts were so clouded with malice that he didn't notice the girl pass him. He didn't notice her steps falter or those chocolate brown eyes that locked on him when she realized who he was. He walked right pass her without issuing a word. Her waving arm went slack and dropped down to clutch her textbooks. He didn't notice any of this.

Kagome bit her bottom lip fearfully. 'He…he's ignoring me!'

She tried to find any plausible reason for why he might be so mad. He had trudged pass her with a look of utmost contempt. His eyes had flickered in her direction, but it seemed as if he was looking right through her. She wasn't prepared for the throbbing pain in her chest that his coldness had brought about and caught herself from falling just in time. In sacrifice, her books tumbled to the ground and caused such a loud racket that it echoed down the empty hallway. When Kagome leaned down to pick up her spilled books, it suddenly dawned upon her that the hallways were completely empty. Well, except for herself and Inuyasha…and the spilled books.

Inuyasha snapped out of his trance and whirled around. "Kagome!" Immediately, he was by her side helping scoop up the fallen materials. "Did I do this?—I'm sorry." The brunette felt her heart skip a beat and her cheeks warm slightly when their hands touched briefly.

"No, it wasn't you." she quickly explained. "I--I fell on my own."

The hanyo quirked an eyebrow and said, "Why am I not surprised?"

Kagome blushed like a tomato. "S-Shouldn't you be in class?" Inuyasha looked at the clock on the wall and cursed foully. He dashed off to class leaving an amused schoolgirl behind to reflect over their encounter.

:-:-:

For a whole ten minutes, Sango prayed that Inuyasha would show up for Government. He hadn't. And so, the dark-haired brunette was asked to partner up with Miroku since she sat on his other side. This came as a disappointment for many of the females in the class. The teacher, who was aware of the Miroku's uncanny ability to stray from topic when partnered with a girl, had no objections when it came to pairing him with Sango. Unlike other girls, Sango had developed a sort of resistance to Miroku. So nothing could go wrong. Right?

"O-Ok, w-what have you got?" she cursed herself for stuttering and looked directly at her notes to avoid looking into those eyes of his. Miroku didn't respond right away and Sango refused to lift her head. All around them, people were comparing notes and debating. Sango mentally thanked the teacher for placing her towards the back and continued to stare blankly at the piece of paper.

Suddenly, his fingers were on her chin. They gently tilted her head upwards without much difficulty. His eye sparkled with good humor and his features were stunning even at such close proximity. "You were going to have to look at me eventually Sango," he smiled handsomely and released his hold on her chin, leaving her speechless.

"The nation's parliament is called the diet," It was remarkable how Miroku could switch from a romantic mode to a serious, all in the blink of an eye. Sango was still trying to recover from the shock of his touching her oh so casually.

"Government Ministries include the Ministry of Agriculture, Education, Foreign Affairs, Health, and the list goes on…each agency just as vital as the next." Miroku stopped talking as soon as he caught the look of suspicion on Sango's face.

He grinned mischievously. "Is this not what you wanted?"

"Just what is that supposed to mean?" she challenged with typical resilience.

"What do you want Sango? Tell me and I'll make it happen." Miroku was toying with her, Sango was aware of that. It seemed that every year in some class or another, she was stationed close to him and would be forced to listen as he sweet talked his way into a girl's heart. At the time, it never really bothered her because she knew that his attention was always fairy divided. She was OK with sharing him…but that was then.

"I want you…" Deep inside, she wanted to leave it at that and see what his reaction would be.

She got it anyway.

"You want me? Wow, I don't know what to say." Miroku feigned a look of shock.

"No! That's not what I meant!" Sango blushed. "I meant that-"

"Takashi! Take your seat…I marked you down as absent." The teacher looked through the mass of students and nodded at Sango. He had to yell to be heard because the room was filled with the sounds of chatter. "Ms. Taijiya, you are free to join another group." Sango breathed a small sigh of relief but began to panic at the same time. Shelooked away, but not before taking a glimpse at Miroku. He was smiling...

:-:-:

Tuesday afternoon, when the bell rung and Sango had caught up with Kagome, she poured out the days events and was finally able to relax afterwards. Kagome too, told Sango about the hallway encounter. Through it all, Sango wondered why Kagome was smiling so much. She got her answer as soon as Kagome turned down the hallway that led away from the parking lots.

"I thought I was giving you a ride home today?" There was confusion written all over her face. Kagome stopped and turned around embarrassedly. "Y-Yeah, you are, but first…do you want to come somewhere with me?"

Sango had a bad feeling about this. "Come where?"

"Soccer practice!" Kagome beamed and raced on ahead.

A/N: Not much Inu/Kag in this chapter...I'm sure you'll all love the next one then. Readers please review...I worked hard on this chapter!