the Mender: ILuvsBakura
the Construction: Oct. 10, 2005
the Pieces: Worth Waiting For- Sango and Miroku
the Fragment: Star-Crossed Lovers
the Tools: gratuitous use of Romeo and Juliet, and fluff fluff fluffy fluff
Star-Crossed Lovers
The drama teacher whistled for silence. "Are you ready to begin?" she asked irritably, "because if you feel that your glorious conversations must go on, then please, deprive the void no longer! Just remember that this play must be rehearsed sometime, or the curtain shall never rise."
The students all looked down, thoroughly ashamed of their boisterous behavior. The teacher raised an eyebrow and asked, "May we now begin?" And the actors took their places.
Sango was excited. She loved the thrill that came with each new part- the daring and the courage that taking on a new identity required. And she was certain that with enough effort she could be any character at all, stripping herself of her own motivations and enjoying the act she put on for a whole audience to see. And the very play she was in then gave a bigger adrenaline rush than ever. Sure, it was a role that thousands of others had played, that maybe thousands hated and maybe thousands loved, but for those few performances, it was going to be hers. The prestige, while it did make her proud, wasn't the reason she had tried out for it in the first place. She was Juliet, and she had tried out to act with her Romeo.
Originally, the whole thing had been her friend's idea. She convinced Sango that it would bring her closer to her crush, and that over all it would be fun. That line of reasoning just made her roll her eyes. Sango may have nearly loved the boy, but she wasn't about to do anything just to show him that. She definitely wasn't going to make a fool of herself just to get his attention.
They had been friends- sort of- for a while. Mostly, he would flirt with her with no real intentions, and she would pretend to be annoyed. But they were in totally different crowds, with totally different friends, and the stupid school-clique infrastructure quickly put an end to any hopes she might have had for a chance with him. It didn't really matter to her, but she knew that his reputation mattered to him, and she would only be a blemish.
He really was beautiful. And lecherous, and promiscuous, but she felt it best to sometimes overlook his bad qualities. She had denied the attraction to him for so long, that when it finally surfaced, it took over her entire world. But he didn't even know. He never realized just how strongly she cared for him. It threatened to destroy her time and time again, but somehow she always managed to smile. After all, he'd probably turn out to be worse than she expected anyway.
"Romeo!" the teacher called. "Get up here, it is time to act out your scene! You are meeting Juliet, the woman you will come to love more than even your own life! You could at least have the decency not to be late!"
Grinning, Miroku winked at the girl he had been flirting with and jogged up onto the stage. "I'm here," he said, "I just wasn't paying attention. My sincerest apologies."
Their flamboyant drama teacher nodded appreciatively. "Alright then. Now, let the magic commence!"
Pulling his script from the back pocket of his jeans, he began.
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this."
He glanced up at Sango briefly, his violet eyes entrancing her. She couldn't help it, no matter how hard she tried. Time and time again, she wished she didn't care for him; she felt as if she would give anything just to be rid of those feelings. But they wouldn't leave. He was always in her head.
"My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."
A few of the students snickered because of the overly dramatic (and clearly mocking) way he said it, which was in fact his intention. He grinned, proud of his uncooperative efforts. Sango just stood there, waiting to say her line, hoping that he would look away as she spoke.
The teacher didn't give her a chance to speak. "Miroku! You must take this seriously! No more horseplay or I shall relieve you of your role- and that is no idle threat! Now start again and this time really feel it. Feel what Romeo is feeling! You know the character's motivations- he is captivated by this unknown beauty, and yearns to know more about her, yearns to know her touch, her kiss, and yearns to learn the very intricacies of her soul! You must love this Juliet as all other Romeos have loved their Juliets throughout the ages! Love her with your speech, caress her with your words! Now... ACT!"
Her face must have shown how nervous she was feeling, because Miroku gave her an encouraging smile. He walked up to her and took her hand. In a voice that spoke volumes more than it should have, he began once again.
Sango was taken aback by the intensity of his words. She almost forgot to say her own line, so wrapped up was she in his.
"Good pilgrim you do wrong your hands too much which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."
She tried to sound confident and teasing, instead of nervous and shaky and a little embarrassed like she really felt.
"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"
Was it her imagination, or were they the only two people in the room? The attraction she was feeling really wasn't an act.
"Aye, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."
She wished he wouldn't look at her like that. He shouldn't be looking at her like that. It was too distracting.
"Oh then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray. Grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."
Sango took a deep breath. She had never imagined they could have so much chemistry together. Even if it was on the stage, there was no denying that audiences everywhere would be convinced they were deeply in love. He looked about like she felt; could he be leading her on because he knew her feelings? Could it be that he felt the same way? She didn't know. But it looked like she might just get to find out...
"Saints do not move, though grant for prayer's sake."
He grinned, suppressing it poorly, and her stomach did somersaults.
"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take."
She didn't even hear the next line as he moved towards her. It was just part of the play, what was happening was just part of the play.
However, the whistles and catcalls she heard as he kissed her told her that they were doing a stupendous job of putting on a show. He had even grabbed her and tipped her back a little, over-doing the dramatics as only he knew how.
When he pulled away from her, Sango noticed- aside from the fact that she was somehow still standing- that the teacher was clapping. "Oh wonderful job, wonderful job! I was moved! I felt it- the emotion of it all! You have surpassed all expectations! Brilliant my fledglings, brilliant!"
As per the usual, the teacher then immediately stated that the rehearsal was over, and they were free to go. Whenever the students did a particularly good job, she'd always reward them with free time, saying that their creativity shouldn't be stretched.
"Good job Sango," Miroku said suddenly, startling her a bit. He put a friendly hand on her shoulder and smiled. Leaning down to her ear he whispered so lowly that only she could hear. "And just for the record, about the kiss... I wasn't acting."
He winked and walked over to join his friends. She watched him for a moment, talking and laughing with them. Touching her lips briefly with one finger she said quietly, "You really do kiss by the book."
The bell rang soon after, and they went their separate ways. Before they began to talk more, hold hands in the hallways, and kiss without a script, the play's run would be over. But to Sango, he was truly worth waiting for.