Letters to a Traveling Solider

Summary:

He was a soldier, off to war; she was a waitress, staying home. They had known each other, what, an hour? She couldn't be falling for him .. could she? Sure, they had written letters upon letters to each other, and she had kept every single one. But their relationship went nothing deeper than friendship, right?

Author's Note:

This story was inspired by the song, Travelin' Soldier, by the Dixie Chicks. I strongly suggest you listen to the song if you have the time.

Disclaimer:

Sadly, I own nothing but the plot to this story. Technically I don't even own that, since it was inspired from a song owned by Dixie Chicks. Bummer.

Letters to a Traveling Soldier

Chapter Two: Just Trust Me?

Previously on Letters to A Traveling Soldier:

When the first man stepped off the bus in a sergeant's uniform, I knew. These were new recruits off to war, taking a short rest-stop. I gulped nervously as the soldiers piled out of the large vehicle. As I skimmed over the young men, no older than my age, I noticed, one of them caught my eye. The very last rookie, he had a sort of shine about him, but that wasn't what got my attention, it was his eyes.

They were staring directly into mine, insistent for an escape; and I couldn't look away.

"Peculiar isn't it?" I jumped slightly, then sighed finally registering it was just Kagome, "You think they'd stop somewhere more pleasant. Oh well, I'm not complaining, we could use the extra business." She shrugged and walked off to her tables.

The soldiers momentarily forgotten, I followed suit. I heard the chime above the restaurant door and knew that the new recruits had entered. Something happened, I can't really explain it, the..the air changed. It somehow became..heavier. It was as if the oxygen that once supplied us all with life was now suffocating us. Our once honest and dependant life source was slowly choking us, as if preparing us for what was to come. No one spoke, the entire café was silent. A few were praying, I chuckled slightly, how could they honestly believe that? It was so pathetic. They had such blind faith, as if they were so sure that if they begged to something that doesn't exist, that everyone would be safe. Anger raced through my being as I gripped a knife that table four requested, the other one fell. How could they believe and trust in something that they had never seen nor heard? If there really was a God, and he did love us, why put us through this agony? How could they be so stupid?

"Sango, what are you doing!" I heard Kagura seethe.

"Huh?" I said and she dramatically pointed to my hand. I glanced down at my limb, and gasped, from my temporary rage, I had gripped the blade of the knife and it sliced right through my hand.

As I loosened my hold and let my fingers relax, a river of crimson flowed through them. It laced its way to the back of my hand, racing into crevices and painting everything in its path, red. I didn't even feel it.

"Stupid! How could you do that?" Kagura scolded while wrapping my hand in a white cloth. The rivers of red refused to go down without a fight and bled their way through, staining the beautiful tourniquet. I sighed, why couldn't that work for my heart? Just put a band aid on it and everything would be fine. "Hello?"

Snapping back to reality, I answered, "Dunno."

Kagura made a slight 'tsk' noise and was on her way with a simple, "Well, don't." I smiled and looked around for Kagome, only to find her no where in sight.

Tracing Kagura's steps I found her in the kitchen, "Where's Kagome?" I asked. When she didn't answer, I looked to our chef, Karunosake, my boyfriend of six months.

"She went to serve some kid on the bus, he refused to get off or something like that." Karunosake smiled and draped his arm around my waist, and frowned at my hand. "What happened?" he asked.

"Just a cut from a knife, that's all." I assured him, as he kissed my forehead.

"All right, just be careful, okay?" I nodded, "You better get going, table six had been waiting for awhile." I nodded again and was off.

-------

As I reached table six, I noticed it was that rookie, the one who caught my eye. I sighed, just what I wanted to do, serve a man who had little or no chance of surviving the next few years.

"Hello, my name is Sango and I'll be serving you today, can I get you anything to drink?" I asked politely. The young man, whoever he was however, wasn't even looking at me. He was looking .. at my hand. I quickly hid it behind my back, as if ashamed.

"Your hand, what happened?" he asked.

"Nothing," I whispered, "I just cut myself, that's all." He nodded in understanding.

"What's your name?" I couldn't help myself, and the man looked up, genuinely startled. I blushed, what a stupid question! Now he'll think you're-

"Miroku." I smiled,

"Miroku." I tasted the name. I liked it, liked the way it rolled when you spoke it, liked the way it felt. "That's nice."

"So is yours," He paused, "Sango, would you .. would you mind sitting with me?" I felt my eyes widened, what did he mean by that?

He must've seen my reaction for he immediately began apologizing,

"I'm off in half an hour, I know a place we could go."

What! I mentally berated myself, Why did you say that! You've never taken anywhere to the place your thinking about! Not even Kagome or Kohaku! Plus, you're not even off in half an hour!

He smiled, which only made me regret my words even more. I can't show him that place..I just can't.He won't understand.

But I have no choice.

"Half an hour" He nodded, "Until then, I'll have a Coca Cola."

"One Coca Cola, coming right up." As I walked away I continued my mental beatings and asked myself why I would say such a thing. Mantan was going to kill me. I groaned, how was I going to explain this one?

-------

That stupid half hour went by way too fast for my liking. Plus, Kagome, as cheerful as she is, would not stop talking about this bus boy.

Apparently, he was gorgeous.

"..he had this silver hair that's just uh! Then there are his eyes…oh wow, his eyes… they're gold, Sango! Gold! They are amazing!" I watched in amusement as Kagome closed her eyes and twirled in a small circle, arms outstretched.

"What's his name?" I asked wanting to put a name to this mysterious god like man.

Just then, Kagome stopped spinning, and growled. "That's just it. He won't tell me! He is kind of rude, now that I think about it. But he's so gorgeous! Ah!"

I smiled, Kagome was such a hopeless romantic. If Kouga ever heard this, though, he'd probably kill the guy. He practically kissed the ground Kagome walked on. It was charming in a creepy way. While Kagome thought nothing outside the boundaries of friendship for the wolf, he refused to quit. He was determined to win her enormous heart. Sometimes I doubted that anyone could capture a heart as pure and big as Kagome's, then other times, I knew anything was possible.

"Hey Kagome, will you do me a favor?" I asked, remembering Miroku.

"Yeah, sure, Sango."

"I need you to cover for me for awhile. I should be back today, but I might not."

"Okay..will I get details?"

I smiled, so Kagome to make sure she got something, even if I said no, she'd do it. But then, why would we be best friends?

"Of course."

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"Yo, Miroku, you ready?" I asked, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. He nodded and explained that he needed to tell hid sergeant he was leaving. "Okay, I'll wait here."

He was off, and I saw him talking to a short man, the sergeant, I presumed. He come jogging back, and asked,

"So, where are we going?"

I smiled, "Follow me. You better be ready, we're walking." I began walking towards our destination, and glanced back to make sure he was following, "It's quite a hike."

He smiled, and followed my foot steps.

After awhile we talked like old friends. He was a sweet guy, this Miroku. He was my polar opposite, though. Where he was warm, I was cold, where he held joy, I held sorrow, where he was hopeful, I was hopeless. We had something in common, though,

We had both lost our families.

When we reached a dead end, I marveled in Miroku's confusion, this whole journey, Miroku had known everything. Every time I tried to stump him, he found a way around it. I was happy to know something he didn't; my own little secret.

"Um, where are we?" I smiled,

"Just follow me, and step exactly where I step, okay?" He nodded.

As I began to climb the side of the small mountain, he seemed to understand, and followed. After almost a full 20 minutes of climbing, we were finally there. My secret place, that was no longer secret.

"Wow," Was all Miroku seemed to be able to say, looking at the view. I had to agree with him, there were no other words to describe this place. The view was on a small ledge, so small we had to squish to fit, it was just big enough. I leaned back and soon Miroku imitated my action. The view overlooked the sea, the blue green mass spread out before us. If you looked down, you could see a small forest, the greens almost blending with the ocean, you could hear and smell the water, meshing together, her soul's lullaby.

I closed my eyes, as I always did, and heard Miroku whisper,

"It's beautiful."

"I know."

"How did you find it?"

I hesitated, I didn't tell anyone about this time, not even my father. It was a horrible memory, even thought it gave me this place, I had long ago buried it beneath the soil of memory. A soil I refuse to dig up.

"I forget." I lied. Miroku noticed, as I peeked one eye open. A pregnant silence followed, and once again the air began to choke me, I couldn't breathe and just before it took it all away..

"What happened to you?" All the air rushed back into my lungs, as in inflating them again, giving them back life to just answer this question. I turned to look at him, how could he know? "What happened that was so horrible, you can't speak of it, but it gave you this haven?"

My eyes widened. Damn him. Damn him and his intelligence. Why the hell did he care?

"None of your damn business." I snapped and regretted it instantly, seeing the pain in his eyes. I shook the remorse away, reminding myself just what he was asking me.

"Just trust me? Tell me this one thing, and I promise you, you'll feel better. That's all you need to do, is trust me." Miroku spoke, I looked up at him, could I do it? I mean, I haven't told anyone..it was then I burst into tears. I couldn't take it anymore, after bottling everything up for so long, I needed a release, I needed to say something, even if it was only one.

"I..I got separates from Dad on a tour, it was before we moved here, and I was sp scared, we looked at a house down the road and I didn't know where to go. Somehow I ended up here, and I decided to climb a little ways up the mountain so maybe I could see my father. I was 11 at the time. So, I climbed, but I fell, I fell a long way, I fell onto this ledge and I was pretty scraped up. By now it was dark, and I was so scared. I heard voices, men's voices. They were coming this way. Eventually they found me, and they..they raped me, Miroku." I sobbed once again, and almost immediately I felt his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. Normally, I would have blushed, but now I just let him hold me. I needed him.

"I'm sorry. That was wrong of them, they shouldn't have done that." I finally stopped crying and we climbed down together, we walked all the way back to the café silently, both of us not looking at each other. I felt stupid; I knew I shouldn't have told him that, now he hates me. I sighed, as we neared the restaurant, I noticed the bus was loaded and ready for him. I stopped in my tracks.

He was leaving.

I spun around to face him, and collided into him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my reaction surprising me.

"Please don't go." I begged, I finally told someone, and he had to leave. I felt familiar arms snaking their way across my lower back, and I felt him smile into my hair.

"Thank you for telling me your secret, Sango. I really appreciate it." I nodded, tightening my grip on him, in response, he tightened his as well. "But, I do have to go and I was wondering, since I have no one to write to.. Sango, would you mind if I wrote here to you?"

I looked up, surprised he actually wanted to write to me, and I felt myself nodding my head. "Just write to the restaurant's address. That way I'll always get it." He smiled and hugged me close one more time, a hug so brief, I had no time to react.

"Houshi! Time to go!" The sergeant yelled.

"Coming!" He yelled back. "Sango, I have to go." I nodded and gave him the address and turned around to walk him back to the bus. Then..

I stopped in my tracks and felt my cheeks burn in anger as a hand caressed my ass.

I twirled on my heels and slapped him across the face, "What the hell was that!" I screamed, enraged he'd do such a thing. All anger cleared away as soon as I saw his face lightened up with humor.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help it." Then with that, he walked into the bus, and drove away.

End.

See! He's still the same Miroku! Haha, tell me how you like it!

Chapter Three: Mysterious Man In White

We learn a little about Kagome and the 'bus boy'