Fallen From the Heavens
By: SlayerSango23

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters... :(
And my title is an Evanescence song...

Miroku's Excerpt:

From the beginning, I'd felt that she was special... But I hadn't known that she would have such an effect upon me. I wanted to help her find what she sought, wanted to ease her pain, but healing her heart was to become almost an...obsession. And I was completely unsuspecting and unprepared for the incredible longing she would produce within me. And I would go further for this woman than I ever thought I would go...

Chapter Four: Bring Me to Life

Sango hadn't slept well at all. Insomnia had stricken her, keeping her up well into the early morning hours. Sleep had finally come, but rather than being a comforting friend, it had been a wicked tormenter. She tossed and turned, and at times softly whimpered. She saw the horrifying images of the crash as clearly as if it'd happened yesterday. When she woke, she absently touched her forehead, and then she realized where she was. As a last resort she took some sleeping pills, which sent her into a steady, dreamless sleep.

So, she wasn't surprised that she didn't wake up until well after noon.

The ringing of her phone woke her. She fumbled for it, emerging from the twisted sea of blankets.

"Yes, this is her." She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes once more.

"Would you tell me a bit about yourself?" she asked, managing to get out of the bed and pull the evaluation form from a drawer.

Sango spoke with the female caller for a good half hour, and she was feeling quite relieved. It seemed as though she could actually share an apartment with this woman!

But then...

"Oh, one other thing. My boyfriend is out of work right now and doesn't really have a place to stay... You wouldn't mind if he stayed with us awhile, until he gets on his feet, would you?" the woman asked.

Sango's shoulders slumped, and her good mood quickly did a 180.

"How long has your boyfriend been out of work?" she asked, deciding to at least give them the benefit of the doubt.

"Oh, about six months now, but he's been looking, and I really think he'll find something soon."

Sango's headache had suddenly worsened, if it was possible.

The last thing she needed was a freeloader, and she had a sneaking suspicion that if boyfriend and girlfriend were living with her she'd feel like an outsider in her own apartment!

She sighed. This woman had been a good prospect for awhile.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think it will work. I wish you both the best, though."

Sango ended the conversation as politely as she could and hung up. She fell back into her pillows and grabbed one, hugging it tightly against her chest.

"This is a nightmare!" And she lay there, completely prepared to stay in bed for the rest of the day.

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Several hours later, Sango had decided that some air would do her good, so she'd taken her notebook and headed to the park. She didn't often go to the park, but it seemed like a nice change.

It was chilly, but not terribly cold for January. She held her notebook against her chest and clutched at her coat, holding it closed when the wind blew. She made her way over to a bench where she would be seated in clear view of a small pond. She remembered that she would sometimes skate on that very pond when she was young. Kids still did, she'd noticed.

Sango gazed out at the pond a few moments longer, then she directed her eyes and thoughts to the task at hand. She opened the notebook and stared down at the page, which was either half-full or half- empty, depending upon her cup philosophy for the day. She stared and stared, jotted down a few things, then stared awhile longer. Nothing solid seemed to be coming. So, with a sigh, she turned her attention elsewhere.

She looked over her shoulder and saw a young boy playing. There was a man there, too. He was kneeling down and speaking to the boy, but Sango couldn't tell what he was saying. Then she saw the boy point off in the distance to where a woman was hurriedly approaching him. She assumed this was the boy's mother.

The man seemed to notice her presence and turned to look in her direction. She recognized him then.

It was so odd how they managed to constantly end up in the same place... Was he following her?

When he began walking toward her, she immediately put her head down and tried to feign writing, despite her lack of words.

"Sango, hello." Miroku greeted cheerfully when he'd made his way over to her bench.

Not wanting to be rude, she looked up, and returned the greeting.

"How are you today?" he asked.

"Oh...fine, thank you."

He seemed to be studying her again. He was probably focusing upon the dark circles under her eyes that she'd noticed today.

"You look as though you're having a rough day..."

Damn his perceptiveness!

"No, I'm fine, really."

He was still standing; he hadn't invited himself to sit down. At least he seemed to respect her space, if not her isolation.

"You know what helps?" He grinned at her.

She gave him an inquisitive look.

"What?"

He hesitated, still grinning at her, as if he had some magical cure-all that he was loving to keep her in suspense about.

"Ice cream," he finally said.

She blinked. "Ice cream?"

"Yeah, don't you just feel a little bit better after having ice cream?"

What is with this guy?

He was so...different. It wasn't really a creepy different, but she was taking no chances...

"What do you want from me?" she suddenly blurted out.

Her voice was quiet but firm, and her face was set in an expression hard as stone. Yet, her eyes seemed to reveal a sad and lonely child.

He flinched noticeably, as though she'd struck him. Nevertheless, he understood.

She doubts my sincerity, and she doesn't trust me...

"Your friendship," he answered with utmost sincerity.

She was somewhat surprised and was suddenly beginning to feel a little guilty. But why should she? She had every right to be wary of a total stranger who kept 'coincidentally' showing up wherever she was!

Her eyes left his. She looked down and began toying with the spiral of her notebook.

"Why mine?" She raised them once more. I don't understand...

He was silent for a moment, as if he had no explanation, so she continued.

"You said that you were interested in my work, and now you want to be my friend, so which is it? Are you even a writing agent at all? Or...was that just an excuse...?"

She immediately regretted blurting out all that she'd been thinking, but it was too late to take it back now. Perhaps he would simply leave, and she could go back to being alone with her tortured thoughts.

But instead, he gave her a knowing look. "Sango, I understand your skepticism completely. But it is true that I've read your work and enjoyed it. If you need proof I could name off book titles, plots, character names, or quote lines for you... And as I told you, I am new to the writing business, but I am learning..."

Of course, I'm learning for you, Sango... He knew that naturally, he couldn't tell her this. Not yet, anyway.

"And as far as wanting to be your friend," he continued, "That is certainly true, as well. I was intrigued by you, and I...thought you could use one."

"I don't need your pity. I have friends... You know nothing about me!" She turned obstinately away.

"It's not pity, Sango. And I am quite certain that you do have friends, but you can never have too many, can you? Shutting people out and keeping to yourself may protect you from getting hurt, but the consequences will be far worse..." He gazed at her somberly.

She spun around quickly, becoming defensive. "Who says I shut people out?"

"Just a feeling."

"Look, I don't know you! That's why I am shutting you out, as you say! I don't make a habit of going off with strange men! And why are you constantly analyzing me and my behavior?"

She has so much pain inside...

"I apologize, Sango. I am being very forward, aren't I?"

Sango said nothing, but simply sat there. She was suddenly feeling a pang in her stomach, probably the guilt again.

Miroku closed his eyes. This is going to be tougher than I thought...

He sighed in apparent defeat. "Well, I am sorry for bothering you. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I do wish you well. Oh, and try to get some rest, ok?"

He turned to leave. She allowed him to walk a few feet before something inside her forced her to call out to him.

"Miroku, wait..."

She knew she had right to be cautious, but she felt so guilty about treating one of the nicest men she'd ever met in such a way.

He turned, surprised that she'd stopped him. She slid over on the bench to the end and beckoned for him to join her. He smiled at this, and she graced him with a shy one in return.

Miroku sat down next to her, being certain to respect her space. Hence, he gave her the 3 quarters of bench she obviously needed between them.

After a moment of silence, she spoke. "It's a little cold for ice cream, don't you think?" She gazed at him with those deep chocolate eyes that were both uncertain and hopeful.

"Hm?"

She shrugged and looked away. "I just think it's kind of cold for ice cream, but...hot chocolate always feels so good going down on a chilly day."

"You're absolutely right about that, Sango," he said, smiling sweetly.

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Sango's Excerpt:

I always had a feeling Miroku wasn't like other men. I would often try to figure him out, but whenever I thought I had, he would surprise me. At first I was very suspicious of him; I remember thinking he was just some stalker...
But his intentions were good... He was trying so hard to get to know me, and I didn't make that easy at first. But he somehow managed to break down the defenses I'd worked so hard to build up. And he did so surprisingly easily. That day we ran into each other at the park, we went to a café and had hot chocolate. And we slowly got to know one another. Several weeks later we were having lunch together practically every day. We'd tell each other jokes we'd heard, talk about books or life, anything...and he was helping me to improve my writing, as well. He seemed to have a knack for it. Miroku was quickly becoming my best friend. And he treated me as one. He never hit on me or made me feel uncomfortable, and I soon abandoned any notion of him having romantic interest in me. And I felt relieved. I was happier in those first few weeks than I had been in a very long time, but a new challenge in our relationship was to come...

End of Chapter

A/N: Sorry for the delay, folks. I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think!

Review Responses:

foxychild: Thank you so much! I am very flattered. :wide grin: I would love to actually write books, and I plan to try my hand at it eventually.

Sailor-Helios: I read your review, and it made me very happy. Thank you so much! Wow, first Miroku/Sango fic, huh? I am so glad I didn't disappoint! In regard to your City of Angels comment, I sort of thought of it when I began writing this, but I actually hadn't seen the whole movie. I knew what it was about, but not entirely... So, it wasn't really my inspiration, but I actually went out and rented it after you said that. Haha. And the verdict is...there 'may' be some similar elements between my story and City of Angels, but it will be quite different. And as far as who/what Miroku is...you will just have to keep reading... ;) That was a very interesting perception, though.
Ooo, my character portrayal was 'brilliant,' huh? I like that...a lot. Thanks! I did my best to keep them in character, while putting my own spin. And as far as Miroku goes...the pervert is part of the character, but that is not who he really is deep down, and there are reasons for why he acts that way. And his super perversion, at times, is used for comic relief. The Miroku I am attempting for is the guy once you strip that away. Although, you never know...I may toss some little bits of Miroku perversion in there in the future... ;)
I also like Inu/Kag, but I think I am more of a Mir/San fan. I was glad that you found them intriguing in my story. Oh, and I do plan to write some Inu/Kag fics in the future, so I hope you will read them. :)
Glad you liked my adding in Kuranosuke and Naraku's interest in Sango. You completely read my mind... That's how I feel, too...how come Kagome always gets all the guys? What's wrong with Sango, huh?
So, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to hear from you again!

misterious adviser: I'm glad you're liking it. Yes, I am purposely trying to make him mysterious... And Sango not as shy...hm, I didn't think of that...perhaps she isn't. I was going for a Sango who was forced to really grow up because of a tragedy, and she has this whole 'I have to be strong' attitude going on.

drake220: It's ok that you didn't review the chapter before last. Hope to hear from you on this one. And yes, I agree that too often characters trust too easily. I wanted Sango to be realistic. She is not only realistic because she has had to grow up and live on her own, but she is also not easily won over, especially when it comes to guys. I wanted her to have a bit of shyness, too, though. You thought Miroku was creepy, huh? Yeah, if that actually happened it probably would be creepy. Miroku is kind of oblivious to how he's being creepy, though. Of course, that's not an excuse, is it? Sorry the update took so long and sorry it wasn't longer!

tinemelk: Thank you, and I hope you like how it is progressing... Interested in Miroku, perhaps...but she is not really wanting to get involved with someone at this time...

Tera McCaslin: Thank you so much:blushes: It's a real tribute that my story has made enough of an impact that you recognize it so easily, and I am thrilled that it excites you like that. :) Hope to hear from you!

alchemistgrl09: Why thank you! "Sometimes I amaze even myself" Haha, just joking of course. That was actually a quote from Star Wars (Han Solo), if you have seen Star Wars... ;) And if not, then you should!

darkfallenangel666: Thank you. I plan to add some chapters. Keep reading and reviewing, please and thank you!

animearlinefreak: Thank you, and here is your update... Sorry it took so long! Please review! Thank you much!