Review Reponses
Sango's Counterpart: I'm glad someone sees it the same way I do. I think Hojo's a decent enough guy to earn one date with Kagome, since she's stood him up more than once, even if he is a little slow. And I'm glad to know another ultimate player! The world could always use a few more. Many people don't consider ultimate Frisbee a real sport, and that is simply not true.
Itsa Mia: Aw, why you gotta be so hard on Hojo like that? He's not too bad guy. And what's wrong with Kagome? Anyway, I hope this helps your missing your name at the top of each chapter
Peine: I think it is awesome that you drew fan art for my story! It's actually pretty flattering. I really hope you can resize it or something because I am simply dying to see it! I'm glad you liked Hojo's reaction to Kagome's feudal friends. It's one of the few times where even I think I hit the nail on the head.
Chapter Eighteen: Hidden Feelings?
Sango huffed as she hung her laundry out to dry on the line. She wasn't sure which she was more, depressed or angry. She was angry enough that she wore the fabric in several of her kimonos from scrubbing to hard, but she was too upset to talk to Miroku about the argument between her two friends and husband. It had been two days since Kagome left, and Sango was dying to know if Miroku really did have feelings for Kagome, but she wasn't about to tell anyone that. She was supposed to have been asleep, even though Sango was shocked that anyone could believe she slept through the horrible racket the monk, half-breed, and priestess had made.
"Do you need any help Lady Sango?" Sango looked down to see Rin looking up expectantly at her.
"No, but I would appreciate it if you would. I could use some company." Sango answered the young girl.
Rin had noticed Sango's melancholy behavior and wanted to know what bothered her crush's sister so. "I noticed you've been awfully quiet lately Lady Sango. Is something wrong?"
Sango couldn't help but smile disarmingly at the girl's observance. Most girls several years her senior wouldn't notice. "Nothing important Rin. You don't need to worry yourself over it."
"You aren't mad at me are you?" Rin asked.
"Why would be mad at you Rin? You've done nothing wrong." Sango said.
"Well, I know that you haven't been with your brother in forever, and here I am taking up a lot of his time." Rin admitted shamefully. "That's kind of selfish of me, isn't it?"
Sango laughed. "Not at all. Sesshomaru probably isn't wild about you spending all your time with his brother and his friends. I have all the time in the world to catch up with Kohaku. You only get a few days at a time. Besides, you do like him don't you?"
"Yeah." Rin confessed.
"Then I can't blame you for anything. When I began to have feelings for Miroku…" Sango trailed off, angry at herself for bringing up Miroku. She had almost forgotten too!
"What about Miroku?" Rin urged Sango to continue.
"Well, when I started to have feelings for him I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. I was always jealous when he would rather spend time with other girls, even if it was only Kagome." Sango finished.
Rin giggled. "That's silly. Why would you mind if he was spending time with Kagome? She doesn't love Miroku."
"I guess not." Sango sighed as she hung the last piece of laundry on the line.
"What do you mean by that? It's obvious she's totally stuck on Inuyasha. Even I can see that, and I'm never around. Kohaku and Shippo agree with me too." Rin remarked. "And I know Miroku only has eyes for you."
"How would you know that?" Sango snapped unknowingly.
"Well, you're married aren't you? And you have a daughter." Rin began. "He loves you. I know he does. The signs are all there."
"You don't know what he was like before though. He was an incorrigible flirt and a lecher! He would hit on every girl he saw, even ask them to bear his child!" Sango informed her younger companion.
"Well, he was dying. That's what Kohaku told me." Rin countered.
"So? It was so insensitive of him!" Sango complained.
"Maybe you should've let him know that, instead of acting like you didn't care at all." Rin replied smugly.
Sango glared at her. "How do you know all this? Did Kohaku tell you our entire life story?"
"Him and Shippo. Why do you care what Miroku has done in the past anyway? He gave all that up for you." Rin offered.
"Sometimes I wonder." Sango mumbled under her breath.
Rin cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Well, on the night of the bonfire, I heard Inuyasha and Miroku fighting. Over Kagome." Sango explained.
"Really? Miroku said he loved Kagome?" Rin asked bewildered.
"He might as well have." Sango affirmed sullenly.
"Well, I'm just going to have to have a talk with him then!" Rin concluded, stunned and angry that Miroku would turn his back on Sango for another girl.
"Please don't. This is my problem Rin, not yours." Sango said.
"Then you talk to him. You're my best friends sister, and I'll be damned if I'm just going to sit here and let your husband go after another girl. It'd be different if you two weren't married, or didn't have a child, but he made a huge commitment that he's not allowed to break!" Rin stated defiantly.
Sango looked at Rin quizzically, surprised that a little ten-year old girl would swear. "Where did you learn such harsh language?"
"That's not important. You really should talk to Miroku about this." Rin advised. "Otherwise, it'll just be eating away in the back of your mind forever."
"Where is he?" Sango conceded.
"I think he's talking to Inuyasha by the well." Rin responded.
"Figures, bet he just wants an excuse to wait for Kagome himself." Sango grumbled.
Miroku, on the contrary did not want an excuse to wait for Kagome's return. He was A) making sure Inuyasha didn't go to fetch Kagome before she had cooled off, and B) trying to convince Inuyasha to come back to the village, so Miroku could keep an eye on him without having nothing to do but play Free Cell with a pack of playing cards he happened to have on him, especially since he was beginning to think he had ran out of legal moves. "You know Inuyasha." Miroku commented. "Looking down there will not make Kagome come back any sooner. Why don't we return to the village and have something to eat?"
"Piss off wanker." Inuyasha growled. "It's your fault she left in the first place."
"My fault? How is this my fault? You called me a lecher and she got angry at you for it, then Kikyo was brought into it, which of course would make her angry! This is by no means my fault!" Miroku argued in his defense.
Inuyasha was about to respond, but Sango beat him to it. "Hello boys. Has Kagome returned yet?" she asked.
"What'd you think?" Inuyasha griped.
"Let's go back to the village Miroku. I have something I'd like to discuss with you." Sango said, grabbing Miroku's arm and pulling him along.
"But what if-"
"Don't worry pervert." Inuyasha reassured Miroku, guessing his reaction. "I'm not going to go to the future."
Without a pretense, reason, or want to stay, Miroku gathered up his deck and followed his wife. "So what was it you wanted to discuss with me dearest? Perhaps something we could take to the bedroom?" Miroku asked hopefully.
"Don't press your luck. I wanted to talk to you about Kagome." Sango explained.
Miroku was perplexed. "Kagome? What about her?"
"What do you…think of her?" Sango questioned, choosing her words carefully remembering she was supposed to be asleep at the time of the argument.
"What brought this up?" Miroku replied with his own question.
"Just answer me. That is if you ever want to get the chance to give Haruko a younger brother or sister that is." Sango threatened.
Miroku was confused. "Are you feeling alright Sango?"
"No. Now answer me. What do you think of Kagome?" Sango demanded.
Miroku stared blankly at her for a moment before responding. "Is this like, a trick question or what?"
Sango was losing her patience. "Answer me now Miroku!"
"What do you want me to say? Kagome is Kagome."
"Miroku if you do not give me a straight answer this instant…"
"I dunno. She's Kagome. She's a nice girl. A good friend. Very attractive." Miroku replied lamely.
"Anything else?" Sango continued, making this conversation seem more like a police interrogation than the asking of a simple question.
"What else would I have to say?" Miroku asked, losing some of his patience himself. Why would Sango ask him such a random and irrelevant question?
"How do you feel about her?" Sango rephrased.
Miroku began to worry. "She doesn't know Kagome kissed me does she? How could she? She was asleep, back in the village. Besides, even if she did know, it's not like that kiss meant anything. It was just friendly!"
"Miroku? Quit stalling." Sango commanded.
"Sango, I don't know what you want me to tell you. It's not my fault she left if that's what you're thinking. Inuyasha-"
Miroku was cut off. "I know it's not your fault. I just want to know if you harbor any feelings for Kagome beyond friendship."
"Like what?"
Sango thought about how she could say this without giving herself away. "Oh, I don't know, like…romantic interest?"
"Oh sure, I have had a secret attraction to Kagome for years now. I just married you and had a child with you because I was bored." Miroku said sarcastically.
"You better not be lying to me Miroku." Sango growled.
"Please Sango; you'd know if I was lying." Miroku reminded her, rolling his eyes. "What is with you today? Did you just wake up wondering if I was interested in Kagome?"
Sango didn't know how to answer that, so she decided it was better for her to come clean. "I heard the argument you, she, and Inuyasha had a few nights ago."
"And…?" Miroku encouraged her to continue.
"Well, you stood up for her." Sango explained.
"So?"
"Why did you stick up for her?"
"Wouldn't you have?" Miroku countered.
"Of course." Sango admitted.
"Then what would lead you to believe I would do any differently?"
Sango pondered Miroku's question for a moment and realized he was right. Of course Miroku would stick up for her. Any friend would have. "I don't know."
"Would I have married you if I loved someone else?" Miroku continued.
"No." Sango mumbled looking at the ground like a child who had been caught being naughty.
Miroku tiled her chin up so he was looking him in the eye. "Look Sango, I don't feel anything like that for Kagome. Is it really that hard to believe?"
"No." Sango repeated. "I don't know what I was thinking. It was impulsive of me to suspect something like that. I'm sorry."
Miroku chuckled. "Don't be. I have to admit, if I was in your position I wouldn't believe me either."
"I feel so foolish." Sango sighed.
Miroku chuckled. "Don't worry about it love. What'd you say we just drop it and act like this exchange never happened?"
Sango smiled. "Sounds good to me. You know I love you, right?"
"I love you too. I'm going to go back to the well. I think Inuyasha may try to retrieve Kagome. He's never been to keen on waiting."
A/N: I'm sorry about the long delay in posting this chapter, but I was unsure of whether I should make the argument an issue with Sango due to it's similarity to some of my other stories (i.e. Jealousy) in addition to my internet being down for several daysI considered scrapping this chapter and rewriting it, just letting the whole Kagome issue fade out, but I figured that readers had waited long enough. Please review letting me know if you think I should remove this chapter and write an alternate eighteenth chapter. Also, I'm thinking of brining this fanfiction to a close soon, but am unsure of how to do so, so ideas would be much appreciated. Hope you enjoyed.