A/N: Thank you for so many reviews: 47 at the time I'm writing this – and to think I only expected 5! You all are toogreat!

Besides that, I do apologize for the relative shortness of the chapters; the problem is I don't really update by length, but rather by scene, as I think I've said before - but it all gets blurry after a while...It makes me mad too though, because I really want to know what happens next! (How ironic the author herself is clueless about the next chapter…)

So concluding with my note, I leave you with two important messages: enjoy and review, and this is not quite the last chappie either!

Chapter Twelve

Sango hurried through the freshly falling snow to Lawrance Hall.

As she approached the front doors, two other freshman were exiting. Ducking her head in acknowledgement, she darted between the two and entered the hall. The snow-powdered girl walked briskly through the entrance hall and up the main stairway, ignoring the usual bulletins of study sessions and intramural competitions. Books and sports were the last things on her mind at the moment. Finding the nearest cliff to jump off sounded to her like more of a concept to consider.

She unlocked her dormitory suite, and immediately went to her room, not bothering to check if anyone lounged in the common room.

'I can't believe I actually did that.' Sango thought gloomily once she had reached the tiny sanctuary of her room. 'He'll probably tell all his friends. I'll be the laughing-stock of the college by tomorrow.'

She slumped on her bed. 'What's more, I can't find my books.' Cringing, she clung to her stuffed tiger, Kirara. 'I am so dead.'

Her mind replayed the scene over and over in her head, not giving her any reprieve:

…look, just forget the deal. You can do whatever you want; I'm setting you free of having to help me out." She wrested her hand out of Miroku's grip. "So you don't have to pretend to be my friend anymore, all right?"

"What are you talking-"

"I mean it! So you can just go back to your socially elite upperclass friends, and never embarrass yourself again talking to a stupid, childish, naïve freshman!"

She winced at each word, as if feeling each asa physical blow. 'I can't believe I said all that.' Sango thought, squeezing Kirara tighter. 'Now if there were any chance of dating him, I just killed it.' She couldn't help but feel miserable at the conclusion. 'And where the hell are my books?'

It was as if her mind had blacked out after that last sentence, and the next thing she remembered was leaving the biology lab. 'I can't even remember if we had any homework.' A new idea left her stricken. 'Oh no, my biology lab report! I lost that too!'

"God..."She moaned into her tiger's fur.

"Hey Sango!" A knock on the door startled her from her bleak rehashing. She looked up blearily.

"What, Kagura?" She called back, as well as she could.

"Koga's at the door, and he says you forgot to meet him for lunch."

Sango blinked and sat up. 'That's right! I nearly forgot about my plan!'

"Sango?" Kagura asked again, seemingly impatient. Her next comment explained why. "I don't want to leave him out in the hallway long. If any of the girls see him and report it…"

"I know, I know.Let him in." Sango got out of bed, heading for the door. She was still clutching the plushie for comfort, but her mind was focused on the night's plans.

By the time Sango entered the common room, Koga hadmade himself comfortablein one of theplush armchairs by the fireplace. Sango nodded to him and sat in an adjacent one.

"So why didn't you meet me? I tried to call you, but you wouldn't answer your cell phone." Koga seemed relatively cheerful though, for a guy just stood up. It was extremely raretosee him in a truly bad mood.His easy smile widened when he saw the stuffed tiger. "What? Did Kirara miss me?"

"Ha, funny." Sango stroked Kirara's fur absently. "I really didn't mean to stand you up for lunch, but I completely forgot. Today has been hell."

His laughing eyes softened and he leaned back in the armchair. "Bad day huh? Everyone has one, I guess." Then he smiled again. "I remember last week, my car broke down in the middle of traffic on I-91. And I was in the middle lane. I couldn't believe my luck! Funny how it seems so hilarious now, and I was so pissed when I was there, having it happen to me. And the week before-"

Sango let Koga go on for a while, though not really listening as she should. It was a habit of Koga's to go off on a tangent about his life for an hour.

"Say Koga, you remember Ayame, right?" Sango interrupted her ex-boyfriend abruptly. Koga blinked, as if mentally changing gears.

"Yeah, sure, I remember her fine." He began. "We were childhood friends. You know the type; the kind where you're best buds, and then one moves away and you fall apart."

"Ayame remembers you too." Sango nodded, after Koga finished. "In fact she's going to school here."

"She is? Amazing; small world I guess." He smiled. "I saw her at the game; she's gotten pretty hot since we were kids." Suddenly, he sat up. "But she was like a sister back then, Sango."

"Except for the part where you proposed to her?" Sango asked slyly.

"That's low." He scolded. "I only did that to make sure she didn't start crying on me when she was moving away."

"Is that right?" Sango drawled, raising an eyebrow. Koga looked at her suspiciously.

"You're planning something between Ayame and me, aren't you?" He asked slowly.

"I just want you guys to catch up on old times." Sango toyed with her tiger.

"Bullshit."

"Now that's harsh, Koga." Sango made what she hoped to be a cute pout. Kagome did it so much better than she could. But it seemed to work.

Koga laughed. "Honey, you are too much. You'd think you'd be jealous of a new girlfriend, and here you are, trying to hook me up again."

"I think you're forgetting the reason we broke up, Koga." Sango murmured softly, heart plummeting with the thought. So far, he and Ayame were the only two that she had admitted her feelings to.

"How's that working out?" Koga asked. His voice sounded concerned.

"Not so well. I just yelled at him today." She sighed."I don't think it'll work out." Sango buried her head in the Kirara's furry body once again.

"Aw, honey; look if it'll help you any, maybe I could talk to this guy of yours, find out what his deal is." He offered.

"I don't think it'll help." Sango muttered.

"Well, I'll talk to Ayame at least."

Sango visibly brightened.

Koga warned quickly, "Just talk. I'm not promising I'll be interested."

She nodded, getting up to give him a tight hug. "Thank you, Koga."

"Anytime. I just don't like seeing pretty ladies all upset." Koga smiled up at her. "You'll be all right. Don't worry; I have a feeling that guy will come running to you even before the holidays start."

"How strong a feeling?" Sango tested him.

"Pretty damn strong." Koga told her confidently.

"All right, I'll remember you said that." She climbed back into her own armchair, curling up with Kirara tucked under her chair.

"So when do you want me to meet Aya?"

"Aya?" Sango raised an eyebrow.

"Nickname." Koga explained.

"I see. Why not tonight then? At 11:00. I'll bring you guys some coffee or hot chocolate, and-"

"Hot chocolate." Koga interrupted. "Bring hot chocolate."

"All right." She nodded. "I'll bring hot chocolate. Meet us in the Old Campus Green – that courtyard outside here. You guys can catch up then, and do whatever comes natural at the time."

"Whatever comes natural?" He questioned.

She shrugged. "I'll leave it up to you."

"How kind of you." Koga replied sarcastically.

"I know, isn't it?" She smiled. She looked up at the clock; nearly three. Ayame would be home soon. She didn't want the fateful reuninon so early. "So now that everything's taken care of, I'll walk you out."

"Don't worry about it." He yawned. "I'll take myself out."

"By the way, take a nap; you look tired." He got up and headed for the door. "See you later."

"See you." Sango waved lazily from the chair. He couldn't see her body, curled in the armchair, from the door; but he grinned at the lazy wave of her hand, just peeking out from behind the chair's back.

Sango muttered to herself after he left. "I'm not tired, not really."

Her mind continued the solo conversation. 'I'm just stressed. But I really should get to that western civ essay…'

But before she could start planningit,she fell deeply asleep, clutching Kirara.