I wrote a sequel lol.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters.
It was quiet in the house after Izayoi died.
Well, with only Miroku and Inuyasha living there, it usually was rather quiet.
But after Izayoi died, it was a different sort of a quiet, a sad kind.
Miroku didn't like it.
He preferred the bustle of a crowd and the productive noise of organizing a concert. He preferred checking things off on his clipboard and saying, "Inuyasha, you're on in five minutes." He thrived off of it, off the noise. Silence...he didn't do well with silence. Silence meant thoughts could travel and regrets could be recalled.
But Izayoi had died the night before, so Miroku knew that's how it was going to be from now on.
Quiet in the house.
Miroku flipped through the channels on the TV, trying to find something decent to watch, when he heard the front door open and close again.
He nearly breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been drowning in the quiet, even though it had only been several minutes since Inuyasha walked the woman outside to her car.
Inuyasha came and plopped down onto the couch next to Miroku.
"Hey," Miroku greeted. "Is Kagome gone?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha replied quietly. Miroku paused.
"I liked her a lot," he pressed. "Will she be coming back?"
Miroku could tell Inuyasha was avoiding his gaze.
"I don't know. I don't think so." Inuyasha took a deep breath. "We should start planning the funeral."
Miroku nodded, taking Inuyasha's mood in stride.
They really did have a lot to plan, and if Inuyasha didn't think she'd be coming around again, Miroku figured it was best to not push Inuyasha for a more detailed explanation. Kagome was a great person, obviously, considering what she'd done for Inuyasha.
But maybe that's all she would wind up being for them.
Which was a shame, because despite his mother's death, Miroku hadn't seen Inuyasha as at ease as he was with Kagome in years.
So Miroku went to grab his laptop and they started planning a funeral.
o.O.o
"Did you see the tabloids this morning?"
Miroku looked up from where he was drinking coffee at the table to see Inuyasha walk into the kitchen. He had a fierce frown on his face and was holding up his phone.
"I haven't seen anything yet," Miroku replied. "What is it?"
Inuyasha huffed. "Someone saw us at the funeral home when we were planning things out for tomorrow. Now it's all over the celebrity gossip news."
Miroku frowned and took the phone, glancing at the screen to see that there was indeed a photo of himself and Inuyasha leaving the funeral home.
"People are speculating now," Inuyasha continued. "Look at all of these headlines! How is this any of their business?"
Inuyasha scrolled through his phone, allowing Miroku to see the article titles listed by a quick Google search.
"Who died in Poor Popstar Inuyasha's life?"
"Who wants to know which of his songs he sings when he's sad?"
"Do you think he'll perform at the funeral to hype up the crowd?"
Inuyasha growled and tossed the phone on the counter.
"'Hype up the crowd,'" he repeated, his voice strained. "Like it's a concert. I hate…" He cut himself off. "Whatever. I need a drink." Inuyasha walked over to grab a bottle of vodka they had shoved under the sink for whenever they had dinner guests.
Miroku frowned. Inuyasha never drinks...it's, like, a thing he doesn't do. This must be really weighing on him.
"How about you have some coffee first?" Miroku suggested before Inuyasha could open the bottle. "It's still pretty early. Maybe we can wait on drinking other stuff."
Inuyasha paused before nodding. He put the bottle back and grabbed a coffee mug.
"Can you...put a statement out?" Inuyasha asked, as he poured the coffee.
Miroku frowned. "About your mom?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "Yeah...they're just gonna keep speculating. I don't want people always asking me about it."
Miroku nodded. "Sure, I can do that. Do you need anything else?" Inuyasha shook his head and took a sip of coffee while Miroku started composing an email.
Inuyasha thanked him a final time before downing the rest of his coffee and leaving the kitchen.
Miroku figured he would go straight to his room, but then he heard the opening and closing the basement door. Raising an eyebrow, Miroku paused his typing and listened.
When he heard the first few chords of what was no doubt "Moon Song" being played on guitar, as well as the addition of Inuyasha's voice to the song, Miroku smiled.
He's using the music room again? Miroku mused. That's great. I think that'll help him more than he realizes.
Standing up from the table, Miroku crept to the basement door and opened it silently. He paused for a moment, taking in the music, before he smiled again. He crept back to the kitchen and was pleased when the sound of Inuyasha playing was a bit more audible with the door now open.
Miroku closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the music, and was grateful that of all the things that could cut the silence, Inuyasha's playing was the one to do it.
Later on, Miroku was cooking dinner. Inuyasha had been playing "Moon Song" on repeat for a majority of the day, which Miroku suspected was bordering on obsession, but he figured it was better than a lot of other coping mechanisms he could turn to.
But then Inuyasha had seen the first article about his mother's death.
It hadn't taken long for some of the gossip sites to take Miroku's statement and roll with it, so after they'd started popping up online, Inuyasha came upstairs, slamming the basement door behind him. He went into the kitchen and showed Miroku the article, his eyes hard and his brows narrowed.
"Can you believe this is the kind of stuff they thrive off of?" he asked incredulously. "It's not even...it's not even in a sympathetic kind of way! They're profiting off of Mom's death and I just hate all of this-"
He cut himself off and shoved the phone back in his pocket. With a final sigh of frustration, Inuyasha left the kitchen and a moment later, Miroku heard his bedroom door slam closed.
Miroku sighed as he stirred the soup he had on the stove. It was tough seeing his best friend go through the wringer like this, so he figured going about at least a few things as usual might help.
Miroku had just turned the stove off and was starting to ladle soup into two bowls when Inuyasha came out of his bedroom and into the kitchen.
His golden eyes were wide as he walked over. Miroku raised an eyebrow when Inuyasha pointed at his phone. He figured it was another article that was upsetting him, but then Miroku realized it was currently ringing in his hand. The screen was flashing and Miroku saw a name he hadn't spoken aloud in years…
Sango…
Ten Years Earlier…
Miroku laughed as Inuyasha belted the words of the song from where he sat in the front seat of the car.
The radio was blasting one of the many songs they'd just heard at Warped Tour, and Inuyasha was very obviously trying to make the festival high last as long as possible.
"Guys, we have to start a band!" Inuyasha shouted over the music. "Then one day maybe we can perform at Warped!" His mom laughed at his enthusiasm as she pretended to cover the ear she had closest to him as she drove.
Glancing at the seat next to him in the back, Miroku met Sango's gaze and smiled at her. It had been a fun night for all of them, but Miroku had an extra plan up his sleeve.
That night, when Inuyasha's mom dropped Sango off at her house, Miroku was going to walk her up to her front door and ask her to be his girlfriend.
At fifteen-years-old, he'd never had an actual girlfriend, and he was happy that Sango would hopefully become his first one.
Inuyasha peeked back at Miroku and wriggled his eyebrows, recognizing Sango's street and knowing that Miroku's plan would be set into action very soon.
"Well, here we are," Izayoi said as she parked in front of Sango's house. "I hope you had fun, honey."
Sango smiled brightly. "I did! Thank you so much for driving us!" She gave Inuyasha's shoulder a light squeeze before looking at Miroku.
Before she could say anything, Miroku unbuckled his seatbelt. "I'll walk you to the door."
Sango blushed and nodded before getting out of the car.
Izayoi and Inuyasha gave Miroku a thumbs-up as he followed Sango out, knowing full-well what his plan was.
Miroku was quiet as he and Sango walked up the sidewalk to her front door. When they reached it, she turned to look up at him.
"Thanks for walking me," she said, a small smile playing on her lips.
Miroku opened his mouth to say something, but he faltered a bit.
Her eyes were just so big and brown and beautiful, only accentuated more by the thick black eyeliner she wore. The silkiness of her brown hair looked like a waterfall of satin flowing down the oversized Warped Tour t-shirt she'd bought that day. It had taken nearly all of the money they'd saved for an entire year to buy the concert passes, but Sango had made sure she had enough leftover for a shirt.
Miroku wanted her to be his. And in that moment, he knew he would never want to let her go once she was.
"Um, Sango," he began, "do you...um…"
Sango bit her lip and looked at him expectantly.
He could tell she knew it was coming.
Heck, they all knew it was coming. The flirting, the way that when the three of them all sat someplace together, they made sure Miroku and Sango were always sitting next to each other, the way that Sango blushed whenever Miroku managed to squeak out a compliment, everything had led up to that moment.
And with her looking at him now, waiting for him to finally ask the question, Miroku smiled.
"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Sango's smile widened and she nodded. Miroku took a deep breath and smiled back at her.
"Cool."
Sango's smile remained as she walked forward to hug Miroku around his waist. Miroku smiled and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close and testing out the newness of the title.
Sango, my girlfriend. My girlfriend, Sango. Oh, you know Sango? She's my girlfriend! Yeah, my girlfriend is-
"I should probably go inside now," Sango said, jolting him from his thoughts as she pulled away.
Miroku nodded. "Okay. See you on Monday."
With a final smile, Sango unlocked her front door and went inside, calling a final goodbye before closing and locking the door behind her.
Miroku grinned and started walking back to Izayoi's car, only to find Inuyasha practically hanging out of the car window.
"Did she say yes?" he yelled, not caring that it was nearing the middle of the night.
Miroku gave him a thumbs-up.
"Oh, yeah!" Inuyasha shouted. "That's my boy!"
"Inuyasha, hush!" his mother scolded. "You'll wake the whole neighborhood."
Miroku laughed and slid back into the backseat as Inuyasha continued to shout congratulations at him from the front seat.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, so he pulled it out to find a text from Sango.
Sango, my girlfriend.
Good night, boyfriend 3
Miroku grinned.
What a night…
That was a defining night, for it inspired them to form a band a year later, and they named it Hex after the magic their music created in them.
"Miroku?"
Inuyasha's firm call of his name shook Miroku from the memory.
"What?" Miroku asked, focusing back on the phone Inuyasha was holding up. Sango's name was still flashing with an incoming call from her, so Miroku shrugged. "Just answer it."
Inuyasha nodded and answered the phone, putting it on speaker so Miroku could hear, too.
"Hello?" he greeted.
"Hey, Inuyasha. It's, uh, Sango."
Miroku's eyes drifted closed.
I haven't heard her voice in so long...I don't even listen to our old albums anymore because hearing it hurts too much.
"Hey, Sango," Inuyasha replied. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," she replied. "But...I saw an article about your mom, and I wanted to check on you."
Inuyasha winced. "Yeah...I'm sorry I didn't call sooner. I should've gotten in touch with you before anything was published about it."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Sango replied immediately. "I know you must have a lot on your plate. Are you doing alright?"
"Yeah, I'm okay," he replied. He went on to explain what had happened, keeping the part about Kagome's role to a minimum. When he was finished, Sango sighed.
"Oh, man," she said quietly. "That's horrible. I'm so sorry."
Inuyasha glanced at Miroku. "It's alright. Miroku's been helping me plan the funeral, so I haven't been alone."
Sango paused. "That's good. Um, how is Miroku?"
Hearing her say my name is worse…
"He's fine," Inuaysha replied. Miroku ran his hand down his face, trying to calm his suddenly rapid heartbeat.
"Will you come to the funeral?" Inuyasha asked. "Mom loved you so much. I know she would want you there. It's just gonna be a pretty small memorial."
"Sure," Sango replied. "When is it?"
Inuyasha gave Sango the information about the funeral while Miroku turned and closed his eyes.
He just needed a minute.
When Inuyasha ended the call, he set a hand on Miroku's shoulder.
"You gonna be okay?" he asked.
Miroku turned to him and forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm craving pizza, though. Do you want me to order one?"
Without waiting for a response, Miroku grabbed the number from a menu on their fridge before dialing it and ordering a pizza.
Two days later, Miroku was battling with two kinds of grief.
There was the grief of Izayoi's death, of losing his best friend's mom who had essentially been his mom. When he and Inuyasha met and Miroku mentioned his mother had died shortly after he was born, Izayoi took him under her wing and loved him as her own.
She'd been there for everything.
And now she was gone. Grief number one.
Then there was Sango. Grief number two.
The grief he felt for her was over the perfect way she'd loved him. Even as teenagers, it was obvious that they weren't just two idiot kids with silly crushes.
They were two idiot kids in love.
He tried to prepare himself for the moment he would see her in the funeral home, dressed in the usual black attire he was used to, although this would be for a much different reason.
When he finally caught sight of her, he realized that there was no way he could have been ready to see her.
Sango, now twenty-five, looked different, older, a bit more sophisticated.
Her hair was pulled up in a sleek ponytail, and the heavy black eyeliner he remembered had been replaced by a gentle smokey eye. Her eyes weren't happy like he remembered, but they weren't as sad as he remembered them being the night they broke up.
She was wearing a simple black dress that showed the way her figure had filled out over the years. She wasn't a teenager anymore. That was for sure.
It's been six years since I've seen her...she's really grown up.
Sango was looking around the room, obviously trying to find someone she knew in the small group of people who were already seated.
But then her eyes settled onto Miroku, and the look she gave him was all too familiar.
Chocolate eyes widened slightly, and he could see the deep intake of breath she took as she adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder before making her way over.
She turned her gaze from Miroku to Inuyasha when she reached them and gave him a quick hug.
"Hey, I'm glad you could come," Inuyasha said as he hugged her.
"Of course," she replied as she pulled away. She looked back at Miroku and seemed to hesitate before embracing him.
When she touched him, it felt like coming home.
And that hurt.
It didn't feel any better when she let go, though.
o.O.o
The memorial service came and went, and Miroku could tell Inuyasha was itching to just get home.
"I'll have something delivered for dinner when we get back to the house," Miroku said before they left the funeral home. "What are you hungry for?"
Inuyasha paused and glanced at Sango, who was answering a text.
Miroku frowned, but he could tell that Inuyasha was silently asking if she could come over to the house.
Finally, Miroku nodded and put his hands in his pocket, hiding the way they were clenched into anxious fists.
"Hey, Sango?" Inuyasha asked when Sango put her phone back in her purse. "Do you want to come over and eat dinner with us?"
Sango's eyes widened a bit as she briefly glanced at Miroku before looking at Inuyasha again.
"I...um, okay," she finally said. "Can you text me the address?"
After they'd left and met back up at Inuyasha and Miroku's house, Miroku could tell the...grandeur of the house surprised her.
It wasn't a huge house, but it certainly wasn't small by any means.
It was definitely too big for only two people, though.
"Wow," Sango said when she got out of her car to meet them. "This is...amazing."
Inuyasha led her and Miroku up the sidewalk. "Yeah, it's alright."
Sango's eyes widened when they actually got inside and she saw the foyer and massive kitchen into which it led.
"You should just let me cook," she said. "Who needs delivery? Your kitchen is incredible enough."
Miroku frowned. "You can cook?" Sango glanced at him.
"Well, yeah," she replied. "I picked up on some things over the years. I couldn't live off of instant ramen, especially by the time I turned twenty."
Inuyasha shrugged. "Go for it if you want to."
Sango kicked off her heels and padded barefoot into the kitchen. Inuyasha showed her where everything was located before he and Miroku sat down at the table.
"So what have you been up to, Sango?" Inuyasha asked.
"I'm still a singer," she replied as she dug around the kitchen for what she would need to cook. "I'm freelance, though. I do weddings mostly. It's pretty fun."
Inuyasha chuckled. "Do you get recognized a lot?" Sango smiled.
"Not by those crowds," she replied. "And my sound is a lot different now anyway, so I don't even think old Hex fans would recognize my voice."
Sango glanced at Inuyasha. "Your sound has changed a lot, too. Um, what brought that on? I figured you guys would become a duo and keep the vibe we always had."
Inuyasha stared down at the table. "Things changed." He didn't elaborate further, so Sango just focused back on preparing the food.
Miroku admired the way Sango moved about the kitchen. He couldn't believe how different she looked. The way she held herself was more...stoic, and the absence of any sort of emo merch on her body was strange.
She'd grown-up. Without him.
"So where are you living now?" Miroku asked, wanting to kill the silence.
"I live in a city about five hours south," she replied.
"Five hours?" Inuyasha cut in. "You drove that long to come here?" Sango frowned at him.
"Of course I did," she replied. "I wouldn't have missed Izayoi's funeral. There was no question about it." She set a pot on the stove and turned the heat on. "I would've driven up here even if it took all day."
As she continued cooking, Sango told them a little more about her career, as well as some of the funny more disastrous weddings she'd witnessed.
The kitchen soon took on an incredible aroma of what she was cooking. She'd put together a simple pasta dish with a sauce that was a bit fancier than plain old spaghetti sauce.
Sango brought the plates over to the table and set them in front of Inuyasha and Miroku before she went to get her own.
"What do you want to drink, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as he stood up from the table.
"Coke," he replied. Miroku nodded and went over to the fridge to pull out two Cokes. When he turned to ask Sango, he bumped into her, their arms brushing as she walked past.
There was that same hurt again.
But it must have been so much worse for her.
"What can I get you to drink, Sango?" Miroku asked.
"Whatever you guys are having is fine," she replied as she sat down next to Inuyasha.
Once they were all seated with their plates and drinks, they began eating.
"This sauce is great," Inuyasha said after his first bite. "Where did you learn to make it?"
Sango smiled. "One of the brides at a wedding where I sang gave me a cookbook. She said it was a thank you gift, but I think she just didn't want it after they'd secretly opened a few presents before the reception. This was the first recipe I learned from it. You guys don't really have the most...impressive array of ingredients, but I made it work."
Inuyasha and Miroku chuckled.
"Do you guys still live on instant ramen?" she asked. "That's about all I saw in the cabinets."
"Yeah," Inuyasha replied. "Pizza, too."
"And Inuyasha's pancakes," Miroku added. "He doesn't make them as much anymore, though."
Sango laughed. "I forgot about Inuyasha's pancakes. The dream breakfast."
They fell into a relatively decent conversation as they ate, but Miroku could tell Sango was avoiding eye contact with him.
Whenever she asked him a question, she kept her gaze on her plate or focused on taking a sip of her Coke.
They talked for hours about when Izayoi was diagnosed with her strange illness and how she'd been in a long-term care facility for quite awhile.
The only thing they didn't talk about was the band. Sango didn't ask anymore questions about how things had changed to the point that Inuyasha was the singer and Miroku was the manager.
Maybe that's a good thing. No need in reopening old wounds that still haven't quite closed.
Miroku offered to do the dishes when they finished eating, so he left Inuyasha and Sango to chat at the table while he took a breather with the chore.
When he was done, Sango announced that she needed to head out.
"Do you want to just stay the night?" Inuyasha asked. "It's gotten kind of late and we all know how you are with driving at night. We have a guest room if you want to use it."
Miroku could see Inuyasha's subtle wince at the mention of the guest room, no doubt because of the last person who'd slept there.
"I don't want to put you guys out like that," she replied. "I was just going to book a hotel room in town anyway."
"It's fine if you want to stay," Inuyasha insisted. "It's...kinda nice having the three of us all back together. I think Mom would have been happy about it."
Sango bit her lip and was quiet for a moment before she finally nodded. "Okay. I have an overnight bag in my car. I'll go grab it."
She grabbed her keys and walked outside to her car, and when the front door closed behind her, Miroku scowled.
"She hates me," he said flatly. Inuyasha frowned.
"She doesn't hate you," he replied. "She's been nice this whole time."
Miroku rolled his eyes. "That's because Sango is a nice person. But this...this just feels wrong."
Inuyasha frowned. "I'm sorry...should I not have invited her to stay?"
Miroku shook his head. "No, it's fine. She came all the way here. Might as well save her a night at a hotel."
Once Sango had returned, Inuyasha showed her where the guest room was so she could set her bag down.
When they came back, Inuyasha suggested turning on a movie, so they made their way into the living room.
Miroku sat in their recliner, allowing the couch to be neutral territory between himself and Sango, as they watched the film.
Hearing Sango's laughter as it rang out at the funny scenes in the movie was an extra stab to Miroku's heart.
He was almost relieved when the movie was over and they all decided to turn in for the night.
Miroku remained in the living room after Inuyasha and Sango departed their bedrooms. He turned on his laptop to check some emails. As it booted up, he went to his room to change into pajamas before going back out to the couch.
After spending so much time with Sango, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep.
Might as well be productive about it.
He turned on the TV as background noise before focusing in on his unread emails.
"Hey."
The quiet voice came from behind him, and when he turned around, he saw Sango looking at him sheepishly.
She looked more like he remembered her: her hair was still pulled up in the same ponytail but she'd swapped her dress for an old t-shirt and black sweatpants.
Miroku recognized the t-shirt.
It was the oversized Warped Tour t-shirt she'd been wearing when he asked her to be his girlfriend.
And the one she'd been wearing when they broke up.
"Hey," he replied, actively trying to keep himself from staring at the shirt. "You alright?"
Sango nodded. "Yeah, uh, I just came to get a glass of water."
He heard her walk into the kitchen, grab a glass, and fill it with water. She brought it out to the living room with her and laughed quietly when she saw what Miroku was watching.
"You still watch old Disney reruns?" she asked as she smiled at the episode of That's So Raven that was playing on the screen.
Miroku grinned. "Gotta maintain my youth somehow." Sango laughed and motioned to the couch.
"Can I join you?"
Miroku nodded and scooted down a bit, giving her plenty of room. Sango sat down and curled her feet up under her, glass of water in hand, and smiled again at the TV.
"Do you mind if I finish up these emails while we sit?" Miroku asked. "I haven't checked them at all today so I'm a little behind."
"Oh, of course," Sango replied before they fell into silence. The antics of Raven Baxter were the only sounds echoing in the room.
Miroku heaved a sigh as he poured over the emails, knowing it was going to be a pain to get everything organized for Inuyasha's break. The studio had to give him time off for grief, but getting it all straightened out was more complicated than Miroku was expecting.
"Is everything okay?" Sango asked. Miroku nodded.
"Yeah," he replied. "There's just a lot to do with Inuyasha's studio. It's a little tiring sometimes, but it's no big deal."
Sango hummed. "So...I haven't asked, but how did you become the manager and Inuyasha became the star?"
Miroku's fingers paused on the keyboard.
It was a fair question. They'd gone from a band of three to a solo act in which Miroku didn't even perform. He did the administrative and organizational stuff.
"It...made sense at the time," he finally explained. "We were doing shows as a duo, but then someone approached Inuyasha after one and offered him a solo record deal. Inuyasha didn't want to take it unless they turned it into a duo with me. They told him no, so he refused."
Miroku sighed. "But then Inuyasha's mom got sick and the money we made from Hex's album wasn't enough for her care. I told Inuyasha he should take the solo deal and I would be his manager. That way it was still something we were both involved in." He shrugged. "So it worked out."
Sango was quiet for a moment. "Is that why his sound is so different? Because of the place that signed him?"
Miroku nodded. "Yeah. Pop music is what pays the bills, and we had a lot coming so we had to act fast. He hates it, though. He hates performing, hates recording in the studio, and he hates...well, he hates all of it now."
"Wow," Sango said. "I wasn't sure what had happened, but that sounds worse than I could have guessed. I could tell he was obviously pretty miserable, but I can tell you're unhappy, too, Miroku. Do you even enjoy being a manager?"
Miroku shrugged. "Me enjoying the position was never important. I did what I had to do to support Inuyasha and help his mom. It didn't matter how I felt about the decision. It needed to be done, so I did it."
Sango's eyes saddened. "I hate seeing how much things have changed."
"Since you left," Miroku began seriously, turning to look at her, "things have never been the same. Things have never...gotten better." He tried to load his gaze. "And I don't just mean with Inuyasha. The work I do...as much as I hate it, it's what keeps me going. It's the only thing that distracts me from everything I lost when I hurt you so badly."
Sango's eyes widened, and he could see the hurt from their break-up start to bleed into them.
Miroku wasn't lying. Everything had changed, and the only reason he held himself together was because of the heavy workload he had as Inuyasha's manager. He didn't tell Inuyasha much about the sadness he still felt because his silver-haired friend was just as preoccupied with his own hatred of his career, but things weren't easy for Miroku.
He did the admin stuff to try and get through his days.
His days without Sango.
He'd never thought he'd have to live his life like that, and now that he was, it didn't even really feel like a life. It was just...an existence.
"Things have never been the same with me either," Sango admitted. "But...bygones are bygones. And it's been six years."
All the pain of their break-up was resurfacing all at once, and with Sango sitting in front of him for the first time in years, their break-up was practically slapping him in the face again.
He still loved her. Of course he did.
He'd never stopped, and he never would.
"Sango," he began, "I never got to properly apologize for what happened."
Sango looked away. "Don't bring it up. We've done a good enough job avoiding the topic up until now, so let's just leave it alone. In the end, it was my choice to leave, and I did."
"I'm still sorry," Miroku insisted. "I'm so sorry."
Sango turned her gaze to him again, narrowing her eyes as a frown appeared to mar her face.
"What did I just say?" she asked. She rolled her eyes. "But if you want to apologize so badly for how much you hurt me, go ahead. Which time are you going to start with? The first? The second? The third? Should I go on?"
Miroku looked at her for a moment before closing his laptop and putting it on the coffee table.
"Sango…"
Six Years Earlier…
Miroku was twirling his drum sticks in his hands, warming up for the concert they were putting on that night. Sango was still in her dressing room, so he was standing outside it, waiting for her to finish getting ready.
She said she wanted to surprise him with something she'd found when going through some old stuff at her parents' house.
Miroku loved her enthusiasm, her smile, her laughter. They'd just celebrated their four-year anniversary, and even though things had been a little shaky with them lately, he knew they'd pull through.
But then a girl had approached Miroku outside Sango's dressing room, and when she started flirting with him, Miroku smiled and continued the conversation.
It was something that bothered Sango: the attention Miroku got from women. He'd grown into a handsome man, more than just the cute teen he'd been, and that garnered the interest of many women.
He'd fallen into a bad habit of flirting right back, which bothered Sango to the point that she'd threatened to break up with him if he kept at it.
Miroku knew she would never do that, but he still tried to rein in his flirting and that seemed to make her feel better.
But that day, as he waited for her to finish getting ready, the woman he was talking to was a bit touchier than others, which didn't bother Miroku, but knowing that Sango was on the other side of her dressing room door had him starting to push the girl away.
"Hey, my girlfriend is in that room," he said as the woman wrapped her arms around his neck and started nuzzling her nose against his cheek. "So can you please let go of me?"
The woman laughed and shook her head. "Oh, come on. You don't really want me to let go, do you?"
Miroku bit his lip as the woman came closer, and he frantically tried to figure out what to do next. But then his hands relaxed on the woman's wrists from where he was trying to push her away, and his brain suddenly went offline.
Push her away, push her away, push her away! What are you doing? Sango could come out at any second!
He heard the door open the moment the woman's lips met his in a fiery kiss.
Sango's gasp rang out, and that was when Miroku finally got himself focused and pushed the woman off of him.
When he turned to see Sango, she was wearing that oversized Warped Tour t-shirt from the day he'd asked her to be his girlfriend, but the difference was that as she wore it now, she was crying.
"How could you?" she asked, her voice cracking on a sob. "I thought...I thought you…" She ran off toward the women's room and disappeared inside.
Miroku glared at the woman who had just kissed him.
"I told you to stop," he said. "Now look what happened."
The woman smirked. "Oh, please. If you really didn't want me to do it, you could've stopped it sooner." She pointed to the corner of her mouth. "You got a little something right there." Then she stalked away.
Miroku reached up to wipe where she'd motioned, and his hand came back covered in lipstick.
He groaned. The woman was right...he wanted to be kissed. He liked being desired, being wanted.
This was the first time a woman had ever kissed him, though, and he knew he had just crossed a line.
He just hoped he could come back from it.
He ran to the women's restroom and walked straight in.
"Sango?" he called. He heard a sniffle from the stall furthest away from the door, so he went down to it.
"Sango, I'm so sorry," he said when he reached the stall. "That...that shouldn't have happened. I-"
The stall door opened, cutting him off.
Sango had tears streaming down her cheeks as she glared at him.
"I love you," she said. "I love you more than the music, more than this career, more than anything. But you don't love me enough to not flirt with women. I'm not enough for you, am I?"
Miroku's eyes widened. "I-what? Of course you're enough for me!"
Sango angrily wiped at her eyes. "Then why do you constantly flirt with other girls? You said you would stop, and then I walk out of my dressing room to surprise you in this shirt only to see you making out with someone else!"
She huffed. "I meant what I said, Miroku. I know you love me. But you don't respect me. I can't even trust you to be away from me for five minutes without being all over another woman. That's obvious."
She stalked past him and went in the direction of her dressing room.
"This is my last concert with you guys. After this, I'm done. And so are we."
The memory played over in Miroku's mind as he looked at Sango from where she sat across from him on the couch.
"I made so many mistakes," he said quietly. "I have so many regrets. What happened that last time...it's my biggest one."
Sango shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it. I'm going to bed." She started to get up from the couch, and that's when Miroku knew he couldn't let her walk away.
Not again.
"Sango, wait," he said, gently grabbing her hand. "I've never stopped loving you, not for one second."
Sango paused and turned to look at him. "You not loving me was never the problem. It was that you didn't respect me and that I couldn't trust you. I wasn't enough for you."
Miroku squeezed her hand. "No, I was the one that wasn't enough."
Sango frowned, his words obviously confusing her. "What do you mean?"
"I was terrible to you," he explained. "Maybe not at first, but the fame...it made me into someone I wasn't. Who I became...I wasn't deserving of you. The person I became was someone I hate. I'm not that guy anymore. I swear."
Sango kept the frown on her face, but she put her glass of water down on the coffee table and sat back down on the couch.
"Why did you do it?" she asked as she settled her hands in her lap. "What was the merit in doing it so many times?"
Miroku shook his head. "I liked the attention. But, Sango, I became someone that was awful for you and awful to you." He looked into her eyes, reaching for her hand again and gently tugging on it. "But I've spent the last six years trying to become someone decent enough to actually get to be with you again. There have been no women at all...it's only been you."
Sango's eyes widened. "But...I never planned for us to see each other again. I didn't think we ever would."
Miroku smiled. "I didn't care. No matter what, I wanted to be someone who could treat you right if fate ever gave me that chance again."
Sango's eyes filled with tears. "Miroku...so much has changed. I can't...it's been six years. I can't just waltz right back into your arms like nothing happened or like no time has passed."
"Why did you wear that shirt?" Miroku asked. "On a day you knew you'd see me...you brought that shirt. Why?"
Sango sighed. "I didn't know you'd see me in it, but...I wore it because I thought it would make things easier. It would remind me of...before." She moved closer to him and set her hand on his cheek.
"I never stopped loving you either," she admitted. "But who you became...I didn't love that. I loved who you were when we were young, before the fame took you from me."
Miroku set his hand over hers, leaning his face into her palm. "I'm the closest to the old me as I've been since then. I swear, Sango. I can't let you leave without you knowing that or without you knowing how much I love you. How much I've always loved you."
Sango dropped her hand and breathed a heavy sigh.
"I forgive you," she finally said. "And I'm glad you've changed, but I can't let myself risk going through any of that again. It killed me, Miroku."
The wound that was Sango herself on Miroku's heart split open again, never having healed at all in the first place anyway.
She looked at him a final time before something in her seemed to snap.
All in one motion, she was on him.
Her arms wrapped around his neck as she settled herself on his lap and leaned down to kiss him.
Miroku's eyes widened for a moment until the familiar feel of her body against his finally registered.
Sango was a passionate person, and it was something Miroku had always loved about her.
But she was a quiet sort of passionate, the kind you could only really decipher when she was singing.
Miroku could often see it in her eyes, too, but when it came to other gestures like kissing in the rain or holding hands when they were walking on or off the stage, she tended to shy away.
Which is why her kissing him like this so suddenly, no matter how much he loved it, felt too odd to really enjoy.
Miroku gently reached up to cup her cheeks in his hand before pulling away from her.
"Sango," he said breathlessly. "What...why-"
Tears fell from Sango's eyes. "I have six years worth of kisses I haven't given you, Miroku. Before I go home tomorrow...please just let me-"
Miroku leaned in first that time and resumed the kiss, his arms going around Sango to pull her flush against him.
She felt the same and tasted the same and overwhelmed him in the exact way he remembered. He pulled her hair from the ponytail so it was flowing around her shoulders. Burying his hands in the long locks, he angled her head to kiss her deeper.
Miroku felt tears falling from his own eyes as Sango tugged him over to the side so she lay flat on her back on the couch, pulling him on top of her, his body pressed along every single one of her curves.
It was familiar, yet foreign. It simultaneously thrilled him and terrified him because he knew when the kiss came to an end, it would be over.
Again.
So he didn't let it end. He continued kissing Sango, tasting her over and over until it felt like his lungs would explode.
When he finally had to breathe, he pulled away with a ragged breath and buried his face in her neck, her hair strewn out wildly on the cushions as she kept her arms wrapped around him, clutching him tightly to her.
Breathing heavily, they fell into silence for a few moments.
"I missed you," Sango admitted, her voice no louder than a soft murmur.
"I missed you, too," Miroku breathed against her neck.
It was only a few more moments before sleep overcame them.
The next morning, the smell of food cooking woke up Miroku.
Opening his eyes, he found that he was still nestled against Sango's neck as she continued to sleep soundly beneath him.
Sitting up slightly, he looked down at her and admired her sleeping face.
She looks the same as I remember…
At his movement, Sango began to stir. When she met Miroku's eyes, she blushed and quickly got up.
"I-I'm sorry," she said. "I don't...I shouldn't have…"
"No, I'm sorry," Miroku replied quietly. "I think Inuyasha is cooking, so I'm gonna see if he needs help."
Sango looked like she wanted to say something else, but she stopped herself and simply nodded before getting up off the couch and scurrying to the guest room.
Miroku breathed a sigh before standing up and stretching. He went to the kitchen to find Inuyasha cooking bacon and flipping pancakes on the griddle.
When Miroku walked in to start making a pot of coffee, Inuyasha glanced at him.
"You sleep well?" he asked. "You guys were quite a sight on the couch."
Miroku bristled. "Uh...we were up late last night. Talking and...stuff."
Inuyasha hummed. "Talking and stuff. Gotcha."
Miroku sighed. "I want her back. I never stopped wanting her. Seeing her after so long...I don't know how I'm going to be able to let her go again."
Inuyasha transferred the bacon from the pan to some plates before turning the stove off and facing Miroku.
"I think," Inuyasha began, "that there's no way someone could hold you like that, even when they're asleep, and it not mean that they feel something for you or that they want you." He shook his head. "And the way Sango was wrapped around you when I came out here earlier...I think you've got a shot."
Before Miroku could answer, Sango emerged from the guest room in jeans and a different t-shirt, one Miroku didn't recognize.
"Good morning," she greeted. "Do you need any help, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha glanced at her. "We've got it. You can sit down if you want."
Sango nodded and went to sit at the table while Miroku and Inuyasha remained in the kitchen.
Miroku sighed and began pulling out plates and silverware while Inuyasha finished up the pancakes.
Once everything was done and they were all sitting at the table eating, Sango spoke.
"Thanks for letting me stay here," she said. "I missed your pancakes, Inuyasha. I'll help with the dishes after we eat and then I'll head out."
Her eyes collided with Miroku's when she said that, and he grimaced.
Her eyes were sad, sadder than they had been yesterday, and he could see it in the chocolate brown of her irises.
She wanted him.
She still wanted him.
"And, um," Sango continued, "I feel like I should apologize. I'm sorry I left the band. I could've handled things better."
"No one blames you for that," Miroku said immediately. "It wasn't you, Sango." Sango bit her lip.
"Yeah, it was Miroku's fault," Inuyasha said bluntly as he took a bite of his pancake. "No one was mad at you. It was all him."
Miroku rolled his eyes. Inuyasha was right, of course, but still.
Ouch.
How can I fix this? What can I do?
He still didn't have an answer by the time they'd finished breakfast.
Just as Sango had said, she helped with the dishes and then went to the guest room to get her stuff together.
The whole time, Miroku was feeling antsy. He could practically still taste her from their many kisses the previous night; he could practically still feel how warm and right and perfect she'd felt against him.
When she reappeared with a pair of sandals on her feet and her bag slung over her shoulder, she mustered up a smile.
"Well...I'm heading out," she said. Inuyasha nodded and gave her a hug.
"Thanks again for coming," he said as he let her go. "It means a lot."
Sango smiled. "Anything for those pancakes." She turned to Miroku, her eyes going sad again.
Before she could speak, Miroku motioned to the door.
"I'll walk you out," he said. Sango nodded and led him out to her car. Inuyasha sent Miroku an encouraging smile before the door closed behind them.
When they reached Sango's car, she tossed the bag in the front seat before looking up at Miroku.
"Well...goodbye," she said.
Miroku looked down at her, his eyes softening as he reached up to cup her cheek.
"No," he murmured. "This isn't goodbye. I don't want it to be and I know you don't either."
Sango's eyes widened. "Miroku..."
"Let me try, Sango," he requested gently. "Give me a chance to show you that things are different. Now that I've seen you after all this time, there's no way I can just let you go without fighting for you. So please let me fight for you."
Sango bit her lip as her eyes remained locked with his.
Finally, finally, she nodded.
"Okay," she conceded. "But no promises." Miroku breathed a relieved sigh and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.
"Okay," he replied. "Can I call you?" Sango nodded against his chest.
"Yes. I'll answer."
She pulled back to look up at him again, and he could see the fear in her eyes. Miroku gave her a small smile and reached up to stroke his thumb across her cheek before leaning down to kiss her forehead.
"Then I'll talk to you soon," he said. Sango finally smiled.
"Okay. I'll let you know when I get home." She let go of Miroku to get in the driver's seat.
"Bye, Sango."
"Bye, Miroku. Talk to you soon."
When her car was no longer in sight, Miroku ran a hand through his hair.
I can't believe that just happened…
Inuyasha was sitting on the couch when Miroku came back inside.
"Did it go alright?" Inuyasha asked.
Miroku nodded. "I think...I think we're gonna give it another go. Or at least see if we can give it another go."
Inuyasha smiled. "That's awesome. I'm really happy for you guys."
Miroku smiled back.
"Me, too."
o.O.o
A little over six hours later, Miroku's phone rang and Sango's name flashed on the screen.
Miroku answered the call.
"Hi, Sango."
"Hey, I just got home."
Miroku smiled. "That's good. Was the drive okay?"
Sango hummed. "Yeah, just long." She sighed. "Miroku...I'm doomed." He frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I already miss you," she admitted. "I didn't...I thought I wouldn't be affected like this, but...I miss you."
"I miss you, too," he replied. "You're still just as amazing as I remember. I'm glad we get to talk again. I want to get to know who you are now after all these years. It's...been a long time."
"It has," Sango agreed. "So...what do you guys have planned for the rest of the week?"
They chatted for a little while about what their schedules looked like for the week, and Miroku was already trying to figure out a day he could go visit her.
"Well, I should go," Sango said after a little while. "I have a gig tomorrow so I need to get everything ready tonight so I can be good to go tomorrow morning when I leave."
"Okay," Miroku replied. "I'll talk to you soon then."
"I'll talk to you soon," Sango echoed. "Bye, Miroku."
"Bye, Sango."
o.O.o
A week later, after talking on the phone every night, Miroku drove down to see her.
Twenty minutes after they'd started eating dinner at her apartment, Sango blurted out the question.
"Will you be my boyfriend?"
Miroku's eyes widened and he nearly dropped his fork.
Sango's cheeks were bright red as she waited for him to answer, and as thrilled as Miroku was to hear her ask, he worried it had been too soon.
"Sango…"
"No, don't say my name like that," Sango interjected. "It took one week for me to fall in love with you all over again. This you. And Miroku...I love you. Still. Again. Now. Forever."
And much like Sango had a week earlier, Miroku snapped and got up to pull her against him, kissing her before murmuring against her lips.
"Yes."
o.O.o
A month later, Sango moved into the house with Miroku and Inuyasha.
"I can find wedding gigs anywhere," she'd reasoned when Miroku asked her to move in with them but had expressed his concerns about her career.
When Miroku was helping her move in the last few boxes, he heard Sango squeal.
"What's this, Inuyasha?" she asked dramatically as she held up a thick metal bracelet that had been resting on the counter. "Did you have a girl over recently?"
Miroku frowned as he examined the bracelet she was holding up.
His eyes widened when he recognized it as one that Kagome had been wearing. He glanced at Inuyasha, who was blushing a very bright shade of red.
"Give me that," he grumbled as he took the bracelet and shoved it in his pocket.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" Sango pressed.
Inuyasha huffed. "No...but there's a girl. Kinda." He glanced at Miroku. "Did you tell her about Kagome?" Miroku shook his head.
Inuyasha sighed. "Alright, well, I'm gonna tell you about Kagome."
When he finished explaining, Sango's eyes were wide.
"Wow. That's quite a story. Why don't you just call her and ask her out?"
Inuyasha grimaced. "I forgot to ask for her number."
"That's a shame," she said. "So you're just never gonna talk to her again?"
Inuyasha looked away. "I don't know. But...I've been writing about her. I'm gonna pitch the stuff to the studio when I come back from the grief break."
Sango brightened. "You've been writing stuff? Can we hear it?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "I guess. Let's go downstairs and I'll show you."
When they went down to the music room, Inuyasha grabbed a guitar and turned on one of the mics before he began playing a song.
It was about Kagome, that much was for sure, and it made Miroku realize that Inuyasha was in deeper with her than he'd thought.
I hope he finds her again someday…
When Inuyasha finished the song, Sango clapped.
"That was amazing, Inuyasha," she complimented. "It sounds like you. Not the new crap you have to play. Can I add some stuff?" Inuyasha nodded.
Sango got up and grabbed another mic before turning it on.
"I'm gonna add some vocals and maybe toss in a few harmonies," she said. "It might take a second for me to switch back into my old voice because I'm used to jazzy wedding songs, but we'll make it work. From the top!"
Inuyasha picked back up on the guitar and started the song over, and Sango added in little back-up vocals and harmonies here and there.
Miroku's eyes widened.
It sounded great.
"Come on, sweetheart," Sango said to Miroku. "Get up on the drums!"
Miroku nodded and grabbed a pair of drumsticks before coming over to join them.
And it was magical.
Miroku couldn't remember the last time he felt so…
Whole.
Complete.
Alive.
When they finished singing, they all glanced at each other.
"Whoa…" Inuyasha breathed.
"Yeah," Sango agreed. "Whoa. What other songs have you been writing?"
Inuyasha played several more for them, and they all adjusted them to work with a band of three.
By the end of the afternoon, it felt like they had something new, something special.
It felt like they had an album.
"You should pitch this to the studio," Miroku said after he'd put the drumsticks away. "This is fire."
Inuyasha nodded eagerly. "I will, but they'll shoot it down. I guarantee they will, but by the time my grief period is over, my contract will almost be up. That means I could find a new label...with a new sound." He grinned. "A sound that involves a band."
Miroku and Sango's eyes widened.
"Wait," Miroku said. "You want to get Hex back together?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "We're all together again already. What do you guys think?"
"Yes!" Sango said immediately. "Please. I'm so tired of singing at weddings. There are only so many times I can sing the same five jazz songs every weekend."
Miroku and Inuyasha laughed.
"I'm in, too," Miroku added.
"Nice!" Inuyasha said. "This is gonna be great. I'm so tired of pop music."
Sango laughed. "But you have to make a promise!"
Inuyasha paused and looked at her, confused. "What kind of promise?"
Sango smiled. "I want you to find your Kagome. You said she was a fan of Hex, so I'm sure we're bound to see her at a show if this works out. I want you to promise you'll go after her when you find her."
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "But…"
"No buts," Sango cut in. "The only correct answer here is, 'Okay, Sango.'" Inuyasha laughed.
"Okay, Sango," he finally agreed.
Miroku wrapped his arm around Sango's waist and his other arm around Inuyasha's shoulders.
"So we're doing this? Hex is back?"
"We're doing this!" Inuyasha shouted. "Hex is back, baby!"
"Emo's not dead!" Sango added. "Long live the emo scene!"
o.O.o
A little under a year later, Hex was sitting at a meet-and-greet after a show when Miroku caught sight of someone familiar at the end of the line in front of their table.
She was dressed a little differently than the first time they'd seen her a year before, but the style was the same, and the blue eyes ringed with thick black eyeliner were the same, and the smile that was set directly on Inuyasha was most definitely the same.
"Inuyasha," Miroku whispered.
"I see her," Inuyasha whispered back.
Kagome smiled brightly when she reached the table.
"Hi," she greeted. "I don't have anything for you to sign again. Sorry about that."
Miroku smiled as Inuyasha got up to hug Kagome tightly.
They pulled away a bit, smiling and murmuring quietly to each other, when Miroku finally cut in.
"Hi, Kagome," he called loudly.
Kagome jumped and looked at him. "Hey, Miroku," she greeted.
It was obvious that Kagome was a little starstruck when meeting Sango.
"Kagome, I've heard so much about you," Sango said with a smile after Kagome greeted her. "You're a popular topic at our house."
"Sango!" Inuyasha hissed.
"It's nice to meet you," Kagome said before Inuyasha grabbed her hand and pulled her away. Kagome waved at Miroku and Sango a final time before she turned to run after him.
When they were gone, Sango looked at Miroku.
"Wow," she said. "I've never seen Inuyasha smile like that at anyone. He must really like her."
Miroku hummed in agreement and wrapped his arm around Sango.
"I think Hex was a good name for the band," he said before pressing a kiss to Sango's cheek.
"Yeah?" she asked, smiling at him. "Why's that?"
Miroku spoke once more before kissing her soundly.
"It just seems like there's a lot of magic around us."
FIN.
Alright, so that might not be the sequel you guys were quite expecting, but YOLO lol thanks for reading.