Miroku looked up at the pink plum blossoms on the trees and the house sitting on the hill. This place feels very familiar, he thought. He gazed up at the old lady sipping tea in the front of the house, playing mahjong with an old man who was accompanied by his mynah bird in a cage. He recognized her face but couldn't remember her name. "Auntie Tai," the man said to the old woman. "I do hope that young man keeps his promise and returns to your daughter, Autumn Chrysanthemum." The old woman shook her head. "It's been far too long—five years." "Are you okay, Miroku?" asked Shippo. "You look like you just saw a ghost." "I did see a ghost," Miroku replied. "A ghost of my past." "I don't feel like we're on the right track," said Kagome. "Can we go up and ask those old people for directions?" "Ah—I don't think that's a really good—" "What a great idea, Kagome," interrupted Sango. The two girls and Kirara ran up the dirt path that led up to the house on the hill followed by the three guys. The old lady looked up from her mahjong tiles. She had never seen so many visitors at once. She scanned the faces of all of them. "Miroku," the old lady said harshly. "You two know each other or somethin'?" asked InuYasha. "Yes," replied the old lady. "He once worked for me. Stealing all of my magic secrets, giving my daughter a daughter instead of a son. And then running off on her and promising he would return." "Autumn Chrysanthemum," the old woman called, "get outside you foolish girl." A young woman in an orange kimono stepped out of the house. "Yes, MaMa," she replied obediently. "Oh, it's you Miroku! MaMa, can I make him some tea and sesame cakes? I've missed you all these years. I thought you would never return." She ran back inside of the house and quickly came out with tea and sesame cakes for everyone. "If you'd just excuse us for a second," said Sango as she dragged Miroku by the ear and pulled Autumn Chrysanthemum by the wrist. She paced around the plum tree questioning the two. "I had just started working for Chrysanthemum's mother who was a witch doctor from China," Miroku explained. "Chrysanthemum was very beautiful. There is always that time in a man's life where it's love at first sight. Not with you, I'm sorry to say, but with Chrysanthemum. We were deeply passionate about each other. We soon both found out that Chrysanthemum was about to have a baby. A few months later she gave birth to a girl. Her mother was unhappy with the fact that she had a granddaughter instead of a grandson. She said that since I had cursed her daughter with a useless girl that she would curse me with a wind tunnel in my right hand." "Even after the wind tunnel we were still strangely affectionate for each other," added Autumn Chrysanthemum. "But my mother was very unhappy with me and burned all my silk kimonos. Because of my mother, Miroku left but vowed to return so we could get married. That was five years ago." Chrysanthemum started walking back towards the house. "What kind of man turns his back on his own child," demanded Sango, "Admit it—you were just immature." "To tell you the truth, I didn't exactly think I'd be seeing Autumn Chrysanthemum or Plum Blossom again," said Miroku. "I believed I was headed for greener pastures." "Plum Blossom," said Sango. "So that's what her name is. Well, it's either Autumn Chrysanthemum or me. Take your pick. Sleep on it, because until then, our paths that have crossed have become two separate lines."
Chapter two. I've started working on the third chapter. In the third chapter I'll make little Meanwhile sections to show what's happening to Sango. I'm giving no hints.