This chapter is for you DarkAngelJudas! Thanks for all those wonderful reviews and being such a wonderful reader! Enjoy!
9.
"What?" Miroku shouted a bit too loudly. Couple of heads turned to look at them.
"I asked if you are falling in love with him", Sango repeated.
"I heard what you said. I meant why did you ask something like that?"
"Because that's what it looks like to me. You're not yet in love with him but you are definitely headed that way. It's not that surprising really."
"But that's impossible! Don't be ridiculous Sango. I haven't even known him that long!"
"But you have spent a lot of time with him and you find his personality interesting. And most importantly, when speaking about you, you think he is hot and you want to sleep with him, right?"
"Well, I did sleep with him. I've slept with a lot of guys so it isn't such a big deal."
"Yes, but you want to do it again, don't you? You never sleep with a same guy twice."
"So?" Miroku was feeling uncomfortable.
"Listen, Miroku, to this point the only even close to a serious relationship you have had is with me and that was ages ago. Do I even have to mention that you're gay and I'm a woman? What is it with you and love? Can't you give any man a chance?"
"Stop saying 'love'. This is nothing like that!"
"But it could be. You have a great opportunity presenting itself here."
"No, I don't! Just drop it, alright."
"I don't think so. Seriously, Miroku. Why don't you give anyone a chance to get close to you? You've had sex with so many random guys I'm surprised nothing bad hasn't happened to you already. Why can't you even try having a proper relationship?"
"I don't need a relationship. It doesn't suit me!"
"How would you know if you don't try?"
"Are you seriously telling me to try having a relationship with Sesshoumaru?" Miroku asked and looked at Sango skeptically.
She was quiet for awhile. "Good point", she said after thinking. "But I still think you are in danger to fall for him."
"I won't! I've told you, haven't I? I live for sex. I don't go falling in love with people", he assured.
"It only has to happen once and doesn't need to take long time."
"It did with us. We lived next door for years before we got together."
"Yeah, and look what happened."
"I still love you Sango."
"I love you too, you idiot, and I want you to be happy. You can't go bed to bed your entire life. Wouldn't it be nice to find someone to spend the rest of your life with?"
"And have sex with only one person? No", Miroku huffed and crossed his arms.
"All I'm saying is that it would be good for you to fall in love, even if it is Sesshoumaru. Learning how to love someone is a good thing, even if it will end badly. I've never regretted falling for you, even though you turned out to be gay."
Miroku smiled and took Sango's hand gently to his own. "Dear Sango, you have spent way too much time with Kagome. All that talk about love is so sweet I'm going to get cavities."
Sango laughed. "Maybe, but Kagome is not the only reason I'm like this now."
"Oh? Did something happen? You have to tell me! Let's drop this annoying topic of me and love and let's hear about you."
"If you insist", Sango flashed a smile. "Actually, I have a date tonight."
"You? Wow. Who's the lucky bastard?"
"Knock it off."
"I'm just surprised to hear you going out."
"I go out!"
Miroku huffed. "No you don't. You're all about work. That's why you got the promotion. But I'm glad you've decided to have some fun."
"Miroku, dear, I'm not sure if you listened what I said before but I don't believe in that 'having fun'-thing. I'm actually thinking this might lead to something. I really like that person."
"Uh-huh. Just remember that it's your first date with this guy so perhaps you should not get too serious just yet. Men are bastards after all so don't make too final wedding plans."
"Would you take this seriously?" Sango sounded annoyed.
"I am! I'm only looking out for you, my love. So, who is this guy and what's he like?"
"Umm… I'm not sure how to tell you this but actually…"
Miroku looked worried. "Sango, what is it? You know you can tell me anything."
"Yes, but this is somehow ridiculous", she muttered and did not look at Miroku. Instead her plate seemed to be very interesting.
"Ridiculous? Ugh. Don't tell me you're dating some 60 year old geezer."
"Of course not!"
"Then spit it out."
"Actually, the one I'm going out with is a woman…"
There was a silence so thick it could have been cut with a knife. After what seemed like ages for Sango, Miroku burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he nearly fell off his chair.
"Miroku! This isn't anything to be laughing at!"
"Yeah it is! What the hell did we do to each other back then to make us turn out like this?"
"Very funny. So what do you think? I mean really."
Miroku looked at Sango in the eyes and smiled gently. "What do you mean what I think? Did you honestly think I of all people would judge you or something? I'm just giving you one advice: don't let Amaya know. That bloody woman will certainly come up with some ideas to make use of it."
"How could anyone make use of someone being gay?" Sango asked skeptically.
Miroku's eyes turned flat and then he pointed at himself. Sango let out a small "oh".
"Anyway", Miroku started again. "Tell me about this woman."
"Well, she is an FBI agent as well and extremely good at her job. She's taller than me and so beautiful."
"What's her name?"
"Her name is Kikiyo", Sango said smiling happily. (A/N: I bet you did not see this coming ^^)
"I remember you've mentioned her before."
"Yeah. She is somewhat famous. She's a brilliant agent and because of her intelligent and good looks she attracts a lot of attention. She was my partner during this last case I was working on. I wouldn't have made it if she hadn't helped me."
"I'm sure you would've."
"Anyway, we were sort of attracted to each other during the time we worked together and now that we aren't partners anymore she asked me out."
"Sort of attracted? You can be so innocent sometimes", Miroku sighed rolling his eyes.
"Do you think this is stupid of me?" Sango asked worried.
"No, not at all. Go for it. Not that I know anything about lesbians."
"Hmm. That's true."
"Don't agree so readily! Anyway, I'll support you no matter what. I just want to ask: How long have you known that you like women?"
"I haven't really even thought about it like that. This just sort of happened. I mean, I have gone out with some men, but you know how those things have ended. I sort of lost interest before it even properly started and buried myself to work."
"Well, let's see how this turns out. I'm going back to Sesshoumaru this evening but you have to call me how it went, okay?"
"Sure thing. But do you think I should tell Kagome?"
Miroku thought about it for awhile. "No, not yet at least. Don't get me wrong, she probably doesn't give a damn whether you go out with a man or a woman but she will get annoying if she hears that you are going on a date in the first place. You know how enthusiastic she can be. Better not risk that she'd start some silly let's-make-sure-they-start-going-out project."
"Good point", Sango said laughing. She could well imagine Kagome's reaction. She would probably start the wedding plans…
"So what are you going to wear tonight?" Miroku asked eyes gleaming with excitement.
"You're so gay", Sango huffed shaking her head.
"Thank you. And from that I make the conclusion you haven't thought about it at all or you are going to wear that", Miroku said eyeing Sango's outfit.
"What's wrong with this?"
"Nothing. Just not something you should wear on a date. Want to go shopping? Your shift ended already."
"I guess you're going to drag me with you no matter if I want or not."
"Hey, that's what friends are for."
"Sure…"
They finished their meals talking about this and that. They also made plans to kidnap Kagome from Inuyasha and go out together, just the three of them. It had been awhile since they had gone drinking together.
But just when they were about to leave the restaurant Miroku went suddenly silent and his expression turned thoughtful.
"Miroku, what is it?"
"I was just thinking… I'm a bit sad for you."
"Why on earth would you be sorry for me?" Sango asked completely lost.
"Now that you're a lesbian your sex life will be so boring! How can you enjoy it if you can't stick anything anywhere?"
"Miroku", Sango said very seriously. "Shut up." And then she hit him.
--
--
Miroku was very pleased with himself. He had actually been helpful without being too annoying. Or perhaps Sango was just too used to him already. They had had a wonderful afternoon. Miroku truly enjoyed her company. She was so easy to be around with.
Except when she had to buy clothes. Miroku was starting to believe that there really was something about homosexuals that made them behave like the opposite sex. He loved shopping and stuff like that; he was a hairdresser after all. (And he called himself that instead of a barber.) Sango on the other hand hated everything 'girly', as she put it. It was hard to believe since she was so sexy but actually she was very guy-like, a total tomboy.
Even though Sango was difficult, they managed to finally find her a dress that Miroku liked. Yes, Miroku liked it, Sango thought it was silly and she would have liked to put on a suit. It was a black dress that left shoulders bare and had an open cleavage and hugged her hips just the way it should. It was simple and sexy and Miroku thought it suited her perfectly. It took awhile to get Sango admit it too, though.
Miroku also dragged her to buy some high heels. That was even worse than buying the dress. She was a very practical person who liked her clothes, and especially shoes, to be comfortable, and let's face it; it is damn hard to find stylish, sexy high heels that are comfortable to walk with. It took quite a long time to get her to buy the perfect shoes. They were very pretty black strappy shoes with only 6 cm heel. They would look perfect on her but Miroku had to listen half an hour of complaining how much her feet were going to hurt that night.
Women are a pain!
Perhaps Sango did not like high heels because she was already so tall. Amaya on the other hand was a midget (thank god she did not hear that), so she always wore high heels just to look a little taller. Not that it made much of a difference since she was so small anyway.
He really should not have thought about Sango and Amaya together, especially when he was just about leave to Sesshoumaru. Thinking about those two brought to his mind things he did not want to think about.
He sat on his couch at his own place watching TV. Well, at least it was open. He had no idea what he was supposed to watch since his thoughts were somewhere else entirely.
Why had Sango asked such a stupid question? Why why why? Now he was all messed up, as if dealing with Sesshoumaru was not hard enough already. He did not need any extra troubles. Thinking about feelings made him look like a . . . a woman for crying out loud!!
But considering that he had spent his day shopping dresses and high heels he might as well clear his head and think things through.
First of all, what was that about him falling for that bastard author? That was impossible! Of course he was attracted to him, every healthy person would be. The man was HOT. Besides, Miroku never let a chance to fool around with a hot guy pass by.
Then again, in a way, Sango was right. That night had been somehow special. Not to mention that he had passed out that time in the restaurant even though they had not gone all the way. But that might be just because Sesshoumaru was so skilled. For a first timer… Damn.
Then there was Amaya. What was her relationship with Sesshoumaru? They had been so weird about it at the dinner in Salvation but they were obviously very close. They had met during their time in Special Forces, but was it not weird that they were still so close? How can you turn a brothers-in-arms relationship to that of an editor and author? What were the odds?
There was something behind it, Miroku was certain of it. Now that he really thought about it, those two shared something quite extraordinary. What was it that tied them together? Sesshoumaru had said many times that Amaya did nothing if she did not get some merit from it. Perhaps she had some plans that included Sesshoumaru.
Then again, Sesshoumaru seemed like a smart enough guy to not to fall into the woman's trap. Miroku was starting to get very curious considering this matter. He decided to try and find out what was going on between them. Just out of curiosity. No other reason. Definitely.
Though, he had to admit that the thought of Amaya and Sesshoumaru together was not a pleasant one. But then again, why would Amaya be so eager to hear how he and Sesshoumaru had slept together if there was something between them. Not to mention that it was she who had planned it to happen in the first place.
Okay, thinking did not help at all. Now he was even more lost than before. And now he was starting to get scared that he actually might fall for Sesshoumaru. To be honest, he had known since the beginning that there might be a possibility that might happen. It was not a good thing.
Miroku was not fond of the idea of love or any other such things. He was scared of love. Well, it more like terrified him like nothing else could. Sango was right that to this day the only person Miroku had shown his true feelings was her. For a very long time it was also true that Sango was the only one who showed any affection toward him. He had had a difficult life and he had had to survive on his own. That is why he liked to depend on himself and no one else and the idea of love and the need of someone else scared him.
Miroku knew he would not be good with heart breaks. He had not really had anyone to loose in his life before so he was not sure if he could handle it. For example, if something were to happen to Sango… Just the thought made his insides turn cold like instead of the usual organs there was only ice water inside him.
This heart break thing was something he had to consider very carefully. How else could things end with someone like Sesshoumaru? It was very clear that even if Miroku would develop some feelings for Sesshoumaru, he would most certainly not answer to them. Seriously, someone like Sesshoumaru would never bother with someone like Miroku unless it was because of something else, like in this case the book. It was a bit painful.
All in all, he should just leave all feelings out of it and take things professionally. He would help Sesshoumaru to finish this damn book (not like he had any other choices) and try not to involve himself too much. When the book would finally be finished, he would return to his daily life as a hairdresser who has a different man in his bed every night and he would not have to pay any attention to Sesshoumaru ever again. Good plan.
--
--
Sesshoumaru's phone rang. It was so very rare that someone would call him that he had forgotten he even had a phone. Actually, there was only one person who even knew his number so he knew who was waiting at the other end of the line. He would not have liked anything more than to pull the plug off the wall but that was unfortunately out of the question. That's why the only thing he could do was to drag himself to the phone and answer the call. He did not hurry.
"What do you want?" Sesshoumaru said annoyed to the phone.
"Don't be so rude", Amaya's voice shouted in his ear. She sounded agitated.
"What's wrong?" Sesshoumaru asked his voice as calm as ever.
"She is here."
"Why? Did something happen? Is something wrong with her?"
"No. Nothing like that. Calm yourself Sesshy."
"You're the one screaming in my ear. I'm always calm."
"No you are not. At least not when we are speaking about her. Now listen up, she has been in my apartment."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure! What do you think I am, an amateur? Besides, she and you are the only ones who know where I live. And I take it that you haven't visited me lately so…"
"So why isn't she there now? Where is she?"
"Well, since she did not find me she is probably coming to you. Can you take care of it?"
"Miroku is coming here tonight. I'm going to pick him up in few hours."
"Huh? You pick him up? How sweet of you!" Amaya giggled.
"No it isn't. He does not have a car so when Kagome is not free to bring him, I do. Now back to business, how are we going to handle this?"
"Well, Miroku cannot see her. You know what we would have to do if he does."
"So why don't you come here so you can take her to your place?"
"No. My boss asked me to come to the office and he gets suspicious if I don't go. He already keeps an eye on me as it is. I don't want to give him any reason to be suspicious. I don't trust that man. Why don't you just hide her to some other part of that oversized mansion of yours? It's a big place; she can keep out of the way while the cutie boy is there."
"Fine. It has its risks but I guess we do not have a choice. How did she manage to get here anyway?"
"Me thinks she used her persuasion skills to that idiot. I still cannot understand why out of all people you had to pick him as her caretaker."
"He has some qualities that are useful. But don't worry; I'll beat him up for this."
"You'd better, or I will. And I'm not as nice as you!"
"I know that pixiewoman. Just keep your knives and guns out of this."
"Yeah yeah. Call me when she gets there and make sure she and Miroku never meet!"
"You are starting to annoy me. Do you think I am an amateur?"
"Sometimes it's hard to tell sweetie."
Sesshoumaru hung up the phone a bit harder than necessary and marched back to his study mumbling some not so nice things about his dear editor.
--
--
I bet you did not see that coming! heheh. Did I surprise you? This is getting interesting! ^^ And aren't I nice for giving you this chappy so quickly! (Actually I'm just impatient to hear your thoughts about this...)
Thank you to all those who have reviewed and alerted/favourited! I'm glad to hear you like Amaya and Sesshoumaru's relationship. I'm quite fond of them too. Honestly, trying to write Amaya so that you can understand it is a pain in the ass but I like her anyways. I have a bad habit of creating difficult characters. -.- And writing in English does not help...
~Val~