Arrankor: Yeah, sadly Miroku is one of my worst lol, well maybe. That being said in this situation, he's the antagonist, so it's hard to keep him entirely in character as well.
[[I do not own inuyasha, I do however own a cell phone. As a result, this chapter is brought to you at least partially by Samsung, in conjunction with Sprint! Neither of which I own... actually I don't own the phone either... damn contracts.]]
Sango sighed to herself, how could one beautiful summer day be so depressing?
Oh yeah, that's why...
"So Sango, I was thinking maybe we could take the kids out for lunch today, it's such a nice day out." Said Miroku, another suggestion just a different day.
"No good, I've promised to help train the students today." Said Inuyasha with a `hmph!`.
"That's okay, you can stay and do that. I'm sure you can find some food here on your own." Said Miroku with a smile, that smile annoyed Inuyasha more than his words.
"I'm going to help train then as well, but you are welcome to take the kids- you'd like that wouldn't you?" Said Sango, giving Miroku a similar smile to him that he'd given to Inuyasha, making inuyasha smirk.
The kids proceeded to cheer at the idea of going out.
Sango sighed again as Miroku left with the children a bit later. She had actually expected him to back out of it, since he wouldn't be getting his way, but he did end up going-it was good he was spending time with the kids. "I'm exhausted... is it time for bed yet?" Asked Sango as she let her had fall into her arms on the table.
"It's not even noon yet... are you sure you wanna come to training?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yeah, at least there I don't have to worry about having people under my feet all the time..." Said Sango with another sigh.
"Yeah, sorry about that again..." Said inuyasha with his head listed a bit, his ears dropping slightly. "It really was an accident.."
Sango blushed a bit. "I didn't mean that, but I would appreciate it if you'd make yourself known if you are going to bust into the bedroom when I'm changing..." She said, definitely more awake than before.
"Come on, let's get out as well. Maybe we can get the stuff for dinner while we are out so we don't have to after training." Inuyasha suggested.
"I don't know inuyasha, I kind of want to enjoy having the house to myself for a bit for once." Said Sango honestly, looking to inuyasha to ensure she hadn't offended him or something.
"...well, okay. I'll get the stuff for dinner then, so you can relax." Said Inuyasha, moving over to her side on the table and running her head briefly.
"Thanks Inuyasha" she said as she smiled into his action.
Inuyasha then decided to get going, leaving out the front exit.
Sango smiled and set her head down again, but after a few minutes she realized that the silence was not quite as comfortable as she remembered it being, from so long ago.
She found herself cleaning, running laundry around, making lunch, though it was less prepared since Miroku had taken the previously prepared lunch for himself and the children.
She did anything she could to stay busy, but as she hung the last of the laundry out to dry, she quickly realized that the sun was still high, it was likely just being noon. She sighed. She honestly couldn't remember what she used to do with her spare time.
Growing bored, she soon began to eat at the lunch a bit, waiting for Inuyasha to return. He'll at this point she would probably even welcome Miroku's company.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha was out shopping. Had she considered that the half demon never went shopping unless it was with her, she might have wondered what he intended to do. Suffice it to say that his variation was not exactly the same. Having no perceivable use for currency, he did things the way he was used to, literally hunting down what was needed in the wild. It was nearly one thirty by time he gathered the last item on the list, setting back with haste, knowing that the hour of their training approached.
Sango was staring off into space when she reached down to gather another bite of food, only to find the bowl empty. She looked down, and her first immediate thought was simply 'Wha? Where'd it go?!' She was so certain that it had been stolen from beneath her for a moment, before she licked her lips, and tasted the food once again. She popped back up and gathered the now empty dish, and returned back to the kitchen. 'I have to find something else to make real quick!' She thought as she rushed back and forth inside the kitchen. She heard the sound of her nightmares at that moment. "Sango, I'm home!" No, it wasn't Miroku.. She'd probably be glad to hear him, if only because he might have leftovers.
"Come in here." He called out, as he set a couple of things down on the table before going towards the kitchen to put away what he'd hunted down.
She had been prepared to face the music before almost literally bumping into him in the hallway right outside the kitchen. "Yikes! Geez, you scared me." Said Sango, a moment's reprieve for her anxiety through sheer surprise.
"I called out to you, didn't you hear me?" He asked curiously, but decided to go ahead and store the supplies first. "Hey, go into the dining room, I brought you something." He added, as he did.
Sango mummbled an answer as he passed, not particularly wanting him to understand- but redirected her attention as he mentioned the other room. She proceeded into it, only to find a new meal sat atop the table now. "Huh?" She said aloud, wondering if she had imagined her previous dilemma, before considering what InuYasha had previously stated. "Oh, where did you get it?" She asked in a louder tone so he'd hear her.. not that he really needed it.
"I was gone longer than I intended to, so I asked that old woman you usually talk to in the market if she had any food I could borrow- I traded her some fish for it." He called back as he emerged again. "Go ahead, and dig in- it smelled good carrying it back." He said as he scooted around her to sit in his usual place, prepared to eat.
"Alright!.. err, I mean.. I'll have to thank her.. and thank you too, that was actually pretty considerate of you." She said with a chuckle, not really meaning it as rude as it sounded, but she dismissed it- she had to tease him back sometimes, otherwise he might think she's gone soft or something.
"Well, go ahead- dig in." He said, as he began to eat quickly- noted primarily by the amount of food he had to swallow each time.
"Sure, that sounds nice." She said as she moved over to sit, only looking down at the food as it occurred to her.. she was most definitely not hungry. '..Damnit.. Next time.. I'm going with him...' She thought to herself, realizing the stress of a day off was more troubling than her usual day.
"Come on, it's better while it's hot- eat up." Said InuYasha. "Or do you just not like this kind of food?" He asked our of curiosity.
"..Oh, no! Nothing like that, I was just.. uh... enjoying the scent is all." She lied with a smile, before taking a rather nervous gulp and proceeding to dive into an unwanted meal. Today was going to be a really sluggish practice, she could predict that much already.
By the time the meal was finished, she had to will herself to finish, she felt as if she really wouldn't fit into her slayer's uniform at that moment, and the fatigue she felt earlier was compounded by the sheer extent of her lack of hunger. She made a groan sound as she swallowed the last bite, if InuYasha were more outgoing, maybe he would've done something else besides sit at the table and wait for her.. Oh how she wished she could sneak the food off and toss it out.. how many times had she hoped for that opening.. but InuYasha wasn't one to drop his guard, that was for certain.
"You don't look so good. Maybe you should stay home today?" He asked, though the moment she considered staying home, the memories of the tragic events that transpired today came flooding back. "No! No, no, no, I wanna go.. definitely!" She said, the idea of being at home alone, especially with all the chores done, she'd only be able to cook dinner.. and she was starting to realizing that wasn't a smart thing to do ahead of time. In more ways than one.
"Alright, but if you change your mind, let me know, okay?" Said InuYasha, still unsure of her decision- she really didn't look well, even as she stood up she looked shaky on her feet, and her complexion was a bit pale.
"Thanks, InuYasha- but really, I don't feel well, but I think getting out and getting active will help a lot more than sitting around here any longer." She said as she made her way towards the doorway. "I'm going to go change and get ready.." She told him, as she left his view.
InuYasha moved over to the corner as he waited, resting against it like he normally would. After a few minutes though, he decided to go and check in on her. She was laying on the bed, fast asleep- her demon slayer's uniform fit around her. He gave an annoyed growl, but a low one, as not to disturb her. '..If you were that tired, you should've just said so..' He thought to himself as he moved into the room, getting her properly into bed and tucked in. He lingered there keeping her sleeping form company until he absolutely had to leave... he had to pry his arm from her in order to even manage to leave in the end.
Sango woke up some hours later, the sound of children whining making itself evident, causing her to shoot up quickly. 'Oh no, what time is it!?' She thought to herself, as she quickly went to hop up and head out, though she stopped before she even made it to the doorway, realizing she had forgotten to change. She found her uniform in a mess alongside the bed, figuring she must've fallen asleep somewhere between getting it and putting it on.
As she headed into the main area of the house, she was literally securing her pads still. "Welcome back, I hope you had fun, I've got to get to practice!" She called out as she went speeding towards the exit.
"I don't think you'll make it before they head home- I saw everyone a good hour from the village on their way somewhere, InuYasha was with them. I imagine their done by now, that was a good two hours ago." Said Miroku, wondering what was so imperitive about being at practice on that day in particular.
"Two.. hours? Three? How long was I asleep?!" She said, somewhat distrusting of the monk's record of events.
"I asked InuYasha where you were, I guess you dozed off after lunch- he said it was just after lunch, so I imagine you slept for about seven hours?" Answered Miroku, turning his attention back to the children briefly to get on to one of the twins for picking on the boy, as he worked on a japanese character.
"Seven ho... What're you doing?" She asked, confused until she looked closer.
"I'm teaching them how to read and write.. well, one at a time of course, but I find they tend to come easier if you learn them at the same time." Said Miroku with a smile.
"I..I see.." Said Sango, letting it go for now, that would require more thought than she cared to give. "I'm just.. going to go see if I can welcome them home- I feel bad for having missed it." Said Sango.
"There will be other days of training, why do you feel so strongly regarding this one in particular?" Asked Miroku, as he analyzed Sango's reasoning.
"T-There's no particular reason, I said I'd go so I should at least make an effort right?" Said Sango defensively.
"Is that right?" Asked Miroku, though the analytical gaze she was being given was eroding her resistance quickly.
"Well.. I mean.. it's just.. I don't.. really have a lot of.. time to spend with InuYasha outside of the house. Even when we go out for something, if we both go, we're generally dragging the kids along too, and you as well, as of late." She said, ending it with a bit of a spiteful glare. "I remembered once that he asked me if he could come to practice as well, just to watch since he was babysitting, but I don't really want the kids to grow up with the predisposition to fight- so I refused. When he said he was training today, I thought it'd be a good chance to go as well, since you were going to be with the kids today." Said Sango, realizing afterwards that it sounded rather cruel to say, particularly to Miroku whom she was inadvertantly using to do it.
Miroku smiled slightly. "Well played, Sango- I didn't think you capable of such underhanded-ness." He said, though he was actually being sincere. "Using me to have a chance to be alone with InuYasha- I definitely didn't consider that... Very well, go then- It's not in me to refuse, though I'd prefer you merely ask next time... and ideally, perhaps on occasion actually join me as well. It hardly seems fair that my attempt at winning you back, should be solely used to further your bond with another." Said Miroku, he may not support InuYasha's existance in his wife's heart, but that being said, he would always support those he cared for, and it was clear based on Sango's explanation that she genuinely cared about having that time. He couldn't refuse, knowing she wished for it genuinely.
"Wha? You mean.. go now? I thought you said it was probably over..." Said Sango.
"I didn't say go train, I said go out- I can put the kids to bed, just try to be home before too late, or I might get too jealous." Said Miroku with a smile.
She hadn't really considered it before, she knew Miroku didn't like that InuYasha was there, but the fact that he openly admitted that it could make him jealous was actually a tad flattering, unfortunately for her, also a bit guilty. That wasn't something she could help though.. she hadn't asked him to be there for her, nor had she accepted his feelings since before, what was done he was choosing to do for himself, though just as true that it was also for her in some way, that was probably the part that made that guilt linger as she nodded slowly and decided to leave then, she was almost a full step out of the door before she quickly turned to address the kids, wishing them a goodnight and kissing each one on the forehead. "You behave now! I'll make us a very special breakfast in the morning, I promise!" she said as she then headed out.