Chapter 7 – Fellowship of the Onion Rings
It was around 7:30 AM when the four teenagers arrived in the parking lot of Red Rooster's Diner. Kagome was the first to step out of the van to meet the boys who parked on the adjacent side of the lot. She looked around the parking lot as the smell of breakfast from the restaurant in front hit her nose in the most pleasant way. The hunger pangs however, were not so pleasant. It was a miracle they were even able to find a spot as it seemed like every senior citizen in Portillo Beach happened to be there for breakfast as well, then again it was a Saturday.
Miroku and Inuyasha exited the Camaro. As usual, Inuyasha had his ears covered again, this time with a black baseball cap he'd purchased from a convenience store on the way to the restaurant. Kagome waved the two boys over. "We're over here!" she called at the two men.
Miroku and Inuyasha ran over to the girl in front of the van. Like Kagome, Miroku also took notice of the large amount of cars in the parking lot and senior citizen happy hour going on inside the restaurant through the windows of the diner. "Sorry Kagome." He apologized. "I didn't think it'd be this packed."
"It's okay." Kagome responded. "Waiting is fine with me."
"By the way, where's Sango?" Miroku asked, seeing only Kagome step out of the van.
"In the back of the van, getting dressed. She'll be out in a minute."
Miroku and the others waited around the van for a few more minutes. "She's taking her sweet time again." Inuyasha huffed, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the van. Moments later, the van door opened and Sango stepped out in plain clothes consisting of a baggy pink t-shirt tucked in a pair of acid wash high-waisted fold over jeans and sensible white sneakers. Her semi-damp hair was styled in a loose ponytail fastened with another white bow tied a few inches from the end of her hair. Different from her usual hairstyle but suited her all the same. "Sorry if I took too long, I had to get most of the gunk from the salamander youkai out of my hair."
"It was no trouble at all." Miroku said, reassuring her. "You look great!"
"Thanks, I-" Sango started to speak.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can you two stop flirting for one second. Fuckin' starving over here." Inuyasha rudely interrupted the two friends.
"Right." Sango nodded. "You know this place better than us, Miroku. Lead the way."
On the inside of the restaurant, it was packed but not as packed as Miroku previously thought it was. The young warlock took in the familiar scents and sounds of the bustling restaurant. Red Roosters was very much a Portillo Beach landmark given that the restaurant first opened its doors in 1955 and hadn't changed owners once during that time. Miroku himself had dined at the establishment with his family probably since he was old enough to write his own name with crayon. From the homey country-style decor to the brass roosters on a shelf above the service counter, the eatery gave the young man a breath of well-received nostalgia. Miroku wondered if Julie, his regular server was in today, probably not since she usually worked weekdays while her kids were at school. Miroku walked up to the hostess at the front who was currently busy folding a stack of kids menus with crayons. She stopped what she was doing to take notice of the party that just arrived.
"Welcome to Red Roosters' How many of y'all will we be seating today?" The friendly hostess at the front said in a fairly convincing Texas drawl as she gathered a stack of regular menus in her hand.
"Just four." Miroku responded. "Non-smoking if you can."
"Sure thing, hun. Looks like a booth just opened up in your section!" The waitress exclaimed. "Right this way!"
The waitress escorted the teens to a booth at the very far side of the non-smoking section. "Lana, your server, will be here shortly to take your order."
Inuyasha and Miroku sat on one side of the booth and Kagome and Sango on the other. Carefully, the teens looked over the two-page breakfast menu.
"Anything in particular you recommend?" Sango asked Miroku.
"Well, I'm partial to the Southwestern Omelet. But everything here is a pretty solid choice though."
"Oi, Miroku. Help me out with this." Inuyasha interrupted. "I can't read English. Can you show me where the pancakes are?" The foreign teen pointed to the menu. Miroku assisted Inuyasha, explaining the options for the pancake platter. "Looks like they come with either bacon or sausage and a side of scrambled eggs. Know which one you want to get?"
"Bacon, I guess." Inuyasha responded. "I also want orange juice too."
"I'll have the same thing as Inuyasha." Kagome spoke up.
Miroku turned his attention on Sango again. "Find anything you like, Sango?"
"I think I'm going to try the blueberry cream cheese filled crepes. Those sound pretty good."
A few minutes passed before Lana, the server assigned to their section arrived. Miroku took a look at the young woman. He'd never seen her face around the restaurant so he was certain that she must've been a new hire. With wavy blonde hair teased in a banana clip and a slender but toned figure, Lana was a total hottie despite lacking the magnificent mammaries of Julie, the waitress he was used to. If given the chance, he'd take Lana for a spin any day.
"Hi, I'm Lana, i'll be your server today. Are all you ready to order or do you need a little more time?" The waitress asked.
"I think we're ready." Miroku replied. "I'll have the southwestern omelet. Extra peppers please. Oh and coffee. Black. As for my friend over there, his English isn't very great but he wants the Rise with Roosters pancake platter. Bacon, with orange juice."
"I'll have the same." Kagome spoke up.
The waitress jotted down the orders into her guest check notepad. She turned her attention on Sango.
"And for you, miss?"
"Oh, I'll have the blueberry stuffed crepes and a cup of English Breakfast tea. Milk on the side please." Sango replied.
"Alright." The server spoke, jotting down the last of the table's orders in her notepad. "I'll be back in a little bit with your orders. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to raise the rooster and I'll be right over." The waitress continued, pointing to the laminated cutout of a rooster on a string attached to the condiment station with the free-standing butter pods, sugar packets, and coffee creamer at the far end of the table.
"Great." Miroku said, handing the menus over to the waitress.
"So, now that I got you both here. Mind giving me the rundown on what a Taijiya is? What do you two do, and how are your weapons so advanced?" Miroku focused his attention on the two girls sitting across from him.
Sango started to speak. "It's like this. Taijiya are an ancient guild of skilled youkai slayers. We've been doing what we do for centuries. In the old days, we would use the bones and hides of youkai to forge our weapons and armor. We were also skilled herbalists who used herbal concoctions to flush out and repel youkai. However, as it is the modern age the old ways are all but lost. I'm sure you as a warlock have heard of the GUILD act of 1903, correct?"
Miroku nodded. "Yes, I am very familiar with the GUILD act. Signed into law by former President Theodore Roosevelt, who also happened to be a mage himself. Its what allows magic users to be able to exorcise and kill monsters not of this realm. It's why we are able to live normal lives free of persecution. Why bring this up, Sango?"
"You see, taijiya, even though non-magical." Sango continued. "We still have to abide by the rules set by the GUILD act. Youkai slayers also have to have the ability to dispose of any evidence after a job is done. I'm sure you saw the portal device Kagome initiated during our battle with the slime salamander, right?"
"So, that's what that thing was! A portal device!" He exclaimed. "Fascinating. But I have another question, how does your guild get all that-"
"Technology?" Sango cut him off. "Simple. Have you ever heard of Sentinel?"
Miroku scratched his head. "Sentinel? Like the evil organization in the X-Men comics?"
"No, as in Sentinel Robotics. They're a manufacturer of high tech microchips right here in the San Diego area. Anyways, Sentinel funds and supplies the weapons and technology that the taijiya use. Basically, we're running on some of the same top-secret technology that's used by government agencies like the CIA. One of the founders of Sentinel, a man by the name of Ken Takeda was deeply enthralled by the tales of the taijiya growing up and his company was responsible for reviving the taijiya guild from only two slayers from two different families to a force that is over twenty members strong today."
"Wow, I had no idea any of this was ever going on! So do you work for Sentinel?" Miroku asked, still curious about the Slayer's origin.
Sango shook her head. "No, all taijiya are free and independent contractors bound only by our guild. The only one who has any employment ties to Sentinel is Kagome, and that's only because her mom is an engineer who works directly for the company."
Miroku shifted his attention to Kagome. "So your mom is an engineer? Was she responsible for the technology for the portal device then?"
"Yup." Kagome nodded. "My dad was actually the director of the portal project five years ago, it was his last major project before he died. What Sango and I use is the prototype developed exclusively for the taijiya, the finalized version is not available for civilian use."
"My condolences for your father, Kagome. So, how long have you and Sango known each other? You seem pretty close." Miroku asked, pivoting the conversation away from the techie talk.
"I've known Sango since both of us were in diapers. Our dads were childhood friends and we've been best friends for as long as I can remember."
"Do you also attend St. Catherine's?"
Kagome shook her head. "No, I go to Elwood Prep in La Jolla. My mom isn't religious but she's a stickler when it comes to academics."
"THE Elwood prep?" Miroku's eyes widened. "Your family must be incredibly wealthy!"
"Keh." Inuyasha scoffed. "I don't see what the big deal is about some school for rich assholes. Seen one, seen them all."
"You don't get it." Miroku continued. "Elwood prep is one of the top private schools in Southern California. The sons and daughters of politicians, CEOs, and celebrities go there. Some of the finest girls in the US go to that school. Oh to be a fly on the wall around such beauties would be a dream." Miroku said, excited to know that he now knew someone who actually went to the fabled school.
"That's the reputation but no, I'm not rich. I was able to get in via academic scholarship." Kagome responded.
Sango, slightly annoyed with Miroku's fawning over the girls at Kagome's school began to speak up. "So, Miroku. Your turn for fifty questions. What made you decide to be a warlock?"
"Nothing really. It kind of just happened." He replied. "I've always been clairvoyant, but my powers really didn't begin to manifest until I was about eight or nine years old. At first I was only seeing human spirits but as I got older I was able to see otherworldly beings. I'd say my power completely manifested right before my 15th birthday."
"Word of advice, Sango. My parents hate that I'm able to see and sense entities. So, if you ever meet them, don't mention anything about me being a warlock."
"And why is that?"
"You know, my dad's never really explained it but I think it has a lot to do with my uncle having the same powers. They've always had a sibling rivalry of sorts."
"Your uncle, is he also a warlock?" Sango asked, curious if he was in a similar situation to her regarding family legacies.
"Hardly." Miroku responded. "My uncle Mushin is a Buddhist monk who lives in Japan at some remote temple in Hokkaido. My parents tried to persuade me to live with him at the temple after graduation but I refused."
"Let me guess, lifelong vow of celibacy too much for you, playboy?" Sango replied with a smirk.
Miroku felt his cheeks get a little warm. Damn, Sango's intuition was good. "I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a reason, but the main reason would be I'd have to give up my music in order to live a monastic life. I do have a master that I studied the craft under though." He continued, halting the conversation as the waitress came back with the plates.
"Oh, and where do you work?" Sango asked, reaching for the sugar packets on the far side to add to her tea.
"You ever heard of Shikigami Books over in the strip mall?"
Sango took a sip of her tea and a bite of her crepe. She had to hand it to Miroku, this place could actually make a decent crepe. "I think so, she replied. It's that little bookstore across the way from the sushi place right? Never been in there though."
Miroku took a bite of his omelet. "The woman who owns the place, Tsubaki, is a witch. I'm pretty much the lone employee, but business is so slow that I often use the room behind the counter to perform divination for clients; Fortune-telling, palmistry, tarot. That sort of thing is what keeps the lights on when we're not selling books. I also handle house calls for exorcisms and exterminations when given the opportunity."
"Maybe I can stop by one day to say hi. My workplace isn't too far from you at all." Sango replied.
"I'd appreciate that." Miroku replied with a soft grin on his face. Having her visit him often would certainly liven up the place a little bit. Tsubaki probably wouldn't agree though, given her disdain for younger women, and with Sango's beauty there wasn't a doubt in his mind that the old bat would have some choice words to say about his visitor.
The four teens continued to eat their breakfast while answering each other's questions in tandem. Sango and Kagome were able to find out about Inuyasha's half-youkai parentage, and other questions they may have had for the boys. All four of them seemed to get along very well as a group, and that was when Kagome decided to yank Sango aside to join her in the restroom.
"What are we doing in here?" Sango asked as Kagome shut the door behind them. Luckily, the restroom happened to be empty so Kagome had free reign to ask the most important question on her mind since meeting the boys. Sango had a feeling Kagome was going to bring up something that involved the boys but she wasn't quite prepared for her best friend's next question.
"So..." Kagome began. "You and Miroku, how long have you been dating and when were you going to tell me you had a boyfriend?"
"Huh?" Sango responded, mouth slightly agape. "Miroku isn't my boyfriend. We literally just met yesterday when he crashed into my bicycle on my way home from volleyball practice."
"Really? But you have so much chemistry together."
"Puh-lease." Sango rolled her eyes. "He's a pervert! You saw the way he ogled our waitress at the table. Not to mention all the times I've caught him staring at my boobs and butt. You can't be serious, Kagome?"
Kagome sighed. Sango wasn't fooling anyone, she definitely had the hots for Miroku. But, she also had this annoying habit of denial, always putting the blame on the guy for her own hang-ups. Knowing how uncle Dan was towards boys that were interested in his daughter, it was no surprise Sango would have a repeat habit of keeping her feelings bottled up. Kagome remembered when they were in junior high and Sango had a crush on another boy. She would always deny and deflect until it was too late and the boy ended up dating someone else. Kagome wasn't about to let that happen a second time if she could help it.
"I think you two would be a great match. He seems to be really into you, and he's totally cute too."
Sango felt her cheeks get warm at Kagome's comment. She knew Miroku thought she was attractive by the way he kept flirting with her when they first met but something told her that he had a habit of hitting on not just her, but all women if given the opportunity. "Not going to happen. Can we drop the subject, please?"
"In fact, why don't we team up with the boys from now on?" Kagome suggested.
Sango shot her friend a puzzled look. "And why would we do that? We do just fine slaying youkai on our own."
"Think about it. Wouldn't we cover more ground if we teamed up, rather than trying to beat each other to get to the youkai first? Besides, we can use a warlock on our side. No offense but the portal device is so heavy and my shoulders could use a break every now and then."
Thinking, Sango curled her index finger under her chin. Maybe Kagome was right, after all, it seemed that youkai encounters were getting a little more frequent lately and with a skilled warlock and a strong youkai on their side, they might be able to mitigate the problem better. Besides, it would give her a chance to get to know Miroku better. Putting his unsavory quirks aside, he seemed to be a decent guy to have around.
"You're right." Sango answered the question. "We should team up with the boys. I'm sure the guild will have no issue with it as long as we keep disposing of any youkai evidence. But let's treat this like a business proposition just so a certain someone doesn't get the wrong idea."
"Great!" Kagome beamed. "Let's get back to the table and ask them if they'll be on board with teaming up!"
Moments later, the girls met up with Miroku and Inuyasha back at the table. The two were in deep conversation about something when the girls sat down.
"Miroku, Sango needs to ask you something." Kagome was the first to speak. Sango's face went red as she buried her head in her hands. So much for asking them together.
Puzzled, Miroku focused his attention on the slayer. She was acting bashful for some reason, could it be that she was ready to ask him out for real? God, he hoped that was the case. "What's on your mind, Sango?" He pressed on.
Sango began to speak. "As Kagome suggested earlier. We wanted to ask you and Inuyasha if you'd like to join up with us from now on to handle the youkai problem. You don't have to say yes, we just thought it'd be easier on both our teams if we joined up."
"Team up with you two?" Miroku reiterated her question. "Sure, I'm down for that. Working with two total babes is a much better proposition than trying to compete with them. How about you, Inuyasha. You ok with joining up with Sango and Kagome?"
Inuyasha leaned back in his seat. "I don't want to be the one to buck the trend so, I guess we can team up." He responded with a toothpick hanging out of his mouth. "Let me use a weapon next time and we have a deal."
"Noted. Well girls, looks like we're a team now." Miroku said with a confident grin on his face. "Just one question, how will we communicate with one another. Got any other gadgets for that purpose?"
"We thought you'd say that." Kagome spoke up as she picked up her purse from under the booth. Unzipping the top, she pulled out a pager. "Not exactly a high-tech solution but it'll get the job done." She explained, handing Miroku the pager. "Both mine and Sango's number are already in there so everything should go as smooth as possible."
"Oh, by the way Miroku, how much do we owe you for the breakfast?" Kagome continued, reaching into her purse for her wallet.
"Don't worry about it, breakfast is on me." Miroku reassured Kagome. "You two headed out already?"
The two girls stepped out from the booth. Grabbing her bag, Sango answered his question. "Yeah, we have to report the details of today's mission to the guild. Also, I definitely need to take a real shower after dealing with the slime salamander. The eyewash station in the van is not a substitute for hot water and soap."
"See you guys later!" Kagome and Sango said in unison.
"Wait Sango." Miroku stopped her before she headed out the door. "Can I call you later?"
"Sure, I'll be home this afternoon so, I don't mind. Bye Miroku."
"Bye, girls."
The young man watched from the window as Kagome and Sango entered the van. Despite the rocky morning, the outcome at breakfast couldn't have went any better. He solidified his friendship with Sango for good and also got to meet another babe in the process. Not only was Kagome attractive and incredibly smart: She had connections. If anyone would ever have the clearance to get him into an Elwood Prep party, it would be her. Miroku's mind began to race, what if he befriended the son or daughter of a music producer at one of those parties? Gladius could be a shoe-in for a record deal without even having to compete at Battle of The Bands and merely hoping to be scouted out. Miroku zoned out for a minute imagining himself in the backyard of a Hollywood Hills mansion sitting in a lounge chair around a clear, sparkling, swimming pool surrounded by towering stacks of fat cash and gorgeous women all around him. He'd feel like an absolute king with a beer in one hand and a topless thong back bikini-bottom clad brunette in his lap while an equally busty blonde babe clung to his arm. Fame, money, a rock star harem. It would be absolute heaven.
Miroku snapped out of his daydream, now wasn't the time to fantasize about future grandeur. Reaching into his jeans pocket, he pulled out his wallet for some cash for the meals and a sizable tip for the waitress. It was just about time for he and Inuyasha to head back home as well. He motioned for Inuyasha to get up and the two of them exited the restaurant to look for Miroku's car parked somewhere in the now completely-packed parking lot.
"What was the extra money on the table for?" Inuyasha asked, unfamiliar with the American custom of tipping.
"For our waitress. I always tip double if the waitress is cute enough." Miroku yawned as he stretched his arms walking in the parking lot towards his car.
"But you also left her your phone number?"
"What? You can't expect me to not take a chance with a cute girl like that." Miroku replied, unlocking the door of the car. "Well, now that I'm full how about we head home. I'm ready for a nap."
"I thought you were going to meet up with your friends?" Inuyasha said, stepping into the front seat of the Camaro.
"Nah, I'm too pooped to deal with them. Maybe tomorrow." He said, turning the key into the ignition. Soon the car was out of the parking lot and on the way home. For what seemed to be a normal part of his job, that particular Saturday turned out to be the highlight of his otherwise crappy week.
After a shower and yet another change of clothes. Sango and Kagome made their way to the front gate of Sentinel's headquarters in central San Diego. As the van pulled up to the security booth, Kagome flashed the clearance cards that they kept in the sun visor overhead. Once parked, Sango stepped out of the van, once again dressed in her taijiya gear as she and Kagome walked past the front desk and towards the elevator that would bring them to the bottom level. Swiping her clearance card again, Kagome pressed the button on the side to access the elevator. Standing back, the young woman adjusted the straps of the portal device on her back. It had been a while since the device had been emptied from the last few missions and was long overdue for a clean out. Within a minute or two, the elevator stopped at the underground level. The two girls approached the other receptionist desk where a brunette woman no older than thirty was busy filing her nails, waiting for calls to come in from the other taijiya working the North American sector.
"Oh, you two are back already?" The woman nonchalantly addressed the pair in front of her.
Kagome nodded. "Just came by to clear out the portal device after the last mission. Say, Sharon, Is Dr. Tanaka around so we can go ahead and mark the mission complete?"
"I can go ahead and page him." Sharon replied as she dialed in the number for the research office on the phone. "He'll be right down. Feel free to take a seat."
Within minutes, the pair was greeted by a skinny middle aged man in a lab coat. His long gray hair was tied in a low ponytail and a salt and a gray beard covered the lower half of his face. This man was Goro Tanaka, chief scientist of the portal project and the man that directly oversaw anything involving weaponry that the taijiya used. "Ah, Sango and Kagome! My dynamite duo! I'm so glad to see both of you completed the mission I was so worried when I heard it was a slime salamander, those things are notoriously nasty."
"It was honestly no sweat!" Sango replied, flipping her ponytail behind her shoulder. "Actually, that's why we're here. We need to get the eggs and corpse out of the device before it all starts to rot with the last two kills."
"Sure thing, right this way." He replied, leading the girls into the main hub of the laboratory. Sango took in the familiar sounds of the workspace, busy as usual with other members of the taijiya guild and Sentinel employees meandering around, doing their daily tasks. Kagome soon spotted her mom, Anna Higurashi, as one of the scientists on duty that day. With a smile across her face, she ran up to the woman. "Mom! We're back!" She exclaimed, embracing her mother in a hug. Anna returned her daughter's affectionate gesture. Kagome's mother, Anna, was a slender, petite woman not unlike her daughter with fair skin, short permed black hair, and caring brown eyes. She'd been employed with Sentinel for nearly twenty years after graduating from MIT with top honors. Although widowed for nearly five years after the unexpected death of her husband, Jun, she had no qualms about being the sole breadwinner of her household as long as it meant that Kagome and her youngest child, Sota, received a good education.
"How'd the mission go, girls?" Anna addressed her daughter and Sango who was left to carry the portal device on her own. Quickly, she handed the device off to Dr. Tanaka who took it to quarantine in order to dispose of the liquefied remains.
"Slime salamander." Sango responded. "Nothing we haven't dealt with before. Though I have to admit, it's a little odd seeing more than one spawn within the span of a week. They usually tend to not spawn in our realm once they realize their mate has been slaughtered."
Anna brought her index finger to her chin. "Now that you mention it, you're not the only taijiya who has commented on the increased youkai activity. For North America, this amount of uncloaked youkai sightings is unprecedented. I heard from Sentinel Tokyo that the slayers working the Japanese sector recently did a recruitment drive because the level of activity is off the charts and they're overworked trying to keep the monsters at bay. I wonder what could be drawing them to spawn here and in such large numbers?"
"Beats me." Sango replied. "I kinda wish we could return to when all we had to deal with was the odd cryptid here and there. Taking out this many low-level youkai is seriously exhausting."
"It probably would've been more exhausting if Miroku and Inuyasha wouldn't have stepped in to deal with the ogre though." Kagome butted in. Embarrassed, she covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh no! Did I say too much?"
Sango shook her head. "No, we probably couldn't expect to keep our alliance with the warlock under wraps to begin with."
"What's this I hear about an alliance with a warlock?" A deeper male voice echoed from close by. Kagome and Sango looked behind them only to be greeted by Kuranosuke Takeda, the captain of the North American division of the Taijiya Guild and eldest grandson to Sentinel's founder and president. Like Sango, he was also dressed in taijiya gear consisting of a skin tight spandex long sleeved top and military green cargo pants tucked into standard issue combat boots. His wavy brown-black hair was short with wispy bangs that framed the right side his face with two stray cowlicks that met his hairline in the center. Neatly trimmed dark eyebrows rested atop hazel eyes that leaned more brown than green. His build was tall, lean, and muscular as expected of an active warrior. With looks and a body that would put any male underwear model to shame, to say that the young taijiya captain wasn't incredibly handsome would be an understatement.
"I didn't realize you'd want to ally yourself with someone other than yours truly, let alone a magic user." He laughed, sending Sango his charming smile that glistened off his perfect, shiny teeth.
"Captain Kuranosuke." Sango addressed the man in front of her. "I didn't realize you already came back from your mission."
"I was just handling some paper work. Excellent job with the kill on the slime salamander earlier today. I wish I could've witnessed it. I bet you were absolutely awe-inspiring, Sango."
Sango felt her cheeks get warm at the praise from her superior. "It was nothing special, like I was telling Dr. Higurashi. Slay one slime salamander, you've slayed them all. If anything it was less 'awe-inspiring' and more like totally gross given all the slime that covered my hair and clothes."
Kuranosuke laughed at her response. "Be that as it may, no amount of slime could ever truly tarnish your beauty. Don't you agree, Kagome?"
Kagome looked at her friend with a mischievous grin. "Oh, I definitely agree, Captain."
"Sango, If you're not doing anything next Saturday, I have a reservation for the observation deck at La Mariposa, I'd love it if you'd join me for dinner. As our top slayer, I'd love to have a moment of your time outside of headquarters to talk strategy and to get to know you better of course."
Kagome playfully nudged Sango. "Ooh, La Mariposa. How fancy."
"Sango's heart thumped in her chest. Did The Captain just ask her out on a date? He was never this forward to her before. Was it because she just turned 18? No couldn't be, she celebrated her birthday at headquarters and he didn't come onto her once then, besides he's only twenty so any large age gap wouldn't have been a deterrent for him before. Could it be because she mentioned the alliance with Miroku? Was Kuranosuke jealous of the warlock? Sango had to wonder.
"I'd love to." She responded.
"Excellent! So when should I-"
"But, I'm afraid I can't. I'm sorry, Captain. I mean, Kuranosuke."
"Why not? Something else come up?"
"Prom. I already bought tickets and I'm going with someone."
"Right, sometimes I forget you're still in high school. Either way, the offer is still on the table, don't think I'm going to let you off the hook that easily." He said with a grin as he headed back towards the main office.
"Wow, first you rejected Miroku and now The Captain? Sango, I had no idea you were such a maneater!" Kagome snickered as she gathered the now cleaned out canister of the portal device. With a thunk, the canister was back on the main body of the backpack charging deck, ready to be used again.
"I am not!" She responded, flustered. "Let's just go home. I'm feeling pretty exhausted and feel like taking a nap."
"Right, totally understand. Have to be well rested for when Miroku calls you later, right?"
"Kagome!" Sango yelled as she playfully chased her best friend to the elevator. All things considered, she actually was excited for the phone call from Miroku that afternoon.
80s Mix Tape: Track 3
Banshee– Shoot Down The Night