The Lies That Bind Us – Part Five:  Chateau Chantre

Disclaimer: Story? Yes. Characters? v.v No.

A/N: Oh, this chapter was quite fun... I'm enjoying myself! [huge grin] Reviewers, as always, thank you much!

After a day of uneventful case analysis and research on the arson cases that were allegedly connected with Nakano, Sango came to a conclusion.

Telephones were of the devil.

She sat in her cubicle, her chin in her hands, glaring at the phone as if hoping that it would melt, preventing her from having to make The Call.

Crap. She was even thinking of it in capital letters.

She wasn't sure why she was so apprehensive. After all, she reasoned, Nakano meant nothing to her. Perhaps it was the fact that she'd never had to speak so closely and so frequently with someone that she planning to bring into custody - or in this case, kill.

Taking a deep breath, she reached for the receiver, praying that she wouldn't get a dial tone. No such luck. Staring down at the card, she made an enlightening discovery...

The number on the card was that of the art professor; Miroku's name was just listed as an assistant.. she wouldn't have to speak to him at all!

Emboldened, she punched in the numbers. She listened to the ringing until the click of an answering machine came over the line.

"Professor Hijyuu Myouga isn't here at the moment. Leave a message and-"

Sango clicked the phone back down. She hadn't called to talk to a machine; besides, she had an idea to preserve her... ahem... modesty during her modeling escapade; in order to negotiate her terms, she'd have to speak to an actual person.

Feeling like a crisis had been narrowly avoided, she stood, picking up the card and standing. Time to search out Kagome... she mused, craning her neck to look toward the tech's cubicle.

She wasn't there. Sango frowned. How irresponsible... She made as if to walk out of her own cubicle-

-and walked straight into her tech.

"Ow!" Kagome stumbled backward, trying to steady herself and prevent a fall. Sango sighed and stuffed the card into her pocket.

"What a coincidence. I was just looking for you."

Kagome blinked. "Uh... why?"

"You had something planned for tonight, unless that was my headache talking."

The tech brightened. "Oh, yeah! I wanted you to- well... let it be a surprise!"

Sango raised an eyebrow. The last time Kagome had said that, Sango had ended up nearly shooting every person in her house who Kagome had invited over for an impromptu birthday party.

Kagome seemed to realize where Sango's mind was going, because she hastily added, "Come on... trust me!"

Sango sighed. The last time Kagome had said that...

Regardless of her misgivings, she nodded. Kagome clapped her hands together. "Great! Let's get to your house and get you changed!"

Sango scoffed. "What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?"

After giving an appraising look, Kagome said, haltingly, "Well... you're... I mean, you look fine, but... er..."

"Okay," Sango yielded. "If you're done for today, let's get out of here."

"Great!" Kagome tugged at Sango's arm, leading the other woman to trot behind her as they wound their way out of the cluster of work stations and into the elevator.

A mere twenty minutes later, Sango was sitting on her bed, her head in her hands, listening to the sounds of an enthusiastic friend going though her closet.

"Yeesh, Sango! Don't you have anything that's not black or from the men's section?"

Sango's head snapped up. "Hey! I hope you're not suggesting that I have no fashion sense?"

"Of course not! You look like... what you are." Kagome finished, rather lamely.

"Exactly. Why should I try to look like something I'm not?"

But Kagome wasn't listening. She'd unearthed a mid-length black skirt. "Oh, this is perfect! Now for the shirt... and before you ask, no you can't wear a t-shirt."

Sango accepted the skirt and scrutinized it. She strongly suspected that it had been given to her by Kagome herself, and shoved to the back of the closet...

"Ooh! This is the one!" The tech emerged from the closet, holding a deep pink, clingy tank top aloft.

"You really think I'm wearing that?"

"No..." Kagome grinned. "I know you're wearing it. Now change, so that we can go!"

Sango groaned, snatched the shirt, and slammed into the bathroom. She didn't need Kagome peering over her shoulder and squealing while she got dressed.

There was a long pause once Sango had gotten into the clothes. An anxious Kagome called from the other side of the door. "Well? How does it look?"

Another pause, then, "...I think I hate you."

"Sango!" Kagome wrenched the door open and went through quite a series of actions; she stared, squealed, and steered Sango into the bedroom for a better look.

"I've outdone myself this time!"

Sango stared drily at her reflection in her full-length mirror. The top seemed to adhere to her more curvy places, and the skirt was just this side of decent.

Which side of decent was negotiable...

Sticking her feet in her boots and throwing on a light black jacket, she surveyed her reflection again. "I guess I can make this work..."

Kagome just grinned. "I knew you would say that!" Then, with a swift motion, she plucked Sango's ponytail holder from her hair, letting it cascade over her shoulders.

"Kagome!"

The other woman shrugged. "You leave it up all the time. I figure that you have to let it down sometime, or it'll get stuck that way."

Sango groaned resignedly but let Kagome brush out her hair. "I look like FBI Barbie."

Kagome snickered. "Speaking of which, where are you putting your gun?"

Sango sighed. "Can't carry it. Naraku took my license to-"

Kagome produced Sango's license from her back pocket. "Heh. I was supposed to give this to you before, but I... sorta forgot..."

Sango glowered and snatched it. "Kagome, I love you, but you're an airhead."

The tech sighed. "I know..."

Tucking the license into her wallet, Sango unearthed a black purse from under her bed. "I hate carrying these..." she muttered, stuffing her wallet inside, closely followed by the small gun (on safety), which she had retrieved from under her pillow. "Okay. We're gone."

A moment later, Sango wondered vaguely why Kagome insisted on dragging her everywhere...

Kagome drove her car, refusing to let Sango take her own. When Sango asked why, Kagome just replied that she didn't want Sango skipping out on her.

Sango understood once they pulled up at their destination. If she had had her car, she would have driven off without a second thought.

"A poetry café?" Sango stared at the building, which was topped with a mug of tea that had a feather quill extending from the top.

"Yep!" Turning off the engine and tucking her keys in her purse, Kagome grinned over at her friend. "You'll love it, I promise!"

"Have you ever been here before?"

Kagome chewed her lower lip. "Well... no. But I've been to poetry readings and I've been to regular cafés before!"

Sango rolled her eyes at Kagome's unquenchable spirit. "Fine. Let's go, then."

The door was made of darkly tinted glass, and as the pair entered, they were confronted with a chilly burst of air conditioning and a wisp of soft music on the air. A wide stage was on the wall opposite; a guitarist sat on one side, a man with bongo drums on the other. Apparently, at the moment, no one was reading. Circular tables dotted the center of the floor, and booths lined the walls. The tables were already full of chattering people who all seemed to be discussing what they would be performing later.

Still smiling, Kagome dragged Sango to a vacant booth. As they took their seats and picked up the menus that lay in the center of the table, Sango felt herself unconsciously relaxing. The atmosphere was calm and stress-free, and there was no work to do, no Bastard to scream at...

"Can I help you ladies?" a voice inquired from beside their table. Both jumped; they hadn't noticed the man approach. As Sango looked him over, she quickly came to the conclusion that he was nothing like any waiter that she'd ever seen before.

For starters, his hair was long. Very long. Although he was facing them, she could see the tip of a long braid peeking from behind his back... and from what she saw, his hair looked... well... white. A black hat was pulled low over his face, and his eyes were hidden behind very dark sunglasses. He was dressed in all black, and chains clanked at his side.

Finally averting her gaze, Sango ordered hot tea; Kagome followed suit. While waiting for the tea, they planned to decide on something to eat. Sango hadn't eaten all day, since the finally-dissipated hangover had pretty much killed her appetite.

Kagome's eyes followed the waiter until he was out of sight, then she sighed. "I wish I could've seen him without the shades..."

Sango coughed. "Kagome, is there ever a time when your mind isn't on guys?"

"Well, yeah... maybe." When Sango snorted, Kagome pressed on. "Hey, it's good to be a little boy-crazy! Who knows, you just might find someone..."

Sango peered across at her friend. "Oh, sure. I'm going to get a guy who'll be spouting poetry at me every nine seconds..." She mimicked a man's deep voice. "'Your lips are like the reddest of cherries...'"

Kagome giggled and joined in the game. "'...Like firetrucks or ripe strawberries!'"

"'I want to kiss you and hold you forever...'"

"Crap, that's a hard one... Um..." Kagome put a finger to her mouth in thought, but a voice from behind her finished the stanza.

"How about...'To be in your arms is my greatest endeavor.'?"

Sango glanced at the back of the adjacent booth and her stomach dropped to her toes. It can't be...

The man's eyes were fixed directly on Sango's... his violet eyes...

Eheh. Corisu HAD a Beta Special from Aamalie-chan... but she lost it. vv;; Gomen, everyone... I won't lose the next one... Eh. Feel free to pelt me with things, now...

Review Responses

Sangowindwarrior: Heh... I know, I'm rther evil sometimes, huh? And as for the 'cheating' aspect... well, I AM an authoress... Which isn't really an excuse, but... [shrugs] I live on the edge... Besides, I was under the impression that most of the story was interesting... ;-;

AnImEmAnIaC3: (Hey! I did it! [pointing happily at your name]) Heh. Yes, Sango/Miroku rox. =) I'm glad you like the storyline! Heh. I hope this was fast enough for you (a day later than your review... eh, I would HOPE so...)!

FlamingRedFox: vv Yeah... I know it was short... Sorry. I'm trying, but the chapters would probably take a bit longer to post if I tried to stretch them to 8 pages or so. Plus, sometimes, where I stop them is just before a change of pace, or scenery... but believe me, I make them as long as I can without messing up the flow.

Demon Exterminator Barbie: Heh. As you may be able to tell, you have a little tribute in this chapter... it just happened when I wrote it... XD And her cell phone? It's modeled on my own... [huge grin] I can just say "Wake up" and it does all these nifty functions. I knuuu... I liked Shippou's pen as well! I just needed a random hysterical object... XD Heh. Yeeeeah.. the modeling thing isn't coming up as fast at I'd hoped... but it is eventually getting here! Sheesh, the pains I go through to advance the plot. Yeah. The Beta Special... weird DOES sum it up nicely... XD Eep! [is whacked] Owww... [laughing] You're a hentai by association! =) Heh. I'm very glad you had fun, and now I'm glad you're back! [glomps you] >.> Illegal? Eh, don't worry, I won't tell anyone... XD As always, thanks for the review!

Rin Katt: Ooooooookaaaayyy... [hides] Your diabolical plots scare me. Heh... >.> But I hope I escaped your wrath with this one, ne?

Xichiathik: =) I'm glad you thought it was 'cute'... and I'll keep it up. (I like this fic too much to quit!)

Lily Thorne: XD Okay.... fine... no hurting kitties... [stares blankly at spider for a moment] AAAAGH! SPIDER! [freaks and throws it, then runs in circles] Ew. Ew. Ew. Glad you liked the chapter! Oh, my gosh, ew....

Kyoko Kasshu Minamino: =) 'Tis schway? Cool! XD [stares at you for a moment]... "Love is evol"? [creeps to phone] Uhh, hello... I know someone that you need to pick up... and don't forget the snug-fitting white jacket...

HMPrune: XD Yay for the fun-ness! I knoww... Sango just overreacts, doesn't she? Heh. And the 'court jester' thing... I don't know about 'change'. It might 'vary'... after all, she'd need someone to make her laugh... [grins]

Blackcat8610: Heh. I see, well, I'm glad you like the funniness! XD I like Shippou's pen, as well... A little randomness mixed with technology! =) Heh... As for what trouble is in store for Sango... well, let's just deal with the fun stuff first, huh? winks

Soli-chan: XD Darn loopholes that you can misinterpret... Heh... she fell for him the moment she called him a whore? Eh, perhaps... We must wait and see. XD As for that review from LMN... Funny! I think I'm the reason they incorporated the 'whore' thing... 'Twas funny... though now, we think Personification of Fluff started it first... Oh, well. Urgh. Yeah, AOL is the suckage sometimes... [shrugs] Anyway, thankies much for the review! Much love-ness! =)

DayDreamerz: [laughs] Yes... Aamalie IS weird, huh? And funny...

Aamalie: >.> bounce Yay! You wouldn't be that mean! WHOO! celebrating XD I'm hard to stay mad at? Eh, so are you, so I guess it all fits, ne? =) (Gosh, I HATE that smiley.. ;-; If ff.net doesn't get its stuff together soooon...)

Queenizzay: o.O You are odd... But you reviewed! WAI! [glomps] Heh... I'm glad to see that you're 'spreading the word', as it were... XD And yes, the Beta Specials rock sox. =) [stares at Naraku] Whew... what a way to go... XD

Quick note: Chateau Chantre = Poet's Castle. Mou. Sounds much better in French.

Review, please!