What Sango Wants –
Part Fourteen: Many Questions
Disclaimer: Roses are red,
Violets are blue, If Inu I own, Then stupid are you. Author's Notes at the
end...
Important!!! This is probably
either the next to last, or the second next to last chapter! Enjoy!!!
Also, as I'm having trouble
keeping up with the schedule we gave ourselves (updating every Monday) due to
school, we're killing it... Gomen! ^^'
---
It didn't take
a genius to figure out just how pissed of she was at him. After all, after she
had glared the story out of him as they made their way back to camp, he had
spent the better part of an hour dodging Hiraikotsu. Damn that accuracy Sango
had developed over the many years of her profession as a taijiya. Kami, he'd
better not sleep tonight. He'd probably wake to her shoving a few saimyosho
down his throat- not necessarily a pleasant thought. Then again, she hadn't
expressed much displeasure in the midst of the lip locking previous to her
thought-filled discovery. Maybe if he employed such tactics again, she'd be
less... Negatively charged towards this whole charade. It was quite
possible.
A voice
cleared itself dryly, and Miroku looked up to meet Sango's furious glower, a
look that could send even Inuyasha into hiding. Never mind how Kirara seemed to
be supporting her mistress by contributing her own baleful stare. Somehow, he
braved both with his usual pacified look.
"Is
something wrong, Sango?" Miroku asked, gracing the taijiya with a smile.
Her frown deepened, and Sango abruptly slammed down her bowl with both hands,
some of the miso inside slopping over the edges. She gave a short hiss of
frustration.
"I can
hear every damn thought running through that thick head of yours!"
"Hai. I'm
perfectly aware of that."
"Something
you never gave me the advantage of while you were able to hear my
thoughts," she accused, clearly miffed. The houshi shrugged, considering.
"True,
but had I told you, every time you thought something you'd rather not have me
know of, you probably would have had much the same reaction you did tonight.
You'd assume that I was listening in at every moment, hearing all the things I
wasn't meant... To hear..." *Oh... Kuso...* It was all Miroku could do to
stop himself from muttering a prayer to any deity that would hear him that
Sango would not ask any questions regarding that last statement.
Sango's glare
of anger slowly morphed to one of pensive contemplation. What had he meant by
that ending cerebration? Was there something he wasn't telling her, or
purposely not thinking about? After all, he had just changed his trail of
thought quite unexpectedly- admiring the scenery in the most fabricated sort of
way.
*What is he up
to? What sort of things did he hear anyway?* Rising to her feet, Sango
dumped out the remaining contents of her bowl in a bush, running a scrap of
cloth through it to dry it. Replacing the bowl in her pack, she poked a few
sticks into the fire, watching it flare. Out of the corner of her eye, she
could see Miroku sending nervous glances her way, disrupting his primarily calm
exposure. There was something he didn't want her to know. Therefore, she was
going to find out, and have some fun while she was at it. This would be
amusing.
Arranging her
features into a devilish half smile, she turned, walked over to where a certain
dark-haired houshi- weren't monks supposed to be bald? - was placed,
sitting down easily by him. She had to fight to keep from laughing has his
thoughts took an increasingly confused turn. Poor baka. He didn't know what he
was in for.
Miroku cleared
his throat.
"Ah... Is
there something you wanted... Sango?" he asked, shifting his body weight
away from her slightly. He really was quite tired of the physical abuse, and
wasn't about to chance any more. That look of hers was what he classified as
deadly. You didn't see Sango with that expression every day. Any doubt was
wiped clear away when the taijiya shifted her own body, making up for the
distance he had supplied in retreat.
"Hai,"
she said, her voice even, with just a touch of superiority as she met his
quickly disguised gaze with a placid one. She brought her hand up to her hair,
a finger twisting in the dark lock she had chosen. Miroku couldn't help but
feel mesmerized by the innocence she seemed to be radiating with her
well-chosen actions.
*Damn. Figures
she has to be so damn perfect. Damn those eyes, damn that face, damn that
figure, damn that hair... Wait- speaking of hair...* Miroku shook himself
slightly, peering at her as his hand lifted to touch the one caught in her
hair, causing her voice to catch as she opened her mouth to continue.
"Sango...
Why is your hair shorter?" he asked quietly, his temporary nerves abating
into discarded memory. The look she had acquired quickly shuttered, and she
drew back.
"I- I had
to... To cut it..." she mumbled, looking away. Miroku was, in brief,
confused.
"Nani?
Why?"
"No
reason," Sango lied, clutching the cloth of her yukata with embarrassment.
The houshi sighed a bit to himself, leaning forward and ducking his head to get
a better look at her face. Sango's eyes widened in surprise at his sudden
proximity. "H-Houshi-sama? What is it?" Miroku didn't respond
immediately.
*I wonder if I
should tell her how beautiful she looks... Shorter hair does suit her well
enough. If she was to trim it just a bit more so it's even, and it'd be
perfect. However, I suppose if I did try and tell her that, she'd just
hit me.*
"Stop
it."
"Hmm?
Stop what?" Miroku inquired, his lips quirking slightly. He already knew.
"You know
I can hear you! And you flattering me is just a way to prevent yourself from
getting hit, isn't it? I mean, I know this looks horrible okay?" She
plucked at a few strands. "But it was in the way." Her voice dropped
with embarrassment. "It's hard to swim with several pounds of hair
dragging behind you."
Realization
hit Miroku like a hundred copies of Hiraikotsu with a side order of Tetsusaiga.
There had only been one recent event that she could have found it necessary to
go under water. He gave his head a slight shake. He couldn't believe it, but
the evidence was right in front of his very eyes.
"Sango..."
The taijiya didn't reply. "Sango?" Silence. Ah. She was ignoring
him. Miroku had been wondering when her shyness would set back in. But really-
now wasn't the time to be non-communicative. Well, if she wasn’t going to pay
attention where attention was due, he’d just have to play dirty, didn’t he? He
smiled slightly, shifting his hand from where it had been resting on her
shoulder onto her back. She immediately stiffened as it went a few centimeters
lower.
"Just
what do you think you’re doing?!" she demanded, swirling her head to face
him as he let loose a chuckle, raising his hand once more to brush her bangs
from her eyes, making her jaw- and fists- clench slightly with discomfiture.
"I was
wondering what I would have to do to get your attention. Now, as I was about to
say, did you cut your hair when you were trying to find me?" After a long
pause, she nodded half-heartedly. "Why?"
"If... If
I tell you that, will you answer my question? Truthfully, without leaving anything
out?" In other words, dig his own grave? Kami! As if he could lie without
being caught anyway, her being in his head and all. And if he said no, she’d
know he had something to hide, and would likely beat it out of him anyway. It’d
definitely be to his advantage to say yes.
"Very
well. I give you my word, my dear Sango." She pointedly ignored the
adjective.
"Good. I
cut my hair because it’ll grow back in time. It’s better to have you alive,
rather than dead, if that’s the only cost... Even if it looks horrible,"
she said, finishing in a semi-confident tone.
"Ah, but
here’s the truth. It doesn’t look horrible. With you, nothing could. Now, you
had a question for me to answer, did you not?" Yes, at this rate, he'd be
six feet under in no time. Probably deeper than that. Joy.
"I did."
Sango fidgeted, delaying the imminent disaster she was sure was close to
pouncing, like a cat to a string.
"Do
elaborate," Miroku teased, quite unsure as to why, exactly, he was
encouraging her to voice the inquiry that he suspected would bring him a quite
untimely death, more so than he was hoping against. Sango's eyes met his,
disarming him in a way so complete that he knew in an instant that his way with
words, no matter how intricate he made them, would be of no use to him here.
"Iie... You don't have to. I know. You want me to tell you what I heard,
don't you?"
Amazing. How
could he tell what was going on in her mind even now, when their positions had
been switched? He was so perceptive of people. Perfect father material. Sango quickly
shoved that to the horizon of her mind, where it drifted like a distant, hazy
cloud. She nodded in response to his question, feeling that would suffice.
Miroku nodded, his face set in a grimace.
"I
thought so. Well, to be honest, most of what I heard was your reactions to your
surroundings, as could be expected. I also heard a few snitches concerning
your... More... Feminine attributes around the time we left
Kagome-sama's era..." Miroku trailed off, contemplating on how he was to
continue. The taijiya looked relieved.
"Oh,
that's all? I suppose it could have been worse. I-"
"Sango,
it is."
"Nani?"
The houshi sighed.
"I
haven't finished. I heard one more thing that you'd probably find important
that I tell you."
"Oh...
What is it?" she asked, hoping against hope it wasn't what she was
thinking of. After all, she'd probably end up crying if he said what she was
praying he wouldn't say. Miroku rubbed the back of his neck, the representation
of dejection.
"You see,
yesterday, when I was... Ah, checking up on you at the springs... I heard you
thinking about... About asking Kagome-sama for some... Advice, concerning...
Myself..." He braced himself for the blows he was expecting. They never
arrived. Daring to look up, Miroku's gaze met Sango, her head bent, several small
splashes decorating her lap. "Gomen nasai, Sango... It wasn't my intention
to humiliate you in such a crude way. I'll leave, if it is what you want."
Miroku made to get up, but Sango's hand shot out, gripping his robes. He
blinked, meeting her fiery, yet unsure, stare.
"Before
you dare leave," she whispered, though it seemed as though she were
yelling, as quiet as the world had suddenly become, "tell me this. Do
you... Do you love me back?"
---
Aamalie: And that,
Corisu, is my version of the Evil Cliffies of Doom. ^^' I had to say that... =P
Maela: Aiiiie... It took us
a week to write this... Damn school... And people updating their fics and
distracting us from write-MMMMMFFF!
Taena: *gags Maela* DAMN
YOU! Are you trying to give them pointers for getting us to update faster?
Kami-sama! You're trying to kill us!
Aamalie: Seriously... Anyway,
you know what's ironic? You know how Sango got her hair cut last chappie? Well,
I got mine cut too! It's... bouncier. ^.~' Freakish, ne? Anyway, since we're
almost done with this fanfic, we'll be starting a new MirSan or two really
soon. I have a lot of AU ideas that I want to get rid of, and I've gotta do The
Set-Up and all, so I'm in for a busy time. They'll probably be pretty
shorter than this one... But who knows! Review Response time!
---
Zero27: You influenced this
chapter, you know that? I started writing it last night after I read your new
chapter of 'Crimson Tears'... It should be changed to 'Citrusy Tears', you know
that? That's not even a word, but it gets the point across? ^^ Plus, there's a
song that totally reminds me of your fic by Celine Dion... I think it's called
'When the Wrong One Loves You Right', or something like that. Anyway, update
that story soon! Ja...
Ghoul King: YOU DARE MAUL THE
POOR LITTLE CHIRPERS?!??!!? AND BURN GOOD CANDY?!??!?!
EEEEEEEEEVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *runs after Ghoul with her DigiHammer at the ready*
Ibara de
Noche:
FLY MY PRETTIES, FLY! FLLLLLLLLLY!!!!! *revived crickets chirp* Erm... Yeah.
Wizard of Oz moment there... Here's your update! ^^
Lancer272spoot: Feh! Keep the filthy
hanyou... You can fight over him with the rest of his fangirls. Me... I've got
Miroku and Sesshoumaru... *huggles them endlessly*
Corisu Li: *sets up a few cages
to go with the trap, accompanied by her anti-youkai steel walls, doors, and
other necessities.* Mmm-hmm! That should do it! Oh... And a barrier spell
around the bishies might work too, ne?
Amber Eyez: No kidding... --' I
hope I didn't flunk math this past quarter... Who knows how long I'll be
grounded? Ah, at least my school has the internet!!! ^^
Shikon: Nuuuu... The Set-Up
is the sequel I'm writing for my first MirSan fic, Time Together.
The-Real-Rose-Gamgee: *a week later* By
now, is this what you meant? ^.~
Vampire-Elf: Yes, your fic had
angst. You've gotta tell me when you update it. =P
Sakura: Jin
and Kurama Lover: Hee... I know exactly how you feel. Between updates, it's sorta
like, okay... What's gonna happen next? I daydream endlessly about fics I
especially write. Though I did it more when I used to RP a ton. That was before
I found ff.net. Oh well... Those were the good old days. These are the better
new days!
Fruitloopsandorangejuice: *raises an eyebrow at
the Sess you're hugging* You do know that's one of his look-alikes, right? Only
I have the real one. *insane laughter* But at least we agree on the Koharu
thing.
LiLpsYchOwaRRioR: Are you talking about
the 'Special Girl' chapter where he proposes in his totally screwy way? ^^'
Gotta love these people with the glory of scanners and command of translating
Japanese... Anyway, love your art!
CraziAznGurl: Well, basically with
their little lip locking ceremony (don't ask), his abilities somehow got
transferred to her. Crazy, ne? And I'm glad to hear you like the story!!!
Everyone
Else:
Thank you for reviewing! Sorry I didn't reply to everyone, but Everwood IS
coming on in less than an hour! ^^'
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!