After the reception dinner, it was time for the part Sango was dreading. The dance. Since Rob's magic show for the children was being held the same time as the dance, Sango was partner-less. Well sort of. There was always Miroku if she got desperate.
He was leaned against the wall, alongside Kirby who was checking out all of Amber's friends. Miroku, surprisingly, kept his gaze on her as she entered the room, not once taking his shimmering gaze from her.
Miroku looked so confident, cocky, and way too handsome for her comfort. He was leaned against the wall in a relaxed manor, both his hands in his pockets. Was that really the man she was married, too?
"Mommy!" Hitomi's voice rang through the room and Sango picked her up.
"Well, Hello there. Are you ready for the magic show?" She asked.
"Yep." She replied. "Where's uncle Inu Yasha and Aunt Kagome?"
Sango looked around. "There right over there with Devon and Keiko and your sister."
Hitomi made a face as Sango sat her down on the hardwood floor. "Ugh, Devon."
"Hitomi…" Her mother's voice warned. "Be nice. Now have fun, I'll be down to get you afterwards." She watched as her four year old daughter quickly ran over to Inu Yasha and Kagome, who were of course, arguing as usual about something that didn't matter.
She remembered at her own reception that the half-demon asked Kagome to marry him. Her attention was back on Miroku as soon as Hitomi and Akira were out of her sight and the bride and groom's first dance song came on.
Leave it up to Amber to pick a Brian McKnight song.
To make matters even worse, the monk was headed over to her right now, looking determined and mischievous. He smiled at her charmingly. "You know, it's just as much of a tradition that the best man dances with the maid of honor as it is for the bride and groom to dance to their first song together…"
"Traditions were made to be broken." Sango told him coldly, but it didn't seem to faze him. Instead he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her towards him. "Miroku…" She growled.
"C'mon, one dance isn't going to kill you. Besides, we're both partner-less and I doubt you want to just sit by the wall while all your other friends are dancing." He said, looking around, even to discover that Kirby was dancing with a very attractive red-head and they seemed to be hitting it off.
Sango raised an eyebrow. "Seems he likes the girl from Amber's work, Asuka."
"Good." Miroku said with a chuckle. "It will get him out of my hair if he finds himself a girlfriend."
"True. He is quite annoying." She commented, not even realizing she had become comfortable slow dancing with him. They had even inched closer to each other sub-consciously.
"I suppose he gets that from me." He said, with a laugh, then he immediately regretted it. That comment only reminded her of something and her face paled, more than Miroku would expect it to. "Hey, I didn't mean anything by that. You know, those records Sakura looked up might not be accurate. It doesn't mean we're going to have a son, or we're supposed to or anything. Maybe--"
"Miroku…" Sango said, sighing. "Just…be quiet and dance with me."
"Alright." He said, feeling a bit awkward. He tightened his embrace around her and leaned his head onto her shoulder. That's when he realized more eyes were on them then Amber and Nelly. He hoped Sango wouldn't notice. The monk never minded being the center of attention, but he knew that the former exterminator did.
Sango closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder and reveled in the fact she was in his arms again after what seemed like so long. She missed the way his body felt against hers and she only wished she wasn't wearing this dress so she could feel it even more. She was secretly allowing herself to take pleasure in this and she almost hated herself for it.
"You know," Miroku said softly, wondering if Sango had noticed that the song had changed. "you look beautiful today."
Sango opened her eyes as she felt his breath tickle her neck. "Thank you." She said softly, then lifted her head up so that her brown eyes met his beautiful blue ones.
"I still love you." He said softly, allowing his hands to travel lower, but she quickly pulled them up to the middle of her back. He gave her a small, crooked smile and then after a moment his face became serious. "Are you happy with Rob?"
Sango hesitated. "Well, I…uhm…"
"That's a yes or no answer, Sango." Miroku told her.
"I'm not really with Rob." She replied. "So, I can't answer that."
Miroku's eyes didn't waver from hers, but Sango could see the wheels turning very quickly under that pretty head of dark hair he had. "Alright then," He said, after composing his words after a few seconds. "Then does he make you feel like this?"
He leaned down and she could feel his warm breath on her lips, his hands on her hips and she closed her eyes, allowing him to take control of her once more, for some reason.
Then there was a loud scream, and heavy footsteps running towards the ballroom. "Everyone out!" Inu Yasha exclaimed. "There's a fire!"
"A fire?" Amber asked, holding onto Nelly.
"There's no time explain. Raven, I managed to grab Devon, Kagome's got Keiko. Miroku, Sango. I couldn't get to Akira and Hitomi." Inu Yasha said quickly, immediately seeing the panic on their faces. "Rob had used them both as volunteers when the fire broke out."
Miroku rushed past Inu Yasha and broke out into a jog. "I'll get them. Sango, you stay here."
"Miroku!" She protested.
"I mean it. I don't need to protect you, too." He said, sternly not bothering to face her.
Sango stomped her foot. She didn't need his protection, both her daughters were in danger and all he could think about was being the hero. And how could Rob let such a stupid thing happen?
She watched him as he disappeared down the corner of the hallway, then he quickly bolted through the basement door just off to the side.
The room was hazy with smoke and it filled his lungs as soon as he descended the stairs. "Akira! Hitomi!" He choked out. He couldn't see in his own hand in front of his face and the smoky air was burning his lungs.
He opened another set of double doors, only to feel the fierce burn of the ferocious flames that consumed a good part of the room. "Shit!" He panicked. "Akira! Hitomi!"
"Daddy?" Akira asked, as she backed herself against the wall, tears streaming down her dirty face.
Relief washed over him. "Oh Thank Buddha, you're alright." He said, trying to keep contact with her, though the smoke was burning his eyes. "Where's your sister?"
"I don't know!" Akira screamed, and Miroku reached for her to pick her up.
"Miroku!" Sango's choking sobs came from the entrance of the room.
"Sango! What are you doing in here?" He asked, angrily. "I told you to go outside with the rest of them."
Sango scowled and tripped over something, probably a chair in the dense, gray, suffocating fog. "My daughters are down here. I can't just go and save myself."
"Sango, take Akira and get out of here."
"Where's Hitomi?"
"I don't know." Miroku replied quickly. "Now get out. You're only going to be in the way."
"Miroku, I--"
A large, flaming beam fell from the ceiling and landed in front of her. She screamed and pulled Akira away from it as quickly as she could. "Oh Kami! Miroku, help!"
Miroku stumbled his way through the thick smoke, the fire illuminated a good part of the room, and there was an awful smell as if gasoline was burning. "Sango. Get out! I promise, I'll find Hitomi." He gagged on the strong smoke and fell to the ground.
"Akira…" Sango choked out. "Get out of here."
"But mommy."
"Just do it!" Sango demanded, before she too fell to her knees and gagged on the thick smoke.
Akira crawled her way towards the red-lighted exit sign and felt around for the push handle. She pushed it open, despite the pain in her right arm, as hard as she could and stumbled onto the grass outside.
Miroku stood up and shook it off. "Hitomi!" He screamed again, then he knocked into a wall, which he didn't know was there because he was blinded by the smoke. Something hard and metal also knocked against him and he dizzily felt around it.
After a few quick seconds of searching her quickly realized it was a fire distinguisher and he yanked it off the wall. Now, if he could only remember how to use it. He pulled the pin out of the top and peered through the fog at the flames. If he could get this put out, the smoke might clear out now that the exit door was open.
At least, Sango had listened to him.
He slowly squeezed the handle and sent the extinguishing agent towards the flames. It seemed to have been working and he was grateful for modern technology and most of all, his luck of finding a fire extinguisher.
"Hitomi!" He called out, looking around the room as the smoke cleared out of the rather large room. "Hitomi, sweety, please answer me!" He begged.
Then he saw her. Her tiny body was slumped against the wall, her eyes were closed and her face was dirty with soot. "Oh, no…" He muttered, fearing the worst and he raced over close to her, still gagging on the smoke. "Hitomi…Hitomi…" He shook her gently, but she was unresponsive.
The more the smoke cleared out the open door, the more he could see her face. She appeared to be asleep, but her weight was heavier than normal and she wasn't responding to anything he was doing. He leaned his ear down to her chest and his own heart seemed to stop. She wasn't breathing. "Oh no…no. Don't let her die…"
He felt a lump in his throat as he lifted her off the floor and looked around for the exit, and in the process he found Sango lying on the floor. "Sango!" He choked out again, and raced towards her.
"Miroku?" Amber's voice came from the open exit door. "Are you alright?" She asked, coughing.
Miroku didn't respond, instead he just handed Hitomi off to her, whom of which Amber discovered was very heavy for a four year old. "Oh my god! Miroku is she…"
"Get her out of here. Take her to the hospital, I'll be there as soon as I can." Miroku ordered, then he kneeled next to Sango and placed his head to her chest.
Thank Buddha, she was breathing. "Sango, c'mon. You have to wake up." He begged her, but didn't hesitate to lift her off the ground. He was weak from smoke inhalation and her own body weight was enough to make him almost topple over, but he quickly maintained his balance. He had to push through this, he had to get her out of there.
He stumbled towards the exit, and he had never been more happy to see sunlight or smell fresh air in his life. One he felt the soft grass under his shoes, his knees buckled and he fell the ground as blackness surrounded him.
Sango awoke, her room was lit up by a bed side lamp and a very uncomfortable mask was placed over her face. She was too weak to panic, and an annoying beep went off when she tried to remover her mask.
Dr. Brock Harrison rushed into the room, only to have the panic-stricken expression melt into one of relief. "Oh, Sango, you're awake."
"Yes…I…" She closed her eyes and tried to remember what had happened. "Oh Kami! The fire…I…my girls!"
Brock peered at her blood pressure monitor and winced. "Sango, dear, don't upset yourself. They are fine. Miroku's been awake for a few days, he said he wants to see you when you have awoken."
"A few days?" Sango asked. "Are you kidding me? Where are my girls?"
"Sango, I assure you. Everything's going to be fine." He said with a small, comforting smile. "But, I think it's best if Miroku explains things to you. After all, he is the one who saved your life."
Sango laid back against her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. A few days? How long had she been out of it? Oh, Kami, she felt like she had been hit by a truck.
The heavy door squeaked open and a very healthy, but tired-looking Miroku walked through the door with a smile. "Sango…" His face needed a shave, and his hair was a bit uncombed, but her heart still fluttered at the sight of him.
"Miroku." She said, and her blood pressure monitor beeped once again, her heart monitor beeped faster and she was quite embarrassed by it.
Just when she thought her heart couldn't race any faster, he hugged her tightly. "I'm so happy you're awake." He said, allowing a tear to fall from his eye. "I was so afraid I might have lost you."
"Miroku…I…what about the girls?" She asked.
Miroku pulled away from her and pulled up the doctor's stool and rolled over next to her. "Akira's fine. She's back home with Nelly and Amber."
"Nelly and Amber? Didn't they go on their honeymoon?" She asked in surprise.
"No. They cancelled and they agreed to watch Akira for us."
"Oh…" Sango said, only feeling half relieved. "And…Hitomi?"
She didn't like the look on Miroku's face, it was a sad, depressing look and his eyes lost their shimmer. Oh Kami, she didn't die, did she?
"She's in critical condition." Miroku answered, and Sango burst out into tears.
"No!" She screamed into her blanket. "No! Miroku! No!"
"Listen," Miroku said, softly, rubbing her back. "The doctor said she's healthy and she'll probably be alright, I just--"
"Probably?" Sango asked. "You expect me to relax on a 'probably'? Miroku that's our child!" She exclaimed, in disbelief at his calm, relaxed persona.
The monk hugged her again as she cried into his shoulder. "Don't upset yourself, honey. You've got to relax. Hitomi's going to be OK. Brock said once you feel well enough you can come see her, though…he did warn me. She's got a lot of tubes hooked up to her.
Sango kicked off her blankets. "I don't care. I want to see her."
"Whoa!" Miroku said, stopping her. "Let me get the nurse. She'll take the IV's out of your arm."
"Iv's?" Sango asked, looking down at her hand. "How long was I out for?"
"6 days." Miroku said. "I haven't left." He said, grabbing her hand. A moment of awkward silence passed between them before Miroku spoke again. "Can I ask you something?"
Sango hesitated for a moment and looked into his eyes. "What is it?"
"Did you have any idea you were pregnant?"
Her heart skipped a beat and her expression was a mix of surprise, panic and guilt. "I…Oh no! The smoke! Did it hurt the baby?"
"No." Miroku replied to her quickly, before she upset herself yet again. "Brock said the babies fine. I got you out in time before any damage was done."
Sango leaned back onto her pillow and closed her eyes. "Miroku, I have to eat something. I've been laying here unconscious and starving this poor child."
"Sango, why didn't you tell me?" Miroku asked. "If your pregnant, I kind of need to know that information."
"Well, we were fighting and I figured if you knew, you would be mad." She confessed to him, nervously fidgeting with her hands.
Miroku took her hand and placed his lips to her fingertips and looked up at her. "I would never be at you for something like that."
Sango smiled slightly and then pulled the covers off her legs again. "I want to go see Hitomi."
Nurse joy entered the room right at that moment and smiled. "I'm glad to see your awake. Are you hungry?"
"Not really." Sango responded, making a face at the thought of food.
The pink-haired nurse smiled sweetly and removed the IV's from her hands. "Well, I know Miroku's been wanting to go to the children's care unit to see your daughter. Why don't you spend a little time up there with her and see how you feel?"
"Alright." She said, standing up out of bed. She hated hospital gowns and she felt like an invalid when Miroku helped her into a wheelchair. She would have argued and told him she could walk, but she felt so weak and tired she didn't want to take the chance.
Once they got to the children's section of the large hospital, which had taken quite a while, considering Miroku got lost and Sango was beginning to get wheelchair-sick, he strolled her down the long hallway and stopped in front of Hitomi's room.
Miroku kneeled down in front of her. "Are you sure you want to go in there?"
Sango looked at him, her impatience growing more and more by the second. "Of course I'm sure! I don't care about all the tubes and stuff, I just want to be near my little girl."
"OK, I was just making sure." He said, and he opened the door quietly, then wheeled her inside. She glanced at her from the entrance of the room and immediately became upset.
"Miroku… why is she…hooked up to all of these machines?" She asked, trying to hold back her sobs.
"She wasn't breathing when I found her. Brock said she still had a pulse so she wasn't dead, but--"
"Dead?" Sango asked. "Don't use that word, please."
"Sorry." Miroku apologized quickly. "She's…alive though."
Sango pulled herself out of the wheelchair and Miroku stayed close to her incase she was going to fall again, but instead she supported herself on the bedrail of the Hitomi's hospital bed and reached out a hand to clasp her daughter's. A tear fell down her face as she stared down at her. "This is all my fault."
"No it's not." Miroku said. "How is this your fault?"
"If I would have never encouraged Rob…If I hadn't walked out on you…I would never met him…" She trailed off and began to cry harder. "my little girl wouldn't be hurt right now."
Miroku hugged her and aloud her to cry into his chest. "None of this your fault. Things like this just happen." He ran his fingers through her hair and looked down at his daughter. A large tube was helping her breath, and she was attached to all kind of IV's, a heart monitor and an oxygen machine. "She's going to be OK. Medicine in this world is amazing, you know that."
"I know." Sango said, wiping her eyes and looking up at him when realization hit her. She had been hugging him and strangely that feeling comforted her. "I'm just so worried about her."
Miroku pulled a chair away from the wall to the bedside and urged Sango to sit back down in the wheelchair. "Sango, we really have to talk."
"Miroku, I know I should have told you I was pregnant, but--"
"Not about that." Miroku interrupted her. "It's about Rob."
"Rob?" She asked. "What's he got to do with anything?"
The monk sighed and leaned back in his chair uncomfortably. He wasn't sure if her relationship with Rob had gotten serious or not, but judging by the time on the elevator a little over two weeks ago, she hadn't let it get too serious. "Well, he's the one who started the fire."
"Rob did it?" She asked. "Why would he do such a thing?"
Miroku shrugged and looked over towards Hitomi. "They said there was an accelerant. Gasoline. I talked to the police just three days ago about it. They said they found the lighter Rob used in the room, with Rob's fingerprints on it."
Sango started to cry once again and he suddenly felt bad for telling about it. Maybe he should have waited to tell her. "Sango, I'm sorry."
"No, Miroku. I'm sorry…" She told him. "I should have never trusted him with our children. He was trying to kill them!"
"He was trying to kill me." Miroku said. "He wanted me out of the picture so he could have you all to himself, which I can't really blame the guy…"
Sango looked up at him for a moment. "Don't try to sweet talk your way back into my life Miroku." She said, her voice was still laced with sadness as she peered over at her daughter. "I won't let you hurt me again, even if I spend the rest of my life alone."
"Sango, c'mon…" He said softly. "You should know me better than that. Why would I kiss Emma, or any other woman when I have you to come home to?"
Sango nervously played with a strand of black hair, and she wondered who had managed to take it down out of the hairstyle she last had it in. It had also been thoroughly washed and combed. Had Miroku been taking care of her? "You did kiss Emma. I saw you!"
"Sango, she kissed me!" Miroku told her. "Look, I know you don't believe me, but I was helping her with her car, she said it wouldn't start, at least that's what she told me, so I told her I would have a look at it."
She folded her arms and looked away from Hitomi. The sight only upset her more and now she was becoming frustrated with the houshi. "Go on…" She said.
Relieved that she was actually allowing him to explain himself, he went on. "Well, when I finished changing her oil and her transmission fluid, I had something in my eye and she offered to look at it for me. So, stupidly, I let her. Then she just grabbed me, threw me against the car and kissed me. I mean, I was shocked, I couldn't move, and then you came outside and saw it right at the worst moment…"
She looked at her husband's face and she had gotten good at telling if he was lying or not, and she was almost frightened by the fact she saw no trace of him not telling her the truth. "You really didn't kiss her?"
"No."
"Alright, then. What about Alyssa?"
Miroku leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "I didn't sleep with Alyssa."
"What about the picture? Why did you allow her to dress up in my clothes?" She asked. "Did she look better in them or something?"
"What? No way!" The houshi denied very quickly. "She snooped around in our bedroom while I was putting the girls to bed. I didn't even know she did it."
"Why was she in our house? Or our bedroom? You must have been planning something…" Sango accused. "Look, this is no time to argue, our little girl is--"
"Look, I was going to sleep with her, I really was." He interrupted to her. "You left, you weren't there to stop me and you were so determined to divorce me, I thought why not? But I couldn't."
"Why not?" She asked.
"Because I couldn't get you off my mind." He said. "Just because we are split up doesn't mean I'm going to go sleep with other women. I can't picture myself with anyone but you."
A tear escaped her brown eyes and she quickly wiped them away. "Miroku…I…I don't know what to say…I feel like such a bitch.."
"Why?"
"For not trusting you. I should have known you would never hurt me like that."
"Of course I wouldn't. I meant what I said when I told you I loved you. I always have and I always will. No one will ever be able to take your place. You do so much for me and I realize I haven't been exactly grateful for all of it." Miroku said, feeling guilty. "If you ever come back home, to be with me again, I promise I'll be a better man."
Sango watched him as he took her hand in his. "I…I miss you, Miroku." She said, her voice quivering with the threat of tears again.
"I miss you, too. Sango, please, I'm begging you to come back home." He said. "When Hitomi's better, we can be a family again and I want to bring this new baby in the world together, I don't want you to have to go through it alone."
Sango hesitated for a moment. Could she really trust this lecherous monk with her heart once again? He still flirted, and there was no denying that. He only encouraged these women to kiss him when he did things like that, but then again, he never really did anything did he?
He still loved her, and she still loved him and that was really all that mattered.
"Yes, Miroku. I'll come back home."
Miroku gave her an all-too happy smile and pulled her into his arms again. "Thank you. I missed this so much." He leaned in to kiss her, and for the first time in a long time she kissed him back, running her fingers through his hair just like she used to.
Sango pulled away from him after a long moment and just stared at him.
His heart sank. "What now?"
"Promise me you won't hurt me…ever." She said. "I couldn't handle it."
He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers before kissing her once again. "You are my only need. I don't want or need anyone of anything else but you." He kissed her lovingly before he stood up. "C'mon, we better get you something to eat before you vanish." He offered her a smile and she returned it but just barely.
"What about Hitomi?"
"She'll be alright." Miroku promised, wheeling her towards the door. Just before he reached for the handle he heard a small coughing sound from behind him and Sango immediately stood up.
"She woke up!" She shouted and ran towards her bedside once again, leaving Miroku to panic at the door.
"I'll get a nurse. You stay here." Miroku darted out the door, but the nurse, who looked almost exactly like the other nurse Joy in the other department, was already rushing towards him.
She quickly made her way into the room and expertly removed the breathing tube, causing Hitomi to cough a bit, but fortunately breath on her own. "She seems to be doing alright." Nurse joy announced peering down at the very confused four year old.
Miroku ran back inside just in time to see Sango holding Hitomi in both her arms. He walked over to her and rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes, thankful that this dark chapter in their lives was over and everything was going to be fine.
FIN
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