The week had flown by, and amazingly, Amber had managed to get everything in order before Friday night's rehearsal dinner. Sango did not like walking down the aisle with Miroku, and she only had to do it again tomorrow.
She had totally forgotten how a wedding was set up. Sure there had been weddings in their circle of friends after hers, after all, she was only the first to get married out of all of them, but she hadn't been in Raven and Seth's wedding, and she had just had the twins the day before Reggie and Hayden got married.
Sango sat at the table, picking at her food as Miroku sat across from her. She had overheard his conversation with Nelly about how Alyssa had walked out on him Sunday morning and she thought it was quite funny. He deserved it.
He deserved to be lonely and miserable, and he really deserved to have his heart broken. She kept telling herself that in her mind, but every time she looked over at him, he her heart melted. Miroku didn't deserve that, no one did. He looked absolutely miserable, and had he even lost some weight?
She knew exactly how it felt to be lonely and wishing that she could share a big empty bed with another person, preferably Miroku.
They hadn't spoken throughout the entire dinner, and maybe it had something to do with Rob who was sitting (in what Miroku thought to be a conspiracy) right next to Sango. Just a few stolen glances were shared between the monk and the ex-taijya and that was it.
Miroku passively poked at his baked potato, and Rob kept doing random magic tricks to entertain the kids. The monk rolled his eyes.
Raven set Devon down next to Akira, then walked off with Amber to the bathroom to discuss female things, things of which Miroku or Seth had no idea. Miroku didn't mind Raven's husband, they weren't exactly best friends, but Seth was a cool guy, though her husband always had the sneaking suspicion that Raven still wasn't quite over Miroku yet.
And Sango couldn't really blame her. He was a very difficult man to forget. He was a devoted husband (When he wanted to be), a loving father, and an amazing lover.
Her mind started to drift, but she was taken out of her daydreams when Akira screamed loudly as Devon yanked on her hair. "Akira."
Miroku grinned and picked up Devon and placed him in his lap. "Alright, enough flirting."
Devon quickly turned his head towards the monk and made a face. "Ew! She's gross."
"Oh, is she now?" He asked, laughing. "Well, then if she's so gross why do you always pull her hair?"
Devon looked over at his father, who just shrugged back at him, then grinned at the monk. "I think you outsmarted him."
Miroku chuckled and put him down on the floor. Devon stuck his tongue out to Akira, then shoved Hitomi out of his way. "Stupid girls." He muttered, and then spotted Keiko across the restaurant.
"I was like that at that age." Miroku commented casually and Sango couldn't help but grin.
"That doesn't surprise me." Sango commented, and he flashed her a grin.
"That's the first thing you've said to me all week." He said, softly. His vocal cords seemed to be paralyzed with shock.
"Well," Sango said, looking down at her burger that she had barely touched. "it's Amber and Nelly's wedding. We've been waiting a long time for this and I just think everyone should get along."
Rob wrapped his arm around her shoulder and peered over at the houshi. "Isn't she great? She's as sweet as an angel."
Miroku stabbed his potato with a knife. "Yea….she's something else." He muttered, giving Rob a bitter look.
Sango looked just a tad uncomfortable and busied herself with trying to get Hitomi to actually eat her dinner, which was futile because she wasn't going to eat unless she was hungry.
Sango knew she really should have been eating more, it wasn't healthy with the way she had been treating her body over the past couple of weeks. Her appetite just wasn't up to par, her depression was worsening and seeing Miroku right now with that charming grin and that goofy look on his face was only making it worse.
Kami, she missed him.
And tomorrow was only going to make it worse.
There was a knock on the door of the back room where Sango was getting herself, and the girls dressed for the wedding. Akira and Hitomi were the flower girls, and they had two identical pink dresses, and a crown of roses, which Akira didn't like.
Sango struggled to zip up the back of her dress. "Uhm…come in."
The door opened and she immediately regretted allowing that person to come in, seeing as that person was Miroku. He flashed her a smile, though he knew she didn't want him in there. "Hey."
She sighed. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to see if you were alright." Miroku said, leaning against the wall. "Hideko-chan said you've been in here for an hour."
Sango looked at herself in the mirror and made a face at how big her butt looked in the pink bridesmaid's dress. "I was just doing my make-up." She told him, softly.
Miroku stared at her, secretly admiring the way her dark brown hair was curled slightly around her shoulders, and how it fell down her back in ebony waves. "You need help with the dress?"
"You know," Sango said, looking at him. "You're not even supposed to be in here." She said, but then turned around her back facing him. After all, she did need help with the zipper.
"Yea, I know, but I was worried about you." He said, pulling the zipper up with effort. Sango frowned. "Why do u look so sad?" He asked, softly, absently touching her back with his fingertips. He didn't even realize he was doing it until she smacked his hands away.
"I'm getting fat, you had a hard time zipping up my dress." She admitted, looking at herself in the mirror.
Miroku chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. It was too much of an intimate move for Sango's liking, but she felt so comfortable in his embrace that she didn't make a move to stop him. "That doesn't mean your fat. Stop saying that…" He murmured in her ear. "You look fantastic."
"Miroku, what are you doing?" She breathed, leaning against him, more for support than to encourage him. Her knees suddenly felt weak and she hated herself for allowing him to do this to her.
"I'm trying to apologize." He said, softly, nuzzling her neck and placing a small kiss on her shoulder. "I miss you."
Sango felt tears come to her eyes and she twisted herself out of his arms. "Miroku, don't do this. You…you slept with another woman in our bed. In our home. With our children there."
"Sango, listen to me. I didn't sleep with her."
"I saw the picture."
Miroku paused. "Well, I was going to, but all I could think about---"
"Don't make up anymore lies, Miroku." Sango stopped him and gathered the basket of flowers on the table for Hitomi and Akira to carry. "It's only going to make me angrier."
"Sango…"
She took Akira and Hitomi by the hands and led them out the door, then closed the door behind her with a click. Miroku stood in the middle of the room and peered at himself in the mirror.
"Oh, Houshi…you've really messed things up this time." He turned towards the door and left the room to take his place beside Nelly.
Nelly twitched nervously as he stood beside Miroku. "Kami, I can't believe this is finally happening. After all these years, we're finally getting married."
"It's a big step in a man's life." Miroku commented, as he watched Usher (A/N: Lol, Usher being an usher) and Wayne seat the guests. "There's really no turning back…"
"I know. But I'm sure I want this, Miroku." Nelly assured him. "She's truly the love of my life."
The houshi simply smiled and nodded. "That's what I wanted to hear." He said, having flashbacks of his own wedding. When the doors opened up he couldn't help but think about how it was back then.
He was standing exactly where Nelly was over 5 years ago, and Sango was walking towards him in all white with a large bouquet of red and white roses. He could see everything so clear and it was actually quite depressing.
Hayden was the first to walk down the aisle and she winked at Miroku seductively as she took her place holding a tiny bouquet in her hands.
Miroku simply winked back. OK, So being single had it's pros and cons, he could flirt with Hayden and any other girl he wanted too, but at the same time he missed having that special bond with just one woman.
Raven was next to make her way down the aisle. Despite being married and having a 3 year old son with Seth Adams, she still flirted with the monk. It was ironic what could happen in 5 years. Miroku's ex-girlfriend had winded up married to his real estate agent that showed him the house that he got shot in. The two ended up getting married on a whim at a summer trip to Las Vegas in the United States.
Miroku always figured Raven would do something crazy and unpredictable like that.
Next was Hideko, the newly engaged, beautiful half-demon that made her small crush on him no secret. She smiled shyly at him as she made her way down the aisle, her fiancé, Kris, snapped picture of her as she walked by and commented how beautiful she looked with her hair and her dress. And Miroku had to admit, she did look nice.
Very nice…
Then there was Sango. His heart jumped in his chest when he saw her, she had done something different with her hair since he had seen her back in the dressing room. She allowed a few dark strands to fall out around her face, and all the monk could do was stare.
Kami, what had he let go of?
Sango took her place beside Hideko, and then the congregation stood up and looked back at the door. Amber was in the door way, her arm linked with Brock's arm and he led her down the aisle towards Nelly.
Brock hugged her fatherly and let go of her hand and smiled at her, just like he had done to Sango just 5 years before.
Sango stood next to Amber and peered across the way to Miroku, who was staring at her as well. Akira and Hitomi waited impatiently by the side while Sakura held their hands. The girls really just wanted this to be over with so they could drop pretty flowers down the aisle like Sango had promised them.
She seemed to zone out for quite a while, just staring at Miroku. She admired how incredibly sexy and distinguished he looked in his suit, just as handsome as he had on their own wedding day. He made it look so effortless and easy, even back when he used to dress in his monk robes when he was an actually monk… he still looked amazing to her.
And he always would.
Kanye's loud voice jarred her from her zone and she peered up at Amber as they took the rings from the tiny pillow Devon was carrying. She watched as she placed the ring on Nelly's finger and he placed it on hers and they joined hands.
Miroku was watching as well, just as intently as Sango was and they both knew what the other was thinking. It was as if they could read each other's minds. She seemed to space out again until she heard loud cheers from the audience and she quickly handed the large bouquet over to Amber as Kanye west smiled.
"You may kiss your bride." He said cheerfully. Nelly leaned in and placed a passionate kiss on Amber's lips and the entire room cheered, even Kirby, who chose to sit in the back.
Maybe he wasn't quite over what he and Amber had, but it had been so long ago it really didn't even matter. But if Kirby was completely honest with himself he only came to the wedding for the free food and to hang out with Miroku.
Nelly escorted Amber down the aisle, and Sakura let Hitomi and Akira happily follow them down the aisle, dropping pink rose petals on the floor.
Miroku stepped up and held out his arm towards Sango, who took it rather reluctantly. He smiled despite her apprehension and walked with her down the aisle, the same aisle he had led her down before. "You look really beautiful today." He murmured softly.
Sango blushed and looked away. "Thank you…" She said, politely, feeling extremely awkward. How long was this damn aisle? When were they ever going to get to the end of it? Was Miroku going slow on purpose? (Ugh, stupid monk).
Eventually, they did reach the doors and Sango didn't hesitate to wrench herself away from him. She turned her attention immediately to her girls, ignoring a very dejected looking monk.
Alright, so she was still mad at him, despite all of those mixed signals she was sending him through the entire wedding ceremony. Damn, she was confusing.
Kirby joined them just outside the large doors and he smiled at Nelly. "Congratulations."
"Yea…" Nelly said a little cautiously. He still didn't trust the guy, though Amber clearly didn't care about his presence. To Nelly, it was still to fresh in his mind.
Hayden and Usher were the last to come through the doors. Then Miroku knew it was time for the reception. A time he could maybe have a chance to steal a dance or two with Sango and talk out their problems. That seemed like a great plan until he was reminded of one small problem.
Rob. He had been invited to the wedding out of some crazy idea, that Miroku was convinced only women could come up with, to have him do some fake magic show for the children during the reception to ward off their boredom.
But really, how long could he keep children entertained with his magic tricks? He knew his own daughters had more intelligence than that. They wouldn't be so easily amused, at least he would have liked to think that.
And to make matters worse, Rob had immediately led Sango away from him towards his own car, so that he could drive her to the reception and probably try to make a couple of secret moves on his wife. Well, Miroku wasn't going to let that happen. "Yo, Kirby."
"Yea, gramps?" He asked, grinning.
Miroku ignored the name for the time being. "I need you to ride with that magic idiot. Make sure he doesn't make a move on, Sango."
"Aw, c'mon." Kirby begged in disbelief. "I wanted to show off my new car to all the single ladies at the reception."
The houshi simply grinned and wrapped his arm around him. "Mrs. Harrison said you came from our son's line, did she not?"
Kirby thought back. "Yea…"
"And as you can see, I do not have a son yet, correct?"
Kirby looked blankly at the monk, then down at Akira and Hitomi. "Correct." He responded after a minute.
"If Sango and I don't get back together soon, you could disappear." Miroku explained to him slyly. He had to spell things out for Kirby. What he lacked in brains, he made up for in looks and Miroku supposed he got that from him. The monk could be a bit brainless at times, but he was undoubtedly easy on the eyes.
There was a loud gasp from Kirby. "Oh crap! You two have to get back together! My life depends on it!"
"Exactly."
Kirby patted himself down with his hands. "OK, I'm still here. It's not too late. Though, I have been feeling faint here lately, but I think--"
Miroku heard a car engine start. "Will you just go?"
"Oh! Right! Sorry gramps." He said, then fled towards the door.
"And stop calling me that!" Miroku called after him. Buddha, how did he end up with such a weird life and an even stranger family.
"Wait! Wait!" Sango heard a voice, that sounded slightly like Miroku's and she rolled her eyes and pivoted around only to have her jaw drop in surprise. It was Kirby who was running towards her like a maniac, not Miroku.
"Kirby…?"
"Wait. I need a ride." He said, quickly. "My car…it won't start and it's acting all…crazy!"
Sango glanced over at Rob and she had a suspicion that Miroku put him up to this. "Oh? Rob, why don't you have a look at it?"
"Alri--"
"No!" Kirby protested, throwing out both his hands in protest. "No! I mean…I…I only let professionals look at my car."
Sango looked at him, her arms folded over her chest. Miroku wasn't a professional, yet they only spent 5 hours looking at each other's car a few weeks ago. Something was definitely up. "Oh really?" She asked.
"Yea." Kirby said with a smile. "It's my baby. My pride and joy. My chick-magnet." He said, confidently. "So, I can't just let some…I don't know…magician look at it."
Rob looked at him, then at his watch. "Well, get in, or we're going to be late. I still have to set up for my show."
Sango looked at Rob in surprise that he didn't put up much of a fight, and she figured she wouldn't either. If Rob didn't mind Kirby riding with him, then she didn't mind either, though Rob looked just a tad displeased.
"So…" Kirby said, settling in the backseat as Rob drove out onto the road. "Sango, how have you been?" He asked, leaning back and propping his shoes up on the arm rest between the two front seats. Not only was that distracting but there was a large glob of pink gum stuck to his shoe.
"Well," Sango said thoughtfully. "I was doing fine until you stuck your disgusting feet up here."
Rob gripped his steering wheel. "Sango, who is this creep?"
Sango panicked. What was she supposed to say? 'My grandson.' He would never understand. "Uh…he's my uh…"
"Cousin." Kirby spoke up, exchanging a glance with her. "Well, cousin-in-law. Actually, ex-cousin-in-law, I guess." He grinned nervously, he wasn't as good as Miroku was at lying. "I'm Miroku's cousin."
"Oh." Rob said, not bothering to keep his annoyance a secret. "That explains a lot."
Sango pushed his feet down. "Kirby, where are the girls?"
"They're with Miroku." He told her. "The little angels are safe and sound. Don't you worry about a thing. Hey, wouldn't you like to have a son?"
"Kirby, shut up." Sango snapped curtly. "You're rambling."
"Yea, I have a tendency to do that, don't I?" He asked, laughing. Then he saw exactly what he was here to stop, Rob wrapped his arm around Sango's shoulder. Kirby was on a mission, mainly to save himself, but to also bring the monk and the taijya back together.
He pushed his head under Rob's arm and smiled dramatically. "Whatcha doin'?" He asked, quite loudly and Rob pulled his arm away. Kirby twisted his face in disgust. "Haven't you ever heard of deodorant, dude?"
Rob scowled. "You wanna walk, smartass?"
"No."
"Then shut up." Rob said, angrily. His voice softened however when he turned his attention towards Sango. "Where's the reception at, baby?"
Sango looked at him, quite shocked he had called her that. "Uhm…"
"Baby?" Kirby asked. "She looks pretty old to me…" he mumbled.
"What did you say?" Sango glared back at him. "You're right, Rob. We should make him walk."
"No!" Kirby protested. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant…you should call her 'beautiful', or 'my love' or--"
"Kirby…" Sango warned, then turned her attention back in front of her. "I think it's right up here at this turn. It's a large casino."
Rob made a right turn down a newly paved road and a large, very fancy casino building came into view. Rob quickly found a parking space right next to the side entrance to where he could quickly load his props into the basement for the magic show.
"Rob, are you sure you mind doing this? I know it's a little inconvenient and--"
"Sango, my love…" He stopped her with a smile and rubbed her cheek with his fingertips. "I don't mind at all." He leaned in and kissed her softly, only to be interrupted very quickly by Kirby who stepped out of the car.
"I hope Miroku sees that and kicks your ass."
"You stay out of it." Rob grumbled at him. "Sango, you can go on in there and be with your friends, I'll be alright setting up by myself."
"Are you sure?"
"A woman shouldn't be doing this kind of stuff." He said, pulling out a table. "It's dangerous. Hey needle-nose, come and help me."
"What?" Kirby asked turning around. "What did you just call me?"
"I can't remember your name, so just come help me, ok?" He said, rolling his eyes.
Kirby grumbled and reached into the trunk reluctantly. At least he did what he was supposed to do, and that was keep Sango away from Rob just as Miroku wanted him to do.
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