Sango was helping Sakura prepare dinner at around noon when she heard the roar of an engine pull up outside. Her blood ran cold.
Sakura peered over at her. "Is that Miroku?"
The brunette rolled her eyes and sighed. "I think so. I better go see what he wants…" She said and Sakura simply smiled. It reminded her of the old times when her and Brock had their problems. But in the end everything worked out. She just hoped that the monk and the demon slayer could find the same peace and tranquility that she had found in her life.
Sango opened the sliding glass door that led out to the front yard and not much to her surprise she found Miroku leaning against his car. "What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.
"I came here to take a look at your car." Miroku said. "I'm not going to have you driving around Japan in a car that could conk out on you at any given moment." He said, popping the hood on her car, without her permission. Sango just sighed miserably.
He pulled off his shirt and Sango rolled her eyes. What was he trying to do now? Stupid monk. "What are you doing?"
"Looking at your engine. When's that last time you had the oil changed?"
"2 weeks ago. Remember, you changed it for me." She said.
"Oh yea…" Miroku said, grinning. "Maybe it's the alternator."
Sango buried her face in her hands. She really didn't feel like discussing cars with Miroku right now. "I don't even know what that is!"
"Could be your battery." He muttered, checking the clamps on the battery. "But you just replaced that a year ago."
"I know." Sango said. "Don't you have to go pick up the girls?"
Miroku pointed to his watch. "It's noon, honey. Why do you want me gone so badly?" He peered over at her with those shimmering blue eyes and Sango felt her entire body just want to melt.
A fall breeze blew and Sango shivered, and she longed to be pulled close to his magnificent male body. "Aren't you cold?" She asked.
"No." He said, not taking his eyes off her. "You didn't answer my question…"
"What question?"
"Why you keep rushing me out of here like I have to go to a fire." Miroku said, slamming her hood shut.
"Because I know your only here to try and get me back."
Miroku leaned against her car. "No I'm not. I wanted to check your car. Make sure your safe."
Sango glanced at him, feeling extremely disappointed. "You mean…you didn't come by and try to get me to come back home?"
"Sango, that's something you're going to have to do on your own." Miroku said. "My door…our door, is always open to you and our girls."
She bit her lip pensively and she wondered if she should tell Miroku about her 'date'. Well, she was pretty pissed off that he wasn't over here trying to win her back. This was one time she really wouldn't have minded if he did anything and everything to get into her pants. She wanted him to beg for her back, but he just wasn't.
He was so calm and collected all the time and it absolutely maddened her. "You're still taking to girls tonight, right?"
"Yep." Miroku said. "I'll keep them all weekend if you want."
"That's great." Sango said, turning her gaze away from him. "Because…I have a date tonight."
Miroku's face turned white, along with his knuckles. His voice cracked and he lost his cool demeanor. "A date?"
"Yes. Rob's taking me to dinner." Sango said, pleased that he was showing a little jealousy.
"I'm going to kill that guy." Miroku said, pounding his fist against her car.
"Hey, watch it!" Sango shrieked. "And you have no right to be jealous. We're not together anymore."
The monk pivoted on one foot and looked at her. "That doesn't mean you can go on some date with some guy you barely even know!"
"And why not?"
"Because…" Miroku trailed off. "Well, because you…"
Sango turned towards the house and nodded. "Exactly."
"You don't know him, Sango!" The houshi exclaimed. "He could be some kind of weirdo. And I can't believe you had him around my girls!"
Sango whirled around, her anger snapped. "Oh! Like your Mr. responsible. You don't even tell out children to wear seatbelts in the car."
"I do so! I did this morning!" Miroku retorted.
"Because I, the responsible parent, was watching!" Sango snapped back.
Miroku ran his fingers through his hair. "You know, Sango. You're right. Apparently, we can't live together. Maybe we should get a divorce."
Sango was quiet for a moment. Why did they always have to fight? Why couldn't either one of them just control their tempers. Miroku wasn't acting very monkish lately, of course, when did he ever act 'monkish'? Never, at least, when she could recall.
"Just go, Miroku. This isn't our home, we can have at least enough respect for Mr. and Mrs. Harrison not to fight in their front yard."
"Fine!" Miroku said, stomping towards his car. "Don't worry, I'll get the girls at 3. Have fun on your date." He angrily opened the door to his camero and he laced the last word with such hate that Sango just felt like slapping him. The sound of his wheels was sharp and high-pitched as he sped of leaving tire tacks on the asphalt.
Sango watched him until he disappeared down the road, speeding of course, trying to act like leaving her behind along with those hateful words didn't hurt him at all. She shook it off. So what? He left. Big deal!
She had more important things to worry about, like what she was going to wear.
Miroku parked in front of the preschool just before 3:00. He had gotten their early because he knew if he was late, Hitomi would cry and think that he left her there for the rest of her life. The parking lot was just about full of other parents' cars, but he managed to squeeze his sleek sports car into a space.
It was nice having a small car, and to think Sango wanted him to get rid of it when the children came along. His expression darkened. Why couldn't he go 5 seconds without thinking about her? He was angrier than hell, yet he still missed the way she felt in his arms.
And tonight she would be out with another man, making the heads turn of every man in whichever place he was taking her. Just like she used to do with him. Now Rob would be the one to be envied, and not him.
Plus, fighting with her just enforced her decision to go out with him. He was such a fool.
He pushed open one of the door of the school and walked to the classroom, suddenly remembering Alyssa. Well, she was attractive. She had nothing on Sango, but she was…pretty, he supposed.
Hitomi was the first to leap up out of 'story time circle' to greet him, and he smiled down at her. Alyssa looked up at him from her book and smiled. "I'll be with you in just a second…"
"Take your time." Miroku said, lifting Hitomi up as he waited for her to finish the thin, hard-backed book.
After she was done, Akira stood up and quickly ran over to her father. "Where's mommy?" She asked.
Miroku peered down at her. "I came to get you. You're coming back home with me all weekend."
Alyssa handed him the clipboard with a smile. He smiled back at her and wrote their names and his signature in the boxes. "I hope they weren't too much trouble."
Alyssa giggled. "Oh! Are you kidding? They are little angels. It's the boys I have to worry about…" She said, smiling at him.
He gave her another handsome smile just like he had earlier that morning. "Boys will be boys…" He said, winking at her.
"Oh, yes. I almost forgot. I need to see an ID for pickups. It's not that I don't trust you…I just…" Alyssa trailed off.
"I understand." He said, smiling. Miroku reached in his pocket for his wallet. He showed her is driver's license and she grinned.
"Wow. Most people look like hell in their license. You look absolutely gorgeous."
The monk laughed and slipped his license back in his wallet. "I try…" He said, handing her back the clipboard. Well, if Sango could have a date, so could he. "Hey, listen, what are you doing tonight?"
"Tonight?" Alyssa asked, feeling her heart leap in her throat. "Uhm, nothing…why?"
Miroku shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant, as if he did this all the time. Actually the last time he asked a girl out, it was Raven and that was right before he asked Sango to marry him. "Just wondering if you maybe wanted to go out somewhere. I have friends that will baby sit for me if you want to go, so don't worry about that."
"Oh, Well, Mr. Keseki…I…I don't know what to say…"
"Then say yes…" He said, smoothly.
"Ok…YES!" She exclaimed, happily and could no longer control her joy.
Miroku tried to stifle a grin. He hoped he hadn't just asked a 16 year old girl on a date, but she had to be at least college age. "Alright, so I'll pick you up at 7:30?"
"How about 7?" She asked.
"Well, alright." Miroku agreed. "7 it is."
"Here's my phone number." She said, jotting it down on a piece of paper and handing it to him. "See you tonight, cutie." She skipped away and tried to compose herself before the other parents arrived and he walked away, folding the piece of paper and slipping it in his back pocket.
"Well, that went well." He said, mostly to himself.
Akira tugged on his shirt and he looked down at her. "Isn't mommy going to be mad you got Ms. Alyssa's phone number?"
Miroku paused for a moment to think as he opened up the door to his car and lifted Hitomi in. "Nah. Mommy won't care." He told her as he watched Akira struggle to get in the back seat. "Need some help?"
"No. I can do it."
"Don't hurt yourself." Miroku said smiling. "If you do, your mother will kill me. Oh, and seatbelts."
Miroku reached back and clicked both of their belts around them. He wasn't irresponsible like Sango thought he was! Damn that woman really pissed him off sometimes.
He pulled out onto the road. "How would you girls like to spend an evening with Uncle Nelly and Aunty Amber?"
Akira's eyes lit up. "Can we have chocolate cake for dinner again like last time they watched us?"
"Alright." Miroku agreed. "But don't tell mommy." He said, pretending to zip his mouth closed, and Akira did the same.
Hitomi looked over at her sister, then at her father. "I miss mommy."
Miroku stared ahead at the road and felt a lump rise in his throat. Akira always made him laugh, but it was Hitomi who really pulled at his heartstrings sometimes. "I miss her, too." He said truthfully, suddenly not knowing why he had asked Alyssa out on that date.
"When is she coming back home, daddy?" Hitomi asked, clutching onto her teddy bear.
The houshi didn't know what to say to her. It was the little ones that always suffered when two parents couldn't get along. "Whenever she realizes I still love her…" Miroku said, more to himself them to Hitomi. As if she would understand… She didn't understand anything really except that her mommy and daddy weren't getting along.
They were almost back home to the apartment building by the time Akira said anything. "Daddy…"
"What, Akira?" He asked, trying not to sound agitated.
"Do you hate mommy?'
Miroku parked rather crookedly in front of the building and peered back at her. "No, Akira. I don't hate her. Now, enough questions. Let's go and ask Uncle Nelly if he wants to baby sit."
"Well, well," Sakura said smiling. "Glad to see your not letting the grass grow under your feet." The older, yet very youthful looking half fox demon woman smiled at her as Sango exited the guest room in a very short and flirty red dress. Her dark hair was styled into large curls, and she paired the dress with a pair of very high red heels.
Brock eyed her from the kitchen table. "I hope this magic guy's taking you somewhere nice. He should when you look that stunning."
The dark blue-haired woman eyed her husband. "Eyes back in your head Brock. She's young enough to be your daughter."
Brock turned his attention back to his newspaper immediately. "Miroku's a fool. I can't believe I helped him out all those years ago."
Sango blushed shyly. "Thank you, Mr. Harrison." She said, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "Oh, Rob will be here any minute. How do I look?"
"If wasn't too old, or too married…" Brock said, peeking over the newspaper. Sakura eyed him dangerously and he simply grinned, then she smiled at Sango.
"You look astonishing, dear. I bet if Miroku saw you now he would kick himself the rear!" Sakura said, handing her, her purse.
The doorbell rang and Sango was expecting the flutter in her heart, but it never came. Damn that monk! He ruined her entire day by acting like such an asshole earlier!
Sakura answered the door and smiled when she saw Rob at the door, dressed up very nicely with a large, fresh bouquet of lilies. "Oh, wow. C'mon in. Sango's in the living room." She led him through the foyer and Sango stood by the couch, trying to stand tall and straight.
She had been married for so long she forgot what it was like to go out with another guy.
Rob smiled and handed her the flowers. "Wow. You look incredible."
Sango took the bouquet and smelled the lilies. "Thank you." She smiled shyly and turned to Sakura. "Can you put these in a vase with water, please?"
"Of course." Sakura said, taking the flowers from her and throwing her own roses Brock had bought her out of the vase on the kitchen table.
"Sakura!" Brock protested. "I brought you those."
"Oh, Brock! They were half-dead when you bought them and that was two weeks ago." Sakura retorted. "Dollar store flowers…give me a break."
Brock shook his newspaper and Sango grinned shyly at Rob. She missed the way her and Miroku would have their little spats like that. Enough of him! She scolded herself. Rob's here and he looks amazing. (Get it together, girl. You're on a date!)
Sakura walked out of the kitchen with the lilies in a glass vase. "I'll put these in your room, dear. Now don't stand around here all night. Go out and have fun!"
"Right." Sango said.
Rob offered his arm and she wrapped her arm around his. "Shall we?"
He led her out the door and they closed the front door behind them with a click.
Rob laughed as he opened the passenger door of his slightly less, ostentatious ride. Which happened to be a white mustang. "Your parents are funny."
Sango slipped in and smiled up at him shyly. "Oh, they're not my parents."
He sidled into the driver's side next to her just a few seconds later and revved his engine to life. "Oh? Are you adopted?"
"Well, not exactly. My…mother died when I was very young, and then my father when I was a little older." She said, leaving out the grim details. Sometimes she almost forgot she wasn't from this era. She had lived there so long, and made a life there, along with Miroku that she felt like she had been in the modern era her entire life.
"Oh. I'm sorry." Rob said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Well, they seem like nice people."
"They are wonderful. They've been like my parents for the past few years. I moved here when I was 18." Sango said, telling him the age she had actually fallen through the well along with Miroku on the day their little spat like seemed like forever ago.
Well, it was forever ago, actually.
"From where?" Rob asked, making a left turn.
"Uh…" Sango stalled for a moment. (Think, Sango, think!) "Kyoto. Yes, I'm from Kyoto…originally…" She stammered.
Rob laughed. "Oh, nice city. You nervous or something?" He asked. "Your stuttering."
"A little." Sango choked out. "So, uhm, where are we going?"
"Well, there's this really cool dance night out at Kinokawa Steakhouse. You ever been there?"
Sango froze. "Once." Yea, on the same night Miroku proposed to you. Great. She forced a smile. "It's pretty nice."
Rob smiled. "Then we'll go there then. Have some dinner, dance for a little bit. Then I'll take you home if you like."
"That sounds nice." She said, and realized his arm was still around her shoulder. And he didn't move it until they arrived at the restaurant.
 | Review this Chapter |
No comments:
Post a Comment