Dinner was just about ready when Amber's boyfriend, Nelly, walked through the door. He took an immediate liking towards Miroku and Amber was happy to see that.
Howard had seemed to be part of the family and even Miroku felt like a stranger around his own relatives. He felt awkward and jittery, especially around Howard.
He occupied himself with getting to know his sister's boyfriend, he didn't get a strange vibe from Nelly as he did with Sango's fiancé. He had noticed Howard shooting him looks of disapproval and seemed to become uncomfortable when Sango spoke to him.
Maybe he didn't like him being friends with Sango. Well, Miroku had news for him, that was just too bad. He had been friends with her since he could remember and he wasn't going to stop just because of some jealous boyfriend.
The announcement of the marriage really seemed to bother him and he really didn't have that much of an appetite. He forced himself to eat, he hadn't eaten anything since he left New York almost a day ago, but he didn't want it.
Even when he dad came home that didn't make him feel any better. That just made it worse. The guilt crept back up onto him and seeing Sango and Howard together just made it that much worse.
If he would have come back with his family two years ago, would she have met Howard? Would she be getting married in two weeks? Would she be with him? The last question really stuck in his mind and he politely excused himself from the table.
Miroku stood outside the door, lit up another cigarette and instantly felt better. He knew his mother wouldn't allow him to smoke in the house, and that was alright because he'd rather be alone.
The front door slid open and Miroku pushed himself away from the wall, quickly dropping his cigarette to the ground and smashing it with his shoe. He wasn't ready to admit his smoking habit he picked up in college to anyone, especially Sango.
Her presence was not unwelcome by any means, but he really wished he could have finished that cigarette.
"Hey." Sango said with a smile. "Came out to get some fresh air?"
"Uh…yea."
She walked over next to him and leaned against the house. She gazed up at the stars and had a sudden feeling of déjà vu. It had been so long since they were like this and she had forgotten how good he made her feel.
He was so grown up now, handsome and mysterious. He radiated strength and masculinity and Sango always knew he was going to grow up to be one of the attractive ones.
"They're pretty aren't they?" Miroku asked, nonchalantly. Sango responded with a small nod.
"I remember we used to do this all the time. I missed hanging around with you."
Miroku glanced at her, the nicotine had calmed his nerves down considerably. "Yea, I missed you, too." He smiled and pulled her close to him. "You know, you've grown up to be really beautiful."
Sango looked up at him. "Oh, so I was ugly before?"
"No, I didn't mean it that way. I just…" He paused. "You've just changed a lot, for the better." He added.
She gave him a small smile. "You look exhausted. Why don't you come inside and I'll run you a nice bath?"
The thought of a bath sounded nice. He was very tired and he felt very unclean. He despised being cooped up on that airplane around all of those people. He was somewhat a germi-phobe, and that came from being in a college dorm for four years.
His roommate was very messy, unclean, and Miroku even made a habit of hiding his toothbrush in his pillow so that the guy wouldn't find it and use it. He hated living like that and graduation day had been one of the happiest day of his life.
Of course, meeting up with Sango again was pushing close second
That also caused him to start smoking. The stress of not sleeping and medical school really got to him and he developed the bad habit.
. He waited in the living room, along with Howard who was interested in an American football game on television.
Miroku didn't like the guy, and he didn't mind that he was pointedly being ignored. He sat down on the couch, on the opposite end. He had to face it. It was nobody's fault but his own that Sango had met him. Miroku's the one that left, and stopped contacting her. What was she supposed to do?
"So," Miroku said, drawing out the word as he thought of a conversation starter. "You like football?"
"It's alright." Howard responded.
Miroku noticed his enthralled expression and wondered if it was football he really liked, or just the cheerleaders. Of course, he couldn't say much, that was the real reason he, or any other man, watched football. "I always liked Dallas."
"That's cool." Howard responded.
So much for conversation. Sango walked into the living room and smiled. "I'm glad to see you boys are getting along. I started your bath for you, Miroku."
"Thanks." Miroku said, standing up as she sat down on the middle cushion next to Howard. She watched him as he tiredly made his way into the bathroom, then Howard pulled her attention away.
"So, that's the guy you were telling me about? Your childhood friend?"
"Yes." Sango replied. Howard simply nodded and turned his attention back to the television set, much to Sango's relief. She didn't want to get in a conversation about Miroku. Howard was the jealous type and probably didn't like her being best friends with a guy. Especially an attractive one.
She always knew he would probably grow up to be good looking, but she wasn't expecting him to be that striking. His black hair set off the deep blue of his eyes and Sango had almost gotten lost in them when she saw him at the airport.
Her mind started to wonder and she thought about what he might look like behind the closed door of the bathroom.
Miroku sat in warm water, his arm hanging over the side of the tub. He could have fallen asleep in there if his mind wasn't racing. It wasn't so much that he couldn't relax because he was thinking, it was more of the fact of what he was thinking of that caused him to be restless.
Sango certainly had changed since he could last remember. Her form filled out into a very womanly figure, her face had remained attractive as always, and her hair was longer and smoother than he remembered. He never really remembered looking at her like that as a child, but he could have for all he knew.
It was so long ago.
He washed his hair with his own shampoo that he packed, then dove under water to wash it out. He came back up after a second and pushed his wet hair back from his face. Miroku glanced at himself in the mirror for a minute or two and realized he needed sleep.
He reminded himself he wasn't at home and he needed to wear more than a towel around his waist, so he actually took the time and energy to get dressed. Besides, he needed to go out and smoke again before bed anyway. It calmed him down and helped him sleep.
Miroku walked out and Sango immediately turned her attention away from the football towards him. "Hey." She said, smiling. "Enjoy your bath?"
"Yea. It was great. Thanks." He said, then he glanced at his watch. It was pretty late and Sango was still here? Not that he minded, but he remembered when his mother had a strict "no member of the opposite sex in the house after 10 o'clock" policy, with the exception of Amber of course.
Miroku quietly stepped outside, finished up a cigarette quickly and came back in. His nerves were calm now and he could even handle the sight of Howard. He didn't understand why he despised him so much, but the mere sight of him made his stomach sick.
"Goodnight, Sango. I'm going to go and get some sleep."
"Alright." Sango said, with a small smile. "I fixed up the guest bedroom for you."
"Thanks." Miroku said, with a lingering look. For one small instance they shared something. Maybe it was an old understanding of friendship and the plutonic love that they had for each other. Or maybe it was something more, something more passionate and intimate.
Whatever it was, it seemed to have pissed Howard off. Sango watched as her fiancé made his way into their shared bedroom, without even so much as a goodnight to her. It was obvious he didn't like Miroku there, and Sango wondered if she should even bother sleeping in there tonight.
She better act like nothing was wrong, or Mrs. Keseki would surely be asking questions out of concern. She felt drowsy and decided she would head off to bed.
Howard would be over it by morning after a good night's rest.
A loud knock awakened Miroku from his slumber and he was disappointed to see daylight. He was so exhausted he had slept for nearly 14 hours, yet he felt like he hadn't slept at all.
He shifted around in his bed, trying to ignore the knocking until it happened again, and this time it was accompanied by Amber's voice.
"Miroku, it's almost noon. You've been asleep since I left for you school." She said.
He sighed and pushed himself out of bed. Alright so it might have been time to wake up, but that also meant he could spend time with his family, and Sango. Which, he wondered if she even went home last night.
He opened up the door, now dressed in a pair of loose jeans and a tank top. A down-grade from what he was dressed in yesterday, and he felt more comfortable. He was pleased to see that Sango was sitting at the table, without Howard.
Her face immediately lit up when she saw him and she looked away from her magazine she was reading. "Hey, sleepy-head."
Miroku tried his best to comb down his hair at her comment and she simply laughed. "Are you hungry?"
"Uh, yea, actually. Whatcha got?" He asked, as he watched her walk about the kitchen. She knew where everything was, and he knew she must have spent a lot of time here with his family. It was almost as if she lived there.
"Do you still like your rice extra chewy?" She asked, smiling.
"Wow. You remember that?" Miroku was surprised she would have remembered such a small detail.
Sango simply nodded and turned on the rice cooker. "What else would you like?"
Miroku leaned back in his chair and he saw her in a completely different light then what he used to. "Well, I never had a woman take care of me like this before."
"Don't get used to it, I'm only doing it because you're a guest." Sango said. "How's instant ramen sound?"
Miroku nodded his approval, and then her words sank in. "Wait a minute," he spoke up. "Aren't you a guest too?
She stopped in her tracks and peered at him for a minute than turned away. "Oh, that's right…you didn't know."
"Didn't know what?" Miroku asked, sitting up in his chair. He studied the side of her face, it was serious and straight as she continued to cook for him, as a wife would do for her husband.
She didn't speak from the time it took her to dish out his food onto a plate, to the time it took her to bring that plate to him. Then she settled down at the table, in the chair beside him.
He was grateful for the food, but he was curious as to what he didn't know. He took a bite of rice and looked at her. "What don't I know?" he asked.
"I live here now…" Sango told him, quietly.
"You do?" Miroku asked. "Wow. Well, why? I mean, if you don't mind me asking…"
Sango began to pick apart a napkin laying on the table as she spoke. "My family died right after I graduated high school. Mom, dad, and Kohaku took a trip to Hawaii and on their way back to Japan all of the engines failed, the plane blew up and no one survived."
Miroku dropped his chopsticks, shocked. "Sango, I'm…sorry…I didn't know."
"Don't apologize. Your mother has been the most help to me. Your parents took me in without a second thought." She said, forcing a smile.
"Wow. Well, this is a shocker." He said, leaning. He could tell Sango didn't like talking about it, and he wanted a change of subject himself. "So, uh…how did you meet Howard?"
Sango smiled, and looked away. "The internet. We met on a dating site."
"Ah, well, how 21st century of you." He said, smiling. "I was on one of those. Met a few girls, no one special though."
"What's it like in New York?" Sango asked, suddenly becoming interested.
Miroku chewed his rice thoughtfully. "It's alright. It's kind of like Tokyo, but with a lot more assholes. The foods delicious, though. The best Italian food on the planet."
"I've always wanted to go. Anywhere in the states for that matter." Sango told him. "If Howard would ever let me, I would want to come and visit you out there."
Miroku took a sip of his drink. "You don't think Howard would let you come with me?"
"Are you kidding?" Sango asked. "He won't even let me say Hello to another guy without getting mad."
Miroku grinned slyly. "Yea, but I'm not just another guy. I'm your best friend."
"I know. But he really does get angry.
"By the way, speaking of him…" Miroku said, looking around. "Where is he at?"
"He had a meeting in Kyoto, he'll be gone all day. He left about 2 hours ago." She said.
Miroku pushed his empty plate away and took her by the hands. "Well, he's away. Maybe we can get better acquainted, hm?"
Sango peered up at him, quite surprised by his closeness. She was speechless as she stared into his icy blue eyes.
"I've missed you." Miroku said. "In more ways than one…"
She shivered from the look in his eyes. "Uhm…I better get started on the dishes."
"You need any help?" Miroku asked, standing up. He fallowed her to the sink, his hands in his pockets.
Sango turned on the water, squeezed soap into the sink and shook her head. "No, I can do this on my own." She protested, but he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Let me help…" His voice was smooth and enticing, something about it made her quiver and she enjoyed the feeling of his arms around her. His strong, masculine voice was lowered an octave and his breath tickled her neck.
"Miroku…what are you doing?" She asked, dropping a plate back into the soapy water.
He chuckled softly into her ear. "I'm trying to help you with the dishes."
"I told you, I don't need any help." She said, not feeling comfortable with the fact she was quite comfortable with his closeness. It was strange how 7 years and 200,000 miles can change a person's perspective on a man.
Sango went from seeing Miroku as a boy who was her best friend, to a man who could easily be her lover. She shifted her position in front of him, and he reached his arms around her.
"At least let me help you dry them." Miroku said, grabbing a towel. "Mom never did believe in dishwashers."
Sango hesitated, and Miroku couldn't figure out why she was so skittish about letting him help her with the dishes. Did his closeness really bother her that much after years of being best friends?
Did he really change that much? Did he come off as cocky or snobby because of his job? Maybe he gave off an air that he thought he better than everyone else. Or maybe his job had given a prestige he didn't know about.
Miroku dried a plate carefully and silently. "You alright?"
"I'm fine why do you ask?" Sango queried, he could sense the agitation in her voice.
He shrugged and dried another plate. "You just seem angry, that's all."
"Well, don't you think I'd have the right to be?" Something inside her finally snapped and she completely disregarded the dishes.
Miroku slowly put the clean plate onto the drying rack as if he was afraid to make a move. "What do you mean?"
Sango threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, as if you didn't know! My best friend ignores me for three years, then comes back here and--"
"Sango."
"What?" She asked, quickly realizing what she had done and hid her hands behind her back.
"What was that on your arm?" He asked.
"Nothing…" Sango said, pulling down her sleeves. "It's nothing."
"I saw bruises on your arm. Let me look." He reached for her arm and she wrestled herself away from him.
"You're imagining things." Sango told him, walking backwards from him. He quickly reached out and tugged on her arms, rolling her sleeves before she had the chance to get away.
He saw three, dark oblong rings on her arm as if someone had squeezed her arm and bruised her. "Sango, what the hell is this?"
Sango felt the lump rise in her throat and she tore away from him. "Let go." She yanked down her sleeve and folded her arms.
"Is Howard doing this to you?" Miroku asked, pulling her towards him. "Sango, you better tell me the truth!"
Sango turned from him. "It's none of your business!"
"It is my business!" Miroku protested, he was about to lose his temper which he rarely did, but it seems ever since he had the pleasure of becoming a doctor his nerves could only handle less and less. And seeing his best friend hurt was really the straw the broke the camel's back. "I care about you, Sango. I don't want to see you hurt!"
"Why do you even care, Miroku? You've been gone for years! You're the one who stopped responding to my emails and my phone calls!" She stomped away from him and slammed her bedroom door before he could stop her.
"Sango, c'mon, don't do this. I just want to talk." He said, standing by her bedroom door, but it was silent within. His temper flared again and he slapped both hands on her door. "Fine! You want to be with someone who abuses you like that? Then you go right ahead! I don't care!"
Miroku stomped through the living room and into the kitchen. He slammed the front door hard and pulled out another cigarette. He lit it up and allowed it to calm his nerves again. This fight with her was just another excuse to smoke, and he felt guilty about what he had said.
A couple hours and she'd calm down, then they would be alright. Or at least he hoped. He just wasn't sure how he was going to react when Howard Bailey came home from one his "business trips" tonight. Miroku wasn't sure if he was capable of keeping the peace with him after what he saw.
But first things first, and that's keeping the peace with Sango. Amber's graduation was tomorrow afternoon and he didn't want his entire family fighting with him.
He was so confused, he didn't even know what to do anymore, except smoke another cigarette.
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