InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Miroku's Lyric ❯ Session Tweleve ( Chapter 12 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Memoir of Sango,

I never believed that there was a rainbow somewhere, and at the end there was a pot of gold that could bring me happiness. I'm much too smart for fairy tales like that. I never believed that one day Prince Charming would ride up on his white horse and save me from peril, than all would be well. Because the stories ended, like all stories do, and as you grow older, reality steps into focus…But at the same time, you hope that he does. Something about those fairytales are so enticing, so much that you dream of it. And then you wake up, and the hollowness comes back.

"Find me a man,

with sensitive eyes,

One who understands,

Love is stronger than pride.

So I gotta

find me a man.

A sensitive mind.

Not just any man,

one of a kind."

-Find Me a Man -Toni Braxton

Session Twelve: A Study of Fate

"Is something wrong, Sango?"

"Hn? No, nothing's wrong."

Her eyes darted back to her plate, trying to avoid any eye contact with man across from her. She figeted, feeling his eyes on her. Kuranosuke watched her with uncertainty, almost as if he were stalling. It was something he had done ever since they were young. He would always stall when there was something important, it was one of the things that still made her see him as a child most of the time, despite his high rank in society.

"It's awfully crowded in here," he said, "let's go outside."

Sango nodded, following him out the door. They both remained quiet, only the sounds of the traffic reaching their ears. She closed her eyes slightly, losing herself in thought as he led her through the crowded sidewalk.

He stopped, Sango nearly bumping into him. She looked up at her boyfriend, slowly becoming more worried by the second as he remained silent. "Kuranosuke?"

Kuranosuke turned towards her, lightly kissing her forehead. He caressed her hands, his own shaking. "I love you, Sango," he whispered.

She winced, remaining silent. His words were cold and unfeeling, almost mechanical to her, as if he had read it out of a book. She could tell he was waiting for her to respond, but she couldn't bring her mouth to move as she stared blankly at the sidewalk.

Kuranosuke sighed, letting go of her hands as he kneeled down before her. She gasped, taking a step back, her eyes afraid to tear away from his as he spoke.

"Sango, will you marry me?"

------------------------

"Are you absolutely sure this is the right one?"

"Yeah, it says it right here on the instructions," Kohaku replied, his finger pointing towards a phrase on the paper.

Miroku lifted up from under the sink, giving the younger a hesitant look. "Kohaku, that's in English."

"Well, I couldn't find the Japanese instructions. And I'm taking English as a second language in one of my classes."

The older male pushed himself back under the sink, turning the specific knob. There was a momentary pause before Miroku spoke. "Kohaku... you're not fluent in English are you?"

Kohaku held in a snicker as Miroku reappeared. "Did I mention I've only been taking the class for about three weeks?"

"No," the older replied, pushing away his now soaked bangs from his face. Kohaku was about to respond, interrupted by Sango entering through the back door

Sango closed the door behind her, leaning against it as she let around a breath. 'Dear God...'

She looked down at the two males, blinking twice at Miroku. "What happened to you?"

"We tried to fix the sink," Miroku replied, once again pushing his hair away from his face. She blatantly rolled her eyes, reaching her hand under the sink. A few moments later, the sink was fixed.

___________________

"You know I told you to rest while you were here..."

Sango fastened the bandage around his head. "This wound should be completely healed by next week."

Miroku smiled up at her. "What can I say? I am restless."

She sat down next to him, an uncomfortable silence passing between them as they sat together. Sango watched him, studying his features, noting his ever content face. It was an expression she had never seen on a person before, and she wondered what trials one had to go through to truly be content like he was. But there was something behind it, something behind his seemingly neverending content, something close to... solitude?

"Miroku, can I ask you a question?"

He his head jerked upwards, as if he had been locked in his deep thoughts. He acknowledge her with curiousity.

She turned towards the window. "Do... do you think that two people are fated to be together?"

He studied her. "That depends. Love isn't inevitable, like most people think. And it isn't love at first sight and happily ever after. Love is... being with and willing to be with a person from their best of times to their worst of times, to know who they are and except them for who they are. Love is something you create with a person, it doesn't just hit you."

Her eyes widened. 'It's the same thing... my mother said...'

"Mama?"

"Hmm? What is it Sango?"

"I want to ask you something... when you and Papa got married, how did you know you loved him?"

The older woman paused, tracing her fingers across her protruding belly. "It isn't really something you can explain with words, Sango."

"Why not?"

"Because it is not something you are meant to explain with words. It is something you form with another person, something that makes you... it's almost as if... that person is giving you a reason to get up in the morning and live..."

"... Sango?"

"He wants me to marry him," Sango whispered, "I don't why it suprises me so much, he's been saying so since we were kids. I guess I still see him as that snobby little ten-year-old..."

She got up, walking over to the bookshelf. It had remained untouched, almost frozen in time, until one looked within it again. She pulled out one of the books. The Odyssey.

"This is one of the greatest epics ever told, representing good and evil, man and god, love and hate, strength and weakness, values," she dropped the book on the floor between them, "Now what if this book had just said 'a man wins a war, gets punished by those he angered, fights his curse anyway, and eventually returns to his family after almost twenty years, defeating those who stood in his way'? It's so basic, no feelings, no suspense, no foreshadowing, no figurative language. It's just mechanical, basic, as if the story was merely told for the sake of speaking. As if the hero's fate was decided for him before the story was even started. That's Kuranosuke. His fate is to live rich, marry, have children, and live the rest of his days thriving in the money he 'worked' for until he dies and his children gets what's left. But do I want that? Do I want to give him myself and walk the road with him that he has chosen to take?"

He stood up, his eyes avoiding hers as he walked past her.

"Become... happy."

She paused, contemplating his words before dissappearing upstairs. Holding her hand over her chest, she found herself slumped against the wall. Unknowingly, she was smiling.

Later, she would listen to her wise friend's words, walking over to her boyfriend's apartment. They would argue, contemplate, discuss, until they finally came a conclusion. He would be understanding, coming to terms with her decision. They would separate, and she would walk out the door, a latent emotion awakening inside her as she walked away.

This chapter was a bit rushed, trying to keep up a deadline of updating every 10-14 days, because I want to be professional and professionals have deadlines.

Preview of Next Chapter:

Interlude of Miroku- Snow

Posted 10/26/04