InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Treading Water ❯ 2- Enter Sango ( Chapter 2 )

I sat straight up in bed, silent tears streaming down my face. I didn't recognize where I was. As I looked around I saw a window and realized I was at least one or two stories up in some apartment complex. Then it all came back to me.

 

It wasn't just a dream, I had lived that nightmare.

 

That day that had changed my life was weeks ago now. The following Monday at school he tried to catch me to talk. Our larger group of friends totaled maybe a dozen. The cliques in our school all generally got along, there were no gangs, no nasty rivalries. So when something happened word spread fast because everybody talked.

 

When Monday rolled around I saw practically everyone I called a casual friend or acquaintance for a year and a half all congregating where my friends and I would usually hang out in the morning.

 

When he called to me I ignored him. Finally he raced up behind me and swung me around to try to talk to me. I was so mad. My mind was spinning with venomous thoughts. How can he have so little respect for me? How could he do that to the one friend that has always tried to do the best for him. There was no booze, no drugs(not like we would have done them anyway) so what's his excuse?! When his arm caught me to swing me around to face him I brought my hand up and slapped him across the face as hard as I could.

 

I saw the shocked look on his face and felt myself tear up as I turned away from him and headed into the school to go into class early. I heard the whispers as I went. I knew in less than ten minutes everyone would know. I didn't care, it was like my emotions had been shut off, I was numb. I went through the entire day that way.

 

That week I had made friends with five girls; Ayumi, Yura, Koharu, Kikyou and Sango. I had known them casually since high school began, but when I found myself floating they were the ones who caught me.

 

Yura and Ayumi remind me of a super hero duo. Yura is strong, forceful, determined and a natural leader. She has chin length straight, thick hair which she keeps in an A-cut. Her nails always seemed to match her hair. One week it was black, the next lavender, this week royal blue. Yura is also a demon, although I'm not sure what kind. Ayumi is a tad ditzy but joyful and very sweet with wavy brown hair and eyes. They are best friends and they don't go anywhere without each other. Darkwing Duck and Launchpad McQuack. Seeing how well my last attempt to fit in with a twosome went I found myself hesitant to try too much to connect to those two.

 

Koharu, Kikyou and Sango were another matter though.

 

Sango is tall, probably average height for a guy, standing at 5'9”. The day I met her she had gotten her dark brown hair cut in a page-boy-bob type cut that left her hair to barely reach her earlobes. It looked horrid. She looked like a reject of the `50's and she knew it was bad. It was a relief to find a girl who could laugh at her mistakes. She wore minimal make-up and dressed casually, army green khakis and a somewhat fitted long sleeve blue top with the outline of a white star on the chest. She wore combat boots. Untied combat boots. She was an accident waiting to happen. I loved her immediately.

 

Kikyou. It's odd. We look a bit alike. Her eyes are brown whereas mine are a blue-ish gray. Her hair is crimpy whereas mine waves gently. She's paler and shorter than I am, I am 5'5” and she declared proudly she is 4'11”. There are so many differences it's hard to imagine we look anything alike. But it's true, stand us next to each other and anyone would guess we were cousins. The day I met her she was wearing a preppy v-neck sweater and low-rise tight jeans with platform sneakers to hide her tiny stature. She reminded me of a Chihuahua the way she stood when I introduced myself, like she was ready to yip at me if I stepped on her territory. It made me wary, but still there was nothing to make me hesitate to offer my hand and be friendly.

 

Koharu brought the image of a cute brown mouse to mind. She is lucky if she is 5'. She has shoulder length brown hair, warm brown eyes and a very striking nose. She is the epitome of petite, lucky if she weighed 85 pounds dripping wet. She isn't emaciated though, and she eats like a vacuum. She's just one of those damnable people who can't get pudgy. Her face looked so familiar to me that I thought hard for a moment until it came to me. Back during freshmen year my car sprung a leak and I had been forced to take the school bus for two days. Koharu was on that same bus. I quickly learned that she lived less than a mile from my house and offered to drive her to school from that point forward. Without missing a beat she offered to buy my gas every other week. Oh yeah, I liked her.

 

I struggled to control my breathing as my dream and memories faded back into the inky blackness around me. I remember where I am. It was Koharu's birthday. Sango and I were sleeping over at Koharu's.

 

It had been a hellish day for me. Koharu was somewhat quiet and reserved but many in school regarded her as a friend and so I had spent the day with people I had no intention of being around. Eri and Yuka had their noses turned up at me all day, Miroku had been giving me pitiful looks, like he was begging me to let him explain. I had just set my jaw and turned away.

 

Not because I hated him. In truth I knew I couldn't hate Miroku. I understand humans aren't perfect and that everyone makes mistakes. That was why I didn't want to talk to him. I knew I would forgive him too easily, and I was not ready to be hurt again.

 

Yura and Ayumi had shown up at the party with new boyfriends. I would swear they found new boy toys every week, and they loved it. I wasn't sure whether to be envious or unsettled at their blatant sexuality.

 

This morning was also the first time I met Koharu's boyfriend, Akitoki. They had been together since partway through freshmen year and still very infatuated with each other. They fit together well. They are both quiet, nice and oddly enough they both study martial arts. For Koharu it was a way to build muscle and stay in shape, for Akitoki is was a way to gain confidence and build muscle so his girl couldn't kick his ass.

 

I don't think Kikyou had felt comfortable today. Koharu had plugged in game consoles and people were playing games, eating and dancing by the awesome stereo system all day. But Kikyou was off by herself every time I looked for her. Knowing how it felt to be the outsider I tried to hang out with her, but she always got away from me to mingle with another group for a while before drifting back to the corner again.

 

Sango was the best part of my day. She and I had gone shopping the day before and wore matching outfits to the party. She had a soft black leather miniskirt that I drooled over, so we went to the store hers came from and I bought one. She practically stole my knee high black leather boots from off my feet, so I took her to the shoe warehouse and we got her a pair. We chose complimentary button down shirts to complete the look. It was somewhere between sexy and business executive. We had been attached at the hip practically since we met and I couldn't remember life before her. I had known her a couple of weeks and just now my life made sense. I understood why women need a good female friend.

 

I glance at the glowing green digital clock on the nightstand. Half past three Sunday morning. I fight the urge to groan. Koharu, Sango and I are the only ones left in the apartment and I have no idea where anything is.

 

I quickly get up and wait for my eyes to adjust to the light. I can see very well in the dark, well for a human anyway. I shuffle to the bathroom and decide against turning on the light, I don't want to have my eyes mutiny on me right now.

 

As I head back towards my sleeping bag I hear a rustle and I freeze, this is not my home, and I don't like unidentified noises.

 

“Kags?” I hear Sango whisper into the darkness.

 

“Hai, Sango. It's me. Did I wake you?” I hear a rustle and figure she's shaking her head at me.

 

“I was awake. You had a nightmare?” I sigh quietly. I couldn't miss the inquiring tone in her voice, she is curious. I walk slowly over to her and sit beside her, shoulder to shoulder and tell her everything.

 

I had not told a single soul what happened between Miroku and I. I am, by nature, a private person. I love helping people and listening to people, I even like talking about my interests if I know the other person shares my interest at least a little. I don't like talking about things my listener doesn't care about and I loathe baring my soul and emotions to others. I don't know why I opened my heart to Sango, but I do know I couldn't stop myself.

 

Almost two hours later I stopped talking. I expected her to hug me, cry for me, something `girly.' I was surprised when I heard her growl in anger.

 

“You slapped him once?! Just once?!” I could hear the outrage in her voice even though she spoke low. “I would have taken his head clean off!” I couldn't help but chuckle at the image this conjured.

 

“Don't think I'm excusing him by any means,” I began, “but I almost understand. I mean his girlfriend of two years drops him but is still touchy-feely as long as it's not just them. I suppose in the male mind it was practically an orgy.” Both of us chuckle quietly. “It must have been frustrating. And I hadn't outright rejected him before. If I thought he was taking too many liberties I steered us away from places I didn't want to go. He was probably getting so many mixed signals from me I finally shorted out his brain.” I saw her outline move and knew she was looking at me. “I never said what he did wasn't wrong. I'm just saying that I know, in my heart, he wouldn't do anything like that under normal circumstances. It was like a fluke accident that happened when he cracked under pressure I helped put there.”

 

“You have got to be the most understanding and compassionate person I have ever met. So, if you believe all that, why haven't you let him apologize.?” I'm glad the darkness will hide the blush I feel from her compliment.

 

“Because understanding and forgiveness are not the same thing. I may understand, and I know I will forgive him once I let him speak. That is unless he wants to stick his foot in his mouth by blaming me or some shit. But my heart still hurts, and I'm afraid to let him back in right now.” I felt her nod.

 

“That part I understand. Just don't wait too long. Fear should not rule you.”

 

I hadn't thought of that. The thought of fear driving my decisions had a flame of anger burning in my gut.

 

A new thought sparked within my mind. I was hesitant to be so honest with a new friend but I decided to bury my fear and live with the consequences.

 

“Have you ever felt such an instant connection with someone you would swear you couldn't live without that person? That your feelings for that person couldn't get any more pure even if you tried? That a romantic or physical relationship with that person would be superfluous? That even if you ever bothered taking the such a relationship to a romantic or physical level it would only be a step to the side and not actually deepen the bond between you any further? Am I making any sense?” Sango stayed quiet, and for a moment I thought I had scared her.

 

“Is that what you lost when Miroku fucked up?”

 

“No. I was just thinking about relationships earlier and realized I have one so I was just wondering how strange I am.” I shrugged.

 

“Yes, I love someone that way. That's how I feel about the girl who is my best friend, I started thinking of her as my sister the day we met. I know I'm not lesbian, but I can't imagine loving any man as much as I love my `sister.'” It was a relief to know I wasn't crazy for having such deep emotions without feeling some sort of romantic desire attached to it. At the same time my heart ached. I was talking about Sango and I have no idea who she's talking about. Time to go fishing.

 

“Kikyou?”

 

“What?” I can almost feel the confusion radiating off of her.

 

“I was just wondering who she is…”

 

Sango nudged my shoulder. “I was referring to you, dork.” Again I find myself glad she can't see my blush. The anxious feeling I had when I thought she was talking about someone else melted into a content, warm feeling that raced along my veins, making me want to snuggle up with my `sister' and sleep the kind of satiated sleep that comes from knowing you're never alone no matter how many worlds away.

 

Then a new thought hit me. It was common knowledge that Kikyou and Sango were best friends.

 

“As thrilled as I am to finally know that my caring for you won't creep you out, um, I thought Kikyou was your best friend.” I said, letting my puzzlement seep into my voice. Again I feel Sango shake her head.

 

“Kikyou and I wanted to be best friends. Koharu has Akitoki and Yura has Ayumi. We felt left out. But besides having similar marks in school we don't have a lot in common. We are great friends in school, when we get lost we can always talk about school or teachers or assignments. But when we try to get together out of school we just fall apart. Last year we tried almost every weekend for the first semester. We just couldn't get it to work. And then you showed up. At first I felt guilty about how easily we got caught up with each other. But you try to keep her a part of things, and I know Koharu has been spending time with her. I hope Koharu and Kikyou can find something like what we have. I don't want anyone feel like an outsider, but I won't give up what we have.” She laced her finger with mine and squeezed my hand lightly. The warm content feeling washed over me again, making me wonder if I missed out on anything growing up without a sister.

 

We talked until sunrise. I told her about my parents, how my dad died, my brother Souta, my heritage, the friends I've had. I even told her I was a miko, she didn't blink twice! She told me about her life, how her mother died, how her brother had almost died from pneumonia a few years back. Anything we could think to tell each other.

 

As it turns out we have the same taste in books, anime, music(mostly), art, movies and tv…And anything that we didn't have identical opinions on we could at least agree on.

 

While we enjoy many of the same things I noticed our differences with interest. One of the biggest differences is that I am the more daring of the two. Being a few inches taller than me apparently makes her feel boyish, and so she owns moderately flattering clothing, but nothing I would call sexy. I, on the other hand, have never really cared what anyone else thought. I love shoes and have at least three pair of knee high boots. I love the way corset tops look and I have four or five of those. Granted I am usually much too shy to wear them out of the house, but I like them so I own them, just in case I ever find a place to wear them.

 

And then she says something that makes everything so clear! Her father is a priest. I chuckle to myself, neither of my parents was that religious, and I think that one detail might explain more than a few of the differences between us.

 

As the sun came up our conversation shifted to boys. What we want from them, what we look for, what's attractive. We fell asleep sitting up, backs against the wall, heads leaning on each other, goofy smiles pasted on our faces as we dreamt of the yummy guys we drifted off picturing.

 

Koharu woke us up when she started laughing at us some hours later.

 

The three of us spent the day lounging around and talking, bonding. It was amazing how easily I felt at home with them compared to Yuka and Eri. Suddenly I found myself mourning the year and a half I wasted fighting to feel like I belonged.

 

When Akitoki arrived to take Koharu out Sango and I hopped in my car and took off for the local mall. She shopped for me and I shopped for her. I wanted to make her get some real jaw-dropping items but she pulled out her damn trump card on me.

 

“I can't get that, Kags. If my father ever finds it I'm dead.” Damn and double damn. She paled when my eyes narrowed and a sly look overtook my face.

 

“So you'll just have to keep this at my place.” I winked at her. I was determined to make sure she bought something lacy before she went home, if for no other reason than to make her blush whenever I reminded her of it at school. Because I fully intended to remind her about whatever she bought as soon as we found ourselves in a nice crowd of people. Watching Sango blush instantly became one of my favorite sports, although she could get me just as good. I shrugged mentally, it was worth it.

 

And that's how things were. In school it was the seven of us, Eri, Ayumi, Koharu, Akitoki, Kikyou, Sango and I. After school, weekends, and holidays Yuri and Ayumi did their thing, Koharu and Akitoki did the `couple' thing, and Sango and I were together. Sango was right, no matter how many times I tried to include Kikyou she almost seemed determined to pull away from us. I felt bad about it, but what could I do?

 

Every weekend Sango and I would go to the mall, either the one near her house or the one by mine. We would spend hours in the bookstore. Usually reading, but some days we did almost as much people watching as reading. And guy watching, definitely guy watching. We were both single and both wanted guys with brains so to us a bookstore was a good place to be. Around supper time we would head to whichever home was closer, it got to the point where neither of our parents blinked to see us.

 

I never realized how much we really were together until one morning when I walked out of her bathroom in a towel after taking a shower and her father passed me on his way in and grumbled a greeting at me. My eyebrows hit the roof, I had never seen her father when he was not perfectly composed and acting stern and imposing. Yet a rather disheveled Mr. Taijiya just stumbled past me in a fluffy bathrobe and bumblebee slippers…

 

I walked back into Sango's room muttering.

 

“Not in Kansas anymore, Toto…”

 

Sango and I had a good laugh about it once we were on the road. I was too nervous to laugh about it in the house. And then it hit me, blind-sided me would be more accurate. Something in me had gotten spooked when I lost my friendship with Miroku, I hadn't expected to get close to Sango the way I had. I had been expecting to keep her at at least some distance so it would be harder to be hurt again. But I hadn't. There was no longer any pain when I thought about what happened. I had forgiven him. It almost made me mad, my brain thought he wasn't worthy of forgiveness, but my heart had already made up its mind.

 

Sango noticed my dazed expression as I pulled up to the stoplight to wait my turn.

 

“What's up?”

 

I told her. Never crossed my mind not to.

 

I wish I had been paying more attention to her face that evening as I dropped her off at her parents house. If I had I might have seen it coming.

 

|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|

 

Hai - yes

Nani - what?

 

A/N: Don't own Wizard of Oz or Disney either. I was planning on waiting a day or two before posting this chapter but my mother went into the hospital for breast cancer surgery this past week so I'd rather get it out now than forget and disappoint people who were looking forward to seeing a new chapter in case my brain takes a holiday. And I want to thank elvin and Princess-in-Training for taking an interest in the story. Yeah sorry about Ch1 being confusing, I hadn't realized the explanation for the unknown apartment building was in this chapter.

 

Repost A/N: I'm doing a quick read through to try to catch errors but I know a few will still slip by me guys, sorry.

 

 

 

8