InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fragments ❯ The End of the Beginning ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Title: The End of the Beginning
Author: LuxKen27
Universe: Alternate
Genre: Drama
Rating: T
Word Length: 785
Summary: “Sometimes, if you listen really hard, you can almost hear it: the moment your life changes, forever.” – Jude Harrison

Disclaimer: The Inuyasha concept, story, and characters are copyright Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media.

~*~

“Hey, where’s Miss Rum-and-Coke?” chirped a voice from the vicinity of Miroku’s left ear. He turned to see one of his waitresses giving him a curious look as she balanced a fully loaded tray over her shoulder. “It’s not like her to be this late.”

Miroku shrugged. “I don’t know,” he replied, raising his voice to be heard over the blaring music. “Maybe the weather’s keeping her away.”

The waitress gave him a skeptical look. “That hasn’t stopped anyone else,” she replied in a low voice, indicating the packed room in front of them, before brushing past him to move back out onto the floor.

He frowned, turning his attention to the still incoming orders for drinks, hoping the overhead lights were dim enough to camouflage the flush of heat rising up the back of his neck. It was weird to think of Sango as one of the regulars, but if even the waitresses were noticing her absence, in a crowd this large…?

In spite of the raging thunderstorm outside, the place was bustling – nothing unusual for a Friday night. Since opening the doors that afternoon, he’d been elbow-deep in orders, barely having the time to notice that Sango hadn’t yet materialized. She was a creature of habit, generally showing up between eight and eight-thirty, but here it was – almost ten – and there was no sign of her.

It concerned him, but he tried to shrug it off.

Maybe she had something better to do. After all, it was a Friday night…

…she had a fiancé…

…maybe the douchebag had finally found the right words to make up with her…

“Hey, yo, go easy on that glass!” joked the amused voice of one of his patrons, slicing through his reverie. “What did it ever do to you?”

Miroku smiled, releasing the high ball he had unconsciously clenched with a death grip. For a moment, he wondered what bothered him more: that Sango wasn’t there, or that she might have finally taken back that scumbag.

Really, it wasn’t his place to judge; she was free to do whatever she wanted. But he hadn’t spent the last month talking to her, every night, for nothing – the more he learned, the more fascinated he was. She was as intriguing as she was beautiful, and the fragments of her life that she’d shared with him only made him feel more attracted to her. He’d inquired about everything – from her brother, to her education, to her hobbies – and she answered thoughtfully, truthfully, in such a way that he felt like he would never tire of learning about her. Somewhere along the line that had translated into a sense of protectiveness, and the more he heard about this bastard of a fiancé, the more that man unknowingly irritated him.

How could anyone think about changing her, when she was pretty damn amazing already?

“Maybe she’s waiting for her friend,” he speculated aloud, refilling another tray – one that belonged to the same waitress as before – as it landed in front of him.

She studied him, a glittering gleam in her eyes. “Oh, you mean Miss Sex on the Beach?” she asked innocently, capturing his attention and rewarding him with a winning smile. “She’s over there, making nice with your DJ.”

A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, startling patrons closest to the window. Miroku scowled as he caught sight of Akiko across the room, chattering excitedly with the house DJ. The bubbly flirt had steadily worked her way through most of his male staff these last few days, especially once Sango felt comfortable enough around him to leave her to her own devices.

A clap of thunder rattled the building, and Miroku’s heart began to pick up speed. The curiosity was eating away at him; he had to know where Sango was, even if it was painful to hear. Just as he rounded the bar to confront her friend, another streak of lightning crisscrossed the sky, blanching the night white for a mere moment.

Miroku stopped in his tracks, arrested by the sight of a lone figure outside.

A figure he recognized.

Sango.

His world went silent, time slowing to a standstill as she opened the door, absolutely drenched from head to foot. She pushed through the crowd as if moving through mud, her expression deceptively calm, her eyes cold, unblinking.

His feet were rooted to the floor, his heart in his throat as he watched her.

“Sango,” he choked out as she came agonizingly close, “what’s wrong?”

She looked up at him, the mask shattering all at once, and threw shivering arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

“It’s my brother,” she whispered between sobs. “He’s dead.”