Hard to Live, Hard to Comfort, Hard to Love

Chapter 2: Night & Morning at Miroku's

Previously:

He now had a confused look on his face as he recognized the voice. "Sango?"

"Uh...yeah. It's me. Look, I know that we don't know each other that well and all. But..." She sniffed as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "..do you mind swinging back here and picking me up?"

He was taken back by that. She wanted him to pick her up? Why?

"...Please?" Her voice pleading from the other line.

"Of course." He said as he restarted his car and did a U-turn and drove to Sango's house.

"Thank you." She whispered before hanging up.

Now:

He was now parked outside her house. He got out and started walking to the front door. She was a 7 month pregnant woman and she would need help walking down the steps and to his car. He walked inside seeing that the door was unlocked.

"Sango?" He called.

"Kitchen!" She called back.

He walked into the kitchen to see her chugging down a carton of orange juice and three boxes of crackers in the table. She was practically crying when she called and now she's stuffing her face in food. She must be really depressed if she was eating that much...even for a pregnant woman.

"Um..are you...?" She nodded.

"Uh...yeah. Um.." She looked at all the crackers on the table. "...can I bring these too?" She asked him hopefully.

He chuckled. "Of course."

He put the boxes of crackers in a bag and took the carton of juice and walked with Sango to the door, slowing his pace so he won't be walking too fast for her and helping her down the stairs and to his car.

It wasn't until he began driving did he actually ask what was going.

"So..." He said tapping his fingers on the wheel as they came to a red light. "Are you gonna tell me what happened?"

She stopped chewing and after a few seconds she swallowed what was in her mouth. She looked down. Her hair hiding her face.

Thank goodness he hasn't noticed the bruise on my cheek. She thought.

He noticed how gloomy she had gotten. "You-"

"Miroku?"

"Yes?"

"Can I...stay with you for a while?"

He blinked in shock. She's asking to stay with him? Wow, God must love him today. The woman he's been crushing on is in his car and asking him if she could stay with him..but sadly she was not carrying his baby.

"S-Sure." He managed to say.

She smiled a little and looked up at him. "Thank you."

And that was her biggest mistake of all. Her hair didn't cover the bruise on her cheek but before Miroku could react the light turned green. He drove and then drove into an empty parking lot. Sango looked around confused then looked at him. "Wha..?"

Her eyes widened when she felt his hand on his cheek. His thumb lightly brushing her bruise.

"What happened?"

Crap... She thought as she closed her eyes.

"Sango..." He warned. "Tell me what happened."

She bit her lip before she opened her eyes and met his intense gaze. She closed her eyes. "Arashi..." She gulped fighting back tears. "...hit me..." She whispered.

Mrioku clenched his teeth together in anger. "Why?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"B..Because I was crying..." She said her voice cracking. "He..he said that I cry to much and that why can't ever shut the..." She sniffled. "..shut the fuck up and I couldn't stopped crying and he...he punched me."

"Can you tell me why you were crying?"

"He..he called me f..fat a..and a..all of tho..those t..times he s..said that I did..didn't h..he li..lied. Th..that's wha..what h..he t..told m..me." She said as she started to cry.

His anger quickly subsided as he heard her cries. He put his index finger and thumb on her chin and raised her chin up to look at him.

"Don't cry, Sango. Please don't cry. Arashi's a jerk... don't cry over someone like him."

She nodded.

"M..Miroku?"

"Yes?"

"W...Why were you yelling at him?"

His anger came back as he thought about what his best friend did at the bar. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He can't let his anger get the best of him. That was not how he was raised. That's why back at the hall he punched the wall. But he wanted to punch him sooo bad.

"He kissed another woman at the bar and he almost did her..but I stopped him. I dragged him out of there and yelled at him in the car but he was too busy laughing and when we got to his place I kinda...lost it a little."

She started crying again. "Please tell me that isn't true."

His eyes softened. "I can't because I would be lying."

She cried again.

This is not good, he thought, she's in way to much stress considering she's pregnant..it's not healthy for her...or the baby.

"Sango, you shouldn't put to much stress on yourself...it's not healthy...for you or your baby."

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. "Y..You actually care?"

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" He asked his brows narrowing in confusion.

"Because Arashi said that he doesn't care..and he never did."

He started up his car again and started driving. "Look Sango, all I can say is. Get over him. He's a jerk. I really don't know why I'm still friends with him," Yes, I do. I was still friends with him because I would get to see you, "So get over him. You deserve better Sango."

She smiled to herself as she took a bite of a cracker. "Thanks, Miroku."

Miroku walked into his small apartment helping Sango in and turned on the lights closing the door.

"It's not much but I hope it's comfortable enough for you."

She nodded understanding as she looked around the room. The walls were painted blue and next to the door was a table stand. I'm guessing that's where he puts his keys, she thought. She saw that there was only two doors.

She could guess that one was the bathroom and the other was his bedroom.

"Miroku?"

"Yes?"

"If this is only a one bedroom apartment...where am I gonna sleep?"

"In my bedroom, of course." He said like it was obvious.

She looked at him. "But where are you gonna sleep?"

He pointed to the couch and she immediately shook her head. "You shouldn't be sleeping in the couch!"

"I certainly can't let a pregnant woman sleep on the couch now, can I?"

She sighed. Everything's always because she's pregnant. God, no one knows how much she hates that. "Fine..."

"Here. Let's get you to bed."

She nodded and Miroku took her hand so he can help her but she yanked it away.

"I'm not that hopeless you know." She snapped.

He put his hands up in surrender. "Sorry."

She sighed and shook her head as she started for the door.

"Sango." He said as she put her hand on the doorknob.

"What is it?"

"That's the bathroom."

"Oh.." She took her hand off the doorknob and went to the door next to it and walked in and closed the door.

He chuckled and shook his head. He walked to a closet that was right next to his bedroom and took out pillows and a blanket. He closed the closet door and put the pillows on the arm of the couch and laid down putting the blanket over him.

Sango woke up to the sound of humming and metal hitting something. She groaned. Then, a smell hit her nose. Pancakes. She shoved the blanket out of her way and put one hand on her belly as she sat up. She held onto the nightstand as she got up.

She walked over to the door and opened it stepping into the living room. She walked to where the smell was and found Miroku humming a song with his back turned to her as he made the pancakes.

He picked up a plate and put the [ancakes in it and turned around to find Sango staring at him. He smiled at her. "Good morning, Sango."

"G'morning."

"Did you have a good night's rest?"

She nodded. "Yeah. How about you?"

"Considering that my couch is clearly uncomfortable, I slept really well last night." He said as he opened the fridge and took out the syrup.

"I made pancakes." He said as he put syrup on both plates and put one in front of a chair signaling to Sango that that's hers. He pulled the chair out for her and she sat down with a bit of trouble. He took out two forks and gave one to Sango as he sat down in front of his breakfast.

"I'm not the best cook so if it's not that good just-"

He stopped talking when he saw that Sango was already done cutting her pancakes and now she was wolfing it down.

"It's good." She said with her mouthfull.

"It's great. This is the best pancakes I've had in my entire life!"

He chuckled. He wasn't sure if that was pregnant Sango speaking or Sango..or both.

"I'm glad. For a minute, I thought you'll hate it." He said as he started to cut his pancakees.

He looked up when he heard coughing.

He got up and patted her back and the coughing died. She gave a him a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"You shouldn't eat your food that fast, Sango."

"I know. But I can't help myself. I'm really hungry."

He chuckled. "Yes, I know."

"Do you have juice?"

"Yes." He went over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice.

"Without pulp, right?" He nodded.

"Thank god. I hate pulp. Arashi always had it at home."

"So, when I came to pick you up you were chugging down a carton of orange juice...with pulp."

She nodded. "That's why I had the cookies with me..to die out the pulp." She said as she saw Miroku pour her some orange juice in a cup and handed it to her and he started eating himself.

She was watching him since she already finished her breakfast as she slowly drank her orange juice. Then something came to her mind.

"Miroku?"

He looked up and nodded at her signaling to her that he's listening since his mouth was full.

"Why did you agree on letting me stay with you?"

He froze and gulped.

"I don't want you to get hurt. When Arashi finds out that I'm staying at your place then he's gonna-"

"Sango, I agreed because..." Goodness, I can't tell her the real reason, he thought. "...Because even though we do not know each other or talk a lot for that matter. To me, you are a friend. And I help my friends." He said with a smile then he chuckled.

"Just ask Inuyasha, I let him stay here once. Although it was very hard. He kept on threatning me as I dragged him in here. He said 'If you drag me in there, I'm gonna rip your fucking balls out and you won't be able to have kids'." He said chuckling.

Sango blinked. "You know Inuyasha?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, we go waaay back. He's my closest friend of all time."

"But I thought Arashi was." She said confused. He shook his head in negative.

"No. Me and Arashi aren't exactly close. I'm just his only friend so he considers it close." He shook his head and got up grabbing his and Sango's empty plates and putting them in the sink and began to wash them. "But after all he's done I can't forgive him so I am not his friend no more."

"I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"It's because of me that you and Arashi aren't friends no more." She said looking down.

He finished washing the dishes and turned to face Sango.

"No it's not. I am not his friend no more because for all of the stupid things that he has done in the past and present. That is the real reason."

Then there was a loud knock on the door.

"Hey Roku! Open the door! I know you there! You have no life come on! Open the damn door!"

Sango looked at Miroku confused. "Is that..?"

He nodded and chuckled. "I'll be right back."

He made his way to the door and opened it.

Inuyasha smirked. "I knew you were here."

"Where else would I be?" He asked smirking.

"What took you so damn long? I was standing outside of that damn door for 20 minutes!"

"Don't overexaggerate Yasha!" Kagome said as she hit her husband's arm. "We were only out here for 5 minutes. Gosh, always one to exaggerate."

"Well? Are you gonna let us in or what?" Inuyasha asked a bit irritated.

That made Miroku laugh again and he opened the door wider and they walked in.

Sango sighed. It's now or never, she thought. She walked out of the kitchen and met six pairs of eyes.

"Sango?" Kagome asked shocked. "W-What are you doing here?"

She laughed nervously. "Well...I'm kinda not..wanted at my house and..well...I didn't know who else to call since all of you guys weren't home so I..um..called Miroku and I asked him if I could stay here for a while and he said yes."

"Sit down Sango. You can't stand on your feet for two long." Kagome said as she helped her best friend sit down then went back to her spot on Inuyasha's lap.

"Will ya tell us why you're not wanted?" Inuyasha asked and immediately he smelt anger. He turned to Miroku and saw that he was about ready to punch someone.

Sango looked down at her big belly as she started to tell her best friends what happened last night. The words Arashi told her. The punch he threw at her. Her getting up on her own with no help. "...and that's when I called Miroku and he picked me up and well you know the rest."

Inuyasha clenched his fist. "Is that son of a bitch still at home?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled.

Sango nodded still looking down at her belly.

Inuyasha took Kagome off his lap and went for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Where else do you think? If Miroku couldn't kick his fucking ass yesterday then I'm doing it for him!" He yelled as he opened the door and slammed it close causing everyone but Miroku to jump. He was used to Inuyasha slamming the doors when he was angry.

They heard the door slam open and they turned to see that it was Inuyasha.

"I don't know where the dude fucking lives! Miroku come on!" He yelled as he dragged the boy by the collar.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"This is payback for before!"

Both girls heard until they were both inside the elevator and on their way down.