A/N: Hello! Hello! I wanna give this starting space as a thank you to all my reviewers!! BTW, special mention to:

Catseyebow - I just wanna say I am sooo sorry for the short chapters. Time is scarce nowadays…sorry. I'll try to improve and hopefully, I can make the chapters longer and better. I guess it is a bit rushed, coz I was really hoping to get it done by Christmas; I failed miserably, though. Don't worry, I'll take more time for the moments to sink in. Thanks for the comment!!

By the way, I am sooooooooooooooooooo sorry for the horribly long wait…I sincerely apologize for my slow updating. My internet was down for, like, ever. But, alas, excuses won't save me. I promise I'll try to update sooner next time.

Actually, I was thinking, maybe I should try a different writing style. What do you guys think? Hmm…I'll try something else here, and please tell me if I should stick with this or go back to my old style, okay? Alright, here we go!

Chapter 3

--With Sango--

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she laid her head down on the soft pillow of her futon. She closed hr eyes, hoping that it would make all of her problems go away. No such luck. In fact, it made things down right worse. For one thing, she realized that she'd have to work extra hours to make ends meet for her and Kohaku. Living with Kagome was one thing. Free-loading from her family was another thing entirely. No way would she mooch off her best friend; that much she was sure of.

She groaned loudly as she lifted her arm over her eyes. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked the air around her. With a final sigh, she attempted to drift off into sleep.

--With Miroku, Kagome, and Inuyasha--

The screen was flashing a bright luminescence in the dimly lit room. Currently, they were watching a sappy movie, courtesy of Kagome. Inuyasha and Miroku weren't exactly enjoying themselves, but Kagome seemed detached from this world.

She was completely engrossed in the movie. Inuyasha was practically falling asleep, though. As for Miroku, he couldn't care less about the movie, and he didn't bother trying to hide it. He twitched and squirmed restlessly in his seat. Kagome didn't seem to mind his movements, though. In fact, in the state she was in right now, it seemed like nothing could possibly get her attention.

Inuyasha, though, noticed Miroku's fidgeting and, being the easily irked one, got annoyed at him.

"Would 'ya stop it already? You're driving me crazy, here!" Inuyasha yelled.

"SHHH!" Kagome hissed through gritted teeth without even turning away from the television.

Inuyasha glowered for a second before dragging Miroku out of the room. They both squinted at the sudden brightness that surrounded them. It took a few seconds for their eyes to get used to the light.

"What was that all about?" Inuyasha asked irritably as he rubbed his eyes. When Miroku didn't answer, he spoke up again. "Look, if you're still worrying so much, why don't you go and check on her?" he asked, pointing towards the stairs."

Miroku's gaze flew to the stairs, and a smile instantly tugged at his lips. He nodded and wordlessly headed for the stairs. Inuyasha looked at his friend and shook his head disapprovingly. "He's got it bad…" Inuyasha muttered before returning to join Kagome.

Miroku ascended the stairs silently. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he instantly headed towards Kagome's room and slowly opened the door which squeaked softly. Stealthily, he made his way inside.

Sango, who had been unable to sleep, noticed the small shaft of light radiating from the door. She instantly knew someone had opened the door, and her body instinctively tensed up. One thing was sure, though: that wasn't Kagome. She should know; she'd been on enough sleepovers with Kagome to tell the difference between her friend's footsteps and that of someone else's.

She turned over slightly, hoping to catch a glimpse of the intruder without giving away that she was aware of his presence.

"Sango," he whispered.

Sango turned herself over to face him. "Miroku, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Relax," he said as he sat down on the floor beside her. He watched carefully as she seated herself upright. "I came here to check on you. Did I wake you?" he asked softly.

Sango shook her head. "No, I couldn't sleep," was all she said in reply.

Miroku looked her over once more and noticed that her eyes seemed puffy, somewhat swollen. He knew in an instant she'd been crying. He shuffled closer to her and asked her gently if she wanted to talk about it.

Sango sighed softly. "I'm alright, really," she lied. In truth, she felt horrible. She didn't know what to do or how to handle things. She thought about many things; how her future would turn out, how she would support Kohaku now that her father was gone…Gone… she didn't want to accept it. Her father was a great man and she just couldn't believe that he was no more.

Her thoughts flew back to the moment when she saw the white sheet draped over her father's limp and charred body. Until now, she could feel herself expecting him to come through the door and tell her that everything would be alright; that he was fine. Yes, in the back of her mind, she was somehow expecting him to show up. Every second, she grew anxious, then somewhat disappointed as bits of reality set in, then all expectant again, as if reality had been pushed aside once more.

She was confused, clueless of these foreign emotions clouding her mind.

Miroku noticed a troubled expression settling over her features. Gently, so as not to surprise her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, then, in a low voice, he whispered into her ear. "Sango, I'm here. Whatever you're going through, I'll always be by your side. So, when things are getting out of hand, just know that you've got me. I'll never leave you."

Sango whirled around and faced him with surprise. "W-what are you saying? I told you, I'm alright." Miroku smiled at her warmly, then his smile broadened as he began chuckling. "What's so funny?" Sango asked skeptically. He was weird. One moment, he's all 'I'm here for you' and now he's flat out laughing at her.

"Sorry," he said apologetically through his laughter. "It's just…do you remember that time when we were kids? You got into this huge fit and refused to talk to anyone. You wouldn't talk, wouldn't eat. Heck, you even didn't want to see me!" he said cheerfully.

Sango shot him a confused look as he continued saying, "You pushed me away in front of your family. I was really hurt, but I came back later that day. Do you remember that time?"

Sango nodded. "Yeah, I remember that time, but I completely forgot what it was all about, though."

Miroku smiled. "Everyone was really worried because you hadn't eaten a thing all day. You locked yourself in your room and wouldn't come out for anyone-not even me!"

"Yeah," Sango nodded at the memory.

"I was really saddened, at that time, when you refused to come out to meet me. Do you remember what happened after that? You threw your bag at me from your window when I was leaving. It hit me pretty hard."

"I had to keep you from getting away," she said smugly. "I mean, I couldn't call out to you because I didn't want them to hear me…" she said in a quieter tone, as if she didn't want anyone to hear it except Miroku.

"We ended up passing notes through a notebook, and then…"he trailed off.

"And then?" Sango wondered which part of the story was passing through his mind.

With a cheeky smile, he continued, "And then you told me you were hungry. I ran all the way to my house and got all the snacks I could carry and came back."

"You told me to tie one end of my skipping rope to my backpack, and lower it down to you, the same way with the notebook - smart!" she mused.

"And I filled your bag to max capacity before letting you pull it back up. You gave me the wrappers to get rid of the evidence after you ate. That was pretty smart of you, too," he commented with a softer, more toned down smile.

In the darkness of the room, Sango could feel her cheeks heat up. His words, even the simplest compliment, could make her heart flutter, and she wondered why that was…

Moments of silence passed by the two as they sat together in the dark room. It wasn't the type of comfortable silence, but it wasn't the awkward kind, either. It was somehow calming and unnerving at the same time. Sango was the first to break it.

"I…" she began rather shakily, "I haven't told anyone…about that time, I mean."

"Me neither. I've always thought of it as 'our little secret.' Of course, I had no idea that you'd do the same."

Another short silence passed.

"I don't tell everything to Kagome, you know," she whispered softly, barely audible even to Miroku.

Sango wasn't really sure why she was telling him this. No, wait. She did know. She was reassuring him that he could still trust her even though she was friends with Kagome.

He raised a questioning eyebrow at her, even though he knew she probably couldn't see it.

"And why not?" he asked.

"I…I kept those times to myself. I haven't told her anything about all the stuff we did together when we were kids."

"She never asked?"

Sango shook her head. "She asked lots of times. I just told her there was nothing special, or I don't remember."

"I tell Inuyasha that they're my secrets," Miroku murmured, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"So you've never told him anything?" she asked incredulously.

"Of course not! Those are special times to me!" he said defensively, so suddenly that Sango was taken aback for a moment.

She recovered quickly, covering the shock by looking away. "Me too…" she murmured to herself.

"What?" Miroku asked to confirm what he had heard.

"Ah," Sango gasped in surprise. She hadn't intended for Miroku to hear that. "N-Nothing…" she answered shakily.

Another silence passed them. Sango was about to say something when Miroku beat her to it.

"You know what?" he said as he began getting up to his feet. "It's getting late. You're probably tired, so I'll let you sleep, okay?"

Sango didn't answer as he moved towards the door. His hand grasped the cool doorknob, and, slowly, he turned it to open the door. Just before he closed the door behind him, he whispered, "Good night…"

Sango lay perfectly still in her futon. Her heart was beating fast, and she felt as though she wasn't breathing. What was this strange effect that Miroku's words had on her? She didn't know.

She tried to push the image of Miroku's face from her mind as she attempted to fall asleep. Slowly, the weariness of the days events began to sink in, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, the sun beat down onto Sango's face. She squinted her eyes and raised her arm up to shield her eyes from the un-welcomed light. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the general brightness of the room, she realized it wasn't her room at all. Instantly, yesterday's events seeped into her memory.

"Oh, that's right. I'm staying here now," she mumbled bitterly as she fought back a fresh wave of tears. Reluctantly, she pried herself off her futon and proceeded to fold it up before shoving it halfheartedly into a closet. Then, gathering whatever she needed, Sango made her way out the room and to the bathroom, maneuvering her steps while she was half-asleep.

With a sigh, she began her morning rituals and slipped into a fresh uniform, which she borrowed from Kagome. She finished fixing herself up before making the short trip down the stairs to join Kagome and her family for some breakfast.

When she arrived at the dinning room, all was as she had expected. The table was laden with food. There was grilled fish, rice, and others - a typical Japanese breakfast. Seated all around the table were Kagome and her family, Kohaku, Inuyasha, and Miroku.

Without a word, she sat down beside Kagome, who offered her a bowl of rice. She gratefully accepted it, and picked up her chopsticks. She had only eaten a little bit of it when Kohaku and Souta stood up from their positions.

"Are you leaving already?" Kagome asked her brother.

"Yep, Kohaku and I need to get to school early since we'll be on duty today," Souta said proudly.

With a quick pace, the two picked up their bowls, and headed for the kitchen. They sloppily dumped those in the sink and scurried to the door.

"We're leaving, bye," Souta called as he passed through the dinning room once more. Kohaku looked at his sister worriedly and offered a smile.

Sango tried her best to smile back. And from the look Kohaku gave in return, she could tell she had pulled it off convincingly.

She never looked away until she heard the front door close with a soft 'click.' The smile disappeared slowly as she turned back to her barely eaten breakfast.

Lazily, she put down her chopsticks and rose from her seat. "I'm going to school," she said softly.

She was preparing to bring the dishes to the sink when Kagome's mother intercepted. "I'll take care of that," she said kindly.

Sango tried to smile at her, but she wasn't so confident that it came out as well…She nodded her thanks and went up to Kagome's room to get her stuff, then, she was quickly out the door.

Miroku and Kagome exchanged worried glances as Sango left. It wasn't like her at all to leave without saying a word. As if reading each other's thoughts, they both stood up at the same time and headed for the kitchen sink. Inuyasha, who was still enjoying his breakfast, eyed them suspiciously. Kagome gave him a "let's go" look, but Inuyasha stubbornly looked away. Heaving a sigh, Kagome called, "Miroku and I will be going ahead." And with that, they were both out.

--With Sango--

What am I supposed to do? I can't stay with Kagome forever…Maybe if I can at least get them to look after Kohaku for a little while, I can find a job and a place for us to stay. Yeah, that'll work. I'll quit school for a while so I can get a decent job, and once we're settled in, I can go back to studying.

It was settled. After all, what else could go wrong? It wasn't like she a lot left to lose. As long as Kohaku would be alright, then she didn't mind stopping her studies for a bit. Besides, if her dad were here, he'd understand. It was an older sister's job to look after their younger siblings, after all.

Besides, what else could she do? She couldn't be a burden to her friends. It wouldn't be right. She had long since decided to be independent, and that's what she would do.

--With Miroku and Kagome--

"I hope she'll be okay." Kagome said as soon as they were out the door.

Miroku said nothing, but agreed inside. He just hoped Sango wouldn't do anything drastic. He knew her so well, and he knew she would try to solve things by herself. That's the way she'd always been. She was strong, and yet fragile. She had been through a lot that has forced her to rely on herself. He liked her independence, but sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if she knew she had friends she could rely on?

He hoped she knew she had him to rely on, at least.

"Hey, Kagome-chan," Miroku began casually, "if you were in Sango's position, what would you do?"

Kagome looked at him skeptically. She pondered on his question for a bit before answering, "I don't know. I guess I'd be so confused I wouldn't know what to do."

"Exactly," was his only reply.

"What about you?" Kagome pressed.

Miroku shot her an indescribable look. "I dunno…" he muttered softly, as though he were in pain.

"What do you think Sango would do?" Kagome wondered out loud.

Miroku's pace slowed to a stop. When Kagome turned to look at him, she could see that he was in deep thought, his expression unreadable-hidden under his long bangs.

"M-Miroku-" Kagome began, but Miroku suddenly rushed forward. "I'm going ahead," he called over his shoulder as he raced past her.

Kagome watched his back as it disappeared around the corner. She heaved a sigh and smiled at his concern for her friend. "Oh, Sango, if you only knew how much he cares about you…" she muttered to herself before resuming her walk to school.

--With Miroku--

He was out of breath, running for all he was worth. Where was she? He had to have run into her by now. She didn't have that much of a head start, and he was following her usual course. So then, where was she?

His mind flew into a blur and, as he ran, only one thing was clear in his thoughts: He had to find Sango before she did anything drastic.

As he passed by the school gate, he slowed and, struggling in between deep breaths, asked the guard in charge if Sango had shown up already. He fished out a picture from his wallet and showed the man her picture, but the guard only shook his head. With one last deep breath, Miroku sprinted back the way he came. This time, he took detours here and there, desperately trying to find her.

He didn't know how long he had been running; just that he had to find her…

Along the way, he passed by a small store. To his surprise, Sango emerged from the door. He watched her as she turned back to face the store owner and bow low as a sign of respect.

As soon as she turned to leave, Miroku jogged up to her. Still gasping for air, he took hold of her hand to stop her from escaping.

"Sango," he managed between breaths, "where have you been?"

She stared at him wide-eyed and surprised. "Miroku, what are you doing here? You should be at school by now."

He looked at her sternly, saying, "Yeah, so should you."

In one swift motion, she pulled her hand free from Miroku's grasp. "I've was job hunting," was all she said.

"This early in the morning?" he asked disbelievingly. "Anyway, you already have a job, don't you?"

"It isn't enough!" she argued back, giving Miroku a hard look.

Noticing her slight defensiveness, Miroku knew he had offended her so he tried to ease the tension to show her that he meant no harm.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? Can we please talk?" he said gently.

Sango eyed him cautiously before letting her expression soften. "Alright, what do you want to know?" she asked in a defeated tone. She couldn't stay mad at him for being concerned about her. Heck, he even skipped school for her sake. The least she could do was hear him out.

"So you're going to be working a lot now, huh?" Miroku asked when they had settled on a nearby park bench. Sango had explained her plan along the way. "What about school?" he asked.

Sango looked away. There was no way she could tell him the truth while looking him in the eye.

A brief silence passed before she replied, "I'm going to be sick for a few weeks-a heavy viral disease, so I'm under house arrest and can't take any visitors. My dad took out the phone so I won't be bothered while I'm recovering."

Another pause.

"That's quite a story…" Miroku muttered.

Sango nodded. "There's just no other way. I've gotten eight different jobs, and I'll be working full hours seven days a week."

"Sango, isn't that a bit much? Let me help you out. We can both work after school and-"

"No, Miroku," she cut him off. "I won't have you working for my sake," she said as she turned and met him with a hard gaze.

"But, Sango, you can't possibly take on everything by yourself. Let me help you," he pleaded.

"Miroku, stop it. We're not kids anymore. I can't rely on you forever," she said sounding very tired.

Miroku looked at her with soft eyes. 'Sango, how can I tell you? I want you to rely on me… just like when we were kids…'

"Please…" she begged in an almost hushed tone.

Miroku sighed in defeat, "Just promise me you'll take care of yourself. Don't do anything reckless, okay?"

Sango was quiet for a moment, letting the words sink in. Was he really going to let her do this? Did she have his permission to follow through with her original plan which involved skipping school? She couldn't believe her ears. She was half expecting him to argue with her, just as he always did when he knew she was going to do something drastic. Still a bit dumbfounded, she managed to mumble, "Sure."

"Well," Miroku began as he pushed himself up from his seat. He spun around on his heels to face Sango before continuing. "If I get that much, then I won't stop you. Just remember, you got a lot of people backing you up if you ever need a hand, so don't try to take everything on by yourself."

Sango nodded. "I know. Hey, thanks. I'm surprised that you're so cool about all this," she admitted, trying to lighten the mood.

"I know I can't change your mind," Miroku said as he sat back down. He knew a long light talk would be good for her, and he was actually glad that she was engaging in conversation now. "So I won't bother to try anymore," he finished.

Sango didn't bother to say anything back, so Miroku decided to start up a lighter topic. "Anyway, what kind of jobs did you take up?"

She looked up at him in surprise, taken aback by his sudden interest in her life. Or had he always been concerned? "Well, I'll mostly just be working shifts, so you don't have to worry about me overworking myself. I made sure I have enough time between shifts to get to my other jobs, too."

"Wow," Miroku said, genuinely surprised. "Looks like you really thought things through."

"Yes, I did," Sango replied with a smug smile. "Like I said, you don't have to worry about me."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Miroku said with a small smile.

"You need to have more faith in me," she murmured quietly. "I'm not a kid anymore, you know?"

Miroku looked down and found a particularly interesting spot on his shoe. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry…I guess I just missed those times when it was just us."

Sango looked at him, confusion etched all over her features. "Why is that? We still hang out and stuff…"

"NO," Miroku interrupted her so suddenly that it made her jump. "No," he said in a gentler tone when he realized he had surprised her. "I…We hang out and all, but I meant, you know, just you and me. We rarely do anything together anymore. We always do everything with Kagome and Inuyasha. It's never just the two of us anymore…" he explained softly, as though no one else was allowed to hear any bit of his confession.

He turned and looked at her, trying to read her expression. But she wasn't even looking at him. Her eyes were staring off into an unseen distance; her expression, detached.

"Sango," Miroku finally tried to get her attention.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Sango said with a smile. "We can hang out, if you'd like, just the two of us."

Miroku's face instantly brightened. "Really? But what about your jobs?"

"I get off work at around eight every night. We could go out then, if that's okay with you."

"O-Of course," Miroku said, still a bit stunned by the turn of events. "When do you want to go out? Where should I pick you up?" he asked a bit too eagerly.

Sango shrugged. "I'll be working at the same place every night, so there won't be a need to look for me."

"Same place every night, huh? Where would that be?"

"Ikebe-it's a fast food place."

Miroku gapped at her. "Are you kidding me? We'll be working at the same place! You, me, and Inuyasha."

Sango stared. "So when you said you got a job over the summer, you meant Ikebe? But I thought that job was over as soon as school started?"

"What can I say? I got attached and Inuyasha just needed the cash," Miroku said with a shrug.

"I guess it'll be fun," Sango commented with a smile.

"When do you start?" Miroku asked with genuine curiosity.

"Tomorrow," Sango replied as she got up.

Miroku watched her movement with silent interest before following. "Where are you headed?" he asked

"I have to find a place to stay," she replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What's wrong with Kagome's place?" Miroku wondered aloud as he walked beside her.

Sango gave him a stern look. "No way. I could leave Kohaku with her, but that's it. I will not free-load off my friend."

"And where else do you intend to stay?" he asked with mock sympathy and a hint of teasing sarcasm.

Sango rolled her eyes. "I'll find some place. Which reminds me, don't you have to get back to school?"

Miroku checked his watch and shook his head. "I've already missed half of the day, no point in going now. Want to grab some lunch?"

"Sure you don't have to go back?" she asked again, just to make sure she couldn't be accused of anything later.

"Yeah, yeah," Miroku nodded nonchalantly.

"Then let's go," Sango said with a smile. "I'll think housing later."

And with that, they headed for a nearby noodle house to have some warm lunch. Sango didn't notice the smile tugging at Miroku's lips as they walked together, side by side.

A/N: That's all. Sorry again for the long wait…I hope a long chapter will make up for it :D

Review!! You guys can even flame me…I deserve it….sob…