A/N) Yay! A new chapter. I'm glad I'm getting a few reviews for this story. I know the beginning's kinda slow, I'm just setting up the rest of the story. I promise, this is long. Just hang in there, and enjoy!

\\\

At noon, Miroku and Sango were talking more. Koga had to go to work.
"Don't you have to work, too?" Sango asked.
"Not today." Miroku told her. "What about you? You say you have no job, but your name was on a work tame tag." Miroku remembered.
"I got fired yesterday." Sango said. "I worked at Trina's Boutique until yesterday's fiasco when I yelled at the manager. She was going to make me work overtime without paying me. I got pissed and yelled at her, then she fired me." Sango explained.

"I hate that place." Miroku said. "Well, I'm a guy, but, I still hate that place. I pass it at the mall, and it always smells weird."

"I hate it too. But I needed a job. I worked there for a whole week. I spent the money on food." Sango said.
"How much did you make?"
"Minimum wage. $6.50 an hour. And I could only work three hours a day because I'm under eighteen." (A/N Made it up, don't quote me. Once again pretending they use dollars. I don't know how to convert wen and yen and how to use it, so just sticking with dollars.)

"So, you made about twenty bucks a day, and you only worked there for a week?" Miroku questioned. "Therefore, you made a total of $140, and spent it all on food?"
"Actually, I got fired yesterday morning and I worked a business week, and I only got payed for four days. Minus a twenty minute break, deducting ten dollars total, making my total earnings in Hell, seventy flipping dollars. And I ate it all away because of this dang baby." She rubbed her midsection.
"Relax," Miroku noticed her getting stressed. "Stress isn't good for the baby." He cooed.
"How do you know?" Sango rebutted.
"I know people who know things." Miroku told her. He was staring at her as she looked down. Her long, nutbrown hair was fallen down to her mid back, slightly layered and tattered. She hadn't washed it in forever. In fact, she hadn't taken an actual shower in what seemed like forever. The closest she'd gotten was paper towels in the bathroom at the mall. That, and the nights she spends in the rain. Her eyes were a deep auburn, despite the fact he couldn't see them at the moment. If she wasn't crying, she seemed to hide her emotions in her eyes. Yes, she was one of those girls. Only certain guys could crack her, which is why she fell so easy for cheapskates and losers. The guys for her were the ones who could see her emotions. The kind of guys that would kiss girls so passionately and sweetly. The kind of guys that would carry them all the way home when they've fallen and twisted their ankle. The kind of guy that climb all the way to the top of the tree just to get the apple they want, that would run all around town just to buy that one thing they really need, that would hold her when she was crying, 'til death do they part. The guys who believe in true love are the only ones who can see her real emotions. Or else she masks it. Usually love with hate, sadness with happiness, fear with anger. But sometimes, it's different. Sometimes, it's hate with love, regret with excitement, relief with discomfort. These were rare, but still occasional. Sango was a strange girl. Miroku felt something different with her, despite only knowing her since the night before. Yes, he's admitted to being a lecher. He stalks women and gropes them, grabbing their butts and making them scream, but the moment he met Sango, he vowed he wouldn't be that man with her. Not just because she was pregnant and didn't deserve to be treated that way, but something about her made him seem much of a nicer person. She was so complex and troubled, he pitied for her, yes, but also he seemed to not notice. She didn't make it super obvious like other pregnant teens do. She was very subtle about it. Miroku liked that about her. He liked her. He liked the way she spoke with sarcasm, and her cocky attitude despite being in an extremely desperate situation. Her slight smile when something funny happened. Her modesty. He. Liked. Her.

"Miroku?" Sango finally spoke.
"Yea?" Miroku broke his train of thought for her. He would do anything for her.
"I know this may sound really weird, and kind of awkward knowing we just met and all," Sango began to ramble.
"Get on with it." Miroku urged kindly.
"This is really embarrassing to ask of you, but will you come tomorrow to my appointment with me?" She finally finished rambling and asked what was on her mind. Miroku was taken aback by the request, but then gave her a curt nod.

"I don't see a problem in that. I don't work tomorrow. What time is your appointment?" Miroku answered replied.
"One." Sango answered, locking eyes with him. She had never seen anyone with violet eyes. Except maybe that Elizabeth Taylor lady, but even that was only in the right light. Miroku's eye's were so perfectly violet that even if she wanted to, she couldn't look away. Miroku didn't look from Sango's deep brown eyes. They were dark as chocolate.

"Your eyes are like freshly picked violets in the dawn of May." Sango broke the silence between them.

"Your eyes are like, mud, after it, rains in, April." Miroku said, not as poetically as Sango had said hers.
"Did you just compare my eyes to mud? Never compare a girl's eyes to mud." Sango corrected, still locked onto his eyes.
"Sorry, it's just the only thing I could think of. Your poeticness threw me off." Miroku smiled. Sango chuckled.
"Try again." She smiled.
"Your eyes are like two chestnuts roasting on an open fire." Miroku smiled getting a little closer to her.

"Way to steal something from a Christmas song." Sango shook her head, smiling. "Try again."

"Okay. Your eyes are like pinecones that have dropped onto a a freshly fallen snow. They are the prettiest, most delicate looking eyes I have ever seen. They hide emotions, and I'm determined to unmask them. I'm going to be the guy you're looking for, but not in a romantic way. Don't get me wrong, I'm so glad you're going to be living here. And one last thing, Sango, I love your eyes." Miroku said, leaving Sango shocked. She opened her mouth as if she was going to speak to him, but no words came. She just blinked. She didn't think he would ever say something so romantic. She had only known him for a few hours, seeing as she had been asleep for a majority of the time she had been in his presence. There was something different about him. Miroku was different than her old boyfriends. Especially Katsuro, seeing as Miroku didn't try to sleep with her right away. She liked that. Miroku was sweet. He made her food and gave her water, and a place to sleep. She realized she had been staring at him, mouth slightly open for almost five minutes now, deep in thought while staring into his deep violet eyes.

"Thanks." She finally managed, shaking her thoughts and looking down. Miroku smiled.
"No problem." He said. Sango ran her hand through her hair, faintly embarrassed about staring at him for so long. At that moment she realized how oily her hair was. She brought some of her hair over her shoulder and inspected it, and indeed, it was grotesque. She gave a deep sigh, then slumped down a little on the couch, resting a hand lightly on her midsection.

"Life." She mumbled under her breath.
"Is there a problem?" Miroku asked.
"No." Sango lied. She would kill for a decent shower, but she couldn't ask that of someone who had already done so much for her.
"Are you sure?" Miroku inquired. He could tell she was lying the way she answered.
"No." Sango answered, telling the truth this time.

"What's wrong?" Miroku wondered. Sango released the breath she was holding.
"It's too much to ask." Sango told him.

"No it's not." Miroku retorted, not knowing what the request was.

"You don't even know what I'm going to say." Sango countered plainly.

"It doesn't matter, you can have whatever you want." Miroku looked at her. Sango sighed, this all seemed too good to be true. She was just waiting to wake up in the alley she fell asleep in. Miroku was too nice for her. She was too bad for him.

"This can't be real." She stated.
"What?"
"I'm dreaming."
"No you're not." Miroku insisted
"Pinch me." Sango said bluntly. Miroku shook his head.
"I'm not going to pinch you." He said.

"My life has never been this good." Sango explained.
"Which makes now a perfect time to start." Miroku smiled.
"Why now, though? When I'm pregnant. I made the biggest mistake of my life, and fate chooses now to give me a break?" Sango asked stylistically.
"Maybe because you're sustaining a life now. Yes, you made a mistake, but your baby shouldn't have to suffer for it. Fate gave you a home." Miroku told her.
"Fate also took me away from my home, killed my mother, put a baby inside me, took away it's father from my communication, and left me with no job, food, or money." Sango added evidently. Miroku looked at her, sorrow camouflaged in his eyes.

"I never knew. It's definitely time for a miracle." Miroku rested a hand on her svelte shoulder.
"Miracles don't exist." Sango said plainly, shaking her head. "They don't. If they did, I wouldn't be pregnant, my mom would still be alive, I'd be at home, my brother wouldn't be a delinquent, and my life would considerably better than it has been." Sango said, melancholy submerging her voice as she spoke. Miroku ran a hand over her velvety cheek, wiping away a residing tear that he was unaware of.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." He said to her. "But I believe in miracles. And I believe one is coming for you, Sango." She looked at him, a few tears dwelling in her eyes. Whenever she thought of miracles, she'd think of her mom. Her mom believed in miracles. She always would talk about how God sends miracles to struggling families, like theirs. They lived in a cramped house in a small, grungy, run-down neighborhood, that was so old and grotesque, it probably had been ignored by every city mayor since the '80's. There was a different gang at every corner, and they got into a brawl every other night that involved a shooting or a stabbing or a theft. There were nights where Sango's lullaby would be a melody of firearms blasting and people screaming for their life. She could hear them all around the neighborhood, and despite all the desolate bawls for help, no one would call an ambulance. And the sparse times that someone would, no one would ever come. No one cared about this neighborhood. To the people outside there, they were all just a bunch of delinquents and criminals. Which is exactly why Sango's mom died.

/

"Sango." Miroku said to her, noticing she hadn't spoken for a great deal of time.

"Yes." She uttered softly, a graceful hand still placed on her midsection.

"What happened, to your mom?" He asked her. She seemed very heartbroken about it. She exhaled, then looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. The moment wasn't as unexpected as before, much to her shock; His violet eyes didn't faze her this time. "You don't have to, only if you want to." He told her. She considered keeping it private, but as she looked deep into his eyes, she saw hoe deeply worried he was for her.

"Okay." She started softly. "We lived in horrific neighborhood. Everyone smoked or did drugs. A different gang ran every corner. My mom was sweet, though. She made it seem like everything was great, like we lived in the greatest neighborhood on Earth. My brother, Kohaku, and I would listen to her tell stories about how the knights would have to take their magic potions, then fight for their land. And we believed her. We were so young, so naive. My dad hated her for filling our minds with, and I quote, nonsensical shit. As we got older, we began to realize, it was just that. The things we once thought were magic potions were just drugs and alcohol. The knights, were just gang members fighting over which street to run. My dad was right. Kohaku, unfortunately, got involved in one of them, and at such a young age. He's only fourteen now, he was twelve when he got involved. One really late night, last summer, I was fifteen, Kohaku had just turned fourteen. I got home late after partying with my boyfriend at the time, Sadao. We were both kinda drunk and were smoking out on my porch. My dad came out, pissed off that I had gotten home so late and was drunk and smoking. He grabbed my arm and pulled me in the house, causing me to scream, really loud, making the street gang mad. They came running down to our house. Sadao was already gone, running as fast as he could at the sight of my damn father. Figures. He told me we were gonna have sex that night, but the second my dad caught us, runs like a baby. Anyways, the gang ran up to our yard, and started shooting up the place. I don't even know why. My dad had slammed the door on me, and locked me out. I guess my mom ran downstairs, she was opening the door. The kids just kept shooting. I felt a few bullets, nothing too serious. My mom was finally able to get the door open and pull me in. But as she did that, a shot rang out, and the bullet just missed me and got her. They fled after that. My dad called for an ambulance, but no one came." Sango told him. She was very specific, telling him everything she wanted him to know. "She bled to death." She finally concluded.
"I'm so sorry." Miroku consoled her. He rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked back into his eyes.

"I miss her." Sango uttered softly.

"I bet, she seemed much nicer than your dad." Miroku agreed.
"She was." Sango nodded, looking down to her midsection. "If it's a girl, I'm thinking I want to name it after her, unless I give it up. I don't know yet. This is why I'm so confused. I don't want to give this baby a shitty life, but I don't think I have the heart to give it up. My mom didn't give me up, she was eighteen and right out of school. As much as my douche dad wanted her to, she didn't. She kept me. She loved me. She gave up college for me. She was still in school when she got pregnant with me, but she graduated, and took care of me, married my dumbass father, and was the best influence she could've been. But I failed her. Look how I turned out. I was drinking at eleven, smoking at twelve, having sex at thirteen, partying all night by fourteen, I made her think she failed. But she didn't. I failed her. I disappointed her. I killed her." Sango began crying as she thought about how much she had done to dismay her mother. "She still loved me, and if she hadn't of tried to save me that night, she would still be alive." She managed through tears.

"What was her name?" Miroku inquired, trying to get her mind off of the other subject.

"Kasumi Mai." Sango told him. "It means misty dance, if that makes any sense, which it probably doesn't." She was able to muster a smile and look back at him.

"That's really pretty." Miroku nodded. "What's your second name?" He added.
"Sango Kiku Taijiya is my full name. It means coral chrysanthemum." Sango responded. Miroku nodded.
"Interesting." He added.
"In your opinion, what do you think I should do?" She asked, unclear of what she was talking about. She rested her head on his shoulder, exhausted for some reason.

"What?" Miroku asked.

"Should I give the baby up for adoption? Part of me doesn't want me to, because after carrying it for nine months, hearing it cry, I don't think I'll have the heart. But another part of me doesn't want to give this helpless baby the shitty life I had. My mom didn't give me up, but I don't know if I'm as strong as her. And I only want what's best for the baby." Sango told him.
"I think you just answered your own question." Miroku responded.
"Tell me what I said." Sango requested, unsure of what he was getting at.

"You seem very much in love with this child. You want to be like your mother, and do what she did, not give it up." Miroku clarified. Sango looked into his eyes.

"You think?" She finally said. He nodded.

"Mm hm." Sango sighed. She looked down at her swelled belly, Miroku's eyes followed her's. Since her 'big reveal' earlier that morning, the small bump on her abdomen was more obvious to him. The tiny life she was sustaining within her was so fragile, so vulnerable to outside influences. The only thing he wanted to do was to protect it from harm, protect them from harm. He also made note of her perfectly shaped chest, that seemed slightly large. His mind drifted to many lecherous imaginations.

Even though she couldn't feel the baby kick, she could feel it moving it around. It reminded her that she was no longer just responsible for her own life. She was responsible for her child's life as well. She has found herself in countless situations where she was holding a newly lit cigarette or a freshly opened beer, and then the baby would move, and she would walk away. Her baby was first. At that moment she felt it move. She placed her hand on her midsection, as it wouldn't settle. She grabbed Miroku's hand, unaware he was staring at her to begin with, and placed it next to hers.

"Wow." Miroku stated, in shock.
"Can you feel it?"
"No, but, it's still magical." Miroku clarified. They were both looking at their hand when they suddenly realized how awkward the moment was, and they both pulled their hands away. Sango looked in the opposite direction of Miroku; Miroku looked forward. They both sighed.

"Um, so. What about your dad? What'd he do after your mom's death?" Miroku asked carefully. Sango looked to him. He was still facing forward.
"He seemed to get over it pretty fast. It only took a few months before he started going out and dating." Sango started. She kept staring at him, then continued. "I know he just married her because of me. I was a mistake, and so was Kohaku. They never fell in love. They never even seemed like they loved each other. He was so abusive to her, it was horrible. I would cry myself to sleep some nights thinking about how terrible their relationship was. When she died it was like she never existed. Once he started dating, he met Chikako, and they were married before my sixteenth birthday. He couldn't even wait a year." Sango said.
"He's horrible." Miroku said without thinking. He suddenly looked to her. "I- I'm sorry. I shouldn't say that about your father. Just-" Sango cut him off.

"It's fine. He is." Sango agreed, finally glad that he was looking at her again. She smiled.
"Why are you smiling?" He asked. She bit her lip, then looked down.
"No reason." She mumbled, embarrassed. Miroku smiled at her. She had placed a hand on her belly again, and was looking down at the bulge.

"Does it kick yet?" He asked her. Sango shook her head.
"Mm mm. Not quite. It tries to, though." She answered specifically. Sango exhaled crisply, abruptly made uncomfortable by a fulminant movement.

"Are you, okay?" He asked her, a hand resting on her shoulder as she doubled over. She sat back up, then nodded. As she sat up, his arm slid down her silhouette a bit.
"Yea, fine." She said slightly weak voiced.

"What happened?" Miroku asked.
"Cramp." Sango said. "They happen a lot." She shrugged.

"You had me frightened there for a second." Miroku sighed in relief.

"Uh, Miroku," Sango started, looking to him.
"Yes Sango?" Miroku asked cheerily.
"Would you mind taking your hand off of my chest?" She suggested. Miroku stared down at his hand. It was indeed resting on her swelled breast.
"Oh, um," He started, not yet removing his hand. He continued to stare past his hand ay her chest. Her breaths were causing her chest to move slightly with each one she took.

"Ahem." She came to his attention. He shot his look up at her face. He had yet to remove his hand from her breast that seemed barely supported in the skin-tight tee she wore. He looked into her eyes, as she gave 'the look,' awaiting his hand removal. Swallowing, after fifteen hours of knowing the pregnant teen, he decided to make the first move. For Heaven's sake, normally after fifteen minutes he already was making out with most girls he meets. Sometimes, if he was lucky, he was already in their pants. This is the longest he had ever gone with just talking. Hand still placed on her chest, he dove to her, placing his lips onto hers romantically. Sango shrieked, unprepared for his gesture. He knocked her down, him lightly pressing his body onto hers, making sure not to harm the tiny life growing inside of her. She turned her head.

"What are you doing?" She was finally able to shout.

"I can no longer contain myself, Sango. You're beauty is too much for my lecherous acts to handle." He proclaimed, kissing her again. She huffed, smacking him across the face, leaving a very noticeable red mark. "Damn." He muttered under his breath, removing himself from her.

"In case you haven't figured it out, I've slapped my fair share of guys, and then some." Sango explained, maybe a little to proud about her success. She scooted over on the couch, not having a room to storm off to. "Explain yourself." She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'm truly sorry, Sango." He turned away.

"Koga was right, you are a lecher." She miffed, sharply turning her head to stare at him intensely. "And you lied to me when you said you were trying to break the habit."

"Sango, I-" Miroku began to explain himself, but was cut off by the screaming girl.
"I can't believe I let myself trust you." She stared into his eyes that she loved not long ago, but now had hatred for. "And you said everything was going to work for me. All you wanted to do was what every other guy wants to do. I may be pretty, but I'm not stupid. At least," She looked down at her abdomen. "So, I make stupid mistakes. And," She looked back up to Miroku. "I think you may be one of them." She concluded.
"Ouch." He said monotonically. He had been ranted to my many women, and he was determined not to let Sango's get to him.
"That's your response?" He scoffed, flipping her hair.
"Yes, what of it?" He responded. Sango fumed.
"You, you," She stammered to find the proper adjective. "inconsiderate jerk." She successfully retorted.

"That's your response?" He mocked her, trying to get her to calm down.
"God, you are so immature." She commented. She took a deep breath, then sighed, calmed down.

"You better?" He asked.

"Yes." She answered huffly. Miroku slid closer to her.
"Listen," He began, "I'm sorry for making a move, Sango." He looked to her. She still had her head turned. "I wasn't aware that it would hurt you." He continued. "I'm so sorry that you lost trust in me, and I beg of you, please regain it. I won't do it again. That's a promise." He anticipated her response as she sat in silence for the moments to come. Moments turned to minutes, and she finally turned to him, a single tear in each of her eyes. "Don't cry."
"I can't help it." She said in a disheartened voice. Miroku gave her a perplexed look.

"Hmm?" He questioned.

"Damn hormones." She shook her head, sniffling. Miroku smiled at her. His heart-warming smile softened Sango and she eased on her guard, uncrossing her arms.
"I'm truly sorry, Sango." He repeated. She nodded.

"I should be apologizing to you. I was rude-"
"Stop talking." He pressed his pointer finger against her supple lips. She nodded, then smiled. "Only when you're ready." He whispered to himself, pulling away.