A/N: Thank you to my amazing beta, Evervescent, for helping revamp this story. You rock girl!

For Brittany.

Keeping Strong
Chapter 10: Baby Steps

The breakfast rush passed by in a blur as Sango's thoughts continued to drift back to her mother's words earlier that morning. She was fuming and downright shocked at Naomi's behavior. To be fair, Naomi had changed a lot since the death of Sango's father. She never really grieved properly, in Sango's opinion. But this was a whole new level of incredulous demeanor. How dare she try to take control of her life? Not only her daughter's, but her future grandchild as well. It was hard for Sango to wrap her mind around.

"Hey," Yura called as she passed by, on her way to deliver the bill to one of her tables. "You okay?"

Ever since Naomi had stopped in to see Sango days ago, the other waitress appeared to be concerned for her, which wasn't a surprise. In Yura's eyes, whatever had occurred between mother and daughter left Sango shaken and not her usual peppy self.

Sango ignored her, too lost in her own thoughts. Her brows were pinched tightly together as she nibbled on her bottom lip. Yura raised a brow and opened her mouth to say something, but one of her customers flagged her down. She exhaled deeply and narrowed her eyes with annoyance. "I'm comin', I'm comin'," she mumbled under her breath.

As the hour passed, Sango found herself in the bathroom, trying to regain control over her emotions. The tips had been smaller than usual, most likely due to her distant attitude. Hell, she could barely manage to smile for the customers, too distracted with her own thoughts. "Damn," she whispered to her reflection. It was all so frustrating. What was a girl to do as the doors to her options closed?

"Sango," she heard Ayame call from just outside the door.

Straightening her uniform and fixing her hair, Sango smiled and walked out into the café. "What is it?" she asked her boss.

The red-head nodded in the direction of the front door. "There are some people here to see you."

Confused as to who would visit her at work, she set her sights on the doorway. Her entire face lit up at the sight of her friends. Standing there was Kagome, Miroku, and Inuyasha, although the latter seemed more annoyed than anything.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Sango asked, stepping in to the give Kagome a hug.

"Long time no see," Kagome greeted, pulling away with a grin.

Sango rolled her eyes. "It's only been a day." Her eyes sought Miroku, but she couldn't quite find the will to wrap her arms around him. It suddenly became awkward between them, as if she was afraid to allow herself to have feelings for him. Distancing herself from him was easier, especially while trying to repair her broken family ties. Right?

Luckily, she didn't much choice on the matter. As soon as she had released her long-time friend, the boy of her dreams embraced her and set his chin upon her shoulder. "It is so good to see you again, Sango," Miroku exclaimed. "I've missed you."

She blushed prettily at his confession as he released her. The quickening of her breath and the increase of her heart rate left her stomach in a pool of goo. "Hey, Inuyasha," she mumbled to the other man, her voice cracking slightly as she tried to catch up with her emotions.

"Keh," he replied ceremoniously, turning to glance out the window.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Nice to see you, too," she teased.

"I hope it's okay that we stopped by," Kagome said, glancing around the restaurant. "We don't want to get you in trouble."

The brunette waved away her words. "Have you seen this place? It's always dead right after the morning rush. You guys take a seat and I'll be right back." She gestured to a booth in her section before practically skipping her way to the office.

"See, Miroku," Inuyasha muttered, taking a seat next to Kagome. "Told ya she was fine."

Kagome peered between the boys curiously. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't she be okay?"

Miroku smiled sheepishly. "It's not that I expected something bad to happen to her," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "I was only worried for her."

She exhaled deeply and leaned her cheek against her propped hand. "I don't blame you."

"You guys are worrying over nothin'. Sango can take care of herself." Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the seat.

Kagome smiled warmly. "I'm sure you're right."

"'Course I am," he boasted confidently.

Miroku rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to retort, when a grumbling sound startled them and all eyes turned to Miroku's stomach. He grinned. "I suppose in my rush this morning I forgot to eat."

Inuyasha huffed and narrowed his eyes. "You idiot."

Kagome placed a hand over her mouth in an attempt to hide her giggles. "Don't worry about it," she assured. "I'm sure Sango can put in an order for us."

As if on cue, the spunky brunette appeared beside their table, free from the apron usually tied around her waist. "Are you guys hungry?" she asked.

"Dear Sango," Miroku began, grasping her hands in his. "Would you do me the honor of ordering us some food?"

She laughed, a sincere actual laugh, as she glanced over his puppy dog expression. Pulling her hands free from his, she narrowed her eyes playfully while crossing her arms. "Using flirtation for food? How low can you stoop, Miroku?"

He placed a hand over his heart. "You wound me," he replied. "I was only admiring your exquisite ability to beckon delicious food to our table."

"Give it a rest," Inuyasha grumbled.

Sango waved her hand to catch Yura's attention. Once she received a confirmed nod, she slipped into the booth beside Miroku. "So," she began, folding her hands. "What have you guys been up to?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "It's been one day. Not much to talk about." Kagome jabbed him sharply in his side with her elbow. "Ow! What the hell was that for?" he demanded, turning fierce amber eyes on her.

"Be nice," she mumbled. Recently, she had taken on the task of using methods to try and clean up his rough edges. So far, her efforts had made little progress. She turned back to Sango with a smile. "Actually, Souta was sent off to soccer camp yesterday and he'll be playing in a tournament in August. You guys should come."

"I would be delighted," Miroku replied. He turned his attention to the girl sitting beside him. "But only if Sango accompanies me."

All eyes turned to the person in question. She felt heat creep up her neck and flush her cheeks. "Yeah, sure," she replied. "I don't see why not." After all, this was Kagome's brother they were talking about. She had seen the kid grow up over the years. Going with Miroku was just an added bonus.

As he gave a triumphant grin, a thought crossed her mind. Did she really have these strong feelings for him? And if so, how could she make such promises when she didn't know what could happen from one day to the next? Her life was so complicated at the moment; it was hard to see so far into the future. She shook her head to get rid of her thoughts. There was no use in lingering on such questions when she had three amazing friends right in front of her.

Tuning back into the conversation, she listened as her friends joked about Miroku's lecherous habits and Inuyasha's stubborn attitude. Was this how it felt to be happy? She hadn't been truly happy since her father died, so the feeling was almost foreign to her. Before she knew it, they had ordered and eaten, yet the group still lingered. It didn't matter what they talked about. It didn't matter what they said. All Sango could remember is that she had never laughed so hard in her life. That she had never felt so loved. It was like she was…

Home.

Watching as Yura cleared away their mess, Sango smiled gratefully. "Thank you, I appreciate it," she told the waitress, ignoring the girl's eye roll as she walked away.

As she turned back to say something to Kagome, she suddenly felt a lurch in her stomach. Her hand clamped over her mouth as bile rose in her throat, and her arm circled her abdomen. Without a word, she shot up from her seat and ran toward the bathroom.

The group halted their conversation at Sango's sudden exit. "Oh, no," Kagome groaned with concern. "Poor Sango. I hope everything is all right."

"Do not fret, Kagome," Miroku assured, folding his arms on the table. "It is just a touch of morning sickness. It happened while she was staying with us as well."

She shook her head. "I know, Miroku. That's not what bothers me, though. Didn't you see the way she was acting? So distant and closed off. Something is wrong and I hate that she won't talk to me about it."

"She seemed fine to me," Inuyasha butted in.

Miroku narrowed his eyes. "That is because you're dense."

In turn, the silver-haired boy clenched his hand into a fist. "What did you say, lech?" he demanded, standing up and preparing to launch himself across the table.

"Inuyasha," Kagome warned, placing her hands on his arm and shoulder. "SIT!" She yanked down on his appendages and he sat down begrudgingly with a small yelp. He glowered at her and mumbled something beneath his breath, but otherwise made no objection.

Sighing, Kagome released him and turned her attention back to the man across from her. "Maybe you should go talk to her, Miroku," she suggested, stealing a glance in the direction Sango hurried off to.

He raised his brows. "Me? Why?"

Kagome snorted. "Do I even need to explain?"

"It is not that I don't understand your reasoning behind my interference," he observed. "I'm merely asking why you believe that I should be the one to console her instead of you. After all, you've known her far longer than I have."

She tilted her head to the side. "That's just it, Miroku. I know her better than you. So just trust my judgment and go talk to her."

He exhaled deeply as he gave into her decision and scooted out of the booth. "If you say so," he replied before turning his attention toward the employee bathroom. "I shall return." Without another word, he began winding his way through the various tables.

Miroku arrived at his destination and rapped his knuckles lightly against the door. "Sango?" he called quietly. "Are you all right?" There was no response. Concerned, he hesitantly pushed open the door and glanced around.

Sango was kneeling over the toilet, struggling to hold her hair off her shoulder while chucking puke into the bowl. Miroku immediately kneeled down beside her and pulled her hair free from the nape of her neck.

"It's all right, Sango," he soothed, grimacing against the stench. They sat there for a few moments while she continued to throw up her lunch until nothing but clear liquid streamed from her mouth.

Seeing she was finished, Miroku tore off a few sheets of toilet paper and handed them to her. She looked up at him thankfully, giving him a wavering smile, before wiping the bile off her lips. He helped her to the sink so she could rinse out her mouth and regain her bearings.

"I'm sorry," she finally managed to say as she bent over the sink.

"For what?"

Her eyes never left the drain. "For making you see that. It's pretty disgusting."

"Ah, the beauties of pregnancy." He grinned. "It is no problem at all, Sango. I do not mind, as long as I get to spend time with you."

"Yeah," she scoffed sarcastically. "I must really know how to show you a good time."

Miroku exhaled deeply, stood behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I always have a good time as long as I'm with you."

Rendered speechless by his confession, Sango gripped the sides of the sink tighter in her hands, turning her knuckles white. This man, this wonderful man she had barely gotten to know, was bearing his heart and soul to her. He wanted to be with her, even after knowing all of the baggage she carried. He wanted her.

Without consent, tears began falling from her hazel eyes, dripping to the white marble below. She couldn't help the whimpers escaping her lips or the way her chest shook with every expelled breath. She had no control over her emotions as Miroku turned her in his arms and embraced her tightly against him. She couldn't even stop the words that flew from her mouth as she told him everything that had occurred that morning.

Miroku listened intently as she spoke of her stepfather's behavior and her mother's decision concerning school and her baby. His grip tightened around her and his eyes hardened with anger. How could a mother do that to her own daughter? He rubbed a hand down her back soothingly, trying to quell her anguish in some way. "It's going to be all right, Sango," he promised, knowing with every fiber of his being that he would make sure of it.

"P-please," she begged, her eyes squeezed shut as tears wet his shirt. "D-don't tell K-Kagome. Just don't t-tell her."

Her words pained his heart. "I won't say a word," he vowed. "Your secret is safe with me."

They stood in the bathroom for a few more minutes as she allowed the tears to fall down her cheeks. He held her close, wanting to protect her from all the dangers of the world, from everything that would ever break her heart. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized just how powerless he truly was.

-KS-

Sango walked home in the humid twilight air, her shoulders slumped with exhaustion. When she was in the bathroom earlier, she had grabbed a hold of Miroku's chest and cried out all of her heartache again. She was such a weakling. She honestly just wanted to blame it on these stupid pregnancy hormones. Relying on others to shield her from the pain just wasn't right. How could she show all of her emotions out in the open for the world to see? Was she really that vulnerable?

She sighed. No, that wasn't true. She wasn't vulnerable or weak. There was just something about Miroku that made her go soft in the knees. In his arms, she felt safe and protected, as if nothing else existed but the soothing tone of his voice. And she hated herself for falling so hard for him. It was just another heartache waiting to happen, wasn't it? Wouldn't he leave her out in the cold like Kuranosuke and her mother did?

"Get it together girl," she grumbled, pushing away the thoughts. There was no use in wondering about such things now. The day was over and all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep off her growing headache.

After her episode earlier that day, Miroku had managed to get Kagome and Inuyasha to leave. That way, they wouldn't see her red-rimmed eyes or flushed cheeks. Kagome couldn't find out what Sango's mother was making her do. Otherwise, she would raise hell and drag Naomi to court. And although she loved Kagome dearly, she just couldn't handle that right now.

"I suppose I'll talk to her later about it," Sango mused aloud, her eyes finding their run down house. "I'll make her understand."

The brunette pushed through the front door as a yawn escaped her lips. As she slipped off her shoes and shuffled through the house, it appeared as both her mother and stepfather had made their way to bed. Good thing she had eaten at the restaurant, for there was no warm meal waiting for her. She really didn't expect it anyways.

Moving down the hallway, a small light caught her eyes. Peering down at the crack beneath her brother's door, she saw a shadow move across it. She pinched her brows together curiously and pressed her ear up to the door, listening intently. Although quiet to her ear, it sounded as if objects were being opened and shoved aside.

Her heart raced as she pulled away, frantically searching the hallway for some kind of weapon. Spotting a broom she had placed against the wall the previous day, she grabbed it, swallowed against the dryness of her throat, and silently reached toward the door handle. A drop of sweat slid down her temple as she took a deep breath, turned the knob, and flung the door open, holding the broom over her head.

What greeted her, however, was not the sight of a burglar slipping into their house. Instead, the room was exactly how it had been since she had arrived, minus the slight disarray of clothes thrown into the mix. One of the dresser drawers was open, as well as the closet. But those things weren't what caused the breath to halt in her throat and her heart to skip a beat.

In the middle of the chaos was a boy. His face held a sunken look and his eyes were graver than she had last seen him. A deep grimace marred his lips and he seemed to have gone through a bit of a growth spurt during the last three months. But she knew even with all of these changes, she would know him anywhere.

Sango lowered the broom and faintly heard it clatter to the floor as her eyes widened with disbelief. She could only speak a single, shaky word. "K-Kohaku?"

His eyes swiveled toward her, but otherwise he ignored her. He strode over to his bed and folded another shirt into a suitcase. "Didn't you know were back, Sis," he finally acknowledged her, going about his room and taking random articles of clothing before piling them into his bag.

She watched him curiously at first, and then frowned. "I got back last night," she said. She took a step inside and folded her arms over her chest as her big-sister-instincts kicked in. "Where have you been?"

He shrugged. "Around." He zipped up his suitcase and placed all of his dirty clothes in the corner of his closet.

The brunette gave him a pointed glare. "What do you mean, 'around'?" she questioned sternly. Not wanting the conversation to wake up her mother or Ryota, she shut the door behind her.

Realizing he wasn't going to escape the confrontation so easily, Kohaku exhaled deeply and turned to face her fully. "I've been staying at a friend's house the past week or so."

Sango wanted to walk right up to him and tell him that she loved him, that she was sorry for leaving him, and that she would never leave him behind again. But she couldn't. Before the words even formed in her mouth or her feet were able to propel her forward into his arms, her heart began to race. There was something different about Kohaku. Something that she didn't recognize, and it scared her.

"Why are you doing that?" she inquired gingerly, feeling as if she was treading dangerous grounds.

Kohaku looked at her, but it felt like he was looking right through her. His eyes were dark and filled with despair that no boy his age should ever have to know. "It just wasn't the same," he mumbled. A light blush dusted his cheeks as he hung his head and looked at his hands. "Mom was always so sad and she stayed in her room most of the time. Ryota just yelled a lot. I couldn't stand it, so I left."

Her apprehension toward the boy immediately melted away. She stepped forward and enveloped him her arms. "I'm sorry," she sniffled, tears choking up her throat. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea how hard it would be for you if I was gone."

He pushed her away, ignoring the hurt in her eyes, and shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore. Mom forced you out of the house. You had no other choice."

"If I had known this would happen," Sango began, clenching a fist against her chest and wishing to console her brother. "If I had known, I would have never told mom about the baby."

"You only would have been kicked out later," he reasoned. "You couldn't control mom's decision anymore than I could have."

His words silenced Sango and she found herself staring at her hands in shame. It was all her fault Kohaku was in this situation to begin with. If she had never gotten pregnant, then none of this would have happened.

"How far along are you?" he suddenly asked, startling her from her thoughts.

She blinked and wiped her hand against her cheek to erase a lone tear. "Oh, um, I'm almost fifteen weeks."

He nodded slowly. "Do you know what you're going to name it yet?"

She smiled softly. "I haven't the slightest idea. With everything that's been going on, I haven't really had the chance to think about it."

"If it's a boy," he continued, his eyes ghosting over her stomach. "You should name him after dad."

The first time since that morning, she grinned ear-to-ear. "I think that would be perfect." She hesitantly ran a hand through his hair, letting her eyes sweep over his boyish face. "I've missed you, Kohaku. I'm sorry if I ever did anything to upset you."

He turned away, averting her gaze. "It's okay," he mumbled, seemingly embarrassed by his sister's show of affection. Ever since their father died and their mother had turned cold and distant, the family didn't share in the same closeness as they used to. "Well, I better get going before either of them wake up. Ryota has to get up for work in a couple hours."

Sango quickly placed her hand on his suitcase. "Don't go, Kohaku," she pleaded with him. Her eyes flickered over his with concern. "I'm home now. There's no reason to run. I'll take care of us."

Kohaku pressed his lips into a thin line. "You can barely take care of yourself, Sis, or your baby," he pointed out. "How can you expect to take care of me, too?"

Startled by his sharp words, Sango had to take a minute to regain her bearings. Is that what he thought of her? That she couldn't handle it? That she couldn't handle him? He moved to grab his bag, but she shook herself out of her stupor. "Wait, please. At least stay for tonight. That's all I'm asking."

He paused, pondering her request, but found he couldn't fight off her pleading gaze or tearful expression. The begging look in her eyes refused to allow him to leave the house guilt-free, so he simply sighed and placed his bag next to the dresser.

"All right," he relented. "But only for tonight."

Sango visibly relaxed as she breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled gently. "Thank you."

He only shrugged in return and motioned for her to leave the room so he could change into more comfortable clothing. Sango quietly closed his bedroom door behind her and leaned against the wall. Finally, after the last three months of ups and downs, she was able to see her brother again. It was only a small step toward repairing the relationship she had with her family, but at least it was something.

Baby steps, right?

Updated: 11/11/15