A/N: Thank you to my perfectly brilliant beta, Evervescent, for helping to revamp this story. She is simply beautiful.

For Brittany.

Keeping Strong
Chapter 11: Never A Father

An entire week had passed since Sango had returned to her mother's home. She continued to keep in touch with her friends, but reluctantly was unable to see them as she used to. Ryota watched her like a hawk when she was on the phone. Not to mention, now that school was out for the summer, she spent most of her free time picking up extra shifts at the café.

Due to her mother voicing her opinion of Sango living with two guys, Ryota made sure that she was only in contact with Kagome. At first, it had aggravated her to no end. She was seventeen, for Pete's sake. She was not a child anymore. However, she was not about to argue with him about it. There were more important things to be concerned with.

Like Kohaku's disappearance. A few nights prior, she had found him in his room and had begged him to stay the night. He obliged, but by the time she had awoken the next morning, his window was open and his suitcase was gone. That could only mean he had snuck out sometime during the early hours of the day.

Truth be told, she didn't mind that he came and went during the times he deemed necessary. After all, she had left him to deal with their broken family on his own. It must not have been easy for him and she wanted to give him some space to deal with it.

However, what did bother her was the fact that he didn't even try to get in touch with her in the days since. It absolutely broke her heart. Was she that horrible of a sister? Did he hate her that much? She had come home after a two-month separation. The least he could do was ease her worries, but she hadn't seen or heard from him. The only thing that came to mind was blaming her mother and her stepfather for the boy's distance. Obviously the home life they gave him hadn't been the best since she had been gone, pushing him further away.

Sango exhaled deeply and shook her head at the thought as she gazed listlessly out Kohaku's window. She didn't really expect to repair all of the damage done between the two siblings overnight, but still. It hurt that he left without saying goodbye or letting her know where he would be staying. Was Kohaku still upset with her and didn't want her to know his whereabouts? Maybe even he didn't know.

Whatever the case, her brother was gone now, and there was very little she could do about it. She didn't even know where to begin looking. Sniffling back her tears, she quietly slipped from his bedroom. Her mother's door was still closed and the soft snores coming from within proved that Ryota was still sleeping. He worked twelve-hour night shifts, so it was no wonder he would sleep through most of the morning.

She took a quick shower and grabbed her work uniform to throw in the wash, but paused as a growl from her stomach interrupted her. "Huh," she mumbled, gnawing on the inside of her cheek. She placed a hand over her slightly protruding belly and tried to think back to the last time she had a decent meal. She hadn't really eaten anything the night before, which was obviously not healthy for the baby.

This was not good. Abandoning her laundry task, Sango crept down the stairs. Not only was she not eating well, but she was forgetting to eat. She was pregnant! She had to do better than this, for her sake as well as the baby's. If she couldn't even feed herself, how was she expected to take care of a child once she gave birth?

Within a few minutes, she had a pot of water boiling and a box of ramen set out on the counter. She was craving for something with more substance, but unfortunately, that was all her mother had stocked in the kitchen. The doorbell sounded then, startling her from her thinking. Her eyes searched the house wearily. For as long as she could remember, there were very few visitors that came to their doorstep. When there was, it was either a salesman or a debt collector, each of which the door was left closed.

"Mom?" Sango called out, wondering if she should greet whomever was at the door. When there was no response, she assumed her mother was still sleeping.

Sighing, she quietly shuffled over to the window and peered through the curtains. Her vision was skewed by the fabric, but the person standing outside wasn't wearing any type of business suit, indicating he wasn't there to collect money or sell something.

Making up her mind, she slowly opened the door. "Yes?" she greeted, barely paying attention to the boy beyond.

He grinned, his curled locks of dark brown hair falling softly around his face. "Hey, Sango," he addressed effortlessly.

Her eyes widened with surprise and the door slowly fell open completely as she stared. Her jaw went slack. "Ku-Kuranosuke?" she breathed, trying to process the fact that her ex-boyfriend, the father of her child, was standing on her doorstep. She swallowed thickly. Never in a million years did she expect to see him smiling at her again, let alone at her own home. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

He shoved his hands into his jeans and gave her one of his famous smiles. "I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by. Are you going to invite me in?"

Sango, against her better judgment, silently moved aside to let him by, watching him closely as he surveyed the house. He had been over a few times during the course of their relationship, but they had stayed mostly in Sango's bedroom when her mother and Ryota were away. She could clearly recall the intimate moments they exchanged, which resulted in the small life forming inside of her.

"So, what have you been up to?" Kuranosuke asked, making himself at home by plopping down on the living room couch and letting his arms hang across the back.

"Not much," she replied. Her mouth had suddenly gone dry and she was in desperate need for a glass of water. She ignored her thirst and sat down beside him, folding her hands in her lap as she eyed him curiously. "You?"

He let his eyes roam the room before falling upon her face once more. "You shouldn't lie, Sango," he said with a sigh, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Are you pregnant?"

A heated blush reached into her cheeks, a bit flabbergasted at how forward he was about the situation. "Uh…" she replied intelligently, ringing her hands nervously as she fumbled for a response. "Yeah." It seemed as if she was at a loss for words. Her baby's father had suddenly walked into her life again. What was she supposed to say to him?

"How far along are you?" he continued to interrogate. The smile had left his face, replaced by a frown.

She furrowed her brows, having a feeling where he was going with this. "About fifteen weeks."

Kuranosuke's eyes went skyward for a moment as he calculated the math in his head. "So I'd say that would be around two weeks before we broke up, right?" All she could do was nod. "In that case, either you were cheating on me at the time, or you're carrying my baby."

Sango's blood ran cold. She couldn't lie to him because even he knew how deeply in love she had been with him. Unfaithfulness was not in her vocabulary. But there were so many questions that raced through her mind. How was it that he had dropped by only a week after her return? Why now and not earlier? She glanced over him warily, skeptical of his true intentions.

"Don't lie to me," he said, noticing her lack of words. "That's my child."

She placed a protective hand over her stomach. "Your point? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do recall you leaving me for another girl. Why would you come back after all this time?"

He shrugged. "Rumor was that you were carrying my kid. Decided to come see for myself."

She frowned. "And?"

Pinching his brows together, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "And don't you think I would want to know if I had a kid out there?" His tone was sad. Sango almost felt guilty about keeping this a secret from him. But then the memory of their breakup came to mind and she straightened her shoulders. "The kid would grow up without a father and I would have never known he or she existed."

"What do you want?" she asked softly, bringing her gaze to him.

He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back against the couch. "After it's born, I want to have rights to it."

"Why would you want that?" she demanded. "You know just as well as I do that having a baby this young is hard. Some say it will even ruin your life. Why would you want that for yourself?"

"So why are you having the child?" he replied smoothly. "I merely want visitation rights. You can't deny me that, can you?"

A sharp retort was perched on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it. He was right. The child was his. There was nothing she could do about that. Even if he had broken her heart and abandoned her, her child deserved to know who their father was. Not to mention, Kuranosuke had every right to see his kid.

"I don't know," she finally replied, a bit skeptical of his true intentions. "I mean, you haven't exactly been there for me."

"Look, Sango," he began, his voice soft but strained. "I know I haven't been the best person, but believe me, it was a mistake that I ever broke up with you. I was confused about my feelings because of all the plans we made. I wasn't sure I wanted to be tied down."

"But…?" she urged, sensing there was more to the explanation.

He exhaled deeply. "But I found out I couldn't stop thinking about you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I'm ready for this, Sango. Really, I am."

Kuranosuke took her hands in his and gazed into her eyes, trying to convey all of his feelings to her. And she almost believed every word he said. She almost fell willingly back into his arms and surrendered to his every will. Almost.

An image of Miroku's smiling face flashed through her mind and she found her heart aching with need. She wanted to be with Miroku during every breath she took. How could she explain that to the man she loved months ago who was begging for forgiveness?

"I'll have to think about it," she finally replied, her shoulders sagging as she averted her gaze.

His frown deepened. "What's there to think about?" he asked accusingly. "I want to be with you again, Sango. We love each other."

"No," she responded fiercely, her eyes ablaze with anger and hurt. "I did love you, but that was before you broke my heart. I've moved on, Kuranosuke. I had to go through hell to do it, and I'm still here, fighting every day of my life, but I relinquished my feelings for you a long time ago."

Silence sat between them for a moment as her words sunk in. "Damn it," he suddenly growled, quickly standing from the couch, startling her. "What the hell are you trying to pull? Do you want our baby to suffer? Do you want to end up killing it?"

"Of course not!" she immediately shouted, appalled by his accusations. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

"Then you have to be with me. I can take care of both of you."

She narrowed her eyes and worried her bottom lip, not one-hundred percent convinced of his reasoning. "I just don't know…"

"Fine," he snapped. "When you come to your senses, you know where to find me."

Sango followed after him as he stormed toward the door. "Kuranosuke," she pleaded a final time, hoping to calm him down to have a civil conversation. "Wait…"

But it was too late. He was already out the door and heading toward his car. She quietly closed the door behind him and leaned her back against it, listening to the sound of the engine as he sped away. Slowly, she sank to the floor, biting her lip to hold back her wails of misery, as she desperately tried to keep away the tears.

Too many hours had already been wasted crying over the boy. She refused to shed anymore tears because of him. Kuranosuke had been the one to abandon her, and now suddenly he wanted her back in his life? But his reasoning didn't make any sense. He wasn't keen on the idea of helping to care or pay for his child's expenses. Rather, he only wanted to have visitation rights.

No matter how hard Sango tried to keep things level in her life, it only ended up being a rollercoaster of pain. Would she ever be able to get off? Unfortunately, she would never know the answer until the time came.

As her thoughts swam through a sea of confusion, she pressed the back of her head to the door and closed her eyes. There was only one thing she wanted to do right now, but it was impossible. However, it did not stop her heart form coming to the same conclusion.

Just. Let. Go.

-KS-

"I'm not sure," Kagome said, browsing through the magazine in front of her. "I haven't really spoken to her in a few days."

"You're her best friend. You should know something, shouldn't you?" the man on the other end of the phone challenged impatiently.

She sighed. "Miroku, why don't you just give her a call? I'm sure she's fine and simply hasn't had the chance to get in contact with me. If you want, stop by her work tomorrow."

"Why, Kagome, that is an excellent idea!" he exclaimed.

Kagome opened her mouth to tease him about his excitement, but the chiming of the door bell interrupted her. "Listen, I've got to go. I'll call you if I hear anything." Before he could reply, she had already hung up and was sprinting down the stairs.

She opened the front door to see Sango standing there with a hesitant smile. "Is this a bad time?" she asked, uncertainty in her eyes.

"Sango!" Kagome immediately threw her arms around her in an embrace, before quickly taking her hand and leading her inside. "You know full well that you can stop by anytime."

"Yeah," she replied, stepping into the foyer. She slipped off her shoes and followed Kagome into the house, keeping an eye out for the other Higurashi residents. Although she knew Kagome's mother would never overstep her bounds, the woman was far too kind, and Sango felt a sense of guilt for not confiding in her earlier.

Kagome smiled brilliantly as she led her friend up the stairs to her room. "Mama and Souta are out buying groceries and gramps is in the shed out back." Sango took note of the open magazine and face-down cell phone. "So what's going on? Is everything okay?"

Sango sat on the bed and leaned back on her elbows, narrowing her eyes at Kagome playfully. "What? Can't a friend stop by every once in a while?"

Exhaling deeply, she took a seat next to her. "I know you, Sango," she replied quietly. "You don't show up unannounced for no reason. Tell me what's wrong."

The pregnant teen tried to keep the tremble out of her lip, but failed horribly. She sat up and leaned her elbows on her knees, averting her gaze to her twiddling hands. "He came back." Her voice was so soft; it was a miracle Kagome had heard her.

She pulled her lips into a tight line and placed a hand upon hers. "What are you talking about? Who came back?"

"Kuranosuke," she managed to choke out, ignoring as tears fell down her cheeks. "He came to my house a few hours ago."

Kagome's eye brows shot up in alarm. "Why? What did he want?"

"He wants me to let him have visitation rights after the baby is born." She swallowed thickly and ran a hand through her hair frantically. "I don't know what to do, Kagome. He seemed so sincere about it, but when he sensed my uncertainty, he blew up and became so angry. Kuranosuke has the right to see his child, but I don't think it's the right thing to do." She took a deep breath before turning her gaze to her friend. "I just don't know what to do."

They stayed silent for a moment as Kagome pondered her dilemma. "Do you love him?" she asked softly.

"What? No, of course not." Sango pressed a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. "At least, not anymore."

Kagome smiled warmly and gave her a knowing look. "Then you have nothing to worry about. He abandoned both of you. You don't have any feelings toward him."

The brunette snapped her head to attention. "Yes, but how can you be so sure? How do you know that he won't come after me? Or worse, go to the police and demand rights?"

"I don't," Kagome confessed. "But I do know of a certain guy who wouldn't dare let harm come to you."

A moment passed as Sango processed her friend's words, but soon began shaking her head madly at what Kagome was implying. "I am not bringing Miroku into this. You have to promise me that you won't tell him about Kuranosuke."

Kagome sighed begrudgingly and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine," she grumbled. "I promise. But if you can't handle things and they get out of control, I'll have no choice."

Sango breathed a sigh of relief and grinned. "Thank you."

They clung to each other tightly. "I'm always here for you, Sango," Kagome mumbled into her hair. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Wiping the tears from her eyes, Sango pulled away and smiled kindly at her best friend with a nod. "Now," Kagome continued, smoothing down the brunette's hair. "Why don't we grab a late lunch? With all of the stress you've been under, I have a feeling that you haven't had much to eat, have you?"

Sango shook her head and laughed lightly.

No matter the distance between them or the heartache that befell them, they would stick together through thick and then. It was no surprise that when a problem arose in Sango's life, Kagome was right there beside her, taking half of the weight off her shoulders. Honestly, she didn't know what she would do without her.

-KS-

It was mind-numbing. The fear and anxiety that gripped her heart almost caused her to put down the phone for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. Sango curled her knees to her chest and rested her head against the backboard of her bed, staring at the offending object in her hand. She knew Kuranosuke's number by heart, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to dial. If she called him and told him how she felt, what would his reaction be?

She didn't know. That's what the problem was. Would he be sad? Angry? Perhaps upset enough to become violent? Sango worried her bottom lip and tried to ignore the fast beating of her heart as she swallowed against the lump in her throat. No one was going to make this call for her. She might as well get it over with so she could move on with her life.

Her fingers felt like lead as she pushed in the ten-digit code, connecting her phone to his. She pressed it to her ear and listened to the three rings that followed. Perhaps he wouldn't pick up. Maybe he wasn't home. Her hopes were dashed, however, as someone picked up and a masculine voice spoke over the receiver.

"Hello?" Her throat felt like it had swollen up like cotton; dry and thick with the inability to speak. "Hello?" the man said again, startling her out of her stupor.

"Kuranosuke?" she finally questioned, wringing her hand into her blanket.

A pause followed. "Sango, is that you?"

"Yeah, its me."

"Huh," he grunted on the other end. Party noises could be heard in the background. "I didn't think you'd call so soon."

She sighed. "I've come to a decision and I needed to talk to you."

"All right. Hold on for a sec." He didn't speak for several minutes as the loud music and laughter faded away. She could only assume he had gone into another room, away from the eyes of company. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Our child." Her response was quick and to the point. He waited patiently on the other end as she gathered her thoughts. "When we were dating, I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else."

"That's exactly how I feel," he persuaded a little too eagerly.

She breathed deeply. "Don't you see, Kuranosuke? That's the problem. While we were together, you were great to me. I won't deny that. But you ended up running scared. How do I know that you won't do that to us again?"

"I won't," he reasoned, almost pleading with her.

"Why should I believe you?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes. "Do you honestly think I can trust you again?"

"I love you, Sango," he said fiercely. "That will never change. Why can't you see that?"

"Because I don't love you anymore!" Her shouted words were met with silence. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before continuing in a quieter tone. "I've met someone else."

"I see," he replied softly, hurt evident in his tone. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he would understand. But her relief was too soon. "He's not the father of our child, Sango. How can you love this man that much to give up our future?"

She pulled her lips into a thin line. "We don't have a future anymore, Kuranosuke. You burned that bridge when you broke my heart. How dare you believe we still had something between us?"

"We do, Sango! Why can't you understand that? I know you still have feelings for me. The love we shared was unbreakable and I will not let another man take care of you or my child!"

It was like a blow to her heart. Kuranosuke was refusing to allow her to love another man. "You have no right to tell me what to do," she responded coolly. "I have feelings for someone else and you will not be able to change that. Besides, the things he does for me are more than you've ever done since I've known you. How can you take care of a child when you can't even care for the mother? Face it, you will never play the father-role for my baby."

Silence. And then, filled with rage, he bellowed, "How dare you?! That is rightfully my child and I will die before I let you have it all to yourself!"

Disgusted by his obsession with her child, she couldn't help but wonder why a teenage boy would want to spend his time caring for a baby when he could be out partying and flirting with other girls. Couldn't he simply lay the matter to rest and give her full responsibility?

"I'm sorry," she said, ignoring his ranting as he continued to throw a fit about her choice. "But I've got a different future in mind and you have no place there. This is goodbye, Kuranosuke. I hope you find everything you're looking for."

Without another word, she hung up the phone, closing the door on her past and looking forward to nothing but the future.

Updated: 11/28/15