Summary- Sango Tacchi has always had a tough life. It's normal for her. When the normal pressure starts to get harder, will she handle herself any differently than before? The next problem is keeping her best friend from realizing her methods of coping... Warning, I used song lyrics!

I own all the poems at the beginning of the chapters. Those are my mind's rotten creations.

Song- Iris (Goo Goo Dolls)

I'm excited about this chapter... It should be good. If not, then shoot me... WAIT! DON'T SHOOT ME! I SWEAR HE WAS DEAD BEFORE I STABBED HIM!

Wow. That was random.

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About to Break
Chapter Four- Victimized

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Worried as hell
'Cause she's bound in a cell
There's only one way free;
You must defeat her deadly enemy
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Sango was at the table, eating silently. Inuyasha had started getting more and more short-tempered around her recently. Sango watched him get up then he walked towards the bathroom.

"Use mine, because that one broke." She told him. Inuyasha nodded then walked into her room. Sango sighed then began to take everyone's dishes and clean them. In the middle of washing the second plate, Inuyasha came next to her. She looked at him as he took the dish from her.

"I'll do it. Go hang out with them. I'm also sorry for getting mad at you earlier." Inuyasha said. Sango smiled then left to see her friends.

Sango had finally gone to sleep at midnight. She woke up with a lovely realization. Today was a Saturday. She didn't have to go to school. As Sango sat up, she listened for noises. There were none. That was strange, since her father was usually up early. Then again, he got home last night. He was probably trying to recover from jet lag, as he called it. Sango slowly sat up and began to leave her room. After breakfast, she'd get ready for the rest of the day to come.

And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you'd feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now

Just as Sango stepped out, her cell phone rang. She grumbled then went back inside and picked it up.

"Who the hell are you to be calling me at this hour?" Sango snapped into the phone. It was too early for anyone to be awake and calling her. They should have known that she wasn't usually awake at this hour.

"Geez, sorrrry!" Kagome replied. Sango smiled then sat down on her bed and took her phone off of the charger.

"Sorry, Kagome. You know that I'm normally asleep right now, why'd you call?" Sango asked curiously.

"Because Kouga firmly believes that clocks are evil. He was reluctant just to get a phone." Kagome muttered. Sango could hear Kouga's ranting in the background, and she smiled.

"So, why'd you call?" Sango questioned. "Oh, just so you know, it's 9:30." She smiled at her own retarded thoughtfulness.

"Well, I've called Inuyasha and Miroku about this already. But, I was thinking that we could go to the mall around one or two." She said.

"Two. Is Kouga coming?" Sango questioned.

"Of course. I couldn't leave him here alone!" More of Kouga's ranting came from Kagome's end of the phone.

"Alright, I'll see ya there." Sango said.

"Okay, bye, Sango!"

"Wait!"

"Huh? Wha?" Kagome asked.

"Did you and Kouga have some good fun last night?" Sango asked.

"Shut up..." Kagome's voice suddenly turned into a whisper. "I'll tell you later." Sango smiled as she heard Kouga's angry shouts then she hung up. Sango began to leave her room, but stopped. She grabbed her cell phone, put it in her pocket, and then left to discover breakfast.

Sango ate quickly, and then went up to check on her father. He wasn't there, which disturbed her. He said that he intended to be back by Saturday, didn't he? Perhaps she had just misheard him. That must've been it. If he made a promise, he would never break it. Even if it was a half-promise, he wouldn't have mentioned it if there was a chance it couldn't happen.

Sango checked his room and everything was there. He hadn't come home and left to work. She went back to her room and brushed her teeth. She took her shower, humming words to a song she wasn't familiar with. As she was pulling on her clothes, she heard the phone ring.

"Damn it! Is everyone trying to ruin my morning?" She asked herself. She went downstairs and picked up the house phone.

"Tacchi residence." She answered. The only people that called the home phone were dad's business people.

"May I speak to the person in charge, please?" A deep voice on the other line asked.

"I am in charge while Mr. Tacchi is away. Do you need to leave him a message?" She asked. She got a pen out and waited for her father's message.

"Are you," There was a long pause, and Sango almost hung up. "Ms. Sango Tacchi?" The man asked.

"Yes, I am. May I ask who is calling?" She questioned as she held the pen poised above the paper.

"I'm afraid that I will have to be the bearer of bad news..." Sango's mind shut off for a moment. Bad news? What was he talking about? "Your father died."

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
And sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight

Sango instantly dropped the phone and the pen. She stared at the phone for a while before picking it up. She cleared her throat and tried to compose herself.

"Pardon?" She asked, trying to be as polite as she could.

"Mr. Tacchi was the victim of a homicide last night. He was several hundred miles from home..." Sango shook her head, smiling.

"Daddy was on a business trip. He just needed to reason with a client who didn't want to pay him. He's not dead. He can defend himself, too. You're a horrible liar, you know." Sango said. Even as the words came out, they shook. Her father was alive; this man was just lying.

"I'm going to get some police over there so you can tell them what you know. Perhaps you can help them find the killer." The man said. He hung up and Sango placed the phone down.

"Sister?" Kohaku asked. Sango looked up at her brother, not sure if she should tell him the news or not. He needed to know it, but she didn't want to tell him. She'd have to, if she expected him to understand why the police were about to come over.

"Kohaku... Dad... Dad is dead. Someone killed him." Sango finally managed to tell him. Kohaku's eyes grew wide then he started smiling.

"That's a good one, sister. But I was awake for a while, so I know what you're doing." He said triumphantly.

"I'm not kidding, Kohaku." There was a distinct coldness in Sango's voice that caused Kohaku's smile to drop. "Dad was killed on his business trip." She said. Kohaku ran down to his sister then hugged her.

"Sango... What will happen to us?" He asked scaredly.

"Don't worry; I'll take care of you."

"I don't want to go to a foster home and be put up for adoption." He cried into her hip.

"I told you, Kohaku, I'll take care of you. I'll convince the courts that I can do it." Sango told her brother. Kohaku nodded his head then Sango kissed him.

"Let me go take you out for ice cream. I have to hang out with my friends at two, but I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?" Sango asked. Kohaku shook his head then let go of his sister.

"I'm going to go out with my own friends today. No offense, but they'll help me feel better." He told her quietly.

"No problem. I'll be back as soon as I can, though. You're getting a ride both ways, I assume since you didn't tell me sooner." She began to go to her room.

"Yah. Love you, Sango." With that, Kohaku ran out the door. Sango went into her room and collapsed on her bed. She began to cry and pulled her pillow close to her.

She hadn't even been able to tell her father goodbye. She wasn't able to tell him how much she loved him and how much respect she had. He had raised two kids on his own, even though his job demanded almost all his time. He had done such an awesome job, and she didn't get the chance to let him know that. She would never be able to tell him how much he had done for her.

Sango reached for her knife and then glanced down at her outfit. Her arms were bare. The only place she could cut without it being noticed already had cuts on it. Sango pulled up the bottom of her shirt and took a deep breath.

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive

Sango dragged the knife across her stomach. It went from one side all the way to the other side. She would have to be careful with how much she ate. She didn't want to stress the skin. Sango lowered her shirt then put the knife back in its drawer.

Sango took a step towards her door and winced. She'd have to be careful with walking, too. She could handle it, though. She wasn't a girly-girl who cried when they broke a nail. She grabbed her keys then went downstairs. She got in her car and drove to the mall. Tears ran down her face as she tried to keep her speed in the two-digit range. She parked in a spot then went inside.

Sango was so upset again that she didn't notice the pain in her stomach. She didn't notice the feel of liquid dribbling down her stomach and to her jeans. She didn't notice that her black shirt was absorbing as much blood as it could. She sat down in the food court and covered her eyes.

She cried for twenty minutes before pulling out her cell phone. Just as she was checking the time, someone stepped between her and the lights. She looked up to see Inuyasha. He looked worried or angry; she couldn't tell.

"What happened?" He asked. From his tone, he couldn't smell her blood. Sango shifted in her seat, thankful that the scent of her tears blocked Inuyasha from smelling her blood.

"I'll tell you when everyone else is here." She mumbled. Inuyasha nodded then pulled out his wallet.

"Kagome said to tell you that they'd be a bit late and that you'd know why. Something about last night..." Inuyasha muttered. Sango began to giggle, but stopped when the pain hit her cut.

"She's picking up Kouga, too." He added. He probably didn't know that Kagome had spent the night with Kouga.

"Alright." Sango muttered. She suddenly remembered the police, and started hoping that they would get there when she was gone. She really wasn't interested in dealing with reality any more than she had to.

"Want me to get you something to eat?" Inuyasha offered. She nodded her head then looked at her hands. They were soaked in her own tears.

"Fries and a shake?" She requested. Inuyasha smiled then nodded his head.

"Alright. I'm so damn glad that you aren't worried about your weight like Kagome. Makes me less worried." He said. Sango watched him walk off and then shook her head. It was funny since he had thought something different last night.

Last night, her father was still alive. He was trying to get money from a client so he'd be able to feed Sango and Kohaku one more day. So he'd be able to keep a roof over their heads just a little longer. So he'd be able to come home and see them again. But, that wouldn't happen anymore.

Inuyasha came back with her food and drink, but Sango was crying too hard to eat at that point. Inuyasha ate one and then rubbed her head.

"Please, tell me what's wrong, Sango. It tears me apart to see my best friend crying." He pleaded. She shook her head then reached for the shake. It was chocolate. Chocolate cured all problems, every girl knew that. Boys would never understand, though.

"What made you get chocolate when you know I like strawberry?" She questioned quietly.

"Every time a girl is upset, I try to help them. It never works until they have chocolate. I heard Kagome once say that chocolate can cure all a girl's problems." He replied. Sango smiled then took a sip.

"Thanks, Inuyasha. You don't know how much this means to me." Sango said.

"You can't be upset." He muttered. Sango nodded. That was truer than Inuyasha realized. If she couldn't stand on her won two feet, then the courts wouldn't let her take care of Kohaku. This wasn't the time to be having problems. She would have to shape up or watch her brother leave her too.

She couldn't, though. After losing her mother, then her father, there was no way she would be able to withstand her brother leaving. She would kill herself if the last person in her life were to leave. Even if he didn't do it willingly, like their mother, she would just be torn by his absence.

Sango looked up just as everyone else came. Kagome had a wide smile on until she saw Sango's tear-stained face.

"What happened?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha and her expression grew hard. "What did you do to her?" She snapped.

"Nothing!" Inuyasha cried. Kagome continued to glare at him until Sango shook her head.

"No, Kagome, it's nothing he did. Since you're all here, I can tell you what happened..." Sango took a deep breath then slowly let it out. Everyone watched with worry on their faces. Even Kouga was concerned. He didn't know Sango very well, but he did know that she was strong.

Sango had broken her arm once on a trampoline. She fell off and broke her arm in four places. Everyone had seen it, and she hadn't said anything other than 'ow'. She was very strong, so they were all instantly worried when she was crying. Not just a little, but a lot.

"Well, spit it out already." Kouga growled. Kagome glared at him then he gave her an apologetic look. She turned her head back to look at Sango.

"My father was murdered last night. They don't know who did it. My brother may be taken away from me, if I can't prove to the court that I can support him and myself while I go to school." Sango told them.

Shocked gasps emitted from everyone. Inuyasha dropped the fry that he had been eating, Kouga's grasp on Kagome's waist fell, Kagome covered her mouth, and Miroku looked down. Everyone had known that Sango's father was an excellent fighter; that was how he made his living. To hear that someone murdered him was shocking for everyone to hear.

Inuyasha got out of his chair and hugged Sango. He hadn't hugged a girl since Kikyou dumped him, but the time seemed to call for it. Sango grasped the sleeves of his gray jacket and cried into his chest. Inuyasha stroked her back then looked up to the rest of the friends. Kagome was crying and Kouga looked shocked. Miroku was trying to figure out how that could have happened, since he had even seen her father fight. It would have taken a lot of strength to hurt him. He, along with everyone else, knew that the murderer did it on purpose. Her father was targeted.

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Next time on About to Break...
Sure, Sango has always been the responsible one. Now she doubts her abilities. She's a junior in high school, so she has to learn to do things on her own soon. With a little convincing to the court, she's allowed to live with her brother. Keeping up with life won't be fun, though.
Chapter Name: Struggling
Reviews Required: 40

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This chapter was much more interesting in my opinion. What do you think?

- Bipolar Tangerine