Disclaimer - I only own InuYasha in my dreams. And the sad thing is, I don't dream that often. I usually have dreamless sleeps, so I rarely own InuYasha. :(

AN: Thanks for all the reviews and alerts I received! I hope you enjoy this chapter too! EDIT: This chapter was revised on June 5, 2010.

Chapter Two.

As Miroku avoided a low-hanging branch, he caught sight of the clear waters of the hot springs he had stumbled upon earlier that day. He winced mentally, still able to feel the sting of the slap he had received from accidentally catching sight of the girls.

The moonlight was reflecting brightly on the waters as he approached the springs, brushing back the last sharp branches of the surrounding trees. He instantly picked up the sounds of restrained cries.

Miroku caught sight of Kagome sitting dejectedly on a smooth, glistening gray rock next to the springs. In the dim lighting of the moon, he could see the tear streaks on her face, shining brightly from the light hitting her. "Kagome," he called gently, knowing better than to startle the girl at this very moment.

She gave no sign that she had heard him.

The monk released a small sigh before climbing up the rocks to join Kagome, sitting on the rock beside her. For a few minutes of awkward silence, he sat staring into the eerie, dark forest in front of him. "It's a nice night, isn't it?" he said offhandedly, figuring that was the best way to start an uncomfortable conversation.

He had to strain to hear Kagome's response. "I'm so stupid," she announced, her voice wavering. She hid her head in her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs as though to shield herself from the world. "I'm just so stupid!"

"Sometimes," agreed Miroku cheerfully. "But...we're all stupid sometimes. It's human nature to be stupid. And to flirt with cute girls. And to have bad moods. I have bad moods, you have bad moods...actually, now that I think about it, even demons have bad moods, and technically, they're not human. Even animals have bad moods. So, it's the way of life to have a bad mood every once in awhile."

"What does that matter?" demanded Kagome, her voice muffled. "Just because I was in a bad mood gives me absolutely no right to hurt my friends. I can't go off saying things like that...you don't deserve that and Inuyasha didn't deserve it. I'm a complete and utter idiot for saying that. I...I just hate myself. Inuyasha will never forgive me...and I don't blame him."

"You're right," said Miroku evenly. "It didn't give you the right to say something like that. "But," he added thoughtfully, "you did say it, so there is no turning back now. You're just going to have to face what you did and take the consequences without complaint."

Kagome raised her head and glared at Miroku, her eyes still watery. "Did Sango send you here to comfort me or to make me feel even worse than I already did?"

"Look Kagome," Miroku began, shifting his stance so he was facing her directly. "All I'm trying to say here, is that there is no point just sitting here sulking about the fact that you insulted Inuyasha in probably the worst possible way you would ever be able to think of. Just wait," he said, holding his hand up to stop her from speaking as she opened her mouth, an indignant look on her face. "Listen, okay?" Kagome narrowed her eyes, but nodded reluctantly, resting her chin on her knees. Miroku continued, "Inuyasha really likes you, you know that right? A lot...maybe even more than just as a friend. This hurt him really badly, but my point is...he knows you well enough that no matter how deeply he's hurt, his subconscious will tell him that you would never intentionally hurt him like that. It was a mistake. You feel guilty and pretty awful about it. You can't take back what you said - no matter how much you want to - but even though it will take a long time, he will eventually forgive you. Kinda like how he did with...er, forgive my example, but he'll forgive you like he did with Kikyo. Trust me."

Kagome sat still, not a word escaping her lips as she looked blankly in front of her, not responding to Miroku's heartfelt speech. But she finally raised her eyes so she could meet the monk's amethyst ones. Her lips curled into a thin, bitter smile. "Thanks Miroku," she whispered. "I'm not sure that you're right - about Inuyasha forgiving me - but I'll talk to him. Maybe he'll...be able to forgive me."

"Don't expect too much, Kagome," warned Miroku, suddenly feeling like he would be blamed if everything did not go well. "You know how Inuyasha gets (stubborn, narrow-minded, refusing to listen to others) but I'm, uh, pretty certain he'll come around. Eventually. Don't be disappointed if he doesn't forgive you right away."

"I will be disappointed," stated Kagome, her voice leaving no room for doubt. "But I won't be surprised. I don't expect him to forgive me right away. I don't deserve him to forgive me right away, not after what I said to him. I know it'll probably take awhile, but hopefully - one day - things will be back to normal."

Miroku gave her a genuine grin. "I'm sure it will," he said reassuringly.

Kagome stretched her arms out behind her. "Thank you, Miroku," she said again. "I really do appreciate it."

Miroku flashed her his award-winning smile that made hundreds of girls swoon (according to him, anyway) as he stood up. "Right then!" he exclaimed, his voice abandoning the uncharacteristic solemnness. "If we're done here, let's head back to camp. Shippo's tending the fire by himself, so we might not have a camp to return to if we let him stay in charge of that for long. We probably wouldn't even have a forest for that matter. Kirara's much more talented at setting objects on fire rather than putting fires out."

"You're right," said Kagome as she stood up and brushed herself off. She flipping her hair behind her shoulders as she leaped off the rock. "And the instant we make sure the camp's safe, I'll go find Inuyasha and talk to him. Maybe he'll come back to camp tonight if he listens to me. C'mon, Miroku! Let's go." She started off in the direction of the camp, not waiting for Miroku as he jumped off the rock to follow her.

She paused suddenly as a familiar feeling rushed through her.

"Kagome, did you sense that too?" asked Miroku from behind her. His eyes were worried as he frowned, already looking urgently for the source of the feeling.

"Yes," replied Kagome slowly, turning around with alarm evident in her eyes. "An extremely powerful demonic aura. And it feels very close!


Sango glared at her sleeve as a small rip appeared, caused by a sharp branch that looked more like a lance than an innocent stick of wood. She had been scouring the forest for the past ten minutes in search of the evasive half-demon. "Inuyasha!" she yelled to the deceptively empty forest. "Get over here! I know you're out there! I just want to talk!" She cocked her head, listening for a reply. "I'm not stupid!" she called out after receiving no answer. "I know you can hear me!"

She resumed her search, walking now as she knew she was closer to her friend than earlier. The wind was whistling loudly through the trees, causing some leaves to fall, several landing on Sango. She irritably blew one off her shoulder as she whisked the ones stuck in her brown hair away.

Sango sighed, her temper rising at the stillness around her. "Inuyasha! I know that you're out there, okay? I know that you're hurt and angry, but I just want to talk to you. Sulking isn't going to get us anywhere, so just say something! C'mon!"

Sango released a weary breath as she collapsed against a tree, sliding down to the soft ground. "Look, Inuyasha," she said, not certain that he was near enough to hear her or not. "I know what Kagome said was wrong...and hurtful. And I know that it's not something you can forgive easily. But you know that Kagome would never purposefully hurt you, right? We're just human, Inuyasha. We say stupid, idiotic, thoughtless things when we're angry. Things that we normally don't say..." she paused, surveying the trees and foliage around her, searching for a sign of the half-demon. "...things we don't mean."

There was still no sound as Sango bowed her head, laughing slightly. "You know that, don't you, Inuyasha? We don't consider you a-a half-breed. We think of you as our friend. A friend who we can't imagine traveling without, not just because we'd be dead without you there to save us all the time, but because you help us through the day by being your normal, idiotic, short-tempered exasperating self." Sango smiled, remembering that morning's difficulties. "Even when we get mad at each other, we still always appreciate that each of us are still there. Still alive, still together. I never really realized it before, but everyone in our group as their own place. We have a routine, you know? Without Miroku there, we probably wouldn't get in as much trouble in the towns...but we'd have a lot more difficulty finding nice houses and food and someone to take our anger out on. Shippo is the little kid who makes us that much more responsible, but who also reminds us to have fun sometimes. Can you imagine traveling without Kagome? She cooks, she cleans, she heals, she fights. She holds us together really well. Without me..." Sango shrugged. "Well, I have no idea what I do except for burn food and fight battles, but without Kirara you'd have more trouble traveling."

Sango scanned the area, wondering if her speech was actually being heard. "You know, Inuyasha, without you...there wouldn't be a group. Kagome holds us together, but you keep us together in a much different way. I don't even know what it is but..." Sango bit her lip, chewing thoughtfully. "Kagome really cares for you - all of us do. She made a mistake, and she knows it, and I speak with utter confidence that she feels worse than she ever has before."

Sango leaned her head back, staring up towards the blocked sky, reflecting on her words. It really was true, she thought. About everything she had said. And - hopefully - Inuyasha had heard it.

She probably wouldn't be able to do a repeat of the speech.

Suddenly, Sango stiffened, shooting off the ground, her shoulders tense and her eyes wary as she stood still. A powerful demonic aura had just been felt nearby...and it was getting closer. Sango instantly started running, but before she had moved even a couple of feet, a faint cry rang out through the forest.

She immediately quickened her pace, heading directly towards the camp. As she flew through the greenery, she detected a flash of red among the trees not far away. She felt a huge load lift off her chest.

Inuyasha had heard her after all.

As she headed back to the camp to grab her weapon, she prayed that what she had said would be enough. What Kagome had said really affected Inuyasha, and if he left the journey would probably come to an end. Sango tried to force the thought out of her head. This group was her family now after her own had been slaughtered and her worst nightmare was losing this one as well.

If Inuyasha left, so would Kagome.

Sango couldn't imagine what would happen if they were both gone.


Roses are red, violets are blue, if you liked my story, then please review! (You know you want to!)