'Did anyone see last night? It snowed!' Miroku said, looking around the group as they departed the next morning.

Miroku was obviously the most chipper of the group, his mood contrasting greatly to the serious weather of the morning, his feet planted carefully as he stood on an icy patch of the road.

'Obviously,' InuYasha said, looking around at the white snow that clung to the ground, his hands in the sleeves of his finally re-aquired haori.

The snow was only a few inches deep, and was already starting to melt again, but it had done its damage to the temperature of the frosty morning, the group could still see their breaths.

They were heading along an obviously well used road on the outskirts of the village, moving on in the chill morning air, and InuYasha was getting irritated at Kagome's concerned (albeit not entirely incorrect) glances at his bare feet on the frozen ground that was occasionally slick with ice.

'That doesn't surprise me in the slightest,' Kagome said, rubbing at the sleep in one eye a little.

Kagome had pulled her fingers into her sleeves of her jacket, smiling slightly over who it reminded her of, but her sleeves weren't as roomy, or warm as his. She could not shake the strangest dream she had had that previous night, one of herself and InuYasha tucked up in bed together like an old married couple, yet she had enjoyed it, so she was glad of the clarity of her memories of it. She did, strangely enough, keep getting curious glances from the hanyou in question, however.

'I think I remember seeing it snow,' Sango muttered, looking exactly like she had a splitting headache.

Her hair was messy, the air around her was brooding, and she had dark circles under her eyes, like she did not sleep well at all.

'I saw it!' Shippou said.

Shippou's usual bright mood was near on to Miroku's that morning, and he had the last of a snack stuffed in his mouth, chewing happily.

'Good, I'm glad I wasn't the only one.' Miroku said cheerfully.

Sango looked at him darkly. 'How can you stand to be so happy?'

'Because, my love, I can hold my drink better than you.'

Sango turned red, gripping the strap of Hiraikotsu a little tighter across her shoulder. '"My love"? That's a new one.'

Miroku hesitated slightly, then smiled. 'Why thank you. I thought it up all on my own.'

Kagome and InuYasha exchanged a dry glance, then turned deep red and looked away.

Miroku then sidled up to InuYasha, who had the nervous grin of one who had just gained a victory when they had been expecting defeat. 'I heard something interesting in passing from some servants.' He said lightly in an undertone.

'Oh really.' InuYasha said in an unimpressed tone.

'That a strange person wearing the same clothes as that of one of the guests, yet was clearly not, had fallen in the lake.'

'So?'

'Well unless someone had stolen Kagome's clothes while no one was looking, my next guess would be that that was you.'

'What's your point?'

'Nothing, nothing, I was just curious as to what you were doing down by the lake, and what could have caused you to fall in?'

InuYasha looked away, looking uncomfortable.

'Also, just as a side note, I also heard this person was labelled as "the priestess one's fiancée". Care to elaborate?' Miroku's grin was not unlike a chesire cat.

'Not really. Shut up, Miroku.'

Miroku wiggled his eyebrows at him.

'I said; shut up!' InuYasha threatened a fist.

'I did not say a word, InuYasha, did not say a word.' Miroku stood back, raising his hands in a surrender.

'Well, no one's asking you to.' InuYasha said darkly.

Sango seemed to catch on to what was being said, and stepped over to Kagome. 'What's this?'

'I agree, Sango, what's this? You look a little hung over.'

'Hung over?'

'You know, the morning after drinking when you feel utterly terrible?'

Sango just didn't look like she had the energy nor willpower to lie. 'You got me.'

'What were you drinking for?'

'It was cold.'

'Yes, I noticed that.'

Sango looked at her. 'Where were you all night? I didn't see you at all! I don't think.' She amended, pressing at her temples.

'I was, around the place. What do you mean, you don't think? Don't you remember?'

'What do you mean, around the place? I hope you weren't outside in the cold. And no, I don't remember quite a lot of last night.'

Miroku, InuYasha and Shippou were all keenly listening in on this conversation as subtly as they could, and getting their heads turned around for their trouble.

'I was, actually, but only for some of it. Why were you drinking, Sango? You never seemed the type for it.'

'What on earth were you doing, then? It was about what Ta-chan said to me. She knows how to hit the nail on the head, right?'

'Absolutely.' Kagome responded quickly. 'I went for a walk, and InuYasha fell in the lake. Ta-chan had a rather uncanny prediction nestled in with her reading, didn't she?'

Sango shivered slightly. 'It was just a little scary.' She rounded on InuYasha. 'What were you doing in the lake?' She looked back at Kagome. 'Was he with you?'

InuYasha raised his hands in a surrender. 'Nope, I'm staying out of this.'

'So you were drinking with Miroku?' Kagome frowned. 'That's either the best or the worst possible situation. And yeah,' she admitted, 'he was,' she glanced back at him, then back at Sango, turning a flaming red.

'It's the worst, because I can't remember.' She stepped a bit closer, so the guys, well, Miroku at least, couldn't hear. 'Did he really, ask you,'

'That is concerning.' Kagome turned another shade of red. 'n-no,' she said in a completely inconvincing tone, then hung her head. 'Well, sort of,'

InuYasha, behind them, had suddenly found his toenails to be incredibly facinating.

Shippou just shook his head. 'Girl's conversations are insanely complicated.'

'You're telling me.' Miroku responded, grinning slightly.

Hey all! An aftermath to the interesting night, wouldn't you agree?

Anyway, this is the last chapter on this little arc, next time we'll jump straight into the next arc, and it's much bigger :3

Thanks to Nycorall and PinkRose16 for their reviews.

Please review!