On to the next! Thanks for your never ending patience. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 26 - Doubt

"Let me get this straight." Sango spoke slowly, a look of severe doubt on her face. "You want Lord Sesshomaru, the demon that has tried to kill us multiple times, to join our group?"

For what had to be the hundredth time she'd answered that question, she replied once more, "Yes."

"Are you out of your mind?" She hissed.

"Probably." She answered sardonically.

"Kagome." Miroku finally spoke up, after finally recovering from his surprise. "You should be taking this more seriously."

At this she sobered. She knew this would be a tough thing to convince them of, and she would need keep up her patience all the way to broaching the subject with him. "I'm sorry Miroku, I am. I'm just tired. Today has been an impossibly long day."

There was a silence, the first one since she had told them of her agreement with Sesshomaru. It was long and stiff, and she wanted badly to break it. But she knew there was nothing else she could say, it was up to them now.

"You've been thinking about this long before Lord Sesshomaru found himself indebted to you, haven't you?"

Leave it to Miroku to be able to notice these things. Amongst his cunning tricks and perverted ways, she sometimes forgot just how much he could perceive.

"Yeah. I've been thinking about it pretty much since the whole So'unga ordeal."

"Really?" Sango was astonished to say the least. "But, that was months ago. You've really been thinking about it that long."

"Sesshomaru has changed. I may be the only one who's noticed, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I think he can be a valuable ally."

"I've noticed." Shippo spoke up from across the campsite. "He hides it really well, but the changes are there." He held his tail in a near death grip, afraid that the others would discount his view since he was a child.

"How so?" Miroku spoke up again. Kagome was glad to see that his and Sango's expressions had changed from shock and anger to appearing more thoughtful.

"Well…" Shippo's face contorted to a look of pure concentration, and Kagome would've laughed had the conversation not been so serious. "I'd say the biggest difference is he's a lot more tolerant. I'd heard stories of him cutting people's heads off for speaking out of turn or not showing proper respect. But how many times has he let Kagome-chan live after forgetting his honorific?"

At this, Kagome could feel her face heat up in embarrassment. 'I thought we were talking about Sesshomaru. Why is he bringing me into it?'

"Then the other day, when Kagome-chan and I were playing with Rin-chan, Lord Sesshomaru saw Kagome hugging and kissing Rin. But instead of scolding her or killing her, he basically thanked her."

"It is safe to assume then, that in the past, Sesshomaru-sama would have sooner killed Kagome than be indebted to her, yes?" Miroku leaned back and contemplated all that he had heard. 'To be honest, it merely sounds as if Sesshomaru has become more tolerant of Kagome, not necessarily everyone in general. I should like to see where this leads…' "I think, Kagome, that this is a risk worth taking. I am just as ready to end our fight with Naraku. If you think this will help, then I will support your decision whole-heartedly."

Kagome couldn't hold back the sigh of relief. She had been most worried about his opinion on the matter. If he had not agreed, she knew she would have no chance of convincing everyone else. With Miroku on her side, however, it was only a matter of time before Sango succumbed as well.

She turned now to face the taijiya, anxious to see if she had changed her mind as well.

"Sango?"

"I… Are you sure about this, Kagome? Like, really sure? What if…"

"Sango, we've been over this. Yes, there will be lots of uncertainties, and things won't always go as planned. But, just think about it! Having a powerful demon fighting with us, and a taiyoukai no less! With Sesshomaru standing by our sides, there is no doubt in my mind that we will defeat Naraku."

"Miroku?" Sango turned her wide, pleading eyes to his face. "Are you sure about this?"

"No I'm not, but that's okay. I've lived with the unknown for most of my life. I've lived my entire life not knowing when this cursed tunnel will swallow me whole. But if we accept this deal, and we work with Lord Sesshomaru, there is a chance for me to finally let go of that fear. And," He reached over, grabbing her hands with his own, "there is a chance for you to finally avenge your family and your village. A chance for you to finally give Kohaku the peace he deserves. Don't you think that's worth the risk? Don't you deserve to be happy?"

He froze as Sango reached forward to touch his face, and found that she was wiping away tears he had unknowingly shed.

"Oh, Miroku." Grabbing his hand, she pulled him forward into her embrace. She leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "I'd take that risk for you to be free. You deserve to be happy just as much as I do."

Releasing the monk and shifting back to her former seat, she offered Kagome a sheepish grin. "Well, when he puts it that way, how can I say no? I'll stand with you on this as well."

"Thank you guys. I can't tell you how much this means to me. And I will do my best to make sure nothing goes too terribly wrong."

"Kagome, I don't mean to put a damper on things, put how are you going to handle… him?"

"I'm just going to say it outright. No sense in beating around the bush, you know?"

"But, Kagome. What if he hurts you again?" At Sango's statement, all eyes were on Kagome's arms. When she followed their gazes, she remembered that she had forgotten to dress the wounds. She hadn't even cleaned them, as there were still two distinct trails where the blood had run down her arms.

"If he goes too far, I will protect myself." She quickly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could feel the tears welling up and refused to let her weakness show. "I can't keep letting him do this anyways, I can't keep taking the easy way out."

"Should you need us, Kagome. We will be there to help you." There was a clear conviction in Miroku's voice. And it was a surprise in itself that Miroku had been the one to say this, as he usually made a point of staying out of conflicts. But when she looked around the campsite, she found that everyone was in agreement with what he said. Even Kirara meowed to show her acquiescence.

Her eyes shown with unshed tears, reflecting the glow of the fire. "Thanks guys. You're the best."

As everyone settled down for the night and eventually fell asleep, Kagome remained awake. It was impossible to relax when thinking about the inevitable conflict she would face when Inuyasha returned. 'Kamis above, give me the strength I need to face him.'