Sango sighed luxuriously as the wars sea-water washed over her, washing away all the slime and other nasty stuff that had caked on her. It felt good to be able to bathe again. She sighed in contentment, and leaned back into the warm sand, letting the waves break over her.
What a day… first they are traveling over sea on a giant sea serpent, then they get attacked by some other random sea monster, and then she almost got eaten… all three of which she had never thought would happen to her.
But, still… the way Miroku had looked when he thought she was dead… she didn't mind a guy thinking that way about her… even if he was a pervert. Miroku was a good man, and she knew it. It was only his little hand problem that came up every once in a while that was a problem. Oh well! There was no such thing as a perfect man… so women just had to make up for it by being extra perfect.
"Hey, Syldra?" She asked, glancing over at the loop of the serpent that blocked her view of the fire… and hopefully, Miroku's view of her.
"Yes?" The serpent hissed back.
"Have you ever fallen in love?" She asked, curious.
"I have a dozen hatchlings…" Syldra started to list. "They are all wonderful… except for Scylla and Charibdas… they always were the black sheep…"
Sango thought for a moment. "What's it like to be in love?" She asked.
"I think you know that already." Syldra said with a light chuckle.
"Well, with women, it's all different, so you just have to find out for yourself…" Syldra said sagely. "Trust me. You'll know when the time comes."
Sango nodded. "What about guys… how can you tell when they love you…"
"Well." She said, "For humans, there are three basic types of guys. The most common is easy to explain. When they see the girl the love, their heart starts to beat faster, causing it dislodge and drop into the stomach. This causes some of the digestive gunk to splash up into the brain cavity, thereby shorting out the verbal nerves in the brain."
Sango looked at her, totally lost. "Meaning?" She asked.
The serpent flashed a toothy grin. "The guy babbles constantly until you either leave, or he passes out."
Sango had to stifle a giggle. "And the other two types?" She asked.
Syldra laughed. "The second, just skips the babbling phase, and passes strait out." Another giggle had to be stifled. "And the last simply gropes incessantly."
Sango's eyes widened and she put a hand to her mouth. "Oh."
Syldra put her face right down close to Sango. "And from the looks of things, he's just about as nice as the gropers come…"
Sango blushed suddenly, and suddenly became very preoccupied with scrubbing herself.
The serpent simply laughed, and went back to casually looking aver at the fire.
Do I love him? Sango asked herself silently.
~~
InuYasha stalked back towards the clearing, a large pack on his shoulders. Why did they have to make these clothes so heavy?
Growling slightly, he stalked into the campsite. Everyone was asleep already. Miroku was lying next to the fire, and surprisingly, Sango lay within five feet of him, her hair still beaded with sea water from her bath.
InuYasha grinned slightly. It was funny to watch the romance between that pair. Then his eyes traced over to Shippo, lying peacefully at Kagome's side. "Sorry, little guy." He said, carefully moving him over to Sango. "I know you like her, but this is a two person trip."
With that, very carefully, he lifted Kagome in his arms, and began to walk.
"Hmmm." Kagome murmured, snuggling deeper into his arms in sleep. The hanyou smiled down at the young girl. She seemed like a little angel, when she slept. But InuYasha knew better. His body still ached from when she had "Sat" him earlier this morning. She could be so sensitive and unreasonable sometimes, and he could swear that she was more hard headed than him when she wanted to be! Oh, well. He would just have to live with it…
That was another thing… she had become so much a part of his life that he wasn't sure what they would do after she finished. Surely, she would want to go home, and finish with all that school stuff that she always complained about, and Miroku and Sango would probably run off somewhere. Where did that leave him?
He could go and look for Kikyo… but that left a bad taste in his mouth… but why? He loved Kikyo… didn't he?
InuYasha shook his head. Best not to think about stuff like that!
With that, he plunged deeper into the forest, jogging slightly.
~~
"Where's Kagome!?" Shippo's voice screamed, jarring Miroku out of a very pleasant dream starring a certain demon hunter. Had Miroku decided to open his eyes before sitting up, he would have seen Sango, waking up right next to him, a sight he had longed after for years.
"What's going on." He asked.
"Kagome's gone!" Shippo said, half crying. "And InuYasha is too!"
Miroku sighed. "Good." He said, much to the kitsune's dismay. "I would be worried if InuYasha hadn't gotten her yet."
"What do you mean?" Shippo demanded. "What's going on?"
"InuYasha is taking Kagome through Shinjuku by himself." Miroku explained. "We would just get in his way."
Shippo stared at him. "What?" He demanded.
"We will go a different way, and look for Vadise in a different section of the island." He explained calmly. "This way, there is much less risk to Kagome, and we have a much better chance of finding Vadise."
Shippo, however, wasn't listening. "How could she leave without me?" He demanded of no-one in particular. "She needs me! What will she do without me? She can't survive without me!"
Sango, no totally awake, and having heard the plan, grabbed the little kitsune by the scruff of his neck. "She'll survive a lot better with you looking separately." The youkai slayer said patiently. "We have a much better chance of finding Vadise if we split up."
Shippo, as if possessed by something, suddenly reached up, and bit her thumb. "No!" He called as he hit the ground, and started running. "I'm going to Kagome!"
"Shippo, no!" Miroku called.
Suddenly, there was a flash, and a glint of metal, and Shippo disappeared, in the grasp of a long metal chain.
Sango's eyes suddenly widened. She knew that weapon! The long metal chain retracted back into the forest, and slowly, ominously, the wielder stepped out.
He was a young boy, dressed in a black and brown cat-suit like Sango's. On his side, a small Katana was sheathed into his sash, and long chain with a sickle on the end hung around one arm. His expression almost sorrowful, and above his head, he held an unconscious Shippo.
Sango's eyes widened, and a light stream of tears began to work their way down her face. "Kohaku…" She murmured.
