Chapter Thirteen: Kouga's Hat Dilemma

Sango answered the phone. She expected her voice to sound shaky, but she sounded perfectly normal and nonchalant.

"Hello? Miroku?"

'Yeah. Hey, where are you guys?'

"We're at that same spot where you and Kouga bought food. We haven't moved."

'Okay. Stay there. I'll be there in a little bit.'

Sango hung up and put her phone back in her pocket. She purposely didn't look at Kagome and Kouga, who were staring at her the whole time. She looked away.

"…So? What's happening?" Kouga asked curiously.

"He's coming." was all Sango said.

"He knows where we are?" Kagome asked.

Sango nodded.

"Well, we'd better hope he doesn't get lost like he did with you earlier." Kagome looked at Kouga.

"Hey, he was leading the way. I had nothing to do with it." Kouga threw up his hands defensively.

"Uh huh…" Kagome rolled her eyes.

'Why does she always have to be so cold to me? I try to be nice and it seems like I get no gratitude in return.' Kouga's spirits fell.

'Well, this is nice. I always say the wrong things don't I? Baka Kagome. Why do you always talk to him like he's a baby? Why can't you be like Kikyou and just act normal around your crush?'

Nearly ten minutes passed, and there was no sign of Miroku anywhere.

"Maybe he really did get lost…" Sango muttered.

"Still no sign of him?" Kouga turned around. He had been looking in one direction while Kagome and Sango searched another. Sango and Kagome both shook their heads.

"Try calling him, Sango," Kagome suggested.

"Wh-Why can't you call him?" Sango was flustered.

"Because I can't receive his calls, and he can't receive mine."

"Well, h-how about Kouga?"

"I'm the lookout. I'm the tallest here, so it's easiest for me to spot him."

Sango groaned. She reluctantly pulled her phone out and dialed Miroku's number. Her heart was beating faster than usual as each second passed. A voicemail machine picked up.

'You have reached—'

Sango hung up.

"Well…?" Kagome looked at Sango.

Sango shook her head. "He didn't answer."

"He probably can't hear his phone with all these people around…" Kouga said as he continued to look around. "What was he wearing today?"

Kagome shrugged.

"Umm… A gray shirt and dark gray shorts," Sango said.

"You would know…" Kagome muttered.

"Okay," Kouga said.

"I'm sure he's fine," Sango said. "Look at all these people. He's probably just having a hard time making it through. Knowing our luck, he probably had to meet his family all the way on the other side of the park."

A few more minutes passed.

"Oh, hey, I think I see him!" Kouga shouted excitedly. Then he lowered his voice and hunched over. "I say we hide from him and make him look for us…"

"Miroku! Over here!" Sango pretended not to hear what Kouga had just said.

Miroku spotted Sango and made his way over to them.

"Aw, you ruined my fun!" Kouga whined.

"Huh?" Miroku looked confusedly at Kouga.

"Never mind him," Sango said.

"What took you so long, Miroku," Kagome asked.

"Look for yourself." Miroku pointed in the direction in which he had come from.

"All I see is a bunch of people trying to get through…" Kagome said.

"Exactly," Miroku sighed. "It's a lot easier for you to get through these crowds than for me."

"You know, we could have come to you," Sango said softly.

"No, I wouldn't want to trouble you guys like that," Miroku said. "It's easier for one guy to come than for three people to go."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Sango agreed. She looked around. "Um, where did Kouga go?"

Kagome sighed exasperatedly. "That little… The least he could do is tell us when he just walks off. And he's never even been here before! He's going to get lost again! Just you watch. He's going to get lost again."

"Um, I'm right here, ya know…"

Kagome whipped her head around and saw Kouga standing there. Then she turned back around, her face blushing furiously from embarrassment.

"Where'd you go?" Miroku asked.

"I just went to go throw my trash away over there." Kouga pointed at the trash can that was across the pathway.

"Why didn't you just throw it away here? There's a perfectly fine trash can right here." Sango pointed at the one that Kouga stood next to.

Kouga shrugged. "I felt like taking a walk."

"O… kay…" Sango and Miroku said.

Kagome didn't say anything. 'Kuso. I shouldn't have said all those things… I wouldn't have minded if he really had walked off, but he heard every word… Now he's going to get the wrong idea. He's going to think that I hate him and think that he's nothing but a nuisance.'

"Kagome?" Sango gave Kagome a gentle shove.

"Hm? What?" Kagome snapped out of her thoughts.

"What time is it?"

"Umm…" Kagome had forgotten where she was for a second. "It's 10. We've got an hour to waste."

"What do you want to do?" Sango was out of ideas, as was everyone else.

"Let's just walk around and see what there is. Maybe we can do a little bit of souvenir shopping or something," Kagome suggested.

"Sure, sounds good to me."

The four of them found themselves walking through Frontierland, where there were a lot of old western shops.

One shop showed a display of hats.

"Didn't Kouga say he wanted one?" Sango pointed at the rack.

"Oh, hey, yeah," Kouga's voice grew excited. "I almost forgot about it."

Kouga walked into the shop, and the other three followed him. He immediately found the hat section and began to try them on while looking in the mirror that was provided.

Sango and Kagome took a walk around around the shop and found nothing that interested them. There was a bench near the front of the shop and near the hat display, so the two of them sat there.

"Hey, how about this one?" Kouga said to the girls.

"That's not an Indiana Jones hat…" Sango commented.

"I know." Kouga grinned. "But this one's a lot cheaper, and they don't have my size for the Indiana Jones one anyway."

"What is it anyway?" Kagome asked as she stared at the navy blue hat that lay on Kouga's head.

"Hey, it's a Union hat!" Miroku appeared with the same hat as Kouga on.

"A Union hat?" Kagome and Sango both said.

"Yeah. Isn't is great?" Kouga continued to grin. "They've got a Confederates one too, but I like the Union better."

Kagome and Sango rolled their eyes. Kouga liked to read about war and battles, and he knew a great deal of the history. Hence, the hat was chosen.

Kouga and Miroku began talking as they tried on the different sizes. Kagome and Sango sat there and observed them, thoroughly amused.

"Isn't this funny," Kagome whispered to Sango. "The guys are shopping and the girls are sitting on the bench looking annoyed and bored."

Sango giggled.

Kouga had finally picked one out and paid for it at the cash register. He didn't bother for a bag. He wore it as soon as he had bought it.

"You're not getting one?" Sango asked Miroku, who had taken his hat off and placed it back on the shelf.

Miroku shook his head. "Nah, I don't really want it. I just liked playing around with Kouga."

Sango laughed as the four of them walked out of the shop.