A/N: Gomen, mina-san! I am soo sorry for the long delay! It's just been really crazy lately and I haven't even had time to really check my e-mails! Oh, and singerme5791, that thing at the bottom of my last chapter was kinda of a preview of the next fanfiction that I am thinking about doing. Anyways, I hope that this chapter makes up for the long wait! Read on!

Disclaimer: I forgot to do this on the earlier chapters, so I'm gonna do it here. I do not own InuYasha nor do I own the other characters, but I do own the idea for this story. Okay, read on!

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-Chapter Eight: Country Trip-

"You want to what!" InuYasha asked the dark haired trainer, his mouth slightly agape.

Miroku had just walked up to InuYasha, who had been cleaning a saddle, and had simply stated, "InuYasha, you are going to a friend of mine farm with Kagome and Jewel,"

Miroku nodded his head. "This will be good for Kagome. The friend of mine will be able to help her get her confidence back around the horses and possibly get her back in the saddle." He stated and turned around and walked out of the tack room.

InuYasha let out a very dog like growl and stood and followed the young trainer/Thoroughbred owner. "There is no way I'm going anywhere with that wench, Miroku!" He declared and stood in front of the dark haired trainer, his arms crossed stubbornly across his chest.

Miroku sighed and his next words were spoken slowly, almost like he was talking to a small child who was throwing a temper tantrum. "InuYasha, you are the one that told me that you think that Kagome can ride again. Kaede is the only person I can think of who can help her get her confidence back."

InuYasha clenched his teeth. "You can send her by herself!" He growled out.

Miroku shook his head. "No, you and I both know that Kagome, not in the state she's in right now, can't handle Jewel alone, someone has to go with her and help her," He explained.

The silver haired jockey saw his logic, but he wasn't going to agree to this without a fight. "Why can't you or Sango go along with her?" He questioned.

"I have racers to train here, and Sango cannot go either because she has already been named to ride in several races for other trainers and she can't possibly back out now and leave them riderless," He explained, side stepping the slightly angry jockey and continuing to walk towards the barn office and sort through his files.

A sudden thought struck InuYasha and he followed after the trainer. I might get out of this, yet, He thought to himself as a small smirk took over his lips. "You know Kagome's not gonna want to go with anywhere with me,"

Miroku glanced over his shoulder, with a smirk of his own on his face, "On the contrary, InuYasha. I think she might actually enjoy getting a couple days off from the barn,"

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Sango and Kagome were sitting on the front porch of Kagome's small cottage, enjoying a glass of icy lemonade. How am I gonna tell Kagome that she has to go somewhere with the arrogant jerk that injured her? Sango thought to herself.

Although she didn't show it most times, she was still a little bitter towards InuYasha for what he had done to her friend. Miroku had better know what he's doing, She thought and clenched her hand tightly around her glass.

Kagome glanced over at her silent friend and noticed that Sango's hand was clenching the glass rather tightly. "Sango, you okay?" She asked uncertainly.

Sango blinked and relaxed her grip and turned to Kagome with an overly bright smile. "Oh, I'm fine, Kagome. Just thinking." Which wasn't a lie, 'cause she was thinking.

"How's Jewel's training going?" Kagome questioned after a moments of silence from her friend.

Now's my chance. "Actually, Kagome, Miroku is sending her to Kaede's farm out in the country," she told the younger jockey.

"What? Is Miroku retiring her?" She asked, shocked that Miroku would send Jewel in the prime of her racing career to the elder womans farm, where he sent some of his Thoroughbreds to be retired.

Sango shook her head and turned to look her friend in the face. "No, he isn't retiring her. But Jewel is having some training trouble, so he's sending her there so that Kaede can work with her. And he wants you to go with her when she ships out,"

Kagome choked on her lemonade that she had just swallowed and Sango reached over and patted her friend on the back as she coughed and choked. "He wants me to what!"She exclaimed in disbelief once she had finally stopped coughing.

Sango nodded her head to confirm what she had told Kagome. "He wants you to go with Jewel when he ships her to Kaede's farm," She repeated.

Kagome shook her head vigorously. "Sango, I am not going. I can't handle Jewel!" She exclaimed and pushed herself up from her seat and walking over to the railing of the porch, crossing her arms over her chest. "You saw what happened last time I tried," she whispered while she let her eyes wander over the rolling green hills of the farm, occasionally stopping on a mare and foal that were grazing.

Sango sat her drink down and walked over and stood by the younger woman. "You wouldn't be going alone," She explained, laying a gently hand on Kagome's shoulder.

Kagome turned uncertain eyes on her friend. "Sango, I'm scared to be around horses, now. I can't, I just can't go," she turned her eyes away before her close friend could see the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes.

"You wouldn't be going alone, Kagome. Someone will be there to help you handle Jewel. Miroku wants you to go 'cause Jewel knows and trusts you the most, and she'll need someone she knows in the strange stall and barn she'll be staying in." She said gently, trying to sooth her upset friend.

Kagome let out an uncertain sigh. Maybe getting away from here for awhile will help me, She reasoned as she let out another sigh and turned towards Sango once again. "Someone'll help me with Jewel at all times?" She asked her, her eyes still full of uncertainty.

Sango nodded and gave Kagome a warm smile. "At all times, you just have to be there to make sure that she stays calm," She reassured.

Kagome gave one last sigh before she nodded. "Alright, I'll go, when is Miroku shipping Jewel out?"

Sango gave a relieved smile. First thing tomorrow morning," She replied, trying not to laugh as Kagome's eyes widened.

"First thing tomorrow morning!" She repeated in shock.

Sango nodded and started to walk off of the porch. "Uh huh, Miroku wants to beat the traffic, so he's shipping Jewel off in the morning," She replied and walked off the porch and started walking towards the training barn.

Kagome groaned and slumped against the railing on her porch. What have I gotten myself into? She wondered to herself. And then, another thought entered her mind and she straightened. "Hey Sango, who's going with me and Jewel to Kaede's?" She called after the dark haired woman, but she was either too far away to hear the question, or she just pretended not to hear her.

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"Did you tell Kagome?" Miroku asked as soon as Sango entered the coolness of the training barn.

Sango nodded her head and sighed. "It wasn't easy, either. What about you? Did InuYasha agree to go?" She asked her own question.

Miroku nodded and grinned. "Actually, he was probably easier to convince than Kagome was," He said with a small chuckle.

Sango scowled at the man and walked down the barn aisle, picking up a halter and lead rope that was hanging on the barn row wall. "I'm gonna turn some of the horses out in the pasture," She muttered and walked down the aisle, stopping at the first stall.

Inside the stall was a chestnut yearling called My Lady Priestess, her sire was Wind Tunnel and her dam was a new mare that Miroku had bought last year at an auction called My Fair Lady. So, she was a half sister to Jewel and Miroku had great hopes for her.

Sango unlatched the stall door and quickly slipped the halter over the filly's head and when she turned around she was surprised to see Miroku was holding the stall door open for her.

"Did you tell Kagome who would be going with her to Kaede's farm?" He asked once she and Lady were out of the stall and walking out of the barn.

Sango shook her head and gave a gentle tug on the lead rope, pulling Lady's attention away from a very interesting yellow flower. The young race horse shook her head and snorted, but followed the young woman. "I had a hard enough of a time convincing her to go at all. She would've flat out refused if she knew that that arrogant, pompous jerk was going, too," She replied, her face darkening as she mentioned the other male jockey.

Miroku sighed and shook his head. "Sango, when are you going to forgive InuYasha?" He asked curiously.

"Miroku, have you forgotten that he is the one who caused Kagome's fall on Jewel?" She questioned the trainer, a scowl marring her face.

He shook his head yet again and sighed. "Sango, he may not show it, but he is sorry for what happened at the track, if he wasn't then do you think that he'd be here helping us with Jewel. And do you think if he wasn't sorry that he would have agreed to go with Kagome to Kaede's?"

Sango held the scowl on her face for another few seconds before she let it slid off of her face with a sigh from her mouth while her shoulders slumped slightly. "I know, you're right. It's just that Kagome hasn't been the same ever since her fall on Jewel and I guess he's been the one I've been pointing my anger at because of it," she admitted and then instantly blushed.

She hadn't meant to actually admit that aloud, but when she glanced at Miroku she could tell that he understood what she meant and he didn't hold it against her.

"I know, Sango. But we'll get the old Kagome back," He reassured the young jockey.

Sango and Miroku stopped walking once they had reached the pasture and Miroku opened the gate while Sango snapped off the lead rope and gave Lady a light slap on her rear to get her going into the grassy field. "But when? When will the old Kagome be back? I miss my best friend, Miroku," She admitted as she felt tears in the corner of her eyes, but she fought them off.

"When Miroku saw that Sango's bright brown eyes were even brighter with unshed tears, he captiously put a hand on her shoulder, and when she didn't object to that, he slowly slipped the rest of his arm over her shoulders. "She has to have time to heal, Sango. Both physically and emotionally. And this trip with Jewel is just what she needs to get her going in the right direction." He explained comfortingly.

Sango nodded and gently rested her head on the dark haired trainers strong shoulder, inhaling the scent of his cologne without even really realizing it.

The two of them stood like that for several minutes, completely oblivious to the world the surrounded them.

But when Sango realized whose shoulder it was that she was resting her head on she quickly jerked away, almost like she had been bitten and took a few steps back, her cheeks flaming red. "Um, I-I better go get the rest of the yearlings," She stuttered and hurriedly walked back towards the training barn, avoiding eye contact with the man.

Miroku watched her walk off, a slight smile on his lips before he slowly turned and walked towards the stallion barn.

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Okay, is it good? Do ya'll forgive me know? Hope so! I'll try to update again in the next upcoming three days, but what with Easter coming up, it might be a little late, but not as late as this one was, though! Thanks for reading and please review! Ja ne, mina-san! Rogue Hanyou