"Where did Inuyasha go, anyway?" Miroku asked as he escorted Kagome out of the hut.

"He said there was something he needed to do," Kagome answered, sounding as perplexed as Miroku felt. "But he never said when he'd be back."

She was staring off into the distance where Inuyasha had disappeared earlier, and her tone was so wistful that Miroku couldn't help a small smile. If you wanted to go with him so badly, you could have, he thought, taking a seat on the ground outside the hut. He could have tended to Sango's injuries without her. And he certainly wouldn't touch Sango inappropriately when she was so badly injured, but Inuyasha and Kagome did not trust him that far. Part of that was, he knew, his own doing. And part of it…

Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha will want to be back on the road as soon as possible," he observed.

"I know," Kagome murmured, sinking to the ground beside him. She was sitting well within reach but Miroku made no attempt to touch her, not that she noticed. "Sango's in no condition to travel though, is she?"

"It's Kirara I'm worried about, actually." He paused, but Kagome said nothing. "Sango will be in pain for a while, but she's tough. She was on her feet again before any of us expected her to be, after she fought Inuyasha," he pointed out. "She will do the same now if she has to." Judging from the slashes and bloodstains on her kosode, most of her injuries had been to her shoulders and arms, with only a few across her hips and thighs. She would be able to walk once she had a chance to recover from the loss of blood from her wounds.

"Kirara's a youkai," Kagome said, catching on to his concern. "She should be healing even faster than Sango. But she's not." She frowned. "But what can we do to help?"

Miroku had never needed to heal a youkai before; he had always been hired to exorcise them. Hachi had been the one exception, and he had always looked after himself – and run away before any situation could get bad enough to require healing from Miroku. "That is something we will have to ask Sango," he decided, though he wondered if Sango really would know of a way to help Kirara. To his knowledge, no one had ever successfully dealt with Naraku before. It stood to reason that the taijiya lore might not contain any remedies for the miasma's poison.

Shippou emerged a few moments later from the long grass that grew beside the road. He was patrolling the area around the hut, Miroku knew, because Inuyasha had given him that duty. They were unlikely to need the precaution after the damage Kagome had done to Naraku, but it made Shippou feel braver and more important, even useful. "Kirara's still sick?" he asked.

Kagome nodded. "I'm really worried!"

"She's a youkai, so she's strong," Shippou said thoughtfully. "That must have been some really bad poison!"

Miroku murmured his agreement, and suddenly found both Kagome and Shippou staring at him. That combined gaze was disconcerting, to say the least. He stared back, feeling a bit alarmed.

"Was it the same poison as the Saimyoushou?" Shippou asked.

So that was it. They were concerned for his well-being as well as Kirara's. "No," he told them, though he was really only guessing, "this was much stronger. This came directly from Naraku's body. I suspect it was stronger even than the miasma he released after you injured him, Kagome."

She stared down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. "I wish we knew what to do," she said quietly.

"Can't you make a decision without me? I haven't been gone that long," Inuyasha groused loudly from down the road. Grumpy as he was, Miroku was actually glad to see him return. Perhaps he would have some new insight into their current situation.

Glancing toward the hanyou – while Kagome got to her feet and ran to meet him – Miroku was surprised to see him carrying Kagome's bicycle, of all things. She'd left it behind a long time ago, after the incident with the Peach Man, he thought. Had Inuyasha really run all the way back to Kaede's village to retrieve it? It seemed as if he must have done so. He certainly couldn't have acquired another one of the contraptions anywhere else.

Miroku hoped this did not mean Inuyasha intended to be back on the move soon. It would be feasible. If Kagome rode the bicycle, she could easily keep up with Inuyasha and Miroku, even if Inuyasha had to carry Sango and Kirara. But Sango's healing would be much improved if she could stay here and rest for a few days.

Inuyasha propped the bicycle against the wall of the hut, peeked inside briefly to check on Sango, and then joined Miroku, Shippou, and Kagome where they had clustered near the road. "All right, Myouga," he grumbled. "Tell them what you told me."

"Kirara is still suffering from the poison's effects?" the flea asked.

"Yes," Kagome told him. "We're really worried about her!"

"There may be an antidote," Myouga went on. "As a flea demon, I'm familiar with things like poisons." Naturally, Miroku thought. Anything that had anything to do with blood would be of interest to a flea. "But I also know a thing or two about antidotes. And I know of some herbs that might be able to help Kirara."

Kagome's face lit up. "You mean we can really save Kirara?"

"Yes," Myouga affirmed. "However…"

"Oh, just tell 'em," Inuyasha said.

"The field where these herbs grow is quite far from here," the flea admitted. "And I have heard it is guarded by a powerful youkai. It may not be as easy as you think to obtain these herbs."

Kagome looked to Inuyasha. Miroku followed her gaze. He, too, was curious. What did their surly friend think of this?

"We're leaving first thing tomorrow," he told Kagome. "We'll leave Sango here with the monk, and go get this herb."

"That's an awful plan," Kagome protested.

At the same time, Miroku assured them, "I will endeavor to take the best possible care of our taijiya friend."

This earned him sour looks from everyone except Myouga, who stared blankly. Miroku sighed.

"Shippou can stay with Miroku and Sango," Kagome decided. "To keep an eye on things." Her stern tone indicated that Miroku should not try anything with Sango while she and Inuyasha were gone. As if he had needed the hint.

"There is still plenty of daylight left," Miroku pointed out, as if he were unaware of the implication of Kagome's words. "You could get a head start by leaving now."

"You that eager to get some time alone with a woman?" Inuyasha jeered.

Miroku sighed again. He knew they did not exactly think well of him when it came to his behavior around women, but he hadn't realized that they thought this poorly of him. "I am that eager to obtain the remedy for Kirara's ills."

"He has a point," Kagome admitted. "She really wasn't looking well earlier…"

"I'm really worried about her," Shippou chimed in. "I can keep an eye on Miroku and make sure he doesn't try any funny business." He declared it so sincerely that even Miroku felt a little amused at his own expense.

Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other. It was painfully obvious that they both liked the idea of being on the road again with just the other for company. But at the same time they felt a responsibility for Sango's well-being that meant they had to stay.

Suddenly Inuyasha sat back and sighed. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back with that herb."

"If you knew about the herb all along, why did you spend all day running after my bike?" Kagome asked.

"We might need a lot of it," Inuyasha protested, "and I'm not carrying it back here."

Kagome smiled. "It'll be just like old times."

Miroku had seldom felt more like an interloper than he did at that moment. "Go," he told them, noting the way they both flushed. "Kirara needs that remedy sooner rather than later. Shippou and I will look after things here."

It only took a little more prodding to get them to agree to it; this was what they both wanted, after all. And if it was also what was best for Kirara, then that only made it a better idea. And it would give Sango – and Miroku – the chance to rest for a few days. All things considered, it seemed a solid plan.

The decision might be made, but there was still much to be done before they could leave; Kagome spent much of the afternoon washing and mending Sango's torn and bloodied kosode. Inuyasha disappeared and returned again with a small stash of food and a mat for Sango to sleep on. Shippou continued his patrols, keeping a watchful eye out for any sign of danger. And Miroku sat just outside the door to the hut, ostensibly in case Sango needed anything.

But mostly he just watched the road and wondered. There was a lot to be learned about Naraku from that battle. Part of his reason for staying to look after Sango right now was to give himself a chance to consider everything he now knew about his old enemy. This would be much easier to do without the added distraction of traveling or fighting.

Sango had provided useful information on the origin and power of the Shikon no Tama before. Perhaps she could also provide information about Naraku.

Then again, he thought, suppressing a grin, Sango might be just as much distraction as help.

It was with some relief that Miroku watched his two companions set off down the road, following Myouga's directions. The sun was still high in the sky, and Miroku had no doubt they would make good time toward their destination. Then he turned to Shippou and saw the suspicious way the kitsune was watching him and had to suppress a sigh. It seemed he was doing that a lot lately. If only his friends had a better opinion of him…

He supposed that couldn't be helped. "Shall we go see to our patient?" he asked mildly. Shippou watched him warily, but nodded his agreement. At the very least, they needed to let Sango know about Inuyasha and Kagome's plan.

Well, he thought, letting Shippou precede him into the hut, she's going to love this.