Sango didn't take her eyes off Miroku. He hadn't made a move in her direction, but she had a bad feeling about this. A really bad feeling.
It was odd that he'd come in with Shippou to see her. She'd honestly expected Kagome to be the one to look after her for the next few days, much as she had done in the past. But there was no sign of Kagome or Inuyasha. Just Shipou and the monk, one seated on either side of where she lay near the center of the hut.
Finally she could stand it no longer. "Where is Kagome?" she asked.
"She and Inuyasha are on an errand," Miroku explained, his voice unwontedly cheerful. "Myouga has informed us that there are certain herbs that may help Kirara to heal. Inuyasha and Kagome have gone to get those herbs."
"I see," Sango murmured. And why are you here, then? she wondered.
"I stayed behind to watch over you," the monk went on as if he'd heard her question. It probably hadn't been that difficult to guess what was on her mind. "Put your mind at ease, Sango. I will keep you safe while you heal," he assured her.
Sango didn't trust the innocent look on his face one bit. She shimmied a bit further under her kosode, which was serving as a blanket now that Kagome had mended and washed it. Beside her, Kirara did not stir.
Miroku noticed her discomfort. "What is it?" he asked, his innocent expression unchanging.
"Somehow I feel like I'm in more danger with you here," she told him. How was she supposed to get any rest when she had to watch out for his wandering hands? She was pretty sure he wouldn't try anything just yet, but once her strength began to return, she felt certain that would change.
"Don't worry, Sango," Shippou chimed in from her other side, leaning forward to give Miroku a stern look. "Kagome told me to keep an eye out in case Miroku starts acting strange."
The monk sighed as if she had misjudged his intentions. That was something he did often, she noted. He would do something to convince the lot of them that he wasn't trustworthy, then mope and sigh when they treated him as if he couldn't be trusted. She wondered why that was. If he wanted them to trust him, he should behave as if he were worthy of that trust. Why spend so much time undermining his own efforts at earning their trust?
She wondered, but she knew better than to ask about it. He would only deflect or deny. Or, more likely, blame the curse in his right palm as if his actions were involuntary.
Deciding that the monk was a puzzle that could wait for another day, she rolled over to face Shippou and Kirara instead. The motion jarred her shoulder painfully, but she ignored the pain. She was getting quite good at that. She ran her fingers gently through Kirara's fur, feeling the now-familiar shudder run through her friend's tiny body.
"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly.
Kirara did not even open an eye to look at her.
Something in Sango's chest felt tight.
"Don't worry, Sango-sama," Miroku said quietly from behind her. "Inuyasha and Kagome will get those herbs."
She wanted to believe him, but she knew of no herbs that could cure what ailed Kirara. There had been people in her village that specialized in healing rather than fighting; Sango had been quite young when she chose to follow her father's footsteps and become a warrior, so she had not trained often with those healers, but she still knew most of the useful healing plants. But if Myouga said this cure existed… maybe it did.
But there was still a part of her that feared she would never see Inuyasha and Kagome again.