Sango ran her fingers gently through soft fur, taking care not to disturb Kirara's rest. She knew she should let her friend sleep while Myouga's herbs worked their healing magic, but she was too restless to sit idly by any longer. All she wanted was for Kirara to be well again. Wishing that there was more she could do to help, she sighed.

"Was it bad?" Kagome asked from behind her. Sango startled at the sound of her voice. She had assumed that Kagome had followed Inuyasha and Shippou out earlier. "I mean, Miroku behaved himself while we were gone, right?"

Sango wondered why Kagome hadn't stayed, if she had seriously thought the monk might be a danger, but kept that unfair thought to herself. After all, she had not been part of the decision; for all she knew Inuyasha had insisted on Kagome's company or the monk had talked them into it. And if she were to be honest, Miroku had turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant companion and caretaker. It seemed that every time she thought she had him figured out, he would throw her off balance all over again. So she said, "Shippou kept him in line."

Kagome came around to sit opposite her, on Kirara's other side. "What did he try to do?" she asked. Her face was so determined, her expression so defensive that Sango wasn't sure whether to laugh or feel honored.

"Nothing," she assured. "He didn't try anything inappropriate. We talked, mostly." She had expected the worst, but he had surprised her. Even more surprising was the fact that she now felt compelled to defend him.

The other girl frowned slightly, as if deep in thought. "That doesn't sound right. I wonder if he was injured, too, and just didn't say anything…"

"He seemed fine," Sango supplied. He'd certainly been strong and steady enough to bear most of her weight when he helped her to the stream for a bath. If he was injured, she didn't think it was a physical injury, though she wasn't sure how to explain that to Kagome without getting the monk in trouble. She had no doubt that he had kept his word and hadn't spied on her. Yet she also knew that if she hadn't been there herself, she would never have believed it.

"Are you sure?" Kagome pressed.

Sango let her gaze drop to where Kirara lay. Was it just her imagination, or was her friend sleeping more restfully now?

"Sango…"

"I didn't notice anything weird, if that's what you mean."

Kagome seemed to accept this, and Sango hoped that meant they could be done talking about the monk for a while. "So what happened when you and Inuyasha went to find the healing herbs? Did the journey go smoothly?" she asked, just to make sure they stayed on other topics of conversation.

The question did the trick nicely: Kagome seemed excited for the chance to talk to someone about what had happened, and quickly forgot about the monk. She told Sango how they'd traveled for a long time, following Myouga's directions, until they came to a village where there had been a number of strange deaths lately. The villagers blamed the deaths on the half-youkai who grew the very healing herbs Myouga had led them there to gather.

Kagome had, of course, been undeterred by the accusations, much less by the hanyou's strange and frightening appearance. She had befriended him and his mother, and though things had nearly come to violence with the angry villagers, ultimately the real culprit revealed itself and proved the hanyou innocent. She had been given the herbs that Kirara needed as thanks for her trust.

The girl had a knack for talking at length without requiring any encouragement from anyone. Sango didn't mind. In fact, she appreciated it because it gave her the chance to just listen for a while – and to keep her eye on Kirara for any signs of improvement.

As she listened to the tale she had to admit it surprised her a little to hear that Kagome had put herself in danger just for the chance to help Kirara get better. After Sango betrayed them, the last thing she had expected from Inuyasha or Kagome was such selfless kindness.

As the other girl's story wound down, Sango almost wanted to ask Kagome if what the monk had told her was true. Could she really be from another world? It seemed so ridiculous as to be impossible, and she wasn't sure if Miroku had intended it to be a secret, so she did not ask. But looking again at Kagome's strange clothes and outlandish mannerisms, she had to wonder… and abruptly chided herself for taking the monk's story so seriously.

When Kagome had at last fallen silent, Sango sought another question that would keep the other girl talking. She did not feel like being interrogated about the monk's behavior all over again, but found that she also didn't want to be left alone in the hut, in silence, left to heal while the others went about the task of planning their next move without her.

She opened her mouth to speak only to be interrupted by an explosive sneeze from Kirara. The force of it even seemed to startle the little youkai. She blinked her eyes open and gave a questioning chirp, as if asking what had happened.

Everything Sango had thought to say went straight out of her head. "Kirara!" she said instead.

Kirara gave an exhausted mew before tottering over to nestle herself under Sango's chin. The twin tails fluttered over Sango's neck, tickling, but she didn't mind. With one careful hand she pulled her old friend close and breathed a sigh of relief as Kirara went boneless against her. She was still a long way from fully healed, but this was a good sign.

"Kirara!" Kagome echoed. "Are you feeling better?"

The cat blinked one eye open, lifting her head to peer at Kagome, then determinedly tucked her head beneath one of her tails for a well-deserved nap.

"She barely moved the entire time you were gone," Sango told the other girl. "I think this means she's on the mend."

"Thank goodness!" Kagome breathed, with a smile that lit up the room. "We were all so worried about her!" A moment later, she added, "Should I go tell the others?"

Sango nodded her assent, mindful of the cat tucked under her chin as she added, "I think she still needs her rest, so we shouldn't crowd her."

Kagome gave a nod to show she understood, then got up and went out to let their friends know that Kirara was improving, however slowly.

A short while later everyone had gathered in the hut, keeping a respectful distance from Sango and Kirara.

"If Kirara is going to recover, what do we do next?" the monk asked.

"What do you think?" Inuyasha countered irritably. "We keep looking for Naraku."

Kagome frowned. "What about the shards of the Shikon Jewel?"

"Feh. Where we find Naraku, I bet we'll find jewel shards, too." The hanyou looked to Sango, and she braced herself for an accusation or biting comment about her brother. It never came. "How soon do you think you'll be able to move around?"

For some reason she had not expected him to ask about that. Kagome or the monk, maybe, but not Inuyasha. Caught by surprise, it took her a moment to consider. Her injuries still ached, but it was the dull, itchy ache of healing. "Soon," she said at last. "Maybe as soon as tomorrow morning."

"That's a good idea," Kagome added. "We can stay here and all get a good night's rest, and then move on in the morning."

"What about Kirara?" Shippou protested. "Will she be ready so soon?"

"I can carry her," Sango told him.

"I have a better idea!" Kagome announced. "She can ride in the basket on my bike!"

Sango would have preferred to keep Kirara close, but gave the idea a little more thought. Kagome meant well, and the last thing she wanted to do was rebuke that kindness. And besides, she would have to carry the hiraikotsu as well. That would be burden enough for her healing wounds, she suspected. Maybe it was for the best to trust someone else to look after Kirara for a while.

Looking where Kagome and Inuyasha sat, already drifting to the edge of an argument over what they would have for breakfast tomorrow and how early they might be able to leave, Sango thought about how they could have left her to die and had not. They could have chastised her or abandoned her for her betrayal, but they had not. Instead, they'd helped her. They were still helping her.

It was hard, when Kirara was all she had left of home, but she made up her mind. If she never allowed herself to truly trust Kagome and the others, she would never truly belong in their group. She would always be apart. Alone. And so tomorrow she would entrust Kirara to Kagome's care, and hope for the best.