Their friends had been gone a long time. Long enough not only for Sango to fret, but for Shippou to notice.

"It's okay, Sango," Shippou said, almost managing a tone of optimism. "I'm sure they'll all be back soon!"

It was really very sweet of him to try to cheer her up, but it wasn't simply worry for their missing companions that was occupying Sango. It was also her inability to help.

Kagome and the others were right: if she made any attempt to go after them, she would be dooming herself to failure. Or worse. Even if she did manage to make her way to where they were, she certainly wouldn't be of any use to them. And that was if the oppressive and caustic aura of the place didn't overcome her first.

So all she could do was wait. Huddled in pain, taking measured, rasping breaths to preserve what little strength she had left, with only the eerie light of Shippou's foxfire to keep her company against the growing dark. As the woman who had been the best fighter in her village, she wasn't sure how she felt about that, other than miserable.

Suddenly the mountain gave an ominous rumble beneath them, and began to belch out something from its peak. An eruption!

Shippou clung to her side, stammering, "Maybe it's not okay! Sango, what's gonna happen to Kagome and the others?"

Sango could only watch and admit, "I don't know."

What spewed out of the top of the mountain was not smoke or ash. It was dark in color and looked wet and lumpy, almost like partly congealed blood. Sango couldn't help but wonder if this was the origin of the blood rain the townspeople had reported. It certainly looked plausible from this distance.

Yet if that was indeed the blood rain, she couldn't help but worry even more for her companions that were still in the mountain. Were they safe? What had caused the sudden eruption?

She had some idea even before Miroku and Kirara emerged from the tunnel entrance. As soon as the mountain finished erupting, the miasma began to dissipate. By the time Miroku and Kirara returned, she was breathing easily enough to take off her mask and was able to speak without coughing. "Houshi-sama," she began.

"Miroku!" Shippou interrupted, rushing over. "What happened? Where are Kagome and Inuyasha?"

The monk looked so distracted, almost distraught, that Sango wondered what he'd seen in the mountain even as she knew there wasn't time to ask questions just now. "They were swept up in the eruption. We'll have to hurry if we want to catch up with them."

"Why weren't you taken with them?" Shippou asked, his voice uncharacteristically dark with accusation.

Miroku held his hands up in a placating gesture. "It's not what you think. I wasn't able to enter the cavern with the others," he explained. "Kirara couldn't enter either, without becoming trapped in the spell too."

Shippou seemed to accept this answer. "We have to go find them!"

"Of course," Miroku agreed. "Sango?"

She took a deep breath, then nodded. Her questions could wait. "I'm ready. Let's go."

The monk seemed to think they were going to walk back down the mountain, but Sango had a better idea. "Kirara!" she called. As before, the nekomata knew what was expected of her. In a flaring of flames she transformed once more into her larger, battle-ready form. Sango scooped up Shippou and the hiraikotsu. "Are you coming?"

Miroku looked distinctly nervous at this proposition. He didn't have years of experience riding Kirara through the air, so of course he was nervous.

She offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "It's the only way we'll have any chance of finding them before nightfall," she pointed out. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall."

Author's note: Small Moments was my NaNoWriMo project this year... so get ready for weekly updates for the next several months as I work through the backlog of new chapters. Enjoy!