Sango was quiet as Kirara carried them down from the mountain to search for their missing companions. It was impossible to describe Sango as anything resembling 'fragile', but she seemed much more worn than usual. Having experienced the horrors inside the mountain, Miroku fully appreciated just how awful the experience must have been for her. Left outside to wait alone, with only Shippou to keep her company or to protect her. Bearing up under the weight of that overwhelming evil aura. Able to do nothing as the mountain erupted and disgorged its horrific contents.
Yet he had to admire the way that she rebounded after such difficulties. As soon as the side effects of the miasma began to lift, she was all business again. Subdued, and pushing herself past the point of wisdom, perhaps, but strong too.
She was also allowing him to ride behind her on Kirara, and he appreciated that, too. Even if the awkward bulk of the hiraikotsu between them made it difficult to hang on, and Shippou's presence on his shoulder made him feel off balance and a moment away from falling the entire time. It was still better than running the same distance down mountain paths.
In the end it wasn't that difficult to locate their missing friends. All they had to do was follow the lingering plume of miasma to its source at the edge of the nearest forest. Inuyasha and Kagome were waiting for them there, looking rather chastened.
"What happened here?" Sango asked, dismounting easily, as if she had done this her entire life. As he made the same maneuver with considerably less grace, Miroku supposed sourly that she probably had.
"That damn kodoku was all Naraku's doing," Inuyasha spat. He seemed ready to burst from the force of his fury. "It was all a scheme to get him a new body, and we played right into his hands."
No wonder that place had seemed so dangerous. Miroku fought down a surge of his own rage, knowing now that Naraku had once again been so close, yet unreachable.
"What happened to Kikyou?" Sango asked, clearly unaware that she was walking into dangerous territory.
"Naraku took her," Kagome supplied. The poor girl sounded absolutely miserable, as she always did when Kikyou was the topic of conversation. She hugged her arms around herself and turned away from the rest of the group.
Miroku's first instinct was to go comfort her; it was beyond him how Inuyasha could see a lovely young woman in such distress and be utterly unmoved. However, he was also smart enough to realize that she wanted to be comforted by Inuyasha or no one, so he let her put some distance between them and herself.
While Inuyasha and Kagome made a point of awkward silence, uncomfortable distances, and not looking at each other, Miroku gravitated toward where Sango had taken a seat on a convenient rock outcropping.
"So Naraku was behind all this," she said.
"It would appear so," he agreed.
"Then what are we waiting for? Shouldn't we go after him?"
It was comforting to hear his own frustration echoed in her voice. Still, "I think we had better let our friends finish sorting things out, first."
Since this could take a while, he found a seat for himself not far from Sango and resolved to squeeze in what rest he could.
After a few moments of companionable, if tired, silence, Sango asked, "Is it just me, or are those two acting really weird?"
That brought a smile to his face. "It's not just you."
At least he and Shippou weren't the only ones stuck in the role of awkward bystander anymore. They watched together as Kagome seemed to screw up her courage to approach Inuyasha. "Okay!" she announced, speaking loudly enough to ensure they all could hear her. "Let's go. We have to save Kikyou!"
"Ah," Miroku murmured, quietly enough that only Sango and Shippou would hear. "That must have been difficult for her."
"Huh?" came the response from Sango.
"Inuyasha and Kikyou were once lovers," he supplied.
Oblivious, Inuyasha and Kagome continued their own conversation. Inuyasha crouched now at the edge of the path as if ready to spring downward, facing away from the rest of the group as he spoke: "You stay here. All of you. I'll do it myself."
Miroku was up and in motion, even as Kagome drew back with a stricken look. He planted a foot solidly against Inuyasha's head before the hanyou could react or protest. "Stop screwing around, you idiot."
He heard the sound of Sango following in his wake. "It was Naraku who took Kikyou," she said, her tone vicious, threatening violence if she were kept from this part of the mission.
"Right," Miroku agreed, releasing Inuyasha and stepping back to stand beside Sango. "This isn't just your problem, Inuyasha."
It belonged to each and every one of them. Each member of the group had a stake in this. Miroku, at least, had no intention of letting a possible chance to face his lifelong enemy be taken from him.
Kagome knelt beside Inuyasha. "Don't hold back on my account," she told him. "If Kikyou hadn't used up the last of her power to save you, Naraku would never have been able to kidnap her. Of course we have to save her, so there's no reason to go sneaking around behind our backs like you've got something to hide!"
"What do you mean, 'sneak'?" Inuyasha demanded.
Miroku sighed, though it threatened to turn into a chuckle. She had started off so well there, only to end up yelling at him anyway.
An electric hum, like the feeling in the air before a lightning strike, seemed to rise from beneath the argument. Only when he saw the glistening of unnatural carapaces and the blur of rapidly beating wings did Miroku realize that the hum wasn't some ominous sign, but the characteristic sound of Naraku's hell wasps approaching. What were they doing here? Their master had made off with his captive. There was no reason for the wasps to remain, unless they weren't here to interfere… but for some other purpose.
"Enough arguing," Miroku announced. "Our guide has arrived."