"I guess this means we go back down the hard way," Sango said with a sigh.
"I can push you over the edge, if you want," Inuyasha snapped.
Miroku stepped closer to bash a fist into the stubborn hanyou's head. "You might want to reconsider alienating your remaining allies, Inuyasha," he told him.
By now Sango was glaring at both of them. "Let's just go."
The trip down the mountain was one of the most uncomfortable things Miroku had ever endured. Inuyasha stormed ahead to lead the way in seething silence. Sango kept pace beside Miroku, looking distant and hurt and only speaking when directly addressed. And all Shippou seemed to want to do was complain about Inuyasha for pushing Kagome away, which in turn did nothing to improve Inuyasha's temper.
They slogged down the mountain and back through the forest. When they finally reached the ruined village, Miroku needed no prompting to get to work. They had not had time to see to the dead earlier, not with the threat of the wolves so close at hand. Now, they had nothing but time.
Sango understood without needing to be told. Even Shippou seemed to realize what he was doing, and at least did not object. Inuyasha, on the other hand…
"What do you think you're doing, monk?"
"These people must be laid to rest."
"We've got jewel shards to find, and you want to have a funeral."
"We need to wait somewhere, in case Kirara comes back for us," Miroku explained, with a quick prayer to the Buddha for patience. Kagome's sudden and angry departure had left the hanyou off balance and uncertain, and so naturally he was lashing out, but that was still no excuse for being quite this loud and rude. "And these people deserve a proper burial."
"Bah!" Inuyasha said, tipping his face skyward in exasperation. "It feels like that's all we do. Is that what we are now, professional grave diggers?"
"If it bothers you so much," he suggested mildly, "then go find something else to do."
"Maybe I will!" The hanyou turned his back to Miroku and stalked toward the edge of town.
"Or go back to Kaede's village and get Kagome on your own." He'd said it quietly, knowing Inuyasha would hear anyway. The hanyou stiffened angrily, but beat a hasty retreat rather than attempting another offensive.
Miroku let out the breath he'd been holding. Better for Inuyasha to go take out his anger somewhere else, than to continue shouting at his friends. With that problem solved, at least temporarily, he looked around to take stock of his remaining companions.
Sango had moved some distance away, beginning to gather the bodies and ready them for burial. Shippou was making a valiant and blessedly silent attempt to help her. Though they had not been close enough to be part of his conversation with Inuyasha, she still would have overheard at least some of Inuyasha's angry words. If only Inuyasha had enough self-awareness to realize the effect of his words on others…
Miroku supposed if that were the case, they wouldn't be in this situation in the first place, because the hanyou wouldn't have trod all over Kagome's feelings the way he had.
But he also would have realized that Sango always became melancholy when faced with death and destruction at this kind of scale. In addition to being a horrific waste of human life, it must also remind her painfully of the fate that had met her own village, and the fate her brother had doled out to another village at Naraku's bidding. Of course she wanted to set things to right, as much as was possible.
It was a small, simple thing. With Inuyasha's help, it would have been the work of an afternoon. But it seemed he preferred to argue and sulk rather than help.
Nothing to do about that, then.
Miroku made his way over to where Shippou and Sango were working, taking stock of their progress.
"Thank you," she said without looking up from her task, "for getting rid of him."
It would not do to laugh at that, however much it amused him. "He was disturbing the peace, wasn't he?"
"I was tempted to brain him with the hiraikotsu," she admitted, earning a snicker from Shippou.
"I can't say I approve of your methods," Miroku mused, "but I don't think I would have been inclined to stop you."
In spite of everything that had happened to bring it out, he was happy to see this side of Sango. He'd been unsure of her at first. She had been so quiet and withdrawn, hardly willing to talk to anybody about anything. Now that she was beginning to open up, she was revealing herself to be quite an agreeable companion.
They spent the rest of the day in hard work and a mixture of companionable silence and quiet conversation. Without Inuyasha's help it was hard work, but if they were without his help at least they were also without his glowering displeasure and crass complaints. Half-human he might be, but the hanyou had no appreciation for the tragedy that was the senseless loss of this much human life. He probably could think about nothing but Kagome right now, Miroku suspected.
They were taking a well-deserved break just after sunset, clustered around the small fire where Sango had prepared a simple dinner, when one of their missing companions saw fit to rejoin them.
"Kirara! You're back!" The nekomata jumped into her lap, turning one enthusiastic circle before curling into a ball. "Is Kagome all right?"
One red eye opened, and Kirara gave a high-pitched mew.
"It seems Kagome made it to her destination in one piece," Sango translated. She ruffled Kirara's fur affectionately. "If she were in danger, Kirara would be far more agitated."
"She looks like she just wants a nap," Miroku observed.
"She probably does. She's not really that different from an ordinary cat." Fondness softened her expression. Watching her interact so gently with her treasured companion, it occurred to Miroku that Sango was not an unlovely woman.
He smiled as she abruptly hid a yawn behind a hand, as if it had caught her by surprise.
"Why don't you get some rest? I can take the first watch," he offered. Shippou and Kirara were both already sound asleep, and Sango looked to be not far behind them.
She nodded briefly. "Wake me if Inuyasha doesn't return."
While she settled herself for sleep, he prepared to keep watch—calming his mind, expanding his awareness beyond the small ring of light around their fire. It had been a while since he'd needed to actually keep watch, thanks to Inuyasha, but he could manage. They might have made their peace with the wolves, in a manner of speaking, but there was no telling what else might be lurking out there in the dark.
As the night slipped by with no further sign of danger, his attention kept wandering back to the woman who slept across the fire from him, and not just because lying on her side like that put some of her more luscious curves on display. Not too long ago, she would have been unwilling to let her guard down so far around him. Perhaps a bit optimistically, he hoped this meant she was feeling more at ease with her place in the group, and with the other people in it. The more cohesive they were as a group, the harder it would be for Naraku to attempt his divide-and-conquer strategy again.
They were going to need every advantage they could get in the days to come.
It was well past dark when Inuyasha finally returned, with Kagome's bicycle, of all things, in tow.
Miroku watched the hanyou sleepily, thinking, not so angry at her that you'd leave that behind, eh?
He only realized he'd said it out loud when Inuyasha grunted. "I'm gonna throw it down the well for her."
So much for that.