Afternoon was peaceful in Kaede's village. In the distance Sango could hear the sounds of life carrying on, but no one was in immediate need of the priestess's services. Kaede herself was not at home, having gone off to gather more medicinal herbs and take care of anything else that needed to be done, but she had left the place at Sango's disposal. And since Miroku had disappeared first thing in the morning, probably to get back to his interrupted flirtations in the village, and Shippou had presumably gone in search of him, Sango had the entire hut and its surroundings to herself.

She wasn't likely to get a better opportunity, so she set about taking care of her stock of weapons. It was a soothing, familiar activity, and it helped to keep her mind and body busy. She had polished the hiraikotsu and carefully inspected its leather carry harness, cleaned and sharpened each of her blades, and was partway through ensuring that none of her various pellets and powders had congealed or stuck together when Shippou came bounding up to the hut again.

"Back already?" she asked.

He plopped down next to the hiraikotsu with a pout. "Miroku won't go out to the well with me, and there's nothing to do in the village today."

"You want to go back to the well?"

"I want to be there when Inuyasha brings Kagome back," he explained.

"Shippou…" It wasn't right to spy, but she couldn't deny her own spark of curiosity. Would today be the day? It was starting to feel like it would never happen. And besides, she was almost done here. What could it hurt, to take a little walk through the woods?

Shippou's pout had deepened into a frown.

"Give me some time to clean up, and then we'll go, okay?"

He brightened immediately. "Really? You'll go?"

"What's the harm?" she asked. "Besides, I'm starting to feel a little cooped up here."

Shippou could be very helpful when he wanted to be, providing an easy excuse for indulging her own curiosity. He even managed to wait patiently while she finished up with her supplies. After all, Kaede had been kind enough to lend her the space. It wouldn't do to leave a mess behind.

They made the trip to the well at a leisurely pace. Shippou seemed impatient, but Sango had no desire to arouse suspicion and was determined to avoid hurrying. It was actually a pleasant walk, with the sky shading from day to night and the first stars beginning to appear as the sky grew darker. She slowed even more as the forest around them darkened, treading carefully as she went. This turned out to be a wise decision, as the well was not unoccupied when they arrived. Inuyasha was sitting at the base of the well, grumbling to himself.

She hoped that wasn't a bad sign, or an indication that things weren't going well with Kagome.

"I'm definitely not apologizing!" Inuyasha said aloud as if in answer to the unspoken question.

Sango wondered what he planned to do to make things right, if not apologize, but knew better than to ask. If he so much as realized she and Shippou were watching, it would most likely only make things worse.

Beside her, Shippou bristled in alarm but managed not to say anything. She soothed him with a hand in his hair, which she also used to steer him around. They needed to get out of here as quickly and quietly as possible. Happily, Shippou seemed to be in complete agreement with her on that, and together they crept back toward the village.

And whether by sheer luck or thanks to Inuyasha's preoccupation, they made their escape without incident.

Grateful to be spared Inuyasha's wrath, she still couldn't help but wonder how long this could go on. While they wasted time here, there was no telling what Naraku might do to her brother, or force her brother to do to more innocent people. Being with Shippou and Kagome and the others had eased her fears and loneliness. She hated the thought of leaving them. Yet with Kohaku still in danger, she knew she could not wait here forever. If the worst should happen and Kagome did not return… then Sango would have no choice but to depart with or without her companions.

She risked only a single glance back and found the well empty. Inuyasha had gone—back through the well or back to Kaede's, or somewhere else entirely, there was no telling.

Sango breathed a sigh of relief. Please come back soon, Kagome, she thought, and followed Shippou down the trail to the village.