Kagome led the way, walking beside Kirara. She kept one hand on Inuyasha to steady him as they went, and the other on the just as precariously balanced hiraikotsu. Miroku followed behind, still helping Sango to walk, and Shippou brought up the rear. Tasked with keeping an eye out for danger, the kitsune was all attentive vigilance and, thankfully, quiet.
Tension was thick enough in the air without the addition of nervous babble.
After what seemed like eternity of walking, they found an apparently abandoned hut not far from the path. Miroku checked it thoroughly to verify that it was indeed empty, and then motioned for Kagome and the others to follow. It was far from ideal, but it was empty. It would have to do.
Kirara came first, followed closely by Kagome. With great care, Kagome and Miroku settled the injured hanyou atop a pile of straw that had been left in one corner of the hut. He was so deeply unconscious that he didn't even stir as they moved him, nor when Kagome began to carefully clean his wounds with a cloth from her first aid kit.
While they were thus occupied, Sango made her way somewhat laboriously to the reed mat that lay in the opposite corner.
"What do we do now?" she asked.
"With those injuries, he shouldn't be moving around very much for a few days," Miroku pointed out. He left Kagome to her work, retrieving the hiraikotsu from Kirara with a murmured thanks. Supporting Sango was the best thing that had happened to him all day, though that wasn't really saying much, and it would not have been nearly so pleasant if he had also had to carry the hiraikotsu. He settled the weapon not too far from Sango before joining her and the others on that side of the hut so as not to crowd Kagome. There was no reason to rush Inuyasha, except for everyone's desire for confirmation that he would survive his injuries.
"I know that," Kagome murmured in response to Miroku's observation, "but I can't help but worry." After some internal struggle, she turned to Sango. "Are your injuries doing okay?"
"I'm fine," Sango insisted.
Miroku couldn't help but wonder if she was injured more seriously than she was letting on, or if she was simply displaying more than the usual amount of stubbornness. Given the seriousness of their situation, he hoped it was the latter. There had been no time or opportunity to examine her, and he doubted she would permit it now, so he had no way to be sure. He could only hope.
"Kagome, are you sure Naraku has obtained most of the Shikon jewel?" Sango asked.
She could not have chosen a better change of subject if she had been aiming to quiet the other girl. Kagome fell silent, her expression shifting to one of melancholy introspection.
Although he lacked Kagome's ability to sense and see jewel shards from a distance, Miroku had been present to hear Naraku's boasting. If Kikyou had given her stolen piece of the jewel to Naraku, as the bastard had claimed, her motives for doing so were an impenetrable mystery. However, the acquisition of a large piece of the jewel—and the power that went along with it—did neatly account for the sudden changes in their enemy's abilities and strategy.
For his part, Miroku was inclined to believe it, and Kagome's silence did nothing to dispute the story. The implications of that silence were unsettling, to say the least. He had held out hope that Kikyou was at least working toward the same end as the rest of them, but that was apparently not the case. If she meant to restore the jewel and purify it, as they did, why give it to Naraku? She had to have had some idea that its power would amplify Naraku's, making him an even greater threat than before… yet she had given it to him anyway.
Inuyasha's eyes finally opened, though he didn't seem to feel like talking either. He let his head fall to the side, away from the rest of the group and their conversation. Miroku wondered if he had heard Naraku's claims, and if he really thought Kikyou had done such a thing. His silence, like Kagome's, spoke volumes.
Miroku, too, found he didn't have much to say. He felt tense as a drawn bowstring, ready to snap at the slightest pressure. His friends were injured; their group had suddenly become extremely vulnerable, and though they were safe for the moment, their enemy was still nearby.
He glanced again at Sango. Inuyasha was a half-demon. If he was awake and aware, Miroku didn't doubt he would soon be up and about, good as new. But Sango was only human. How many times could a human woman recover from grave injuries like those Sango had sustained? It felt like a lifetime had passed since he patched up the wound in her back that had nearly killed her, back when they first met, and another since her attempted theft of the Tessaiga had left her covered in her own blood.
He had no desire to see Sango, or any of the others, hurt again. The sooner they could put an end to Naraku's scheming, the better.
Miroku murmured an excuse and stepped outside. The atmosphere inside the hut had quickly become oppressive, and he did not wish his own dark mood to spread to his friends. They needed to rest and focus on healing.
Outside the hut, he felt somewhat less walled in, but not much. The forest around the hut was empty, at least. But that was the only upside Miroku could see. He was still too angry. Naraku had been so close. The chance to end him had been right there, and he'd missed it. Again. He let the anger go, though the process was slower and less complete than usual. It was just too soon, the outrage too recent.
Using Koharu and the innocent people of that village in an attempt to murder Inuyasha and Kagome… that alone was unforgivable. That this was only the latest in a series of such heinous acts spanning decades only made it worse. Naraku was out there somewhere nearby, and his offspring were probably looking for Miroku and the others, waiting to land the killing strike.
Miroku looked out over the forest once more. He saw no sign of their enemy, but knew it was only a matter of time.