Sango ran her fingers through Kirara's fur as she followed along behind the rest of the group. She never minded carrying the nekomata in her arms or on a shoulder while she was in her smaller form. There was something deeply comforting about being close to her old friend after they had both lost so much.

Much had been lost that could never be regained, but they still had each other and they still had hope. It was small solace, but it was all they had. It would have to be enough to get them through whatever lay ahead.

They were lucky today—the trail was easy to follow, the day was peaceful and clear, and their enemies were behind them, for now at least. There was plenty of time to think, and simply to enjoy one another's company. Though, Sango thought as she glanced toward the monk who was walking beside her, enjoy might not be entirely the right word. She did enjoy his company. Sometimes. When he behaved himself. But since it seemed she could never guess when he was going to take a hard turn and fall right back into his womanizing—and grabby—ways, it was hard to be completely comfortable with him.

Still, he had thus far behaved himself, and worrying about the occasional wandering hand was better than listening at close range as Inuyasha complained about his sword, like Kagome got to do.

She smiled as she wiggled her fingers in front of Kirara's face and the nekomata obligingly batted at them with her front paws.

"She seems happy today," Miroku commented.

Kirara snared one of Sango's fingers between her paws and chirped to announce her victory. Sango feigned surprise at having been caught. "I suppose," she said. "She doesn't have to carry anyone today, and she gets to ride instead of walk."

What Miroku thought of this, she never found out, because up ahead Kagome gasped and announced, "I sense a jewel shard! It's coming up fast, from behind us!"

The others barely had time to turn and look before Kouga was upon them. He overshot the trail, sliding to a stop amid a cloud of slowly settling dust. "Hey!"

"Kouga!" Kagome greeted, sounding far more cheerful than perhaps was warranted. Inuyasha certainly looked annoyed about it.

He interposed himself between Kagome and Kouga, demanding, "What do you want, you wimpy wolf?"

"Inuyasha, don't start a fight so quickly," Kagome admonished, but she spoke so quietly that Sango had a feeling it wasn't going to stop anything from getting out of hand. If Inuyasha and Kouga wanted to fight, they were going to fight no matter what Kagome might say. The two hadn't managed to kill each other yet, but they were far from allies, and Kagome's sympathy for the wolves only made the situation more tense every time the two crossed paths.

Miroku appeared at Sango's side as the conflict devolved into a shouting match, heaving an exaggerated sigh that perfectly reflected how Sango felt. All this bickering and posturing, and for what? One look at Kagome and it was obvious she wasn't the least bit impressed.

"So who do you think will come out on top this time?" he asked.

Sango thought about it for a moment. "You know, as long as they get it over with quickly and no one gets seriously injured or kidnapped, I don't really care. Inuyasha's going to sulk for hours no matter what."

"Unless he wins, in which case he's unlikely to shut up about that," Miroku countered with a smile.

Sango was more sober. "Do you think he can win with a sword that's too heavy?"

"As fast as Kouga is, I doubt it."

That was her own assessment of the situation, as well. If the tension kept escalating between Inuyasha and Kouga, she would be forced to intervene lest things get out of hand. She slipped the hiraikotsu's carry strap over her head so it would be ready to throw, just in case.

Miroku's expression was grim, but he was no longer looking at her. Something else had drawn his attention.

"Looks like the entire wolf youkai tribe is here," he observed.

Sango followed his gaze; it certainly looked like he was right. Wolves were streaming out of the forest in droves, and with them a couple of other humanoid youkai like Kouga. If the entire tribe was on the move, that was something to be concerned about. Kouga had stolen Kagome once before. There was always a chance he meant to try the same thing again.

"What do we do?" Sango asked, keeping her voice low in hopes of not being overheard. "If they're here for Kagome, how do we fight so many at once?"

Fortunately, Miroku took the situation in hand before anyone could get any ideas. "Now that everyone's here," he began smoothly, "perhaps we can approach this in a civil manner…"