The next day found the sun shining brightly, the sky a brilliant blue and almost devoid of clouds. A gentle breeze blew through the trees and, somewhere, birds were singing. A beautiful day, perfect for forgetting just how stubborn certain of one's companions could be.
Shippou clung to Miroku's shoulder as he walked, watching the scenery go by with a bored look on his face. "You should enjoy the break while you can, Shippou," he cautioned. "We could be back on the road at any time."
"I'd rather be on the road with Kagome than stuck here with Inuyasha sulking all the time!"
Miroku chuckled. "You aren't the only one. But we should give them some time to work out their differences."
"What differences? They're both just being so stubborn," Shippou complained.
He wasn't entirely wrong, at that. He just didn't understand yet that being frustrated about it would solve nothing. Or perhaps the problem was that he was not yet skilled at keeping himself entertained the way Miroku was. He was young; there was plenty left that Shippou needed to learn.
They came around a bend in the road and the river came into view in the distance. Shippou got a sneaky expression on his face all of a sudden at the change in scenery. "Say, Miroku, did you come out here for a walk because you heard Kaede tell Sango there's a good spot for a bath this way?"
"It wounds me to hear you make such an unsavory assumption about my character," he protested, feigning an air of complete innocence.
"That isn't really a denial, you know."
Shippou was becoming entirely too perceptive for Miroku's taste. He heaved an exaggerated sigh and insisted, "I am so misunderstood!"
He wasn't misunderstood for long. A familiar shape swooped into view from above and, landing in a puff of smoke, revealed his old friend Hachi. The tanuki looked alarmed; it was hard to say if he was here with bad news, or if it was just his usual wide-eyed skittishness. "Miroku-sama!"
"What brings you here, Hachi?" he asked. Even Shippou was leaning forward, eager with curiosity.
"I bring news, my lord," the tanuki told him, bowing deeply in an absurd-looking display of respect. "I think you'll find it very interesting." He paused, as if only just realizing Miroku was not traveling with his usual company. "But where are the others who are normally with you? They will probably want to know as well."
It was that moment when Miroku realized that any plans he might have had for spying on Sango during her bath had most probably gone up in smoke. "They're around. Tell me your news, and then we'll go find them—"
"Kaede told Sango that this part of the river would be a good spot for her bath, so she's probably nearby," Shippou chimed in helpfully. "Let's go find her now! We can tell Inuyasha the news later."
Miroku suppressed another sigh and reluctantly let go of his original ambitions for the day. Doing otherwise would have required admitting his true intentions to Shippou and Hachi, and he had no desire to do any such thing. No matter how sorry he was for this missed chance, he knew there would be other opportunities for 'accidentally' glimpsing the forbidden later. He would simply have to be patient.
"All right," he said. "Let's go find Sango."