After all their wandering, it still felt a little strange to Sango every time the group came back to this place, to the village where Kaede lived and where everything had started. They never returned to any of the other places they had been, so returning to somewhere familiar was a novelty. And for once, they hadn't come here because Inuyasha and Kagome were fighting. For the first time, Sango wasn't afraid that Kagome might never come back, or that the group might fracture and fall apart. They were simply here for a quick break while Kagome took care of something in her world, and then they would be off again.

It should have been a restful visit. And yet. After a peaceful night and a pleasant morning, Sango found herself standing outside Kaede's hut with a frown on her face.

There had been no sign of Kirara all day. Usually Sango could rely on Kirara for company no matter what, but Sango had not seen her since going to bed the night before.

Where could she have gone off to?

The monk chose that moment to wander past—he went most of the way past, then came back for another look. Before his scrutiny could leave her feeling too self-conscious, he said, "I hope it wasn't Inuyasha that put that look on your face."

She couldn't quite suppress a giggle. "No, it's not that. Kirara's missing." It sounded ridiculous to be so worried when Kirara was more than capable of looking after herself, so she added, "She's probably not in any trouble, I just don't know where she's gone. Or why."

"In that case," Miroku suggested, "perhaps we ought to go look for her."

If he was seriously offering to help, she had half a mind to take him up on the offer. It sounded better than waiting here, worrying. The hard part was determining whether he seriously wanted to help, or whether he had some other motive for the offer.

He looked sincere, at least. But then, he usually did.

"Sango?"

"You're sure there's no other reason why you're offering to help?" she asked.

"Another reason?"

"She means girls," Shippou piped up. Sango hadn't heard him come out of the hut.

The monk sighed. "You misunderstand," he protested. "I'm really just concerned. If something has caused Kirara to stray, it could be a bad sign."

It was typical of Miroku, but for the time being Sango was inclined to believe him. "I think he means it, Shippou," she murmured. "Do you want to come help us look?"

Of course he did. It was practically a given. Shippou and Kirara got along quite well and had become good friends almost as soon as Sango and Kirara joined the group. So the three of them set off together, heading into the village proper to investigate. While it seemed more likely that Kirara would have disappeared into the countryside, Sango held some small hope that someone in the village might have seen her… or at least seen a clue to her whereabouts.

She had to admit, she had a feeling this was where Miroku's involvement would end. Some pretty girl or another would wander past, and his attention would be diverted, and that would be that. Maybe he really did mean to be helpful, but she knew better than to expect too much.

Some of her trepidations melted away as they entered the village proper and were greeted by the happy faces of the villagers. Though they had seemed a bit confused by Sango's sudden presence at first, they were more welcoming now. Or at least they recognized her now as one of Kaede's strange little band of adventurers. She didn't know many of their names yet, the way Miroku did, but she didn't feel like a complete stranger anymore, either. It was a strange, but not unpleasant, feeling.

Unfortunately, no one they stopped to ask had seen any sign of Kirara.

"Did you notice that?" Miroku asked after the third such encounter.

She frowned, thinking back and finding nothing of note. "No? What?"

"They didn't even bat an eye when you said you were looking for your nekomata."

"Well, they're used to having me and Inuyasha around," Shippou said. "What's one more youkai?"

"As long as it's not stirring up trouble?" Miroku countered.

Shippou made a sneaky face. "I've never made as much trouble here as you!"

"You misunderstand—"

"I'm sure the palm reading and fortune telling has nothing to do with whatever Shippou's talking about," Sango observed dryly. Belatedly, she added, "Or the flirting."

"I have engaged in no such troublemaking," the monk protested.

Sango shared a knowing glance with Shippou, and had to stifle a giggle. Miroku sure got bent out of shape when someone pointed out his normal pattern of behavior. It seemed to Sango that if he did not want his behavior commented upon, maybe he ought to behave more properly. Unfortunately for him, the monk seemed incapable of understanding this idea.

Further into town they came upon a suspicious-looking cluster of children. Suspicious, because they were clearly excited about something. With one last glance at Miroku and Shippou, Sango approached.

Sure enough, at the center of the group of children, there was Kirara. She lolled on her back, letting one of the little girls rub her belly, and just generally soaking up all the attention.

"There you are, Kirara!" Sango said to announce their presence. "Were you feeling neglected back at Kaede's?"

The children turned as one to see who the intruder was. Sango was sure that, in her ordinary traveling clothes and without her hiraikotsu, she did not make a very impressive first impression. To these children she must look like any other woman.

"This is your cat?" one of them asked.

The floodgates had opened:

"Her name is Kirara?"

"Where did she come from?"

"What's your name?"

"Is she really a youkai?"

"Are both these tails real?"

The deluge of questions came on so quickly it was nearly overwhelming. Where to even start?

"Yes, Kirara is my companion," she began. "And I'm—"

"Sango is no ordinary woman: she's a youkai exterminator," Miroku cut in, sounding vaguely conspiratorial. "Kirara is her partner."

Of course, this did nothing to diminish the children's excitement or interest in her. If she had been hoping to recover Kirara and make a quick escape, there was no hope of that now. And yet… how long had it been since she spent time with any children other than Shippou? Too long, it seemed.

Although she did not have the storytelling flair of some of the other veteran slayers, she had always enjoyed sharing adventure stories and extermination tips with the children back at the village, before. In the delighted interest of these children, she could almost forget all the sorrow that had brought her here. Almost.

By the time the children finally dispersed, she was not surprised to look around and find no sign of Miroku. That Shippou had gone, too, was a bit of a disappointment, but not altogether unexpected.

Kirara gave a high-pitched mew. Sango sighed. "I just hope they're not getting into trouble somewhere." Even as she said it, she knew that was probably exactly what they were doing. Feeling more annoyed than she liked at having been abandoned so Miroku could go flirt with the village women, she decided, "Let's go back to Kaede's. There's no point in waiting around here."