By the time they were able to head back to Kaede's, even Sango was worn out. It was late, and it had been a very long day; she could only imagine how Kagome might be feeling after living through all that. Luckily for Kagome, at least, she had Inuyasha to carry her home.

Sango was not so lucky. She trailed behind the others, feeling weary to the core in a way she had not expected. Everyone had survived the day. This was a happy ending to their adventure. And yet she felt as if it were anything but. They were all so very vulnerable… who knew if they might all make it out alive next time?

Inuyasha, Kagome, the monk… they had all become so dear to her over the past months. She hated the thought of losing any of them.

Kirara rubbed against her hip, butting against Sango with her head. Sango smoothed the soft fur, watching the black ears flick back under her touch, and smiled. Somehow, Kirara always knew just how to make her feel better, no matter how bad things got. Or how sad and tired she was.

"Thank you for all your help today," she told the nekomata.

Kirara bumped against her again, rumbling.

Sango sighed. "All right, all right."

She swung up onto Kirara's back, letting the nekomata carry her. Having got her way, Kirara perked up noticeably even as Sango drooped a little. Riding was definitely better than walking.

She thought about offering a spot to the monk, who must be no less weary than she was, but he was walking at the front of the group and she would have had to raise her voice to talk past Inuyasha and Kagome.

Inuyasha was walking slowly and gently, careful not to disturb Kagome. The sight of them together made Sango feel as if things would be all right after all. "Kagome must be worn out," she murmured. "I wonder if she's fallen asleep."

Miroku dropped back, letting Inuyasha and Kagome precede him over a bridge. "It's no wonder she's exhausted," he told Sango as she caught up. "She was fighting the curse all that time."

Sango nodded. The monk went over the bridge next, and she and Kirara came last.

If Miroku wanted to join her on Kirara, he didn't mention it. It was strange, the way she felt a little disappointed by that. She supposed it must have something to do with how tired she was. It certainly wasn't as if she wanted him to ride with her, or anything.

Or maybe she did, if only to have someone to slump against so she didn't have to expend energy staying upright. The way he usually rode behind her, it would be easy. All she had to do was lean back. His arms were already around her; if not for the shakujo across her lap to enforce at least some distance between them, it would be an embrace.

It could be nice, she thought.

Unfortunately, in the world outside her overtired daydreams, she knew the monk was unlikely to be that accommodating… at least not without doing something to spark her anger. He'd probably insist on feeling her up, rather than holding her with the same gentle compassion he had showed back at the ruins of Naraku's castle. There was a lot to admire about the monk when he managed to behave like a monk. When he didn't, however… she couldn't help but sigh. Though Miroku was usually the more self-aware of the two, there were times when she really thought he could learn something from Inuyasha.

Times like now, when Inuyasha was carrying Kagome so tenderly, making no demands and no overtures. If the monk could just find it in himself to be like that more often, instead of…

Sango jolted suddenly wide awake. All at once she was glad the monk wasn't riding with her, and that, since he was walking in front of her, he couldn't even see her. Her face felt hot. Was she blushing?! And had she really just been daydreaming about how nice it would be for him to hold her?

She must really be exhausted, to be thinking like that.

They could not, she decided abruptly, get back to the village fast enough.