The fight with the Water God is fast paced but not nearly as brutal as some of the other fights she's been in. It's over fairly quickly and it ended like this: Inuyasha and Kagome came to help her while Sango and Miroku went to free the real Water God, Inuyasha fought the impostor for a while before Sango came in with the assist, and somehow they managed to lop off the man's head so they could return the Trident to the real Water God - who just happens to be a Water Goddess. When everything is said and done Andy tends to the children, making sure they each return home safely before meeting up with the others so that they can head out, but not before Miroku blackmails the Headman into giving them enough food, supplies, and valuables to see them in comfort for at least a week. Andy's not sure how Miroku manages to get away with it but she's certainly not complaining. The Headman deserved a bit of blackmailing. Sending someone else's kid off to die instead of figuring out a solution? Disgusting, truly, but Andy's seen people do worse for lesser reasons. Not that it's forgivable, of course, nothing like that ever is.

Thoughts of the Headman and false Water Gods is quickly put out of her mind when they come across the next village. Intent of selling off what they can the group lingers and soon they find themselves swept into helping the little village get rid of a rat demon. Sango handles it, because why wouldn't she? As a demon slayer she knows all sorts of cool little tricks. The one they end up using reduced Inuyasha to a nauseous pile of ick but flushes out the rat demon quickly enough. Andy doesn't pay much attention to it, too busy making sure Inuyasha isn't going to vomit all over himself, and it isn't until they've been set up in a room for the evening that she realizes Miroku's missing. Shippo is quick to tell them that he went off after a woman, which wouldn't come as much of a shock if it weren't for the fact that Andy has a very bad feeling about everything. She's literally just about to suggest they go off an find the man when he slips into their room just in time for dinner as if nothing's happened. Andy - as well as Sango and Kagome - watch as he gets himself some dumplings and settles down next to Inuyasha. Once he's settled Andy turns her attention to her own food, the other two do not.

"I don't know if I'm imagining it," Miroku says to Inuyasha, "but the girls have been looking at me quite coldly."

"Didn't you just go to pick up a woman?" Inuyasha inquires, and when Miroku glances at him Inuyasha continues with a put out, "That's why they think you're a lecher."

"I'm so misunderstood." Miroku bemoans.

Andy snorts, takes a sip of her tea to clear her throat, and says, "We all know you enjoy sex, Miroku, but maybe you could be a little more discreet? And perhaps wait until after we're certain everything has been settled before chasing skirts?"

"Chasing skirts?"

"Don't act dumb."

"I wish you would just believe me-" "We don't, you're lying." Sango says, quick to cut off Miroku's attempt at getting himself out of the hole he dug.

He gives a look of feigned hurt before turning to his food. Andy watches him for a moment before finishing up her own dinner, with nothing better to do she slips behind the room divider with her bag and changes into a pair of leggings and a tank top. A bath would be nice about now but there aren't any hot springs around and she doubts there's any way for them to have a bath and water brought into the room - not that she would ask anyone to do that for her personal comfort anyway. Still, a bath wouldn't be too bad right about now considering she feels grimy. Stepping back around the divider Andy finds that the others have begun finishing off their own meals and have turned to their own projects. Sango seems to be polishing her weapon, Inuyasha is off looking gloomy, and Miroku keeps glancing at his hand like it's offended him. Andy frowns as she goes to grab her backpack so she and Kagome can do homework together. While Kagome goes about her doing her math homework, Andy gathers up her biology textbook and the homework she still needs to get done for her class. Her aunt, the daughter-of-her-heart, might be posing as her in order to make it appear as though Andy is still attending school - and therefore doing her homework to keep up appearances - but that doesn't mean Andy herself isn't going to keep up on that as well.

By the time the two of them have finished their work for the evening the sun has set and everyone is beginning to settle in for bed. Andy and Kagome aren't far behind, putting everything they don't need for sleeping away before they slip behind the divider and curl up among the sleeping bags they've spread out like blankets and cushioning. Andy makes sure to sleep between the two girls, not because she necessarily needs the heat but because she kicks off enough of it that should either girl get hot one of them isn't trapped in the middle. She's such a good friend.

"Night everyone!" She calls, receiving several different kinds of acknowledgements before everyone slips off.

Only, Andy never actually manages to go to sleep. She simply lays between two sleeping girls and begins to bemoan her choice of being the middle sleeper as it doesn't allow her to slip out without running the risk of waking someone. Awake and with nothing left to do Andy finds her thoughts drifting to Naraku and then on to other things. Eventually the creak of wood under feet causes Andy to jerk from her thoughts and focus on the noise. It's coming from inside the room and there's a distinct heaviness to the sound that makes her think of shoes. So it must be Miroku... where is he going at this hour? The sun's not even up yet. Careful not to wake either girl beside her, Andy slips out of their arranged bed and grabs her shoes before following after Miroku. It's a wonder no one's ever tried to steal from them before seeing as Inuyasha doesn't so much as stir when she practically clomps through the room to the entry.

Miroku isn't that far ahead of her when Andy finally manages to get her shoes on, meaning she doesn't have to sprint to catch up. He seems genuinely surprised to see her and Andy wonders why. Did he think no one was going to worry about him? Make sure he's ok? Andy tucks unbrushed hair behind her ear and nudges Miroku with her elbow.

"Where you going?" She wonders.

"On a journey," Miroku tells her, "I wish you and yours the best of luck."

Eyebrow raising is one thing she did learn from her aunt, but like, the kind of eyebrow raising that makes you rethink your life choices. Andy has no problem using it on Miroku.

"This have anything to do with your wind tunnel?" She asks, shooting in the dark but somehow hitting her mark.

Miroku frowns as he turns to look at her, "What are you implying?"

Andy shrugs and says, "I don't know, you kept looking at it tonight. Didn't want to bring it up in front of everyone but now you're being extra weird and that's not ok. What happened?"

There's a long moment of silence in which the two continue walking out of the village and down the main path for a bit. Andy doesn't push Miroku to answer, because it's not really any of her business, but she isn't going to just leave him alone right now either. They're friends. You don't just leave your friends to get through stuff on their own when they're clearly in pain.

"The woman I went with today turned out to be a giant mantis." Miroku tells her, "I had to use my wind tunnel in order to vanquish it."

"Ok..."

"It nicked my wind tunnel."

Andy stops him by curling her fingers around his wrist, the silk covering his hand and forearm warm and soft to the touch. It's a stark contrast to the prayer beads. The two of them stand there for a moment before Miroku meets Andy's eye.

"Are you alright?"

Miroku frowns but nods slowly as he says, "For the moment. There's someone I must see."

"Well, let's go then." Andy says, making sure to look her arm through Miroku's while still keeping a grip on his wrist so he can't run off and leave her.

"You're coming?" Miroku asks as though he's genuinely surprised.

"Duh, someone's gotta watch out for you."

"And you aren't worried about the others?"

"You expect me to be worried about a demon slayer, a priestess, a fox demon, a cat demon, and Inuyasha? I'm pretty sure Sango and Kagome have enough brain cells to manage on their own for a while." Andy tells him.

Miroku seems conflicted but ultimately allows Andy to come with him when he summons Hachiemon - a raccoon-dog that stutters out a kind, "Call me Hachi!" when he catches sight of Andy before turning into a flying mass of yellow fur? Miroku helps Andy up onto Hachi's back before settling down near the head. They're in the air not long after. It's quiet for a long while. Andy doesn't want to breach the subject on her friend's one-eighty in personality but it's something that might need to be addressed. He's starting to worry her a bit. Normally when they're alone Miroku will crack the occasional joke and pester her about children, it's all in good fun Andy knows but she never realized how normal it was until now. Careful not to fall off Hachi's back, Andy shuffles closer to Miroku.

"My father got sucked into his own wind tunnel," Miroku says to her once she's settled, "and disappeared without leaving a trace."

"That's horrible, I'm so sorry you had to go through that." Andy reaches out to curl her fingers through his.

"In time, I will probably end up dying like that."

"Is that why you wanted to leave? Because you're afraid of making us mourn you like your mourned your father?"

The look she gets is sharp but there's a certain sadness to it that has Andy aching for this man. Whatever reply Miroku comes up with is cut off by Hachi telling them that they're coming up on their destination. Looking down from her perch Andy can see a large crater, it's full of grass and such but it's clear that something happened... and from the way Miroku's been talking Andy wants to say that this is probably where his father died. Andy carefully slides off of Hachi when the times comes, walking over to stand beside her friend once he's done the same. She makes note of the grave marker and offers a silent word of comfort to Miroku's father before following her friend into the temple built not far behind them.

"Master Mushin, are you there? It's Miroku!" The monk calls when they reach the temple, when no one responds Miroku simply walks on in, forcing Andy to follow. When they come across a man lying in the middle of the room Miroku steps up to him and says, "Cripes... drunk as usual."

Kicking the makeshift pillow out from under the man's head seems to do the trick of waking him up and gets Miroku a sleepy, "Oh, it's you, Miroku. So you're still alive?"

Miroku kneels in front of the man and says, "Master Mushin, if you keep drinking to excess you won't live long."

Andy moves closer but doesn't tack on how it makes the liver fatty and raises blood pressure along with all sorts of other nasty things. She doesn't think the commentary would be welcome. She can keep her trap shut every once in a while, Inuyasha might claim differently but Andy totally can.

"Did you come here to lecture me?" The man demands, eyes drifting, "You haven't even introduced me to your friend."

Having been addressed Andy offers a kind smile as Miroku says, "My travelling companion Lady Andromeda, we've come because, well... A demon nicked my wind tunnel. Will you repair it?"

Master Mushin grumbles a bit as he shuffles onto his knees in front of Miroku, taking the offered appendage with surprisingly lucid eyes. It's probably got a lot to do with who Miroku is and why he's here. There's nothing quite like worry and fear to sober a person up. The aged man doesn't even bother uncovering the hand before he starts telling Miroku he's going to die so maybe he isn't that sober? Andy tries not to scowl at the man when he starts giggling and claiming that he's merely joking. Andy doesn't find it funny in the slightest.

"You didn't say you wanted your wind tunnel fixed." Andy says, gently taking Miroku's hand into her own.

"You never asked."

"Stop being so thick, Miroku," Andy snaps, "healing people is something I'm actually good at."

And then she's slipping into her own mind as her power slips into him. It's strange. Andy can feel the inky residue of Naraku in Miroku's body but it's a ghost, lingering in certain places like a well trained dog. It shudders and snaps when Andy gets too close but there's really nothing it can do to her so Andy presses on, but not after she prods around to see if she can remove the blasted thing all together. The curse is too intricate, too ingrained in Miroku's being for Andy to cut it out with her current level of skill but... she can totally sew the fractured edges together again. Her power brushes along the place where the wind tunnel and Miroku's flesh merge, the pressure from the wind tunnel reminds Andy of a black hole. She doesn't try to understand why or how that works, memories are a strange thing after all and Andy has more than she can reasonably acknowledge. So she simply takes what she can of the fractured edges and brings them together, healing them and reinforcing them with little bits of her own power so that another nick won't happen for a while, then she pulls away. Panting and sweating and feeling vaguely ill, Andy releases Miroku's hand with a smile.

"I couldn't get rid of it completely but I sealed up the edges. You might want to let it be for a while before trying to suck anything in, yeah?" Andy asks.

"What happens if I don't?"

"Can't say for sure, maybe nothing, but why risk it?" Andy asks, to which Miroku nods.

A delighted ha! snaps her attention to Master Mushin, who is staring at her through big brown eyes as he garbles out a happy, "Excellent! We've fixed you up nicely! Now go purify your dirty selves while I make lunch!" he shuffles to his feet with a smile and then moves off into a different part of the temple. Andy waits for him to leave before turning to Miroku.

"He seems delightful." She's not even being sarcastic.

Miroku smiles a bit, "He is a good man. Come on, let's see if there's anything you can change into."

"So we're bathing together now?" Andy asks, purposefully adding a heaping of innuendo to her tone in the hopes that Miroku will carry the joke.

He does, in a way, but Andy thinks that the worry he's had all morning about the wind tunnel trying to kill him has left him feeling hollowed out. Andy would feel the same way if she were in his shoes. So she doesn't push or make any more jokes about them bathing together as she follows him through the temple to find something to wear while they bathe and Andy's relieved that he grabs himself a similar pair of clothes to the ones he hands here. He promises it'll keep her decent but swears that he'll make sure no one tries to spy on her if it makes her more comfortable. It wouldn't be much different than wearing a swimsuit to the pool so Andy promises she'll be fine but it just kind of drives the point that Miroku's a good guy who doesn't deserve this shit home. She curses Naraku out in her head as she changes into the offered clothes behind a privacy screen. She's totally gonna kick his ass for what he's done to her people.

Once dressed Miroku leads Andy to the waterfall where they'll be bathing.

She's quick to slip into the water, a force of habit from years of actually having to adjust to temperatures before this whole thing with the well went down. Now that she's not, you know, human, Andy's found that either her body is naturally adjusting her body temperature to keep her comfortable or she's unwillingly adjusting the temperature around her. No one else seems to notice though so maybe it's just here. Andy scowls a bit as she turns and finds Miroku sitting under the falls talking to Hachi. He seems proud as a peach sitting under the water, not needing proper shampoo and conditioner to keep his hair from turning into a mess. Speaking of which... Andy's quick to gather her hair and twist it into a sloppy knot at the top of her head to keep it dry. The last thing she needs is to be looking like she got electrocuted because she got her hair wet while she cleans up as best she can.

After a while Master Mushin calls them in for lunch. Andy takes a moment to change back into the clothes she'd been wearing before joining her friend and his pseudo-father. He's a jovial sort of man, the type that puts a person at ease and Andy appreciates that. They've come across enough people trying to kill them that the kindness this man is showing them is actually a bit more surprising than it should be. Andy finds herself enthralled with the stories he tells of Miroku as a child and all the misadventures he got up to, it seems to embarrass her friend but he doesn't try to stop Mushin. Probably because he knows it's useless. The rest of the day is spent like this; talking, laughing, relaxing. And when Master Mushin asks them if they will be staying the night - because the sun is going down and their ride is curled up against the wall asleep - it almost comes as a shock. They should probably get back before the others get really worried. Master Mushin promises that they'll be fine until morning and then ushers them off to bed. Miroku goes willingly, Andy follows a bit more hesitantly - because it doesn't feel late enough to be sleeping, but it's dark out and without a watch Andy can't be sure, and because of this she allows herself to be put up for the night in a corner of the house close to a window. Miroku even gives her a yukata to use as a blanket of sorts before he and Mushin slip off. Andy lays there for a long moment, eyes dropping, growing heavier and heavier until...

"Andy!"

The startled shout rips her from whatever grogginess she might have been feeling disappears with the shout and Andy is sprinting through the temple, following the sound of voices and scuffling until she comes across Master Mushin with a cleaver aimed at Miroku.

"In exchange for a fragment of the Sacred Jewel," Mushin-who-isn't-Mushin is saying, "I promised Naraku to kill you. I'm the Demon Worm Charmer."

Red stains Miroku's shoulder where the impostor somehow managed to clip him and that, paired with his confession, is all Andy needs before she's closing the rest of the distance and socking the impostor in the face as hard as she can. He stumbles away, caught off guard, and Andy takes the opportunity to grab a woozy looking Miroku and haul him out of the temple and onto the yard.

"You alright?" She demands as she drags him across the yard.

"Gave me... thought it was... in the tea."

"Fuck." Andy hisses, because Miroku has clearly been drugged and also because there are hundred of demons trapped in little glowing orbs scattered around them. Shit, shit, shit.

"If you stay with me," Miroku is mumbling, "you'll die."

"Uh, don't think Naraku likes me much either!" Andy says before she maneuvers Miroku onto her back.

Which is easy. Like, weirdly easy. Andy knows it shouldn't be this easy to haul a fully grown man's dead weight onto her back. But she has and she is totally chalking this up to her other abilities because she's not in a place to be awing over being able to carry Miroku around like a bag of flour. Totally not the time or the place. His continued muttering about leaving him behind gets old really quick, about as quick as his struggling does. He's clearly too weak to get away from her so Andy doesn't understand why he's trying so hard. Obviously he's not going to be able to hold off the demons. Sighing, Andy hauls Miroku farther from the temple and down into the crater where the stone grave marker is, and settles Miroku there against it before throwing up a barrier.

"What're you doing?" Miroku slurs out, eyes focused to the left of her face.

"Holding off the demons until whatever he drugged you with wears off." Andy says as she presses her hand against the bloody wound in his shoulder.

Muscle and sinew have split to the cleaver, going right down to the bone, Andy shudders as she forces the wound to knit itself back together. This isn't the first wound she's treated but it seems like the worst because Mirou is one of her best friends, practically family. She'll be damned before she lets him die like this. It'd honestly be a shit way to go, dying at the hands of a demon so weak that he needs a jewel shard. Andy sneers at the demons making their way across the yard toward the barrier. These demons however? She doesn't mind slaughtering them.

"If they want to eat me, let them. Unlike someone else, I accept death with grace."

Andy turns to give the sweating, pale man a very sharp look and says, "I'm not leaving you. Friends don't leave friends behind! So shut up and work on getting the drug out of your system."

Not that that's possible from force-of-will standpoint but it'll give him something to focus on other than dying.

Demons surge forward, smacking into the barrier and reducing themselves to ash. Andy grits her teeth as they come at the barrier faster and harder in a clear attempt at overwhelming her. She thinks that if she weren't so determined to make sure Miroku doesn't die it might have been a good idea. Andy forces more power into the barrier, watching as it stretches out and expands until there's more distance between their spot against the stone and where the barrier is. A sudden flash of light causes her to flinch a bit but the barrier doesn't break down. So that's a relief. What's more of a relief, however, is the half-demon clad in red and holding a big-ass sword standing at the edge of the crater.

"You two ok?" Inuyasha calls to which Andy allows the barrier to fall just in time for Kagome and Shippo to come sprinting at them.

Neither of them go for Andy, oh no, they go straight to Miroku.

Andy can't even bring herself to be upset about it. While both Shippo and Kagome berate Miroku for running off - she'll probably get the same lecture later - Andy wanders over to where Inuyasha is standing and pats the half-demon on the shoulder. He accepts the affectionate greeting with little more than a flick of his ears. Andy thinks it's a big step for Inuyasha but she's still hoping to get him used to platonic displays of affection soon because it's clear he didn't get enough of it growing up. His mother might have hugged and loved on him whenever she could but then after she died? Inuyasha hasn't really known a lot of gentility. He's half-demon and that means he's less in both communities. It's not ok, it's not true, and Andy' gonna get Inuyasha to a point in his life where he can be affectionate with people without him being weary of it.

A loud shout of, "Who goes there? I shall punish anyone who disturbs the peace of my temple!"

Master Mushin stands before them looking a bit more lucid then he had when he'd tried to cleave Miroku in half, but that's not really that great considering the lucidness is playing into an ability to cause conflict. Andy swallows hard and shuffles away from Inuyasha, not because she thinks it'll help her but because it'll create two very separate targets. If he attacks he'll have to choose which of them he's going to go after, giving the other a chance to sneak attack.

"Are you the monk called Mushin?" Inuyasha asks, sword propped up on his should but still ready to be swung, "Interesting... Fight me, if you dare."

Behind them Miroku's voice calls out in weak, panting gasps, "Inuyasha, please... don't... kill him."

The mocking laughter that follows tells Andy that Mushin still isn't the jolly old man she'd met earlier. Whoever's inside of him is still there, or at the very least whatever forces he's being controlled through. As he mocks Miroku's love for Mushin, comments on how he raised their friend and how it would hurt him more to see his father-figure dead, Andy tries to think of a way to get Mushin back. She doesn't get long to think of options before the man is attacking Inuyasha. Somehow using the sacred beads he'd been toting around Mushin has managed to disarm Inuyasha and summon a large hoard of demons. Thankfully, Inuyasha manages to kill the demons before Andy has a chance to throw up a barrier, the sacred beads around his body doing nothing to hinder his movements despite the pain they're causing him. Andy rushes over and tries to tug them off... only, she can't. The beads spark and crackle angrily, little bolts of electricity biting into Andy's exposed skin and keeping her from summoning anything useful due to the distraction the pain causes.

"You are bound by my special magic, yet you can still move?" Mushin-who-isn't questions, a strange sort of smoke coiling around his body. "But I wonder how long you can last!"

Little balls of light appear around them as demons come to their master's call.

Andy throws herself away from Inuyasha as he slashes wildly at the demons, carefully avoiding his attacks while she takes a moment to heal tender fingers. Once they feel normal Andy moves closer to Inuyasha to help him fend off the demons. None of them are particularly strong. This tells Andy that the impostor is hoping to tire them out before he kills them, which totally isn't going to happen. Not anytime soon anyway. Sudden weight against her back has Andy twisting around to find Inuyasha slumping against her, body curled into an attempt at a tight ball. He's gritting his teeth and glaring at nothing, heavy pants filling the strange silence around them. Andy's quick to pull him closer, arms around his chest where she manages to slip her hands beneath the sacred beads and his robe so she can try and heal him. Mushin-who-isn't laughs at the attempt as more demons light up the sky.

"You no longer have the power to fight off the swarm," Mushin-who-isn't tells them. "Do you wish to be devoured alive? I shall be benevolent and chop off your head first. Those are scum demons that have no taste. Scum demons devour only scum!"

"Don't get your hopes too high, stinking monk!" Inuyasha snarls before jerking away from Andy and across the clearing to where the older man is standing.

Within seconds Inuyasha has the monk by the throat, claws raised high, totally ready to dig into the man's throat and let his remains paint the grass. It's only because the impostor starts talking that Inuyasha doesn't tear his throat out the minute Inuyasha has him. Mushin-that-isn't tells Inuyasha how he's the only one who can save MIroku, how he's the only one who can fix the wind tunnel, which is clearly a lie but stops Inuyasha from killing him right away. Andy doesn't know whether to tell Inuyasha that the not-monk is lying or to let him believe it so that her friend doesn't kill Miroku's. She does, despite her indecision, sprint across the clearing as Inuyasha sets the Monk down and gets shocked by the beads. Which is better at distracting the not-monk than Andy thought because she manages to tackle him to the ground and gets both arms pinned beneath her weight. The position keeps not-Mushin from doing anything stupid but doesn't stop him from summoning more demons, all of which head straight for the crater where Andy can just make out Miroku's head, shoulders, and hands... No. She told him not to use the wind tunnel. Not right now. Not when she wants to make absolutely sure her repairs hold. Andy gets why he's trying to help them but it's so dumb. So very, very dumb.

Inuyasha seems to think so too, because he takes off in Miroku's direction.

Andy watches, careful not to release Mushin-that-isn't, as Inuyasha grapples with Miroku for a second or two before he picks up his sword. As he talks about not letting Miroky die and how he doesn't want to wake up to the guilt of letting him die, Inuyasha's sword transforms and Inuyasha takes a moment to assess the truly massive wave of demons rushing at him before he swings. There's a bright flash of light that forces Andy to avert her gaze, but when it fades there' nothing in the clearing but her boys, herself, and the not-monk. Sagging slightly, Andy takes a moment to thank her lucky stars that neither of her people died. Than a chunk of demon parts hits her in the head and Andy is officially over it.

Like, is it cool that Inuyasha's tapping into the power of the sword like his brother was able to? Yeah, of course it is! Andy's just not so happy about getting pelted with demon bits while trying to keep a particularly fussy captive from escaping and causing more problems while the others gawk. It's not as fun marveling when you're also struggling.

Soft thumps against clay has Andy looking up just in time to see a small demon sprinting across the roof of the temple.

"Oi! Demon! Demon!" Andy shouts, attempting to jab her chin in the right direction.

This time it's Sango who attacks, flinging her gigantic boomerang Hiraikotsu at the tiny demon.

Andy lets out a whoop as the polished bone cuts the demon in two, forcing it to release the pot it had been holding. Shippo manages to get it before it cracks open and quickly rushes over to where Andy's still pinning the not-monk. The little kitsune quickly passes off the pot to Kagome, who rushes over to where Andy is so she can hold the open bit at the not-monk. The strange mist that seeps out of Mushin's mouth and into the pot isn't all that scary despite how Kagome and Sango and Shippo all blanche. Could'a been worse, really. Considering... Andy shakes her head as she heaves herself up and off of the monk. Now that he's no longer possessed he's no longer a threat. She pops her neck before carefully leaning down to check the Monk's pulse.

Still strong.

"What do we do now?" Kagome asks, to which Andy shrugs.

"Get him inside? Let him sleep it off maybe? We can do rotations watching him and if he's not good by morning we'll figure something out?" She wonders aloud as Inuyasha, Miroku, and Hachi wander over.

"It's a good idea," Miroku says quietly, eyes trained on his friend and father-figure, "Let's get him inside."

Inuyasha ends up being the one to haul the monk back into the temple, guided by Miroku's slurring words and Andy's uncertain memory of where she'd found him early. They eventually find a place to put him down for the rest of the evening and carefully get him settled before ushering Miroku off into a different room. He puts up very little fuss, which just goes to show everyone that he's exhausted emotionally and physically. Once Miroku's settled for the night the others go out onto the deck-like space and sit against the side of the temple. It's almost too quiet but it's clear none of them want to break it. That's ok. They probably all need a moment to get their heads of straight before they begin any sort of conversation.

"Andy?" Kagome asks not a second later.

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you leave with Miroku?"

Andy shrugs a shoulder and says, "Dunno. Felt like I needed to I suppose. Wasn't a bad feeling, more like the kind you get when you know something's bothering someone. I wanted to make sure he was ok."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Andy shakes her head, "didn't expect to get attacked but I guess I should've seen it coming."

Silence for a second, two, three, then Inuyasha speaks.

"We're glad you two are safe."

There's a murmur of agreement from the group that warms Andy to the bones.

Smiling, she leans over to place her head on Sango's shoulder. The demon slayer doesn't move to stop her, instead going to rest her head on top of Andy's, and the two sit there like that in the silence for a long while. The quiet no longer feels vaguely oppressive as it's broken by the occasional heavy breath and the steady thump of Sango's heart pumping blood through her body - Andy can hear it and it's so weird because she never could, you know, before. But she can't say that the steadiness of Sango's being isn't nice. It even manages to lull Andy off into a light doze at some point. She only knows because suddenly she's dreaming of flying over a patchwork of greens, blues, and earthen brown as she soars high above where no one else can touch her. It's a great fucking dream.