Later that night, alone in her hut, Kagome prepared for tomorrow’s trip to Kouga’s mountain stronghold. Though she put on a bold face for Sesshoumaru and her friends, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety about the journey ahead.

It had been quite a while since she’d crossed paths with her would-be suitor. What if her assumptions about Kouga were totally off-base? Maybe he’d lost his shards. Maybe his feelings toward her had cooled. While Kagome hoped for everyone’s sake that he kept his hands to himself, the thought of Kouga viewing her with mistrust or even hostility was troubling to say the least.

She honestly didn’t know what to expect, but step one was to get there and meet with him in the first place. Pushing her worries aside, Kagome continued to pack up her yellow bag. She didn’t expect to be gone more than a day, but if there was one thing Mrs. Higurashi had taught her, it was to always be prepared.

Stuffing a couple extra pairs of panties into the bag for good measure, Kagome turned her attention to her defenses. Now, where had Inuyasha’s fire-rat hakama gotten off to? Maybe she had left it over at Kaede’s place. Making a mental note to stop by and check later, she inspected her bow and arrows, fixing the fletching here and there and adjusting the tension of the string.

The threat of Mouryoumaru was ever-present in her mind. Until they’d dealt with him, Kagome knew she couldn’t even begin to rest easy—for Inuyasha’s sake if nothing else.

Eyes stinging, she took a moment to remember her departed friend. To say that they hadn’t always seen eye-to-eye would be an understatement, but still, she missed him greatly. He had been her very first friend and ally in Sengoku Jidai. It was difficult at times like this, not to feel a little lost here without him.

Of course, she had Sesshoumaru…

Blushing, Kagome thought back to their kiss that afternoon. He was so hot and cold, she hardly knew where she stood with him at any given moment. Yet, even though he’d disappeared without a trace for days on end, she hadn’t doubted that he would return. It wasn’t trust, exactly, but she supposed it would just have to be good enough.

Sanding down a splinter on the frame of her bow, Kagome looked up in question at the sound of a faint knock at her door. Straightening, she set her weapon aside and rose to her feet, her stiff spine cracking at the motion.

“Come in!” she called out cheerily.

The curtain lifted, a shadowed figure crossing over into the light of the hut, a square-shaped parcel in hand.

“Sango-chan,” Kagome greeted in surprise.

“Good evening, Kagome-chan–I hope I’m not disturbing you.” Not quite meeting her gaze, Sango extended the parcel toward her. “I wanted to give this to you at dinner, but the sleeves still needed a finishing touch…”

Puzzled, Kagome pulled at the string that bound the package, a small gasp escaping her as it opened. Beneath the rice paper wrapping was the Robe of the Fire-Rat–though Kagome recognized it only by its distinctive texture. Cut to fit her, the haori had been bleached pure white and reworked in the miko tradition, the thread embroidering its sleeves dyed to match the color of the hakama below—

“Blue,” Kagome wondered aloud, running her fingers over the rich azure fabric.

Sango nodded, a rosy hue touching her cheeks. “I thought the true Shikon Miko deserved a mark of distinction.”

“It’s beautiful,” Kagome said, her eyes stinging once again as she looked up at her friend. “Thank you, Sango-chan.”

“You’re welcome.” The taijiya glanced down at her clasped hands. “…Miroku-san helped as well.”

“Miroku-san, eh?” Kagome teased lightly. “What happened to ‘Houshi-sama’?”

“I’ll answer that,” Sango returned evenly, despite her deepening blush, “when you tell me what’s going on between you and Sesshoumaru-sama.”

“F-fair enough,” Kagome managed, drawing the sleeve of her new haori before her flushed face as she pretended to admire the stitching more closely.

As her flush receded, she peered around the furisode’s billowy edge, letting the sleeve fall altogether at Sango’s concerned expression.

“Be careful, Kagome-chan,” the taijiya said softly.

The miko had a feeling Sango was referring to more than just her upcoming venture. Promises, Kagome had learned, were tricky things to keep in such uncertain times. With a small smile, she offered her friend the best assurance she could make.

“I’ll try.”

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi