Disclaimer: I own NOTHING of the Inuyasha anime

Chapter 1: Comfort

The sun had just set as the group gathered around the fire. Their day was long and stressful. They had fought another one of Naraku's puppets and successfully gained another shard. Kagome looked around at everyone and thought about how much her life had changed since shattering the jewel. She adored each of her companions. She had been traveling with them for a year now. Sango was her best friend and who she considered a sister. She looked up to her for her fighting skills and strong personality. Which was the opposite of her. She also really wanted Sango to be reunited with Kohaku at the end of their quest. Sango deserved happiness after all she's been through. She then looked at Miroku. Miroku was the peace maker. Although he was quite the pervert she knew he was a great guy. Then there was Shippo. The little kit was like a son to her. She felt like she was all he had after he lost his family. Lastly there was Inuyasha. He was her friend and first love. She would do anything for him.

Just as she started to smile at her thoughts, she saw a familiar glowing light. "I'll be back later," said Inuyasha right before running after Kikyo's soul stealers. Kagome couldn't help but feel heart broken. As much as she loved Inuyasha he never returned her feelings. She knew he cared about her and was torn between her and Kikyo, but in the end she knew his love for Kikyo was too strong. With that last thought she felt tears start to fall. By this time the only one awake besides her was Miroku. She quickly wiped at the tears. Luckily Miroku hadn't seen her crying.

"Miroku, I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Are you sure you should be walking alone in the dark lady Kagome?"

She knew it was dangerous but she needed to be alone. "I'll be fine Miroku." With that said she headed towards a river they had passed by earlier.

Kagome sat on a log silently crying. Her heart ached and there was no one to comfort her. 'Why must love be so complicated' she thought. After a few minutes of crying her heart out, Kagome heard footsteps heading towards her. Before she could bring herself to stand, the figure sat next to her. They sat silently for a few minutes.

"Is there something wrong with me Mioku," asked Kagome.

Miroku didn't know how to answer. He knew what a great girl she was, but he wasn't sure if she would believe him.

"Lady Kagome, there is nothing wrong with you," he answered.

Kagome felt more tears starting to gather.

"Then why does Inuyasha keep running off to Kikyo," she asked as tears fell again.

Miroku slowly pulled her into a hug and started to rub soothing circles on her back. He let her cry for a while before answering her.

"Kagome, Inuyasha is blind if he can't see how great you are. If you haven't noticed he does seem a bit, shall we say, slow in the head?"

Kagome giggled, which was the effect Miroku wanted. He hated to see Kagome cry. He had known from the moment he saw Kagome that she was beautiful, and after joining their group he saw she was a sweet, caring, and intelligent girl. That's why he hated to see her hurt by Inuyasha's foolish behavior.

As Kagome laid her head on Miroku's chest, she couldn't help but feel warm. She was grateful that Miroku was comforting her. She knew it was wrong to let the perverted houshi hold her, but for some strange reason it felt right. She looked up and saw Miroku was staring at her. She felt her face flush and slowly pulled away from their embrace.

"Thank you," Kagome said.

"I hope your heart is at ease lady Kagome."

She smiled at him and said, "it is." Soon after that they headed back to camp.

It had been nearly a week since the day Miroku helped Kagome with her broken heart. Over this time they started to get to know each other better. Even though they had known each other for over a year they hadn't really bonded.

"I think we should rest soon. The sun will be going down and we need to set up camp," said Miroku.

"Feh, whatever," answered Inuyasha.

As everyone set up camp Kagome kept glancing towards Miroku. Ever since the night he comforted her she had thought a lot about him. She didn't understand why, but he seemed different to her.

"I'm going to go find us something to eat," said Inuyasha.

"I'll go help you. My hunting skills need some practice," said Sango.

As they left Miroku took a seat by Kagome. "So tell me more about your time lady Kagome," he said.

Kagome smiled and said, "what else do you want to know that I haven't told you already?"

"Tell me more about these things called airo-planes."

Kagome giggled at his mispronunciation and explained how airplanes worked. Miroku sat there stunned and impressed. As their companions returned they noticed Miroku and Kagome talking. They had noticed that they had begun to become closer over the past week.

"We're back," announced Sango.

"What did you guys get," asked Kagome.

"Inuyasha was able to catch a boar," she answered.

As the women were busy cooking Inuyasha analyzed Miroku. He didn't like how his friendship with Kagome was growing. Although he considered Miroku his friend he knew what a letch he was.

"Dinners ready," announced Kagome cheerfully. They enjoyed their meal while talking. Right after they all settled for the night.

The next morning Kagome woke up to find the guys gone. 'The must've gone to bathe' she thought. When the guys returned they were greeted by the smell of ramen.

"Inuyasha, I need to go home for a few days. I have some tests I have to take," said Kagome.

"No," was his answer.

"But Inuya…."

"Look wench, I don't see why you keep going back. Finding the shards is more important."

Everyone could see Kagome's anger flare. "Inuyasha…. Sit boy." Inuyasha plummeted into the ground.

"Sango can I use Kilala to go to the well," asked Kagome. Sango said yes and soon Kagome was off leaving Inuyasha behind saying a string of curses.

This is my first fanfic so please be honest and comment. I'll update if it's liked by at least 3 people.