Okay, here is my first real attempt at a fic, short though it is. If you don't review, I won't know how good or bad it really is, so please let me know if it's good, great, mediocre, or really really sucks.
Disclaimer: I think we all know who the true owner is now, don't we?
Tears of a Traveler
by
LavenderRose66
The sun was just beginning to set when the travelers finished setting up camp. In the center a small fire burned brightly, a spit cooking freshly skinned rabbits. The air felt brisk, the leaves only starting to turn brilliant reds and golds. Winter would be upon them soon; none were looking forward to another season of snow on the road.
There were only a few shards left to find; the travelers held a precious few with the whereabouts of an additional three at their disposal, four if they so chose. The problem lay in the location of the fourth shard; its removal meant certain death for one of their compatriots.
This knowledge weighed heavily on the minds of those huddled around the campfire on this particular night. The fear that Naraku would elect to remove the shard for his own, larger portion of the Shikon no Tama was fast becoming a distinct possibility before winter set in. Everyone was desperate to finish this quest, Naraku included. His attacks came less frequently than before; he was preparing for the final battle as well and needed his minions at their peak performance.
The companions sat quietly, waiting for the food to finish. Suddenly one jumped up and headed for the small stand of trees just outside the light of the fire. "Hey, where you going?" one asked.
"I'm just taking a break. I'll be close by if something should happen."
The rest of the group looked at each other questioningly, but said nothing. Each knew that if something should attack, the group as a whole would combat it.
Once alone, the traveler sat down heavily, thoughts swirling aimlessly, yet each competing for dominance. First and foremost, the worry that they would not make it out of the final battle alive. Then the concern that the monk would not even make it to the final battle, that the void in his palm would swallow him up before he had a chance to defeat the curse of three generations with no one to carry on in his stead. Fast on that thought's heels, the fear that Kikyo would come for her final vengeance before Naraku's defeat; then the idea that Kagome would leave for her time once and for all.
Suddenly, as if the weight of the world were crashing down, the tears started. At first, just a single tear slipped; then a second and third trickled down the traveler's cheek. A single whimpering sob escaped before all sounds were muted by a stubborn look of determination that settled upon the traveler's features.
All traces of sorrow were removed by the time the traveler returned to the little group. "Feel better?" one of them asked.
"Stay away from me Houshi."
End