Naraku, the evil hanyou who loved to prey on innocent beings, be it human or demon, or anything in between. With his lifeless incarnations, he tears apart all things in his path, breaking apart the bonds and lives that people worked so hard building. With overwhelming greed, he continues to search for the last remaining jewel shards to fill his own selfish desires. He sits in the safety of his own castle, watching the world carefully through a transparent mirror.

"Kagome." a voice smooth like velvet whispered from the abyss of darkness.

He's coming for me. All I can hear is the sound of my heart beat throbbing in my ears. I can't breath. It feels like I've been running for hours upon hours, never stopping for a break to catch my uneven breath. The walls are closing in. He's getting closer. I can feel his breath on my shoulder, chilling me even deeper than bone. Run faster! All I can do is run. From running farther away, it seems I'm only venturing further into the web of horror. His crimson eyes, filled with nothing but greed and much wanted power, are watching me from all sides, everywhere I turn. Fear spread thick like fog around the never ending path. Spider like arms drape around me like a pale bone curtain, threatening to pull me in...

"Kagome!" the petite, but strong demon slayer all but screamed at the unknowing miko. She sat on her knees on the ground next to her friend and waited for her to awaken. She watched as her friend stayed in the same position, not budging an inch. Time drawing on, she prepared to use her last resort, which was tickling the girl until she gave in, when kagome's electric blue eyes fluttered open at the sound of her friends high pitched, but mature voice.

"You have been thrashing about in your sleep. Did you have a bad dream?" relief washed over the slayer. Her worried stance relaxed and her shoulders went into more comfortable position. She had been talking with Miroku when kagome started muttering in her sleep. She started to fidget and you could see her eyes shaking under her closed lids. Scared for her friend, she was going to wake her, but as she got closer to the sleeping miko her arm shot out and smacked the slayer in the face.

Kagome rubbed her tired, half-opened, eyes. She turned her head into sangos direction, sleep still glazing over her eyes.

"Sango-chan? I don't remember having a dream. How long have I been out?" Stretching, she sits up in her sleeping bag, pulling back the covers to release her legs from the cotton cocoon. One burst out and the other followed. She got to her knees and crawled over to where she had put her shoes the previous night.

"Not long, but long enough for us to get a late start. Didn't you say you sensed a jewel shard? Why are you dragging us behind?" Inuyasha chimed in, interrupting the slayer, being his usual blunt self. His hands were tucked away into his sleeves as they always were when he was being stubborn. He glanced at the miko, waiting for her explanation.

"Well, sorry, Mr. Perfect. Not everyone can be such a big, strong hanyou such as you. Some people need this thing called sleep." She got the shoes she was struggling with on and crawled back over to her sleeping bag to start packing her supplies.

"Feh, whatever, but you better hurry up before we leave you behind" Inuyasha shouted over his shoulder as he was walking over to a large shaded tree to sit under. He fiddled around in his sleeve and dug out the bag of onion flavored chips that he had been saving since the last time kagome had went to her time. He opened the chip bag and munched on his much awaited snack, not caring about the glares that he was getting from the demon slayer for crunching too loud.

"I wouldn't leave Kagome behind Inuyasha! You big block head, take back what you said!" the little fox kit yelled over to the hanyou, who then started to further antagonize the kit. Shippou threw a crying acorn into the other direction to catch inuyasha attention. Inuyasha looked at what he was throwing, his eyes scrunching up so he could see it in the distance. Smiling, shippou snatched the goodies out of his clawed hand and ran the other direction, climbing up into the nearest tree for protection. Inuyasha looked at his hand in disbelief and shot to his feet, running after his precious snack.

Kagome rolled her eyes and started rolling up her conveniently light sleeping bag that she bought on the last trip to her time, which had been ages ago. She had started to get sick of the cold, and decided it was time to get one that wouldn't be a hindrance to carry. She made sure to pick a darker color, instead of the oh so familiar silver-white colored one that she wanted, so that she could have some protection just in case she had to plunge herself in to the bushes, buying time to ready her bow if a demon came when the group was sleeping.

She put the sleeping bag in her faded yellow bag and yawned, stretching her arms as far as they would go. She looked down at herself and grinned with satisfaction. She no longer wore her junior high uniform. When she had surprisingly managed to pass her high school entrance exams, mostly out of pity from the school board, she had gotten a crisp new uniform to replace it. Not that she was wearing it; she wanted to keep it from getting ruined. She had decided to retire her uniform usage and to dress in a less restricting way. She was now dressed in an out fit similar to sangos, except instead of a full body outfit, it was like a mini kimono that stopped just above her knees. It was with out sleeves and was a deep blackish-blue with silver lining around the out side edge and belt, making it look like a starry night sky around her slim waist. The colors against her deep ebony hair and electric blue eyes were even more defined against the color of the fabric, making her skin a beautiful tone of ivy and her lips an innocent pale pink.

Pulling her bag onto her back, she decided to pick up some rocks and put them on the fires remains, making sure they were all the way put out. 'We wouldn't want to have any spread to the underbrush' she thought to herself. Nodding to herself in satisfaction that the job was done, she called to the group that they were leaving and everyone followed.

It was such a beautiful morning. The birds were twittering to each other about the previous day, the trees were dancing about in the slight mid afternoon breeze. The sky was a beautiful robins egg blue, golden highlights added by the almost fully risen sun. Not a cloud in sight. 'Ah, the temperature's just right. Last night was so cold. Just thinking about it makes me shiver, how unu-'

"Lady Kagome, what are the plans for today? Which way shall we travel?" The monk curiously asked, interrupting her thoughts. He stopped and sango bumped into him in surprise. Blushing from embarrassment, she muttered a quick apology and directed her attention to kagome.

"Wait a minute, who said Kagome was in charge of where we go?" inuyasha interjected.

"Because, inuyasha, I know where the jewel shard is located, remember?" kagome snapped, still agitated about their previous conversation. She glared at the hanyou and his ears flattened to his head, sending his eyes downcast.

"Feh" was all inuyasha could say. After all, she was right.

"I sensed a shard over by the mountain pass yesterday, but now I sense multiple, maybe two, that seem to be going into the direction of kaedes village." Kagome raised her hand to her head and ran her fingers through her silky hair, untangling the places she had missed with the brush.

"Could it be the same shard?" Shippo asked, including himself into the conversation, his eyes focused on kagome intently. Kagome's mouth went into a slight smile. 'Carful shippou, don't focus too hard or your eyes will get stuck that way' She mused in her head.

"That's unlikely. It takes at least a day to get from the mountain, all the way to kaedes village, even for a demon" Sango informed the little fox kit, as well as the whole group. They all shifted uncomfortably at the reality they had to face. They had already walked half way to the mountains just to have to turn right back? It was either keep going to the mountains to see if they could find any clues, or head back to the village. Either way, it would be a long trip and their supplies were dwindling...

"I think we should head to the village and check it out. Besides, I'm getting really low on supplies and I haven't been able to go back to my time in months. I have to visit school once in a while or I might as well be proclaimed dead." Kagome suggested, almost pleading in a way. She really hadn't been back to her time in a while. There had been so many leads, but all of them always seemed to go no where.

"Oh no you don't. We just got a lead on a shard by the mountain and we're already half way there. There's no way we're going back and neither are you. Why are you so selfish? School isn't as important as the jewel shard, you know, the one that you broke. Besides, you said two shards? It's probably that smelly wolf."Inuyasha argued. There was no way she was going home. Not when they had just got another lead.

"Inuyasha, she may be right. Why not stop while we're ahead, No? We have been traveling for more than a handful of days, and could use some new supplies. There would be no reason that Kouga would go to kaedes village unless kagome was there and being a wolf demon, he would have been able to tell if she was there or not." Miroku insisted on the scenario, trying to ease the situation. He looked over at kagome and then back to inuyasha. Kagome look annoyed. Nobody wanted that.

"No, Miroku, that's okay. Fine inuyasha, have it your way, but you might want to SIT down for this" The hanyou went plummeting into the earth, face first, making a body shaped hole in his destruction.

"How dare you say school isn't important! You know that I'm already sacrificing a big part of my future standing here looking for jewel shards, when I could be studying! Me? Selfish? I go back to my time and bring back supplies for you, for ALL of us! You have no right telling me where I can and can not go!" The miko yelled down to the now dirt covered hanyou. 'Uh-oh, he set her off. What an idiot' shippo thought. Inuyasha didn't like the amused look that was on the kits face.

Kagome picked her bag up off the ground from where she had thrown it in her rage and turned the other way, walking away from the group with an annoyed look on her face.

"I'll be in my time if you need me. See you guys in a few days!" She shouted over her shoulder toward the group, waving a hand of fare well, leaving them stunned. 'Now you did it Inuyasha. Good job.' the group thought in unison.

"What was his problem? Why can't he get it through his big head? Not all of my time can be dedicated to finding jewel shards. I have two worlds, therefore, two separate problems I have to deal with." Kagome was fuming. She had been walking for hours going over the situation. 'Maybe it wasn't the best idea to travel from the group…' the stubborn miko thought after she cooled down. It was starting to get dark. She began to pick up the pace a little and started into a light jog to take her mind of the approaching darkness.

Before she knew it, the sky faded from a vibrant azure blue to a veil of black. Stars were shinning all around, lighting up the night sky. The birds had retired for the night, leaving the stage for the frogs and crickets to ponder through. 'It might be a good idea to start a fire. Good thing the stars are brighter in the feudal era' she thought.

The stars weren't nearly as bright in Tokyo. They were so vibrant here, which was a good thing for the situation at hand, but a bad thing when you're trying to sleep and the start light shines in your face.

Kagome spent a few minutes scavenging for wood and decided where she would set up camp. Not close enough to the trees for the fire to catch on anything, but close enough so she could use her surrounding for cover if needed. She cleared a spot of rocks and pebbles and lay out her sleeping bag, making sure that it was positioned the right way.

Getting her pan, she stared to set up the dinner supplies. Remembering that inuyasha wasn't there to find a stream, she quickly dismissed the idea of ramen or fish. She could go out and search for water if she wanted to, but she thought it wasn't the best idea considering the fact that she couldn't see where she was going. She felt no need to accidentally step in the wrong place and be forced to sleep in soggy clothes. She would have to settle for trail mix tonight.

Throwing the sticks and twigs into the fire pit she had made, she reached into her back and pulled out a match. She struck the match alight and threw it into the pile. The wood was dry and it caught easily enough. While being warmed by the fire and finally falling into a deep sleep, kagome was oblivious to the pair of crimson eyes staring intently at her through the night. 'This is going to be fun' thought the owner, with a gigantic, devious grin on their face.

Alright everyone, what do you think? Thank you so much for choosing to read Behind the Golden Ice!

~AiOtaku