"Inuyasha, have you seen my bag?" Kagome asked as she looked around the ground for her overstuffed, yellow back-pack.
"Why ya askin' me?" He asked irritated, laying back on the grass a few feet away with his crossed arms as a pillow. "It's not like I ever take it for anything," Inuyasha snorted. Kagome silently fumed at his lie. "Why don't we just forget the bag and keep going? At this rate we'll never find Naraku."
Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Shippo were all helping Kagome look for it; walking around and looking under bushes and behind trees. Shippo had even stuck his head in a few tree knots only to find rotting leaves or very put out squirrels. The tiny fox ran over and pulled at Kagome's skirt, "I don't think it's here Kagome. We've already looked everywhere."
"Hey!" Inuyasha poked her shoulder a little too hard. Kagome turned angrily but didn't say a word, staring as he had the overstuffed bag in his claw. "Here's your bag. Now can we go?"
"Inuyasha, where did you find lady Kagome's bag?" Miroku pointed as he came walking next to Sango.
"Yes, Inuyasha. Where did you find my bag when none of us could find it!" Kagome made a face and pointed an accusing finger at him.
Inuyasha dropped the bag onto the ground and turned his back in ignorance to the others, "You left it at the village," He paused, then continued when his answer clearly didn't satisfy her, "Did you forget I can smell a lot better than any of you?"
"But why didn't you say anything earlier?!"
"I didn't feel like it okay? Now lets go."
Sango and Miroku looked at each other with questionable faces, a hint of exasperation. "Kirara." Sango called. A second later the feline popped out of the rat whole she had dug out, ran towards her master, and exploded with flames, growing to her full size. She hissed energetically.
Inuyasha crouched down to let Kagome on his back. "Leave that thing here Kagome, by the well."
Kagome frowned as she set her bag beside the magical well, her connection between the feudal world and her present time. "Okay, I'm ready." She said as she threw her bow and pack of arrows over her shoulder before getting on Inuyasha's back.
She held on as he took off, leading the others who rode on Kirara. 'I barely just get here and the first thing he asks me is if I sense jewel shards. Not even a hi. He's such a jerk sometimes, I can't beleive him!' Kagome ranted on to herself.
All of a sudden, Kagome felt pain. Not just prick-your-finger pain, but the kind that spread like fire, licking every inch of her body, slithering through her arms, legs, fingers, neck, skull...and sending her head into a real. All she could think of was that she hurt, that she needed the hurt to stop. She could focus the cause of it in her stomach. She realized she wasn't on Inuyasha back anymore, she was falling. Her hand was reaching up, out, but no one noticed. She tried to scream, call for help but all that came out of her mouth was a quiet, pitiful whisper as she hit the ground.
..:~*~:..
Kagome jerked up, still screaming, throwing the top half of the sleeping bag off of herself. The cold shivers started running through her spine and to her fingers and toes as she looked around frantically. There was nothing but the dark, still forest to greet her, and the dying fire.
Inuyasha jumped down from his branch in the tree. "What is it? What happened?" He asked quickly. "Is it the fragment? Where is it?"
"Oh...no." Kagome replied quickly, trying to sound cheery, slightly embarrassed now. "It...was nothing! I'm fine, just go back to sleep."
"Are you sure?" Miroku looked up from where he was leaned against a tree, his staff slanted to the side a bit..
Sango sat up, Shippo on her pillow, "Yeah, Kagome. You screamed out Inuyasha's name."
"Is it the last jewel shard?" Shippo asked through groggy sleepiness.
"No, no. Not that. Really I'm fine! It was just a bad dream I guess." She rubbed the back of her head.
Inuyasha sat down crossing his arms, "Feh. A bad dream, was that all? And here I was all worked up thinking it might be the last piece of the sacred jewel!" He huffed in frustration.
"Now Inuyasha, that's no way to talk to Kagome like that!" Shippo pouted his lip, scrambling over to him, jumped up, and hit the back of his head.
Sango and Miroku sighed in unison, "Here it comes."
Inuyasha growled, "Why you little...!" he punched Shippo's head in return.
Kagome sat rigid, "Inuyasha stop that! He's only little!"
Shippo smirked and stuck out his tongue. Inuyasha reached down and grabbed the little child by the tail, ready to fling him across the campsite.
"Inuyasha..."
"Here it comes," Sango and Miroku said once again.
"Oh no!" Shippo scampered away from him, Inuyasha frantically waved his hands in front of him, as if warding away some invisible force. "Don't say it...!"
"SIT!"
BAM
"He needs to learn to control his anger, " Sango shook her head, standing up. "Kagome, you've been carrying too much stress lately." She glared sideways to the crater in the ground and the twitching limbs coming out of it, "How about we go find a springs to calm your nerves?"
"I don't know, maybe I should sleep some-"
"You will get plenty of rest, but right now you need to relax."
"Yeah, okay." Kagome stood, walked along beside Sango. Shippo followed close behind.
Miroku lifted a finger, "Perhaps you may need prote-"
"No thanks!" Sango yelled furiously.
Miroku bowed his head in defeat. The trio had disappeared through the trees by the time Inuyasha managed from his crater, complaining, debris littering his silver mane.
"You're never going to learn, are you?" Miroku stated in a feigned hopeless tone.
"Oh shut up! You're one to talk, perverted monk!" Inuyasha growled back.
For a moment Miroku studied the half demon, pondering how the two of them had ever become friends...or when. How strange it was that the most dangerous demon of all...or else collection thereof...was solely responsible for creating that possibility. And how long ago was it that he, Miroku, had stopped perusing Kagome? Was it when Sango came along? Or had he noticed Inuyasha's feelings for her even back then? That was so long ago...
"Hey! Did you here me?!" Inuyasha demanded, snapping the monk out of his concentration.
"Not at all."
"She thinks these things," Inuyasha held the beads around his neck, "Give her and I some kind of connection, or something ridiculous like that. But all she really wants is utter control." After a moment of thinking it over he added, "Whatever, it won't be a problem when I'm a full demon. I broke them last time, I'll do it again."
"But last time you also nearly killed Kagome," Miroku pointed out.
Inuyasha winced at that comment. He had felt guilty ever since then but apologies seem so small considering what he could have done. "That's only because she put herself in danger! I didn't ask her to risk...and besides I was under a spell."
"Hmm," Miroku looked away, feeling sorry for both Inuyasha and Kagome. Who he felt sorry for the most he couldn't tell. If Inuyasha finished his quest, they both would lose a great deal.
Silence overtook them. Miroku stared off into the trees, occasionally looking into the sky. Inuyasha just stared into the flames. He was going to become full demon, at any price. He jerked, questioning himself...any price? Kigome's image came into mind. The thought of what she had done, of what he had afflicted upon her with his own hands, the look on her face...could he bare all of it again?
He shook his head sharply. None of that mattered.
Obviously, this story is years old and I've grown a bit in literary talents. So, I have planned to revise this story. I will note on the bottom of each chapter if it is revised or not. The chapters are still kind of short, but I try not to discourage with super-long chapters. Hope everyone enjoys!
