Burning Desire - Chapter 1

Our story begins with a crisp morning. Birds are chirping, a slight breeze to the East. Kagome is just putting the last of her bedding from the previous night into her overly-large yellow backpack.

"All right!" Kagome jumps to her feet with excitement, "let's get on the road!"

Inuyasha looks at her with a dumbfounded face, hands in the red sleeve of his fire rat coat, "what's got you all excited?" Huffing his chest in slight annoyance so early in the morning.

"I just want to find the rest of the shards," Kagome takes the little glass jar out from under her shirt, inspecting it, "by the looks of it, there aren't many left." Taking a deep anxious breath, she replaces the little jar.

"I must agree with Lady Kagome," the lecherous monk adds, "the faster we gather the shards, the quicker we may all return to our lives, and put these tragic events behind us." Looking at his cursed right hand with anguish and despair. Suddenly feeling a hand rest on his shoulder, Miroku turns his head to view the owner.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. We'll get the shards and defeat Naraku; ending all of our tortures," Sango comforts with ease and confidence. The monk smiles warmly at her concern and help. But not before resting his own hand upon Sango's behind, earning with a swift, and expected, red print of a hand across his cheek.

With that, the group returns the narrow dirt road along the edge of a dense forest, heading further into Western territory.

The group walks for many hours, finding no hint of demons or shards. They stop for lunch at a river bank. Setting a blanket out, the group plops down for some well deserved rest. They eat their ramen in relative peace; minus the bickering between Shippo and Inuyasha, fighting over who's getting the last ramen cup. Inuyasha was the clear victor, receiving the ramen, and a glare from Kagome.

"Here, Shippo, have some of mine. You need to eat." Kagome hands him the rest of her food. "Thanks!" Shippo replies with gratitude.

"Inuyasha, you really need to not pick on Shippo, he's just a kid," shaking her head at him.

"Hey! This is my food. I asked for it and I need it more than him. What if we get attacked? I'll need the energy to save your sorry ass!" Inuyasha yells arguably.

Kagome could do nothing but admit he was right. Taking note that she needs to return home soon to resupply the ramen stash, she eats whatever bits of leftovers from yesterday's dinner she can find.

With everyone done eating, Kagome packs the blanket and containers away. Everyone fills up their bamboo canisters with water, and they proceed walking West until nightfall.

"Hey, it looks like there's a village ahead!" Shippo points out with relief for shelter. "Indeed there is, I will see if I can acquire us a room to stay in tonight," Miroku declares, leading the group into the village and heading to what appeared as the chief's well maintained house.

Knocking on the side post of the doorframe, a large, bald man with an elegant wardrobe opens the sliding door. "Ah, visitors?" "Yes, my companions and I are in need of a place to rest for the night, might there be anything available?" Miroku goes over the script in his head, waiting for the reply he knew would come.

The chief looks at the ragged, mixed group they were, uncertainty and confusion written on his face, "I am sorry, but we are full for the night."

"Is that so?" Miroku looks down, dejected. "I was hoping to do this later tonight, so I wouldn't disturb anyone."

"What do you mean?" the chief says, beads of sweat forming, fearful of what the monk could be talking about. Miroku looks the chief dead in the eyes, "I must inform you, there are about seven rat demons under the decks of your home. I came to you hoping to exterminate them while you slept, so I would not cause panic. But if there's no room for us, then I wish you a pleasant night." Miroku turns to leave, giving a little wave of hand as he started to depart.

"Wait! Hold one moment!" The chief runs out to catch Miroku's hand, tears falling down the man's face, "if what you say is true, please, I beg you. Rid me of those demons at once! I will make a room and prepare a feast for you and your friends as my gratitude."

"Well, when you put it that way, how could I, as a humble monk here to serve the good people of this world, refuse?" The chief runs back inside his home to bark orders to the servant, telling them to make up the special large room and to prepare the feast for their saviors. Miroku turns to face the group of disbelieving faces. "I can't believe that works every time," Inuyasha states with a heavy sigh, "well, let's get this fake extermination over with."

While Miroku puts fake sutra on the pillars of the house, Inuyasha swings his sword to vanquish the invisible rats. Sango and Kagome, with Shippo on her lap and Kilala on Sango's, sit and chat around the corner away from the noise.

"So, Sango. How are things going between you two?" Kagome asks, being very nosey and eager for her best friend to spill the beans. Sango turns instant red, smoke fuming from her ears, "I have no idea what you're talking about!" "Uh huh, sure. I'll find out sooner or later." Kagome giggled at her own ruthless teasing.

"Well, what about you and Inuyasha?" Sango tries to deflect the conversion and the teasing. "Hmm, you know, I've actually put a lot of thought into it. I feel like I no longer love Inuyasha. After being hurt so many times with him going back and forth between Kikyo and me, I think I see him as nothing more than a best friend, or a brother. I no longer get the butterfly in the stomach feeling, you know?" Kagome looks up at the night sky in remembrance and contemplation. Sango looks at her with sadness but understanding. The two hold this connection in silence.

Miroku and Inuyasha come back to meet the rest of their group about 10 minutes later. Nodding his head as a sign of completion, the group return to the chief. "Good sir, we have ridded your beautiful home of the pesky demons, and I have put up some protective sutra to aid in further protection for the future." Miroku explains with a bow of his head.

"Yes! Well done, I thank you for your services. Please. There is a feast for you and your friends in the guest wing. I shall show you to the room now." The chief leads the group up the stairs and down a narrow hallway, stopping in front a sliding door. Opening it, they found a long table with foods and drinks of all kind waiting for them.

Drooling at the sight, both Shippo and Inuyasha rush into the room and start shoving food into their mouths. With a sweat drop on his head, Miroku thanks the chief and closes the door. "Well, we better start eating before those two eat everything," Miroku states to the girls.

After a nice meal, they all hunker down in different locations of the room, falling into a food coma.

A couple hours later, Inuyasha's nose twitches. Bolting up from his prone position, he sniffs the air more deliberately.

"What's wrong Inuyasha?" Kagome asks, rubbing her eyes from having been woken up. "I smell a demon, heading this way," he gets to his feet, "I'm going to check it out, and if needed, I'll kill it." Inuyasha jumps out the window, leaping and sprinting towards the dense forest.

Quickly, Kagome gets to her own feet, picking her bow and arrows up, she wakes her friends and tells them what Inuyasha said. Prepared to follow as back-up once her friends have gotten themselves together.

Inuyasha rushes towards the scent, coming to a complete halt. It isn't until now, when he reached the edge of the forest, that he recognizes another scent. "Sesshomaru."