Chapter 2

Kimiko inspected the interior of the hut carefully, noting each and every minute detail in a mental sketchpad. Don't say mental.

It belonged to an old priestess named Kaede, and Kagome was a priestess too, she had learnt. Over the course of 3 hours, she could already see that there were potential couples in the group. Or perhaps they already were.

They had stayed out to watch the sunset. Inuyasha perched on the roof of the hut in a dog-like position, with Shippo by his side. Miroku, Sango and Kagome sat in front of the hut on the grass, whilst she preferred to distance herself a little.

The sky blushed, and went into a transition of several shades of orange, and then, before she could comprehend it, it was dark.

Occasionally, she heard a loud smack. Merely Miroku getting his just desserts for groping Sango. Kimiko was amused, but not amused enough to smile nor chuckle.

Back in the hut, everyone was having a dinner of stew, and sat in a circle around a fire. It was like a fun camp in the woods with a group of friends, just looking to rough it out.

Except it isn't roughing it out for these guys. Probably not even for Kagome anymore.

The hut was made of wood, no doubt, for bricks had not yet been made 500 years ago. Or perhaps they were made unavailable for commoners. Large rocks were placed on the roof, assumingly to hold it down and prevent it from being carried away by the night gust.

As everyone ate their dinner and bantered, she examined them with interest. That was the only thing she would have lived for. People-watching.

The crisp green sailor suit with a red ribbon was probably sort of an attire for Kagome when she came here, because it was a Sunday, and on Sundays, it was a no-brainer that there was no school. She was a visibly bubbly and cheerful character, always trying to look on the positive side of things. Bright blue orbs shone with hope and care and raven-haired. Kind of like the exact opposite of me.

A demon exterminator who lost her entire village to a half-demon Naraku (who apparently everyone in this group had a bone to pick with except Kagome, who could learn to hate him herself) went by the name of Sango. She had gorgeous brown hair which looked like it came straight out of a shampoo ad. Her bangs hung over her forehead and parted slightly in the middle, and a thick pink slit of what looked like permanent eyeliner to her accentuated her bright eyes. Was it an indicator of status back in her village? Or was it more of a beauty essential for all female demon slayers? She had to ask her someday.

Practicing(and prancing) monk Miroku. Beneath that coquettish and womanising exterior, it was easy to see that he had a good heart. Apparently, he had some sort of vortex in one hand which he kept sealed up with some prayer beads and a cloth, which was also why he was after Naraku. It was some sort of curse the latter had placed in Miroku's family for a few generations. Either Miroku was outstandingly capable compared to his dad and gramps, or he was just lucky.

Inuyasha was easily the most obnoxious prick she had ever come across, who thought the world of himself and wanted Naraku's head most amongst them all, though when she asked what for, he immediately became withdrawn and moody. She could tell that he cared a lot for Kagome, even in the midst of the few hundred senseless fights they had in the past 3 hours she had been with them.

Little fox demon, she had learnt, had lost his father to the notorious Thunder Brothers and rescued by Inuyasha when Kagome got taken hostage because she held this Sacred Jewel which Inuyasha seemed to be obsessed with. Orangey-brown fur and hair, big eyes with small pupils, paws instead of hands and a green vest with leafy patterns were Shippo's most distinct features. Which was all of him, if you think about it, because he was so very small. He was like the group's baby, and they never really told her why he had tagged along despite his apparent lack of abilities. They were the closest he had for a family as of now, she supposed.

And then she realised, that was a common trait everyone, save for Kagome, shared. Miroku never spoke of a mother. Sango's entire village was annihilated in a single night. Inuyasha, well, it wasn't hard to see that as loudmouthed as he was, he was strangely introverted in his own way and trusted far but few. He was probably left with nothing but this band of misfits he'd call his own, because his mood had taken a drastic turn when she asked about his back story.

She suddenly felt a wave of guilt froth into the crevices of her soul and pool at the bottom. She felt heavy.

Kagome noticed Kimiko's sudden uneasiness.

"What's wrong?"

They seem like nice people, and she seems genuine.

But I'm not falling for it again. Once you open up, you're handing out invitations to get fucked over.

"Nothing. I'm going for a walk."

She got up and left the hut before anyone could protest.

The night air was rather chilly. It was definitely warmer in the hut. It felt like she was in a different place altogether.

Three hours since their meeting, it suddenly dawned upon her how strange this situation was. In fact, it was quite unbelievable. Perhaps she was going nuts. About time it happened anyway.

Strangely, she was really calm about it. She expected herself to launch into a maniacal fit, but no, she didn't.

Whatever. I'm going to take a walk to clear my mind.

"Do you think she'll be fine?"

After a few minutes of basking in an awkward silence, Sango finally spoke up.

"I dunno, but she doesn't seem to trust us," Shippo pouted childishly.

"Keh. Who cares if she gets attacked by some demon?" Inuyasha snorted, placing his hands behind his head in a lackadaisical manner.

"You can't blame her, you know. She's new to this. It's already good that she isn't freaking out considering what weird circumstances she was under," Kagome defended.

"Oh, like you did?"

Everyone held their breaths.

"Sit."

'That's one more bundle of wood I'll have to gather to patch these holes up for tonight,' Kaede sighed inwardly.

"Well, from what I see, she looks really troubled," the wise one chipped in. "It's not just her face. Her aura exerts a copious amount of sadness as well."

Miroku nodded, and nobody paid attention to Inuyasha crawling out of the pit created by the impact of the pull of the rosary beads on his neck.

"I'd better go check on her," Kagome said worriedly.

"I'm. Fucking. Lost."

Kimiko emphasised on every syllable to prove her point to nobody in particular.

All the trees looked the same. The moon was not out tonight, and she had quite stupidly forgotten for a while that this was the feudal era where there were no phones or any sort of communication device after making countless calls home with no avail.

She slumped in resignation at the bark of a tree. She could feel splinters getting caught in the wool of her turtle-neck.

The forest was too silent for her liking. In fact, it was unnatural. The sound of crickets chirping in the night usually resonated through the dense foliage of the forest. She could hear the ringing in her ears replacing the deafening silence.

Whoosh.

Kimiko immediately stood up and surveyed her surroundings. She was sure her mind was not playing tricks on her. She had heard that clearly and the ringing sound was gone for a moment. She felt her skin coated with a thin layer of perspiration. She had to admit, it was getting rather hot now. Perhaps she should roll up her sleeves.

'Oh hell no,'she silently berated herself for harbouring such a thought.

WHOOSH.

There it was again. Kimiko clenched her fists and scanned her surroundings once more. She cursed herself under her breath for leaving the safety of the hut. Some mind-clearing walk this turned out to be.

She heard the faint rustling of leaves nearby on her right, and she spontaneously spun around and held her fists up, ready to slug whoever it was.

'Please don't be a demon, please don't be a demon, please don't be a demon…'

She suddenly decided that this might not be her desired place of death.