Fancy Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not my own.

Warning(s): N/A. Safe for most ages!

A/N: Transition chapter!

VIII. Uneasy

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After Kouga and I returned to camp, I knew I'd remain awake for the rest of the night. I kept thinking of how good it felt to be near him. Once, I found myself wondering what it would feel like to massage his heated flesh. How good would he taste?

My robes hung loosely on my form, hiding my growing arousal from sight. With my arms folded behind my head, I stared up at the night sky; I stared right through it. Thoughts of Sango entered my mind, but I always returned to Kouga. I blamed my thoughts on the fact that he was someone familiar—someone closer. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get him from my mind.

Unknown to me, Kouga was having trouble sleeping. He knew that Souta was feigning sleep, and he could see me staring off in thought. At first, he didn't care; then, he noticed something in the air. There was a heavy musk—the scent of arousal.

He would get some entertainment out of watching Souta steady his breathing and throw out a few snores, and then he would focus on me. With his back resting against a tree, he had a good view of the entire camp. The scent of arousal only grew stronger with each passing moment. Frequently, he'd scratch at his nose or try and block the scent from his senses, but it would always snake through. The musky atmosphere was starting to affect him.

I heard rustling; I remained in my thoughts. Kouga left his bed beneath the large tree and walked into the forest. His feet shuffled along the ground as he moved; he was in a hurry, or so it seemed.

"Miroku?" I blinked and turned my head to look at Souta.

"Yes?" I replied, watching him turn over to face me.

"What are we going to do?" Souta asked the question that had been on my mind for most of the evening.

"We're not giving up." Again, I thought of Kouga.

My response was enough to sate his curiosity, and we both lapsed into silence. Everything about our situation was awful. We were at a large disadvantage; we were vulnerable. Somehow, Katsuyori—Naraku—was involved. I could feel it.

It seemed as if I blinked and the night vanished, giving way to an array of pinks and reds. Kouga removed his hand from my shoulder and stepped back, a smirk upon his face. Apparently, I had fallen asleep.

"The spider demon isn't far; I'll never forget that mutt's scent. You better hurry up if you want something to eat." Kouga turned and walked back to his side of camp, revealing the meat that roasted above a crackling fire.

Briefly, I noticed that Souta was gone. I decided not to ask about the boy. For once, and it pained me to admit it, Kouga was right. Souta needed to at least be able to look after himself. Nibbling upon a piece of meat, I stared off in thought. Thoughts of my friends' glowing red eyes plagued me.

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Souta tossed another stone into the tiny stream. He'd left camp right before dawn; Kouga just watched him walk off. He had smiled at Kouga, proud that the wolf youkai deemed him worthy enough to protect himself. He really needed the time alone.

He traced his fingers over the face of his watch. Sometime during his stay in Feudal Japan, his watch had stopped. He wondered what day it was. There was no real sense of time or direction. Secretly, he missed the rigid schedule he had left behind. Judging by the sky, he assumed his soccer team was just starting practice.

Thoughts of Kagome and his mother swirled around in his mind, but he also thought of InuYasha. He had formed a sort of friendship with me; however, it was just because we both understood loss. Souta wanted to be able to bring his family back; he wanted to bring InuYasha back. Somewhere along his teen years, Souta began seeing InuYasha in a different light. He was going to tell the hanyou when everything had gone wrong.

"We're leaving, Souta," I spoke, standing behind the quiet boy.

Putting on his best smile, he turned and nodded. I didn't want to know what dark thoughts plagued him. We were each battling our own inner demons; we continued west.

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Author Rant

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Another chapter of the story is complete!

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