The next day, Kagome nervously tucked some hair behind her ear, her gray eyes anxious as she tucked her last possession, Midoriko's blade, into her satchel. Not too far away, Sango was humming the Higurashi Waltz to herself as she assisted Kagome in choosing what clothing to bring. Despite Kagome's request that her now newly declared betrothed's help, Sango had shooed him off to go pack his own things, looking fairly upset. When Kagome had questioned her, it had been revealed that the slayer was admittedly upset that she wasn't going as well.

"Sango-chan," Kagome murmured her tone soft as she glanced at the still annoyed woman. She was hesitant; not exactly sure that Sango wouldn't snap at her. "I'm sorry you can't come, but could you please make sure nobody hurts Shippo-chan? I know he did wrong, but…"

"Yes, of course, Kagome-chan," Sango replied, tone bitter. Her eyes flashed with pain. "It's not fair. I want to come. I heard that there's a chance Kohaku's there. I want to see my brother."

Kagome's eyes flashed with sympathy. "I'm sorry, Sango-chan," she said honestly. "I'll tell him that you're alright if you want, that you want to see him sometime. If you want to write a letter, I can deliver it to him."

"No, there's not enough time," Sango sighed. She smiled reassuringly at the nervous miko. "Don't worry, Kagome-chan. You tell him if he's there that I'll seem him sometime, just like you offered. Shippo will be cared for."

"Thanks, Sango-chan," Kagome sighed in relief. She gave the other woman a warm smile. Sango returned it just as a pounding came from outside, followed by Inuyasha yelling, "Come on, wench. You still need to get that damn horse of yours ready!"

"To put it in a better way," Miroku added from where he stood beside the Silver Prince, "Time to go."

Kagome glanced over at the closed door in surprise. "Already?" she cried. She quickly shouldered her bag, her eyes flashing nervously. She hugged Sango tightly with a reassuring smile. "Come on, you need to say goodbye to Miroku-kun before we go!" Kagome's eyes twinkled with a teasing light. "I'm sure he wants to say goodbye to you."

Sango flushed, but followed the miko out of the room anyways. She smiled slightly, noticing that as soon as Kagome had stepped out, Inuyasha was beside her. She watched silently as Kagome smiled warmly at him in greeting, eyes sparkling. When Inuyasha playfully shoved her, his ears pricked forward, Kagome pouted, muttering a protest of "Inuyasha-sama!" before shoving at him in return.

Sango giggled under her breath, watching the two for a brief moment before turning her attention on the man beside her, a soft smile playing on her lips. "You be careful, Miroku," she told him, her eyes glazing over with worry.

Miroku chuckled, tugging her closer to tightly hug her, kissing the top of her head. "Of course, Sango. We'll be fine. We'll see you again in about forty days, remember? You can count down. I promise, when you get down to zero, I'll be back. Promise you'll be careful, too. Even if you're here, something can still happen."

Sango pulled back to affectionately pat his cheek, eyes warm for her best friend and perhaps something just a little more. "Don't worry about me. I'll have Kirara and my Hiraikotsu. We also have the guards, Sesshomaru, and Kami help anyone that messes with Izayoi."

He laughed in response, giving another kiss to her forehead. Then he turned to Inuyasha and Kagome, who were both snickering, smirking at them with equally smug looks. "You two," he warned, narrowing his eyes. "Drop the looks or I swear I won't let you forget what you two will be getting into."

Inuyasha's smirk disappeared immediately, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Kagome's face flushed red and she immediately looked away, eyes wide. Sango, giggling, smacked the back of his head. "Miroku! Don't you dare torture Kagome-chan while you're traveling."

Though Kagome wouldn't admit it, and neither would Inuyasha, Sango hadn't been blind to the fact that Inuyasha, since receiving the news of now being engaged to the young miko beside him, had begun to practically revolve around Kagome. In the last few hours (not including those of sleeping), he'd constantly been at her side, teasing her, in an overall brighter and happier mood. Kagome had been just as happy, even going as far as to playfully tug on one of the Silver Prince's famous ears. Of course, a mere moment later, she had been apologizing, making him frown unhappily.

"I won't, I won't," Miroku grumbled, though he continued to grin almost evilly at the two. "Guess we'll be off then." He turned to Sango, gently ruffling her hair. "Remember, Sango. Forty days. Count down and we'll be back on zero."

"I'm holding you to that," Sango warned.

"I know." He glanced at Inuyasha, who nodded, calling a "See ya, woman!" over his shoulder before nudging his wench, as he'd so happily declared Kagome, away. Miroku started after them, shooting Sango a final smile over his shoulder, violet eyes dancing.

Sango felt her heart clench as she went the opposite way, deciding to go see if there was anything she could do for the Silver Queen. "Something doesn't feel right," she murmured under her breath. And something didn't. In the back of her mind, she could sense that something would happen. And if anyone would know, she knew for sure it would be Izayoi.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Down in the courtyard, Kagome was running her fingers through Sabe's mane as the guards that had been personally selected by Izayoi to escort the group scrambled around, preparing. She'd already tucked her satchel into a saddle bag and was waiting on the two men so that they could be ready to leave. Nearby, Inuyasha was expertly saddling his own horse, and Miroku was already climbing into the saddle. "I don't see why I need to ride a damn horse," Inuyasha huffed under his breath, irritated. "I hate riding the horse."

Kagome's lips tilted into a smile. "Because Izayoi said something important was happening tonight, Inuyasha-sama," she reminded, not noticing the half-demon's flinch at the –sama. She smiled. "But Izayoi wouldn't tell me."

Miroku's eyes danced mischievously. "Oh, so you don't know, Kagome?"

"Miroku," Inuyasha growled warningly, holding up a fist threateningly.

Ignoring him, Miroku began to explain, moving his horse to stand beside Kagome. "Even though he's the Silver Prince, Inuyasha's still a half-demon. Every half-demon has a moment of weakness. Sometimes it's a day, sometimes one month throughout the whole year. But in that moment of weakness, they become a human, a regular mortal like you or me. Inuyasha's just happens to be on the new moon. As soon as the sun sets tonight, he turns human. When the sun comes back up, he's back to normal –ow!" he added in a cry as he toppled off of his horse.

Inuyasha glowered at him from where he'd shoved Miroku off. "Damn it, I didn't want her to know!"

Miroku scrambled to his feet, huffing back, "Well, what was I supposed to say when you run off in the middle of the night? She wakes up before dawn! What should I have told her when you were gone?!"

He paused. "…feh," he huffed, heaving himself onto his own horse's saddle. Miroku copied him, rubbing his shoulder, and Kagome merely grabbed the reins of her own horse before leading him closer to the two men. Inuyasha watched impatiently as the guards finally assembled, and one of them called to the group, "Inuyasha-sama, Miroku-kun, Kagome-chan! We're leaving."

Kagome finally mounted her horse, getting comfortable in her saddle and smiling. "Let's go then!" she said cheerfully, almost seeming bouncy in the saddle. The last time she'd traveled past the Market, she'd been on her way to it as a slave, walking through the desert. Now she would get to enjoy the traveling, and with friends, none the less!

Miroku chuckled at the young woman's enthusiasm, following beside Inuyasha as they made their way over to the guards, who were waiting patiently for the trio. "Someone's excited to travel," he teased playfully.

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him and Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I hate traveling," the half-demon muttered. "I'd rather just be there already. And if I was by myself, we could be there before sunset."

"That's because you're half-demon and run like a mad man," Miroku retorted. "You're welcome to if you want, but then Kagome will still be here with the rest of us."

Inuyasha flattened his ears and huffed. "Feh," he grumbled, "She's not all that heavy last time I checked, and I could carry her on my back. I did it with Sango when we first found her."

Kagome's cheeks tinted red, but Miroku waved the statement off like it was nothing. "Sango was also underweight and sick from being a slave."

"Miroku-kun," Kagome asked hesitantly, "Just how did Sango become a slave?"

"Moving out!" a guard announced.

"Hold on, I'll tell you as soon as we're out past the Market."

As the group of Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and fifteen or so guards set out, Kagome felt a shiver run down her spine, an excited smile spreading across her face. She'd get to see her old home, the home before Onigumo's. One that she could only faintly remember. Noticing the smile, Miroku laughed. "You seem happy, Kagome."

"I get to see my old home," she explained.

Inuyasha grunted in response to her words, focused on the area around them. His ears were pricked, listening for any signs of danger as the horses plodded through the trees, the Market coming into view eventually. As they walked into the Market, people whispered among themselves. Or at least, some of them did. Others cried out greetings to Miroku or to a guard, sometimes even to Kagome herself! But nobody said anything to Inuyasha, who ignored them.

Kagome frowned at this, reaching over to poke at his side. The half-demon growled softly in warning, and she immediately ripped her hand away, looking confused. "Not here," the half-demon muttered under his breath, shooting her a rare look of reassurance. Well, not so rare towards her.

Kagome furrowed her brow and Miroku snickered, leaning over and whispering in her ear, "He likes to pretend he's a cold undefeatable soldier in front of his…people."

She couldn't help but giggle in return. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, shooting them irritated expressions though a smile played at the edges of his lips.

"Kagome-chan! Miroku-kun! Inuyasha-kun!"

The familiar voice caught their attention, and Kagome broke into a smile. "Kagura-san!" she cried back, waving in greeting as the wind demon hurried over, her eyes flashing happily. Kagura hurried over, her painted lips curved in a bright smile. "What are you doing here? You work on the other side of the Market."

Kagura smiled warmly, patting Kagome's leg as she walked beside the moving horse. Sabe huffed, swishing his tail and eying her suspiciously. "I heard that the famous Silver Prince was coming this way with a few others. I figured that the only other people it could be were you guys and some guards, and it seems like I was right. Where's Sango-chan?"

"Izayoi said she had to stay behind with her, Toga, and Shippo," Miroku explained with a slight smile. "Been a while, Kagura."

"The last time I saw you in particular," Kagura mused without a glance towards him. "You were getting smacked up the head for groping that slayer." Kagura snickered, hiding a smirk behind her hand as she added, "And I thought she would've liked it, considering how attached she's gotten to you, Miroku-kun."

"Sango?" Miroku gasped, looking horrified at the idea. His gaze darkened slightly, and he gave a dry smile. "We're not that close, Kagura. She's my closest friend. I'm pretty sure she'd rather not be that close with me."

Kagome stared at him in disbelief. Beside her, Inuyasha snickered despite Miroku's claim. "Miroku-kun," Kagome cried, "You need to pay attention to the things around you! Sango-chan likes you!" She smirked. "And she's not exactly invisible to you."

As Miroku stammered for an excuse, Kagura chuckled, stopping her following as she said, "I'll leave you guys here. Goodbye!"

"Bye, Kagura-san!" Kagome cried back, waving in response. Miroku chuckled, doing the same.

After they had left the village, Inuyasha returned to his normal self. His ears began to twitch every now and then, his expression not as cold, and he let everyone know he was back to normal by reaching over and carefully pushing at Kagome, making sure to not knock her off of her horse. Kagome giggled, smiling at him.

Miroku rolled his eyes. "Kami help me," he grumbled, despite being happy for the two…and slightly worried for the half-demon's mental health, he would admit. Inuyasha didn't normally behave this warmly towards anyone, not even his own mother. "They're a bunch of children."

Kagome replied by shoving him off of his horse.

~~OO~~OO~~

Kagome flopped down with a groan in front of Miroku, munching on some jerky that had been brought along for dinner. Miroku raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you? And where's Inuyasha? I would've thought he'd be following you around with how he's been acting lately."

Kagome flushed slightly, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I'm tired and sore from riding all day, and I found out we have another few days' worth of travel." She scowled. "And Inuyasha-sama is over there," she waved in the direction of the half-demon, who was talking urgently with some guards, his eyes twitching this way and that, eyes flashing dangerously. "I don't know what he's talking about though. He wouldn't let me hear and told me to come sit over here with you."

Miroku chuckled as she pouted. "Ah, Inuyasha will tell you after whatever he's talking about has happened. It's most likely about tonight. The sun is about to go down, and I'm sure he's nervous about being out during these times in his human form."

Kagome bit her lip. "He'll still be the same, right? He just won't look like a half-demon?"

"Of course," he reassured, "Inuyasha will be the same person. He'll just look different, though he may be a bit…unhappy, though that's not really the word I'd use to describe him as a human."

"Stop talking about me, Miroku, or I'll send you back," the half-demon himself threatened as he ungraciously threw himself down near the two, his face set in an angry scowl. Kagome's eyes snapped wide as she watched his silver hair become black, his golden eyes become the same shade of his mother's. And she felt a slight pang of disappointment as his ears disappeared, too. When he caught her staring at him, he glared at her. "What?!"

"See?" Miroku said with a sigh. "Very, very…unhappy."

Inuyasha hit the back of his head.

Kagome hesitated, then held out a piece of the jerky that she'd grabbed, smiling warmly at Inuyasha, pretending to not be bothered by his irritable attitude. "Would you like some, Inuyasha-sama? I don't know if you've eaten or not yet, but you should."

Inuyasha huffed, plucking the food from her grasp and took a bite of it, still scowling as she watched him curiously. She suddenly giggled, and the half-demon raised his gaze to glare at her. "Wench," he warned. When she didn't stop, he demanded, "What the hell are you laughing at?!"

Kagome took a deep breath in an attempt to stop laughing. "Nothing," she rasped, "I'm not laughing at anything. I'm just happy."

He stared at her for a few seconds, and then rolled his eyes. "Wench," he repeated.

She merely smiled, knowing better than to believe he was actually meaning what he said.

Miroku sighed, flopping backwards to sleep.

This was going to be a long night.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Kagome eyes snapped open, her eyes narrowing almost immediately. Something was wrong, she knew it immediately. She shot into a sitting position, her gaze searching the area around them. Miroku slept only a few feet away, but Inuyasha was still awake, his gaze shifting from the fire not too far away to her. His gaze was no longer teasing as it had been the night before.

"Inuyasha-sama," she whispered, her eyes flashing anxiously.

Inuyasha grunted in response, reaching over and nudging Miroku with a no longer clawed hand to wake him up. As soon as he opened his eyes, Inuyasha told him under his breath, "Stay quiet. Something's not right."

Miroku immediately reached for the staff he had brought along, though Kagome didn't remember seeing it at any point in time. Inuyasha had his hand on the hilt of Tetsusaiga, and she herself felt pretty useless with her blade tucked into the satchel on Sabe. Inuyasha let out a low whistle to catch the guards' attention, and they were immediately on alert, reaching for weapons of choice and searching the area.

Kagome bit her lip, shifting. "Inuyasha-sama, where's my horse?"

"Not now," he muttered back.

"But Inuyasha-sama-"

"Damn it woman," he snarled at her, eyes flashing angrily as he glared. She knew that if he'd been half-demon at the moment, his lips would have been pulled back in a snarl and his ears would have been pinned against his head. "No!"

Kagome flinched, dropping her gaze to her lap, silently panicking as a guard suddenly barked out a warning. "Movement to the northeast, sir!"

Inuyasha shot to his feet. "Don't attack until you're sure it's an enemy-"

"There's more approaching, sir!" another guard called.

"Here, too!"

"Damn," Inuyasha cursed. Miroku climbed to his feet, helping Kagome up with narrowed eyes. "You better be right to fight, Miroku." His eyes had hardened into a cold look. "Kagome," he added, glancing at her. "Do whatever I tell you, we don't want whoever's attacking to know that you're a miko, understand?"

Kagome bit her lip anxiously, pleading, "Tell me where Sabe is, my satchel-" One glare from the half-demon turned human, and Kagome lowered her gaze. "Yes, Inuyasha-sama," she mumbled.

"Good," he replied. He turned to Miroku. His gaze hardened as he leaned over and muttered in his ear, "I'm putting you in charge of keeping her safe," he said in his best growl, making Miroku fight the urge to smile. "If she's hurt at all, I'll kill you."

"Of course, Inuyasha," Miroku replied. "I'll make sure nobody touches her."

Exasperated, Kagome snapped, "Hello, I can protect myself! I need to get-"

"Kagome," Inuyasha snarled, glowering at her. "Not now, damn it!"

Suddenly, an arrow flew out of the trees, lodging itself into the tree behind Inuyasha's head. The half-demon turned human cursed, shoving Kagome towards Miroku as he drew a worthless sword, glancing at the lightening sky. "Won't be that long," he muttered under his breath. "Miroku, get her back to the Market."

Miroku nodded, dragging Kagome away while thermic cried desperately, "Miroku-kun, please! I can help!"

He grabbed her by the waist, wrestling her onto Sabe's back after dragging her over to the horses. Sabe shifted uneasily, and whinnied, tossing his head as Miroku hauled himself onto the horse's back behind Kagome. "Let me down, we can't just leave everyone!" Kagome cried as people leaped from the trees. The clashing of weapon on weapon could be heard, and her face paled. "Miroku-kun!"

"Inuyasha's my friend," Miroku said grimly, snatching up the reins of the horse. He twisted them, easily ignoring Kagome's desperate fight to get free. "I know you're worried about him and everyone else, but damn it, Kagome, when he gives an order, we have to follow it!" He huffed when she fought to get the reins from him, roughly grabbing her wrists with one hand and pinning them behind her back, steering the horse that was already charging forward with a piercing scream of fear, not caring if he left bruises.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha cursed as he fought off a snickering demon, his useless sword refusing to transform despite his desperate need for it. "Damn it!" the half-demon yelled, wincing as something sliced through his arm. The dark wasn't helping, either, he noted angrily. A guard appeared, assisting him by tearing into the attacker without hesitation. Inuyasha barely flinched as blood spattered him.

"Sorry, sir," the demon guard apologized. "There's no time for weapons."

Inuyasha shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Just get back to fighting. Did you see Miroku and Kagome?"

"They left, sir," the guard said, eyes serious. "Miroku-kun took Kagome-chan on Kagome-chan's horse at a full gallop."

He let a relieved sigh escape him before raising his sword to block another strike from an attacker. He glared at the sky as the guard once again assisted him, tearing the other man apart piece by piece. So close, he thought as the edges of the sun began to peek over the horizon. He was so close, and then he'd be able to properly fight and check on his friends-

Pain suddenly exploded through his chest, and he cursed violently and loudly as the sword was jerked from his body. Pressing a hand to the injury, he whirled on the proud demon that crowed, "So Inuyasha-sama isn't at all what he was said to be!"

Inuyasha didn't need his nose to realize who it was. "Byakuya."

Byakuya's lips curved into a smirk, and the Silver Prince glowered at him, ignoring his wound as he raised his sword and pointed it at the demon of illusions. "Bastard."

"Inuyasha-sama!"

Inuyasha glanced at the guard before returning his gaze to Byakuya, who was lazily smirking. "What is it?"

The guard panted for breath, blood streaming from a cut above his left eye. "Inuyasha-sama, there are too many. I sent Yakuzuma to get some help from the castle. We need to retreat until the Inu no Taisho and more soldiers can arrive."

Inuyasha muttered under his breath before jerking his head in a nod. He glanced at the sky. Just a few more seconds, and then he'd be able to defend more than just himself. Not that he could defend himself very much right now. "Aw," Byakuya cooed sarcastically, "Is Inuyasha-sama retreating? How terrible!"

Inuyasha smirked at him as rays of sunlight finally filtered through the trees, washing over them. He gave a pulse, his black hair beginning to bleed silver. "Should've killed me when you had the chance," he taunted. Tetsusaiga pulsed in his hand before transforming as well, and he grinned as he expertly wielded it.

Byakuya glowered at him, then taunted, "Oh, but you, see, we weren't really after you, Silver Prince." His gaze locked on a point over Inuyasha's shoulder, and Inuyasha whipped around just in time for another sword to plunge into his shoulder. In no time, he'd sliced the demon in half, ripping the sword out of his shoulder and cursing. "You see, we're merely here to slow you down, Inuyasha-sama."

Inuyasha's ears pinned against his head, snarling. "Leave."

As if he hadn't spoken, Byakuya continued. "We're here for the miko that kitsune told us about. I know Kagome is the miko. So why don't you just hand her over so that I can give her to Naraku-sama, hm?"

"Stay away from Kagome," Inuyasha snapped immediately. "She's not the miko; she's just a servant that works for us. Leave her alone."

"Oh, but you're so protective of her!" Byakuya laughed. "Are you sure she's just a servant?"

Inuyasha didn't answer.

"Sir," a guard yelled, "We need to retreat until the others get here!"

Without hesitation, Inuyasha had whirled around, darting in the direction of the Market, calling back, "Then retreat like I told you to, you idiots! Keep them out of the Market; I need to find Miroku and Kagome!"

"Yes, sir!"

Byakuya smirked as he watched without moving, easily blocking the strike of a guard. "Ah, you really are quite dumb, Inuyasha-sama." And then he plunged his own blade into the throat of the guard that had attacked, watching as the guard crumpled, gurgling. "Quite dumb indeed…"

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

No longer fighting Miroku, Kagome clung desperately to Sabe, her fingers tangled in the horse's mane as it raced through the trees. Miroku expertly twisted the reins, leaning with the horse and forcing Kagome to do the same so that it moved faster. He glanced over his shoulder. "Damn," he muttered. "We can't lead them into the Market, they'll kill everyone…"

Kagome searched desperately for an idea. "Miroku-kun, that way!" she cried, pointing towards a dense part of the forest. "It'll slow them down. Sabe's a good jumper!"

"Got it," he muttered in her ear, twisting the reins. Sabe nearly slammed into a tree before recovering, hooves pounding across the ground. Sabe expertly leaped over a thick bush, his hooves clipping a few branches. Kagome and Miroku ducked to avoid branches overhead. Sabe landed heavily, froth falling from his mouth, wheezing. Kagome smoothed a hand over his neck, glancing over her shoulder behind them.

The massive snake demon was still after them, slivering easily through the brush they had barely cleared. "Miroku-kun, look out!" she screamed as it suddenly darted forward.

Miroku cursed, jerking his staff expertly and wincing as the demon's head fell to the ground. His knuckles were white as he grasped the staff.

Sabe jumped again, and this time, they didn't land.

"Miroku-kun!" Kagome screamed as another demon appeared behind them, slamming into them as Sabe leaped. The two humans went flying and Sabe screamed in pain and fear as he landed awkwardly on the ground, a sharp snap being heard as he landed wrong. The horse raised a foreleg, which dangled uselessly as he struggled to limp away, leaving his two riders breathless on the ground.

Miroku scrambled desperately for his staff, killing the demon as it reared over him. "Kagome?"

"Over here," Kagome gasped, scrambling over. Tear tracks stained her face, as well as smudges, dirt, and cuts. Miroku grimaced. Inuyasha was definitely going to kill him for that.

Miroku knew that there was no way they would get out of this. There was no way they'd escape. So without hesitation, his eyes apologetic, he grabbed Kagome by the shoulders and whispered, "I'm sorry, Kagome."

"For what?" she rasped, confused.

Miroku replied by taking hold of her hair, gently pulling it back and gathering it into a ponytail. Using the sharp part of his staff, Miroku chopped off almost all of her raven locks, tossing it into a nearby bush. "Miroku-kun!" Kagome squawked, but he ignored her, instead wrapping his arms around her in a brotherly hug, eyes full of grief. "They can't recognize you, keep your eyelids lowered. Damn it," he whispered as demons gathered around them, crowing in victory. "I'm sorry, Kagome, I'm so sorry. Forgive me for what's happened."

Kagome's eyes widened before snapping shut and burying her face in the man's shoulder, giving a terrified sob.

And the demons closed in.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

((End of the First Ark))