Day 1

5:45 AM

She woke before the sun in order to complete her morning chores. Quietly gathering her supplies she left the camp, Inuyasha's golden eyes ever watchful. After taking care of her bodily needs, she filled their canteens in a nearby stream, taking the time to wash the sleep from her face. On the walk back to camp she gathered sticks, the canteens clanking softly against each other secured to her pant belt loops. She had learned early on that skirts and feudal Japan, simply did not mix.

Her thoughts wandered off, schooling, family, and the completion of the jewel afflicted her mind. She had been able to graduate highschool, and through many sleepless nights even managed to get into a 2 year nursing program. Her family had been so proud of her, especially her mother who had recently gone back to work as a nurse at the local hospital herself. Her little brother was not so little anymore and had just begun his first year of highschool. With so much changing in her modern life, it was nice to know that her grandpa remained the same. His life still consisted of caring for the shrine and visiting his shogi buddies, although he did recently start talking about a cashier at his favorite shop, apparently she had 'eyes like the night sky' and 'the smile of a goddess'. Kagome giggled softly to herself at the memory of her starry eyed grandpa the day he came home after meeting his little crush.

Her smile turned a little sour as she focused on the fact that even her grandpa had someone in his life he wanted to be with. With all the constant traveling between times, looking for the shards, fighting, and studying, she was lucky if she managed to say "Hi" to her friends on a monthly basis let alone develop a romantic relationship with anyone. Sighing, she tried to focus on something else, but the thought continued to rear its ugly head. 'Would she ever get the chance to meet somebody? Sure, she was only 19, and not ready to settle down, but that didn't mean she didn't want to experience the closeness a loved one provided.' Her thoughts turned to Inuyasha out of habit, but she quickly dismissed it. Inuyasha was her friend, her best friend, and with everything they had been through, it was hard to see him as anything else anymore. She wasn't sure when, but somewhere along the line their teenage love had blossomed into something more akin to family. She smiled at that, it had been a good choice, something that brought them closer together without the constant fighting or fear of being scorned.

By the time she made her way back to camp, the sun had already risen, and everyone else along with it.

Inuyasha simply looked at her from his perch, nodding and acknowledging her presence. She gave him a friendly smile in return. Sango offered a smiling, albeit sleepy "Good morning" and Miroku quipped up with a much too cheery "Good morning Lady Kagome".

Shippou, the poor thing, was practically asleep as he rolled up his sleeping bag, his red hair going in every direction. Kirara, having fulfilled her morning duty of waking Shippou up, had no intention of participating with the group so early and continued to rest, rolled up into a little ball on top of Sango's already packed up belongings.

"Good morning everyone!" Kagome chirped as she handed each one their respective canteens, tossing Inuyasha's his way.

"Mornin' 'Gome" Came Shippou's sleepy reply.

Kagome leaned down to help him with his morning chores, when they finished rolling up their sleeping bag she gave him a pat on his head and a rice cake in hopes of keeping the dream fairies at bay.

From the trees came a shuffling sound, "We should leave soon." Inuyasha spoke, staring down at the group.

"Just as soon as we finish breakfast we will be on our way." She replied. He had really gotten a lot better about his demands, no longer did they walk into the night in hopes of finding the last few jewel shards, or wake before the crack of dawn, battle worn and tired, only to be on their way before the suns' rays graced their presence.

"Arlight," He agreed with a sigh. "I'll get the water started." He leapt down and proceeded to relight the fire that had gone out before morning light and to look through Kagomes' dwindling food supply for his favorite flavored ramen.

With the group slowly coming back to life, Kagome relaxed, enjoying the morning breeze that filtered through the trees.

This was a simple, typical morning for them. Calm, working as a team, and hitting the road before the sun was any higher than mid morning. Without the constant threat of Naraku, they were free to take their time and enjoy the pleasant days that early spring had to offer.

It was a normal day, just like any other.