Akida- FF.net decided to be evil and not let me update my fic, but
unfortunately it couldn't stop me! Now I'll try my best to make this
chapter interesting, but my brain has been attacked with a fresh idea for
another story. Arg! Why does that always happen? Anyways, forget about the
author on with the story.
-:-Disclaimer-:-..same thing still applies.
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My Dearest Miroku
By: Akida
Onward to Shizen
The sun had climbed higher in the sky beating down on the earth like an ever watchful red eye. Much to the dismay of travelers going a long way, the hazy sky that blotted out the eye promised rain in days to come, widely accepted by organic matter after the past months drought.
The group had left the village 6 hours ago making their trek towards the mountains, traveling on a southern course which ended them on a rough beaten path raised above the surrounding plains, closely grouped trees could be seen as they tangled themselves in each others twisted branches.
Shippo couldn't stand the looming silence any longer, and was now striking up a conversation with Kagome as he rode in the basket of her bike. He was speaking a million words a minute in which she just nodded and commented on, whenever she caught what he was saying.
She was hoping to speak to someone herself as she plodded along with the others, yet the other three seemed to be lost in concentrated though..well..at least she knew one of them was deep in thought as he lagged behind.
Kagome turned to look towards their purple and black clad member, his expression partially hidden by loose hair that had fallen over his eyes. He was so far behind that she worried that his poisoned wound was slowing him, and she quickened her pace to match Inuyasha's 'slave driver' pace whispering softly to him.
"Inuyasha..Miroku's falling behind again, shouldn't we slow down for him?"
"Tch, if this keeps up I'll be an old man before we even see Shizen." Despite his response he halted and turned to watch for the straggler, arms folded within his crimson sleeves.
It was a while before he rounded the next bend, keeping the same downcast expression. He stopped suddenly and looked up. To Sango he seemed to have aged 4 years, and thinned considerably. But she knew it as fatigue.
"Geez monk, while were young! If you're that tired," he looked away attempting to look uninterested, letting his voice soften. "Then you should've said something."
'Inuyasha.' Kagome smiled inwardly. It was difficult at times, but he could show more than his gruff side when he wanted to.
Sango hadn't paid much attention her surroundings, but now she felt she should be more alert. If they were to be attacked, he would be exceptionally vulnerable. She made a mental note of that, and stuck to it from then on.
"Inuyasha's right, there's no need to overexert yourself. Kaede said the village wouldn't be a far journey, we can rest if you like."
Miroku contemplated this for a moment, and was about to comply when that annoying voice told him otherwise.
'Its not like you have all the time in the world you know, who knows you just might die tomorrow.'
'But although my injury doesn't bother me now, its poison still had an impact on my body. Besides its only been two days since that incident..I think.'
'We'll wouldn't it be better if you had a better time estimate? Wouldn't you feel sooooo much better if you actually knew more about this screwed up situation your in?'
He decided he ::did:: want to know more, and decided that he really didn't have time to waste.
"I thank you for your offer, but I would feel much more at ease if we got there as soon as possible." He replied to the group, doing well to mask his exhaustion.
With a nod Inuyasha turned around swiftly and strode onward, taking his position at the front of their entourage. Shippo resumed his chattering, but this time Kagome's mind wasn't as intent on listening. She wanted to persuade Miroku to rest, but she could understand his want to get this over with. but still.
Meanwhile, Miroku had taken up his downcast expression and fell into a semi- meditative state. He wanted to focus on what he needed to do in spite of the little information they had.
He had sensed that the rains would come sometime during the night, and he wanted to continue on to a more sheltered area. He racked his brains unearthing the locations of many establishments he'd stayed the night in, and tried to place them to their present surroundings.
'If my memory hasn't failed me, I think their maybe something to the east side of this road. How far away was it now?..5 miles from here I think.or maybe it was 3.'
He felt something stiff and warm bump into his shoulder, and his jumbled thoughts hadn't allowed rationality to take over. He went rigid almost instantly distancing himself from whatever it was, as he nearly leapt out of his skin catching his breath.
Sango starred at him perplexed. All she had done was shift her weapon to a more comfortable position, and had leaned against him accidentally in the process.
'Sheez, how paranoid can you get.' "Miroku, if I was really going to hit you I would've done it a long time ago." She said scratching her head walking away from him.
'What's his problem all of a sudden?'
He mentally kicked himself, and sighed heavily trying to still the hammering in his chest. 'We'll maybe if you hadn't snuck up on me like that.'
'Its your fault for not paying attention, some demon could've made off with you and you wouldn't even know it!'
'I usually sense things like ::demons:: before their about to dismember me!... Wait a minute! Why am I even arguing with you! Go away.'
'Sheez alright, alright already. No need to get defensive.'
Groaning irritably he did his best to catch up to the receding forms of his friends, ignoring that annoying little voice.
He managed to catch up with them but he was terribly out of breath, doing his best not to sound like a dying animal. Sango had been talking with Kagome and Shippo, and found it a wonder how the miko could understand a word of what the kitsune was saying. Hearing the familiar footsteps of their slacker, she turned to him and wondered where he had been.
She could tell he was breathing hard and wondered what happened to him. Slowing her pace she made sure that he saw her this time, she didn't want him to freak out again.
"You don't look so well are you ok?" She said softly casting him a sideways glance.
"I dunno what do you think?" He responded sarcastically turning away stiffly.
Sango turned to him slightly at the sudden growl his voice acquired, and she felt somewhat hurt by it. She clammed up immediately.
After a long uneasy silence, broken only by Kagome and Shippo's conversation, Miroku spoke again almost inaudible to hearing.
"....I'm sorry Sango..I didn't mean to..."
She picked up the hint of guilt, which was sincere enough for her.
"Its alright...I understand this isn't easy for you Miroku," she said with a smile. "We've all been through a lot, and I was actually wondering when one of us, besides Inuyasha, would get a little cranky."
She was relieved when he loosened up and laughed, coughing slightly as he did. "I think maybe Inuyasha's moods are starting to rub off on me."
"That wouldn't surprise me one bit," she laughed. She stayed behind to keep him company, and found herself in a heated conversation about anything that came to mind. As they wandered from subject to subject she was surprised that he hadn't groped her once, and pondered if he was a body double and that the ::real:: Miroku was tied up somewhere.
As they plodded on Miroku found that he felt at ease in her presence, as if nothing else mattered other than them. Despite the grief he felt over his helpless situation, he found that it had melted away letting the care-free personality he was known for, roam the surface of his being as it had always done. It was rare that Sango smiled at him, due to his notorious 'habit', and he decided to resist himself and be semi-normal just this once.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The group had walked for hours, and the scenery refused to change to the rocky terrain that signaled the beginning of the Highlands. The shrubbery bent with the long due of heavy rains as they fell silently, and the onslaught of cold tears began to beat down mercilessly from above.
Luckily, the area they had passed through a short way back was riddled with caves in an oddly placed cliff, scoring deep into the rocky earth it had been placed in. The high cliff appeared out of place in its lush surroundings, and it brought Inuyasha to consider it the remains of a demon battle long past.
Even though the large central cave brought a considerably amount of shelter, it didn't make Miroku feel any more secure.
Maybe he was becoming paranoid after all.
The other caves were too small and most held a nauseating scent that even Inuyasha refused to comply with, and the only other option was the larger cave.
Miroku was reluctant. Even if its walls swept back towards the heart of the rise, providing a safe haven, he still didn't want to be out while it was raining.
The rain would drench the scent of anything in the area, giving the creatures that dwelled and loved the darkness, the opportunity to take their quarry by surprise.
Ok..Miroku was paranoid.
Heavier rain would come later in the week, but for now it could be patient. The others seemed not to mind at all, as they conversed on what their next plan of action was, but somehow he couldn't ease the knot in his stomach.
"If this rain gets any worse it's going to be difficult to travel, and it will get worse." Inuyasha said as he starred at the entrance of their refuge, watching the landscape fade into a muddled gray haze.
"Do you think we could avoid it if we traveled faster," Kagome suggested as she searched every corner of her bag for a sweater.
"Tch, we could travel faster if ::someone:: wasn't always lagging behind." He said loud enough for Miroku to hear, and got a death glare from Kagome.
"We'll we can't just ::make:: him go faster, remember that he's still carrying that poisoned wound...So what do we do?" Shippo asked stifling a yawn.
"Well, we need to get to Shizen as soon as possible before the weather turns ugly." Sango spoke up poking a dried stick at the meager flames of the fire to keep them alive. "The last thing we need is a delay. Time is of the essence, and we cant afford to loose any."
As if in response, four heads turned to glance at the monk's crouched form. He had positioned himself near the far wall on their left, and he hadn't been listening to the conversation. He couldn't explain it but he now had an immense dislike for the gloomy weather, and he narrowed his eyes in discomfort as he watched the haze.
Ever since the first drops of rain had fallen, he had been in a sour mood but kept himself in line. It wasn't like him to be this moody over weather before, but now he wanted nothing more than to have it let up.
The two human girls where oblivious to his sudden change, but the other two members were fiercely aware of it. Kagome and Sango continued the discussion on what their next move should be, but Inuyasha kept a careful vigil on Miroku.
He knew he was distressed over this whole ordeal, but now his mood had darkened. Out of respect for his friend, Inuyasha had given him distance room guessing he was meditating to keep his nerves in place, but now he wasn't so sure that immobile figure was meditating.
He felt a weight on his shoulder and turned to see Shippo perched on it, but his expression was concentrated un-like his usual sunny appearance.
'So he can sense it too eh.' Inuyasha thought glad to have someone he could speak to on this, and voiced his thoughts in a low whisper to him.
"Yeah, its not like him to be ::that:: secluded," Shippo nodded in return. "But then again, I guess he's really stressed over-"
"No I don't think he's stressed about his problem right now," the hanyou eyed him whispering back. "He's been acting moody ever since the rain started."
The kitsune blinked and came up with the only possible explanation. "Oh.you mean he's afraid of water?"
It was all Inuyasha could do from face-planting. He managing to shot the fox-child an 'I-cannot-believe-you-just-said-that' look, and was met by his decisive nod that that was the case.
"Tell me something Shippo, do you try to act retarded or is this just a special occasion," he hissed at him receiving the nastiest glare that Shippo could muster, which succeeded in making him look cuter but not vicious.
"I hate to say it," Inuyasha began in a low voice never taking his eyes off the monk. "He's starting to act like me. in a bad way."
It felt like watching a mirror image of himself.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Miroku, oblivious to the watchful gazes of two particular demons, starred blankly at the drenched landscape blanketed in hazed gray.
He felt confused at this abrupt animosity that seethed within him slowly, and he found it uncontrollably suffocating. He swore he heard himself growl silently once.
'What's wrong with me? I've never felt this way before about something this trivial. It can't be ::just:: the weather.its almost as if.there's something ::about:: it that I dislike.'
'Of course you twit! Can't you sense it out there?!'
'Sense what?' He replied to his inner voice perplexed. He never did like his conscience, if he could call it that.
'Its that demon. that same one that attacked you and gave you that wound.'
'But it was destroyed! We watched it disappear, its gone-'
'No, this is the kind of foe that doesn't die that easily. Because your still alive, it exists.' Now he was really confused.
'But...how?'
'Listen up, apparently you must've done something to it to piss it off royally, besides assist in its death, so it'll still hunt you down until your dead.'
'But..why?'
'I dunno.'
He didn't understand. This demon wanted something more from him? But what? And why? Why him of all people, he wasn't the only one who had been there! Now he really felt like growling.
'Your not making any sense! Why just me?! Why not Kagome or Inuyasha, or any of the others!'
No answer.
'Tell me why?!'
'Because you we're the first one it wanted.'
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The small group had been taken by sleep long ago; Kagome lying nearest to the fire, Shippo close at hand, and Sango dozed lightly by the caves rear wall. Inuyasha lay awake, leaning against the cold walls of the dwelling, continuing to watch his companion with growing concern.
Miroku still hadn't moved from his seated postition, and he was wondering if he'd passed out. It toke him a while before he convinced himself to get up and check on him, and found that his presence made him feel rigid and uncomfortable.
He stopped a few paces away, surprised that he still hadn't acknowledged him. Feeling the hairs on his neck bristle in warning, he knew now something definitely wasn't right.
Jolting from his trance he reached a clawed hand out to his shoulder, letting it hover over the fabric before allowing his hand to fall the rest of the way.
There was still no response and instantly his heart went to his throat. Had he died so already? No way not so soon. To be sure he padded quietly around to face him, keeping himself low so he would see his approach.
Inuyasha froze as he felt his breath leave him. Miroku's expression was blank and pale, almost that of a lifeless corpse. His eyes had glazed giving the impression of a blind mans sightless gaze, and his body felt stiff and cool despite his robes.
For the first time Inuyasha panicked. Was he really dead? Without thinking he grasped his shoulders firmly, and shook him crying his name softly.
"Miroku?! Hey Miroku?!" 'No, he cant be. he just cant be!' His thoughts screamed over and over.
Kaede said he didn't have much time, but they had only just begun their journey! He couldn't die now! He refused to believe it. Yet no matter how much he shook the monk, he only managed to receive his weight against him as he leaned into his arms unconscious.
Inuyasha went pale.
'Damnit! He's freezing!'
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Akida- Ooo cliffhanger! I hope this chapter was a little more interesting than the last one. Hopefully this chapter hasn't confused anyone, and if it has please tell me so I can fix it. Now don't forget to review! Akida will be waaaaiting.
-:-Disclaimer-:-..same thing still applies.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
My Dearest Miroku
By: Akida
Onward to Shizen
The sun had climbed higher in the sky beating down on the earth like an ever watchful red eye. Much to the dismay of travelers going a long way, the hazy sky that blotted out the eye promised rain in days to come, widely accepted by organic matter after the past months drought.
The group had left the village 6 hours ago making their trek towards the mountains, traveling on a southern course which ended them on a rough beaten path raised above the surrounding plains, closely grouped trees could be seen as they tangled themselves in each others twisted branches.
Shippo couldn't stand the looming silence any longer, and was now striking up a conversation with Kagome as he rode in the basket of her bike. He was speaking a million words a minute in which she just nodded and commented on, whenever she caught what he was saying.
She was hoping to speak to someone herself as she plodded along with the others, yet the other three seemed to be lost in concentrated though..well..at least she knew one of them was deep in thought as he lagged behind.
Kagome turned to look towards their purple and black clad member, his expression partially hidden by loose hair that had fallen over his eyes. He was so far behind that she worried that his poisoned wound was slowing him, and she quickened her pace to match Inuyasha's 'slave driver' pace whispering softly to him.
"Inuyasha..Miroku's falling behind again, shouldn't we slow down for him?"
"Tch, if this keeps up I'll be an old man before we even see Shizen." Despite his response he halted and turned to watch for the straggler, arms folded within his crimson sleeves.
It was a while before he rounded the next bend, keeping the same downcast expression. He stopped suddenly and looked up. To Sango he seemed to have aged 4 years, and thinned considerably. But she knew it as fatigue.
"Geez monk, while were young! If you're that tired," he looked away attempting to look uninterested, letting his voice soften. "Then you should've said something."
'Inuyasha.' Kagome smiled inwardly. It was difficult at times, but he could show more than his gruff side when he wanted to.
Sango hadn't paid much attention her surroundings, but now she felt she should be more alert. If they were to be attacked, he would be exceptionally vulnerable. She made a mental note of that, and stuck to it from then on.
"Inuyasha's right, there's no need to overexert yourself. Kaede said the village wouldn't be a far journey, we can rest if you like."
Miroku contemplated this for a moment, and was about to comply when that annoying voice told him otherwise.
'Its not like you have all the time in the world you know, who knows you just might die tomorrow.'
'But although my injury doesn't bother me now, its poison still had an impact on my body. Besides its only been two days since that incident..I think.'
'We'll wouldn't it be better if you had a better time estimate? Wouldn't you feel sooooo much better if you actually knew more about this screwed up situation your in?'
He decided he ::did:: want to know more, and decided that he really didn't have time to waste.
"I thank you for your offer, but I would feel much more at ease if we got there as soon as possible." He replied to the group, doing well to mask his exhaustion.
With a nod Inuyasha turned around swiftly and strode onward, taking his position at the front of their entourage. Shippo resumed his chattering, but this time Kagome's mind wasn't as intent on listening. She wanted to persuade Miroku to rest, but she could understand his want to get this over with. but still.
Meanwhile, Miroku had taken up his downcast expression and fell into a semi- meditative state. He wanted to focus on what he needed to do in spite of the little information they had.
He had sensed that the rains would come sometime during the night, and he wanted to continue on to a more sheltered area. He racked his brains unearthing the locations of many establishments he'd stayed the night in, and tried to place them to their present surroundings.
'If my memory hasn't failed me, I think their maybe something to the east side of this road. How far away was it now?..5 miles from here I think.or maybe it was 3.'
He felt something stiff and warm bump into his shoulder, and his jumbled thoughts hadn't allowed rationality to take over. He went rigid almost instantly distancing himself from whatever it was, as he nearly leapt out of his skin catching his breath.
Sango starred at him perplexed. All she had done was shift her weapon to a more comfortable position, and had leaned against him accidentally in the process.
'Sheez, how paranoid can you get.' "Miroku, if I was really going to hit you I would've done it a long time ago." She said scratching her head walking away from him.
'What's his problem all of a sudden?'
He mentally kicked himself, and sighed heavily trying to still the hammering in his chest. 'We'll maybe if you hadn't snuck up on me like that.'
'Its your fault for not paying attention, some demon could've made off with you and you wouldn't even know it!'
'I usually sense things like ::demons:: before their about to dismember me!... Wait a minute! Why am I even arguing with you! Go away.'
'Sheez alright, alright already. No need to get defensive.'
Groaning irritably he did his best to catch up to the receding forms of his friends, ignoring that annoying little voice.
He managed to catch up with them but he was terribly out of breath, doing his best not to sound like a dying animal. Sango had been talking with Kagome and Shippo, and found it a wonder how the miko could understand a word of what the kitsune was saying. Hearing the familiar footsteps of their slacker, she turned to him and wondered where he had been.
She could tell he was breathing hard and wondered what happened to him. Slowing her pace she made sure that he saw her this time, she didn't want him to freak out again.
"You don't look so well are you ok?" She said softly casting him a sideways glance.
"I dunno what do you think?" He responded sarcastically turning away stiffly.
Sango turned to him slightly at the sudden growl his voice acquired, and she felt somewhat hurt by it. She clammed up immediately.
After a long uneasy silence, broken only by Kagome and Shippo's conversation, Miroku spoke again almost inaudible to hearing.
"....I'm sorry Sango..I didn't mean to..."
She picked up the hint of guilt, which was sincere enough for her.
"Its alright...I understand this isn't easy for you Miroku," she said with a smile. "We've all been through a lot, and I was actually wondering when one of us, besides Inuyasha, would get a little cranky."
She was relieved when he loosened up and laughed, coughing slightly as he did. "I think maybe Inuyasha's moods are starting to rub off on me."
"That wouldn't surprise me one bit," she laughed. She stayed behind to keep him company, and found herself in a heated conversation about anything that came to mind. As they wandered from subject to subject she was surprised that he hadn't groped her once, and pondered if he was a body double and that the ::real:: Miroku was tied up somewhere.
As they plodded on Miroku found that he felt at ease in her presence, as if nothing else mattered other than them. Despite the grief he felt over his helpless situation, he found that it had melted away letting the care-free personality he was known for, roam the surface of his being as it had always done. It was rare that Sango smiled at him, due to his notorious 'habit', and he decided to resist himself and be semi-normal just this once.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The group had walked for hours, and the scenery refused to change to the rocky terrain that signaled the beginning of the Highlands. The shrubbery bent with the long due of heavy rains as they fell silently, and the onslaught of cold tears began to beat down mercilessly from above.
Luckily, the area they had passed through a short way back was riddled with caves in an oddly placed cliff, scoring deep into the rocky earth it had been placed in. The high cliff appeared out of place in its lush surroundings, and it brought Inuyasha to consider it the remains of a demon battle long past.
Even though the large central cave brought a considerably amount of shelter, it didn't make Miroku feel any more secure.
Maybe he was becoming paranoid after all.
The other caves were too small and most held a nauseating scent that even Inuyasha refused to comply with, and the only other option was the larger cave.
Miroku was reluctant. Even if its walls swept back towards the heart of the rise, providing a safe haven, he still didn't want to be out while it was raining.
The rain would drench the scent of anything in the area, giving the creatures that dwelled and loved the darkness, the opportunity to take their quarry by surprise.
Ok..Miroku was paranoid.
Heavier rain would come later in the week, but for now it could be patient. The others seemed not to mind at all, as they conversed on what their next plan of action was, but somehow he couldn't ease the knot in his stomach.
"If this rain gets any worse it's going to be difficult to travel, and it will get worse." Inuyasha said as he starred at the entrance of their refuge, watching the landscape fade into a muddled gray haze.
"Do you think we could avoid it if we traveled faster," Kagome suggested as she searched every corner of her bag for a sweater.
"Tch, we could travel faster if ::someone:: wasn't always lagging behind." He said loud enough for Miroku to hear, and got a death glare from Kagome.
"We'll we can't just ::make:: him go faster, remember that he's still carrying that poisoned wound...So what do we do?" Shippo asked stifling a yawn.
"Well, we need to get to Shizen as soon as possible before the weather turns ugly." Sango spoke up poking a dried stick at the meager flames of the fire to keep them alive. "The last thing we need is a delay. Time is of the essence, and we cant afford to loose any."
As if in response, four heads turned to glance at the monk's crouched form. He had positioned himself near the far wall on their left, and he hadn't been listening to the conversation. He couldn't explain it but he now had an immense dislike for the gloomy weather, and he narrowed his eyes in discomfort as he watched the haze.
Ever since the first drops of rain had fallen, he had been in a sour mood but kept himself in line. It wasn't like him to be this moody over weather before, but now he wanted nothing more than to have it let up.
The two human girls where oblivious to his sudden change, but the other two members were fiercely aware of it. Kagome and Sango continued the discussion on what their next move should be, but Inuyasha kept a careful vigil on Miroku.
He knew he was distressed over this whole ordeal, but now his mood had darkened. Out of respect for his friend, Inuyasha had given him distance room guessing he was meditating to keep his nerves in place, but now he wasn't so sure that immobile figure was meditating.
He felt a weight on his shoulder and turned to see Shippo perched on it, but his expression was concentrated un-like his usual sunny appearance.
'So he can sense it too eh.' Inuyasha thought glad to have someone he could speak to on this, and voiced his thoughts in a low whisper to him.
"Yeah, its not like him to be ::that:: secluded," Shippo nodded in return. "But then again, I guess he's really stressed over-"
"No I don't think he's stressed about his problem right now," the hanyou eyed him whispering back. "He's been acting moody ever since the rain started."
The kitsune blinked and came up with the only possible explanation. "Oh.you mean he's afraid of water?"
It was all Inuyasha could do from face-planting. He managing to shot the fox-child an 'I-cannot-believe-you-just-said-that' look, and was met by his decisive nod that that was the case.
"Tell me something Shippo, do you try to act retarded or is this just a special occasion," he hissed at him receiving the nastiest glare that Shippo could muster, which succeeded in making him look cuter but not vicious.
"I hate to say it," Inuyasha began in a low voice never taking his eyes off the monk. "He's starting to act like me. in a bad way."
It felt like watching a mirror image of himself.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Miroku, oblivious to the watchful gazes of two particular demons, starred blankly at the drenched landscape blanketed in hazed gray.
He felt confused at this abrupt animosity that seethed within him slowly, and he found it uncontrollably suffocating. He swore he heard himself growl silently once.
'What's wrong with me? I've never felt this way before about something this trivial. It can't be ::just:: the weather.its almost as if.there's something ::about:: it that I dislike.'
'Of course you twit! Can't you sense it out there?!'
'Sense what?' He replied to his inner voice perplexed. He never did like his conscience, if he could call it that.
'Its that demon. that same one that attacked you and gave you that wound.'
'But it was destroyed! We watched it disappear, its gone-'
'No, this is the kind of foe that doesn't die that easily. Because your still alive, it exists.' Now he was really confused.
'But...how?'
'Listen up, apparently you must've done something to it to piss it off royally, besides assist in its death, so it'll still hunt you down until your dead.'
'But..why?'
'I dunno.'
He didn't understand. This demon wanted something more from him? But what? And why? Why him of all people, he wasn't the only one who had been there! Now he really felt like growling.
'Your not making any sense! Why just me?! Why not Kagome or Inuyasha, or any of the others!'
No answer.
'Tell me why?!'
'Because you we're the first one it wanted.'
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The small group had been taken by sleep long ago; Kagome lying nearest to the fire, Shippo close at hand, and Sango dozed lightly by the caves rear wall. Inuyasha lay awake, leaning against the cold walls of the dwelling, continuing to watch his companion with growing concern.
Miroku still hadn't moved from his seated postition, and he was wondering if he'd passed out. It toke him a while before he convinced himself to get up and check on him, and found that his presence made him feel rigid and uncomfortable.
He stopped a few paces away, surprised that he still hadn't acknowledged him. Feeling the hairs on his neck bristle in warning, he knew now something definitely wasn't right.
Jolting from his trance he reached a clawed hand out to his shoulder, letting it hover over the fabric before allowing his hand to fall the rest of the way.
There was still no response and instantly his heart went to his throat. Had he died so already? No way not so soon. To be sure he padded quietly around to face him, keeping himself low so he would see his approach.
Inuyasha froze as he felt his breath leave him. Miroku's expression was blank and pale, almost that of a lifeless corpse. His eyes had glazed giving the impression of a blind mans sightless gaze, and his body felt stiff and cool despite his robes.
For the first time Inuyasha panicked. Was he really dead? Without thinking he grasped his shoulders firmly, and shook him crying his name softly.
"Miroku?! Hey Miroku?!" 'No, he cant be. he just cant be!' His thoughts screamed over and over.
Kaede said he didn't have much time, but they had only just begun their journey! He couldn't die now! He refused to believe it. Yet no matter how much he shook the monk, he only managed to receive his weight against him as he leaned into his arms unconscious.
Inuyasha went pale.
'Damnit! He's freezing!'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Akida- Ooo cliffhanger! I hope this chapter was a little more interesting than the last one. Hopefully this chapter hasn't confused anyone, and if it has please tell me so I can fix it. Now don't forget to review! Akida will be waaaaiting.