Okay, here's Chapter 1! I couldn't wait to update this one!

Chapter 1

Everyone was asleep around the campfire that night, except for Inuyasha. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't settle down. He'd tried counting sheep, reciting songs to himself, and thinking of boring things, but none of it seemed to be working. In the end, he stretched out and lay looking up at the stars, trying to pick out constellations. Every now and then a shooting star would appear, and he would watch it until it winked out. He was just beginning to nod off when he heard someone or something coming.

He was on his feet in seconds with Tetsusaiga out and ready. The others woke up when he started shouting.

"All right, I know you're there, you'd better show yourself!" he yelled into the bushes. Whoever was there couldn't help but hear him.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, pulling out her bow. "Is it a demon?"

"Something like it," he muttered, waiting.

Jaken's head pushed through the bushes. "It is only us!" he cried, shaking.

"Us?" Miroku demanded.

Rin popped her head out of the leaves.

"Oh." He abruptly put the prayer beads back around the wind tunnel.

"Jaken," Inuyasha snarled, glaring at Sesshomaru's little toady. "What do you want? Sesshomaru want another battle or something?"

Kagome groaned in exasperation. "Will you give the whole rivalry thing a rest?"

"Lord Sesshomaru did not send me," Jaken said, leading Rin out of the bushes. "I came on my own."

"What for?" Sango asked suspiciously.

"Well... I ..ah..." he sputtered, trying to explain.

"What Jaken means to say is, 'Have you seen Lord Sesshomaru?'" Rin put in, smiling when Jaken glared at her.

"What, don't you two know where he is?" Kagome asked, surprised.

"No, we were hoping you knew!" Jaken suddenly wailed, plopping down onto the ground and holding his head in his hands. "He has been gone three days already! We found signs of a battle, and we had no idea what had happened to him! Rin found something, though, next to a river..."

"What is it, Rin?" Kagome asked, kneeling down next to the girl.

Rin held out a small piece of white fur that had plainly come from Sesshomaru's clothing.

Everyone stared at it.

"Okay, it's a bit of fur," Inuyasha said, folding his arms and sitting down. "Thanks for stopping by to tell us."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome said in shock. "Don't be rude!"

"Wha'd I do?" he demanded, seeing Kagome's glare. "I said 'thanks'!"

"They're worried," Kagome whispered, trying to make the matter plain to him.

"Yeah, so?"

"They want our help finding him," Sango whispered, putting her bit in.

Inuyasha's eyes bugged. "Absolutely not!!" he snapped. "I'm not about to stick my neck out for him!"

Shippo, who had been silent up until now, put in his opinion. "I think we should help them. If they came to you, then they must have been pretty desperate."

Inuyasha reached out to whack Shippo on the head, but a warning glare from Kagome stopped him.

"Look, it doesn't matter if you guys think we should help them or not, I'm not gonna have anything to do with the matter!" he said, getting to his feet. "It's Sesshomaru's problem, not mine, and..."

The dangerous look on Kagome's face stopped him, but it was too late. He knew what was coming.

"Sit, boy!"

WHAM!

As soon as he was able to lift his head, he glared at her. "Whadja do that for?"

"They are worried, and we're going to help," she said, stamping her foot for emphasis on the word 'help.'

"Fine," he said, getting up and brushing himself off. "Have fun. I'm heading back to the village."

"Sit!!!"

WHAM!

"WHAT?" he snarled, ready to kill her.

"You're going to help, too," Sango said, grinning. "After all, who's better at finding trouble than you?"

The look on Inuyasha's face grew dark and forbidding. "I absolutely will not, and if you think..." His voice trailed off as Rin came over and took his hand in hers, her eyes pleading with him. When one little tear fell, he muttered something, but turned to Kagome. "All right, I'll do it."

Kagome smiled, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and he was surprised when Rin did the same.

"Good, I'm glad," Kagome said, as Miroku and Sango smiled at him. "Shall we start first thing in the morning?"

"Why not now?" Jaken asked, beginning to do what Kagome called "freaking out."

"It's still night, and Rin is tired," Sango said, tucking the girl into a blanket. "We'll go in the morning. How much do you expect to find in the dark?"

Jaken mumbled to himself, but settled down nearby. Inuyasha, still having trouble believing that he'd succumbed to a pair of teary eyes, settled down as well. This adventure was going to be a real ball.