Well, I'm updating, live with it.

But first I get to put in this little tidbit of wisdom: I've got a page from a coloring book scanned onto my computer so I can practice drawing/coloring/shading with a mouse. I just spent about twenty minutes trying to get Inuyasha's eyes the right color. (I am slow, but incredibly accurate.) To do this I got something like 50 screenshots and combined the colors from all of them. The salient point: People always use 'gold' as the adjective. They're not gold. They're the exact same color as caramel.

I'm obsessed, thought you might want to know.

Dedicated to Mizuyu, for being the first to review!

Sure the offending slap mark was indeed gone, Miroku went the direction Sesshoumaru had told him, and did indeed come across the camp. Sango, it seemed, had tired of waiting for him and had some to sleep. Kagome, too, was sleeping, Shippo beside her. The dying embers of the fire lit their sleeping faces a light gold.

And Inuyasha?

He was sleeping sitting up, as usual, the tessaiga held to his chest the way a small child would hold a bear.

"So where've you been?"

Oh. Not sleeping, then.

"Oh, you know…"

"If this has anything to do with that village, I don't want to hear it."

"Well okay then."

Miroku dropped into a sitting position, facing the fire.

"Then why are you up so late?"

"I was asleep, but you make more noise than an army."

"Shut up," Shippo groaned, rolling over and promptly falling back asleep.

"I think he's got the right idea," Miroku said, lying back. After a minute, he too was asleep. Inuyasha remained alert, his senses bringing him news of pretty much everything going on for a mile's radius. Deep in the forest, a rabbit getting caught screamed, and the sound made his hair stand on end. None of the others seemed to hear anything, so he didn't worry about it.

He could swear, though, that there was something nearby. Something, someone, waiting.

He sighed. He would have to get some sleep. The next night was a new moon, and he would be pulling an all-nighter then, too. Hanyou or not, he still needed to sleep.

Silently dreading the approaching night, he closed his eyes against the light of the fire. It was a while before he was able to drift off.

"What are we doing this for, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Jaken was bored. Bored to the point of questioning his master. And that was pretty freaking bored.

"The hanyou has got to be killed. Since I cannot do it myself, I must employ other methods."

"But why a human?"

Sesshoumaru was silent and for a moment Jaken thought he wasn't going to answer.

"For reasons I shall never know, the hanyou is stronger, by a long shot, than many full youkai. Naraku himself has created many demons, and all have fallen. A normal human wouldn't stand a chance. Baka though he is, he knows there are many who would slay him, and is on his guard at all times. But what if he wasn't? What if the attack came from a place he would never expect?"

"His friend."

"The monk is loyal to those close to him, I'll give him that. So I had to turn his loyalty against him."

"An amazing plan, Sesshoumaru-sama."

The youkai didn't respond, and Jaken didn't expect him to.

"So where were you all night?"

Sango was not happy. Quite the opposite, actually. Miroku's lecherous ways weren't exactly a secret, and while they had lessened a bit since their engagement, he was nowhere near what she would like him to be.

Particularly when he had the facial expression he did now.

"I kinda got a little lost."

The taijiya gave him a critical look. Then, convinced, she gave him a smile.

"Well okay then. Come on, breakfast's almost ready."

Miroku looked to where Inuyasha and the others were already eating. They were living off Kagome's ninja food again. Shippo grabbed the last bag of chips, and Inuyasha commenced to fight him for it. The monk started to smile, but the memory of the night before came back to him, and the smile died before it reached his face.

"That's okay. I'm… not hungry."

Sango shrugged and went to join the others. Inuyasha knocked Shippo over the head and got a faceful of dirt as a result.

Sango grinned at the little performance, almost a daily ritual now. Kagome glared at Inuyasha's sputtering form, then offered some of the chips to Sango.

Then you will die. Just hope you are the only one.

Miroku sat straight up. The memory was so sudden he could have sworn the silver-haired youkai was right behind him.

And was he?

He had said he would be watching.

Slowly Miroku turned around, expecting to see a red-eyed demon glaring at him. All he saw were trees.

'I'm freaking myself out.'

Hope you're the only one.

'This is stupid. There's no way I would do that. No way I even could.'

But he was lying to himself and he knew it. Though the hanyou would rather die than admit it, he did trust his friends. And he should.

Right?

Imagine the sorrow if your companions happened to be sleeping nearby

STOP IT.

As is it knew what he was thinking about, the wind tunnel burned. He bit his lip at the pain. It had been doing that a lot lately. It was getting bigger. Where a single prayer bead used to be able to cover it, it now took almost three.

And they were no closer to defeating Naraku. They didn't even know where he was.

Did Sesshoumaru?

Cold bastard. He probably knew exactly where the hanyou was hiding. Probably knew his weaknesses, too.

Miroku looked back at the others. What if he were to kill one of them? He could die at any time, his father had been about this old when he was killed. He watched Inuyasha, who in turn was watching Kagome. Did he want to live that badly?

Could he want Sango, Kagome, or even Shippo to live that much?

Could he be that selfish?

Maybe.

Oh, yes, Miroku feels the pull of the dark side.

BWAHAHAHAHAA… haa… haa…

Okay I'm done.