A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews! It's been a busy couple of weeks at work, and being a mommy always comes first, so I've been too exhausted to write much. Things are starting to slow down a bit now though, so expect more frequent updates!

Kagome disliked hot weather, and the current situation was quickly becoming unbearable.

They were traveling through a very barren area that consisted of rocks and hard dirt, with an occasional scraggly bush or weed to break up the monotony. The desolate environment was even less hospitable when combined with the hot summer sun, and they were all growing weary under the unending heat.

While packing up camp to that morning, Kagome decided she had had enough of feudal era etiquette. Its definitely time for a change of attire. She pulled out a lightweight pair of khaki shorts, and a barely there pink tank top. She rummaged through her backpack and managed to find a pair of sandals, sunglasses, and floppy hat to finish the outfit, and felt much less irritable.

As she came out from behind the bushes and her makeshift changing room, she was stopped abruptly by the shocked faces of her friends.

"Oy! Woman! Go put your clothes on so we can get going." Inuyasha scowled at her, crossing his arms impatiently.

"These are my clothes, baka." She glowered at him.

"You're as good as naked." He snorted in contempt.

"These are the clothes that we wear in the heat in my time, Inuyasha." Her voice went dangerously low as she accented his name.

"Oh, men will think you are in heat in those clothes, alright..." His tone left little doubt to his insinuation.

Sango looked longingly at the breezy clothing, but interceded cautiously. "Perhaps he is right, Kagome-chan...A few more items of clothing might cause less trouble in our own era..."

Kagome shot silent plea at Miroku to come to her aid, and was shocked to encounter a scowl almost identical to Inuyasha's.

"You cannot wear such scandalous attire, Kagome-sama. We already have our hands full dealing with demons, we cannot stop every five minutes to beat off overeager men." His jaw was set stubbornly.

At his words she spun and snatched her backpack off the ground, marching back to the bushes in a huff. She mumbled underneath her breath as she threw on a slightly longer pair of shorts, and a light linen shirt over her tank top, and came back into the clearing with a look on her face that dared anyone to make a comment.

"I think you always look beautiful, Kagome." Shippou hopped into her arms, snuggling against her.

"Kiss ass." Inuyasha muttered as Miroku grunted in agreement.

"Owsari!"

Inuyasha whimpered against the hard ground, his face intimate with a particularly large boulder.

Miroku smirked and was about to make a sarcastic remark when Kagome thwapped him upside the head with her backpack making him see stars. She then daintily stepped over him to deposit her backpack onto Inuyasha's body with a heavy thud.

"Now we can leave. Coming Sango-chan?" She nonchalantly walked down the road, not bothering to look back.

"Hai, Kagome-chan!" Sango looked nervously at her friend, afraid to say anything more in the mood she was in.

"I don't see why Sango got off so easy. She agreed with us about the clothes." Inuyasha said petulantly, peeling himself from the ground.

"Women don't have to make sense, and they always stick together." Miroku agreed with a grunt.

"Hey, Kagome! Catch!"

Kagome looked up and caught the water bottle that Inuyasha had tossed her way just in time. She glanced at him a suspiciously, but turned the cap and swallowed the cold water gratefully. Inuyasha gave her a worried look as she smile wanly at him in thanks.

Perhaps she was being irrational in choosing to walk in the hot weather, but she preferred it since....Kikyo. The idea of riding on his back seemed too intimate now. When there was a need for haste, she would ride with Sango on Kirara, so Inuyasha had taken to carrying her backpack and the supplies. Sometimes she caught him looking at her with a hurt look when they started out for the day, but she was adamant.

She had made her own decisions regarding their relationship, but hadn't said anything to Inuyasha. It was impossible to ignore the fact that things had changed between the two of them. They had not spoken at any great length since Kikyo had died, mostly because Kagome was not sure what to say to him. She knew he would never initiate a conversation on the nature of their relationship, and so they had not spoken at all.

Kagome stilled as she felt a presence in the distance. "Stop! There are shikon shards coming this way! Somewhere beyond the boulders over there, and fast."

A familiar figure popped out above the rocks on the horizon, the length of Kouga's long ponytail whipping through the air behind him. Kagome heard the expected string of curses and growls from Inuyasha, and a strange, irritating sound from behind her. She turned found Miroku grinding his teeth, his knuckles white from clenching his shakujo. He had moved closer to her side without her noticing, but he was not fast enough to deter the charming wolf-youkai from taking her hand in his and kissing it.

"Kagome, my dearest, has this excuse for a man been keeping you from harm? Just say the word, and I will crush him under my heel." He smirked at Inuyasha, daring him to come closer.

"Oh, ummm, I'm doing just fine, Kouga-kun. Never been better...." Kagome blushed and realized not for the first time how handsome the wolf prince was. She had always brushed aside his advances before because of Inuyasha, but now...Why not explore my options?

"You're so kind to be concerned about my welfare, Kouga-kun. You don't need to worry about me so..." She smiled shyly from beneath her lashes, her voice soft and flirtatious as she held his hand a bit longer than necessary before pulling it back.

The sound of crickets chirping in the forest miles away could be heard.

Sango's jaw had dropped, and Shippou and Kirara stopped their game of tag to stare. Inuyasha was opening and closing his mouth silently as though trying to find the right words, and the sound of Miroku's grinding teeth was akin to nails on a chalkboard.

Inuyasha finally found his voice and yelled, "Get away from her you mangy wolf! Kagome doesn't want you pawing her!" He leapt through the air to land a blow to the side of Kouga's head, though the wolf youkai leaned with the hit to soften the impact.

"Kagome can make her own decisions, you fucking puppy. She needs a real man, not a little boy lusting after a walking flower pot." His words were dripping with venom as he kicked Inuyasha under the chin in a series of blurring movements.

"WHY YOU...!!!!" Inuyasha's face turned beet red, and he was actually stammering unintelligibly he was so angry. He threw himself at Kouga head first, managing to tackle the man.

Kagome winced visibly at the violent brawling of the two men. Ok, note to self: Don't explore one's options in front your ex-boyfriend. Especially when said ex-boyfriend has anger management issues.

A hard rumbling shook the earth, the small stones and rocks upon the ground jumping and rattling with the vibrations. For a moment Kagome thought that it was an earthquake, the tremors were so intense, but then felt the cold jyaki of a malevolent youkai winding below the ground they were standing on.

"There's a demon beneath the ground, its huge and has a shikon shard in it!" Kagome eyed the dusty ground nervously, drawing in her powers without thinking.

The two men brawling and rolling on the ground seemed to finally take notice of the danger at her words.

"Ha! I'll take care of the measly thing in one blow." Inuyasha cracked his knuckles with a cold smile.

Kouga snorted with disbelief. "As though a weak hanyou like you could do any harm. I'll rip out its spleen and serve it to Kagome on a platter for dinner."

Sango pulled on her face armor and stated quietly, "Its coming."

Kagome concentrated, focusing on the location of the shard. She turned facing the south, and then spun, facing the east, trying to sense the direction it was coming from.

"Its moving too fast, it keeps changing location!" She pulled even more power to herself out of nervousness, and began to glow a soft white.

"Kagome-sama, don't!" Miroku called out desperately as he reached towards her. But it was too late, the ground in front of Kagome crumbled and fell out from beneath her and the shiny black head of a cobra youkai rose from the earth. Its hard black scales gleamed in the sunlight, a bright red stripe running across its head, and its fangs dripped with a milky liquid.

Kouga sped across the boulders oblivious to the danger of Kagome's situation, and grabbed the snake by its tail, heaving a large portion of its body through the air. "Ha! Beat that, dog-face!"

"Easily, baka." Inuyasha leapt onto the youkai's back and raked along the scales with his claws, reaving its flesh open as it screamed in agony.

Sango jumped upon Kirara and they flew into the fray, gashing open the cobra with hard swings of her hiraikotsu as she yelled at the idiots. They ignored her and continued to exchange blows with the snake in a sort of competition, not noticing the way the cobra gazed intently at Kagome.

The cobra swayed its head in a lulling movement, and the soft hissing of its tongue made Kagome forget what she was doing. Her eyes began to droop and she took an involuntary step closer to the snake.

Shippou noticed the effect the snake was having on Kagome and wailed frantically as he threw a blast of fox-fire in front of her. "Kagome! Wake up, Kagome!"

The flickering of the flames startled Kagome out of her stupor and drew a hiss of anger from the cobra. It dove at her with its fangs, the powerful venom eating away the rock as it dripped on the ground. She held up her arms to shield herself, but the blow never reached her. Miroku dived into the cobra's path, holding his staff in front of him as he recited a powerful warding scroll. The cobra's fangs hit the shakujo instead, sparks and arcs of electricity shocking the snake as the force of the blow threw Miroku backwards.

Unfortunately, Kagome did not escape the cobra's attentions entirely, for it wildly lashed its tail at the attack. Its tail threw her through the air like a rag doll, and she landed hard against the side of a nearby boulder. She slumped to the ground unconscious as Shippou and Miroku cried out to her.

Sango rushed to the front to cover Miroku, and he rushed to her side and gently pulled Kagome into his arms. She was bleeding from a large gash on her head and her shoulder jutted out at an unnatural angle. He brushed the hair away from her face and she slowly blinked her eyes as she woke.

"Miroku-sama.....where....others?....I...hurt..." Her forehead crinkled in pain as he examined her shoulder.

"Everyone is fine, little flower. I want to listen very carefully, though. Ok?" His voice was low and soothing as he shifted her in his lap.

Kagome nodded and he continued. "You're shoulder was thrown out of place when you hit the boulder. I don't think its broken, but it does need to be pushed back into place."

Her gaze locked with his, full of trust for him, and he could tell that she knew what needed to be done. She began to breathe deeply and use one of the meditation techniques he had taught her, her body relaxing against his arms. She closed her eyes to fight tensing in anticipation, and Miroku clenched his jaw knowing that he was about to cause her more pain.

Miroku cursed himself for what he was about to do, even though it was necessary. He allowed her to meditate for a minute or so more, and then quickly slammed her shoulder against the ground. The joint make a sickening popping sound as it fell back into place and Kagome whimpered softly before passing out from the pain.

The battled had died out behind them, and he could hear the boasting voices of Inuyasha and Kouga as they walked back towards the front. He carefully stood with Kagome's limp body in his arms, and turned to face the men.

"Kagome! What happened!?" "Get your hands off my woman, monk!"

"Enough!" Miroku growled in a harsh voice. His eyes had a dangerous gleam to them as he stalked towards the two men. "You both claim to care about this woman, and this is how you behave?! Like two roosters in a cock fight?"

The hanyou and wolf prince stared dumbly at the monk in shock.

"You are her protector, Inuyasha. She trusts you to keep her from harm and you abandoned her to go play with your sword." He pinned his friend with a cold stare and Inuyasha cast his eyes to the ground in shame.

Miroku then turned to Kouga, his tone filled with even more contempt. "You left Kagome unprotected against a powerful demon, and you have the nerve to call her your woman?" Kouga gazed worriedly at the woman in Miroku's arms.

"Both of you stay the hell away from Kagome. She's in a lot of pain and doesn't need two idiots who can't keep their brains in their pants bothering her when she wakes." The grim set of his jaw left no room for argument, and both Inuyasha and Kouga nodded.

He turned to the shocked faces of Sango, Kirara, and Shippou. "The forest starts up in about a mile, so let's get moving so we can make camp by dusk. I'll carry Kagome, Shippou will you please take the supply bag? Sango and Kirara, can you please scout ahead to find a safe campsite? Somewhere near fresh water, if possible."

Shippou jumped up eagerly, and tugged the giant bag onto his back hastily with a nod. Sango nodded and climbed upon Kirara before they leapt into the air to fly ahead of the group.

Miroku started walking down the road with the small miko in his arms. "You two can stay at the rear. It seems to be a role you take to quite well." Without so much as a glance backwards, he made his way towards the forest.