He squinted, the action wrinkling his brow. His eyes blinked blindly, absorbing the endless darkness. What had caused him to awake—a nightmare? He let out his breath slowly and listened to the hushed sounds of the forest. It was then he realized his heart was pounding. His body tensed, and he reached for his sword as he waited for his eyes to become accustomed to the light of the moon, wane in the dense forest. He breathed deep, feeling his breath hitch in his throat. He licked his dry lips as his eyes locked on a shadowy figure and tasted the familiar metallic tang of fear which now saturated his mouth. Their stench was everywhere, and it made him ill.
He flung himself at the first one, drawing Tessaiga in midair. But it was too late. He could smell her blood. The realization assaulted him, and he faltered, allowing a shadow monoke to slice at his arm. How had this happened? The cut lacked sting, marking just how deep it was. He whirled, causing glistening droplets to stain the ground as he began to run to her, but the monoke attacked, splaying his back. A wordless cry burst from his throat as he arched from the blow. He searched the area before him, eyes darting over the shadows, trying to glimpse the whereabouts of her body.
"Kagome?" The word disappeared into the dense blackness, absorbed instantly by silence. He couldn't locate her. The scent of her blood seemed to be everywhere, and it panicked him. "Where—" His voice cracked from pain as another monoke attacked in his hesitation, and he turned to face his opponents. He would have to deal with them first.
In his desperation, his work was sloppy and it took him too long to finish them. After what seemed like hours, he dropped beside her body, letting Tessaiga fall dully to the ground. He clutched her shoulders so tightly his knuckles turned white, contrasting against the dark stains from his palms.
He closed his eyes and breathed out deeply, feeling as if his very soul was leaking from his chest. He felt a soft hand against his cheek and jerked at her touch.
"I didn't—I couldn't—" his voice choked as she slid her fingers across his lips lightly to silence him, and he felt his body shuddering.
"Don't leave me."
He looked at her trusting face in amazement. His heart pounded in his throat as he forced a gentle smile and answered truthfully, "I wouldn't."
She smiled back and at him then, and he felt lightheaded. He glanced up and noticed the movement in the darkness, realizing his careless mistake. His eyes grew wide and he clutched her tighter, his body stiff and unyielding in anticipation of the blow.
He jerked awake with a yelp and instantly regretted it. He felt the branch crack and shudder as he struggled to gain his balance but was instead plunged toward the earth. He collided with the solid dirt harshly and gasped as the air was painfully forced from his lungs.
"Hey! You almost squashed me," Kagome's voice rang out in a near screech beside him, causing the vibrations in his skull to become more painful.
"Well, I didn't, did I?" he wheezed indignantly and struggled to his feet.
She huffed away leaving him to wonder exactly what she had been doing at the base of the tree. He noted the position of the sun and sighed; it wasn't like him to sleep past dawn.
"We're heading out," Sango called to him, contempt evident in her voice. "Can you track the wind user or are you completely useless?"
He frowned at her comments, his attention more focused on his aching stomach. "And I suppose you've already eaten breakfast?"
She grinned at him then, and for the first time he felt just a little bit scared. It amazed him how trouble seemed to find him, no matter what he did.