Kagome awoke the next morning to Kirara's persistent mewing. She found she had overslept, the others ready and waiting to go. As quickly as possible, she washed up, then wolfed down her breakfast and joined Sango. Miroku had reassumed meditating against a thick oak tree and Shippou was once again playing with the currently small cat youkai. Inuyasha was no where to be seen... not that Kagome cared or anything. He was nothing but a great selfish, unsympathetic, ungrateful-

'You're up. Good. We'd best be off,' Sango pronounced in an eager way. 'Inuyasha went on ahead about an hour ago,' she then said, answering Kagome's unasked question, 'but I don't think he'll get very far without you.'

'Huh? It's not as if I know what way we should go.' Kagome stood staring at Sango for a moment before mounting her bike. Shippou hopped aboard to sit in the little basket attached to the handlebars. Miroku joined Sango who had been waiting for him with Kirara then, in their rather unique faction, they all headed east, following Inuyasha's lead.

The first week travelling proved to be uneventful. They had met no demons, had no signs of the sacred jewel shards or of Naraku, and Kagome hadn't any more reasons to make the hot-headed hanyou 'sit'. They all continued to ponder the supposed prophecy Kaede had dished out not too long ago, especially Kagome and Inuyasha. Shippou and Sango remained ignorant to what words had actually been said. Kagome guessed it had something to do with the bits of conversation exchanged between the two and Kaede the morning of their departure.

On a misty evening exactly one week after they all had left the village, a disturbance rose up in the forests along the horizon.

'The forest... it's shinning.' Just like when I first came here. So... they won't be able to see it then. 'And I can sense the sacred jewel.' Kagome pedalled faster to keep up with the others, despite the fatigue growing within her.

A scream sounded in the distance and a flock of birds took flight, panic-stricken and frantic. 'Oi! Wait for me!' Kagome panted.

'What the HELL is that?' Inuyasha sputtered, coming quickly to a halt to view the great shining thing emerging from the treetops. Feathers of steel with edges deadly as Tetsusaiga covered the being and its shrieks sent both Kirara and Shippou in a frenzy. Vast horns surfaced from the creature's skull at various places and red eyes shown through tufts of feathers in more places than two.

'Hiraikotsu!' Sango sent her steadfast boomerang swirling at vicious claws that grabbed at them in fury. The direct hit sent loose feathers falling down to greet them.

Kagome dodged several deadly blades, which unfortunately left her bike in ruins. 'Oh,' she gasped. 'Inuyasha! The shards are in his throat!'

'Shards?... Right.' Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga and held it steady against his enemy. 'WIND SCAR!' A burst of light temporarily blinded them all.

'Did he get it?' Shippou questioned, still holding his hands to his ears against the deafening screeches of the bird.

Inuyasha gaped in awe as his Wind Scar back-lashed against the mirror-like feathers.

'Miroku. Stay with Kagome,' Sango said. Miroku jumped down from Kirara and watched the two race into the cloudless heights. The demon slayer used hiraikotsu once more to knock feathers from the base of the demon's neck.

'Ahh...' Shippou whined as he ducked more oncoming blades.

'I see,' muttered Inuyasha. The dog demon sprinted into the trees, while the immense shinning creature rose higher into the sky.

'Miroku,' Sango called. 'Use your Wind Tunnel!' The monk did not question her for he quickly unwrapped his right hand. The cursed void pulled at the bird and weighted it down as gravity might a human who could not fly.

'Wait,' cried Kagome, rushing to Miroku. The sharp and piercing feathers would kill him. Miroku, too, soon realised this and shirked the nearing knives, though not completely. The jagged edges grazed his shoulder and the monk fell, hitting his head on a stone. In the distance, Kagome could hear Inuyasha's Wind Scar as he struck at the creature's vulnerable spots.

When Miroku came around, all events involving the terrible demon had passed. Kagome had added the three Shikon shards to her small collection and had bandaged Miroku's wounds with the help of Sango.

'Are you okay?' asked the fox demon child impatiently.

'We need to find a village,' Kagome stated. 'He needs rest.'

'We'll leave a first light,' Inuyasha put in.

COMING NEXT... CHAPTER THREE: INUYASHA'S ADMIRERS