(Takes place... two weeks before the prologue? I think that's where I set it. It's been a long time, man. Read, review, enjoy. All of that is up to you, of course. I couldn't tell you what happens even if I wanted to. Grammar still not fixed. Far too lazy.)


Chapter 1:

The early morning sun broke over the mountains to a clouded sky. The radiance of the dawn rained down into the low valley in blotches, lighting small patches of rain heavy grass. The rain had died from the night before, and the day was already promising to be hot and clear. In the distance a birdcall went up, carried on the wind to be blown over the faces of six sleeping bodies, bringing them from their peaceful slumber. The first to wake was a young, raven-haired girl. She yawned lightly, closing her big brown eyes from a ray of sun that suddenly lit her fine young face. Sighing, she rubbed the back of her stiff neck, looking down at a rock she had slept on without noticing. Her companions lay scattered about her, all still sound asleep: oblivious to the wondrously beautiful morning. The girl sat up slowly, careful not to wake the child that slept at her side. Despite her efforts, the young boy stirred and yawned. After blinking the nights' dreams away, the small boy smiled up at the girl.

"Good morning, Kagome!" The boy said happily, pushing his short arms outward and flexing his fingers, "Did you sleep well?"

Kagome nodded, raising a finger to her lips.

"The others are still asleep, Shippo." She answered in a whisper, smiling brightly. The small boy scoffed, wiggling his bushy tail in irritation. He got to his feet: small, three toed pads with lithe, furry ankles. He twitched his pointed ears, his sharp green eyes darting around.

"Lazy bones!" He said, his voice just above a whisper in acknowledgement, "Why are we the first ones up?"

"They fought a hard battle last night. Of course we're up first: we didn't do anything but watch!" Kagome chuckled. She had, in truth, done much more than simply watch the battle, but didn't feel the need to bring it up. The fox-demon sighed heavily, which turned into a large yawn. His sharp fangs glinted in the spreading sunlight.

"Yeah, well… they let the jewel shard get away. We won't be able to catch him again if they laze about much longer."

"What do you know about anything, Shippo?" Came a gruff, sleep heavy voice from a few feet behind them. Kagome smiled and turned to look at the owner: a grumpy looking half dog-demon named InuYasha. "I can still smell him. Besides, who could sleep with you babbling like an idiot?"

The youthful looking young man was sitting cross-legged on a large rock, his head bowed slightly. Long white hair fell before his eyes and down his muscular back, touching the rock he was seated on. His bangs half covered his forehead, which was creased in agitation. His dog like ears were perked, poking through his thick hair. His arms were folded over his chest, his old sword in its scabbard nestled in the crook of his arm. His baggy red clothes looked as though they would drown him.

"Shut up!" Shippo yelped, leaping an impossible distance at InuYasha. Kagome caught him mid-flight, giggling.

"You two are impossible! Relax, Shippo! InuYasha is just playing with you! Right, InuYasha?" She looked at him sharply, but kindly. Shippo relaxed and Kagome put him down.

"Yeah, whatever." InuYasha got to his feet, dusting off his pants. He had been atop that rock, sitting in that position, watching over Kagome protectively through the night. He leapt down from his perch, digging the long claws on his bare feet into the refreshingly wet grass once he landed. "Better wake the others before the scent grows cold." He motioned with his thumb to the last three of their party. Kagome nodded, smiling and blushing at the sight of them. Giggling, she turned her attention away from them, forcing herself to focus on gathering up the few possessions she had brought from home.

InuYasha walked stiffly over to the two humans and the demon, scratching at his back as he went. He stopped before them, kicking his foot into the lush grass and flinging water into the closest ones' face. The human girl mumbled something incoherent and blinked awake. She pushed herself up from the ground into a sitting position a felt a heavy arm fall from around her shoulder. Her face flushed brightly with embarrassment as she looked down at the sleeping man. Leaping quickly to her feet, she shoved the man away. He groaned and rolled over, taking the small cat-demon that had been sleeping next to him into his arms.

"What did I interrupt, eh Sango?" Grinned InuYasha coyly. Sango glared dangerously at him, slinging her weapon, the hiraikotsu: a large boomerang made of the bones of slain demons, over her back, the strap crossing down and across her chest. She busied herself by straightening her kimono.

"Nothing, InuYasha: and you know it!" She said through gritted teeth.

Sango, the Demon Slayer, was thoroughly embarrassed. Her cheeks burned, and she knew the redness of her face stretched to her ears. Of the group, Sango had been the first to fall to sleep: the night before having been particularly difficult for her. The monk, Miroku, had slipped beside her during the night without her knowledge and had taken her into his arms. She was completely innocent, save for the lingering feeling of content that was now plaguing her.

"I bet." Sneered InuYasha, "When Miroku is done cuddling Kirara, tell him we're ready to track that jewel shard." He waved his hand and walked back over to Kagome and Shippo. Sango looked down at Miroku, kicking him none too gently.

"Hmm?" He yawned, and then noticed that it was Kirara, the small and fluffy cat-demon, in his arms and not Sango. He got to his feet, patting the cat on the head, and cleared his throat. He leaned on the golden, ringed staff that he was his weapon of choice and looked at Sango, blissfully serene. His blue robes were creaseless, the dirt on them blending to give them a deceptively clean look. "Good morning, Sango." He said after a long, awkward pause.

"Just what did you think you were doing?" She asked, standing with a hand on her hip and surveying him keenly with her deep brown eyes. He smiled, looking genuinely confused by the question, but only too glad to abide her.

"Sleeping?" His cool, collected manner was shaken a bit by the sudden, threatening clenching of her fist. He took a casual step away from her.

"With your arm around me?" She growled lowly, squinting at him and following his step. Miroku coughed.

"Perhaps we should be on our way? The others are looking impatient with us." He frowned, her angry glare and uncomfortably raised fist not relaxing. She looked as though she would strike him if he attempted to pass her without explaining himself. He bowed his head to her, raising a hand with two fingers raised to his face in the apologetic way of his teachings. "My intentions were pure, I promise. You were worn from our battle with the Shadow-demon, and cold from his magic and the heavy night. I used my body to keep you warm."

Sango seemed to buy this, sighing and letting her hand drop to her side. Shaking her head, she turned on him and walked towards InuYasha and the others.

"Come on, then." She said, calling over her shoulder to him. "Come on, Kirara!"

The small, two-tailed cat-demon got to her feet, stretching out her back legs grandly. After a large one and a good scratch she ran to catch up to her friend, master, and partner Sango. Mewing jovially, she leapt from the ground to Sangos' shoulder, rubbing Sangos' face with her with her furry head. Sango laughed and scratched Kirara behind the ear, which she loved. Kagome waved to them as they drew near, and began to say something but was cut off as Sango froze suddenly in her tracks. Miroku, who had been walking beside her, stopped as well. Knowing what was coming, the monk removed his wandering hand from Sangos' rear and braced himself with a look of grim anticipation. Sango reeled around sharply and smacked him across the face, leaving an imprint of her hand burning on his cheek. She then stormed away from him, going over to Kagome. The monk, his features expressionless, bowed his head in a mixture of pain and defeat.

"That pervert'll never learn." Snorted InuYasha. He clapped his hands together, drawing attention away from Miroku, and turned his nose to the air. He breathed deeply and slowly, tasting the air. Raising a finger, he said, "He went that way. His scent is strong. He must not be able to heal from the wounds we dealt him last night. He's slow: his blood is thick on the wind! Come on, we've wasted enough time."

"Lead on, then." Said Miroku mildly. He joined the group, standing a safe distance from Sango, whose eyes were boring into him bitterly. InuYasha snorted at him again, but did as was told. His pace was quick, which at first surprised the others.

"If he's so injured, why are we practically flying?" Panted Sango, after a length of travel. She carried Kirara in her arms. The cat-demon was still suffering from a spell the demon had hit her with the night before, which meant she was too weak to transform into her much larger form and carry Sango and Miroku. This left them running after the much faster InuYasha.

They had set out at a speedy walk, but Kagome soon tired. InuYasha had since taken her onto his back and the group was forced by him to run. That had been nearly three hours past with no letting up. Kagome looked back at the two lagging humans. Shippo, who was resting comfortably in her arms, looked up at her.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, only half awake.

"Miroku and Sango are tired." Kagome answered, slightly worried that InuYasha would ignore them.

"Gah!" InuYasha growled. He stopped suddenly, kicking up a storm of dust and nearly bucking the two from his back. He span, his heels digging into the earth, to face Sango and Miroku. The two came slowly to a stop, panting heavily. Miroku, especially, seemed uncharacteristically weary.

"We're 'flying'," InuYasha spat, growling fiercely at Sango, "because we don't know how long we have until he recovers. He has a jewel shard! He can use it to heal himself and ambush us, or to escape us! We have to catch him while he's down! His powers are greatest at night: we saw that, so we have to catch him before sunset!"

Sango squinted at him.

"What if you're running us into another battle? A trap of some kind? We'll all be too weary to battle if we go on like this for too long. And besides," She looked up at the sun, "It's high noon: no time for a Shadow-demon to be running around, no matter his strength. Can you tell me how far he is from us?"

InuYasha let Kagome down from his back and stooped to the ground, sniffing intently. Kagome went to sit on the ground with Miroku. They had not yet passed through the vast, open valley. A few miles ahead of them was a small, ominously dark forest, and beyond that many more miles of open grassland, surrounded on two sides by a towering mountain range. The sun had melted the clouds and now beat down on them mercilessly. Kagome raised an arm to shield her face from the bright heat.

"Are you okay, Miroku?" She asked, cautiously sitting just out of reach of his hand.

"Yes, I am tired from last night. My hand burns from his shadow magic." He held his right hand in his left gingerly. He had used the cursed Kazaana, or Wind Tunnel, to absorb a spell that had been intentionally released to poison him through the black hole in his hand, and the pain from it had only increased from then. His hand, and the blessed beads that kept the black hole in line, were rimmed with a thin black aura. Kagome frowned at it, then looked into Mirokus' face. He avoided her eyes.

"You're worried?"

"It will pass," Miroku said, putting his hands in his lap as if to erase them from thought. He smiled at her, strengthening his voice in an effort to sound more believable. "It will pass."

Sango tapped her foot on the ground impatiently, oblivious to the conversation behind her. InuYasha straightened up and turned to face her.

"He passed here three hours ago: at the most." InuYasha said, smirking in vague triumph.

"Then in four hours we have covered the ground that he had traveled since our battle ended. Either he is still suffering from the wounds we gave him, or he's waiting for us. In any case, he would not risk being caught in open land at high sun. He'll be in that forest, I know it." She motioned to the dark forest in the distance. InuYasha turned to see it, wrinkling his nose.

"I'd smell him if he was! As clear as anything, the way that guy smells. What makes you think he hasn't already passed the forest? He can move through the shadows of the trees and be out in no time."

"Out into miles of sun. No, he's in that forest…" Sango bit her lower lip hesitantly. A cold, sourceless breeze passed over the small hillock they were standing on, sending a chill down her spine. The bright sun made the grass of the open valley below them shimmer like glass, and yet the forest lay entirely in shadow. It was untouched by the light, as if it dared not intrude. "I think we should be careful…"

"Damn it, Sango!" InuYashas' hand was on his swords hilt, his eyes now glued on the forest on the horizon. "That shard is right there, waiting for us to get it! I don't have time for your stupid caution! I'll go alone if you don't come with me, you coward!" With that he leapt forward, moving with shocking speed.

"InuYasha!" Cried all four of his companions. Kagome was on her feet.

"Wait!" Sango yelled over the others. It was too late; he was already out of earshot. Sango turned to Kagome. "Why is he so intent? He's acting out of desperation." She watched as Kagome looked at her feet thoughtfully. If anyone could claim they understood the half-demon, it was Kagome. She raised her eyes to the sky.

"He won't wait for night…" She said, "Because the demon gets so strong at night… he may not have said it, but I think he was really scared last night. That demon could have killed him, and he knows that even with his demon powers he might lose if the demon gets to full power again… so he's rushing to catch the demon before the sun sets!"

"It that's true, he's throwing himself into more danger than need be, just out of haste. The demon may be just as powerful in the shadows of those trees as he is at night." Miroku sighed, getting to his feet slowly, "We have to go after him and stop him, if we can."

Sango shook her head.

"I'll go after him. Miroku, I know you're hand is injured." Miroku raised his eyebrows in surprise, but did not ask how she knew. "And anyway," She went on, "Kirara is too weak to carry more than me. You'll have to stay here and protect Kagome and Shippo. I don't know if there is a trap waiting for InuYasha at the forest, but if there is we might all be involved."

Miroku nodded. Kagome frowned, but kept silent. Sango looked at Kirara, who she still had in her arms.

"Kirara, I need you to be strong for me, okay? I need you to get me to that forest. I know you're tired, but I promise you can rest once we get there." The cat nodded, her eyes hardening with resolve. She leapt from Sangos arms and, in a burst of flames, transformed into her much larger and more ferocious form. Sango climbed onto Kiraras' back as gently as possible, then looked at the others.

"Follow after us once you've got your breath back." She patted Kirara, "Go on, as fast as you can!" With a kick of her flaming ankles, Kirara roared and took to the air, following the path InuYasha had taken. Sango looked at Kagome as she rode off, nodding at her. She answered in the same fashion, smiling vaguely and waving.

Miroku looked at the ground.

"So this is what feeling useless is." He said, looking at his hand. The burden of his curse grew everyday, and he was painfully aware of it.

"Welcome to our world." Shippo said, climbing to sit on Kagome's shoulder.

"How did she know?"

"Miroku, Sango knows you better than any of us… because you're such good friends… and she knows demons, too. She can put two things together: even I noticed you were off." Kagome put a comforting hand on his shoulder, her bright eyes locking with his. He smiled vaguely with a corner of his mouth, feeling better just by her company. "Let's rest now. Those two will be fine. We'll… we'll follow after them once you're breathing better."

Miroku nodded, raising his eyes to watch Sango and Kirara shrink into the horizon.