Well, that lemon was... juicy, lol. This is the second last chap, my friends, so I hope you've enjoyed yourselves so far. I am busily trying to keep the idea machine running smooth, and hopefully (god forbid) nothing gets in there and jams up the works, lol.

Deds:

Mystical Hanyou - hehe, you will eventually find out why she did that (i think its this chap), and nope, she doesn't go to Raidon, lol, tho I'm sure that would have been interesting, to say the least! Thanks again for your faithful reviews and wonderful guesses and comments!

Nimeway - I'm floating in your river of tears over the abrupt end to the sex scene back there, lol, and was just lucky enuf to catch a yacht, and Sessh-pants is the Captain! OOh, don't you wish you were on that boat now, hahah!

Jennie - Yup, it's almost over, and yep, its all about the drama!! Btw, don't run into anything eh? I don't want to find you in a heap in front of a hydro pole somewhere... or a tree, even worse, yeow... lol!

Question Existing

The same night, Sango, leading the way, announced to the others, "Alright, we stop here for the night. Miroku, would you start the fire, please?"

Nodding his consent, the monk hunkered down to dig a small pit, loosening the earth with the tip of his sacred staff, then lifting the dirt away with his hands. Shippo dragged him up some dry sticks, and together, they lit the fire with a live ember Miroku carried in a thick container made of cattle bone.

Inuyasha, still worried about Kagome, his eyes slightly bloodshot from thinking of nothing else so hard, jumped visibly when Kirara brushed up against him, offering him comfort with her large shoulder.

Relaxing, he let the fire-cat distract him as she purred, his claws finding the sweet spot behind her ears. She rumbled away as he scratched, and after a while, the two fell asleep, Inuyasha's head resting on Kirara's furry stomach, her tails keeping the wind off them both.

Sango smiled. It was not unusual for her beloved companion and Inuyasha to sleep curled up together. She thought cats and dogs hated each other, but Kirara and Inuyasha seemed to get along great. Maybe cats hating dogs, and vice versa, was just an old superstition.

Miroku glanced furtively at Sango out of the corner of his eye, the snoring kitsune on his knee giving him the privacy he longed for. So rarely were he and Sango ever truly alone... of course, he was likely to blame for that. Him and his cursed hand, that is.

Sango sighed, leaning back on her hands and stretching out her legs. The night sky really is beautiful when you take the time to appreciate it, she thought, drinking in the silent, yet cooling night air.

"Sango?"

She looked at Miroku. His voice startled her; it was so deep, mellow - velvet. She hated to admit it, but it caused shivers to tremble down her spine, and a heat pooled in her lower abdomen that she could only explain as lust, which shamed her. Why was her body always betraying her feelings?

"Yes, Miroku?" She tried to avoid his eyes, but could not.

He didn't say anything for a moment, too busy was he admiring the soft curves of her jaw against the firelight, shadows dancing here and there over her smooth skin. He longed to run his fingers along her jaw and tilt it up, so he might taste her lips, taking fully what she had to offer him.

Finally he replied, "Do you think Kagome's alright?"

Sango blinked, suddenly more ashamed than ever. How could she be thinking of Miroku like this when poor Kagome was out there all by herself?

At first Sango was confident that Kagome would be just fine, but as the day wore on, and Inuyasha grew more and more anxious, it began to rub off on her, and she was angry at herself for forgetting her friend for even a moment. Miroku could wait; Kagome was what required her attention right now.

"Honestly... I don't know. I was so sure a few days ago... but now-"

"Now you're not so sure?"

She nodded, pulling her knees up to rest her chin there, the romantic mood between them gone. He sighed inwardly. He hadn't even touched her yet, and already the mood had soured. Damn it.

"No, I'm not." She began to play with a frayed hem of her kimono. "I worry about her, as much as I wish I didn't. Kagome's earned our trust in her abilities; I just can't seem to help worrying, though. Inuyasha, too. We haven't heard anything, but..." she trailed off, and he knew what she was implying. Just because they hadn't heard anything, didn't mean nothing was happening.

Rubbing her shoulder slowly, comfortingly, he replied, "Kagome has earned our trust, Sango. But only a true friend would worry, nonetheless."

She turned her head so her temple rested where her chin had been, and smiled a little. "You always know just what to say, Miroku."

He smiled back. "It is my duty to know what to say, my dear Sango. Get some sleep." He rolled out her blanket, a decent distance away from his own. "Before long, hopefully we'll receive word that Kagome has found a shard. Inuyasha won't act happy about that, but he will be glad she is safe. And you will have your comfort in the knowledge, too."

Sango lay back, her head on her hands. "I hope so."

The fire crackled, and the crickets were quiet as they drifted off, Miroku finding sleep last. He, too, was more worried about Kagome than he would admit. She was such an important part of their group... if Inuyasha didn't apologise and get her back, he feared their group would forever be split in two, for Sango would surely join Kagome, should it ever come to that. And, grudgingly, he knew he would follow her, even though Inuyasha was his good friend. The thought kept him up most of the night.

The following morning, when Kagome awoke, the sky was overcast and Sesshoumaru was gone. Inwardly grateful for his absence, she gathered up her things, her tears mingling with the drizzle that started falling shortly after she returned from the river. She had stood and stared at the rock, their rock, and wished very hard that Sesshoumaru had not reminded her of Inuyasha in that instant. She knew that was why he was angry, and, thinking on it long and hard before dragging herself out of her sleeping bag, knew that this was all her fault. She just didn't know why she felt the way she did, especially about someone whose pleasant side she had so recently gotten to know.

Kagome had always considered herself a one-man-woman. All her life she had never yearned for two men the way she did right now, not that Inuyasha had her kind thoughts lately, but he had his good moments, his high points. He might have been cocky, arrogant, and occasionally cruel, but she kept forgetting that that was all he'd known growing up, and it was hard to change what you'd always known, especially yourself. He'd come a long way, too, since she'd first met him. His attitude had improved greatly, and his disregard for others was almost non-existent, but he wasn't cured yet. He still had a long way to go before he could live and function as a normal person.

Gathering up her things, Kagome set out on her own, the light rain having put out the fire long before. She doubted Sesshoumaru had abandoned her here, but for both their sakes, she knew it was best if she carried on alone. It was nice of him to offer his protection, but really, she didn't need it. By now, she knew to expect the unexpected, never to trust strangers, and to always be on her guard.

So, it was to her chagrin that, twenty minutes later, she ran into a bear demon who just happened to be looking for a tasty breakfast, and had apparently decided that she would do nicely.

Sesshoumaru heard her heartbeat increase from several miles away, but refused to check on her. His pride, much less controllable than he liked, was adamant that it wanted nothing more to do with her. But his heart yearned to see in her eyes the look he'd seen yesterday, the look she wore when totally overcome by emotion - for him.

Kagome dispatched the demon quickly, purifying it to ashes with one shot. Her smile, though short-lived, was of pride.

After several hours of walking, map consulting, and more rain, she reached the village where the strong pull of a jewel shard became prevalent. Lowering her head, and tightening the sash she'd brought in case of rain around her head, she entered the village, and waited.

Inuyasha, his nose to the ground, his rear in the air in the position Sango found so comical, muttered angrily, "She came this way! But..." he sniffed harder, in vain, "I can't tell if she was alone or not..." His ears drooped.

Sango hid her smile lest Inuyasha see it and boil over. His anxiety was at an all-time high; she was sure he'd have a coronary if he strung himself out any more. And she was positive he was regretting his earlier words now.

Miroku fiddled with the string on his hat that kept the rain off his head and shoulders, finally ripping it off in exasperation. The stupid thing hadn't been right since day one.

Sango took it from him, her patience with it gone, and, quickly taking the string out, threw it away. She replaced it with an extra string she used to tie her things together, and re-threaded the hat.

Miroku took it from her when she finished, his gaze grateful. "Thank you, Sango." His hand lingered over hers a moment too long and her face flushed red, and she pulled it away, tearing her gaze from his velvet-blue eyes.

"Don't mention it." She sniffed, straightened, and walked ahead, realising that Inuyasha had left them behind again.

Miroku tied on the hat and smiled to himself. She might never admit it, but he affected her, and she liked it. All he had to do now was convince her of what she refused to see.

Inuyasha pounded his fist on the ground angrily. Her tracks were disappearing in the rain before his eyes, taking her scent with it. He'd never give up, but her scent was lost to him now. The rain had covered her tracks, indefinitely. It seemed that she'd gotten what she wanted: solitude.

His dreams these past few nights had been filled with terror: the innate fear he had that if anything happened to her, it was his fault, his doing, his negligence. It was his job to protect her, and he'd alienated her into leaving him and striking out on her own. But who was going to watch her back? Who was going to keep her company? Who was going to keep her warm, dry her when she got wet, find her decent shelter?

Even now he worried about how she was faring in this drizzle. Was she sick, or worse? And she was so alone... Inuyasha had to admit that he'd finally found someone he loved so much, it was impossible for him to express adequately. His emotions for her overwhelmed him in a way that bordered on obsessive, but he couldn't help himself. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he kicked himself for letting her leave him alone, where she could be accosted by anyone... even Naraku, himself.

That thought froze the blood in his veins where it flowed. Naraku, their bitterest enemy... what would he do with Kagome, alone and unarmed?

Physically, he knew she could handle her bow with ease, but he'd seen her disarmed so many times before, with almost no effort on her opponent's part. She just wasn't safe without him, and his fear for her almost paralysed him.

Kagome, how could I have said all those terrible things to you? Where are you?

Moody, anxious, and depressed, he led Sango and Miroku to an overhanging tree to shield them from the worst of the moisture. Until the rain let up, the trail was lost to him.

Fervently, he hoped that Kagome was not.

Wow, mushy. I'm drowning in the mush. Anyway, I got fanart to colour, my eyes are very dry from my bikeride, and my butt hurts. So, later, dudettes!! P.S. My fanart is located at http / / sessinsunglasses. deviantart. com/ if anyone's interested. Strictly Inuyasha, lol, and I really hate drawing anyone wearing too much clothing, lol! Grr, there's a colon in there, but you get the idea, stupid link!!