So I decided to post the next chapter (Chapter One). I already had it written anyway. The next chapter isn't done yet, and I don't have any ideas yet... But I'll work around that. I usually kinda just wing it... Bad habit, I know. Anyway, enjoy!

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Chapter One

Alone

Her narrowed brown eyes scanned the meadow and locked on a grazing deer. She remained unblinking as adrenaline began to pump through her system. Careful not to make a sound, her arm carefully reached for an arrow from the quiver on her back. As she set the projectile into place, the deer flickered its ears and moved to a new patch of grass.

With the arrow still set, she carefully stepped down the small slope. Her brown cape and black hair trailed after her, taken by a slight summer breeze. She steadied herself at the edge of a patch of wild yellow flowers. Bent on one knee, she observed the deer lift its head up and scan its surroundings. She ducked closer to the ground hoping the tall grass stalks and breeze would hide her presence and scent.

After a moment, the deer bent its head down to resume eating. The girl blinked, seeing her chance. In one swift, but quiet movement, she stood up taller and took aim at the animal. The deer's head shot up just as the arrow went flying. It leapt away, but failed to dodge the flying weapon. The sharp tip pierced its neck, severing its jugular vain.

The helpless animal slowed until it came to a stop where it gave into its death. The girl waited until the deer stopped moving completely before she stepped towards it.

She sighed as she looked down at her kill. Just another day alone in the wild.

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Kagome's teeth bit down into the tender meat. A fire cackled nearby, keeping her body warm, even though the summer nights rarely got cool.

It was a good day today. She hardly ever got a kill this big. It would keep her full for the next day or two. When the meat diminished to nothing, she laid back against the leaf bed she'd made for herself.

The stars were beautiful tonight. They always were. On depressing nights, she'd talk to them like companions. They were the only ones there.

It had been three or four long months now. She was surprised at how easy it was to get away from everything. She hadn't had an encounter with any of her old friends since she started her journey. She knew Inuyasha would refuse to go retrieve her for at least three or four days after that fateful day. By then her scent would be gone, or at least incredibly hard to sniff out. She made sure she stayed in dense forests where the oak trees and abundant flowers would cover her tracks.

She hadn't brought anything but herself, wounds, bandages, torn uniform, and all. A kind traveler gave her men's clothes and a cape after a day or two of wandering alone. The man directed her to the nearest village where she could receive treatment for her wounds. Kagome went, but only to pick up a bow and arrows. She got a knife for extra protection as well.

Since then, she'd been taking care of herself. It was hard with her wounded shoulder. She went hungry for a few weeks, using only traps for small prey and picking off of wild berry bushes. Meanwhile, she used herb mixtures she'd learned from Kaede and applied them to her shoulder.

All her wounds were scars by the time the month was over, and she began practicing with her bow. Her shoulder was still stiff at the time, so it was hard. Gradually, she worked around it.

Now, she traveled alone, receiving help from no one, wandering the forests and rivers, mainly just surviving. Part of the reason she wanted to start off by her own was to gain independence. She wanted to prove even to herself that she could save herself from natural dangers if need be.

Kagome studied the glistening stars, alone in the sky during the new moon.

Inuyasha… he'd be a human tonight. Often she wondered how the group was doing, what they were doing. She wondered if they were looking for her. Or maybe Inuyasha had convinced the others that she was too weak to live by herself for this long.

Either way, she was glad she hadn't seen any of them in a while. All it would do is bring back memories she wanted to forget. There would be a time when she met them again. But she wasn't ready yet. She would be far stronger before she'd seek them out.

The fire began to die, but Kagome hardly noticed. Summer had enough humidity to keep her warm. Before she fell completely asleep, the girl stuffed the remainder of the deer carcass into the base of a tree where she'd keep the leftovers hidden from night animals.

Staring at the sky, Kagome sighed. It wasn't fun being alone sometimes. She wanted someone to be close to, to talk to when she wanted to. But she was fine how she was at the same time.

After a moment, her hand came to rest on her chest, just below her collar bone. It took a moment to find the vibe, but, her eyes closed, she gently called on the familiar pure light. Her hand glowed pink as she slowly pulled it further away from her. A ball of pink and white floated suspended in the air between her hand and chest until she grabbed it.

The last jewel shard. It hadn't caused her any trouble this whole time. No one knew it was there, except her. Its purity blended in with her priestess presence. Few demons had crossed her path, but they never detected the shard fused with her being.

She didn't use it as an enhancement. She was merely protecting it with her body. The jewel excepted the pureness of its priestess, knowing its power wouldn't be used improperly.

Kagome slowly pushed the jewel back into its shelter. She lifted her hand out towards the sky and stars. She didn't use her priestess powers too much anymore. Only with demons did she call on the power. It would be easier to track her if used them. She always made sure that if she did have to use them, it was only in small doses.

She hardly had time to perfect her skills, really. The necessity of survival was the only thing that had increased them this far. She never really had time to actually take time to practice, other than the occasional demon fight.

Kagome sighed. Sometimes she wondered if she made the right choice. What about her school and friends? What about her family? Was it really right to leave the whole Inuyasha pack when it was only really him who had the issue with her?

But it was too late to take it all back now. She just accepted everything now. This journey was something she had to do for herself. She was tired of being the dead weight. Or maybe she just wanted to prove her worth to a certain hanyou…

She really couldn't tell if she loved him still. It had been so long. Sure, she missed his presence, but she also missed Sango, Miroku, and Shippo the same.

Kagome decided it was time to stop thinking. She thought about this kind of thing almost every night of a new moon. It always got her thinking about the past. But she wasn't living in the past now. She was living for the present and future.

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Kagome cast the line out for the tenth time the next morning. Fishing was her least favorite hunting method. It required so much patience. She was hungry for breakfast now, not later. She supposed if she didn't catch anything, she could always eat the leftovers from the night before. But she wanted to save it for night time.

As she sat back down on the edge of the pond, she felt a familiar prick in her heart. The girl immediately stood up. It was a demon. She could feel its presence. Her eyes scanned the environment, alert for movement of any type. A moment later, a looming demon stepped from the forest boundary.

It resembled a dog in looks, although it was as large as a house. It stood on its hind legs, fur covering every inch of his ferocious body. Its head seemed too small for its jaw, which was filled with teeth the size of daggers. With dirty claws sharp enough to rip down a full grown tree and crimson blood matting his brown fur, the demon was a sight for sore eyes.

Kagome made a face at him. "What do you want?" It was obviously looking straight at her.

Slobber dripped from its seemingly powerful jaws. "Jewel shard…" he growled deeply.

Kagome's ears pricked. He must have sensed it when she was looking at it the night before. She'd have no choice but to purify him. If news got out, she'd never get a second of sleep because she'd have to avoid demons all day.

Her eyes narrowed. "Come get it," she dared. In a flash, her bow was off her back and an arrow was in place. She sent it soaring where it pierced the dog demon in its knee. The demon howled in pain, dropped to all fours, and charged at her.

Kagome dodged his rush attack. Demons, of course, were much faster than her. But she'd been learning to be light on her feet, yet another necessity of survival. The girl strung another arrow, but this time she filled its tip with purifying light. The demon, instantly on guard, braced himself. The arrow was fast, but he was faster. Once it dodged, it came straight after her.

Tossing the bow out of the way, Kagome rolled to the side, snatching her dagger from its hilt at her waist. On a bending knee, she brought the knife across the demon's side as he rushed past. The creature howled in pain, tumbling to the ground, as she rolled to the side and grabbed her bow again. Before he could stand again, she shot her deadly arrow at him, charged with her priestess powers.

It howled once before it disintegrated. Breathing heavily, Kagome stood up fully. She smiled to herself. That demon was bigger than the ones that she usually fought. She hadn't done too badly. In fact that was quicker than usual.

She looked dismayed at her clothes, covered in the dead demon's blood. She definitely couldn't go walking around with blood all over her. It would attract everything but the butterflies. Her eyes observed the pond she had been fishing in. Shrugging, Kagome began stripping. It wasn't the first time she'd had to do this. Three and a half months in the wild and you don't care so much where you bathe, just so long as it happens.

Her cape, loose shirt and pants tossed aside, Kagome dipped her feet in the cool pond water. During the summer, it was warmer than usual. Deciding she liked the feel, she slipped the rest of the way in. It was chilly, and she usually preferred a hot springs, but this would do.

She was scaring all the fish away with this, but she didn't think she'd catch any anyway. After a refreshing swim, Kagome went to the edge to retrieve her clothes. She still had to wash them.

They were gone. Her clothes, bow and arrows, and cape were gone. Dissappeared. Into thin air.

Kagome's blood began to boil. The water must have dulled her senses. She hadn't heard a thing. Scanning the area, she looked to see if the culprit might still be around.

Bobbing heads were disappearing further across the meadow. The little brats, Kagome complained as she lifted herself out of the water. Without thinking twice, she burst into a full-out run. It appeared to be a few kids, but Kagome didn't register this. She tackled the middle child and snatched her clothes back all in one fluid motion.

She wrapped her cape around her like a towel as she viewed the three startled children.

"Do you have any idea who those items belong to?" Kagome scolded.

The three kids stood wide-eyed. "I-I'm sorry! We didn't know they were yours. There was no one there when we looked!" the middle child, a little boy with curly brown hair, stuttered as the two other kids, an older boy and a girl, dropped the bow, quiver, and dagger before her.

"Please don't tell Mommy," the shy girl began to cry, her curly locks sticking to her wet face.

"We were only trying to help," the older boy explained. "The village needs more weapons."

Kagome's soft nature took over. Despite being alone this whole time, she still felt the sympathy she used to feel with Shippo. "It's okay kids," Kagome smiled as she slipped her pants on under the towel-cape. "I was just upset for a moment." Turning around she dropped the cape and slipped the shirt over her head.

While she reattached her cape and weapons to her person, she asked, "Why does your village need more weapons?"

The older boy spoke as the two younger ones crowded closer to his side. His arms holding them protectively, he said, "Demons have been attacking more frequently than they usually do. In fact, it seems all the demons are becoming more agitated. It's as if they're all searching for something, and they all want to get their hands on it before the others."

Kagome thought of her jewel shard and the demon she killed moments before. Coughing away the uneasiness, she said, "I know you kids want to help, but it's more dangerous than ever around these parts if what you say is true."

The three kids huddled closer together. The older boy hugged them comfortingly. He looked up at her and asked hesitantly, "Could you please help us Warrior Angel Lady?"

Kagome restrained herself from making a funny face at the name. She smiled as she pushed the kids ahead. "Don't worry, I'll at least walk you back to your village."

The kids lightened up and lead her towards their home. As they walked, the two youngsters played in the meadow while the eldest spoke to her. He looked to be about thirteen years of age and he said his name was Toji. He planned on fighting with the older men soon in the battle against the demons. Kagome listened as he explained that the attacks had started up about three months ago. Most killed whoever was in their path. The village had suffered several casualties. Their father was killed only weeks before.

Kagome walked in silence, listening to the boy's story. It sounded like this was her fault. It seemed like the demons where scrambling for her jewel shard, probably sure it would have more power than the rest because it was the last one. She had to at least try and help the village.

The group drew closer to the tiny village, consisting of no more than thirty huts. A woman ran towards them. The children took off ahead of Kagome and she watched them go, slowing down as they met up with their mother.

"My goodness, I was so scared! I thought those demons had dragged you all off!" The woman smothered the kids with kisses and hugs. She looked up at Kagome and smiled. "Thank you for escorting them here. I'm in your debt. They're all I have left."

Kagome returned the smile. "No problem."

"Please, allow me to treat you to a meal."

Kagome resisted, but the woman insisted when she saw how skinny Kagome was. Living off of animal meat and berries made her thinner than she usually was. It wasn't that much of a difference though.

Over some herb soup, the woman, Bambi, explained the situation in further detail.

"At first they came one or two at a time. But now packs are swarming the village, attacking more often than we can handle. There aren't many men left in this small village. That's why Toji offered to help. All the young boys are. We're running out of options." The woman's eyes became moist. "I don't know if I lost him along with my husband…"

Kagome listened with sympathy and guilt. "I can help for as long as I'm able."

The woman smiled. "That would be great, dear. But I don't want you to overexert yourself. You look young and full of energy, but these aren't your average sized demons."

Kagome thought of the dog demon she had fought earlier that day. If they were all like that, it wouldn't be hard. "Well, I'll help where I can."

After the meal, Kagome walked around the village. Despite the rough times, the townspeople seemed to be in good spirits. An elder told children old yarns from his time, couples roamed the village holding hands, older kids laughed and gossiped amongst each other.

Kagome couldn't help but remember her old life. Her group used to stop at villages like this all the time. They'd help where need be, and they'd move on, saying goodbye to new made friends, but promising to visit.

Kagome looked up at the cloudless sky. What were they doing right now? Did they know about the demons? Did they know there was one shard Naraku didn't have?

Kagome put her hand on her chest. Did anyone know she had the last shard?

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Screams and smoke awoke Kagome from her sleep. Instantly alert, Kagome scanned her surroundings. Toji, Bambi, and the two kids were no where to be found. After grabbing her weapons and cape, Kagome rushed outside of the hut and was greeted with a terrible sight.

Flames licked at the night sky as smoke billowed and curled in the wind. Demons were scattered everywhere, jumping townspeople as they attempted to run for their lives. Blood spattered across the dirt and grass, huts were burnt or destroyed all together. Mangled, torn, bloodied bodies dotted the village area.

Kagome's eyes widened. This was no dream.

"Toji! Bambi!" Kagome called as she ran through the village, careful of the flames and wandering demons. She ran to the center of the village, an open area with flowers in the center. Toji and the kids were huddled together, his arms around them protectively. Bambi stood before a large demon, protecting her children with only a spear. She was shaking so badly, she couldn't hold it upright.

The demon raised its claws, preparing to kill the victims.

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And that's it. Tell me whacha think and I'll start writing the next chapter depending on the input.