"Left. Right. Forward. Left again", Kagome instructed, holding onto Raiden.
She was surprised how long it took to get to the shard, since she was traveling with the puppy now. However, she felt it get closer to her all the time; as if she was drawn to it. The demon carrying it was a swift one – not many could keep up with Raiden, not even the hanyou. Quite soon, the two arrived at a clearing, seeing a huge horse demon, it's head hung low, it's back turned to them. Kagome looked at the horses head, gasping loudly, causing the horse to turn it's red eyes towards her and Raiden; it's mouth was dripping from fresh blood, form the dead wolf demons laying against it's feet.
The horse stood easily at least a few meters above the miko and the dog. The wind blew against his blue fur and mane; it whinnied loudly, walking towards the twosome. Raiden growled loudly, as Kagome climbed off him, drawing her bow – the jewel shard was located in the horse's forehead. She released the arrow, missing the shard by a few inches.
"Dammit!", she cursed, drawing another arrow.
The horse started galloping towards her, at absurd pace. Raiden pushed Kagome onto his back, jumping out of harm's way, just in time. The horse collided into a few trees, knocking them down. The demon turned around, stomping his hoof into the ground. Kagome quickly took her arrow, shooting it. As the arrow was surrounded by pink light, it traveled towards the jewel shard.
"Come on, hit the shard", she said to herself, ready with another arrow.
The arrow hit the shard, as the horse let out a ear aching yelp. It fell to the ground, and Kagome put her bow away. She went on Raiden's back, motioning him to go the horse. He trusted Kagome, and went to the dead demon. Kagome climbed off his back, and the dog turned back into his puppy form. The miko picked the shard out of a pool of blood, purifying the demon blood into pure water. Kagome took her own shard, putting her hands together. A pink light lightly surrounded her hands, and as she opened them, the shards had now combined.
"Raiden, we are going to set a shelter here for the night – the next shard is too far away from here", she said, starting to walk forward into the woods.
Raiden followed the miko, walking right behind her heel. Before long, Kagome had located a remotely large cave, right near a small pond. She went into the cave, laying her belonging on the floor.
'I am going to place a barrier around this cave, for protection', she thought, soon distracted by lapping noises.
She turned around, seeing Raiden drink out of the murky pond.
"Raiden, no, boy!", she shouted, stomping towards the puppy.
Raiden stopped drinking, and sat down with his head held low. Kagome felt sorry for the puppy – he was only thirsty. She turned her heel, retrieving the water dish from her back, emptying one of her water bottles into it. She placed it in front of the dog, patting his head. Immediately, Raiden looked up at Kagome, then noticed the water in front of him. He stood up, drinking the water. As soon as he wasn't thirsty no more, Kagome set a can of dog food next to him, which he ate swiftly.
Kagome chuckled to herself, going into the cave and eating a few fruits from her bag. She had many modern products in there, such as noodles, rice and chicken in ready-made packages, yet she wanted to save them for when she needed them. Now that she was traveling with her puppy, it was easier to travel to the well, to get anything she needed for herself or Raiden.
As the night fell, Kagome started a fire in the middle to keep warm during the cool, crisp night. She had placed her barrier a while ago, and now the two were hidden from the world. The puppy snored slightly in his corner, twitching lightly in his sleep. Kagome lay down her sleeping bag, the same one she had used a year and a half ago. It was rather old, but it was her favorite. Sliding into the warmth, Kagome closed her eyes. Before long, something soft was pressing against the side of her face; Raiden had come close to Kagome, sleeping near the miko's shoulder. She smiled, as she fell asleep.
"Good night, puppy".
Kagome woke up in the morning, sitting up, and rubbing her eyes. The dog was still sleeping, growling in his dream. Kagome laughed quietly, standing up. She straightened out her kimono – being so tired, she had forgot to change into her nightclothes.
"Ah!", she gasped, holding onto her shoulder.
Holding onto her mate mark from Inuyasha. She felt it burn, as she dashed to her bag, looking for her mirror. Finding the small pink and lavender mirror, she positioned herself to see her neck. The bite mark was redder, signifying that her mate was close. She cursed, putting the mirror away and taking a case of perfume, The Stray Dog. The title had enticed her so, and the scent was wonderful. She sprayed some of it on herself; she didn't stop until she was drenched in it. She would not risk the hanyou smelling her. Raiden had woken up due to the unusual scent, and was sniffing everything.
Kagome picked the puppy up, snuggling him close to her.
"We are going to go to the nearest village from here, Raiden. Is that all right? I am going to tell the villagers that the demon horse has been slain.", she asked, looking into his face.
Raiden barked in agreement, jumping out of her hands onto the cave ground. Kagome removed her barrier, and felt gush of cold air hit her face. The trees and leaves strayed with the wind.
"Raiden, it is really windy. Can you go the village fast?", she asked, as she grabbed her belongings.
The puppy transformed, wagging his, now, gigantic tail. Kagome climbed onto her dog; she had grown to love Raiden exceedingly. He had been an ideal company to her during her quest, despite the fact that they had been together for a short while. She believed Raiden felt the same way – right after he had attacked her, he had helped her. Kagome lowered herself to lie on the dog's back, his fur burshing against her smooth cheek.
As Raiden sped through the forest, they reached the village soon. The miko sat up, jumping down, as Raiden turned into his puppy form once more. They managed to walk a while in the village, before she saw red.
A fire rat haori, standing in the crowd amongst the villagers.