As I lay with my eyes closed, I could feel myself drifting off to sleep. I immediately was gently shaken awake again and it was starting to get exhausting. "Really? Can't a girl get an hour's worth of sleep around here?" I grumbled, squeezing my eyes tightly shut without looking to see who it was.
"Uh, Kagome, You've been asleep all night," Shippo informed me, sounding as confused as I now felt. I was awake now at least.
"What!" I exclaimed, my voice rising an octave. "How is this possible?" I asked myself quietly as I stood and brushed myself off. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I didn't hear the approach of Sango and jumped when she spoke right behind me. "Everything alright? Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, concern lacing her words. "We can go somewhere private if you'd like." She could tell there was something off with me and I decided to confide in her. I nodded and whispered where only she could hear, I hoped. "I don't want to wander too far from Inuyasha but maybe you can help me understand what's going on."
I grabbed her hand and called out, "Sango and I are going to go to the stream for a minute, we will be right back." I didn't wait for an acknowledgement from the group, but instead grabbed her hand and pulled her away. Once we reached the stream I bent down and washed my face still feeling like I hadn't slept in weeks. When I'd finished I sat back and told her what seemed to happen every time I fall asleep. She'd had no answers other than that I hadn't moved all night. "Do you think it could be Naraku again?" I asked, trying to keep fear out of my voice.
"I think you should tell Inuyasha." She told me soberly, the voice of reason. "I know you don't want him to worry, but he already is worried about you even though he refuses to admit it to anyone, even himself." Just then we heard a scuffle in the trees behind us and turned quickly to find the source of the noise. Standing in the shadows, was a hooded figure. It was tall and lanky, without enough definition to tell if it was a man or woman. We were not caught so off guard this time and Sango had her weapon in her hand in a second. "Stop right there!" She demanded forcefully of the figure before it took off full tilt into the woods. Inuyasha and Miroku showed up only seconds later, I think they must have been trying to eavesdrop on us. There wasn't time to think about that right now because they had seen the figure too and chased after it. We waited quietly for the guys to return to camp, giving me ample time to try and wrap my head around things.
It was nearly an hour later when we heard footsteps again, and we prepared for the worst, not knowing who it was yet. Seconds later the familiar faces of our companions appeared, followed by a third person I didn't know but recognized. So they had caught him then, and it was clear now that it was a man, or rather boy, and possibly the same one that was spying on us while we bathed. He looked ruffled and dirty, and I guessed Inuyasha must have reached him before Miroku and blacked his eye. "Who are you?" I asked curious, not expecting him to actually answer. His reply startled me. "I'm sorry Priestess, I did not mean to alarm you, I wasn't sure how to approach you. I need your help." I did not miss the fact that he had failed to introduce himself and looked to Inuyasha confused. He shrugged and gestured that it was the monk who decided to bring the stranger to our campsite.
Inuyasha gathered firewood while I played with some kindling and got a small fire started. Placing a few pieces of wood around the tiny but growing flames I watched until I was satisfied that it wouldn't go out before I turned my attentions back to the stranger. He began to explain that his father was the leader of a nearby village, and strange things were starting to happen there. People were going missing daily, crops were being mysteriously destroyed during the night, and if there were sentries keeping a lookout they would all end up asleep, only to awake at daybreak with no memories at all. As if all of that weren't bad enough, now young maidens' were disappearing as well.
While he was telling us this, Inuyasha came to sit behind me. I allowed myself to lean back on him and he didn't object. He, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku asked several questions that never registered in my mind because before I realized it, I was nodding off against Inuyasha's shoulder.
Note: Guys, I can't express just how sorry I am that it has taken so long to update. I won't make excuses for myself. Take this chapter as an apology gift and I will try to get at least another up today.