Hello all!

Sorry for the long time without an update. Just a lot of stuff going on, including the whole being admitted to the hospital thing. *irritation*

I don't really have much to say for once, other than enjoy the chapter… and please review!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing…. *sniff*

Run, run, run, run, RUN!

Kagome chanted inside her mind, hoping that maybe it would help distract her from the pain in her lungs. All of her time spent in the Sengoku Jidai had certainly made her physically fit by just about anyone's standards, but even the young miko couldn't run for more than an hour at a time.

Slowing down to a mid-paced walk, she tried to fill her poor, aching lungs with some much needed air.

This sucks.

She did plenty of complaining in the deepest recesses of her mind. The goal was to keep herself from doing what she really wanted: sitting her butt down on the path and screaming at that damn fluffy… dog.

She seethed to herself even as she walked, her hideous yellow backpack bouncing up and down on her shoulders.

Who does that? The jerk could have at least told me. Who does Lord Fluffypants think he is? The nerve of some demons!

As the young miko continued on her way, she eventually stopped her internal ranting and turned to more practical issues. She knew that she didn't have much time. Certainly not enough to sleep all night.

I guess I'm going to be going without sleep… again.

With that sentence, the Shikon Miko realized just how completely and utterly whiny she was being. She was even beginning to irritate herself.

That's it! No more complaining. I got myself into this, and I'll get myself out!

Cementing her resolve, the miko set her shoulders back and held her chin a little higher… until she stubbed her toe on a rather sizable (and decidedly inconveniently placed) rock.

Looking down, the young woman stared for almost a full minute at what was now a very sore little appendage.

Though her reaction was delayed, it was certainly not subtle. The miko gave in to her basest desire and dropped to the ground… and screamed.

She didn't scream the scream of a woman in pain, nor was it the scream of one in distress. Her shrill, grating cry was one of pure unadulterated frustration. She was sick of walking, she was sick of worrying, she was sick of pompous demon lords, she was sick of roughing it in the wilderness, she was sick of the freaking jewel, she was sick of the whole goddamn thing!

Ending her impressively high-pitched shriek, the miko glanced around her for witnesses. Seeing none, and feeling much better, she got up, dusted herself off, and continued walking.

….

The miko was in a foul mood. She had walked through the night, only to still be walking at dawn.

Kagome had thought of another thing she was sick of: being scared. The miko had jumped at every single noise to be heard over the course of the night, eve to the point of walking with her bow at the ready for a few hours.

With the incessant crunch of her feet on the dirt path as her background music, the miko walked away from the sun as fast as she could.

Before the sun had fully appeared in the east, she came to the fork the innkeeper had told her about. Taking the route he had advised, she felt a bit of a spring in her step. The miko felt a little hope begin to blossom in her chest. She knew that she had reached the split early. Perhaps she could keep up the pace and make her destination in time.

I wonder what the palace will look like, she thought. Probably made completely of white marble. Just to make sure no one forgets who lives there.

Deciding to drop that particular train of thought before her mood could turn sour once more, Kagome began to hum softly to herself. She wrapped herself up in her own little world where there was no jewel, no evil hanyou, and no one ever died.

She was so preoccupied in fact, that she didn't even realize when things went wrong.

The sun was blocked from view as the road narrowed and the trees became crowded, almost as if they were crouching over the road, blocking it from the view of prying eyes. The earth became deadly silent, without even the sound of singing birds to be heard on the wind. An unseasonal chill crept into the air even as the sun shone brightly on the main path just recently vacated by the lone traveler.

He dropped seemingly out of nowhere, and before Kagome could even knock an arrow he had appeared in front of her. The large youkai's fist made contact with the girl's ribcage, effectively knocking the air out of her lungs.

Kagome struggled in the youkai's arms, but it did her no good. Their voices were nothing but soft murmurs to her ears even as her world faded to black.

….

Sorry it's not long, more of a filler…. I can only make walking so interesting. And I'm on some pretty good meds myself. :D

And on that note, please review!

~Siki