Left Alone

"Kagome?" she could hear Shippo, calling to her but she was still too mad to respond. A shiver wracked her body as she fought to relax and calm her miko energy. If she kept it up she would expend all of her energy and be useless in the protection of their camp, should an attack take place. Though her spiritual strength was great the energy of it was fed from her life force, that drew upon the energy of the Earth. Her body however was merely human and with all human bodies it too tired with the expenditure of energy. Using miko powers took physical strength that could not be so easily replaced.

She flinched as a hand touched her shoulder and squeezed slightly. Turning she looked into the blood shot and strained brown eyes of Miroku. "I know, Kagome," he said as he slowly turned her about to hug her tightly and as she expelled hot air from her lungs, she collapsed within his arms and cried until her shoulders shook and she gasped for air as sleep slowly claimed her. "I swear we will avenge her, even if it costs me my life," he said into her hair just before she slunk into oblivion.

Her sleep a mixture of happy memories and horrible nightmares as she was forced to remember the ball of blood soaked youkai and Sangos' happy smile and fierce frown when Miroku groped her. She cried out in her sleep and twisted about. "No, no, NO!" She screamed before she bolted upright from her sleep. Her chest heaving, she blinked a few times before cradling her head within her arms and swallowing.

"I'll kill you Naraku, if it takes everything I have. I swear on all I hold sacred, that I will see the day when you are no more!" she whispered to the night and any who heard.

Dawn broke and found her in the same position as before with her head in arms resting on her raised knees. With a somber attitude she rose and prepared for the new day. Going about her set tasks, so that they could move on in their search for jewel shards and Naraku.

For nearly a week days and nights melded together for the group until one day was indiscernible from the next. They managed to cover many miles in their search but had not run into any Naraku related demons or even demons that sought out the shards she held. Frustration was beginning to be felt by all in the group. It seemed as though when they openly sought a confrontation with him he was nowhere to be found but when all they wanted was peace he was everywhere.

Kagome found herself looking at the monk often over the last week. He no longer approached women when they entered the villages or offered to cleanse local caverns or inns of demonic activity as they passed by and even more disturbing was his lack of appetite. Granted none of them had one now-a-days given their state of minds, but they had made an effort to keep their bodies fed. Miroku however, seemed incapable of even that and it was beginning to show in how his robes were sitting a bit looser than how they usually fit. In how he had started to lag behind the group as they walked, as though he no longer had the energy or will to keep up with them. Kagome worried about her friend, at this pace he wouldn't make it much further.

That night as they sat around the campsite she watched, as they all ate their noodles without comment and as they each finished and threw their trash into the fire to burn. She couldn't help but noticed how Mirokus' was almost completely untouched. Determining that she would talk with him in the morning regarding his health, she bedded down near the fire and closed her eyes, willing sleep to take her.

Rising up swiftly from a dreamless sleep she froze before she could move and alert anything that she had woken. Instinctively she knew that something was wrong. Someone or something aside from her companions had been within the clearing. Keeping her breaths deep and heavy while willing her heart to slow she feigned sleep as her senses reached out and touched someone that felt dark and strong and filled with evil at the edge of the wood and disappearing. "No!" she shot up and screamed as she realized that the being was pulling someone away with it…

Review at least three times and I'll post a chapter tomorrow too, maybe even two.