With how vivid the dreams were, Kagome kept expecting to wake up exhausted, but each morning she woke rested and energized, ready to conquer the day. It wasn't until the air cooled and the forest began to shift from green to red that her energy started to wane.
She tried to tell herself it was due to the shorter days and the increase in their duties to prepare for winter, but as the roses became less and less frequent, she couldn't help her mind from running wild.
"Why don't you skip today?" her mother said, placing a concerned hand on her shoulder. They'd planned on going hunting, but her bow had needed restringing, and no matter how hard she concentrated, the fibres wouldn't hold, covering her fingers in minor cuts.
"It could snow any day now." They needed one good kill to top up their supplies, and the animals and youkai would hibernate, so time was not on their side, but Kagome didn't argue when the bow was tugged out of her hands.
"A day won't hurt," Kagura chimed in, and Kagome gave her a tired but grateful smile.
It wasn't just the roses; that strange uneasiness from last year had returned, and she was constantly on edge, the sensation of being watched making the hair on the back of her neck raise every time she left the safety of the barrier.