Chapter Six
"God Really Save the Queen"


There was a lot of noise.

Like a lot of noise.

She was also wet.

Which was weird.

Kagome shifted, wincing as she moved her arm to push herself up.

Sharp pains ran across her shoulder, and Kagome inhaled sharply, snorting up water that was just under her nose. She coughed, spasms rioting through her chest and making her groan.

Everything hurt. Kagome knew that she'd been pampered most of her life, and that she'd never really had to do any sort of manual labor. Her body reflected that. Her skin was soft and pale. She was clean and had no calluses.

But everything that moved or shifted in the wet dirt felt like she'd just worked an entire field alone while carrying bags of flour over her shoulders.

Everything hurt in some fashion.

This must be what her shifts felt like after being scrubbed on a washboard.

It took a lot longer than it probably should have, but she pushed herself up even though something popped uncomfortably in her shoulders.

She moaned again, as her body protested any and all movements with a vigor that it never had before.

But she needed to get up. Something prodded at her to move to look for something—someone.

Sango. Sango had been hurt, and—and—Kirara was injured too.

Probably how she wound up in the river. She moaned again, sliding her other hand up under her shoulder to push her up.

It took a few wobbling seconds for her to climb to her hands and knees, methodically checking herself for any serious injuries.

Everything hurt but nothing felt broken. That was good.

She was just barely out of the river enough to not drown, but she could feel it tugging at her feet, trying to draw her back in and under.

"Sango?" She called, her voice raspy and hoarse. "Kirara?"

Hacking for a bit to clear her throat, she crawled slowly farther onto the shore. Her body ached and throbbed with each movement, but there was no sign of anyone else, and she didn't think that Sango would just abandon her on a riverbed. There would have to be a good reason, and as Kagome surveyed the beach, she squinted at the brightness of the sun.

It'd been night, and—and—Sango! Kirara!

"Sango!" She called out, her voice cracking mid-shout.

It took several very painful moments to rise to her feet, and she had to use a tree as a support.

"Sango!" She called again, coughing so loud and hard she had to pause and catch her breath.

Something had to be very wrong for Sango not to find her, and with her injuries before the fall, Kagome's fears were legitimate.

She needed to find her, even though she didn't know what to do once she found her, but at least she'd know.

Kagome owed it to Sango to help her. She'd given up and lost so much. It was the least that she could do.

She took a few wobbly steps away from the tree, staggering and falling to her knees as she tried to walk.

It took several tries for her to get her legs under her and keep her supported. Using the trees as crutches, she dragged herself around the riverbed. Her bedclothes clung to her body and the cloak was heavy on her shoulders, but even damp it offered some shielding from the wind that blew casually along the river.

Her bag was heavy with the wet clothes, and she leaned back against the tree behind her to dump and wring out what water she could.

Leaning her head back, she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Sango needed her. Sango needed her to be strong and well, because Sango was going to need so much help, probably more than Kagome could give her.

For once, their roles would be reversed, and Kagome would be the one who would save Sango.


It was late into the day by the time Kagome's legs gave out on her. Her clothes and the cloak were mostly dry. She collapsed against the tree next to her, and she took a few minutes to lean back, and try to figure out where Sango had gone.

She'd wandered up and down the riverbed, thinking that she'd been the one to get washed farther down than the others, but there was nothing. No sign of anyone being close. No sign of anyone having come this way.

Kagome was literally alone in the woods with nothing but the damp clothes on her back and whatever she'd managed to shove and keep in that bag around her shoulders.

She didn't even know if she could start a fire.

Sango was the survivalist, not Kagome. Sango was the one experienced enough to survive in the woods, not Kagome. Sango would probably know where to look and how to dress, and—and—

Kagome sank next to a tree trunk, exhausted and sore from the day of searching with literally nothing to show of all her efforts.

The daylight was fading, and with it, her hopes of finding her friends alive and unharmed. Kagome remembered the arrows hitting Sango, and she knew that time was slipping through her fingers and literally running out.

If it hadn't already.

The temperature was starting to fall and Kagome reached into her bag, drawing out the damp clothes and hanging them from the tip of a branch in hopes that they would dry overnight and offer her a bit more protection than her stupid little nightgown that she'd tossed on. The cloak would have to do as a blanket tonight, and she definitely was going to be sleeping on the ground tonight. It was already too dark to keep looking, and she didn't want to fall into the water and risk getting swept downstream from her few and strained belongings.

At least Sango had insisted she take those boots. Those were going to be the only thing that would wind up saving her feet tomorrow, because she'd already messed up her feet today.

Her stomach gurgled, and she rested a hand over her abdomen, trying to soothe the hunger pangs that were rioting through her midsection. She at least remembered enough of her lessons from Sango to not attempt to eat anything in the woods that she wasn't sure was safe.

At this point, that was literally nothing, so she'd just have to go hungry for a day or two until she could figure it out or find help.

She tucked the damp material around her, hoping that she'd be able to change in the morning.


The sun rose bright and right into her face. Groaning, she leaned her head up a bit, looking around. Her arm had been her pillow for most of the night, and she squinted at her surroundings. The trees and bushes all looked different in the sunlight. But then again, they also looked the exact same as anywhere else.

The forest was a scary place, but it always looked the same as the last few steps before it.

Pushing herself up, she felt the cracks in her joints and muscles as she rose to a sitting position.

Her night clothes were dirty, and still damp in places, and so was the cloak, even though it had kept her warm enough throughout the night.

Warm enough meaning that she didn't actually freeze to death.

Kagome started to rise to her feet, wincing at how sore they'd gotten. They hadn't been this sore after the shoe fiasco at her coronation.

Speaking of her kingdom, she wondered what was happening.

Had her family survived?

Did everyone think that she was dead?

What would happen if they did?

Someone clearly wanted her to disappear.

And they'd almost succeeded.

But as far as anyone knew, they had.

Her guards had betrayed her. Someone had slaughtered the men from Sango's village, including her father.

Sango and Kirara were likely dead. Kagome tried to stay positive. She wanted to believe that they were alive and she'd find them and they'd be okay, but she also knew that the longer Sango stayed missing, the likelihood of her surviving this shrank more and more.

Kirara was injured too, and even as a youkai, there was only so much that she could heal on her own.

They were both strong and powerful, but even the strongest oak could be dragged down with the right storm.

Kagome could only hope that their roots were strong enough to keep them intact and weather the storm until she could get there.

Staring at the river for a moment, she pulled herself up, feeling the clothes she'd left hanging.

They were dry enough and would have to do for the time being. The hems where there was extra fabric rolled were damper than others, but it was definitely better and dryer than what she currently had on.

Kagome glanced over her shoulder like she expected someone to be watching her change, but these were the woods and she hadn't seen hide nor hair of anyone since she and Sango had fled.

There was almost always someone watching her change in the castle—usually more than one person helping her to dress. It had been a way of life and something that she'd become accustomed to. It didn't mean that she liked it all the time.

But Kagome had also never worn pants like this, and they were clearly made for Sango, who was taller, had longer legs, and best Kagome could do was cuff the pant legs and roll them up.

Standing and staring at her work, Kagome crinkled her nose. She was definitely not the epitome of fashion now. Kagome slid the short corset on, wrapping the straps around her chest and then tying it off in the front. Definitely not her favorite, but something that would work in the interim.

The shirt hung so loosely over her frame that she couldn't believe that it was cut of a woman at all.

Kagome shoved her night clothes into the pack and then rinsed her feet off before sliding on the boots. The cuffed pants slid easily over the leather, but definitely not the best look on her.

Once she'd donned her bag and cloak, Kagome started dragging herself through the trees and brush along the bank trying to locate some sign of Sango or almost anyone at this point.

But the longer she went on, the more and more she was beginning to think that this was all a lost cause. There was literally no one. Not a single living creature.

She could hear the birds, and she safely assumed that their were fish in the river, but there was no sight of any sort of humanity.

She didn't even know if she was heading towards the castle or away from it at this point.

What was she supposed to do?

At this rate, she was going to starve to death.

Or freeze.

She knew nothing of how to care for herself out in the wild. She didn't know how to hunt.

Not that she even could without a weapon. It wasn't like she was any good with it, but she didn't even have a bow and an arrow.

She didn't even have a good fork to stick in someone's eye.

Kagome sighed loudly, and she tried to take a deep breath.

It was hard to hear such quiet now.

She looked over at the river. She would've thought that she'd come across some sort of evidence by now, but there was just nothing.

A stick floated down the river, and it took Kagome a good second longer than it should have to recognize it.

A bow!

Her bow!

Probably her bow!

But it was in the middle of the river!

Running on tired legs, she tried to put some distance between them to give her time to attempt to wade out and fetch it.

There were a few rocks jutting out just ahead, and she put more effort into her tired legs, urging herself forward as fast as she could move.

Clambering over the rocks and bruising herself more than necessary, she dove her hand into the water, and snatched the bow up, pulling it and the remains of the quiver where the strap had wrapped around the grip of the bow.

There were only three arrows left out of what had been several and that quiver would probably never be the same again, but Kagome would take what she could get at this point.

Dragging herself back onto dry land, she took a deep breath, clutching the bow to her chest and sobbed at the first thing that had gone right for her in so many days.


Kagome waited an agonizingly long time, but nothing else came floating down the river.

If the bow had come down this way, then maybe she hadn't gone far enough up river to see Sango and Kirara.

Her newfound panic invigorated her, and she started a brisk pace back the way that she'd come, searching for any sign of her friends.

She hadn't gone far enough and who knows how long Kirara and Sango were laying there—injured on top of everything else, and she was just complaining because her clothes didn't fit right.

What kind of friend was she?

What kind of leader was she?

A soft hissing sound made her break out into a run, and her legs were already burning and throbbing with each step that she made.

Kagome hadn't been this physically active in—well, her entire life, and it showed.

She was thoroughly unprepared to lead her people in any capacity.

Kagome fought her way through the brush, feeling the thorns and brambles tug and pull at her rat's nest of a hair. She winced as a few strands were tugged out at the root as she pulled herself free.

She pressed onward, determined to find her friends.

No matter their state.


Kagome let out a low sobbing sound as she leaned against a tree.

Night had fallen, and she'd found no sign of them. No sign of anything. She'd marched as far as her tired body could take her.

She was tired and hungry.

Her body was one giant ache at this point.

And now, it was so dark that she could barely see anything in front of her face, and she'd just tripped and slammed her knee into the ground.

She hadn't seen any sign of Sango or Kirara. No evidence that they'd even been here.

Kagome dragged herself up into a ball. She'd lost Sango and Kirara. They were literally and figuratively beyond her reach now, and she didn't know what to do or where to go.

She was going to die in this forest, and no one would know.

She'd lost her crown inside of a month.

The last thing that she'd said to her mother was cruel, and she regretted each snipe she'd made in anger.

He could only hope that her brother was safe with Kohaku, and that maybe, they'd faired better than she and Sango had.

It was dark, and the only sounds of comfort were the river and chirping sounds of the insects.

Clutching her bow to her chest, she dragged in a ragged breath as she held the only remaining piece left of her friend and her life.


"What have we here?" The voice was soft among the rustle of leaves and branches. "What have we here indeed?"

Kagome lifted her head, blinking in the dull light of the early morning.

"So much good food," it whispered. "It will feed us. Sustain us."

Another loud rustle and Kagome pushed herself to a sitting position.

"It wakes!" The voice whispered, and Kagome was already trying to push herself up on shaking arms and legs. "It is weak, but it will still give us strength."

A body slammed into her, knocking her back down to the earth, as the voice chuckled. She glanced around quickly, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. Something moved inside the line of the trees, and Kagome knew it wasn't human or an ordinary animal.

She did what anyone of sound mind would've done.

She bolted.

The creature behind her hissed, displeased with the sudden chase, but Kagome had no intentions of being food today or any day after that.

Ducking into the trees, she thought that the extra obstacles might slow the creature down, give her an extra opportunity to escape.

It didn't.

Instead, it knocked down trees and trampled over brushes like they were nothing.

If anything, it actually slowed Kagome down more. Her size and vulnerabilities were a detriment, but she'd thought that the creature would have a bigger problem since it was—you know—bigger.

Not the first time that Kagome had hedged a bet, and it was wrong.

Ducking under a lower branch, she found an area clear of brush and vines, and Kagome sprinted, pumping her legs and arms as fast and as far as they could carry her.

The tumbling and thrashing was still behind her, but if she could just put some distance and hide, then maybe she'd stand a chance.

A deer bolted out just in front of her, and Kagome collided with the body of it, the hard hit knocking the air out of her and sending her sprawling to the side.

The deer froze for a second in the clearing as Kagome crawled, hacking and coughing off to the side.

The creature snarled, and Kagome turned in time to see half a woman and a legged snake body. The deer made a run for it, but the—centipede! That's the word—centipede woman split her face in half, catching the deer in the throat and hauling it's thrashing body into the air, shaking it vigorously until Kagome heard bones snap. There were too many hands, and she couldn't help but watch, tucking her legs into the bush she'd crawled and fallen into to hide herself from view.

Blood rolled over the front of the woman's face and chest, dripping onto the ground below.

Wincing as the jaws tore through muscle and bone, the woman devoured the deer in a few minutes. The dull eyes of the deer stared at her, watching, blaming silently as its tongue lolled out of its mouth with every grotesque shake of its body until those too disappeared inside the impossibly large jaws.

The creature ran a long serpentine tongue across her face, licking the blood and the remnants of tendons that hung at the edges of her mouth and teeth. Her body coiled as she crept along the floor, hands pressing into the soft soil as the moonlight reflected off the hard shell around her body.

Kagome stilled herself as the centipede woman crept towards her, slowly, almost as though she was sniffing the air.

She didn't dare to breathe or move or do anything. The face came within a few feet of her, the body twisting around as the branches across shifted. Her head snapped around staring at the noise, and after a brief second, she slid off towards it and Kagome waited for a long moment before she dared to exhale when the last bit of its tail disappeared into the trees.

Kagome very slowly dragged herself out of the brush and back into the clearing. She took in a shuddering breath before running through an easier path, away from the thing that had just tried to eat her.


Early morning gave way to bright daylight, and so far, Kagome had not seen or heard from the terrifying creature that had accosted her while she slept.

Which brought up several problems.

Sleeping was dangerous—and she was already exhausted and pretty sure her body would never stop aching.

And she was even more lost than when she started.

She had no idea where she was or how far the river was and if she was even heading towards it.

Was she getting deeper into the woods or heading towards a town or village? The trees blocked everything from her view, and it was all she could do to get a decent view of the sky itself.

Nothing had gone according to plan.

But she'd been right. Someone wanted the crown.

Someone had murdered her father and tried to kill her. They probably thought they'd gotten away with it too.

Who knows, based on the way her journey through the woods was going, they still might.

It just wasn't with a knife or arrow, but with teeth and claws.

Her stomach growled, rolling and twisting painfully, as she found nothing to eat in her walk.

She was exhausted and hungry and everything hurt. Everything.

She'd have to sleep soon, but she didn't know where or what was safe. She'd gotten lucky that the creature had waited for a beat before trying to eat her. The deer hadn't had the same opportunity, and that was not a way that Kagome wanted to go. Kagome clutched onto her bow as she sank down against a tree.

She just needed a break.

To rest.

To find a village.

Find out what happened to Sango.

Anything.

Something just needed to go her way just once.

Leaning back against the tree, she stared at the sky. Everything felt impossible, but maybe it did because she was hungry.

If she just had a good nap and a decent meal then maybe she'd be able to function in the world again.

The sunlight drifted over her face and she let her eyes drift closed.


Kagome jolted awake.

She didn't know why and she didn't know how long she'd been asleep, but she did know that there was something wrong.

Eyes watched her from somewhere, and it was eerily quiet in the woods.

Something had come, and she felt like she was being stalked and watched.

Taking a deep breath, she rose slowly—and painfully—to her feet, the bow clutched tightly in her hand. A shaking hand reached back, pulling an arrow out of the quiver. She was a terrible shot, but perhaps it could appear threatening enough that whatever had arrived would at least wait, hesitate, before killing her.

She wouldn't do Sango the dishonor of dying without a fight.

Branches rustled and rattled off in the distance, drawing her gaze towards them. But there was nothing except falling leaves.

Kagome got the sinking feeling that she was being toyed with. Whatever it was, it was probably laughing at her.

Branches and leaves rustled behind her, and she spun on her heel to face the trunk of the tree. She backed up as she tried to find whatever was hunting her and pretend like she could shoot it and cause some damage.

Kagome raised the bow, wincing as it pulled a muscle in her back that was very obviously sore. She took a few steps back, twisting around as the noise moved once again.

It really was playing with her.

"Miss us?"

Kagome spun, heels slipping in the dirt as hands skimmed just over her head as she landed on the ground with a hard 'oof'.

The woman slithered towards her, towering over her sans a few arms and part of her shoulder.

"So much good food," the woman hissed, diving towards her, and Kagome swung her arm up to block the impending blow, except the tip of her bow connected with the woman's face, sending her off course and face planting into the dirt beside her.

Kagome gasped, already twisting herself up to her feet, slipping and sliding in the earth as she tried to run away, even as the centipede body knocked her into a tree.

"I will swallow you whole!" The woman cried, body lashing out around her as Kagome ducked and crawled under the winding loops of body.

She ran—trying to sprint through the trees was near impossible, but the woman let out a shrieking roar that rippled through the woods and trees and the echoing drum of falling trees proved that she didn't feel the same hindrances as Kagome.

The creature slid right in front of her, so close that she would've run into her, except that the creature slammed her into the tree, knocking the air out of her lungs. The long tubular body pinned her at the shoulders, slithering to wrap around the tree like the coils of a snake.

The woman's face slunk down to her own, a malicious grin spreading over her face, showing off all the teeth.

Kagome tried to fight. Tried to wriggle her way free, but the creature only tightened its body around hers and the tree. It reared back, mouth opened and stretching beyond what should have been it's ability, and showing off it's yellowed teeth.

Kagome shrieked as the teeth dug into her side, feeling the tongue dip inside of her, as a blaze of light flew past her face, striking the centipede woman straight on.

The body pinning her to the tree grew slack, collapsing as both it and Kagome slumped to the ground. She looked down at the bite, seeing the bright red seeping through the fabric of her shirt.

"You've been pissing me off," came a voice off to the side. Kagome pressed a hand to her side, seeing the blood transfer onto her palm. She dragged in a quick breath.

Bandages. She needed bandages.

Kagome looked up at the face of the woman only to watch as the slices into her skin began to knit back together, regenerating and reconnecting.

It was only a few seconds before the body before her rose back with a cackling laugh.

"You think you can stop us now?" She hissed, whipping towards the sound of the voice that had interrupted her from just tearing out a piece of Kagome's side entirely.

She watched as the centipede wrapped around a man, hoisting him high into the air. The body visibly tightened around him, and the woman threw back her head and shrieked out her laughter. Kagome watched her body begin to darken and the eyes grew red and larger.

That's when she saw it. The weird little ball thing that practically screamed "stab me here, please."

She looked around for anything that could be a weapon, eyes settling on a broken arrow just within her reach. Grabbing it, she hauled herself to her feet, stumbling a step into the tree next to her.

Whatever that ball was, Kagome knew that she needed to get it out.

Breathing heavily, she glared up at the woman, who's face now contorted to easily swallow the man whole.

She couldn't bear to watch a person be consumed the way that deer had been.

"Hey!" Kagome shouted at her, but the creature paid her no mind at all. Kagome grabbed a rock the size of her fist off the ground and hurled it at the back of her head. "Hey Ugly!"

A wince passed over her face as a sharp pain rattled up her side, but she kept a firm grip on the arrow shaft. The rock landed squarely where Kagome had intended. She was struggling to keep her face from a grimace, but she felt like she was doing fairly well at looking somewhat intimidating.

The woman turned, snake tongue hanging out of her mouth.

"Yeah! I'm talking to you!"

The woman snarled, glancing back at the man before tightening her grip on his body.

"Are you insane? Run!"

"I've got this!" Kagome shouted as the woman knocked her to the ground.

"You ain't got this!" He shouted back as Kagome watched the woman's face lunge at her with her jaw unhinged.

Kagome swung her arm with as much violence and ferocity as light streamed past her. The arrow head cut deeply into the woman's throat, spraying blood over her. Kagome grabbed the glowing ball and ripped it out of her throat with bare fingers.

It was gross. So gross.

But then the dark skin of the woman faded away to paleness as she collapsed right on top of Kagome, knocking the wind out of her.

The tongue was wet and right next to her ear, and when Kagome turned to look to shift away, the dead face of the woman stared at her.

She tried shoving the body off, but it was way heavier than she thought it should be.

The jewel was still in her hand, and she pushed the large marble into her pocket before trying to shove the woman off once more.

Leaning her head back, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

It was fine. She just needed a moment to regroup. Gather her strength and—

"You dead?" Came a voice over her, and she popped an eye open to look at him.

Glaring up at him, she paused just for a moment.

White hair and a sneering face looked down at her.

She tried pushing the body off again so that she could give him a piece of her mind properly, but the body was still too heavy for her to shove off.

"I saved your life, you could be a little—"

"Saved my life?" The man laughed, doubling over and clutching his middle. "The only one in any danger was you!"

"I told you, I had it handled!"

"You can't even dig yourself out, and you want me to believe that you got it handled?"

"I'll—I'll figure it out."

"Quit being so fucking stubborn!" He leaned down and grabbing an arm as he hoisted up the body like it weighed nothing.

"I already said that I didn't need your help!" Kagome slid out from underneath the body, staggering to her feet in blood soaked clothes. "And you—can—" The world shifted under her feet, and she reached a hand out for a wall or something, but air met her hand.

Her leg buckled, but something held onto her and kept her from falling face first into the ground.

Her vision wavered, but a pair of white dog ears stood out to her.

"Oh, hey, a puppy," she cooed, reaching a hand up to scratch them. "Good boy."

"The fuck, woman!"

But she didn't care what the rude man said to her because the blackness was already encroaching onto her vision and engulfing her completely.


Kagome groaned as her body informed her that she'd treated it poorly and would regret it infinitely for days on end.

"You are a stubborn bitch, you know that?" A man told her, and she rolled her head to look at him. She was on the ground and looking up at him.

"Jerk," she muttered.

"You're poor as shit too."

If she'd been raised any less proper, she'd have a few choice words to call him too.

"Why are you here?" She groaned out trying to push herself up so she could insult him to his face.

"Wow. I save your life and you're giving me shit for it."

"Where's the dog?" She asked, managing to leverage herself up onto her elbows, but anything closer to upright seemed nigh impossible. "And I saved your life."

"Bitch, you were bleeding all over the fucking ground!" He paused. "And are you fucking dumb or some shit too?"

"There was a dog," Kagome said, looking for it as she tried to push herself up. "I saw it."

"I can't tell if you're serious or just an idiot."

She turned to give him a piece of her mind, but as she opened her mouth, the familiar appendages she was looking for came into view.

"Oh," she whispered, "it's the puppy."

The man wiped his face with his hand.

"I'm not a fucking puppy."

She continued to struggle to push herself up, and the man glowered at her.

"You got your side torn out." He pointed a clawed finger at where the youkai had attempted to consume her. "A smart person would stay down."

"I'm looking for my friends. They're hurt."

"Well, you're off to a great start."

Kagome winced, shifting to wrap an arm around her side.

"Have you seen them? I've been looking up and down river."

"I ain't seen any other dumbasses around here other than you," he said, frowning as she continued to push herself so she could sit upright. "Because a normal fucking person would stay the fuck down when their innards are being held together by some shitty shirt."

Her eyes drifted to the hem of his own shirt, except that his wasn't frayed or cut.

No.

He did not.

Glancing down at her own shirt, she saw where it looked like a sizable portion had been torn off.

"You tore up my shirt?"

"What? You expect me to use mine?"

"I only have one shirt!"

"Yeah, well, so do I!"

"It would've been the gentlemanly thing to use your shirt instead of mine! What if you'd left me indecent?!"

"Like you've even got anything that anyone would want to look at," he scoffed, arms crossing. "And I could've just left you here! That's pretty fucking gentlemanly!"

"You wouldn't know a gentleman if it bit you—!" Kagome doubled over, wrapping her arms around her midsection as a sharp pain rattled through her.

"What did I fucking tell you?" The man chastised as he rose up, shoving her arms away from her middle and checking her side.

"You're rude," she mumbled as tender fingers pressed against her side.

"And you're sure as shit going to die if you don't stop trying to open this up." He glowered at her, and she let her head fall back against the ground.

This was not how anything was supposed to go. She was supposed to be safe—with Sango—with her family—and not stuck out in the wilderness with no way to find her way home or to help.

Her side ached.

Everything actually ached.

She was tired beyond measure. The weight of the crown upon her head, the weight of others expectations, the weight of the loss of everything—Sango, her father, her family—the weight of not knowing what had happened to anyone or her throne dragged at her and all of it built and built, each worry and concern another chain that wrapped around her.

It was all so heavy.

"Doesn't look like you tore it open," he said, sitting back on his heels, "but you're gonna want to take it easy. Humans die stupidly easy, you know."

"That's not really an option," she told him. "I don't even know where I'm going."

"Yeah, well, do your best to not get eaten."

He rose to his feet, brushing off his hands on his thighs.

"Can you at least help me stand?"

"What part of take it easy aren't you getting?"

"If I stay here, I'm going to be eaten, so I might as well try to find somewhere safer."

The man crouched down in front of her.

"If I leave, you're gonna bleed out, aren't you?"

"It won't be my intent, if that's what you're worried about."

He sighed a bit before dragging his hand across his face; he looked off to the side at where the centipede woman lay in pieces.

"You always this much of a problem?" He asked her, still scowling.

"Probably," she groaned trying to roll onto her uninjured side. "Can you just help me stand?"

"Have you not been listening to me?"

"I heard words, but I have to find my friends. They're out here somewhere."

"Look, the only weird ass thing I've found out here is you. There's no one else in this stretch of the woods."

"My bow came from upstream," she said, finally managing to leverage herself up to a semi-sitting position. "My friends have to be up farther up there."

"And I'm telling you, there ain't anyone farther upstream."

"Then I'll go look downstream. They're out here, and I'm not abandoning them." Wrapping an arm around her mid-section, she tried to prop herself up.

"You're not going to help anyone if you dump your guts out on the ground."

"And if you're not going to help, then why are you here lecturing me?"

The ears flicked, and he looked away from her.

"Fuck me if I know," he grumbled, standing to his feet and walking off. "Try not to get eaten next time."

He gave her a wave as he walked out through the trees.

Well, fine.

If he wasn't going to help, then she didn't need him either.

Kagome moved slowly—and painfully—as she tried to rise to her feet—or knees. Just something that made her able to actually move. Laying here completely still wasn't going to help her or Sango, and right now, Sango probably needed more help than she did.

Twisting herself around, she whimpered as it pulled and stretched muscle that had been obviously torn and punctured. Sharp dragging pains made her pause to grit her teeth against them as they made her side pound and throb.

She managed to get herself to her elbows, trying to raise herself up to get her knees under her.

She'd find Sango and Kirara herself. If no one else wanted to help, then she'd do it alone.

A low groan escaped her as she managed to get to her hands and knees and the throbbing pain of using muscles that had obviously not been honed and were now injured rolled through her abdomen.

Not one day had passed that Kagome hadn't at least tried to do something for her people and her family. But she feared that it hadn't been enough.

What did they think of her?

That she hadn't tried her best to find them, to save them, to save herself?

Once again, no one had prepared her for any of this. No one guided her and said that this might be something that she should be wary of or had the potential of happening.

Everyone ignored the princess—thought of her as nothing more than a trophy. Something to admire and gawk at and talk about whether or not she'd produce good heirs for someone who offered the right amount for her.

Everyone wanted her position. No one wanted her.

Except Sango. And now she was lost to the trees and the leaves and the dark things that lived there.

Trying to push herself up was useless. Any stretch or pressure was too much. She made a shuffling crawl towards the tree in front of her with the intent of using it as a crutch.

Just to get her to a standing position and then she could hobble her way downstream.

She'd find Sango and then they'd find her mother and brother and then they'd take back her throne from whomever had dared to try to steal it in the first place.

The first step in her plan seemed easy enough. She just had to get to a standing position.

Dragging herself up using the tree had worked.

The pain was something else though and definitely not in her seven step plan to getting the throne back.

She could do this.

Sango had endured so much worse, and Kagome would endure the discomfort as well.

A meager whine broke through as she leaned her head against the tree.

She just had to let it settle. Just let the pain bleed itself out of her body and then she'd be fine.

It wasn't a life threatening injury. Just an inconvenient one.

Wincing, she pushed herself back from where her entire body was slouching against the large trunk.

"You can do this," she whispered to herself. "Sango needs you to do this."

Taking a long deep breath, she turned and took a feeble step back towards the river.

One thing in her eight step plan for getting her life and her throne back was her entire body failing her right at the get-go.

A sharp seizing pain sent her plummeting towards the ground and the dark.


A/N: Here is the promised extra chapter to celebrate Supersum's 100th chapter!

I hope you enjoyed it, and let me know what you think!