Kagome woke as a shaft of sunlight fell across her face. She opened her chocolate eyes and gazed around the clearing that was campsite for her and her friends. Miroku, in his black and purple monks robes, slept on the far side of the clearing, demands of Sango, the demon slayer who was like a sister to Kagome. Sango, with her long dark brown hair fanned out beside her head, slept a foot or two away from Kagome with Kirara curled up beside her as they slept. Shippo was at the bottom of Kagome's sleeping bag so she was careful not to wake him as she crawled from the bag.
Might as well make breakfast, She thought and began to stoke the fire. Kagome felt eyes on her as she moved about and paused to gaze around. Her eyes were drawn to the tree branch that stretched over the spot she had slept in and met golden ones. Long silver hair hung down over the red fire-rat cloth that Inuyasha wore. His adorable dog ears were perked as he stared at her.
Inuyasha was half-dog demon and half-human. Besides having dog ears, long beautiful silver hair, and golden eyes, he had claws and was as strong as any other demon. Kagome was fiercely proud of her half-demon and though she hadn't admitted it to anyone other than herself also deeply in love with him. She couldn't keep a smile from her face as she gazed at him. "You want breakfast?" She asked him quietly.
Inuyasha jumped down from his branch and approached the raven-haired priestess from the future that he had come to trust. "Ramen?" He asked hopefully.
Kagome laughed then nodded. "Alright. But we should return to Kaede's village soon. I'm running low on ramen."
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed annoyed as she set about making his breakfast. "You don't have any of those 'test' things do you?"
Kagome laughed at him softly. "I told you Inuyasha, mom is home-schooling me from now on. I don't have to go to school anymore."
Inuyasha nodded and sat down beside her crossing his arms. About the time Kagome had finished making the others breakfast they woke up from the smell.
"So what do we do now?" Sango asked as they ate.
"I don't sense any jewel shards." Kagome said.
"I haven't caught a whiff of Naraku's stench in months." Inuyasha said sulkily.
Miroku looked up, "I think we should head west." When we all looked at him he explained. "A few days ago when we passed through that last village the head man approached me. His niece married the headman of the next village over and has not returned to visit when she was supposed to. He said the messenger he sent to check on her didn't return."
"Do you think it's a demon?" Sango asked turning her light brown eyes to Miroku. His violet eyes met her gaze and she blushed faintly before looking down into her food again.
"It's possible. But since we have nothing else to do why don't we check it out?" Miroku said slowly inching his way towards Sango.
A second later Sango went bright red; with anger. "PERVERT!" She shouted and punched him.
Kagome shook her head chuckling and Inuyasha muttered, "Lecher" under his breath.
After breakfast they headed to the village Miroku had suggested and when the sun was setting they arrived.
Kagome stood at the top of the trail and gazed down uneasily at the village. "Something isn't right."
Miroku nodded and his hand tightened unconsciously around his staff. "There is an evil aura here."
Kirara mewed from Sango's shoulder and on Kagome's shoulder Shippo shuddered at the unnatural silence. Sango's eyes narrowed on the head mans house. "Whatever it is, its coming from that house."
Inuyasha was sniffing the air as they talked. There was no smell of blood or of disease and yet the place smelled of death. "Something is definitely wrong." He said. He wasn't sure why but he had a feeling something really bad had happened.
They slowly approached the village and found nothing out of the ordinary except for the missing people. When they reached the head-mans house they walked inside the open door and began to move from room to room. The last room they searched was filled with bodies. Inuyasha covered his sensitive nose at the smell and looked around the room. Kagome jumped shocked at the horror of the bodies then started forward narrowing her eyes on the placement of the bodies.
"Kagome! Don't go near them!" Shippo said from Miroku's shoulder.
Kagome shook her head at him. "I've seen this somewhere before…" She muttered to herself and went back to studying the placement pushing her nausea from her head. Inuyasha joined her side and followed her as she walked around the corpses.
Some of the bodies were placed in the outline of a star. In the center of the star two bodies formed a cross. The last five bodies were forced into a loose 's' form and placed at the points of the star.
Kagome stepped close to the bodies and reached a hand out to touch one of them but her head went light and Inuyasha had to pull her outside to join the others. None of them had wanted to see the bodies anymore. "I know I have seen a picture of that somewhere." Kagome said to herself. Miroku was rolling up his sleeves to begin to bury the dead but Kagome stopped him. "Burn the house. Do not touch them."
"What?" Miroku said and Sango even stared at Kagome in shock.
"Do. Not. Touch. Them. Burn. The. House. Down." Kagome said slowly making sure they picked up each word. Miroku and Sango stared at her in shock and Kagome finally frustrated walked into the house started knocking over the oil lamps around the place and lit it on fire. Every time she walked into the room with the bodies shivers ran down her spine and she began to shake. This is evil. Pure evil. But what is it? I can't remember? Finally she stood outside the house watching the flames lick at the ceiling.
None of the others approached her as their eyes moved from her to the burning house and back. When there was nothing but ash Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "Take me home." She said quietly.
Inuyasha looked at her face closely and could see the strain of the day in her taunt features. "Alright." He said and knelt so she could climb on to his back. "We'll meet you guys at Kaede's." Inuyasha shouted back as he ran off.
Miroku looked at Sango who stared back. "Any idea?"
Sango shook her head. "Kagome was not herself. Something must have scared her."
Miroku nodded and studied the ashes. "Do you think that there was a reason she didn't want us to touch the bodies?"
"Kagome doesn't usually over react about these things. Inuyasha is the only reason she normally loses her temperature." Sango said. "Lets hurry to Kaede's and ask her what she thinks."
Sorry that it isn't so long. I had to end it there. Had to start on a cliff-hanger.
So quiz time! Why do you think Kagome freaked out? What do you think happened?
A cookie to anyone who comes close! REVIEW!