----The Power of Love----

--------Chapter 1--------

Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou were walking along an old dusty path that was SUPPOSED to lead to a village that had recently found a shikon shard in the stonework of their protective wall.

'So far this dirty old road hasn't led to anywhere but more dirty old road!' thought Inuyahsa irritably.

'Oh gods, I'm never gonna be able to wash this grime out of my hair!' thought Kagome.

"I'm hungry!" said Shippou. They both looked over at Shippou, and Inuyasha seemed to agree.

"Yeah Kagome, how about some of that Ramen stuff from your time?"

"Sorry Inuyasha, but I don't have any left."

"But-"

"You ate every last noodle yesterday night!"

"Well you should have brought more! You certainly go back to your time enough to get more!"

"Inuyasha - as much as you might want to believe it, the world does not revolve around you and your getting enough Ramen!"

"Feh!"

"Sit-boy!"

Inuyasha nose-dived into the ground, leaving a five inch deep hole.

Shippou reminded them very cheerfully that, "Hey guys, once we get to the village, well, they're bound to have some food for us!"

"Feh!" Inuyasha said once again.

"Yes, maybe Shippou is right! And Sango and Miroku might have gotten there first with news of some more jewel shards!" said Kagome, cheery once more.

InuYasha looked at her in complete disbelief. 'How can she do that? Sit me one minute, and be completely happy like nothing happened the next?'

Kagome smiled at him, "What is it Inuyasha?"

"Nothing - Hey look there's the village!"

At this Shippou jumped up on Kagome's head in order to see better. The sun was just starting to set behind the giant stone wall, and the smells of dinner cooking were floating through the air towards them.

"Can you smell that Inuyasha? Yumm!" said Shippou.

"Don't get your hopes up kid. They may not want to give anything to a couple of demons like us," he tells Shippou as they approach the wall.

"Inuyasha you should try to be more optomistic!" Kagome reproached him.

"It's the truth Kagome! I'm part demon, no one wants anything to do with me."

Kagome looked up at him in surprise, "That's not true Inuyasha." She gives him a quick smile. "I want to have something to do with you."

Inuyasha's breath caught in his throat. He looked over at her - she was being totally serious.

"Don't look so surprised Inuyasha! No come on, let's go get that jewel shard!" Kagome walked up to the the wall. "How are you supposed to get in?" she asked. "There's no door."

"Maybe it's on the other side?" the young kitsune suggested. Inuyasha told them to wait right where they were, and ran full circle, demon speed around the whole wall. "Nope, no door."

"Hmmm, they must use rope ladders or something." She walked even closer and knocked on the stonework calling through, "Hello? Can anyone hear me? Hello?"

"Who's there?" A villager removed a loose stone from the wall, enabling him to look out.

"Hello!' she said brightly. "I'm Kagome Higurashi, and I was wondering if I could have that jewel shard you found?"

"Why?" the villager asked suspiciously.

"Because me and my friends are on a journey to put the whole jewel back together."

"Why?" he asked again.

"Well... I'm the one who broke it in the first place," she told him a bit sheepishly.

"Who're your friends?"

"This is Shippou," she moved aside so he could see Shippou through the hole.

"A fox demon? You expect me to let a fox demon into my own village?" he started to put the rock back in the wall, but Kagome was able to persuade him not to.

"He's not a demon!" she told him. "Just a baby kitsune."

"I'm not a baby!" he pouted.

"Well, he is rather cute."

She nodded her agreement.

"Will you take responsibility for his actions?"

"Of course, Shippou wouldn't hurt a fly."

"All right then, he can come in. Is that all of you?"

"No," she told him, slightly worried. "This is Inuyasha."

He saw only the dog ears. "Never!!!" And he closed the hole back up again.

"I told you Kagome."

"I'm so sorry Inuyasha, I... Can you jump over that wall?"

"Of course!" He seemed offended that she thought he might not be able to. She climbed on his back, along with Shippou, and he jumped over the wall, landing gracefully in the center of the village.

"I told you to stay out girl!" Every man in the village had some sort of spear shaped weapon pointed at them. Kagome got slowly off Inuyasha's back, and put her hands up to show that she wasn't going to try and hurt them.

"Look. Inuyasha's only a hanyou. He's half human, just as you and I are! We only want the one shard you found, and then we'll leave you alone forever."

"How do we know she's telling the truth?" One villager asked.

"Inuyasha, tell them you won't try to hurt any of them."

Inuyasha'a ears were twitching in anger at the way they were all looking at him. 'It's all for the shard,' he thought. 'All for the shard and for Kagome. All for the shard and for Kagome.' He told himself over and over and over. She nudged him. He sighed in frustration at what she was making him do.

"I promise not to hurt any of you," he showed his fangs and claws, "or your children," another dramatic pause, "in exchange for the Shikon shard you found."

"Don't worry Inuyasha," she whispered to him, "you'll never see these people again, and besides it's all for the shard!"

"You can control this demon?" the villagers asked her.

"Half-demon," she corrected. "Yup, with a single word!" She winked at him; he scowled at her.

"And you can purify this jewel?" She nodded yes. "Follow us."

It was almost like a procession through the village to the hastily built mini-shrine. They sent in the village head-man (that's really only the amount of people the small shrine could hold) and he came back out, the Shikon jewel fragment a horribly defiled purply-red color. He gave it to the would-be-miko and she cupped her hands around it. When she opened them, it was glowing a soft pink.

"Thankyou."

"No, thankyou." They told her. "Ever since we found that jewel piece, many evil things attacked our village, trying to get it from us. He," the villager nodded his head towards Inuyasha, "was the only one able to jump over the wall though. Now we will be left in peace for a while."

She climbed up on Inuyasha'a back and called "GoodBye!" as he jumped over the wall.

But before they even landed, Inuyasha knew that something was terribly wrong.

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TO BE CONTINUED