Chapter 1

The curious girl, with a mysterious follower

"Do you ever wonder what it'd be like?" the black haired school girl asked her demon slayer friend. "Have you ever imagined pushing something that big out of something so small?" "I'm not so sure I'd want to…" Sango blushingly replied.

Kagome stood from the spot she was sitting under the tree and brushed the dirt off of her. "I guess we should be getting back. Inuyasha is probably getting annoyed and will make a fuss if we don't get there before sun down."

Sango nodded in agreement then stood as well. They grabbed the basket they were carrying before they sat to rest from the long walk.

They had gone to another village close by for some fruit and vegetables. Somehow the concept of bearing children had come up in their conversation. They started down the steep hill toward the village.

There, just as Kagome expected, was Inuyasha tapping his foot and both hands on his hips. He looked like a wife waiting for the husband to get home who had already been a few hours late.

"Why the hell did it take you so damn long?! It's almost sun down! I would have had to come out there and find you if you had been a little longer!"

"But you didn't have to because it's not sundown. You're neither my father nor my mother. Now…SIT!" the one command that could make the hanyou obey. Sango giggled a little then entered the hut where the rest of the gang was intently listening to the short conversation between Inuyasha and Kagome. Kagome stuck her nose high in the air and followed Sango inside.

Both women instantly smelled the sweet aroma of the soup that Kaede had been preparing. "Mmm…It smells so good." Kagome said and handed the basket of ingredients to be used to the old woman.

"It will be done soon," said Kaede while taking the basket and pulling out what vegetables she needed to finish the soup, "Thank my child. It will taste all the sweeter with the vegetables you've brought to me."

Inuyasha walked in. It was obvious that he had been playing in the dirt. There was a large dark spot all the way across his forehead. Miroku laughed and nudged Shippo who instantly laughed in response.

"Shut up before I smash your faces in!" yelled the angered hanyou, but the only response was more laughing from everyone this time. He grumbled lowly and sat away from the group.

Kaede finished the soup soon after and gave everyone bowls and spoons. Smiles placed themselves on all the faces in the hut except Inuyasha, who was still pissed.



Sango leaned in to get some of the soup, a move that left her butt wide open for the mischievous hand of Miroku to land on. Instantaneously he was knocked head over heels painfully by Sango's hand and the room fell silent. Everyone stared at Miroku as he twitched on the ground.

"Watch yourself you perverted monk!" screamed Sango with an embarrassing look on her face. She got her bowl of soup then left the hut. Kagome sighed then got her soup as did everyone else. They knew better than to bother Sango when something like this happened.

Everyone finished and found a spot on the floor to sleep. Kagome left to see if Sango was ok. She found her sitting beside the forest with an empty bowl on the ground beside her.

"Sango, are you-", she stopped as soon as she realized tears were staining her friend's cheeks.

Sango wiped her eyes and stood quickly. "I'm fine." She said it so simply without looking at Kagome, then she turned and walked toward the hut and found a place to sleep.

Kagome stood for a moment and sighed. She turned to walk toward the hut, and then heard something in the forest. She turned to see if there was anything there…but there wasn't. She froze, listening intently for a sign of movement. She sighed once again then walked to the hut thinking it was just her mind playing games.

But that didn't keep her from looking back one last time.

He could smell the girl a mile away, the one with the jewel. He knew that she had found all of the shards. He was waiting for that particular time to finally have the jewel as a whole.

He sat in the tree waiting for her to come outside once again. He had been watching another black haired girl. She had been crying for a while. The white haired fiend didn't care. She's not the one he wanted.

Then…she came outside. His senses heightened and he waited for a chance to take her without being noticed. He saw the jewel dangling on her neck as the other girl walked past her.

He watched as she turned away then the limb he had been sitting on cracked. He grabbed it with one hand and grabbed a limb above him to stop from making too much noise.

He waited for her to turn again before he tossed the limb far away and landed softly on the ground. Right as he was about to attack, he saw the girl turn once again in his direction and give a look of sadness.

He hesitated…and because he hesitated, he lost her. But why?

What did that look do to make him stop from reaching the goal he had waited for for so long…?