Chapter 1

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Sango clutched her dagger tighter to her chest and stared at the dark thing watching her from the bushes. At least she thought it was watching her. It was hard to tell because the eyes were as dark as the rest of it, except when the light caught them just right; then they gleamed a golden color.

She had seen animals in the woods before, rabbits and raccoons and squirrels and such, but this was bigger. It was as big as her, maybe bigger. Bears were dark. She wondered if it could be a bear.

But this wasn't exactly the wood, since it was down the well in a wooden shrine covered in age-old dust. She had never been in another place quite the same. Sango wondered if 'indoor' woods had animals like the outdoor woods did. Besides the demons.

Sango might have been afraid if Miroku wasn't there with her. She knew she was safe with him. Miroku was the bravest man she ever saw. Still, she was a little afraid. Miroku had told her indirectly that she was the bravest girl he knew. She didn't want him to think she was afraid of some... huge rabbit.

Maybe that's all it was, some big rabbit, sitting on a rock or something. But rabbits had long ears. Maybe it really was a bear. She gripped the dagger closer to her body.

She turned and looked down the path, across the flowers and short mud walls covered with dark green vines, and across the knew high scratchy grass to where Miroku was talking to the tribe shaman, Basaku. They were standing by a stone table, looking at the four Soul Jewels. The other three had popped out of a bone witch's throat long after she died. Sango looked around and tried to find the monster. It was gone. Sango looked around, worried, but didn't see it anywhere.

Heart pounding in sudden fear, Sango wiped the cold sweat off her forehead and forced herself to walk calmly back to Miroku's side. Her feet wanted to run, but she didn't want Miroku to think she wasn't brave. Her feet still begged her to reconsider, but she didn't let them win. When Sango get to Miroku's side, she stood behind him a few paces and waited. She knew it was impolite to interrupt, so she studied the designs on her ivory dagger instead. Still, not interrupting couldn't keep her from eavesdropping.

"So what if you just bag and bury them?" Miroku was asking the shaman impatiently.

"Anything!" Basaku suck his skinny, pockmarked arms up in the air. His wavy white hair was smoothed down but it still suck out in places. "How should I know? Just because I know what the Jewels of Souls are doesn't mean I know what to do with them now that Naraku has tainted one by touching it. The Jewel of Souls killed him for touching it. It could have destroyed the world. It could kill me for returning it into the crevice it came from. Or worse!"

Sango knew of what they were saying. The vile Naraku tried stealing the jewels for himself when the jewels suddenly shimmered. The fierce light had blinded Sango and Miroku temporarily, and when they regained consciousness, the two saw Naraku's corpse, his arm still outstretched for the jewel. His flesh bubbled and slid off his bones. Sango forced her eyes shut at the horrifying sight by didn't exactly block out the memory.

She coughed. Her self-confident smile slid off her face. This was serious. "Well, we can't just leave them sitting around can we? Don't we have to do something?"

The wizard frowned and looked at the stones while he was thinking. After more than a minute of quiet, Sango tugged on Miroku's sleeve. He looked at her with his dark brown eyes.

"Miroku…."

" 'Miroku'? I told you the rules." He put his hands on his hips and twisted his face up, trying to make it look mean, until she giggled. "I have told you before, you are to call me 'Monk'. Only call me Miroku when we are… alone. Understand?"

Sango grinned. "Yes Miro… Monk."

He huffed and shook his head. Then he mussed her hair. "Well? Time is burning. What do you have to say?"

Sango thought for a moment, and then told him. "There's a big thing in the trees. I think it might be a bear, or worse. I think you might need to take out your scrolls and go have a look."

He scoffed. "Since when do I need you to tell me how to fight? Anyways, I can take down a bear when I'm blindfolded, weapon-less, and when I'm asleep. Besides, it's probably a shadow. The light does odd things in here." Sango couldn't hold in a smile but shook her head. "It was watching me, Miroku, er… Monk."

He bared her a rare smile and put his rough hand on the side of her face. "Then you' just stay by me and it won't bother you."

She nodded as Miroku—Monk—put an arm around her armor-covered shoulders and gave them a squeeze. He better not do anything inappropriate with that hand…

She returned the dagger back to its sheath and watched the dark thing again.

The dark thing, mostly hidden by one of the vine-covered walls, darted closer. Sango untied the bone boomerang from her back and guarded the thing. She snuck a glance at her monk. He was still preoccupied with the jewels.

"And just what is that thing, that stone, or jewel or whatever it is? Did it come out of Naraku or the bone hag?"

Basaku peered at the four glistening stones and wet his lips. "I think the bone witch. But I don't say what I think it is until I'm sure. At least not out loud."

"Monk," Sango hissed, her voice fearful, "it's coming closer. Be on your guard."

Miroku looked down at her and winked. "Then you can keep an eye on it for me, my heroine." His hands wandered a bit down to her bottom.

Sango growled in frustration as she ripped herself away from his comforting grip. He didn't seem to notice. He looked back to the wizard. "What do you mean you don't want to say? Do you think it has something to do with what you said about the veil to the underworld possibly being torn?"

Basaku frowned while he rubbed his smooth chin with his bony fingers and looked down at the black jewel amidst the four. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Sango looked over to the wall to watch where the dark thing was. She gave a start when she saw the hands reach over the edge of the wall. It was a lot closer.

But they weren't hands. They were claws. Long, curved claws.

She looked back at Miroku, at all their weapons, just to be sure they weren't caught empty-handed and weapon-less. She had her collection of daggers and knives, a reserve sword hung at the ready besides her boomerang on her back. He had his staff and a recently armed crossbow on his back. From his hip dangled a mace that was never used. She hoped it would not have to be. And the shaman didn't even have a butter knife. He just wore that plain, tan robe. And he was so skinny. Not like Miroku. But shamans had magic. Maybe his magic could scare the dark thing away.

Magic! Sango remembered the magic fire stick that the shaman's brother had given to her. She reached into her pocket and put her shaking fingers around it. Miroku would need her help. She wouldn't let that thing hurt her soon-to-be husband. She would be brave. "Is it dangerous?"

Basaku looked up at Miroku from under his white eyebrows. "If it's what I think it is, and it were to fall into the wrong hands, 'dangerous' wouldn't even begin to describe it."

"Then maybe we should drop it down a deep hole, or destroy it."

"Can't. We may need it."

"What if we hide it?"

"That's what I'm thinking. The problem is where. There are things to take into consideration. I need to take Adika to Aydindril and study the prophecies with her before I know for sure what to do with the jewels."

"And until then? Until you know for sure?"

Sango looked over to the dark thing. It was closer, as close as the wall came to them. With its claws over the top of the wall, it raised its head up and looked right into her eyes.

The thing grinned at her, showing long, sharp teeth. Her breath caught in her throat. It knew that all of them were injured, and couldn't bring up defenses quick enough to stop it. Its shoulders shook. It was laughing. Sango's eyes were as big as they would go. She could hear her heartbeats making a whooshing sound in her ears.

"Monk…" She warned in a small voice.

He didn't look down. He just shushed her. Sango was curious; shouldn't Miroku have sensed the thing's aura by now? But even stranger, the thing seemed to not have an aura. It was… invisible?

The thing put its leg over the wall and dropped down in front, still looking at her, still laughing. Its shiny eyes look at Miroku and Basaku. Waiting there to be picked off like ducks at a carnival. It hissed and then laughed as it hunched down.

Sango furiously tugged at Miroku's sleeve and strained to make her voice work. She was terrified; she had never seen such a creature before. "Miroku, it's coming! Hurry!"

"All right, Sango. Basaku, I still don't know…"

With a howl the dark thing sprang into the open. It ran like a streak, just a blur of black. Sango screamed. Miroku spun just as it hit him. Claws flashed through the air. Miroku fell to the ground as the thing leapt on Basaku. Sango sprang into action. She tore the boomerang from her back and swung it with all her might at the beast. It missed. The thing turned to her. It opened its mouth in a silent laugh, then sprung at her, its eyes dilating in hate. It leaped through the air and bared its razor sharp teeth and claws. Sango's eyes bugged in fear. Her feet wouldn't move. She stood there, rooted to the ground, as death shot through the air at her. She didn't doubt that she would have been sliced to pieces if not for a whoosh of air to her right. Just as she dove to the left, her boomerang, still making a full turn, smacked the beast head on. It dropped to the ground, shook its head a bit. Then it raised its head of anger and horror. And charged.

The shaman's arms flailed about. Flashes of light shot from his fingers, bouncing off the dark thing's hide and tearing up dirt or stone where they hit. The thing pivoted, leaped, and knocked the wizard to the ground.

Laughing a loud howl, it jumped back on Miroku as he was pulling his mace from his belt. Sango screamed again as the claws tore at Miroku. The thing was faster than any animal she had ever seen. Its claws were just a blur.

Sango was terrified as Miroku fell to the ground, wrestling the mace from the thing. She retrieved one of her daggers, and flew at the beast. The beast, not even looking, grabbed her arm and shoved her back. The dagger was ripped out of Sango's hand. Miroku's eyes widened with fear as the thing snatched the dagger by the hilt and turned its attention back to him. The dagger descended upon his chest, but was stopped by Basaku. The fearless shaman balled up his fists and spat a spell that made the air dense, impenetrable, stopping the trembling blade inches from Miroku's chest. Sango jumped forward and touched the fire stick to the thing's back. She screamed the words to make the fire stick work. "Light for me!

The thing burst into flames. It made a horrible scream as it spun to her. Its mouth opened wide, teeth snapping as flames engulfed it. It laughed again, but not like people laughed when they thought things were funny. Its laugh made her skin prickle. It hunched over and started walking toward her, still on fire, as Sango backed up. Miroku let out a grunt as he threw his mace at it. The mace hit the thing's back, and stuck in its shoulder. It looked around at the monk and laughed as it reached behind itself and impossibly pulled the mace from its back. The wound was gone. It started for Miroku again.

Basaku was up. Fire flew from his fingertips, covering the thing with even more flames. It laughed at Basaku. All the fire went out. Smoke rose from it. Its body looked the same now as before it was burned. In face, it had looked like it was dark from being burned even before Sango had set it on fire.

Miroku was on his feet, and there was blood on him. He snatched his crossbow off his back and in a blink he shot an arrow. It stuck in the thing's chest. With that terrible laugh it snapped the arrow in half, the point still wedged somewhere in his flesh. Miroku threw aside the crossbow and yanked out the staff from over his shoulder, then ran for the thing, jumping over it as he stabbed with the sharp end of the staff. The thing moved so fast Miroku missed. Basaku did something that set the thing bumbling across the grass.

Sango leaped with her long sword, screaming as she slashed at the thing. She managed after some time to cut off one of the thing's hands. The thing wriggled for a while, disoriented. Miroku sprang in front of Sango, grunting as the thing weakly slashed his chest with its other hand. The monk winced, but pushed away Sango's worried hands. "Not now." He managed. Miroku pushed Sango back with one hand while he held the sword he picked up from Sango out in the other hand.

The thing bounced to his feet again, looking at each of them.

"Walk!" Basaku yelled at them. "Don't run! Don't stand still!"

Miroku grabbed Sango's wrist and started walking backward. Basaku started walking backward, too. The dark thing stopped laughing and looked at each of them, blinking. Miroku was breathing hard. Already, there was a large red splatter on his chest where he had taken a hit for Sango. Tears welled up in the bottoms of her eyes. Sango forced them away. Blood was running down his arm onto her hand. She didn't want him to be hurt. She loved him something fierce. She clutched her fire stick tighter.

Basaku stopped. "Keep walking," he told Miroku.

The dark thing looked at Basaku standing there, and a big grin with sharp teeth came to its face again. It laughed that awful laugh and tore at the ground as it started in a rush toward the wizard.

Basaku threw his hands up. Dirt and grass flew up in the air around the thing. It was lifted into the air. Bolts of blue lightning struck it from all around before it hit the ground. It howled in laughter as it thudded to the ground, smoking.

Something else happened; Sango couldn't tell what, and the thing stopped with its arms stretched out, like it was trying to run, but its feet were stuck. It howled and twisted, but couldn't move. Basaku's arms swirled around in circles and he threw them out once more. The ground shook as if from thunder and there were flashes of light hitting the thing. It laughed and there was a breaking sound, like wood snapping, and the thing started toward Basaku.

Basaku began walking again. The thing stopped and frowned. Then the wizard stopped and threw his arms out again. A terrible ball of fire went through the air toward the thing as it ran for Basaku. The ball of fire made a loud scream and grew bigger as it flew toward the dark thing.

The fire hit so hard it made the ground shake. The blue and yellow light was so bright Sango had to squint as she was walking backward. The ball of fire stayed in that one place as it burned and made a loud roar.

Smoking, the dark thing stepped out of the fire, its shoulders shaking as it laughed. The flames went out in little sparks that flew around in the air.

"Drat," the shaman said as he started walking backward. His wavy, white hair was all messed up and sticking out in clumps.

Sango and Miroku were on the path through the trees, almost to the door. Basaku was walking backward toward them as the dark thing watched. Basaku stopped and the thing started coming again.

Walls of flame shot up in front of it. The air smelled like smoke and roared with noise. The thing stepped through the wall of fire. Basaku made another, and it stepped through that, too.

When the shaman started walking again, it stopped by a short, vine-covered wall, watching. Fat vines ripped off the wall by themselves and grew suddenly longer. They whipped around the dark thing as it stood there, tangling all around it. Basaku was almost by their side.

"Where are we going?" Miroku asked him.

Basaku turned. He looked tired. "Let's see if we can shut it in here.

The thing tore at the vines as they pulled it to the ground. The three escaped just in time as the vines started to break away. Miroku and Basaku each took one of the golden metal doors and pushed it shut.

From the other side came a howl, and then a loud crash. A big dent popped out in the door, knocking Basaku to the ground. Miroku put a hand on each door and put all his weight against them as the thing pounded from the other side. Sango rushed over and helped him keep the golden doors shut tight. A sudden silence came from the other side. Miroku loosed up a bit.

"NO! WATCH OUT!" Basaku screamed, as the pressure on the door started again. Caught unsuspected, Sango was jolted away from the door. She laid still a few feet from where the two men stood. A crack formed in the door, claws ripping the crevice larger. Through the door, Miroku heard the thing laugh. He was covered in sweat and blood. Miroku grunted as he pushed the doors with all his strength. The doors creaked.

The shaman stood back and held out his arms, with his fingers up, like he was pushing against the air. The creaking stopped. The thing howled louder.

Basaku grabbed Sango and tossed her unceremoniously onto Miroku's back. The shaman grabbed the monk's hand. "Get out of here."

Miroku backed away from the doors, grabbing Sango's limp hands. "Is that going to hold it?"

"I don't think so. If it comes for you, walk. Running or standing still attracts it attention. Tell anyone else you see."

"Basaku, what is that thing?"

There was another loud crash and another huge dent popped out in the door. The tips of claws broke through the metal and made tips in the door. The noise it made hurt Miroku's ears.

"Go! Now!"

Miroku snatched Sango's unconscious form, which was starting to slip down his back, and started sprinting down the hall.