Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this story as par usual jam jar of necessities.

~Chapter 2 - An Exchange of Sorts~

The evening had been pleasant. Mild. The crickets and frogs had sung their courtship songs from the surrounding darkness and there had been a complacent sense of peace surrounding the party.

Supper was done and Inuyasha had sprawled himself across the ground near their token fire picking at his teeth. Sango hummed quietly as she tended her weapons. Miroku mended a sandal, Shippo was absorbed in arranged leaves in some quiet game of patterns and Kagome just sat enjoyed the tranquility and the nearly full-moon.

For once there was no rush to be anywhere, do anything. Tomorrow their search for shards would continue. But for now…

A ripple of sound came from the darkness from one side of the campsite – like the strings of a musical instrument being plucked quickly. A breeze laden with the smell of sea water whipped through the glade, making the fire gutter and then the air seemed to still. Everything seemed to still.

Inuyasha had launched himself to his feet at the unexpected noise but even as he did so time seemed to slow and stop around them all, trapping him mid-movement. Only their eyes seemed free of constraint and rolled to look as, graceful and poised, a tall figure stepped out into the light.

The Lady did not seem to walk but rather glided forward, the leaves on the ground barely ruffled by her passage. Dew spangled the glossy black hair that trailed down her back and onto the ground behind her like a train of silk. A comb of white ivory carved in the likeness of a snake adorned her ornately arrayed hair and her many layered kimonos shaded from deepest indigo through to the palest green-white.

Her eyes were a pale blue-grey, both merry and cold. She looked at each of the party members in turn and just as quickly dismissed them.
Until she came to Kagome. Here she pause and her gaze intensified.

Kagome felt a gentle touch brush across her thoughts, riffling through her memories so fast it was like a picture book being flipped too fast for her to see what the images were. Then the presence was gone and she was left to try to recover her thoughts, all scattered by another's hand.

The lady drew back slightly, her mouth turned up into a slight smile as her gaze swept over Kagome once more. This time looking at her outward appearance.

"Yes. That is what I sought. More than what I sought. Good."

The lady turned, sweeping the trailing fabric of her costume around with her to address Miroku.

"I will borrow your friend for a while… She will return unharmed. And in return you will take this to Enoshima* for me."

She reached into her sleeve and drew out a biwa* that appeared to have been carved from jade. The strings glistened and trembled, catching the firelight like strands of amber.

Tentatively he held out his hands to accept the instrument. The moment he touched it the lady was gone. As was Kagome – and the spell that held them vanished.

"What th' Hell jus' happened?!" Inuyasha barked stumbling forward, claws extended, to the spot where the lady had disappeared, leaving nothing but the lingering fragrance of sea foam.

Miroku dropped to his knees reverently, holding the Biwa as though it were made from eggshell. Carefully he placed it on the ground and bowed his head, clapping loudly.

"It was Benzaiten-Sama… It had to be." Miroku gestured to the ground where the lady had stood. A small spring of fresh water now gushed from the ground, trickling over the grass.

"Who th' F.."

"Benza?—THE Benten-Sama?! One of the Seven Gods of Luck?" Shippo gaped, poking at the spring tentatively with a stick. "Wow. I've heard of her... but why did she take Kagome?"

"What? A God just took Kagome?! Why?" Inuyasha spun "We hafta rescue her…"

"Benten-Sama has always been a benevolent god," Sango offered tentatively. "Perhaps we should find the nearest temple and ask her priests what has happened…"

Miroku stood, cradling the biwa and dusting his knees with his other hand.

"She said to go to Enoshima. Perhaps we will find Kagome there…"

"That Benten lady made it sound like a threat – take the lute or Kagome gets it," Inuyasha snarled. " Who th' hell is this Enoshima anyway?"

"Not whom – where. Its an island to the south… I don't think Benzaiten-sama meant it as a threat. Perhaps… it was to give us something to do while we wait for Kagome's return. Our chance of finding shards without her is severely limited you must admit."

Shippo flopped down again, relieved. "If it's Benten-sama the Kagome is sure to be safe. We might even have a bit more luck."

~o0o~

*Enoshima: 江の島 is a small island set at the mouth of the Katase River. The entire island is dedicated to the goddess Benten who is said to have made it rise from the ocean floor.