Kage Houseki no Himitsu
-Chapter 10-
Kaede's Village, Aoi
"Can't I go home now?" I whined to Kagome as I shoved my feet into my sandals. "It's been four days since I fell in the well; won't my parents be worried?"
"I'm sure Mom or Jii-chan would have told them about this place by now," Kagome told me reassuringly, stringing her bow. "Besides, if Naraku's after you, you might not be safe in our world anymore."
I pouted.
It had been three days since Inuyasha had cut me; I was completely healed. I'd been expecting to go home once I was better, but as Kagome said, apparently I wasn't safe anymore. None of the others seemed to have a problem with me coming with them on their quest for finding the Sacred Jewel shards – except, of course, Inuyasha, who always seemed to have a problem with everything and everyone – so I hesitantly accepted their offer of both protection and friendship.
"By the way, Kagome," I said as we walked out of Kaede's hut towards where the group was waiting.
"Yeah?"
"I think there's something else I should tell you…"
"Is it important?" Kagome asked, glancing down at me.
"Er… I'm not sure… I just thought you might like to know," I shrugged absently.
"What's up?" She asked as we reached the group.
"C'mon, c'mon," Inuyasha snapped impatiently. "Could we get going now?"
Kagome glared at Inuyasha, then turned back to me. "What is it, Aoi?"
I dug in the pocket of my shorts, and pulled out the item that – thankfully – had remained there throughout my ordeal.
It was a small-ish, perfectly round, purplish-black gem. It sparkled in the dim light of the pre-dawn we stood in, deep purple highlights piercing the black depths of it.
Kagome's jaw dropped. "Wh-what is that?"
Sango leaned in closer, her eyes wide. "That… it looks like the Sacred Jewel. Once it's been corrupted."
I held it up for everyone to see. "I found this, Kokuei, at the same time I found Ryuutsurugi – my sword. I always kept it on me, in case it had some cool power or something."
"What does it do?" Shippou asked excitedly.
"Nothing," I admitted. "As far as I can tell, anyway."
Kagome stared at it for a moment in silence, then fished a small, brown draw-string pouch from under her shirt. She pulled it open, and turned a tiny, pink fragment of what looked like some kind of stone into her palm.
"What's that?" I asked, staring at the fragment with awe.
"This is a shard of the Sacred Jewel," Kagome explained. "One of the many pieces we're looking for."
"Why'd you take it out?" Inuyasha asked angrily, glancing around. "Something might see it!"
"There're no demons around here," Kagome snapped. "Maybe if the Sacred Jewel and this Kokuei are related, the Sacred Jewel will react to it."
"Good thinking, Kagome-sama," Miroku smiled.
I held my gem aloft, and Kagome lifted the shard with her forefinger and thumb. She edged the shard closer to Kokuei.
Abruptly, Kokuei flashed white hot, and I dropped it with a squeak; Kagome did the same with her shard.
"What happened?" Sango cried in alarm.
"You okay, Kagome?" Inuyasha barked.
"I-I don't know what happened," I asked, nursing my burned palm. "It suddenly got really hot-"
"Look at the Jewels!" Shippou suddenly cried.
We looked at them. I gasped.
Kokuei was rolling slowly in the opposite direction of the Jewel shard, which was shaking desperately, as if it wanted to get away from my gem as much as the latter did.
"What's happening?" Kagome gasped.
I quickly scooped up Kokuei – thankfully, it wasn't so hot anymore – and shoved it back into my pocket. "I don't know."
Kagome picked up the Jewel shard also, and carefully replaced it in the drawstring pouch.
"I get the feeling," Miroku said, his brow furrowed, "That those Jewels are definitely related in some way."
"That's right!" Sango gasped. She turned to Kagome. "Didn't you say that the complete Sacred Jewel came from inside your body, too?"
"Y-yes," Kagome said.
"And Aoi-san said that she found her jewel at the same time as she found her sword," Sango continued excitedly, "Which would mean that the jewel came from inside her body as well."
I perked up. "That's right! It was wedged into the handle of Ryuutsurugi, but fell out when I touched it."
"This is all very exciting," Inuyasha huffed, "But we kind of need to find the shards of the pink Jewel, not discuss the origins of the black one. Can't we get going?"
"I suppose Inuyasha's right," Kagome sighed; she hung the bag back around her neck and hid it under her shirt. "Are we ready to leave?"
"Let's go, Kirara," Sango instructed the two-tailed cat. Kirara mewed, and was enveloped with a flash of hot fire.
I squeaked and jumped away from Kirara as her huge, sabre-toothed form erupted from the flames.
"There's no need to be scared of her when she's like this," Sango laughed. She leapt easily onto Kirara's wide back, and extended a hand to help me up. "She's the same as she always is, just a bit bigger."
I shakily nodded, and grabbed Sango's hand.
"Well, where to first?" Kagome asked no one in particular from where she sat on Inuyasha's back.
"I guess we'll just go wherever we haven't checked before," Inuyasha replied.
"Well, let's go, then!" Shippou said impatiently. With a snarling roar, Kirara leapt into the air. I gasped, and clung to Sango as Kirara gathered height, until she was skimming the tops of the trees over Inuyasha's Forest. Inuyasha leapt along beside us, hopping from branch to branch.
Was I really going on some grand adventure in the Feudal Era? Or was this some great, strange dream? I guessed I'd find out if I ever woke up.