The Wish-Granting Jewel

Jade tapped her leg impatiently with her left hand, clicking around with the mouse with her right hand. She was nearing the end of editing her latest video. Koga, Ginta, Hakkaku, and Jade all played Monster Hunter: World for hours, so she had plenty of content to create multiple videos. This one was the first of many. She could tell it was going to be a long series, which meant decent money would be made as long as it was popular.

"You know," Sango announced as she appeared in Jade's doorway with Naraku's black binder open in her hands. "I really hope that Naraku takes that undeserved chance you gave him and gets help, because these are the words of an insane person."

"Is he really insane if it's true, though?" Jade asked, ignoring the other part of her statement.

"Jade, listen to this!" Sango insisted, her voice strained with impatience and urgency. "He writes here how he was the reason a dead cat was walking around!" She looked at Jade expectantly. Jade wanted nothing more than to agree with her, but the truth couldn't be denied.

All Jade could do was nod. "I saw the same dead cat, a dead fish - all kinds of shit. The authorities found them, too, they just aren't saying anything yet because the FBI has them on lockdown for now."

"Alright, look," Sango said, sounding as tired as Jade felt. "I believe you, but at the same time, I'm wondering if-"

Jade held up her hand. "I have something to show you. Meet me in the living room."

Sango looked confused, but she turned and left. Jade grabbed her phone and decided to finish editing later. She slowly walked into the kitchen, spotting Sango and Kagome waiting for her on the couch in the living room. Jade grabbed a beer, opened it, and joined them. She turned the TV on and then connected to it with her phone.

"Just a warning, there is going to be a very loud sound at the end." Jade said before pressing play on the video. It was the video she took of herself when she was dreaming and chanting something in her sleep.

Sango and Kagome leaned forward, listening carefully. They looked at each other when they realized that Jade in the video was speaking Japanese. Jade paused the video to wait for any questions.

"But, you don't speak fluent Japanese," Sango said softly.

"Sure don't." Jade chirped, taking a drink of beer.

"Keep going." Kagome urged. Jade pressed play and kept drinking, even when both friends jumped back from the loud, inhuman screech that gave her nightmares. Sango and Kagome stayed silent for a few minutes, glancing at each other, at Jade, and then at the floor or the walls.

"I didn't edit any of that. It's raw footage." Jade said, breaking the silence.

"Do you know what you were saying? Have you tried looking it up?" Kagome asked.

"No. My plan was to ask Naraku, but, well, that didn't pan out."

"Why not us? Why have you kept all of this from us?" Sango asked sharply, now standing up and towering over Jade. "You seem to trust him a lot more than us! All the shit he did to you, put you through-"

"Would you have believed me? Seriously! Would you?" Jade interrupted. "Up until Naraku came to my house, I had no idea about all of that! Everything fell apart before I could even confirm certain things with him! I'm telling you now! Do you believe me?"

"Were you going to keep it a secret?"

"Maybe! I didn't want to pull either of you into it! I didn't know how far this went!"

"We're your friends!"

Jade stood up to face Sango. "Then act like it and support me right now! I just showed you something that isn't right, something that is supernatural, and you're busy being jealous over how I treat Naraku!"

"I'm not jealous!" Sango replied heatedly. The fact that she sounded even more aggressive convinced Jade otherwise.

"Please, both of you," Kagome stepped between them, holding her arms out.

"Kagome, don't act like you don't agree with me." Sango retorted, crossing her arms. Jade looked at Kagome, who lowered her head for a moment and sighed heavily.

"I do to a point, but I don't think yelling and arguing is going to solve anything. Can we please focus on what's really important?"

"I feel like anything we do for her, she will hand to him, and I'm not interested in helping him at all, even indirectly."

"Then how do we help her?" Kagome asked, raising her voice. "You just scolded her for keeping it a secret and now that she shows you, you don't even want to help her! Have you thought that maybe it's the way you react that made her not want to tell you about it in the first place?"

"That's ridiculous!"

"No, that's part of the reason I haven't told you much. You come at me instead of trying to level with me." Jade admitted.

Her angered friend threw her hands up dramatically. "Oh, please! And what have you told him?"

"Honestly, I haven't shared much about my life with Naraku. He never gave me the opportunity. All this stuff that you're mad at me for wanting to discuss with him is all the shit he already knew, which is why I wanted to talk to him about it first before anything else. It wasn't like I was sharing massive secrets with him."

"You just wanted to confirm things first, right?" Kagome pushed.

"Yeah. I was trying to process it for myself. I can't even consider talking to other people about things until I've figured it out for myself."

"That still doesn't excuse all the shit you let him get away with! You lied to us, to your family, and to the detectives to protect him! It's no wonder why Sesshomaru doesn't want to speak to you ever again!"

That was the second sore spot that Sango had punched within a matter of minutes and Jade closed her eyes when she felt her blood boiling. She inhaled through her nose, out through her mouth, letting the moment pass so that she could keep her temper under control.

"Sango, that wasn't cool." Kagome said in a low voice.

"Well, what she did-"

"What I did had no effect on your life whatsoever! If I were to move out today, your life would go on as normal! The authorities aren't harassing you! They're harassing me!" she shouted, vehemently hitting her chest with her hand. "Everything I've done has affected me! You're on the sidelines watching it happen! It's fucking easy to tell me what is and isn't a good idea when you're not the one drowning in it!" Jade slammed her beer down on the table. "I wasn't lying to only protect Naraku! I was protecting Sesshomaru and the ungrateful asshole can hate me all he wants, but had I talked, his ass would be in prison because the prosecutor and jury would not believe for a second he was under the control of some unknown substance! They would see that he has a history of violence and would gladly lock him up right alongside Naraku! I was protecting Bruce! I was protecting the department! I was protecting myself! I don't know why you have it in your head that the detectives are here to help me, but they aren't! I didn't lie because of some undying loyalty I have for Naraku; I lied because it was actually the right thing to do because had this gone the way the detectives wanted it, this would be a bigger mess! They don't care whose lives they ruin along the way as long as they get their guy and many of them don't even care if they get the right guy! I've suffered enough! I don't need to hear that bullshit from you!"

She was panting by the time she was done with her rant. She hated it. She hated being that person, but she had finally hit her limit. It didn't matter who pushed her now - friend, foe, or neutral party - it all felt the same. She stared at Sango, who was looking down. Jade wasn't sure which parts, if any, resonated with her, but she hoped her main message got through.

"Sango, Jade, please, I'm begging you both," Kagome said.

Waving her hand to cut her off, Sango grimaced. "I...I think I'm done for now. It's too much."

"It was your idea to help her in the first place!"

"It was and now I realize I bit off more than I can chew." Sango replied as she walked away.

"Kagome, just let her go." Jade said when she saw the other woman open her mouth to retort. She sat back down on the couch and scooped up her beer to finish it. Sango retreated into her room and for the first time, Jade was unsure of the status of their friendship. She was willing to move on, but she wasn't so sure Sango could. Sango was deeply convinced that every little thing Jade did was to benefit Naraku and nothing else.

'I already lost Sesshomaru, so why not more friends?' Jade wondered bitterly. She understood his need to separate himself from the situation and even the continent, but his reasoning was the most immature shit she had heard spill from his mouth and had he not hung up the phone first, she would have told him to go fuck himself.

"What just happened?" Kagome sat on the couch, rubbing her face.

"I don't know." Jade answered flippantly.

"Look, I don't agree with how she's wording things, but you do know where she's coming from, right?"

"No, actually, I don't."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean what do I-" Jade cut herself off to look around for cameras or hidden people, just to make absolutely sure she wasn't being punked. "We're not even on the same page, so until we are, there's no discussion."

"You have to admit that it looks like you're protecting and excusing a criminal because you are."

"I protected and excused a few of those, myself included. It was a bundle deal. Either we're all guilty or we aren't. I'm not dumping all the blame on Naraku when it wasn't just him involved in this. There was so much evidence on all of us and I couldn't navigate that minefield without fucking over everyone. He played the biggest part, but Bruce played a vital part in keeping him around because he brought in the big bucks. He was well aware of everything that man did to others, shit people go to prison for, and he let it go. I was also aware of the shit he did and I let it happen. I was a victim, but I was an accomplice in a way, too. Sesshomaru was throwing hands often enough to be forced to take anger management classes, so he can get right off my dick about how dangerous Naraku is, especially after all he did to me. He's dangerous, too, just not in the same manner. I forgave him just like I forgave Naraku and you know what's funny about that? Naraku apologized to me before Sesshomaru did and while it bothered me, it didn't affect how I treated him. But yeah, I'm slobbering on Naraku's knob only. Got it."

"I see. You chose to stay with the sinking ship."

"No, I got that shit to port before it sank. Now it's a clean-up effort."

Kagome turned to her quickly. "Can you replay that video? I want to see if I can hear what you said."

Nodding, Jade turned back to the TV. Kagome cleared her throat and pointed at the paused video.

"So, in the video, you were saying, "Shikon no Tama.""

"What does that mean?"

"It's not necessarily a saying; it's an artifact from old folktales and myths. It means, "Jewel of Four Souls," and that's what it is. It doesn't really have a good history, if all the stories can be believed."

Jade stared back at her, mouth agape. "Uh, I can believe them."

"Well, I know, but-"

"What is it? What does it do, according to legend?"

"It's a wish-granting jewel, but it's kind of a monkey's paw. Any selfish wish that was made was repaid with Hell ten-fold. Even wishes that were generous were somehow twisted into something they weren't. In the end of the main legend, the only wish that would work without backfiring was to wish for it to disappear from existence."

"What an asshole jewel." Jade remarked. Then, she remembered the orb she took from Naraku. "What does it look like?"

Kagome shrugged. "A lot of stories didn't really specify, but the artwork that was drawn by a man who originally tried to collect Japan's legends and myths shows a ball or orb that was purple in color. It wasn't tiny, but it wasn't huge, either."

Jade felt her blood pressure drop, but she stood up. "I have something to show you, then." She walked back to her room and opened her closet. She put in the code to her safe and pulled out the small plastic container where she stored the orb she took from Naraku. Based on what she read and knew, it despised her and her blood, so she submerged it in her blood in an attempt to pacify it. Her blood crystallized around it, turning pink. The orb remained a dark purple. When she brought it out to Kagome, she held it up and Kagome frowned.

"Is this what Naraku had?" she asked, taking it from Jade's hands.

"Yeah. It hates my blood, so that's what I dropped it in."

Kagome held it up, slowly examining it. "The pink stuff is your blood?"

"Mhm. I don't know if I've completely shut it down, but I haven't noticed it doing anything. I don't think it's incapable of doing some things; just that it doesn't want to because I'm here. Apparently, it hates me a lot."

"This is completely insane!" Kagome insisted with wide eyes. Jade shrugged and nodded.

"Did any of the stories mention a huge monster, a miko, maybe the jewel falling from the sky - anything like that?"

"Yes, yes, and kind of, but officially no." Kagome placed the contained orb on the table and pulled out her phone and began typing. "You see, there are two different myths that involve a wish-granting jewel. One of them is the Shikon no Tama and the other is the jewel of Dakiniten."

Jade pulled out her own phone and peeked at Kagome's to spell the terms correctly. When a link popped up, Jade tapped it. The image of a beautiful woman riding a white fox, descending from the sky, and cradling a shining jewel filled her phone's screen. Jade scrolled down to the text. "So, Dakiniten is a goddess of food, foxes, and good fortune. She has a wish-granting jewel and has no issue using it to please others."

"Rrrrright. I'm thinking more about her origins. Originally, dakini were sky demons that feasted upon human flesh. After meeting Buddha, they agreed to only eat fresh corpses instead of killing humans. Obviously, through time, the demons turned into a single, fearsome woman who had a light and dark side. She was benevolent and patient, but also was still associated with devouring flesh and it was believed she knew black magic, so many prayed to her for aid in those aspects."

"The dakini demons seemed to prefer human hearts the most." Jade said, glancing at the orb. It's origins dealt with plenty of blood and heart material and though it was malevolent, it did, "grant," Naraku's wish in a way. "So, is Dakiniten's jewel the Shikon no Tama?"

Kagome's face lit up with glee. "Officially, no, but a lot of historians do think they are either the same or heavily connected. I'm so glad you made the connection! I personally think they are the same."

"I can see why. I know Dakiniten is benevolent, but the stories I've skimmed through so far all deal with her personally using the jewel to grant the wishes of those she wants to reward. What if she isn't involved in the wish-granting process?"

"I don't know of any stories of her jewel being used without her, but just from what I know of Japanese myths - very rarely does a human wielding a heavenly item without permission end well."

"So, what is the origin of Shikon no Tama?" Jade asked, searching the term on her phone.

"Long story short; a powerful miko was upsetting the local yokai. They came together to slay her, using the body of a man in love with her to get close to her and fuse into a single, powerful yokai. They fought for days and when she was near death, she decided she had to sacrifice herself to slay the yokai. When it had her in its grasp, she sealed both their souls together within her heart, thus creating the jewel, and expelled them from her body."

"So, both jewels grant wishes, both are associated with a holy woman, the Shikon no Tama was created inside a heart while the other is used by a heart-devouring goddess, the Shikon no Tama was created by fusing good and evil souls while the other was wielded by a benevolent goddess with a malevolent origin - I'm seeing a pattern."

"Yes, yes, yes! I'm so glad you agree with me!" Kagome exclaimed, suddenly deflating with embarrassment. "Sorry, I'm not trying to, uh, make it about me."

"It's fine." Jade replied, staring at the orb on the table. "Naraku made this with his blood and mine and you can probably argue he's dark and I'm light."

"That can be comfortably argued."

"He also used human heart tissue at some point, so this is all starting to scare me more because...I don't want to believe these gods and goddesses are real or that monsters are real."

"I know you don't, but if what you've seen is true, then it's real. That doesn't mean the Shikon no Tama is sitting on our table or that Dakiniten's jewel is real. I think it means we might have discovered the origin of those myths. Whatever that thing is, maybe ancient people found it and everything led to this."

They both scoured the Internet, clicking on and reading any information regarding the legends of the Shikon no Tama and Dakiniten. No matter how irrelevant it seemed, they saved the information on their phones and moved on. Even though Jade felt no closer to finding a solution, she didn't feel as alone now since Kagome was also looking.

"I'm hungry for junk food. Want to come with me?" Jade asked with a sigh.

"Yeah!"

Kagome giggled as she closed the apartment door behind her and followed Jade down the stairs. "I've never been out this late before!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice. Jade glanced at her, bewildered.

"What's the latest you've ever been out?" she asked with shock.

"Midnight."

"Wow. Okay. Well, two in the morning isn't much different from midnight, honestly." Jade explained, unlocking her car.

"So, if none of this stuff was happening to you, what would you be doing now?"

"Getting high."

"That makes sense. I have to admit something; when we first moved in together, I was completely against drugs and strict with alcohol. I kind of want to try marijuana."

"Oooh, the Devil's Lettuce. I can help with that."

"I just don't like smoking."

"Edibles."

"Those aren't legal here."

"Being illegal hasn't stopped me before."

"Thaaaat is true."

Jade stopped at the first convenience store that was still open for business. She walked in with Kagome practically clinging to her arm. Kagome was convinced the store workers would assume they were high and would call the police on them. Jade insisted they didn't care whether they were or not and headed straight for the caffeinated drinks. She grabbed a few bottles of soda and then beelined to the candy, snatching a few bags of sour gummy worms.

"I'm waiting on her," Jade said when the cashier asked if she was ready. Kagome sheepishly walked up to the counter and revealed she had a bottle of flavored water and a few packs of assorted nuts. "No."

"What?" Kagome asked, laughing.

"You go back over there and pick out something terrible for your body."

"But this stuff gives me energy, too."

Jade shrugged, but as she turned to pay, Kagome scurried away, grabbed a few candy bars, and scurried back, placing them on the counter.

"That's better. We're ready now."

Jade decided to drive around a bit, enjoying her drink and candy while the cool air struck her face. The weather had begun to gradually warm up with spring having recently started. It was a pleasant cool temperature instead of the bitter cold of winter. Kagome's phone was lit up as she continued reading up on their Shikon no Tama conundrum.

"So, I looked up the area and GPS coordinates Naraku had for the lake and it's actually really close to where Sango lives. You could almost walk there from her home." Kagome stated before munching on some of her snacks.

"Ah, well, I won't be getting any answers from her anytime soon."

"Maybe I can."

"Anything related to Naraku is a sin to her right now. Just leave her alone." Jade grumbled.

"Jade," Kagome paused and Jade already knew what was coming, so she held her breath to prepare. "Maybe it isn't love, or romantic love, but it's obvious you feel something for him. This isn't just loyalty to a friend or trying to keep everyone out of trouble - you see something in him that no one else does."

It wasn't exactly what Jade was expecting, so it caught her off guard. "I see it because I'm the only one he showed it to, I guess."

"I only know what I saw in class and I saw a man craving your attention. Some days it was cute and others it was pathetic."

"Accurate."

"And you were kind of...teaching him, almost. Like, I know he was your mentor, but I saw him deferring to you about almost everything except chemistry. Anything that required human interaction, he usually sent you in first and then would stand behind you and watch how you did it. Then, he would make fun of you to make it seem like he wasn't just admiring you."

'I...never noticed.' She remembered the class. Nothing Kagome said was untrue. Naraku almost always told Jade to go help the students. He mocked her at every opportunity. He also did seem to prefer standing within a certain distance of her if he could. It didn't seem possessive to her; just that he wanted to be there. She didn't think he was learning from her, though.

"Alright. As long as this isn't a decision you made because he forced you to or something like that, I can see where you're coming from. When I first met Inuyasha, he didn't have friends and honestly, he had worse people skills than Naraku. Naraku can at least keep calm, hold a conversation, and show some charm, even if it's to manipulate people. Inuyasha lashed out a lot, was very aggressive, and he was very possessive."

"How did you navigate that?"

"Well, because I was the only person he had a soft spot for, I saw something in him no one else did, so I had more of a reason to stick around. Sango was very vocal about me dating him and she even punched him when he got really mad at me one time and started screaming at me. I mean, she really decked him hard and he was out for a few minutes. He never did it again."

Jade chuckled. "I'm legitimately shocked she never threw hands at Naraku and I'm not even talking about defending me. That dude knew every combination to her wrath and somehow he escaped unscathed."

"Same!" Kagome laughed. "My point is that Inuyasha has come a long way because I gave him the chance no one else did. He saw a way out of that misery and chased it. I hope Naraku does the same."

Jade shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "I don't want him to change for me, though. I want him to change for himself."

"I don't see it as him changing for you. I see it more as he is changing because of you. He didn't even know he wanted it until you showed him."

"I don't know. Maybe."

"You know him better than I do, but he doesn't come off as a man who would waste his time with achieving a goal he doesn't care about, especially something as tough as that."

"I don't think he will make as much progress as Inuyasha. It sounds like Inuyasha was reactive in his behavior. I don't think he actively tried to make people miserable. Naraku is a different creature."

"While I agree, stranger things have happened."

"No fucking shit."

The two returned to their apartment with sugar-fueled energy. They both knew it wouldn't last long and that crashing was imminent, but they still wanted to talk things out a bit more. Jade opened the apartment door and saw Sango sitting on the couch with the imprisoned orb in her hands. She looked over at them and stood, holding it up.

"What is this? Is this what you took from him?" Sango asked, her tone heavy with seriousness. Out of spite, Jade debated not answering her, but she still couldn't bring herself to it.

"Yeah."

"We've been talking about-"

"The Shikon no Tama," Sango interjected calmly. "I know. I heard you guys. I didn't think you actually had it, though."

Jade and Kagome glanced at each other.

"I don't." Jade said carefully. "I don't think that's what that is."

"Yeah, there aren't any proven records on what it looked like." Kagome added.

"Yes, there are, they just have been kept safely stored in my village. Very few people outside of my village have laid eyes upon them."

"Oh? Why aren't they in a museum?" Kagome asked curiously.

"No one wants to give the scrolls up because of their authenticity and because our ancestors were entrusted with...we were supposed to be the jewel's keepers." Sango explained, letting out a long sigh. "Or so the stories say, at least. The paintings and descriptions describe this, though - an orb which can shine as bright as the sun or become as dark as the void depending on the one who possesses it. Most show it as pink or purple."

"Sango, tell us everything you know!"

"No. We're all going to bed. You guys look awful." Sango insisted, handing the orb to Jade before walking back to her room. Jade and Kagome decided sleeping wasn't a bad idea, so they bid each other goodnight and went to their separate rooms.

Jade sat on her bed with the orb in her hands and her eyes closed. She could feel a small pulse emanating from it.

"Talk to me. I assume you can still do that." she grumbled.

'What would I gain from this?' it replied with Naraku's voice in her head.

"That depends on what you're willing to do."

'I am uninterested in anything you have to offer me.'

"You don't even want to ask?"

'All I want is for you to cease to exist.'

"Asshole. Not sure what I expected." she griped, placing it back in her safe and closing her closet before finally crawling into bed to sleep.