Chapter 7
"The Shikon no Tama"
"So these are the remaining shards?" Miroku asked, glancing down at the small pouch in his hand.
Inuyasha nodded. "There are atleast 40 shards in there." He said. "Those were the ones that Naraku had this whole time."
The companions were all settled around a fire, eating their breakfast fruit. Sango, Miroku, and Shippou had been filled in on everything that had happened... and now they sat there, too shocked to do anything.
After hearing the news of Naraku's death, Miroku had uncovered his hand to see that his windtunnel had vanished.
Sango had also heard rumors that some people had seen her brother, Kohaku, free and roaming the lands nearby.
Things seemed pretty darn good for the friends, as they rested in the warm sun. However, Sango looked over at Kagome and frowned. There was something bothering her friend. She had hardly touched her breakfast, and she had a far-away look in her eyes, as if the mortal was thinking about something very serious.
"You ok, Kagome?" she asked.
Startled by the abrupt question, Kagome jumped. "Uh... yea. I'm fine. I just need to be alone for a while." With that, she got up and walked towards a tall tree about 30 feet away, where she sat down against it and sighed, closing her eyes.
Shippou, Sango, and Miroku exchanged glances, and then all eyes fell upon Inuyasha. The hanyou looked up at them for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Fine! I'll go talk to her! Gods! Why do I always have to be the good guy around here?"
"Because you are, Inuyasha." Came a reply.
The hanyou turned around. Sango was smiling up at him. Inuyasha returned the smile and then walked towards Kagome.
She looked up when he approached. Inuyasha sat down next to her. "Whatcha' doin'?" he asked.
Kagome shrugged. "Thinking."
"About...?"
"Inuyasha... what did Michiko mean when she told you to tell me how you felt before it was too late?"
Inuyasha face-faulted. What was he supposed to say to her now? Certainly, he couldn't just say, "gee, Kagome, I love you," now could he?! So instead, the hanyou folded his arms across his chest. "Don't worry about that." He said. "It's nuthin' really... is that all you're worried about?"
Kagome looked at the ground. "Well, no." She admitted. "With all the shards of the Shikon no Tama found, what's gunna happen to us?"
Inuyasha was silent, for this was the same question he often thought about. At last, he spoke.
"I dunno, Kagome..."
Kagome shrugged. "It's just that there's nothing to aim for now... no more Naraku... and the Shikon Jewel is safe and sound once again." She glanced down at the whole jewel that hung from the chain around her neck.
Inuyasha could see sadness in her eyes as she looked at the Shikon no Tama... and he thought he knew why.
"Kagome... just ask me."
"Hmmm?"
"You want to ask me something very important. I can see it in your eyes."
The mortal looked at Inuyasha for a moment; a light blush brushing her cheeks.
"Well... I have been thinking, Inuyasha. The Jewel is said to hold the spirit of not only evil demons that once battled the priestess so many years ago, but also Midoriko, herself. If we were to make a good wish apon the jewel, Miroku says that he believes it will be purified, and therefore cease to exist..."
Inuyasha knew exactly where this conversation was going. And he had to stop it before it go any further.
"I know what you're doing, Kagome."
"Huh?"
"Nice try, but I'm not buyin' it."
"What are you talking about?"
"You want me to not wish on the jewel to become a full demon, don't you?"
Kagome was silent.
"Well, that's too bad, cuz' I am, and no one's gunna stop me."
Kagome frowned and stood up. "But Inuyasha! You can't! Think of all the evil that will taint the jewel even more! By wishing to become a full demon, you'll be letting down not only all of us, but Midoriko-sama as well!"
"Well... that's just too bad. I'll make whatever choice I want to make, got it?"
Kagome crossed her arms. "Well then, fine!" she cried. "Maybe you don't need me here to help you guard the jewel any longer! If that's your attitude towards the whole thing, then the hell with our righteous mission to purify the jewel! Forget it! Forget every freakin' plan we've ever had for the jewel! Go right ahead and do what you want!"
Inuyasha stood up now as well. "Kagome, if you leave I am not going to go back and get you this time."
The mortal looked the hanyou right in the eye. "Well then, we all know what's going to happen, then don't we?"
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.
"I'll leave for good, you'll use the jewel to become a full demon, and then you'll grow so evil that you'll corrupt the jewel even more and the whole process will repeat itself! Maybe one day my reincarnation will show up and shatter the jewel. Then what? Huh? Then what will happen to Feudal Japan? It'll be stuck in the warring states era for good. There'll be no advances in technology... no possible way for man to go to the moon... to type on a computer... to ride a bicycle, for that matter... it'll just keep repeating the same pattern of finding the shards, and breaking the sacred jewel all over again! That's all it'll ever be... time and time again... And it'll be all thanks to YOU!"
Inuyasha blinked. Everything Kagome had said came out in an angry jumble of words, and some of it didn't even make sense to him. However, the overall gist of it was clear to the hanyou, and he could tell that Kagome was deeply upset about his decision to become full demon. But why? There had to be another reason, other than being concerned solely about the jewel, right?
The hanyou broke out of his thoughts when he saw Kagome walking away angrily. "H-hey wait!" he cried.
Kagome whirled around. "Don't follow me!" she cried.
"Feh! I'll do whatever I want, wench!"
"SIT!"
"Gahhh!"
Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirarra all watched as Kagome walked over to Inuyasha, who was on the ground.
"Obviously, you have no brains whatsoever, Inuyasha!" she cried. "Because if you had half of one, you'd see that I don't want you to become a full demon, because... because... I want you to beam human to be with me!"
With that, she turned and ran into the forest blindly, choking back her tears. She had said the last part so quietly, that Inuyasha didn't let what she had said sink in.
The hanyou groaned as the spell wore off. He picked his head up off the ground to see his three other companions, plus Kirarra, staring down at him.
Suddenly, Shippou bounced down from Miroku's shoulder and whacked Inuyasha upside the head. "You jerk!!!" he cried. "What did you do to poor Kagome now?!"
Inuyasha grabbed the little kitsune by his tail, and balled his fist; ready to pound Shippou, when Sango's boomerang came down and hit him in the arm. Shippou was dropped to the ground, and dashed behind Kirarra.
"What the hell is wrong with you people?!" Inuyasha demanded angrily, standing up to look more menacing.
However, neither Sango nor Miroku seemed fazed by this, and blinked at him calmly. Eventually, the hanyou got bored of trying to act tough, and grunted; turning his back to his friends.
"So where did the wench go to this time?" he asked sourly. "Did she go searching for another neko-youkai to kill her?"
After a while of silence, Inuyasha turned back around. "Hey!" he cried. "Did you hear me?! I asked you where--"
Miroku held up his hand, suddenly, to quiet the hanyou. "Sssh..." he hissed. "Inuyasha, do you sense a strange evil lingering about?"
Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes widened in fear. "Kagome's in danger!" he cried, dashing into the woods.
"So these are the remaining shards?" Miroku asked, glancing down at the small pouch in his hand.
Inuyasha nodded. "There are atleast 40 shards in there." He said. "Those were the ones that Naraku had this whole time."
The companions were all settled around a fire, eating their breakfast fruit. Sango, Miroku, and Shippou had been filled in on everything that had happened... and now they sat there, too shocked to do anything.
After hearing the news of Naraku's death, Miroku had uncovered his hand to see that his windtunnel had vanished.
Sango had also heard rumors that some people had seen her brother, Kohaku, free and roaming the lands nearby.
Things seemed pretty darn good for the friends, as they rested in the warm sun. However, Sango looked over at Kagome and frowned. There was something bothering her friend. She had hardly touched her breakfast, and she had a far-away look in her eyes, as if the mortal was thinking about something very serious.
"You ok, Kagome?" she asked.
Startled by the abrupt question, Kagome jumped. "Uh... yea. I'm fine. I just need to be alone for a while." With that, she got up and walked towards a tall tree about 30 feet away, where she sat down against it and sighed, closing her eyes.
Shippou, Sango, and Miroku exchanged glances, and then all eyes fell upon Inuyasha. The hanyou looked up at them for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Fine! I'll go talk to her! Gods! Why do I always have to be the good guy around here?"
"Because you are, Inuyasha." Came a reply.
The hanyou turned around. Sango was smiling up at him. Inuyasha returned the smile and then walked towards Kagome.
She looked up when he approached. Inuyasha sat down next to her. "Whatcha' doin'?" he asked.
Kagome shrugged. "Thinking."
"About...?"
"Inuyasha... what did Michiko mean when she told you to tell me how you felt before it was too late?"
Inuyasha face-faulted. What was he supposed to say to her now? Certainly, he couldn't just say, "gee, Kagome, I love you," now could he?! So instead, the hanyou folded his arms across his chest. "Don't worry about that." He said. "It's nuthin' really... is that all you're worried about?"
Kagome looked at the ground. "Well, no." She admitted. "With all the shards of the Shikon no Tama found, what's gunna happen to us?"
Inuyasha was silent, for this was the same question he often thought about. At last, he spoke.
"I dunno, Kagome..."
Kagome shrugged. "It's just that there's nothing to aim for now... no more Naraku... and the Shikon Jewel is safe and sound once again." She glanced down at the whole jewel that hung from the chain around her neck.
Inuyasha could see sadness in her eyes as she looked at the Shikon no Tama... and he thought he knew why.
"Kagome... just ask me."
"Hmmm?"
"You want to ask me something very important. I can see it in your eyes."
The mortal looked at Inuyasha for a moment; a light blush brushing her cheeks.
"Well... I have been thinking, Inuyasha. The Jewel is said to hold the spirit of not only evil demons that once battled the priestess so many years ago, but also Midoriko, herself. If we were to make a good wish apon the jewel, Miroku says that he believes it will be purified, and therefore cease to exist..."
Inuyasha knew exactly where this conversation was going. And he had to stop it before it go any further.
"I know what you're doing, Kagome."
"Huh?"
"Nice try, but I'm not buyin' it."
"What are you talking about?"
"You want me to not wish on the jewel to become a full demon, don't you?"
Kagome was silent.
"Well, that's too bad, cuz' I am, and no one's gunna stop me."
Kagome frowned and stood up. "But Inuyasha! You can't! Think of all the evil that will taint the jewel even more! By wishing to become a full demon, you'll be letting down not only all of us, but Midoriko-sama as well!"
"Well... that's just too bad. I'll make whatever choice I want to make, got it?"
Kagome crossed her arms. "Well then, fine!" she cried. "Maybe you don't need me here to help you guard the jewel any longer! If that's your attitude towards the whole thing, then the hell with our righteous mission to purify the jewel! Forget it! Forget every freakin' plan we've ever had for the jewel! Go right ahead and do what you want!"
Inuyasha stood up now as well. "Kagome, if you leave I am not going to go back and get you this time."
The mortal looked the hanyou right in the eye. "Well then, we all know what's going to happen, then don't we?"
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.
"I'll leave for good, you'll use the jewel to become a full demon, and then you'll grow so evil that you'll corrupt the jewel even more and the whole process will repeat itself! Maybe one day my reincarnation will show up and shatter the jewel. Then what? Huh? Then what will happen to Feudal Japan? It'll be stuck in the warring states era for good. There'll be no advances in technology... no possible way for man to go to the moon... to type on a computer... to ride a bicycle, for that matter... it'll just keep repeating the same pattern of finding the shards, and breaking the sacred jewel all over again! That's all it'll ever be... time and time again... And it'll be all thanks to YOU!"
Inuyasha blinked. Everything Kagome had said came out in an angry jumble of words, and some of it didn't even make sense to him. However, the overall gist of it was clear to the hanyou, and he could tell that Kagome was deeply upset about his decision to become full demon. But why? There had to be another reason, other than being concerned solely about the jewel, right?
The hanyou broke out of his thoughts when he saw Kagome walking away angrily. "H-hey wait!" he cried.
Kagome whirled around. "Don't follow me!" she cried.
"Feh! I'll do whatever I want, wench!"
"SIT!"
"Gahhh!"
Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirarra all watched as Kagome walked over to Inuyasha, who was on the ground.
"Obviously, you have no brains whatsoever, Inuyasha!" she cried. "Because if you had half of one, you'd see that I don't want you to become a full demon, because... because... I want you to beam human to be with me!"
With that, she turned and ran into the forest blindly, choking back her tears. She had said the last part so quietly, that Inuyasha didn't let what she had said sink in.
The hanyou groaned as the spell wore off. He picked his head up off the ground to see his three other companions, plus Kirarra, staring down at him.
Suddenly, Shippou bounced down from Miroku's shoulder and whacked Inuyasha upside the head. "You jerk!!!" he cried. "What did you do to poor Kagome now?!"
Inuyasha grabbed the little kitsune by his tail, and balled his fist; ready to pound Shippou, when Sango's boomerang came down and hit him in the arm. Shippou was dropped to the ground, and dashed behind Kirarra.
"What the hell is wrong with you people?!" Inuyasha demanded angrily, standing up to look more menacing.
However, neither Sango nor Miroku seemed fazed by this, and blinked at him calmly. Eventually, the hanyou got bored of trying to act tough, and grunted; turning his back to his friends.
"So where did the wench go to this time?" he asked sourly. "Did she go searching for another neko-youkai to kill her?"
After a while of silence, Inuyasha turned back around. "Hey!" he cried. "Did you hear me?! I asked you where--"
Miroku held up his hand, suddenly, to quiet the hanyou. "Sssh..." he hissed. "Inuyasha, do you sense a strange evil lingering about?"
Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes widened in fear. "Kagome's in danger!" he cried, dashing into the woods.