~Kagome's POV~

To say the least, I had no idea what I was doing here. I hadn't come back after I left Inuyasha, and I had never intended to. So why was I here now? And where was Inuyasha that made it unsafe now? I wonder why I was summoned. It must have been Kikyou. An accusation formed in my mind. I suppose it's irrelevant, but my guess what that Kikyou wanted the Shikon no Tama again.

"I want to know what happened." I said abruptly.

"What?" Rin asked.

"I want to know everything. Where everyone went, what they did, and where they are now." I repeated.

"Well, we can tell you what we know, which isn't much, but hopefully Kaede will know more." Shippou said.

"Some of what we know may not even be true." Rin interjected.

"What do you mean? Then how did you find anything out?" I asked, curious.

"Most of what we know is only by Shippou and I combining what we found out through rumors." Rin explained.

"And even what we know for sure may not be true." Shippou said from behind.

"I see. I don't think it would matter anyway, as normally rumors in this place are normally true." I said.

"Not now they aren't. People seem to want to see youkai, because they claim the wildest stories now." Rin said, "In any case, I've been pushed around the country because of these lies. They're just seeking attention."

I suppose Rin was right, but I didn't voice it. The one burning question in my mind they obviously didn't have an answer for. I waited to ask the rest of my questions and for them to explain. It wasn't that long, and we touched down just outside Kaede's hut.

~Sango's POV~

"Miroku, you won't believe whose here." I said.

"Hm?" He asked. He was leaning over some map or other.

I had just seen Kirara outside, which made my spirit soar, with Kagome in the middle of a girl and boy.

"Miroku!" I yelled.

"What?!" He asked. Clearly he was aggravated.

"Kagome and Kirara are here!" I said.

"OH!" He got up immediately, upsetting the small table and falling backward.

I ran outside to greet our old friend, who was likewise ecstatic. That saved us the trouble of having to navigate her somewhat vast world. I hugged the life out of her, I'm sure.

~Miroku's POV~

Getting up from the spot I'd fallen, I saw Sango run out of the hut. I might have guessed that Kikyou would show her presence to Kagome by now, and wasn't the least surprised she was here. If Kikyou wanted the Shikon no Tama, she had to have all of us, including Kagome. I'm sure given the chance, Kikyou would kill Kagome after taking her shard, but that's something we need to prevent.
Seeing her here made me think that Kikyou was luring Inuyasha as well. I felt her presence strongly, but was not easily lured. I had no bind to Kikyou, as Inuyasha and Kagome, and in so doing she would have to capture me if she could. Yes, I am a bit cocky at this subject.

I walked outside and greeted Kagome, "Ah, one more of my old friends!"

"Two." The man beside her said, getting off of Kirara. The fire cat meowed.

"Three, my apologies, Kirara." I said.

"And an a shard." The girl said.

"How is it I have three and a shard?" I asked, smiling kindly.

"It's me, Miroku. No one recognizes me!" The man said, slightly distressed.

"Not ringing bells." I said.

"Shippou the kitsune, damnit!" He said.

"Oh! Hello Shippou." I gave him a friendly hug, and turned to the lady beside them all, "And you would be? The shard?" I laughed.

~Rin's POV~

He was so arrogant I wanted to punch him. However as it was their friend, I did nothing.

"I'm one of the seven," I corrected, "My name is Rin."

"Ah, seven with a jewel shard. I understand. You would be the little girl that traveled with Sesshoumaru."

"Good memory. I didn't know until last night." Shippou laughed.

"I was quite a bit older at the time, if you remember Shippou." Miroku said.

"I was there too. And I don't remember her." Sango said.

"I do." Kagome interjected, "She and Shippou crushed the Shikon so we could take the shards."

"Ah," Recognition dawned on Sango's face, "Now I remember her."

"Well hello." I said.

"We are being rude." Sango said, "Come in."

"Hey! Where's Kaede?" Shippou asked. I knew when he asked it was a mistake.

Sango turned away and wiped her eyes, and Miroku looked suddenly sullen, and he tensed. Shippou seemed not to notice.

"We'll tell you everything inside." Miroku said.

Everyone went inside, and I followed wordlessly.

~Shippou's POV~

Something must have happened to Kaede, I knew it. After I said it, the mood changed. It wasn't happy anymore.. It was sad, mixed with regret. But I followed inside and Rin went behind me. I felt as if it were just old times. Kagome sat where she normally always used to, Sango sat where she used to sleep, and Miroku sat in his old place. We were missing Inuyasha. I saw Kagome sneak a peek toward where he used to sit, and she averted her eyes downcast to the floor. I felt sad, remorseful.

"So what's this all about?" Rin asked. She sat with me in Inuyasha's place.

"Kikyou." Miroku said.

"We already saw her." I said.

"I know, but you most likely would have known sooner, if she had let her presence known. She was in hiding, now she is not." Sango said.

"You tell us what you know, and we'll tell you what we know." Rin said.

"All the better, this is about the Shikon no Tama." Miroku began.

"I knew it." Kagome spoke quietly.

"You did?" I asked.

"Yes. That's what drew me into the feudal time again. I would not have come if I did not feel it, and I'm quite sure Inuyasha felt it too, wherever he is." Kagome said. Here and there after little words, and very noticeably after Inuyasha's name, her voice caught, "She's after the Shikon, but I'm not sure exactly what her aim is this time. It could be anything."

"No, it couldn't." Sango said. Kagome looked up, her eyes shining.

"Kikyou has one aim we know of. She is working for Naraku. She captured Sango, and took her Shikon shard." Miroku explained.

"Then it's true she's trying to catch us all?" Rin asked.

"Yes, Rin. If she doesn't Naraku can't resurface. He did go to hell when we all defeated him, but Kikyou escaped and none of us noticed except Inuyasha. That's where he is. Ripping up and down the country trying to lay her spirit to rest." Miroku said.

"And that's why I left back to my time. I kept my shard so that if he did come back, I could too." Kagome said.

"Right. And after that, Miroku and I left to rebuild my village, and I left Kirara behind." Kirara gave a somewhat reproachful meow, but seemed to have forgiven Sango for leaving her.

"Then Sesshoumaru left me when I was thirteen, and Jaken died in a youkai battle. I came across Kirara, and we've been together ever since." Rin explained.

"That's good." Sango said. Rin glared at the fire.

"I left because it was just me and Kaede. And then a few days ago I was summoned by Kikyou." I said.

"Exactly. She knew where everyone was, having kept tabs on them." Miroku said.

Rin jumped beside me, and I was quite sure she was thinking of Sesshoumaru.

"She captured me the same way, except that she had a villager inside her hut and had them explain they were the village miko, and sent me in back of the hut where she captured me with soul-catchers." Sango said.

"But why then, did she not do the same with Shippou and I?" Rin asked.

"Easy. She wanted you two later. She needs you Rin." Miroku explained.

"Why me?" Rin asked.

"Sesshoumaru." I said. "Kikyou must not know where he is if she needs Rin to bait him."

"But she doesn't need my shard for that, and if she had taken it and he's kept tabs on me, then he would have come to rescue me." Rin said quietly.

"Rin, I don't think that's the case." Miroku said.

"If he had been watching you and keeping tabs, then he would have come when the Bird of Paradise attacked you and knocked you unconscious." I said.

"Oh." Was her feeble reply.

Her emotion about Sesshoumaru was tearing at me. I didn't even realize that it was her pain I was feeling until I put my hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Then I had to ask.

"What happened to Kaede and why isn't she here?"

Miroku looked even more sullen now. "Kaede-sama has. Passed away. Just a few days before Sango and I arrived." I tensed. Kagome let her tears flow freely, and Rin put a hand on my shoulder now.

"Was anyone here for her?" Rin asked.

"Only the villagers, and I'm sure she was happy." Miroku said, "Unfortunately, we all expected Kaede to live forever as was her will."

"One of us should have been here." Kagome said firmly.

"I know, Kagome. But what could we do?" Sango said, speaking to the fire.

"You should have come and checked on her!" Kagome yelled.

"Calm yourself." Rin said.

"I will not! Not when Kaede is gone, Inuyasha is bent on the will of a dark dead miko, Sesshoumaru could be dead as well, and we aren't enough to defeat him!" Kagome yelled, springing to her feet.

"No one planned this, Kagome." Miroku said, likewise standing.

"He did! Naraku did, and you know it!" Kagome was screaming now.

"There is no way." I said.

"There is. Shippou, don't you see? He wanted this to happen! He was waiting for us to split up, HE KNEW IT ALL!" She screamed.

"Kagome! He could not have planned it! There isn't a way he could! It's Kikyou who did it, but no one caused Kaede's death!" Sango said in a rush.

"He did, I know he did it!" Kagome yelled.

Rin sprung up as well and tried to get Kagome to sit down. Kagome merely shook her off.

"Naraku knew he would leave! This is HIS fault! It's all his fault!" Kagome said, now sobbing. Rin got her to sit down, and Kagome sobbed into Rin's shirt. "Kagome, we know that it's painful, Kaede was a good woman, but this is not Naraku's doing. Kaede was old, it was her time." Miroku said.

"According to her," I said quietly, "This is Inuyasha's fault too."

~Miroku's POV~

I couldn't believe it. How could it be Naraku's fault if he's burning in hell? Naraku had no power there, as far as I knew, and Kikyou could never kill her sister. Wait. I don't know anything than what Inuyasha's said about Kikyou, and that isn't much.

~Kagome's POV~

"How could he leave me? How could he go and choose her!?" I yelled into Rin's shirt.

I heard Shippou say, "He didn't, Kagome. He's trying to do the right thing and make her see that she needs to die. He didn't want to go."

I pushed Rin away, "Yes he did! He didn't even say goodbye to me!"

With that, I ran outside and kept running, toward the one place where I could leave it all behind. But instead of running to go to the well, I went to where it all happened first. Where I met him, where I released him from his prison. It was his fault, and I knew it. If only he'd stayed, then everything would be better now. Kaede wouldn't have died without any of us here. I was convinced it was his entire fault, his doing. He did it. Naraku was just my dummy. I knew Naraku was worse than dead, but I couldn't out and blame it on Inuyasha.
It hurt. It hurt so bad. I couldn't be here anymore, it was wrong! I left, and when I did, I left this world behind. I left him behind. I had had no intention of coming back, of being here, learning these things. I didn't want to know! I reached his tree. The God Tree. I leapt up to where he used to be stuck to it, and I pounded it with my fists. I hit it, and kicked at it, tears splashing down my face. Why did he do this to me? Wasn't I important to him too?

%! FlashbacK !%

Inuyasha walked up to the tree and ran his hand over it.

"Inuyasha?" I called softly.

He started, then looked at me, "I was just thinking.about the first time we met."

I was pleasantly shocked, "Really?"

"Yeah. You know you've become the most important thing my life?" He said.

This time, I couldn't speak.

"I don't care about the Shikon no Tama or anything else, just you." He said, and pulled me close, "And maybe our friends. Maybe." I laughed.

Gently, he kissed me softly on the lips. So soft I barely felt it. It was the strongest an emotion he'd ever displayed, even to me. Before I knew it, it was over.

"No matter what I say, remember always, you're the most important." He said.

%! End of FlashbacK !%

He'd said it. And then he ran off with Kikyou! Or rather, to look for her, but what difference did it make? He'd left me when he said he'd loved me. I guess that was his will. What was mine?