Chapter 7

"The Shikon no Tama? What's that?" asked a very muddled Kagome.

"The Shikon no Tama is a fabled jewel that is said to give humans and demons alike more power. The possessor of the jewel is said to become 100 times stronger than normal. Even a small sliver can give someone a lot more power." Inu Yasha looked closer at the jewel and said, "Whoever has the sliver that is missing is bound to be looking for the rest," said Inu Yasha.

He looked up into Kagome's face. "When whole, a person can make a wish on the jewel. That is why I want the jewel. So I can use it to become a full demon." He paused, then went on, "The jewel can either be evil or be pure. Long ago, the true owners of the jewel would give it to priestesses to keep it pure."

"Oh……but whoever has the sliver won't be able to get it will they? I mean, they can't find it unless they get a tip about its whereabouts, right?" asked Kagome, worried about her family's safety.

"Well, some people can sense the jewel…..you said it was emitting some strange power right?" When Kagome nodded yes, he said "That means you can sense the jewel. You could probably see if it was hidden somewhere. Close your eyes real fast…I want to test my theory." Kagome closed her eyes, and Inu Yasha hid the jewel. "Ok, open your eyes, and tell me if you see something glowing somewhere." Kagome opened her eyes, and searched his bed with her eyes.

"The pillow is kind of glowing," said Kagome. A pinkish glow was emitting from the pillow. When Inu Yasha pulled out the jewel, she gasped. "There are only a few people who can sense the jewel….mainly descendants of priests and priestesses," Inu Yasha told her.

"Well, I think my family has had a few priestesses in it…." said Kagome. "But….. what if a demon comes while you're in the hospital? You've still got another 4 days left in the hospital!" Kagome started to get worried. What would her family do if that happened? Even she knew that her family would be too weak to fight back. "Why don't you leave it with me?" Inu Yasha's voice interrupted her thoughts. Kagome shook her head, "I couldn't leave it with you. Even though you could probably protect yourself, you are hurt and there are a lot of people here that you would put in danger. I wouldn't be able to live knowing that I helped contribute to the death of people that were sick." They both sat in silence for a couple of minutes until Miroku knocked at the door. "What?" Inu Yasha called from his bed. When he noticed that it was Miroku, he went on, "Kagome and I are in the middle of a conversation."

"Yes sorry to interrupt, but I need to ask you something. My apartment is being sprayed for termites and I need a place to crash……" Miroku trailed on.

Kagome cleared her throat and said, "Well, you could stay at my house." Inu Yasha nodded his head and said, "That's perfect! Miroku is a black belt {or whatever the highest belt in karate is} too." Although Miroku had no idea why Kagome cared that he was a black belt, he said, "Wonderful! Did you walk here Kagome?" When she nodded he went on, "Ok, then I'll drive you home. I'm off work, since it is 5:30." Kagome replied, "Alright. Wait…did you say 5:30?! Oh my god! I'm half an hour late!" She quickly put her coat on, grabbed the jewel from Inu Yasha's hands and flew out the door, grabbing Miroku's arm and pulling him with her. "Wait! Be careful Kagome!" yelled Inu Yasha, from his hospital bed.

Once they were in the car, Miroku asked Kagome what she was late for. "I'm supposed to go shopping with my friends Erin and Sango. Sango's having a party in a couple of days and Erin wants me to help her find a dress for it." They sat in silence until they pulled up to the mall. Kagome jumped out and ran into the building, Miroku trailing behind her. She ran into the food court (that was the 'spot' to hang out at) and spotted both of the girls. She ran up to them and said, "Hi guys! I'm soo sorry I'm late! I was visiting a.."

"Hello ladies," a soft voice interrupted her. Kagome watched her friends look behind her (at Miroku) and gape. Her eyes widened when both Erin and Sango jumped up and introduced themselves. "I'm Miroku," he replied.

Kagome waited for a tell tale smack, and it came only seconds later. They had been walking into the first store (American Eagle) when both of Kagome's friends turned red and smacked Miroku. For the next hour all the girls (and the lone guy) shopped. At the end, everyone had bought something.

-Kagome:

Plat-Form Shoes

A sundress

Earrings

(Another) Necklace

-Erin:

A Sleeveless dress

Shoes

-Sango:

Earrings

Nail Polish

-Miroku:

Khaki Pants

Aeropostale Shirt

When Miroku excused himself to go to the bathroom, Kagome was immediately questioned about him. "Is he yours?" Erin asked. Kagome was aghast even at the idea of them being together. "No way! Of course we aren't together!" Suddenly an idea hit her and she asked suspiciously, "Why? Do you like him or something?"

"Well he is pretty hot…" Erin trailed off until Sango said, "Do you think he'd come to my party?"

"You want him to come to you're party? Didn't you notice how perverted he was? He's like that all the time," Kagome said.

"Who's like what all the time?" asked a deep male voice. Kagome instantly recognized it as Miroku's and blushed. She said, "Oh, no one. Sango was wondering if you wanted to go to her party. It's on Friday." She couldn't believe she had just done that, but it was a cover for what she had been saying.

"Uh….sure I guess," he said. Sango and Erin looked over rejoiced at those 3 words. Suddenly, Kagome felt something. Everything went in slow motion as she felt an evil power get closer and closer. She barely heard Miroku ask, "Hey Kagome! Are you all right?"

She snapped back to reality when he shook her shoulder. "We need to get out of here." She had no idea why she thought that, but she knew they did. Kagome grabbed as many sleeves as she could and ran toward the doors. It was too late though, because just then, somebody flew through the air and shot a small light at her. Kagome screamed and everything went black.

**Don't you just LOVE cliff hangers? ^^ I know I do! Anways…Thanks for bearing with me and waiting for me to update! I'll try to work on the new chapters everyday! I need (want anyways) at least 6 reviews to continue the next chapter! Thank ya! Kari