Hi everyone, I'm so sorry this took so long! But I really needed to go over it and make sure that I had made all the changes I had wanted to, and it still isn't what I wanted it to be, but oh well! I'd really appreciate reviews on this one, as I always do, but the first part of this chapter had me worried so please help me out! I do want to say thank you to all of you who reviewed last time, which is a whopping three of you.... *sniff* But thank you to the three who still love me! Litoasngrl, Heather, and EvilVidel, you guys rock! I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint you too much. Please tell me what you think again though, cause this one I was worried about! Oh, and since I took so long to update I made this chapter especially long for ya...
*disclaimer: Nope... Inuyasha wasn't mine when I first started this story and I can pretty much bet that he's not going to be mine by the end of it... *wails*
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Kagome awoke to that same odd feeling... it seemed so close... she looked up and stifled a scream. That same white face was in her room! And it was after the shikon shards! Kagome sat up quickly and the spirit seemed to disappear. She shakily got out of bed and grabbed the shards off her dresser. She was about call for Inuyasha but he came into her room from the hallway.
"Inuyasha... did you see that thing?"
"Yeah, I followed it from downstairs. You suppose that was a ghost?"
"I don't know... but I saw it before, when I was walking home from my date," Kagome whispered.
"You saw it before? Where was it?"
Kagome explained the ruined temple she passed.
"It must be some disturbed spirit trying to get hold of the shikon shards," Inuyasha rationalized.
"But what could a ghost do with them?" Kagome asked.
"I don't know. Maybe try to bring itself back to life?"
"Inuyasha I'm afraid to go back to sleep, what if that thing comes back for the shards?" Kagome looked worried.
"I'll stay right here and make sure nothing happens," Inuyasha said.
Kagome put the shards on her dresser and climbed back into bed. Inuyasha sat down and leaned up against the bed rest. Kagome giggled inwardly. When he was sitting down, all she could see of him was a little of the top of his head and his ears. She slowly reached out, wondering if it would make him mad... but she couldn't stand it. She grabbed his ear. Inuyasha turned around and glared at her over the top of the bed. Kagome pulled her hand away.
"I thought you wanted to go to sleep."
"Sorry, I just couldn't resist..." Kagome smiled at him sweetly and Inuyasha sighed and turned back around.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
Later on in the night Inuyasha awoke once again. It was back. He looked behind him and saw that Kagome was peacefully asleep. The spirit was hovering over the shards again. He got up and spoke to it.
"Hey, you can just get the hell out 'a here now, cause those are our shards and you're not taking them," he said.
The ghost turned and looked at him and then snatched up the shards.
"Hey!" Inuyasha jumped over to the dresser, but the ghost had retreated out the door. Kagome woke up to Inuyasha cursing.
"What's going on, Inuyasha?" she asked as she sleepily rubbed her eyes.
"That damn ghost took the shikon shards!"
"What?" Kagome was suddenly awake. "It came back then?"
"Yeah, and it left with our shards. Where was that temple you were talking about Kagome? It's my guess that it went back there."
"It's not very far from here. I can take you there."
"Good then, let's go," Inuyasha said as he grabbed Kagome's wrist and pulled her to the window. He picked her up and jumped out. Kagome held in a shriek, as she was not really accustomed to flying out her window as a means of exiting her house. Inuyasha landed and put Kagome down. She climbed onto his back and he took off in the direction Kagome pointed.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
They reached the old condemned temple. Kagome shivered. They walked up to the shabby door and went inside.
"Where are the shards, Kagome?" Inuyasha said in a low voice.
"They are that way, probably in a back room somewhere," she replied quietly.
The old temple was falling apart. The decorative rugs on the floor were tattered and frayed. The walls were filled with queer paintings of prominent old monks. They seemed to glare in the eerie moonlight that filtered in through the shattered windows. Strange little statues and ornaments were scattered on the floor, many of them broken. The place must have been beautiful once, but time and neglect, and cruel little boys with rocks, had made the once gorgeous and thriving halls only a memory.
Kagome felt the loneliness of the sad decaying temple as she and Inuyasha picked their way through the ruins towards the shikon shards. They walked along in silence with every breath and footstep echoing off the walls. But they gasped as they turned a corner and came upon a room that looked as though it had not been touched for centuries. It was filled with gorgeous paintings, rugs, wall hangings, statues, and decorations. Everything however, was covered in a thick layer of dust. In the middle at the back of the room was a small ornate shrine. Kagome covered her mouth. In it was a skeleton in a sitting position with its legs crossed. Then she gasped.
"The shards! They are in this room Inuyasha!"
"Where exactly are they?"
Kagome concentrated, then looked with distaste at the little shrine. "They are there, by the skeleton..." She pointed.
Inuyasha was about to head over to find them when the little jar rose in the air. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's arm in fright.
"It still has them!"
"Listen, what the hell are you? What do you want with our shards?" Inuyasha asked the ghost.
A dry, whisper-like voice replied. It was very faint, but sounded like crisp autumn leaves scraping over a grave.
"I need them, to bring myself back to life..."
"Eugh!" Kagome gripped Inuyasha's arm tighter.
"But you're dead! You gotta move on now. Dead people are supposed to stay dead!"
'Unless you're Kikyo....' Kagome thought, with a hint of bitterness.
"I was not supposed to die. It was not my time," the voice whispered again.
"There's nothing you can do about it now. So give us back our shikon shards," Inuyasha said stubbornly.
"How... how did you die?" Kagome gently spoke up.
"I was once the head temple man here," the voice replied; the shards still hovering in the air. It continued, "I was very prominent and people came to me for advice and counseling, to heal their wounds, and for herbs and remedies."
"But what happened to you?" Kagome asked.
"I was set up as a sacrifice. Another temple man was jealous of my healing powers and my way with the people. He learned of a spell that would grant him my abilities. But the spell would only work if I were killed."
"How sad," Kagome said, putting her hand up to her mouth. Inuyasha listened intently, but all the while kept his eyes on the floating shikon shards. If he could only grab them...
"So this other man murdered you and took your powers with his spell?" Kagome said.
"Yes," the voice replied.
"That's terrible... But how can our shards help you...?"
"The dead's only wish is to be among the living again. I want to be alive again, instead of being stuck here on this earth as a miserable spirit. The only way I could have been freed was to have my body peacefully laid to rest. They tried to tear the temple down, but then my body would have been destroyed and I would definitely be cursed to wander this earth for eternity. Fortunately for me, my fate has been altered. These shards will grant my wish. I shall walk with the living once again, and my power will double!"
The boomed and echoed through the halls. Kagome and Inuyasha were thrown back by the force of it.
"The shards!" Kagome cried. The ghost of the priest had materialized and took the jewel shards over to the decaying skeleton. He placed one shard on the forehead, one in the neck, one in each shoulder, and the last remaining two in both hands. He then began chanting a spell.
"Inuyasha, what do we do?!" Kagome cried.
"I don't know what to tell you. I can't defeat this guy with tetsusaiga, he's only a spirit!" Inuyasha looked grim.
They watched on as the ghost began to glow brightly. He then moved to the rotting corpse and slid into it. They watched in amazement as the skeleton went through the decaying process backwards, until the priest was whole again. He got up and evilly smiled at Kagome and Inuyasha. But he stopped and the smile left his face. A cut slashed across his throat and he began to bleed. He grabbed his neck.
"What's happening?! Why am I bleeding?!"
"What a horrible way to die..." Kagome trailed off.
"Had his throat slit, huh," said Inuyasha.
The priest removed his hands and saw that he was not dying from the cut.
"Well, no matter. I can still exact my revenge. And I will start with you two."
"The shards! Their energy is becoming polluted!" Kagome cried.
Inuyasha drew tetsusaiga. "Well now that he's got a body, I can slash it to shreds!"
He jumped up and went to cut the priest in half. But the priest raised his hands and with sheer power alone warded off tetsusaiga. Inuyasha flew back to the wall where Kagome was standing.
"What the hell..." Inuyasha said, rubbing his head.
"Remember Inuyasha, he has six jewel shards!" Kagome said grabbing his arm and helping him stand.
"Yeah yeah," he grumbled.
"Your sword is no match for my power!" the priest gloated.
"Blah blah blah! Your power comes from the shikon shards you stole from us! You filthy thief!"
'The jewel becomes stronger when tainted with malice,' Kagome thought. 'The priest has suffered betrayal by another temple man. Maybe Inuyasha could defeat him if I purified the jewel...'
"Inuyasha! Wait here! I will be right back!" Kagome called as she bolted out the door.
"Kagome! Where are you going! Don't just leave me here!" Inuyasha yelled.
"It seems your friends are fickle when the going gets tough," the temple man laughed.
"She'll be back. My friends never leave my side in battle," Inuyasha growled.
"It seems that she just did," he said amused. "But enough talk. I want to feel the satisfaction of killing you."
"You're wrong there my friend," Inuyasha yelled as he charged. "I'll be the one who feels satisfaction over killing you!"
Inuyasha tried to cut him but was thrown back again.
'Damn, there's nothing I can do to get close to this guy...' Inuyasha thought as he wiped away blood from his mouth. He tried several more unsuccessful attempts at destroying the temple man and was tossed about the room. He landed with a thud near the door. Kagome came running back in with a bow and quiver of arrows that she had found in another hall.
"Inuyasha! Stand back, I'll take care of this!"
Kagome strung an arrow in her bow and shot it at the priest's neck. He dodged but wasn't quick enough. The arrow hit his shoulder and purified the jewel shard within.
"What?! What is going on here?!" the evil priest cried. He looked at Kagome and glared. "You are a priestess, little girl?"
"Yes I am! A very powerful one, too! So you had better just give us the shards back!"
"I see. You are the more formidable foe," he murmured. "Then you shall be the first to die."
"Like hell she will!" Inuyasha jumped in front of Kagome before the force of the attack from the priest hit her. Inuyasha fell to his knees in pain.
"Inuyasha!" she cried. "Okay, that's it!!!" Kagome was seriously angry now. She concentrated all of her power into that arrow. It began to glow even before she had shot it. She aimed for his heart and let the arrow fly. The arrow sailed through the air so fast that the priest didn't have time to move. It hit him square in the chest and he cried out. All of the shards were instantly purified and flew out of his body. He began to decay again and then he quickly disintegrated into nothing. Kagome quickly ran up and grabbed the shikon shards, but she didn't have much time. The temple began to rumble. She looked up and saw the ceiling starting to give way. She grabbed Inuyasha's arm and hauled him up. Inuyasha was holding his stomach as he and Kagome ran through the temple, avoiding pieces of falling debris. A large chunk of ceiling fell in front of them, and they jumped around it. Inuyasha was injured by the priest's attack and was having a hard time running.
"Come on Inuyasha! We won't make it at this rate! You gotta move!" Kagome encouraged him as they ran through the halls.
They were almost out. The whole place was caving in on them. They burst through the doorway just before the entire building collapsed. Inuyasha sat on the ground and held his stomach while Kagome panted from the exertion.
"Are you okay Inuyasha?" she asked with concern.
"He really hit me hard..." he said. "But I'll be okay."
Kagome looked back at the temple ruins. "I hope that priest has finally crossed over in peace. Let's go home."
Inuyasha stood up. "Get on."
"Are you sure? You're injured..."
"I'll be fine, let's just get back to your house," Inuyasha said as Kagome climbed onto his back.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
The next morning, Kagome and Inuyasha were eating breakfast a little late. Kagome yawned. All Inuyasha suffered from last night's endeavor was lack of sleep.
"Listen to this!" Kagome's grandfather came into the kitchen with the morning newspaper. "That old temple a few blocks away from us fell down last night!"
Kagome and Inuyasha shot each other a look from across the table.
"Really, grandpa?" Kagome said.
"Yes, and no one knows why. They supposed it was just old and falling apart."
"Why didn't they knock it down a long time ago, grandpa? Wouldn't you think it would be a dangerous building to leave standing? If people wandered in there it could collapse on them!" Kagome said.
"They tried to a few years back, but the demolition crew claimed the old temple was haunted. Their machinery kept breaking down and their tools would go missing. One worker even claimed he had seen a ghost. So they abandoned the project. You know, there is an old story about that temple and a priest that was betrayed by another..."
"That's great grandpa, but Inuyasha and I have to get back the feudal era now..." Kagome said as she got up and put her dishes away. She grabbed Inuyasha's arm and tugged him out the door. "See you in a few days!"
"Young people. Always on the go, rush rush rush. Never have time any more..." Kagome's grandfather grumbled as he walked out the door.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
"Kagome! You're back!"
Kagome and Inuyasha were approaching Kaede's hut when her vision was suddenly blocked by a big ball of fur.
"Shippo! I'm glad to see you too!" Kagome smiled. She pried the little fox demon off her face and pulled out a sucker she had saved for him. He happily took it and jumped down.
"Lady Kagome, Inuyasha. You're back." Miroku and Sango appeared from the hut.
"Hi everybody! Are you ready to start searching again?" Kagome grinned at her friends.
"It's about time..." muttered Inuyasha. Kagome elbowed him.
"Let's go then!" she smiled.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
Sesshomaru was sitting quietly underneath the shade of a large tree. Jaken sat several feet away, talking and sputtering to himself as usual. Ahn and Uhn were eating grass near him, and Rin was playing out in the meadow. She jumped around and chased after butterflies. Occasionally she'd fall back into the soft grass and stare up at the fluffy white cumulus clouds. After awhile she came running to the edge of the forest where Sesshomaru rested.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin slid to a stop and gently tugged on Sesshomaru's sleeve. "Look! I picked this just for you!" She grinned ear to ear and shoved a little yellow flower into his hand. Sesshomaru looked at it. Its stem was broken and most of the petals were missing. Rin was looking up expectantly at him.
Sesshomaru felt awkward. What did the child want? After a pause he said, "Thank you, Rin."
She smiled brightly and still stood there. He stared at her a little longer, still not knowing what she waiting for. Finally it dawned on him and he quickly placed the flower in a fold of his robe. Rin jumped up and down and ran back into the medow, calling "you're welcome!" over her shoulder. Sesshomaru felt an urge to sigh, but held it in and looked over at Jaken, who was still muttering to himself about God knows what.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
Inuyasha and the group had started off again and were now traveling in beautiful mountainous countryside. Kagome couldn't sense any jewel shards near so they were looking for a village to settle in for that night. As the group walked along chatting, a large black bird suddenly swooped right over Inuyasha's head.
"Gah!" he exclaimed, and waved his arms over his head as the bird flew away. "Stupid bird! Bloody vulture. I hate crows!" He shook his fist at it. Then he felt a slight itch on his neck. He slapped it and looked into his hand.
"Myouga. Nice to see you," he said sarcastically. "What brings ya this time?"
"Lord Inuyasha, I may have discovered something important," the little flea bowed.
"I hope this isn't like the other time you discovered something important. I don't feel like dealing with a bunch of possessed plants again. I had thorns stuck in my pants for days, and they had nothing to do with Naraku or shikon shards. So if this doesn't have to do with either of them, bug off," Inuyasha said.
"Oh this definitely has to do with Naraku, Master Inuyasha. I may have discovered the location to his castle. And the plants weren't that bad, the villagers were very grateful..."
The group stopped.
"His castle, you say?" Miroku put in.
"Yes, in a village not too far from here a castle mysteriously appeared during the night. The villages were too afraid to go near it as they figured some sort of evil sorcery was involved. They were perhaps right. It is my belief that Naraku is residing there."
"How far away is this castle?" Sango asked.
"About four miles from here," Myouga answered. "I flew over this strange castle on the crow, and it definitely had an evil aura emanating from it. I strongly suggest that you and your group go and investigate it."
"Point us in the direction, old man," Inuyasha said as they started off again.
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Okay! Inu gang is on the way to Naraku's castle. And how does Sesshomaru fit into all this? I'll try to update sooner next time so you can find out!
*disclaimer: Nope... Inuyasha wasn't mine when I first started this story and I can pretty much bet that he's not going to be mine by the end of it... *wails*
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Kagome awoke to that same odd feeling... it seemed so close... she looked up and stifled a scream. That same white face was in her room! And it was after the shikon shards! Kagome sat up quickly and the spirit seemed to disappear. She shakily got out of bed and grabbed the shards off her dresser. She was about call for Inuyasha but he came into her room from the hallway.
"Inuyasha... did you see that thing?"
"Yeah, I followed it from downstairs. You suppose that was a ghost?"
"I don't know... but I saw it before, when I was walking home from my date," Kagome whispered.
"You saw it before? Where was it?"
Kagome explained the ruined temple she passed.
"It must be some disturbed spirit trying to get hold of the shikon shards," Inuyasha rationalized.
"But what could a ghost do with them?" Kagome asked.
"I don't know. Maybe try to bring itself back to life?"
"Inuyasha I'm afraid to go back to sleep, what if that thing comes back for the shards?" Kagome looked worried.
"I'll stay right here and make sure nothing happens," Inuyasha said.
Kagome put the shards on her dresser and climbed back into bed. Inuyasha sat down and leaned up against the bed rest. Kagome giggled inwardly. When he was sitting down, all she could see of him was a little of the top of his head and his ears. She slowly reached out, wondering if it would make him mad... but she couldn't stand it. She grabbed his ear. Inuyasha turned around and glared at her over the top of the bed. Kagome pulled her hand away.
"I thought you wanted to go to sleep."
"Sorry, I just couldn't resist..." Kagome smiled at him sweetly and Inuyasha sighed and turned back around.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
Later on in the night Inuyasha awoke once again. It was back. He looked behind him and saw that Kagome was peacefully asleep. The spirit was hovering over the shards again. He got up and spoke to it.
"Hey, you can just get the hell out 'a here now, cause those are our shards and you're not taking them," he said.
The ghost turned and looked at him and then snatched up the shards.
"Hey!" Inuyasha jumped over to the dresser, but the ghost had retreated out the door. Kagome woke up to Inuyasha cursing.
"What's going on, Inuyasha?" she asked as she sleepily rubbed her eyes.
"That damn ghost took the shikon shards!"
"What?" Kagome was suddenly awake. "It came back then?"
"Yeah, and it left with our shards. Where was that temple you were talking about Kagome? It's my guess that it went back there."
"It's not very far from here. I can take you there."
"Good then, let's go," Inuyasha said as he grabbed Kagome's wrist and pulled her to the window. He picked her up and jumped out. Kagome held in a shriek, as she was not really accustomed to flying out her window as a means of exiting her house. Inuyasha landed and put Kagome down. She climbed onto his back and he took off in the direction Kagome pointed.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
They reached the old condemned temple. Kagome shivered. They walked up to the shabby door and went inside.
"Where are the shards, Kagome?" Inuyasha said in a low voice.
"They are that way, probably in a back room somewhere," she replied quietly.
The old temple was falling apart. The decorative rugs on the floor were tattered and frayed. The walls were filled with queer paintings of prominent old monks. They seemed to glare in the eerie moonlight that filtered in through the shattered windows. Strange little statues and ornaments were scattered on the floor, many of them broken. The place must have been beautiful once, but time and neglect, and cruel little boys with rocks, had made the once gorgeous and thriving halls only a memory.
Kagome felt the loneliness of the sad decaying temple as she and Inuyasha picked their way through the ruins towards the shikon shards. They walked along in silence with every breath and footstep echoing off the walls. But they gasped as they turned a corner and came upon a room that looked as though it had not been touched for centuries. It was filled with gorgeous paintings, rugs, wall hangings, statues, and decorations. Everything however, was covered in a thick layer of dust. In the middle at the back of the room was a small ornate shrine. Kagome covered her mouth. In it was a skeleton in a sitting position with its legs crossed. Then she gasped.
"The shards! They are in this room Inuyasha!"
"Where exactly are they?"
Kagome concentrated, then looked with distaste at the little shrine. "They are there, by the skeleton..." She pointed.
Inuyasha was about to head over to find them when the little jar rose in the air. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's arm in fright.
"It still has them!"
"Listen, what the hell are you? What do you want with our shards?" Inuyasha asked the ghost.
A dry, whisper-like voice replied. It was very faint, but sounded like crisp autumn leaves scraping over a grave.
"I need them, to bring myself back to life..."
"Eugh!" Kagome gripped Inuyasha's arm tighter.
"But you're dead! You gotta move on now. Dead people are supposed to stay dead!"
'Unless you're Kikyo....' Kagome thought, with a hint of bitterness.
"I was not supposed to die. It was not my time," the voice whispered again.
"There's nothing you can do about it now. So give us back our shikon shards," Inuyasha said stubbornly.
"How... how did you die?" Kagome gently spoke up.
"I was once the head temple man here," the voice replied; the shards still hovering in the air. It continued, "I was very prominent and people came to me for advice and counseling, to heal their wounds, and for herbs and remedies."
"But what happened to you?" Kagome asked.
"I was set up as a sacrifice. Another temple man was jealous of my healing powers and my way with the people. He learned of a spell that would grant him my abilities. But the spell would only work if I were killed."
"How sad," Kagome said, putting her hand up to her mouth. Inuyasha listened intently, but all the while kept his eyes on the floating shikon shards. If he could only grab them...
"So this other man murdered you and took your powers with his spell?" Kagome said.
"Yes," the voice replied.
"That's terrible... But how can our shards help you...?"
"The dead's only wish is to be among the living again. I want to be alive again, instead of being stuck here on this earth as a miserable spirit. The only way I could have been freed was to have my body peacefully laid to rest. They tried to tear the temple down, but then my body would have been destroyed and I would definitely be cursed to wander this earth for eternity. Fortunately for me, my fate has been altered. These shards will grant my wish. I shall walk with the living once again, and my power will double!"
The boomed and echoed through the halls. Kagome and Inuyasha were thrown back by the force of it.
"The shards!" Kagome cried. The ghost of the priest had materialized and took the jewel shards over to the decaying skeleton. He placed one shard on the forehead, one in the neck, one in each shoulder, and the last remaining two in both hands. He then began chanting a spell.
"Inuyasha, what do we do?!" Kagome cried.
"I don't know what to tell you. I can't defeat this guy with tetsusaiga, he's only a spirit!" Inuyasha looked grim.
They watched on as the ghost began to glow brightly. He then moved to the rotting corpse and slid into it. They watched in amazement as the skeleton went through the decaying process backwards, until the priest was whole again. He got up and evilly smiled at Kagome and Inuyasha. But he stopped and the smile left his face. A cut slashed across his throat and he began to bleed. He grabbed his neck.
"What's happening?! Why am I bleeding?!"
"What a horrible way to die..." Kagome trailed off.
"Had his throat slit, huh," said Inuyasha.
The priest removed his hands and saw that he was not dying from the cut.
"Well, no matter. I can still exact my revenge. And I will start with you two."
"The shards! Their energy is becoming polluted!" Kagome cried.
Inuyasha drew tetsusaiga. "Well now that he's got a body, I can slash it to shreds!"
He jumped up and went to cut the priest in half. But the priest raised his hands and with sheer power alone warded off tetsusaiga. Inuyasha flew back to the wall where Kagome was standing.
"What the hell..." Inuyasha said, rubbing his head.
"Remember Inuyasha, he has six jewel shards!" Kagome said grabbing his arm and helping him stand.
"Yeah yeah," he grumbled.
"Your sword is no match for my power!" the priest gloated.
"Blah blah blah! Your power comes from the shikon shards you stole from us! You filthy thief!"
'The jewel becomes stronger when tainted with malice,' Kagome thought. 'The priest has suffered betrayal by another temple man. Maybe Inuyasha could defeat him if I purified the jewel...'
"Inuyasha! Wait here! I will be right back!" Kagome called as she bolted out the door.
"Kagome! Where are you going! Don't just leave me here!" Inuyasha yelled.
"It seems your friends are fickle when the going gets tough," the temple man laughed.
"She'll be back. My friends never leave my side in battle," Inuyasha growled.
"It seems that she just did," he said amused. "But enough talk. I want to feel the satisfaction of killing you."
"You're wrong there my friend," Inuyasha yelled as he charged. "I'll be the one who feels satisfaction over killing you!"
Inuyasha tried to cut him but was thrown back again.
'Damn, there's nothing I can do to get close to this guy...' Inuyasha thought as he wiped away blood from his mouth. He tried several more unsuccessful attempts at destroying the temple man and was tossed about the room. He landed with a thud near the door. Kagome came running back in with a bow and quiver of arrows that she had found in another hall.
"Inuyasha! Stand back, I'll take care of this!"
Kagome strung an arrow in her bow and shot it at the priest's neck. He dodged but wasn't quick enough. The arrow hit his shoulder and purified the jewel shard within.
"What?! What is going on here?!" the evil priest cried. He looked at Kagome and glared. "You are a priestess, little girl?"
"Yes I am! A very powerful one, too! So you had better just give us the shards back!"
"I see. You are the more formidable foe," he murmured. "Then you shall be the first to die."
"Like hell she will!" Inuyasha jumped in front of Kagome before the force of the attack from the priest hit her. Inuyasha fell to his knees in pain.
"Inuyasha!" she cried. "Okay, that's it!!!" Kagome was seriously angry now. She concentrated all of her power into that arrow. It began to glow even before she had shot it. She aimed for his heart and let the arrow fly. The arrow sailed through the air so fast that the priest didn't have time to move. It hit him square in the chest and he cried out. All of the shards were instantly purified and flew out of his body. He began to decay again and then he quickly disintegrated into nothing. Kagome quickly ran up and grabbed the shikon shards, but she didn't have much time. The temple began to rumble. She looked up and saw the ceiling starting to give way. She grabbed Inuyasha's arm and hauled him up. Inuyasha was holding his stomach as he and Kagome ran through the temple, avoiding pieces of falling debris. A large chunk of ceiling fell in front of them, and they jumped around it. Inuyasha was injured by the priest's attack and was having a hard time running.
"Come on Inuyasha! We won't make it at this rate! You gotta move!" Kagome encouraged him as they ran through the halls.
They were almost out. The whole place was caving in on them. They burst through the doorway just before the entire building collapsed. Inuyasha sat on the ground and held his stomach while Kagome panted from the exertion.
"Are you okay Inuyasha?" she asked with concern.
"He really hit me hard..." he said. "But I'll be okay."
Kagome looked back at the temple ruins. "I hope that priest has finally crossed over in peace. Let's go home."
Inuyasha stood up. "Get on."
"Are you sure? You're injured..."
"I'll be fine, let's just get back to your house," Inuyasha said as Kagome climbed onto his back.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
The next morning, Kagome and Inuyasha were eating breakfast a little late. Kagome yawned. All Inuyasha suffered from last night's endeavor was lack of sleep.
"Listen to this!" Kagome's grandfather came into the kitchen with the morning newspaper. "That old temple a few blocks away from us fell down last night!"
Kagome and Inuyasha shot each other a look from across the table.
"Really, grandpa?" Kagome said.
"Yes, and no one knows why. They supposed it was just old and falling apart."
"Why didn't they knock it down a long time ago, grandpa? Wouldn't you think it would be a dangerous building to leave standing? If people wandered in there it could collapse on them!" Kagome said.
"They tried to a few years back, but the demolition crew claimed the old temple was haunted. Their machinery kept breaking down and their tools would go missing. One worker even claimed he had seen a ghost. So they abandoned the project. You know, there is an old story about that temple and a priest that was betrayed by another..."
"That's great grandpa, but Inuyasha and I have to get back the feudal era now..." Kagome said as she got up and put her dishes away. She grabbed Inuyasha's arm and tugged him out the door. "See you in a few days!"
"Young people. Always on the go, rush rush rush. Never have time any more..." Kagome's grandfather grumbled as he walked out the door.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
"Kagome! You're back!"
Kagome and Inuyasha were approaching Kaede's hut when her vision was suddenly blocked by a big ball of fur.
"Shippo! I'm glad to see you too!" Kagome smiled. She pried the little fox demon off her face and pulled out a sucker she had saved for him. He happily took it and jumped down.
"Lady Kagome, Inuyasha. You're back." Miroku and Sango appeared from the hut.
"Hi everybody! Are you ready to start searching again?" Kagome grinned at her friends.
"It's about time..." muttered Inuyasha. Kagome elbowed him.
"Let's go then!" she smiled.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
Sesshomaru was sitting quietly underneath the shade of a large tree. Jaken sat several feet away, talking and sputtering to himself as usual. Ahn and Uhn were eating grass near him, and Rin was playing out in the meadow. She jumped around and chased after butterflies. Occasionally she'd fall back into the soft grass and stare up at the fluffy white cumulus clouds. After awhile she came running to the edge of the forest where Sesshomaru rested.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin slid to a stop and gently tugged on Sesshomaru's sleeve. "Look! I picked this just for you!" She grinned ear to ear and shoved a little yellow flower into his hand. Sesshomaru looked at it. Its stem was broken and most of the petals were missing. Rin was looking up expectantly at him.
Sesshomaru felt awkward. What did the child want? After a pause he said, "Thank you, Rin."
She smiled brightly and still stood there. He stared at her a little longer, still not knowing what she waiting for. Finally it dawned on him and he quickly placed the flower in a fold of his robe. Rin jumped up and down and ran back into the medow, calling "you're welcome!" over her shoulder. Sesshomaru felt an urge to sigh, but held it in and looked over at Jaken, who was still muttering to himself about God knows what.
~~~~*~*~*~~~~
Inuyasha and the group had started off again and were now traveling in beautiful mountainous countryside. Kagome couldn't sense any jewel shards near so they were looking for a village to settle in for that night. As the group walked along chatting, a large black bird suddenly swooped right over Inuyasha's head.
"Gah!" he exclaimed, and waved his arms over his head as the bird flew away. "Stupid bird! Bloody vulture. I hate crows!" He shook his fist at it. Then he felt a slight itch on his neck. He slapped it and looked into his hand.
"Myouga. Nice to see you," he said sarcastically. "What brings ya this time?"
"Lord Inuyasha, I may have discovered something important," the little flea bowed.
"I hope this isn't like the other time you discovered something important. I don't feel like dealing with a bunch of possessed plants again. I had thorns stuck in my pants for days, and they had nothing to do with Naraku or shikon shards. So if this doesn't have to do with either of them, bug off," Inuyasha said.
"Oh this definitely has to do with Naraku, Master Inuyasha. I may have discovered the location to his castle. And the plants weren't that bad, the villagers were very grateful..."
The group stopped.
"His castle, you say?" Miroku put in.
"Yes, in a village not too far from here a castle mysteriously appeared during the night. The villages were too afraid to go near it as they figured some sort of evil sorcery was involved. They were perhaps right. It is my belief that Naraku is residing there."
"How far away is this castle?" Sango asked.
"About four miles from here," Myouga answered. "I flew over this strange castle on the crow, and it definitely had an evil aura emanating from it. I strongly suggest that you and your group go and investigate it."
"Point us in the direction, old man," Inuyasha said as they started off again.
____________________________________
Okay! Inu gang is on the way to Naraku's castle. And how does Sesshomaru fit into all this? I'll try to update sooner next time so you can find out!