A/N: From here on out this is going to be a spoiler for the end of the anime series. If you haven't finished the anime or don't know what happens turn back now! You have been warned! I decided it would be easier to tack this on to the end instead of doing a completely AU type thing.
Chapter 6: The Mysterious Cave
InuYasha, Kagome, and crew walked through a forest and the bright, warm day. "So just why are we coming over here again?" InuYasha groaned.
"Because Kaede said that a friend from neighboring temple reported a large amount of oni activity in these woods." Kagome repeated.
"And why can't they take care of it? This is a waste of time." He griped. "We have to get the Shikon no Tama back together before some other idiot like Naraku comes along!" He was still complain but stopped dead in his tracks. Kagome walked up and gripped his arm tightly.
"What's the matter?" Miroku asked urgently as he walked up beside them.
"I sense the energy of Shikon shards. A couple of them in one spot." Kagome whispered.
"I smell dead oni." InuYasha growled.
"Do you think it could be Naraku still?" Sango wondered stepping up beside Kagome; Shippo and Kirara not far behind.
"I don't sense any youki or smell anything beside death." InuYasha replied looking around warily.
"Let's go but let's be careful." Kagome said looking up at InuYasha. He nodded silently and on they went. "The energy is coming from over there." Kagome said pointing past the trees in front of them.
"That's where the smell is coming from." InuYasha added. Cautiously they proceeded forward to the clearing ahead. In front of them was a pile of dead oni littering the base of pile of rocks. One looked up at them faintly and smiled.
"You'll not get them either. Because of that damn miko no one will get the Shikon shards." It said tauntingly but weakly.
"What are you talking about?" Miroku wondered taking a step towards the oni.
"A miko haunts this cave and she kills any thing that tries to enter with her damn enchantments." It answered holding up it arms; they had been half burnt off. It dropped its arms heavily and tilted its head to the side as life left it. InuYasha scoffed disgustedly as he held one sleeve to his nose.
"Kagome. Shoot one of your arrows at it. That will probably break whatever enchantments she has on the cave." Kagome nodded and drew an arrow in her bow. She sent it flying at the pile of rocks. To everyone's shock the arrow bounced off and flew into the sky.
"What kind of enchantment is it if Kagome's arrow can't break it?" Sango wondered a bit shocked.
"The oni said it was a miko that haunts this cave. Perhaps then Kagome's arrow bounced because it was pure energy against pure energy." Miroku speculated as he sat down and stared at the pile of rocks. "The more important question is how the miko got the shards and how she would be dead so soon after getting them."
"Also why is she hiding in this cave." Shipo added.
"Maybe she sealed herself in the cave to keep demons from getting the Shikon shards she found?" Sango offered.
"And died protecting them." Kagome wondered aloud. InuYash huffed impatiently.
"Well if Kagome can't break this stupid barrier then I'll just have to break it myself!" InuYasha shouted baring his claws and cracking his knuckles.
"I think it's going to take more than that..." Miroku pointed out. "Besides you'll probably get severely injured if you touch that barrier with your bare hands." He pointed to the recently deceased oni with the end of his staff.
"Good thinking Miroku." InuYasha conceded drawing Tetsusaiga. "Kaze no Kizu!" He shouted leaping into the air and sending the massive attack crashing down on the barrier. To his horror and dismay it bounced off and headed right towards Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kagome.
"Get down!" Miroku shouted grabbing both the girls and shoving them on the ground. InuYasha jumped down at the last second and blocked them with Tetsusaiga.
"Damn barrier!" He yelled angrily lunging towards it and slashing it with the sword. "ARG!" He shouted and without thinking smashed into the blue barrier with his claws. To everyone's amazement, the barrier shattered. "Finally!" He shouted irritated. "Sankon Tetsou!" The rocks blocking off the cave fragmented to dust under the force of his attack. InuYasha landed back just in front of the others who were coughing out dust.
"Did you have to disintegrate the rocks InuYasha?" Kagome griped standing up and brushing herself off.
"No I just... Well..." He replied defensively. "They're gone now aren't they!"
"Yes and it proves the story that oni told us. There really must be the spirit of a miko haunting this cave. I've never felt such a strong pure aura. Not even from Kagome." Miroku said peering into the cave. "I don't know if we should desecrate this grave anymore than we already have."
"Maybe you're right Miroku." Sango conceded resting Hiraikotsu on the ground.
"Yeah I'm sure if it was sealed up it's was sealed up for a reason." Kagome added. "But still if there's Shikon shards in there we have to get them."
"I bet she was a beautiful miko too..." Miroku mused and Sango immediately smacked him upside the face. InuYasha hadn't taken his eyes off the darkness beyond the opening of the cave.
"If she died she died a long time ago. I don't smell anything dead in there." He said finally and everyone looked at him. "Or she didn't die here. With this cave sealed up like that the stench would have lingered..."
"Or she isn't dead at all?" Kagome wondered walking up next to him and looking into the cave.
"Let's go." InuYasha said moving forward and disappearing into the blackness. Everyone followed slowly. Kagome pulled a flashlight out of her yellow book bag and shined it around a few times. "Stop." The hanyou snapped suddenly and froze in place. Ahead off them, deeper in the cave there was a glittering spot where the light hit. Silently they moved forward slowly. As they got closer to the object it became apparent that it was a big block of crystal; when they got even closer they realize something or someone was in it!
"What is this?" Sango wondered with a gasp.
"A very advanced form of barrier spell." Miroku responded looking it over slowly and carefully. "I've never seen anything like it and certainly couldn't perform it myself for any length of time."
"Well the Shikon energy is coming from this block." Kagome said looking at it in awe.
"Are you sure?" InuYasha wondered looking at her; he had a strange sort of pained look on his face Kagome had never seen before. She shook her head and tried not to make her worry over his expression obvious. "Then let's break this thing open and find them!" He threw Tetsusaiga over his head.
"Wait!" Miroku shouted grabbing InuYasha's hands. "Maybe since the shards have been kept safe here all this time we should leave them here in her keeping until we know for certain Naraku is dead." He suggested and Inuyasha let the sword settle to the ground next to him.
"Miroku... If Naraku finds it here he'll just melt this barrier with his poison and use her against us. Admit it, she has to be incredibly strong to maintain this barrier and Naraku will realize it and try to use her." InuYasha protested.
"Maybe her strength is her ally. As strong as she must be she could probably resist Naraku's control could she not?" Sango said leaning on Hiraikotsu and looking at the crystal block.
"Miroku do you think she would be strong enough to defeat Naraku if he is alive and found her?" Kagome wondered looking at him thoughtfully.
"If she's hiding here with this power she may not realize just how strong she is..." He responded with a voice deep in thought.
"Do you think she'd help us if we woke her up?" Shippo wondered poking the crystal block. It zapped him a little and he pulled his hand away. "Ouch."
"She's a good and pure miko so undoubtedly she would if she isn't afraid." He said with a nod. "But again if she's hiding there must be a reason... If she's very fearful she may just be a liability and not an asset."
"Feh. Like Myouga..." InuYasha quipped as he plopped down on the ground bored. "So what are we going to do? I'm tired of wasting time here." He added in a voice showing his boredom. In his mind he was thinking. "Why do I feel like I've been here before? Why does this all feel like it should be very familiar?" He stood up again and looked Tetsusaiga over.
"This is a really hard choice so we must look at all the consequences first." Miroku went on. They continued debating the issue while InuYasha inspected Tetsusaiga. He ran his finger gently down the dull edge facing him when something that shouldn't have happened, happened. The dull edge cut his finger open. He looked at the blood trickle down his finger in shock. Suddenly Kagome reached up and grabbed her cheek.
"Ouch!" She gasped as she pulled her hand away to show blood on her fingers; everyone looked at her concerned. "I wondered what cut me..." Between the gaps in her fingers she saw a glittering a shard of the Shikon no tama stuck to the top of the crystal block. "A Shikon shard cut me!" She gasped pointing. Everyone looked on in shock as instead of being absorbed by the barrier the barrier started growing thicker.
She's using the Shikon shards to increase the barrier?!" Sango gasped in shock.
"It's apparent she isn't guarding the Shikon shards now then. She's guarding herself but why?" Miroku pondered. Everyone started discussing what to do as InuYasha stood up and sheathed Tetsusaiga. As he did so Miroku spun around to leave and hit him with his staff. He fell forward into the crystal block bracing himself on it with his hands. He took a moment to realize what had happened and a few drops smeared on the crystal.
"Hey watch what you're doing!" He snapped spinning around and looking at Miroku.
"Well if you had been paying more attention you would have known we were leaving." Kagome interjected. It looked like she was going to say something else but she was interrupted by an unexpected sound... A cracking sound. They all turned to see a crack had formed in the crystal block, a crack that was growing with each passing second...