Chapter 3: Released

".....so then Rin saw the most prettiest flower in the world, and Rin wanted to get it, but Rin couldn't because it was so pretty and then..." She held her breath for effect. I waited patiently.

"then Rin plucked it! See?" In her tiny little palm, Rin held a crumpled white flower that looked as though it had been through quite a lot. " Does Herb think Rin's flower is pretty?"

What could I say? My mouth was cemented shut.

Tired of waiting for the reply that would never come, Rin sighed and got a wistful expression on her face. "Rin wishes Herb would be alive..." Yeah, Herb too.

"Then Herb and Rin could play together forever!" Maybe being a statue wasn't so bad after all...

But thinking about it seemed to brighten up Rin, and that made me happy. Well, as happy as a person trapped in a stone body could get. Yet, it really wasn't too bad. Everything was always quiet and peaceful. Nobody was chasing me out of their village. Everyone thought I was dead. And, talking , well, listening to Rin wasn't all gloom and doom.

"....so then Rin saw the second prettiest flower in the world...." Well, most of the time.

Actually, I had really become fond of Rin. She was my companion who kept me company when I was feeling alone and dejected, which was pretty much all the time.

" With the Shikon No Tama, Rin could wish for Herb to be alive!" This caught my attention, and I actually felt a flame of hope light up in my chest.

Only to have it put out when Rin stomped her foot. "But Rin doesn't have the Shikon No Tama...." Darn. " Rin could get it!" That was good! "But Rin is not strong enough to steal it from Naraku-sama." That was bad.

....That was horrible! Naraku?! Naraku had the Shikon No whatever?!

It figured. The only way in which I could be alive again, and that sadistic bastard of a hanyou snatched it away.

I sulked in the silence that ensued, only to get alarmed when it went on for longer then Rin usually allowed. When I looked at her, she was staring off into the distance and pulling on her ponytail. Spending so much time with Rin had taught me this was a sign that she was nervous.

Suddenly, her eyes widened in fear as three fierce looking youkai lunged from nowhere and pinned her to the ground. She let out a scream and flung her little fists as hard as she could, but the youkai merely brushed her attack aside.

" My, what a tasty snack you'll be!" The uglier youkai snorted.

"Herb, help me! Please Herb! I'm scared!!!" Rin was crying out for me, and all I could do was watch helplessly while the youkai licked their lips in anticipation.

"Herb! Rin is scared...SMACK!" My heart froze. Those two brutes had hit Rin. Here they were, two monsters 5 times the size of that sweet girl, and they dared to hit her?! That got my blood to heated up. There was a dull pounding in that circled me, and I realized it was my pulse.

Rin's shrieks of terror mixed with the sight of glistening teeth and salivating mouths enraged me, and I felt my aura triple in power.

I tensed my body and exerted as much pressure as was possible against my rock prison, causing the youkai to glance up at me in surprise. The last thing I saw was their shocked faces before a giant explosion occurred, and broken stone shards flew all over.

The first thing I did was clench my tense fists, feeling a tingly feeling in them as blood began to circulate again. Then, I narrowed my eyes when I caught sight of Rin on the ground. Her face was just as shocked as the two soon-to-be-dead youkais'.

Reaching for my sword, since I was terrible at archery, my hand clamped around the hilt, and I shot forward.

Who ever said girls couldn't fight?

When I turned back, there were two heads on the floor, and lots of blood. Their bodies had disinigrated, as my miko powers still worked. Looking down, I noticed Rin staring at my clothing.

Her face was pale, and she looked ready to cry.

"B-blo..blood! Herb has blood on her clothes!" I stepped towards her, but she backed away.

She was scared of me? I couldn't help but feel bad at this realization. Ashamed and disappointed, I turned, about to go. Only, Rin grabbed on to my shirt.

"Rin will help Herb wash Herb's clothes." And she grinned at me.

So Rin didn't hate me. Well, I did save her life...

"Come on Herb!" Grasping my hand, she led me out of the clearing I'd been trapped in.

" My name is Kagome. Not Herb or...whatever." Hopefully, she'd get the picture.

Rin was a cute kid, but the nickname absolutely had to go.

"Okay, Kagome!" And we were on our way.

"And after Kagome's clothes are clean, Kagome can help Rin pick flowers!"

"......sure, why not." What can I say? I'm a sucker for kids.

End of Chapter 3