In the middle of the night, about a week later, while everyone was asleep, a man, or so he seemed, dressed in a baboon suit appeared and took the jewel shards from Kagome's bag and, just as quietly, left.

Inuyasha was ruffling through Kagome's backpack trying to find the jewel shards the next morning but stopped when Kaori smelled something.

"Someone was here last night and he definitely was not human," Kaori said.

"Feh, I'll bet anything it was Naraku. That demonic bd," replied Inuyasha.

"Well, he didn't take all of the jewel shards," Kaori said.

"What do you mean, not all of them?" asked Sango.

"I have two of them. One adds to my boomerang Isamu (bravery in Japanese.) The other is attached to my suit, the Tora-hoshi (tiger star in Japanese.)"

"Why in seven hells didn't you say that earlier?!" Inuyasha yelled.

"I wasn't sure of you earlier! That's why!" Kaori yelled back. "Plus, you didn't inform me that you were looking for the jewel shards, so I didn't know to tell you."

Kaori and Inuyasha both sat on the ground and pouted.

Kaori's so cute when he pouts, Sango thought. I wonder what he's thinking about. Does he remember Kohaku? Am I rambling aimlessly? I'll just ask.

"Kaori?" she asked. "Do you remember my brother Kohaku?"

Kaori suddenly looked at her and smiled. "Yes, of course I do. He was born at the same time as Eric!"

Sango nodded. "Hey, if we want to find those jewel shards, we should probably go Naraku hunting," Inuyasha said impatiently.

"Inuyasha and I are the fastest, I need my apprentice for training, and we need the monk for cleanup once we've destroyed those demons," Kaori said, readying his demon-claws. "Plus, I don't feel safe, leaving a perverted monk to guard beautiful women."

"Oh darn," Miroku said punching the air.

"Shippo, you can do guard duty and make sure no harm comes to the girls and Kerara," Kaori said.

"Kaori, do you remember the day of the fire?" Sango asked.

"Yes, and if I remember correctly, I was about to-" Kaori's voice trailed off.

"Do what?" Sango implied.

Kaori blushed, "this." He walked over and kissed her briefly on the lips, then said, "let's go," and left with Inuyasha, Aros, and Miroku, leaving her to stare at him, love struck.

In a grassy field, a strange man in a red baboon suit hailed the men.

"Need a change of color Naraku?" Inuyasha teased.

"First of all, dog boy how can you tell that it's red? Second, I am his apprentice, Ukaran. Now, prepare to die."

A large red, halberd appeared in his hands and he charged Inuyasha. Inuyasha jumped out of the way just in time and pulled out his Tetsusaiga.

"Back Lash Wave!" Inuyasha cried. A large tornado of wind and energy rushed at Ukaran. He twirled his halberd around in both hands and made a red energy shield. The attack was destroyed when it hit the shield. Ukaran stopped his halberd from spinning so the shield dissipated.

"My turn," Kaori said as he spat on the ground. From his belt he drew his boomerang the Isamu. As he held it, the Isamu became blue energy and grew to Kaori's own height and width. He spun around on his heels a few times and then threw the boomerang so gracefully that it looked like he had been practicing with it his whole life.

Kaori closed his eyes, chanted something in a strange language, and held his hands in a tiger/fire symbol. (The symbol was of his clan in 'The Sacred Wood'.) Blue fire surrounded Kaori as he was absorbed into the Isamu. It/he flew at Ukaran with such speed that he could not react before it cut him in half.

As he fell, a jewel shard fell out of his halberd and landed silently on the bloodstained grass.

Inuyasha walked over and picked it up. "You won't be needing this anymore," he said to Ukaran.

At that moment, Kaori reappeared and the Isamu returned to its original size.

"Please, spare me. In time I will heal but the only reason that I attacked you was because Naraku told me that if I killed you, he would get the woman that I love, Ruinn to love me back," Ukaran pleaded.

"That lying son of a bh!" Kaori yelled. "My heart aches for you. We shall spare your life, but, once we kill Naraku you must come back to camp with us," he smiled. "In time we will get Ruinn to like you."

"My thanks a million times over again!" Ukaran cried. "Leave me here to heal while you go kill Naraku. Don't forget to come back for me!"

With that, the group left for Naraku's castle, a black tower in the distance.