Days passed and time moved on, InuYasha still missing. Kagome rocked back and forth in the shadowed corner of the small hut, blocking out the rambling assumptions her friends shared over InuYasha's disappearance. Her shoulders jerked with dry sobs, her arms locked around her drawn up knees. The dark, glowing orb sat idly in the middle of the room, Kagome's eyes never leaving it for an instant. She lifted the heel of one hand, wiping her cheeks clear of the dried streaks that plagued them. 'I never got to tell him. Now,......I probably never....will.' The wise, old priestess watched the younger miko with unfaltering sympathy as she rested her forehead against her knees.
"Are you saying he exploded?!" Shippo screeched, leaping onto Kouga's shoulder.
"That's...not possible, Miroku. I think...it would have been...a little messier." Sango breathed through the pain of her wounds, shakily stroking the fire cat's fur. Kirara purred in return, rubbing her head against the slayer's cheek.
"Stupid dog probably wished to die with his clay woman. Such a ingrate." Kouga crossed his arms over his chest, turning his nose in the air in an attempt to seem uninterested. "Who cares?"
"We do!" The group protested in unison. Kouga jumped back, wincing at the pain in his still injured ribs.
"Sor-ry!" He ground out. Sango pushed up from the floor to a sitting position, Shippo holding her arm.
"He probably...."
"He was absorbed." All eyes turned to Kaede, including those of the silent Kagome. Shippo stalked over and climbed into the old woman's lap, looking up at her with question filled eyes.
"Absorbed?"
"Yes, young one. Kagome," Kaede sat the young fox child aside and moved over to the sniffling young girl. "Ye say he was reaching for the Shikon No Tama when he disappeared?"
"Um...yeah."
"Perhaps the tainted jewel rejected his impurity, therefore not allowing him to take possession in the only way it knew how."
"Is there anything....anyway to save him?" Kagome asked, moving toward the black crystal. She alone had not been allowed to touch it, fearing purification would steal any chance of discovering the hanyou's fate.
"I know not, child. I suggest we all get some rest and worry over this come morn."
Kagome brushed the idea aside, more worried over InuYasha's safety than of her well-being. "I'm fine, Kaede."
"Kagome, ye will not help InuYasha neglecting ye own needs." Kaede laid a gentle hand on Kagome's cheek, turning to put out the fire. Kagome nestled down on her mat, making sure the jewel was not too far away. She lay silent and still, listening until soft snores and purrs began to fill the room.
'They're asleep....' She moved quietly but swiftly, throwing back the blanket and edging over the sleeping bodies to make her way outside. She rubbed at her sore arm as she walked, pain being the last thing on her mind. 'What can I do for him? How can I....?' She walked to the edge of the forest....InuYasha's forest as it was called. The forest that held him captive for fifty years. The forest he still returned to as often as he was allowed. Kagome made her way up to the small embankment, InuYasha's favorite place. She could stand in the village and watch him on that hill for hours, the wind catching his silver hair and the sunset reflecting in his eyes. He would just stand there in his silence....thinking. Sitting down on the cool grass, she drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. "Everything seems so....different without you here." She took a deep breath and hid her face in her hands. "It's not supposed to be this way. You were supposed to defeat Naraku and become a full demon! You were supposed to be with Kikyo! Happily ever after!" The wind blew a strange sensation into the midnight air, catching the sobbing miko's attention.
"Happiness comes at a great price."
'That voice....' Placing her palms on the ground, she twisted her upper body to look behind. Chocolate eyes widened, her mouth opening in a slight gasp. "Kikyo? H...how did you....you were...."
"Dead? I still am." The priestess moved a step closer, tilting her head slightly.
Kagome pushed to her feet, attempting to hide the trembling of her hands by placing them behind her. "I suppose you know about InuYasha." She dropped her head, refusing to see the intimidation she had come to know of this woman.
"InuYasha was always a fool." Kagome shot her an icy glare, withdrawing it as her eyes met Kikyo's. "His fate is not why I have come. What troubles me is that you have yet to do anything about it." For the first time, Kagome witnessed the gentle smile that Kikyo held.
"What can I do?" Kagome turned her back on her incarnate, dropping her head as fresh tears pricked her eyes. Kikyo's smile never faded as she approached, lifting her hand to her hair band. She tugged gently on the white tie, her dark hair falling carelessly around her shoulders.
"Kagome, I cannot deny the resentment I held toward you for your relationship with InuYasha." She placed a hand on the younger miko's shoulder, moving it to entwine in her hair. Kagome wiped away the tears and raised her head, turning to lock eyes with the priestess. Kikyo laughed softly, pushing to turn Kagome's head back. "What happened between InuYasha and I was tragic, but it was meant to be."
"Kikyo, what are you saying?" Kagome asked, staring at the ground. Kikyo tied Kagome's hair back, identical to the style she wore.
"I am saying that I have had my chance with InuYasha. The fates were cruel, and our time was short, but now...." She placed her hands on Kagome's shoulders, turning her around. "....it's your turn."
"Huh?"
"You, Kagome, are now the guardian of the Shiko No Tama. Do not take for granted its power." Kikyo brushed Kagom's forelocks over her shoulders and turned away. "And do not doubt your own." In a flash of white light, the priestess vanished, leaving a very bewildered reincarnation.
"Kikyo." She took a step forward, halting as a hint of red came into view at her feet. "What?" She scanned her clothing, the old schoolgirl uniform replaced by a traditional red and white kimono. She smiled, looking up into the stars. "Thanks." She knew what she had to do. Looking down upon the village, she centered her attention on the small hut. She could see the aura of the defiled jewel through the rough, wooden walls easily. Stopping in the doorway, she took a reassuring breath and closed her eyes. 'I have to do this.' "Wake up!" She shouted loudly, sounding much like a certain early rising hanyou. The room of once peaceful companions was now a madhouse. Kouga leaped into a fighting stance while Miroku ducked behind the now transformed fire cat. Shippo held tightly to Kaede and Sango, his fur standing on end.
"What'd you do that for?!" Kouga shouted, relaxing his demeanor.
"Scared ya, did I?" Kagome smirked, brushing past him to kneel in front of the jewel.
"Well....um...no, of course not!" He stammered, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What is it, Kagome?" Sango asked, leaning to see her friend's face. Kagome stayed silent for a moment, lost in contemplation.
"I need you guys to leave."
"What? Why?" Shippo ran to Kagome's side, finding the tears the glittered on her cheeks. Kagome raised her head and smiled, patting him on the head before pushing him toward Sango.
"I know how to get to InuYasha."
"Well, great!"
"We shall prepare ourselves for departure." Miroku stated, stepping a foot out of the hut before Kagome spoke again.
"No. I...I have to go alone."
"Are you crazy? You can't possibly...." Kouga reached for Kagome, jerking back when her head snapped up.
"I thought you didn't care!" She hissed, her aggravation from his earlier statement evident.
"I care about you."
"If you cared about me, you wouldn't say things that you know would upset me! Now, I go alone!" She lowered her head back toward the jewel, refusing to explain or argue. She had to concentrate. Everyone's mouths opened in unison, closing as they stepped back. A purple electricity began to flicker around both miko and jewel, eventually combating against each other. Sango outstretched an unsteady hand, pulling it back with a pained shock from the aura.
"Kagome!" The miko was completely oblivious to their shouts, holding her concentration on the tainted orb. Her body began to convulse, but her eyes never faltered. She threw her head back, shrieking in pain as the energy shot from every end of her body, her comrades forced from the hut. "Kagome!"
She felt like she was pinned in midair, unable to move her limbs or even blink. Something or someone did not want her to get inside. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to look at the jewel. "I am your guardian!" Pulling her hand free from the invisible binds, she began to reach toward the levitating orb. "I am your protector!" Her hand wrapped around the jewel, her hair and clothes whipping about her painfully. "But you will not overpower me!" An blast of intense light and quaking power exploded from the hut, sending those outside flying in opposite directions. Kouga shook his head clear, his eyes widened at the dismantled structure. The wood smoked from its ordeal, small crackles of energy still slicing through the debris.
"Kagome?" He crawled to the pile of rubble, standing to move some of the boards. Lifting a splintered plank, a light erupted from below, causing him to shield his eyes. "What the..." He let his hand fall, the dark jewel reflecting in his blue eyes. "K...K...Kagome!"
