Chapter 3
Inuyasha wiped the blood off the Tetsusaiga on the shirt of the mutilated demon that lay in a pool of blood before him. Kikyo walked slowly over and squatted down, examining the corpse. After a moment, she reached into a wound in it's side and pulled out a blood-soaked fragment of the Shikon No Tama.
Inuyasha made a noise of disgust. "That bastard put up a damn annoying fight...and all for that tiny shard! Bah!"
"Well, all demons aren't blessed with brains like you, Inuyasha," Miroku pointed out sarcastically. Inuyasha gave him a death glare and opened his mouth to reply, put Kikyo interrupted him.
"One down, one to go!" Kikyo said cheerfully as she wiped the blood off the shard, and then pulled out the nearly complete jewel from the neck of her kimono. She placed the new shard close to the other fragment and in a shimmer of light, the shard seemed to melt into the larger piece, becoming one. Smiling, Kikyo slid the necklace back in her shirt. "Let's hurry and find that last shard."
"That would be great, but we have no idea where it could be," Sango stated dryly. "It was pure luck stumbling across that demon. Finding the last shard–and it's a tiny one at that–would be like finding a needle in a haystack."
Kikyo nodded in agreement. "That's true, but if you sift through all the hay, you'll find the needle eventually. The same can be said for the shard."
"But unlike a needle, the shard can move," Sango continued, "We aren't the only one looking for it; other demons are too. If one demon has it, another stronger demon can kill it and take the shard...the process could go on and on."
"Sango does have a point–"Miroku started to say.
"And that's why we should hurry and find it before anyone else does," Kikyo cut in. She turned around and started walking west. Turning she said, "Or did you forget that I can sense exactly where the shards are?"
"What? You can!" Shippou exclaimed. "But Kagome couldn't do that!"
Kikyo laughed, "But you forget Shippou-chan, that Kagome was reincarnated from me. I had more experience with the jewel." Shippou nodded in understanding.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and go!" Shippou shouted.
"Stop," Kikyo commanded, her eyes scanning the barren wasteland before her. "The jewel is right near us...somewhere in this clearing." The group had been trekking through the thickly wooded forest for at least two hours. The abrupt change of scene put everyone on high guard.
Inuyasha's ears flicked. He jumped out and drew out the Tetsusaiga.
"It's coming from the left," he shouted over his shoulder at the others. Sango stepped out close behind him, her Hiraikotsu ready. Right beside her stood Miroku, who was carefully undoing the beads wrapped around his hand. Shippou jumped out in front of Kikyo, as if protecting her.
The silence stretched on for the longest time. Then a sudden loud voice yelled out: "INUYASHA-SAMA!" Out of nowhere, Myoga flew and landed on Inuyasha's nose. A sucking sound came from him and then he said, "Aaah, Inuyasha-sama! So nice to taste you again!"
SMACK! Inuyasha carefully peeled him off the palm of his hand after re-sheathing his blade. "What the hell are you doing Myoga?" He demanded.
Shakily, Myoga reached into his pocket and pulled out...the last shard of the Shikon No Tama! Inuyasha snatched it from him, sending the poor flea tumbling to the ground below.
"Myoga...! Where did you get this?" Sango said, staring at the glowing fragment in Inuyasha's palm.
"I...er, found it on a demon." Was the simple explanation from the old flea.
"Lemme guess...two demons got into a fight over it...they both died and you just happened to stumble across it and decided to bring it to Inuyasha," Miroku guessed, "Am I right?" Mumbling, Myoga's answer couldn't be understood. Kikyo strode over and plucked the last shard away from Inuyasha and stuffed it into her pocket.
"Now that all the shards of the Shikon No Tama have been recovered, let us go back to my village where we can purify it," Kikyo said, already walking back into the forest.
"Wait! Kikyo! We can use Kirara!" Sango yelled, running after the priestess. Miroku and the others quickly did the same.
The stars were beginning to show in the darkening sky. Sango glanced anxiously around.
"Where's Kikyo? Does purifying the jewel really take that long?"
"Maybe she just got caught up in something else," Miroku suggested.
"And where's Inuyasha? Do you think he's with Kikyo?"
"I doubt it," Shippou said. "Tonight's the new moon, don't ya remember?"
"Oh...I totally forgot," Sango admitted, "Every since...uh, that day, I just sort of lost track of time."
A sudden rustle in the nearby bushes caused the three to jump. By now, the sun had completely disappeared and the only light around was a small fire the group had been sitting around. Through the dense brush stepped Inuyasha, his pitch black hair blending in perfectly with the surrounding area.
"Isn't Kikyo here with the jewel yet?" he demanded impatiently.
"Now, now Inuyasha. Patience is a virtue." The group jumped again and turned around to find Kikyo standing on the far edge of the clearing. Stepping forward, she pulled a glowing jewel from her kimono neckline. Kikyo wasted no time striding over to Inuyasha and gripped his hand with her free one.
"Inuyasha...the jewel has been purified." She smiled up at him. "Don't you realize what that means? You can finally become a full human and we..." she trailed off, pink staining her cheeks.
Inuyasha gently pulled his hand away from Kikyo's. Pink was also showing faintly on his cheeks.
"This is all very sudden, Lady Kikyo," Miroku cut in gracefully. "After you...uh, died, Inuyasha's intent on the jewel was to become a full demon."
"But I am alive now," Kikyo replied, faint annoyance sounding in her voice.
"Uh yes, precisely my point. You're, uh, coming back to life is a very sudden thing. I'm sure Inuyasha is still recovering from the shock. Maybe you should give him a little time to...you know, thinks things through completely."
"And what do you mean by that? What is there to think about?" Kikyo asked, the annoyance very apparent now.
"Well, you do realize that you, um...sort of murdered one of his dearest friends." Kikyo opened her mouth and Miroku hastily added, "And I know it wasn't your fault! But you do understand, don't you?"
Kikyo's eyes narrowed at him and she whirled around to face Inuyasha. "Is that true? Do you really need time to think it over? I really don't see why. There is no better alternative...can't you see that?"
Inuyasha looked down at the priestess with sad eyes. "For once, the monk is right. Kagome was a very close friend...I can't just leap into the arms of the person who killed her, days after her death."
"But Inuyasha, you know I didn't mean to!" Kikyo exclaimed.
"I know. But whether or not you meant to, you still did it. Do you honestly think I can get over it that easily, or forgive you that fast? I'm sorry Kikyo but please just give me until morning to make my decision."
Kikyo's eyes softened and she gave her sweetest smile. "Of course Inuyasha. After all, the Shikon No Tama's power is at its fullest when the sun rises"
Inuyasha smiled his thanks before quickly turning and wandering off into the darkness.
