Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty: Scroll Hunting

November 16th

"I did it!" Kikyo yelled as she held up her graded math test triumphantly. "I passed!"

Kikyo hugged her paper to her chest and did a pirouette in the middle of the hallway. She no longer wondered if it was something that Kagome would or wouldn't do. If she felt the slightest inclination of expressing her feelings, especially the ones of happiness and joy, she would do it. That was the best way for her to respond like Kagome. And now, she was beginning to notice, it was feeling natural.

Hojo took the paper from her and grinned. "Better than that, you got an A! I knew you could do it, Ki!"

'Ki' was the name that Hojo now called her. It was unintentional to begin with. He would start to call her Kikyo then stop himself. No one thought anything strange of it, except for the fact that he had a nickname for her instead of calling her by her last name. Now Kikyo was stuck with the shortened name, and she liked it. It was her name, in a fashion, and not Kagome's.

After the celebratory stop off at the ice cream shop, like she ever REALLY needed a reason for ice cream, Kikyo and Hojo headed back to the shrine. As usual, the topic of Kagome came up.

"They found the scrolls?" Hojo asked.

"Yes, though they have not had a chance yet to go through them. The battle left them rather wounded. The monk, Miroku, was able to con an innkeeper into letting them stay for free by claiming he would cleanse the inn of demons."

Hojo rolled his eyes. This was not the first time the monk had used that excuse to find a room for free. "They always fall for that line…."

Kikyo chuckled, "Yes they do."

"Was Kagome injured?"

Kikyo sighed heavily and tried to not sound impatient. "Her leg was wounded, but it was nothing serious. Inuyasha, however, will not allow her to walk anywhere on her own. She will heal quickly I think."

"And the others?"

"The demon slayer, Sango, went away with a few scratches and a slight concussion. Miroku breathed in some poison, but seems to be recovering nicely. Inuyasha and the fire cat Kirara had the worst wounds, but being demons healed quickly. Young Shippo didn't get a scratch. I suspect he was safely with Kagome, who is always heavily protected by Inuyasha."

Kikyo turned to see Hojo staring at the shrine. "You said she holds the Shikon jewel."

"Yes…."

"And your family… I mean, her family, sells replicas of Shikon jewels. I wonder if the two are related in any way."

"It is possible."

Hojo turned to Kikyo. "Do you suppose that Kagome's grandfather would have books or scrolls about the Shikon jewel?"

"He might."

"We could help Kagome by researching the jewel and a way home from our end!"

Kikyo was less than thrilled about the prospect of going home. Even thinking about leaving made her heart heavy. But Hojo's enthusiasm was contagious, and she found herself calling out for her grandfather when they reached the shrine.

Two and a half hours later, sitting among a pile of dusty scrolls, the enthusiasm was slightly dampened.

The legend of the Shikon jewel was easy to find, at least the abbreviated one. Souvenir scrolls were given with each jewel sold that told of the power of wishes by a pure heart being granted. Finding information on the actual workings of the jewel was a little more difficult to come by.

"Arg!" Kikyo cried as she tossed the scroll she was looking at in frustration. "This is impossible! Why does he have so many scrolls?" She fell back onto the floor and glared at the ceiling. Then she giggled.

Hojo peered down at her, slightly confused. "Which part of that was the funny part, Ki?"

With a grin she replied, "It just feels good."

"What does?"

"Feeling frustrated."

Still confused, Hojo waited for an explanation.

Kikyo put her hands behind her head to cushion it as she lay on the wooden floor. "Imagine being denied emotions your entire life. You are not allowed to feel anger, or love, or sorrow, or even frustration. Then imagine being free to feel these emotions. Even feeling frustrated feels good." She grinned up at her friend.

Hojo smiled and lay down beside her, hands under his head. "I see what you mean." He turned to her and asked in mock seriousness, "Do you want me to make you mad so you can feel that too?"

Kikyo laughed and picked up a nearby dusty scroll to bop him on the head. Hojo dodged the blow and made a grab for the scroll. He held on to Kikyo's wrist and she dropped the scroll. It fell open. And sure enough, the first word Kikyo sees is 'Shikon'.

Quickly she grabs the scroll and begins reading. "The jewel of the four souls, the Shikon jewel, was created by the priestess Midriko…"

Hojo looks over her shoulder.

"You did it!" he cries. "You found the scroll!" He grabbed a hold of her hands and spun her around.

Kikyo's heart sank. She found it.