Part 8

"Well, then. Let's start at the beginning...," Inutaisho began.

He paused. Kagome rolled her eyes again. TOO overly dramatic. Her patience was wearing thin and she was becoming agitated. Why couldn't he just come out with it already! I'm sure it's not that hard to explain it all! She began to softly scratch at the armrest.

He must have noticed her agitation, because when she looked to Sesshomaru he had that same, arrogant, annoying smirk on his face. That same smirk that forced her to make a move and tear it off his face! No, Kagome. Bad idea. Deep breaths...in and out...in and out...nope. Not working.

She forced her calm facade back, and she stopped picking at the armrest. She was getting sick and tired of interruptions. Sick and tired of suspense. And sick and tired of that damned, arrogant smirk!

Kagome was about to shoot out of her chair, when Inutaisho cleared his throat. Her anger slowly melted away, her mind calm again. She couldn't believe that she nearly lost control. What would have been worse was that she would have done it in front of them! In a sense, she was glad Inutaisho did what he did or this entire room would have been destroyed in a few seconds, not to mention Sesshomaru would have needed a few repairs himself.

"As you have already known, a war has been going on between each region; North, South, East, and of course, ourselves, the West. We have been going on against each other for at least six months, which I think you also know. So, we would like to request a favor of you. Please, can you help seek out the Shikon no Tama? Please," Inutaisho asked.

Kagome couldn't help but be at least a little taken aback. Was the Inutaisho pleading to such a "lowly creature" as her? Wow. Maybe the world is coming to an end. But, she didn't remain on this triumph, for his request was unheard of! The Shikon no Tama! Did he really believe in it that much!

"But...there is no such thing as the Shikon no Tama. I cannot complete such a request that is impossible to do," Kagome answered.

But, then, she looked to Matsuru and found that he was wearing a sort-of disappointed expression. Why is he...? Then, she realized what she had said. "Impossible." Was it really impossible? Was it really a fairytale? For a fact, she wasn't a fairytale.

Inutaishoplaced the book on the desk near Kagome and slid it gently towards her, a warming look placing his features.

"Maybe you should try reading this first, Kagome. It would probably give you a better idea of what's possible and what's impossible," he suggested.

Kagome picked up the book. Now, more than ever, she could make out her name in its cover. Her name written on its cover in the language of the dragons. To her, anything that had to do with dragons were always in her highest of highest interests. For some reason or another, her mother had not hated them either.

She still remembered when she had been little andfurious at her father. In fact, back then, she wouldn't even have called him her father. He had been nothing more than a beast to her.

"Mommy, why don't you hate that...monster! Didn't he hurt you," Kagome yelled.

Her mother looked at her with those warm, understanding eyes. "Kagome. He is your father. And, no, he didn't hurt me. He left me in peace. He left me in peace to have you. To raise you. In a way, your father is the first...'monster' as you put it, who treated me like a woman. You may not believe it, but boys back then thought that they could do anything to girls, and I mean anything. He had treated me like royalty. And, amazingly, we had fallen in love.

And, in a sense, he repented for all those villages he destroyed. He repented by helping to create you. You of all people should understand that."

"But, Mommy! He killed thousands! How is one supposed to be enough," Kagome retorted.

Her mother only smiled softly. "Because, Kagome. You are the first of a new generation of species. You may as well replace the world with the powers you possess. And, you mean more than a thousand of those people to your father and I..."

Kagome had never actually seen her father, but soon after, her mother had died. Her mother had left her the sword that she still had till today. Kagome had no idea who had forged it, or what it was forged of. It cut through the thickest armor like butter. It shrieked horribly. And, it only reacted to her, like it had actually been meant for her.

Her mother hadn't said anything about it before she died, so Kagome had been left in the dark. She had always had it with her, anyway. Then, she had wandered into Matsuru's village and, well, everything just set into motion.

Kagome opened the book gently. The first page was just the title page, so she skipped it without a second glance. The next page was the table of contents, and as she expected, it was in Dragon. Slowly, she scrolled down the titles. Introduction...How Dragons Began...Warring With Humans and Demons...An Ancient Language...The Shikon no Tama! Page 70.

As Kagome flipped to the page, she found that she was nearly at the end of the book, but didn't worry too much. Slowly, she read aloud.

"'Here starts the legend of the Shikon no Tama. Long ago, in times more ancient than the dragons, there had been a priestess, one of the purest heart. Her name had been Midoriko, so they say. She purified demons of the wickedest sort and helped those in need.

She lived in a village near the mountains where peace reigned supreme, until...one day, a dark cloud covered the sky. The day turned to night, the clear air to poison. Midoriko had faced her toughest foe that day, and perished triumphantly. Her foe was a demon so horrible that it would have swallowed the Earth if given the chance.

Her accomplishment that day had engraved itself into the gods themselves, they say, so the god's had crystalized her soul for her good deed. She had been given the privilege of living forever. Living through the years not as a solid form, but a ghost. Midoriko had not wished this, but they had done so anyway.

Most say that she had wept for years and years after that. Not to mention that she had to withstand countless skirmishes and quarrels over her power, which she could not have a say in, for as a ghost could not be heard by mortals nor demons. Then, one day, her heart had shattered into four different souls, hence the name 'Shikon no Tama' or 'the Jewel of Four Souls.'

There is a theory among dragons to the reason that it split into four different souls. It was to...equalize the balance. Some humans don't realize that balance is the most important element in the world. What humans don't notice is that they give names to balance. 'Right and left.' 'Men and women.' 'Black and white.' And many others.

The four different souls each counterbalanced each other, yet represented each part of her. One soul symbolized fire, her burning will to help those in need. The second soul symbolized water, her easiness of being able to accept what came to pass, to flow along with time. The third soul symbolized earth, her wiser, less-brash self. And, the last, but not least, soul symbolized wind, her ability to realize peace still existed within the world.

Thus, there is counterbalance. Fire is doused by water. Water used by earth. Earthdisturbed by wind. Wind used by fire. Just as the meaning of her souls were counterbalanced. Her burning desire to help those in need weakened by her understanding that she could not save all. Her understanding that she could not save all consumed by her wiseness to realize she volunteered for this duty. Her realization of her voluntary act shrouded by the sense that there is peace that still exists. Her realization of peace coming back to the reality that with peace there is its counter...violence.

The dragons upon the Earth then ingeniously hid the four different souls in there own clever way, a secret still being sought to this day. It was wise of them to do so, as to keep its power from destroying the universe...in the hands of an evil being, anyway. The jewel has counterbalance within itself, thus given the power to...sway towards one way or another...'"

Kagome paused. This was a huge load of information that she consumed in all but a moments time. Talk about summing it up. she thought, exhausted. She looked up at Inutaisho, a new sense of understanding within her eyes and mind.

Sesshomaru looked thoughtfully at Kagome. Her mind might be in the right place, but her intentions may not... He was a bit confused. He was so used to reading others like a book that he had not expected for there to be one that was a puzzle. Her emotions faded in and out. Her actions and feelings toward a person could change within a seconds notice. And there were still many things that he had yet to find out about her.

He smiled to himself. He had not had a good puzzle in a long time and he would enjoy unraveling every last bit of her. Sesshomaru was determined to find out the core of this one person. This one person that he had decided to save so long ago...

She couldn't help but wonder why her name was on the cover of a dragon's book that was probably written before she was even born! Plus, her name wasn't very common. So...out of all the common names out there...why her's? Why her's of all people? Because you are different. that oh-so small voice in the back of her head whispered. In a sense, she knew it was the reason, but she wouldn't accept it. Her dragon heritage wasn't the turn of the century. Actually, it wasn't well known that she had dragon heritage. Most assumed that she was just another type of demon, nothing more. And she liked it that way.

Kagome cleared all thoughts out of her head, leaving only one. The answer to Inutaisho's question.

"Inutiasho...I...accept your offer. I will join you in your hunt for the Shikon no Tama. Wether it is real or not...I have nothing better to do," she answered casually, yet dignified.

Inutaisho nodded solemnly.

"Then, be ready to leave in a day's time. I will give you that long to prepare. I also suspect you are bringing your comrades along, am I correct," Inutaisho questioned.

Kagome nodded and stood. As an after thought, Kagome asked, "May I borrow this book for a while. I promise to return it."

"Do as you want with it. It is now your book to control. See it as...a repayment.You will need it anyway on your journey. I suspect you will find out soon enough why," he answered as she opened the door.

Quietly, she thanked him and bid goodnight. Oddly, Matsuru had not followed after, but it was a minor thing in the jumble of her thoughts. She didn't really care what they were talking about in there, all she wanted right now was to return to her room, dress for bed, and sit by the fire and read for a while.

Kagome walked down the series of hallways, twist and turn after another, until she finally spotted her door. Gently she opened it and slowly closed it behind her, absentmindedly leaning back on the door until she heard the locking click. She crossed the lush carpet, staring at the cover of the old book thoughtfully.

Why so many layers? Most books only needed a few. I've seen books with fewer layers than this one that was probably even older than this. So... Her thoughts wandered as she placed the book down and dawned a nightgown that seemed more like an elegant, thigh-length, tank-top dress.

The idea of reading in the moonlight instead of the hearth dawned on her, so she opened her balcony doors, pulled her mirror chair outside, and sat down with the book in hand. She thought and thought and thought, but couldn't figure out why it was layered so, and why her name was so deeply engraved on its cover.

Her thoughts swirled around and around, until she just completely dropped them. Kagome started to wonder, instead, what Inutaisho meant when he had mentioned that she would need it while they traveled. She flipped back to the page where the Shikon no Tama section had been and turned to the page she had stopped.

Kagome had noticed that she was near the last few pages of the book and analyzed every page on the Shikon no Tama carefully as if an answer would just jump out at her. Over and over she scanned the text, until, literally, something did, in a way, jump out at her. She noticed as she looked on the full page completely from far away, that a certain character seemed to...project itself from the placement of the ancient symbols.

Softly, she traced her pointer finger over the form that the character seemed to fit, and slowly she drew a clear picture of it in her mind. The character literally translated to "Silent Sword." "Silent Sword?" Who the hell would relate that to the Shikon no Tama? And who the hell could have hidden it so cleverly?

The art of making something on a flat sheet of paper seem to "jump out" at you was a very complicated technique. Not many could do it, nor would they have the patience to. Luckily, Kagome had picked up a bandit who could to such a thing and was had been loyally in her service until he had passed of old age. Sango had volunteered to carry on the art and became an apprentice. Sango had learned everything she needed to know, but, for some reason or another, she hadn't taught Kagome how. No matter how hard Kagome begged, Sango didn't budge. That's when Kagome had given up all together. Kagome had thought that Sango liked having the speciality for a change.

Putting the thought aside, Kagome wondered what "Silent Sword" meant. Silent Sword, Silent Sword, Silent Sword...GRRRR! What does it mean! Kagome twisted and turned the letters around and around in her head, but couldn't quite get it. It was getting really late, but she had to figure it out, or she wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway.

Kagome stared up at the moon, its glow fanning out over the lush field that lay behind the castle. A pond reflected the fluorescent orb while the wisteria tree near it seemed to dance with the wind. A serene peace had settled over the grounds and it was the first time in her entire life that Kagome had seen such a calm and peaceful beauty. It was the first time in her life that she felt safe.

Me...safe? Never. she thought sadly, as a soft smile danced across her lips. And, as if on cue, her senses began to tingle. The air had shifted somehow. It was relatively peaceful, but, still, it seemed...different.

Kagome stood, the book still in her hands, and walked back into her room. She made sure she kept to the shadows. But, as she slunk deeper into her room there wasn't a presence of any sort of living creature. Slowly, she stepped out of the shadows into the center of the room.

Then, she heard it. Or more like felt it. A pulse? Curiously, she stepped to the left and the pulse became weaker. Then, she stepped to the right and it got even weaker. Kagome stepped forward and found that it had gotten a little stronger. Sure of her direction, she stepped forward. The pulse grew stronger and stronger with every step, with every inch. It felt as if it were tugging her toward it. As if it wanted her to find it.

It had grown to the point where it nearly pounded in her ears. Kagome found that she was near her bed. She found that she had thrown her kimono, breeches, and shirt on her bed. She pulled it aside, almost peeling it off the bed, and gasped as she found what lay beneath.

Her sword. It was her sword. It was glowing...pulsing! What the...! Kagome bent down and picked up the sword and almost immediately her whole body pulsed in time with it. She could feel waves of power flow off her body in huge amounts, and it felt like her entire body burned. Like something were trying to break free from their bonds within her.

She dropped her sword and it clattered to the floor. She dropped the book and it snapped closed. Kagome clutched her side, willing the pain there to go away, to just disappear.

What was this feeling? It was painful, but it was warm. Too much...power... Her eyes were squeezed shut in pain as her body shuddered with every pulse. The pain was growing sharper and sharper. Was something actually pushing itself out of her side? Was something really trying to get out of her?

The pain seemed to move within her, as if moving closer and closer to her skin. With every movement she only doubled over more. Now, she was nearly squeezing her side. Please...stop...just...STOP! And it did. It did stop...for a moment. Something burst out of her side. Its force pushed her back and made her let go. It was...pink?

Kagome's eyes were wide. Surprised, but not fearful. She crawled toward it curiously and picked it up, staining her hand red with blood. Her blood.

She stood carefully to make sure that her expectantly fast healing would heal it properly. She walked to the her bathroom and rinsed the sphere. When she dried it off, she walked into the moonlight and stared at it. It was pink. It was sphere. It was shiny and smooth. Like a jewel.

Jewel! Her eyes widened in realization. No! Can't be! She doubled over again, clutching her wound. What! It should have healed by now! She still could feel an opened wound there, and blood flowed freely. But...how?

Her vision wasfading in and out. She needed to bandage her wound. She placed the jewel on the bed and, using the only thing around that was the least expensive, she tore the towel off the bathroom shelf and tore it into shreds. She lifted her nightgown and began bandaging herself. Kagome wrapped the cloth around her wound in a few layers tugging it tight at the end. She finished it off in a knot and picked the jewel back up, pulling her nightgown over the bandage.

Slowly, as not to disturb her wound, she crawled into bed, pulled the covers over her, and clutched onto the jewel as tight as she could. Before she drifted off into the peaceful darkness, she smiled softly. The jewel...I found it...and I thought the journey would be fun...

You think there isn't going to be a journey! Puh-lease! I ain't gonna make it that easy!

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