A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews and the support, and it encouraged me to make a quick update, so here you go, I'm hittin you with the third and final chapter in the Interludes. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or the related characters, but whoever said I couldn't use them?

The Heart of A Miko And The Halberd of A Mercenary

Chapter 3:

Those Better Left Forgotten

She sat a long time in the tub, washing away her pains and sorrows. The water seemed to sooth the now irreparable part of heart. It was just now that she noticed she had been in there for over an hour.

She steadily got up from the water, the cool air from outside the window hitting her body, causing her to shiver in the slight temperature change.

As she climbed out and went to the towel rack, she heard the sliding of a door and swung her head around.

Bankotsu stared at her intently, eyes moving up and down along her slender frame.

She just gazed at him, a confused look in her eyes. Then she noticed, Oh my God! I'm still naked!

She quickly snatched a towel and wrapped it around herself, as Bankotsu kept his eyes on her, mouth still gaping.

When she knew it was secure, she walked up to him, and brought her hand up to land another across his face. But she was too slow.

He realized what she was going to do, and instantly brought his hand up to stop hers.

She glared at him, but it quickly gave way to a satisfied smirk as he yelped in pain.

"Damnit!" he yelled as he clutched his knee where she had just kicked him moments ago. "What the hell was that for!"

"Honestly!" she barked at him, "How many times do have to hurt you before you stop being a pervert?"

He glared at her. "I thought you were out of the bath, so I came to have one myself!"

"Oh yeah!" she hollered at him, "Then explain why you were looking at me with so much interest!"

He opened his mouth to give a reply, but just as quickly shut it. He didn't have an answer to that. Why did I stare at her so much? He asked himself.

Before he knew what had happened, she marched right past him, stomping his foot in the process. Why that little!... she thought to herself, I've only been here for two days and he's already worse than Miroku!...

He looked at her, a flame concealed deep within his eyes. The saying really is true, he took into mental notice, looks are deceiving…

As the pain in his ankle subsided, he walked into the bathroom and settled into the tub, looking out through the window… an interesting girl though…

Kagome lies across the bed in the room she 'assumes' is hers. After all, he brought her here, so doesn't that make it hers?

She heard a knock before her door flew open, Bankotsu standing in the middle of the doorway.

"What do you want now?" she said coldly, looking away from his face.

"You have the power to see the Sacred Jewel, right?" he asked her, not noticing the sudden chill in her attitude.

She glances at him. How does he know that! She turned away. "What's it to you?"

He stood emotionless, as he did when he entered the room, "You're going to help me search for them."

"As if!" she hollered, "Why do you want them anyways, huh!"

It was faint, but she swore she could tell she had struck a nerve. He was going to reply, but he held his tongue, as if searching for the words to say. After a few moments, he spat out, "It's none of your concern!"

She wasn't about to let go right there. Hmmm… I wonder what he could be hiding? "Oh really? Why not?" she asked him.

"I said, it's none of your concern!"

She stood up, and slightly closer to him. "Well, your going to have to tell me eventually if you want me to help you!"

He glared at her, holding back the urge to attack her at once. "Look, just drop it…"

This has got to be something big in order to tick him off this much. "What if I don't wanna drop it--!"

Enough was enough. He couldn't take her endless nagging any longer. Almost like lightning, he pulled out the Banryu from where it stood in the corridor. In one swift movement of his wrist, he held the halberd within centimeters of the bridge of her nose. "I said drop it!"

She panicked, It was really ad, she thought. She didn't move a muscle, scared that he would slice her to shreds if she did.

"Just because your staying here, doesn't give you access to everything!" he bellowed. "Some things are better left unsaid, and this just happens to be one of them!"

She had greatly underestimated him, I definitely struck a nerve, she thought.

He finally set the halberd aside, then gazed back into her eyes. Something about that gaze would come back to haunt me, she thought. "If you won't help, I'll lock you up in here, then I'll ask Kikyo instead. She was the one who gave Naraku the jewel, didn't she?"

With that, he left, halberd in hand. That only left a speechless Kagome, mouth gaping at those last words.

It was dark out, and night had fallen upon the castle. The corridors were empty, and as dark and endless as the void of a black hole. Very little movement in the pitch black halls could be seen, until a burning hot flame rounded the corner, chasing the shadows into the oblivion.

Kagome walked down the corridor, candle in her left hand. "How can I get so lost?" she asked herself. She had been running the halls for hours searching for the room.

She stumbled upon a door, it was pretty big compared to most of the other ones. "I wonder what's inside?"

She slid the door open, half expecting a secret little lair, the other half expecting a trap of sorts. The last thing she would've expected was a sleeping Bankotsu in the middle of the room.

She was shocked. Hope I didn't wake him up… She was about to slide the door closed, but somehow, the sight of him brought her an inner peace. He looks so cute asleep…

She mentally slapped herself for thinking that, but she noticed another door in his room. I wonder where that leads to?

Curiosity overtook her, and she silently slipped across the room, and slid through the door. Inside the little room were two tables, one on either side. She could smell a faint aroma, and instantly recognized the jars off to the right as incense. Why would he have incense?

She looked at the wall in front of her, and noticed, it wasn't a wall, but another set of sliding doors. More doors?

She opened them, and took a step into this new room. It was almost an identical replica of the last room, except there were three major differences: there was grass on the ground, there was no roof, and the most noticeable, there were six stones lining across the length of the room. She stared at them for a while, but it didn't take long to figure what they really were: they were the tombstones for the six dead members of the Band Of Seven.

That explains the incense, she thought, he must pray for them every so often. But, one sight that caught her attention, there was a small, almost unnoticeable inscription on the opposite stone wall. I wonder what it says? She moved closer to it, and could faintly make out a small verse, but its depth was surprising:

I will not tire,

I will not die,

I'll avenge these souls,

And make things right.

I'll force myself,

And stay on top,

Even dead,

I will not stop.

She kept staring at those words, realizing the extent of their meaning. Then it hit her. "He's using the shards--"

"To go after Naraku," he finished for her.

She spun around and stared in disbelief. How did he wake up? When did he wake up? Was he going to kill her? She panicked, and tried to run past him, but he grabbed her by the arm.

"Listen to me!" he said, "Now you understand why I need those shards so much." She shifted her gaze from the floor to meet his face, but not exactly his eyes.

"It's the only motivation for me to live. My friend's livers were taken, leaving me to live in my own company. If I had the choice to live alone, or die, I would've killed myself in a heartbeat." She stared into his eyes, noticing his deep sadness from within. Was he saying he was lonely to her? He continued, "But before I can even think about death, I have to avenge my fallen comrades."

He hesitantly took a few steps closer to her. "So, I'm going to ask you more clearly," he said as he got on one knee and took her hand in his. This is awkward, she thought, it's as if he's proposing… But in truth, she was rather enjoying this. Until the question came out. "Will you help me find and destroy Naraku?"

She hesitated. Was she really going to help the man that had killed her best friend and first love? It is a noble cause, but still, he killed InuYasha, she could never forget that. She reminisced, one last time… how he had always fought with her, how he always ran with her on his back, and how he always held her…

It pained her, but she had to come with a conclusion. He… he would've wanted me to move on, she thought, so, I have to leave him in the past…

So, her decision was final. No matter how much suffering this would put her through, she would eventually have to live with it. She was going to forget her now-late friends. And her lost love.

She looked down once more at Bankotsu. Swallowing up all the strength to overcome the last obstacle in her way, she replied, "I will…"

.:End Chapter:.

I hope the wait wasn't too long, that chapter was once of my favs to make so far out of all my stories, and, till next time, cyaz.