Chapter 8: Here a Shard, There a Shard?

"I'm ready to tell you what happened."

Kagome walked over to where Neyoko was sitting and knelt beside the young girl. Sango smiled encouragingly as she leaned against a tree. Miroku trained his eyes on Neyoko. Inu Yasha snorted, then smirked. "'Bout time, too."

Neyoko shot a glare at the hanyou. She shook her head slightly, causing her hair to flop wildly. She held back a retort, and started her story.

"Over a hundred or two hundred years ago, I started living with a band of thieves. I was raised thinking my okasan, the neko, had been raped, and later killed after I was born. I know now, that the head thief, Sinara, that God damned bastard, killed both of my parents when I was young and could have lived happily with them. I remember him looking for something, a little thing you guys call a Shikon shard. I had it, thanks to the last measures my 'kasan took."

"So you did have a Shikon shard?" Kagome asked, just to make sure she was following the conversation.

"Yeah, after that, I was raised as one of the group, and I did really well. After I finished all the training they could give me, I started hating it. I wanted to leave. It took some..." Neyoko paused, clearing her throat, 'gentle persuasion'... to get them to let me leave."

Inu Yasha cut in. "I know how yokai work. They don't listen well to words, only violence. You killed all of em off."

"Do you want to tell the story? All right, fine. Since I'm telling you things, might as well embarrass my self. I killed all of my compartiots, and tried to go after Sinara. He layed me flat the second I tried to kill him and told me to get out of his sight. So, I went into a solitary business. I was doing really good business for myself, stealing whatever I felt like and re-selling it with a secrecy policy. I had a tentative partner for a while, even. Then, one day, some guards came in, broke some things, took me into custody, and then...bam. I was human. After that, Genkai-basan raised me and taught me a little bit, and you know the rest." It was a cheep summary, but it worked. Not worth going into any more detail.

"Well, what about the shikon shard?"

Neyoko chuckled. "Yeah, about that…I think it's still in the Makai."

…………………

The exact response from the group varied at Neyoko's words. All in all, none of them knew what the hell the Makai was. Neyoko was stuck trying to explain it and, after much floundering around, got to the point that the ningen and yokai lived in different worlds in their time.

Kagome and Sango took to the idea immediately, and Miroku was not far behind, although he did not show it.

Inu Yasha thought that ningen were weak if they had to rely on a world border to keep them from getting killed. They should adapt or perish.

Kagome confided in Neyoko that she thought it was because Inu Yasha wouldn't be welcome in either realm.

Neyoko agreed. For the past week, Neyoko had been confused as well.

There was silence as the group ate a quick supper and settled down for sleep.

For once, Neyoko was the only one lying awake that night. She contemplated the question she knew would resurface after revealing the fact that there was a shikon shard in the present. Where would they go next?

…………………

As it turned out, no one wanted to say much during the breakfast meal. Normally, Neyoko was all in favor for silence, but she found it odd amongst these people. She looked around at the group and finally realized a little factor, she was bored.

"Um," Neyoko started, gaining the attention of the group. "This should be on every one's mind, but I'll ask any way. Where are we going next?"

"I think we should try this…" Kagome gulped, "Makai you were talking about."

"All ready? Well," Neyoko looked around at the group again. They seemed determined to go. "Ok, fine. So, I guess no more yokai detours and we'll be headed off back to our time?"

"Well, I don't see any of that Makai around here!" Inu Yasha snapped.

Neyoko growled. "I could do without your sarcasm this early in the morning, thank you."

"I could deal without you being here at all, so…"

"You wouldn't have even been able to fight that risu the other day if it weren't for me. You were pa-the-tic," Neyoko sounded out the last words to emphasize her point.

"Knock it off, you two," Kagome cut in exasperated. If no one else was going to, she decided she would take on the role of peace keeper.

Or, more appropriately, Inu Yasha's chew toy. "What did you just tell me to do?" the hanyou turned to Kagome.

"You heard me. Don't make me say it."

"Say what?"

"That's it! Inu Yasha…" Kagome froze in mid spell, apparently confused. Inu Yasha had already felt the effect.

Neyoko chuckled and looked away. "Check out that sit," she muttered, attempting to reveal Kagome's slip.

"Nani? Oh!" Kagome put a hand over her mouth as she caught it. "Gomen Inu Yasha. I didn't think they took all of what I said so seriously."

"What do ya mean! You were gonna sit me any way!" Inu Yasha shouted from his prone position on the ground.

Miroku, Sango and Shippo glanced at each other, still not quite sure what had happened."

"That is it," Neyoko started to explain. "It ends with the s, providing the sit. S…I…T. Sit." Neyoko smiled.

Inu Yasha recovered from the spell and leapt up. "Why don't you just go home already?" He shouted, pointing a finger at the red head.

The thief smirked. "Is Inu-chan afraid of going to the Makai?" She talked as if she were taking to a baby. "Little Inu-chan afraid the big bad yokai are going to eat him?"

"You wish, neko."

"Inu Yasha, I'm going," Kagome decided.

Instantly the mood changed. Inu Yasha finally shut his mouth. "Keh. The sooner we go, the sooner we get back all of the shards." He began to stalk off in the direction they had come from the day before.

"I don't know what came over him. I swear, that boy has more mood swings than a pregnant woman," Kagome muttered as she started following after him.

"So, Sango. What did you think of that fight, yesterday?" Neyoko started in a friendly tone as they began to move again.

…………………

The walk back only took two days. The reason: the group spent less time descending the mountain due to falls. That was the only entertainment Neyoko could find. The trip was boring.

Neyoko was disappointed. Two yokai attacks in one day, and then nothing. When they finally got back to the well, Neyoko was sure it was none too soon.

"Well, it's time to say good bye Neyoko," Kagome prompted.

"What? Why?" Neyoko asked.

"Miroku, Sango and Shippo can't come through the well with us. I don't even know how you made it through here in the first place."

"Hanyou," Inu Yasha coughed.

"That could be it. Hurry up."

Shippo was sitting on Miroku's shoulder. The hoshi and Sango were standing several paces away from the well.

Neyoko bowed to them. "It was a pleasure working with you."

Miroku nodded once. Sango smiled and bowed back. "It was pleasant meeting you. Please come back soon."

"I'll see you guys latter!" Kagome said with a small smile and a wave.

Neyoko hurried to the well with Kagome. "Ok, let's go."

Kagome grabbed Neyoko's hand. "Jump," she demanded.

Both women did so, and Inu Yasha followed shortly after. The three landed in the future. Inu Yasha jumped Kagome out.

"Prick," Neyoko muttered as she started climbing out. When she was almost to the top, a clawed hand reached down. Neyoko flinched.

"Hurry up," Inu Yasha grumbled.

Neyoko took a glance up at the hanyou. He wasn't looking at her. She took the offered help. "Thanks."

"So, how do we get into this Makai you were talking about?"

"Crap!" Neyoko smacked her forehead. "I don't know."

"If this is how it is, I'm going to go back."

Neyoko smiled. "I don't know how to get in, but I know someone who might. An old friend of mine. Should we give it a shot?"

"Keh."

"It's worth a shot."

"All right. Now, let's see…where does he live again?"

Inu Yasha groaned. Why did everything seem pointless all of a sudden?

"I need to take care of a few things. Is that all right?"

Neyoko nodded and sat on the steps of the well house while Kagome went in side.

Kagome took a quick bath after saying hi to her family. After she was nice and clean again, she told her parents were going to leave soon. Inu Yasha picked up his baseball cap to hide his ears, and they were off.

…………………

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Ok, I think I'm done with this chapter. This was all that I had written up, but not typed, so it took me a long while. I finally got in the mood to type it up, thanks to the reveiws of (who ever it was). I finally have a story with more than 10 reviews! Yay! Throws a big party Well, any way, going to work on the next chapter right now!

R&R People, or I won't be happy!