"Ah… Kiki… You did not have to come… for an old woman…" Ivy's mother weakly choked between coughs. Her face was flushed with fever, and large droplets of sweat rolling down her face. They pooled in the crook of her neck and dampened her kimono. Kiki kneeled hurriedly on the floor, resting a hand over the woman's forehead. A hot, burning sensation overpowered her at the touch, and she snapped her arm back to her. Ivy glanced expectantly from Kiki to her mother, anxious. Kiki stared at her hand in shock.

"I…" Kiki stuttered, inspecting her hand closely. "I…"

"Kiki…" the old woman said with a more steady voice. "You… I feel a bit better all o' a sudden…"

Fire? Kiki's thoughts ran frantically as she lifted her other hand and compared the two. Did I just pull fire from her body?

"Priestess…" a man's voice began from behind her. Kiki felt a small disruption in her aura, detecting the man's presence behind her. "Do you need anything to-"

Before Kiki knew what was happening, a burning sensation erupted in her neck. She dimly heard the thump of something falling heavily behind her and spun around. The man had collapsed without warning, and Kiki was positive it had somehow been her fault.

"Papa!" Ivy cried in dismay, running to the unconscious old man. She laid a hand on his chest and practically sobbed in relief that he was breathing. Kiki's eyes were wide with horror as the pain in her neck stopped as abruptly as it had started. What in the…?

The mother, who had erupted into a horrible coughing fit, distracted Kiki from her thoughts. She glanced between the three distressed people in the small hut with her, and concluded that she had to deal with the mother first. I do not know if this will work… but…

Kiki raised her hand and rested it on the old woman's forehead again. The burning sensation began crawling through her once more, slithering up her arm and into her chest. After a moment or so, she removed her hand and then went into a terrible coughing fit of her own.

"Oh! Miss Kiki!" Ivy exclaimed, turning from her father in fear. "You as well?"

"I'm fine. Your mother is…" Kiki paused and looked down at her. Her face was returning to its normal shade and her breathing was much smoother now. "…She's fine now. Your father is merely unconscious, from what I can see. Ivy, I want you to fetch some water for them and lay wet strips of cloth on their foreheads. Neither shall be working today. They need rest." Kiki stood up quickly and momentarily lost the ability to see.

"How…? You must have amazing spiritual powers, Miss Kiki! Did you use them to cure my mother?" Ivy inquired, curious of Kiki's abilities and sudden desire to leave. It was obvious to even the most medically stupid that both her parents were going to be fine, and her father was already stirring behind her. "Is that the reason my father collapsed? From an overwhelming sense of energy?"

"I… I just know that they are both fine. That is what my senses tell me." Kiki lied. It was awful, her wanting to leave. She hadn't the slightest idea if they were going to be ok, but the burn in her chest was growing. She felt it racing up to her neck and irritating the mark Inuyasha had given her. She needed to leave, in case her powers were going to go out of control again.

"Yes, priestess! Of course!" the young girl replied, staggering to her feet and frantically searched for the water pail. "Whatever you say, I shall believe! Who am I to doubt your senses?"

Kiki swayed out of the door and began an uneasy jog towards the headman's house, where she was staying. Her vision was getting more and more blurry as the bite on her neck became more agitated. I am used to discovering new powers but… why was that man knocked out? Why… Oh! Miroku!

Kiki stopped in mid-run as the monk crossed the path in front of her. He stopped upon spotting her, and smiled. "Kiki! What a pleasant surprise! Are… are you alright?" Knowing she would regret it later, Kiki tripped forward and began falling towards Miroku. He will catch me. He will bring me to Inuyasha. He might fondle me, but he will still catch me.

Just as she had suspected, Miroku reached out to catch her. Then the burning in her body and neck exploded out of her, lashing out at him. Miroku jumped back at the first painful sensation and watched in confusion as she fell into the dirt. Her eyes were wide with pain, and upon hitting the ground, she began to groan. Miroku kneeled down and reached for her, but his eyesight began to blacken and he recoiled.

"A barrier? Against me?" Miroku mused, searching the street for a villager that might help him. His face brightened at the sight of the girl who had found him on a few days earlier. "Hello there! Kryss, is it? Could you help me over here?"

The girl turned and cocked her head slightly at him, her eyes brightening noticeably. Abandoning the basket of vegetables she carried in the front door of a nearby house, she rushed to him.

"Honorable monk! How may I be of assistance?" she asked readily, crouching down next to Kiki. She examined her carefully and then prodded her onto her back. Miroku watched in amazement as Kryss adjusted the girl's kimono so it was not showing so much cleavage.

"You can touch her!" Miroku exclaimed. Kryss gave him an odd look, and expectantly waited for his explanation. "I mean… She has a barrier against me and I can't touch her."

"Oh! So you need me for…?" Kryss searched, tilting her head slightly to the side. Miroku reached over Kiki, despite the minor blackout she was giving him, and grasped the girl's hands in his.

"Would you consider bearing my child?" he inquired, completely off subject. Kryss blushed and ripped her hands shyly from his.

"Well, I really don't know you that well…" she said and then giggled flirtatiously. Kiki groaned again beneath them, drawing both of their attentions back to her. "And there is a much larger matter at hand here…"

"What are you doing to Kiki?" A woman's voice sputtered from behind Miroku. It made both of them jump in surprise, and they turned to see Sango huffing unhappily behind them, hands on her hips. "Why is she on the ground?"

"Ah! Sango! I am sorry for bothering you, Lady Kryss. You may return to what you were doing." Miroku explained dismissively, and Kryss nodded and stood up. Both Miroku and Sango immediately tuned out her complaints of where her vegetable basket had gone, ignoring everything but the stare-down between them as she barged into the house she had left it in front of and started shouting at the occupants.

"I'll ask again. What are you doing?" Sango hissed.

"I was merely trying to help Kiki. She collapsed." Miroku offered. Sango's eyes narrowed.

"Why were you talking to Kryss?"

"Kiki has put up some sort of barrier to me. I cannot touch her. You're a strong woman, Sango…"

Sango sighed and walked over to the body, crouching down and heaving Kiki onto her back. In a weak attempt to help, Kiki wrapped her arms around Sango's neck and steadied herself as Sango pulled her feet through the nooks she had made in her arms. "Let's move, Miroku." She commanded, steadily jogging towards the headman's house. Miroku followed her, only two or three steps behind.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"I'm trying to sleep." Inuyasha growled in irritation, without turning around. "I was up all night."

"Oh? Doing what?" Miroku exclaimed in surprise from Inuyasha's doorway. He had slid the screen quite roughly open and apparently startled Inuyasha from sleep.

"What the hell do YOU want?" Inuyasha harshly replied, opening his eyes and identifying Miroku in his doorway. The monk was trying to catch his breath, and small droplets of sweat rolled down his face. His staff jingled as he invited himself into the room and sat down.

"Ah, that's better. Now, let's talk about what you were doing last night." Miroku said with a tauntingly happy smile. Inuyasha stared at him for a moment before replying

"Like hell I will!"

"No, truly! It is very important that I know." Miroku assured him. Inuyasha growl a warning at him, thinking the question was clearly perverted. Before he could snap at Miroku again, Sango appeared in the open doorway.

"Bastard! What was with the leap of speed to reach here first? You know how heavy she is?" Sango gasped angrily, stepping into the room. She watched tiredly as Inuyasha made a fist and began to growl to himself. "Oh, Inuyasha! I would have thought you would be out killing the demons after Kiki's jewel with some of the other villagers."

"They can handle it on their own for one day! Wha- what are you carrying? Is that a girl?" Inuyasha began to answer, but suddenly noticed the limp body Sango was carrying on her back. "Miroku! Why aren't you carrying the girl? What kind of man are you?"

"It's a simple answer, really. I begin to black out whenever I get near her. She seems to have a barrier on her." Miroku sighed in a victimized manner. "She doesn't want me to touch her."

"That doesn't surprise me. Where's Kiki?" Inuyasha sneered at the monk turning to Sango for his question. "I bet she could help."

"You must be really out of it if you don't already know. Yes, I suppose she would be able to, only this IS Kiki. She can't help herself, now, can she?" Sango snapped. "Now is anyone going to help me?" Inuyasha stumbled to his feet to see if this was true. Realizing that it really was Kiki, he gently removed her from Sango's back and held her bridal style. Miroku watched carefully, a frown teasing his face. He had wanted to tell Inuyasha.

"Now, what were you doing last night?" he asked, a little more official this time. Inuyasha looked up from staring at the girl in his arms and stared blankly at Miroku. It was fascinating to watch as his face twisted from confusion to realization, to anger.

"I hardly think that matters!" he exclaimed. "Why is she out cold?" Sango sat down on the other side of the room, far away from Miroku. The monk's face drooped even more at the action.

"We don't know. She kept mumbling, 'neck…neck…' while I was carrying her. Check there." Sango explained. Inuyasha made his way over to the unused futon in his room, gently laying Kiki on it and then drawing her hair back from her neck. Upon seeing the bite mark, his face darkened. Sango noticed and scooted across the room to get a better look. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"I bit her. I marked her." Inuyasha cursed, letting Kiki's hair fall back into place. "Is it my fault she's like this?"

"What's this? A mark? You don't mean to say that… you had sexual relations with Miss Kiki last night?" Miroku exclaimed. Inuyasha's face reddened. Sango sharply looked at Miroku.

"What do you mean?"

"I have learned in my travels that when Inu Youkai mate they leave a mark on their mate's body to show other demons that they are taken. That way, other males will not try to take their female away from them. You cannot make a fake mark because the scent of mating is injected into it. To a demon, it would be fairly easy to tell if a mark was real or not." Miroku exclaimed. Sango turned to Inuyasha.

"You aren't even wed! How could you?" she cried in horror. Inuyasha snapped his neck around to look at her, feigning disgust.

"We didn't! Not like that! She… We… I… Didn't…AUGH!" Inuyasha threw his hands into the air in exasperation. "You're both hopeless!"

"What I'd like to know is if the mark only blocks me or if it blocks every man who comes near her. Except you, of course, who inflicted the mark and therefore can be recognized by the barrier. And why, of course, does this mark not block women...?" Miroku pointed out. Inuyasha's face darkened again.

"She needs to be protected. The mark must be trying to protect her in some twisted way." His eyes drifted to the beads linked to the Shikon jewel. It was tucked away in its normal place, between her breasts. Something troubled him- her presence did not feel right.

"Well, we need to find a way to… Inuyasha, what are you doing?" Sango snapped as he reached to pull the jewel from between her bosom. "Don't touch her their while she's unconscious!"

"I'm not a pervert like Miroku! It's just…" Inuyasha's voice cut off abruptly, drawing attention from both Sango and Miroku. Sango leaned over and peered into his widened eyes.

"Inuyasha?" she inquired, before trailing his eyesight to the jewel. Her breathing stopped and then rapidly started again. Miroku stood and made his way towards them. They were both leaning over the unconscious priestess, faces intent on something.

"What are you both…?" His eyes landed on the jewel as well, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Why…" Sango tried.

"It's…" Miroku began at the same time.

They turned and looked at each other and then back at Kiki. The skin on her cheeks was darkening into faded scars shaped like moons, but that was not what was troubling them. Even the fact that her hair was turning a frightening blood red color or that there was a red glow behind her eyelids did not bother them as much as something else.

It was the jewel that had them worried. The jewel that had always puzzled them, never tainted but always purified in Kiki's hands. It was the jewel that they could not recognize. All because…

It was black.