Author's Notes: Well, you all got lucky today, because I wasn't supposed to even be around to write this chapter until tomorrow night, but fate stepped in and suddenly made my afternoon very open. Long story short, I was supposed to go in for my recording session today to make my college CD, but at the last minute, literally ten minutes before I'm set to leave my house, my accompanist calls and informs me that something fell through the cracks and the sanctuary where I was supposed to sing is booked solid for the evening. So I've been rescheduled to Tuesday night, and now have the extra time to catch up on my writing. Anyway...

In this chapter we'll learn a little more about the history of the Shikon no Tama, and exactly how it fits into this story beyond simply restraining a demon's powers. And Kikyou will be mentioned, but please, no one freak out because I am not bringing her into this story beyond honorable mention...she just doesn't fit into this plot. Some of you have told me you're glad of this, while others have said you really wish Kikyou could be added for a little spice, and to all of you I'm saying the same thing: I will not add a character simply to have her there. She does not fit this plot, and I can't stand it when other authors use certain characters just to use them which, in the end creates a boring, shallow, undeveloped person who adds nothing to a plotline. So that's my speech.

In other news, you all seem pretty sure you know where Sesshoumaru's future relationships are headed. Are you sure about that? Maybe you are! Who knows? I'm just saying don't jump to any conclusions just yet...

And as one final announcement, I want to let everyone know that on November 9, 2004 I will be posting a massively re-edited version of 'Confessions of a Broken Heart' in honor of its one year anniversary. I will also be posting revamped versions of the other two stories as well, so look for that...they will all be posted at the same time, just for the heck of it. Don't worry, none of the content or plot will change, but I just wanted to warn you all, in case you'd wanna go back, for old time's sake, and check it out.

Other then that, I'll be coming out with another chapter of 'The King's Mistress' within a few days, so stay tuned for that. I'll shut up now. Enjoy chapter seventeen!


Title: Impossible Dreams

Author: dolphingirl0113

Chapter: Seventeen

Rating: PG-13 (rated for language, violence, and implied sexual situations)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.


DEDICATION: For Ted Dorsey, the greatest coach I will ever have, the most wonderful and patient mentor I will ever know, and the best friend I could have asked for. Thank you for everything you did for me in my life.


After a week spent recovering from her wounds, Kagome was starting to feel like she could make the journey back to the cave of the demon exterminators, which had become their unofficial home base of sorts. And what was more, she could sense that Inuyasha was growing restless not being able to do anything or go anywhere. If anything, that hastened her recovery process so that she was the one insisting it was time that they leave, rather than him, though she could see in his eyes, which were like windows to his soul, that he appreciated her sensitivity to his feelings.

She was currently sitting up in the makeshift cot that had been her bed for the duration of her recovery, gazing out the small window that was covered by a thin layer of glass. At least this slave hut seemed to be somewhat nice in construction...nothing like her father's slave quarters. She blushed at the thought.

Where the Higurashi slave huts had been made of ramshackle wood, with leaky roofs, dirt floors, and holes for windows, these huts had wood floors, solid walls and roofs, and glass windows. Not to mention the modest stove that could warm the small room in an instant if necessary.

Seeing the comparison only caused Kagome to sigh and look at her hands in shame as she once again recalled all that she had witnessed in her life. How she'd watched her father slowly fade away, leaving only a shell of the kind man he had once been, becoming instead a monster who cared nothing for the suffering of others. He'd loved her mother so much, and it was as though once Izumi Higurashi died, he died too...though he did stay alive in order to protect Kagome, in his own way.

Yet she could not forgive him for all that he had done in the years since her mother's death. She knew her mother would have never loved the man he had become, and, in all honesty, neither could she.

What a puzzling and frustrating thing, the heart. She hated her father for what he'd done, and had long ago accepted that the man she had loved as a child was gone forever, yet her heart insisted on twisting into grief-formed knots whenever she thought of him dying in that fire that had consumed her home. She wanted to hate him...god how she wanted to hate him! And yet her heart wouldn't allow it.

She sighed. "It would be so much easier that way..." Her voice floated away in the silence of the room, and Kagome turned so she was leaning against the wall that her cot was lined up against, crossing her legs and shrugging her shoulders forward, her head down and facing her lap. "Father...you and mother haunt me still..."

She hadn't told anyone, not even Inuyasha, about the dreams she'd have when her body was trapped in an exhausted world of sleep. She didn't have the heart to put to words the pain of watching her mother's death over and over again, and of being trapped once more in her fire-infested rooms. Their faces...her mother and father...Hojo, sweet Hojo...all of them haunted her dreams these days.

Would it ever go away? Would the pain of losing them ever fade, and eventually just become scars that marked the tragedy of her life, but that no longer brought her physical pain? Or would they forevermore remain as festering wounds? Would she ever feel like she had a family again? Of course she had her grandfather, but compared to the memories of old, that was a small consolation prize. After all, how could a woman with memories of a loving mother and father who would kiss her awake in the morning and sing her to sleep at night as a little girl ever feel truly happy again? Was it even possible?

Without even meaning to, Kagome found her thoughts drifting to Inuyasha, his handsome face and amber eyes coming to the forefront of her mind. She couldn't explain it, yet...when she was with him she didn't feel so alone anymore. That night when he'd held her in his arms, wrapped securely in his red jacket that smelled of fresh air and pine trees, she'd never slept so sweetly, or had such happy dreams. And then again when she'd slept with her head in his lap she had felt her body relax into a truly peaceful state. Then the moment he left her side she felt the dark, cold reality that was her life, that she was alone, with no family and no home any longer, consume her, and she would become cold, chilled to her very bones.

What did it all mean?

Theirs was a strange relationship, she'd come to that conclusion a long time ago. And yet, even in those first few weeks after he'd come to her home as a slave of her father, she couldn't have imagined anything between them would have progressed as far as it had.

Who would have thought it possible, even three months ago, that a slave and the daughter of a slave master could have become friends? Who would have thought that Inuyasha, the man who had looked upon her with such hate that first day, his amber eyes smoldering, his hair and clothing soaked from a long ride in an uncovered cart, his whole body intimidating and full of anger, would have eventually held her in his arms and promised to always protect her? And who would have thought, even, that Kagome Higurashi would have forgiven him for all the cruel things he had said to her in the beginning?

She smiled at the memory of all their quarrels, for some reason cherishing the moments as much as she hated them. Of course she'd rather just have him hold her in his arms, his heart beating in unison with hers, his smell surrounding her, his chest rumbling against her cheek every time his gruff voice spoke to her in soothing tones.

"Inuyasha..." His name escaped her lips without her even realizing she'd spoken it aloud, and she felt a blush come to her cheeks, her body growing warm as she thought of the handsome hanyou. Inuyasha with his silver hair, his amber eyes, and slightly tan skin. Inuyasha with his hard jaw and determined stance, always willing to protect if needed, and willingly charging into battle with Kagura if it meant saving her life. Inuyasha smiling softly at something someone said...Inuyasha by the well without his shirt, his muscular body gleaming in the sun...

Shaking her head, Kagome blushed furiously as she realized the direction her thoughts had been headed. How had he managed to squeeze his way into her head so? Or, more importantly, how had he weaseled his way into her heart and burrowed so deeply?

For he most certainly had, she realized in that moment. He had to the point that she was coming dangerously close to crossing that line from friendship into something more. Any more these days she found herself gazing at his lips and wondering what it would feel like to kiss them, wanting to run her hands over his arms, which were always hidden beneath that draping red coat and bury her face in the crook of his neck, where his hair would surround her and allow her to smell him, his masculine, beautiful smell.

"God, what's the matter with me?" She shook her head as though to wipe the thoughts from her mind, but that only seemed to make it worse, so Kagome decided it was time to get up and get herself distracted by doing something else.

Yet even as she straightened her ratty old dress, which was looking like it was ready to fall off any second at the seams, and used her reflection in the window to pull her hair back behind her in a clumsy braid, she couldn't get him off her mind. Almost like she loved him...

"Get a grip, Kagome," She hissed at herself furiously. "You're not in love with him, and besides since he's a prince no doubt once this is all over he'll go back to living in his castle and you'll be out of his life forever." She nodded to accent her own point, and yet that did nothing to help. If anything it brought her spirits down more then ever at the thought of never seeing him again.

With a sigh she turned around and finished doing the braid blindly, tying it off with a white ribbon she'd had in her hair since the fire. That and her dress were the only things she had left from her old home...her old life...

"Ugh," She slapped a hand to her forehead. "I'm such a fool. If I'm not depressed then I'm thinking I'm in love..."

"In love with who?"

Kagome shot her head up to see Sango standing at the small door, her hands clasped before her, dressed in the old cotton outfit she'd worn while working for her father as a slave, which was a dress that was belted at the waist, accenting her hips, white on top and tan on the skirt, wearing a colorful shawl of all kinds of pastels over her shoulders. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail again, and she looked, frankly, comfortable at that moment.

"No one," Kagome finally replied, though it wasn't in her usual panicky tone. Instead she just sounded tired, which caused Sango to chuckle as she moved over to stand by her friend.

"You sound less and less convinced every time you say that, you know?"

Kagome grinned half-heartedly. "I know...and I know I'm not fooling anyone, either, except maybe for myself."

"And why would you want to fool yourself?"

"You know why."

Sango shook her head and sat down on the cot. "No, I don't. If you love someone, I should think you would be happy about it, not upset."

"You'd be upset if you loved a man who doesn't love you back."

At that the demon exterminator laughed out loud, a beautiful, rich sound, and something Kagome hadn't heard in a long time from her friend. Not since her brother and parents had died. She couldn't help but stare. "Kagome, if you don't think he loves you then you're crazy."

"Has he ever said he does?" Kagome pointed out.

"No."

"You see...?"

"But," Sango leaned forward to accent her point, "He does everything else in the world to tell you, you're just not watching for the right signs."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You said he promised to protect you forever, right?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "He didn't exactly say forever, Sango...he just said he'd always protect me."

"That's close enough," The brunette waved her arm to show that didn't matter. "Either way, a man only does that if he cares about the woman, you know what I mean? And Inuyasha's not exactly the type who protects just anyone. I mean, you've seen how impatient he gets with the other people trying to keep up with us...and yet, with you he has all the patience in the world."

"We fight all the time!"

"And he also carried you all the way here after you passed out."

Kagome shut her mouth and swallowed the comment she had been about to make, recalling how it had felt when he'd lifted her into his arms just before the world had gone black. He'd held her so possessively then. Was it possible...?

"No, no, no!" She shook her head and glanced at her friend with a desperate gleam in her eyes. "Sango, even if I do love him..."

"So you admit it?" Sango sounded excited at the prospect.

"Maybe..." Kagome looked away, and her face acquired a melancholy look. "But he's a prince, and, well, he'll have his responsibilities once we defeat Naraku. He'll no doubt be grateful to return to his old life and forget about me. I mean, why should he keep someone near him who would only remind him of his painful past?"

Sango rose to her feet and took Kagome's hands in her own, looking deep into her friend's eyes. "There isn't only pain when he thinks of you, Kagome, I know it. There is also peace. Even Miroku's been saying lately that he's never seen Inuyasha so relaxed around anyone as he seems to be around you, or as protective. Did it occur to you that you're his beacon of light in all this madness?"

"Me?" Kagome blushed and looked away. "I'm no beacon of light, Sango. I can barely keep the despair of my situation from overcoming all joy I might be feeling at any given moment. I'm always fighting it back...there's never a moment when I'm just me, like I used to be when we were younger."

Sango tilted Kagome's face so they were staring at each other again. "But at least you fight it, Kagome. And that's what makes you so special. You don't let the darkness and the madness drag you down, but fight it instead, just like you fight Kagura. And that's what gives everyone else hope: the fact that you have lived through so much and can still come out swinging your fists." She laughed. "I mean, look at you. A month ago you'd never touched a bow and arrow, and now you are learning to use it as a weapon, and very quickly, I might add. You can purify the diamond shards, which means you still have a good heart that is not tainted by evil or hate or a need for revenge. And you are always taking care of others. Kagome, that's special...and that's what Inuyasha sees."

Kagome felt uncomfortable under such praise, but found herself smiling slightly in spite of herself. "You really believe all that, Sango?"

"With every fiber of my being...and so does Inuyasha."

That last comment brought a new amount of light into her face, and Kagome actually found herself giggling. "Well," She said finally, "We'd better get going, because I think Inuyasha wants to leave tomorrow."

"Yeah, but first you need to come and meet someone." Sango started to pull her towards the door.

"Who?" Kagome couldn't even fathom who else there was to meet. She'd already become acquainted with Inuyasha's estranged brother, Sesshoumaru, as well as his little manservant of sorts, Jaken. Who else could there be?

"An elderly woman who has spiritual powers," Sango explained as they exited the hut and were greeted by warm rays of sunshine and a fresh breeze. "She's been wanting to see you since you arrived...she has some answers in regards to the shards you've been purifying."

"She does?" Now that sparked her interest, and Kagome started following her friend willingly, rather than simply being led about willy-nilly. Kagome had so many questions...the thought that they might be answered at last was stimulating, and gave her a newfound energy and bounce to her step.


The old woman's name was Kaede, and she indeed looked like an ancient wise woman who would have all the knowledge of the world inside her frail little head, even though she was only fifty-eight years old. Plump, with graying hair that was pulled back at the nape of her neck in a ponytail and kind eyes peering out of a wrinkled face, she had been a slave since Naraku overthrew Inutaisho, and was only now enjoying freedom, since Sesshoumaru had finally overthrown his own master only two days before he had come across Inuyasha and the others after their encounter with Kagura.

Kaede had led them all out onto a bluff which overlooked a beautiful scene of rolling hills and slightly dipping valleys, and now they sat in the grass enjoying the view, Kagome at Inuyasha's side to Kaede's right and Miroku and Sango to her left with Sesshoumaru standing just off to the side looking disinterested, though he was still keenly aware of everything that was going on and being said.

While Miroku and Kaede spoke about medicinal herbs and spiritual barriers, since the man had been, after all, a monk in training before he was enslaved, Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha and observed his profile silently, noting the set position of his jaw and the way he was gazing with longing out toward the west.

Finally she sighed and, in an act of spontaneity, leaned her head against his shoulder, causing him to tense in surprise, though he didn't shrug her off. She was going to take advantage of what Sango had told her and experiment with these nonverbal communication skills. "What are you thinking about?"

He sighed and didn't move his head as he replied. "My home is that way," He indicated with a nod of his head. "I haven't been there in seven years...almost eight now."

Kagome heard the melancholy in his voice, and felt her heart go out to him, understanding exactly how he felt. It was hard to believe that there had been slavery for almost eight years, and yet at the same time it felt like there had always been all that suffering and pain in the world.

"You must miss it then, to say it that way," she prodded, hoping against hope that he would tell her more. But he just shrugged.

"I don't know, really...I mean, in a lot of ways that place holds no real happy memories for me, because even when I was a prince I was treated poorly by a lot of people."

"Why?"

He grunted and rolled his eyes as though it were obvious. "Because I'm a hanyou, stupid. Why else? People can't stand cross-breeding, and then when you get someone like me, who represents that very thing and is a constant reminder of what they hate, you are segregated against."

Kagome tried not to bristle at his curt tone, although she did pull away from his shoulder and sat up straight before responding. "I don't think you're awful or ugly or disgusting because you're a hanyou, so excuse me for not thinking the way you seem to." She looked away. "If you ask me, the person who hates you the most is yourself."

"What did you say?" Now he looked downright upset, which was too bad since the silence a few moments ago had been so pleasant. Kagome began to regret ever having opened her mouth in the first place.

But she didn't back down, instead meeting his forceful gaze head on. "I said I think the person who hates you the most is yourself, Inuyasha, and I think it's the truth. You hate the fact that you're a hanyou...I've heard you talking to Miroku before about how you wish you could just become a full demon."

He opened his mouth to protest, but instead shot her another glare and looked away. "Well wouldn't you want that? My whole life I've had to fight off hurtful comments and disgusted stares, and then, later when I was a slave, I had to actually fight off being attacked by other demons and humans. Wouldn't you want to be strong in my situation, and normal?"

Kagome blinked and looked at the ground for several minutes before turning her eyes back in his direction, and he was shocked by the sadness in her eyes, but also by the sincerity in her voice when she spoke. "I would never want to be something different than who I am right now." She put her hand on his shoulder. "Inuyasha, you're already so strong...why should you desire to be stronger? You're you, and if you had been born a full demon, or even a full human, you wouldn't be the person you are today. The person to care about."

She said the last part so softly that no one heard except for Inuyasha with his sharp ears, but he suspected she hadn't exactly been thrilled about him hearing either. And yet her words made him feel warm, like someone was wrapping a heated blanket around his shoulders, and his muscles relaxed, his posture going loose as he put a hand up to cover her own, which was still on his shoulder. "Kagome..."

He was about to say more but suddenly became very aware of the fact that the conversation beside him had stopped and, turning, he noticed that Sango, Miroku, and that old hag Kaede were all staring at the two of them with avid curiosity. As though he had been burned, he quickly withdrew his hand and looked away, but not before Kagome saw the blush on his face, and she smiled. Maybe Sango had been right after all...

"So, um, Lady Kaede," Miroku coughed, trying to break the uncomfortable moment, "You say you can answer some of our questions in regards to the diamond shards?"

The old woman nodded her head and looked out towards the west, where Inuyasha had been focused for a while, though she, unlike him, didn't seem to be looking for or at anything in particular. "I should think so," She finally replied, her voice gravelly with age, though her eyes were kind. Glancing at Kagome, she indicated the girl's wrist. "May I see those, child?"

Kagome nodded and leaned over, extending her arm so that her hand rested in the older woman's surprisingly firm grip. Kaede turned her hand palm up so that she could get a good look at the shards, and Kagome blushed, feeling somewhat self-conscious. "Um, we've collected more than just the one," she explained, "But they've all merged together and..."

"Six," the woman commented finally, and Kagome and the others blinked.

"What?"

Kaede met her gaze. "You have collected six shards."

"Why...yes. But, how did you know that?"

The woman smiled and released Kagome's hand, sitting back on her heels. "I was trained from a very young age to handle the Shikon no Tama, so I should certainly hope I can still sense it."

"The Shikon no Tama?" Kagome blinked, feeling extremely confused as she started studying the pink shard on her wrist, slightly larger then it had been before.

"Yes, it is a jewel of immense spiritual power, child, which was created hundreds of years ago." Kaede sighed as though lost in memory. "And ever since it was created women of immense spiritual power were assigned to guard it and keep it pure, as it is easily tainted by evil."

Everyone was watching the old woman closely, trying to read her facial expressions as well as listen to her words, but Inuyasha was the one who voiced their inner thoughts. "Keh, we didn't come here for folk lore, old woman...we came for answers. So do you have them or not?"

Rather than be offended, Kaede simply eyed Inuyasha for several minutes in silence before softening her gaze. "Ask your questions, and I shall answer them as best as I can."

Kagome leapt on that opportunity. "What does this Shikon no Tama have to do with the diamond shards?"

The old woman seemed surprised at that. "Why, the diamond shards are the Shikon no Tama, child...in several pieces, that is." She chuckled as she saw everyone's confused expressions and pressed forward with her explanation. "Like I said, the jewel was created hundreds of years ago, and held immense spiritual power. Unfortunately, that power could easily be used for good or evil as the jewel was easily tainted by the souls of those who possessed it. This was made clear from the start, so it was determined that the jewel would be protected by women of immense spiritual power, and be passed down through the generations until one day a way could be found for the jewel to be destroyed."

Miroku studied his hands as he spoke. "And that's why the jewel is now in so many pieces? Because someone tried to destroy it, and failed?"

Kaede shook her head. "No, the jewel was purposefully broken apart in order to keep it out of the hands of evil."

Kagome thought about the fact that she had never seen the diamond shards before the revolt and Inutaisho's murder, and a thought occurred to her. "Was it broken because of Naraku?"

"Yes, child...he is the one who sought to possess it." That had everyone's attention, especially Inuyasha, who was now focused on the old woman as though he would bore a hole through her with his eyes, and Kaede bravely met his gaze as she continued speaking. "Naraku was planning an uprising, and wanted to use the Shikon no Tama as his master weapon, knowing that with it he could wipe out an entire army without any problem. The trouble was he first had to get passed the woman who protected it."

"Was that woman you?" Kagome asked shyly, and Kaede laughed.

"No, child, where would you get that idea?"

Kagome blushed. "Well, you said you were taught to handle the jewel, so I assumed that..."

"My sister taught me to take care of it, if the need ever arose," she explained, and Kagome nodded. "My sister, Kikyou, was the one assigned to protect the jewel at the time when Naraku came to take it for himself." She chuckled. "He thought he could pluck it from her hands like a toy from a child, but he was wrong. She repelled him easily the first time he attacked, so he was forced to use a new strategy. He wrapped himself in bandages and pretended to be a man suffering from extreme burns, coming to my sister for help and calling himself Onigumo. Kikyou, of course, suspected that he was an evil man, but still had no idea that he was actually Naraku, and so she cared for him, taking him in to our home. Unfortunately, the moment she turned her back, he attacked, cutting her fatally in several places with the knives she used to collect roots. Thinking he had won, he took the jewel from her and started to walk away, but Kikyou, using the last of her strength, took one of her arrows and shot the jewel, shattering it into dozens of tiny pieces."

"Why did she do that?" Sango looked confused as she spoke. "Wouldn't it have made more sense to shoot the man?"

Kaede shook her head. "My sister could not be sure he would die, but she knew that she was mortally wounded, and as such did the only thing she could think of to prevent him from ever using the Shikon no Tama's power. She broke it."

"But how did that stop the power?" Inuyasha was as fascinated by the tale as everyone else.

"The jewel had been shattered once before in history, and it was discovered that the only way to put it back together again was to purify each piece. When the shards are tainted, they cannot be connected. So Kikyou, knowing that the jewel would become pure evil the moment Naraku touched it, shattered the jewel, because..."

"He would never be able to purify the pieces and put the jewel back together," Kagome finished, not meaning to interrupt but at the same time voicing her own thoughts. "And that's why the shards were black, and why he used them to restrain the demons?"

"Yes, the shards still held immense power on their own, but not in the way he desired. Still, he found a way to use them to his advantage...but at least the damage was not as devastating as it could have been."

Everyone was silent for a time before Kagome swallowed and spoke up. "So what happens now? I mean, I'm freeing the demons and then putting the shards together...does that mean the jewel will eventually be whole again? What then? Who will protect it now?"

Kaede looked at her, and Kagome felt suddenly uncomfortable even before the answer was spoken aloud. "Why, I should think you would guard the jewel now."

"Why Kagome?" It was Inuyasha who spoke, sounding somewhat skeptical.

Kagome flashed him a dangerous glare and crossed her arms. "What, you don't think I'm up for the job? Just go ahead and say what's on your mind, Inuyasha!"

He rose to the bait. "It's not like you've had any training, Kagome. How would you defend yourself if you were attacked? This Kikyou person knew how to use arrows...and you still can't hit the broad side of a barn! You'd fall prey to the first person who came along!"

"I would not!" Kagome felt like she'd been stung when he compared her to the dead woman, not liking the fact that he thought she was inferior and not up to the task.

Thankfully, Kaede intervened. "I merely thought Kagome would be suited to the task because she is the only one right now who can purify the shards enough to merge them together. That takes a great amount of spiritual power, even if it is, in her case, 't you do it?" Miroku offered, trying to come up with a compromise that would end the argument altogether.

"No, I could not. I never possessed the purity of soul to handle that jewel." Kaede eyed the shards on Kagome's wrist as though it were a puzzle she was trying to solve in her mind.

"Why? You're certainly kind to answer our questions like this," Sango observed.

"Perhaps, but it takes more than mere kindness to have a pure soul. We all have a dark side, and that jewel," She indicated the shards with a nod of her head, "Will latch on to any evil within your soul and never let go. You could be good and kind every day of the year but one, and that would be enough to taint it...even slightly."

"So what you're saying is a person has to practically be a living saint to even touch it?" Inuyasha scoffed, and when he looked at Kagome she stuck her tongue out at him, knowing he was implying silently that she was by no means a saint.

"It's not that extreme, no," Kaede replied, ignoring the two squabbling adults and instead facing Miroku and Sango. "Not even Kikyou was so pure she felt no anger or bitterness towards others. But she was close...far closer then I could ever be...and so she was the best for the job, to be blunt."

Everyone stared at one another for a long moment before Sesshoumaru, of all people, turned his head to look at the group, up until that moment having remained deathly quiet. "You said that people have tried to find a way to destroy this jewel...was anyone ever successful?"

Kaede looked over her shoulder at the taller demon lord before nodding her head and facing the others again. "Yes, someone did discover the truth, though I'm not sure exactly how. It was discovered that if someone with a pure soul held the jewel and purified it completely, then a wish could be made on the jewel, and it would disappear."

"A wish?" Inuyasha grunted. "So this is like a bottled genie?"

Kagome whacked him across the back of his head, but Kaede just laughed. "No, nothing like that. Just one wish, and the jewel will disappear forever."

"So if it's that easy then why has no one ever tried to make a wish before?"

"They have, believe me," it was Kaede's turn to grunt and roll her eyes in exasperation. "The problem is that, so far, no one has come into contact with the jewel who possessed a pure enough soul."

"But you said that many women have protected it..."

"Protected it, yes, but not completely purified it. Remember that there is a difference."

"I see..." Kagome looked away, deep in thought, and Inuyasha picked up the conversation again.

"So how do you know if someone has a pure enough soul to make this possible?"

Kaede shrugged. "You can't know for sure until the jewel is complete and someone tries to make a wish, although I will say this: I never felt the jewel so pure as those shards that are currently on your wrist, child," She pointed at Kagome and smiled kindly. "I could feel them immediately darken somewhat when I held them, and that's saying something, that you have purified them so much that I can actually feel a difference when I touch them."

Kagome blushed. "I'm not doing anything."

"You shouldn't have to, if your soul is pure enough." Everyone stared at Kagome, and she became very nervous. She had never entertained the notion that she, the poor little orphaned girl of a slave master, would be the one who could hold the fate of the world in her hands. And even now, that possibility seemed unlikely, and yet...

"We should split up, brother, if we are to search for the other pieces of this jewel."

Inuyasha tensed, and shifted his focus from Kagome over to Sesshoumaru. "What the hell do you mean by 'we'? I don't recall ever asking you to come with us."

"Inuyasha, be quiet," Miroku commanded, "You know he could be a great help to us, and he is also a great ally in this battle. Just think of how strong he is now that he's not restrained by the jewel shard."

"Keh, and how do we know he won't betray us the first moment he has the chance, like Naraku did with Kaede's sister Kikyou?"

Sesshoumaru glared neutrally. "Did I kill you the moment I was freed, like you thought I would?" Inuyasha remained stubbornly silent. "That's what I thought, little brother. Now get up and prepare to leave, there is still half a day left for traveling."

"Leave now!" Inuyasha shot to his feet and glared with all his might. "Since when did you have the right to order me around, anyway? Kagome's not ready to leave yet!"

"Actually, Inuyasha, I can leave at any time," Kagome replied softly, still half lost in her own thoughts. That didn't help the situation.

"Who asked you, wench?"

"I told you never to call me that again, baka!" She rose to her feet as well, her dreamy expression gone, and stood on her tiptoes so that her nose was practically touching his.

"And I've told you before not to be so sensitive!" He shouted back.

"I'm not sensitive!"

"Then why are you so upset?"

"Argh!" Kagome turned around and started stomping away. "You're impossible, you know that?" She called furiously over her shoulder. "I can't believe I ever fancied myself to be in love with you!"

It was like the world had frozen over in that one minute, because Kagome stopped dead in her tracks as she realized exactly what she'd said, Inuyasha was standing with his mouth open like an idiot, having stopped just short of shouting out another insult, and Miroku, Sango, and Kaede all stood in the background with bulging eyes and slacked jaws. The only sound that pierced the silence was the air.

And then, as quickly as it had frozen, the world melted back to reality once more, and Kagome whirled around so fast she nearly fell flat on her face in her attempt to get away. Inuyasha didn't call after her, no doubt too embarrassed or, even worse, disgusted by her accidental revelation, and in all honesty she was glad of it. After that, the last person she ever wanted to see again was the hanyou Inuyasha...and yet, at the same time, she wondered how he would treat her come morning?