A/N: Here it is, Chapter 18. Not much happens. Mostly filler with lots of dialogue. Oh, and I should probably warn those of you who wanted to see the seven mercenaries...they won't be in this fic. Sorry...I have enough characters to write and this story won't be going in that direction. So basically this fic is set as an Inuyasha AU just before that arc started.

Jewel Chapter 18

If there was one thing that Inuyasha took pride in, it was his persistence in the face of adversity. His stubbornness came from his mother, who had practically drilled him as a child to never give up no matter what. She had insisted that there would always be a way out of danger. Always. Even if it meant running away, which he nevertheless refused to resort to. And thus far she had been right. In all of the seemingly impossible situations he had been in, there had always been a way out of them. He vowed that this would be no different.

Lately, thoughts of his mother had weighed heavily on his mind, for reasons unknown. Perhaps because his memories of her had started to fade. He had been very young when she died. She had died before her hair saw one white strand and before her face became lined with age. Though she had fallen ill, Inuyasha had always believed that she simply lost her will to live, going against all that she had taught him. Despite his fierce love for her, he admittedly still harbored resentment against her because of it. To this day, deep down, he felt as though she'd abandoned him.

Kikyo was the only one who had managed to break through that resentment after he vehemently refused to be close to anyone else. He had been ready to give up his quest to become full demon for her, and only for her. It had seemed that each time he looked at her, his desire for pure demon blood seemed to fade away. He had been ready to stop the running, stop the fighting, and become human only for her. He would have done anything for her.

And despite his resentment toward her, he still loved her, just as he loved his mother. He would always love both of them, even in death.

He knew he was a fool. Despite his ignorant façade, he knew Kagome loved him and would gladly give her life for him. That was mostly why he chose not to accept her love…it was foolish of her to offer it. All who had loved him had ended up dead, or worse in Kikyo's case. He refused to allow Kagome to die for his sake and he certainly wasn't going to let it happen now.

"Do you have any idea where this temple is?" Yusuke's voice broke through Inuyasha's thoughts.

"Of course not," Inuyasha bit back, sounding less angry than he'd intended. He didn't have the strength to fight, and it didn't look as though Yusuke did, either. His limbs felt sluggish, though he didn't feel quite as sick as he initially felt. He thought Hiei looked the worst of all of them. The fire demon looked alarmingly frail and ill. He seemed to be focusing all of his energy on simply walking.

"We are heading in the right direction, though, right?" Yusuke pressed.

"How the hell should I know? I've never even heard of this 'temple', and I don't even know if it exists. For all I know that bastard just made it up, but that's all we have to go on so let's just keep moving east in the direction he told us to go."

Yusuke sighed in frustration. He wasn't getting anywhere with Inuyasha, who walked ahead of them and seemed to be in his own little world. It made him more than a little angry, since they were all in this situation together whether Inuyasha liked it or not. Yusuke wasn't exactly happy with it, either.

He wasn't really worried about the poison, yet. Of course he felt terribly sick and had sustained more than a few serious injuries, but he was more worried about finding this temple, if it truly existed, and then he would worry about getting through its guards. He was also very worried about Hiei. He had never seen the fire demon look so terrible. Hiei was usually very resilient, but this poison seemed to be affecting him the worst.

"You really don't look good," Yusuke said to him. "Are you sure you don't want to wait for us?"

Hiei silently shook his head.

"Did you take Kagome's pills?"

Hiei nodded. "Two."

"No effect?"

Another silent 'no', and Yusuke dropped the questions for now. Instead, he glanced at Hiei's arm, which the fire demon had roughly bandaged with part of his shirt, and saw that it was still seeping blood. He wasn't healing, which worried Yusuke, and he wished they could stop to rest, but they had no time. And Yusuke knew Hiei would rather die than admit weakness of any sort.

Yusuke wondered why the poison was affecting Hiei the worst. He thought it might be because of his injuries, but quickly threw out that idea. Yusuke and Inuyasha both had received a fair amount of gashes from those damn monsters and yet neither of them looked as bad as Hiei. Yusuke merely felt weaker than usual and his head hurt like hell. He actually felt better than he had initially, if that were possible.

As they continued to walk in silence, he kept casting glances at Hiei and wondering about Koenma. The underworld prince just wasn't himself. Yusuke had never seen such a fierce hatred of demons. Koenma hadn't been like that. And why had Koenma insisted that the spirit world would never hire a demon, and then threaten to kill a human simply to prove a point? It was true that the spirit world was against hiring demons as spirit detectives, yet Koenma had given him the position once more. The extreme hatred just wasn't like Koenma and Yusuke couldn't figure out just what the hell his problem was.

He had the feeling that Koenma was putting on an act, to an extent. He was quite sure that while Koenma would probably kill demons at this point, he would never in his life harm a human. Koenma had an enormous soft spot for humans. Yusuke hoped he was right about that, because he never would have imagined Koenma like this in the first place. Still, he was willing to believe in his intuition, for now.

"Hey, Inuyasha," he said cautiously.

"What?" Inuyasha snapped, glaring back at him.

"I really don't think he'll hurt Kagome."

Inuyasha snorted and kept walking. "You heard that bastard. He said he would kill her if we didn't return in time. What makes you think he wouldn't?"

"I think he really wants to kill us, but not her. I'm not sure what this test is all about, but I don't think he would ever hurt a human."

"What makes you so sure?"

Yusuke sighed. "Well…I'm not a hundred percent sure…but listen, I know him. At least I used to…or I do, in the future…anyway, I do know that he has an enormous soft spot for humans. He loves humans. A lot. More than you could know. Basically, that's what my job as a spirit world detective is all about – protecting humans from demons."

"But you're half-demon, right?" Inuyasha asked, looking at least mildly interested. "So why would he hire you?"

"He didn't know. My demon blood wasn't awakened until I was killed."

Inuyasha stopped and turned around, staring at him like he'd grown another head. "Uh, what the hell are you talking about? Killed?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Yeah, I know it sounds pretty farfetched, but it's true. To sum it up, I had a spirit world guardian who brought me back to life, and in doing so, it brought out my demon side. I found out that I was the descendent of a demon lord back in the day, and apparently that demon blood was dormant until I was resurrected."

He could tell Inuyasha was still confused. The dog demon was staring at him now with an expression of half-disbelief and half-horror, as though Yusuke would suddenly grow giant claws and attack him. Yusuke supposed it was a pretty strange story, one that he probably wouldn't believe, either, if it hadn't happened to him.

"Uh, what's wrong?" he asked.

Inuyasha shook his head as if trying to clear it. "Look, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about, but there is no way that you're a descendent of a demon lord."

"How is that so unbelievable? Aren't you the son of a demon lord? You certainly don't look it."

"Keep your mouth shut, asshole – you don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"I could say the same thing about you."

Inuyasha's hand went to the hilt of his sword, but he knew this was a complete waste of time, and there were more urgent issues at the moment. For once, he didn't feel like fighting over this sort of thing. He sighed and crossed his arms again. "So tell me about this so-called ancestor of yours."

"All I know is that he was a bigwig in the demon world until he died."

"So? Who was he?"

"His name was Raizen."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Never heard of him. Forget it. Let's get back to why you think that Koenma bastard won't hurt Kagome. You say it's because he loves humans, so why would he threaten to kill her if he loves humans so much?"

"I think it's all a big act."

"And what if you're wrong?"

"I won't be." Hopefully.

Not convinced, Inuyasha shrugged and continued walking. Yusuke followed him, his thoughts drifting to his demon ancestor.

He hadn't spent much time with the demon lord before Raizen had died, so of course he wouldn't know much about him.. He sort of regretted it, but at the time he'd been concentrating on winning the demon world tournament. Besides, Raizen hadn't exactly been in his right mind. At the end, he had developed a sense of peace, almost as though he craved death. Yusuke wished he had gotten to know him better, the one who had inadvertently granted him not only his strength, but also his second chance at life.

Yusuke smiled to himself and wondered if their paths would ever cross again.

With the sun settling on the horizon, Koenma sipped a bowl of sake as he watched Kagome pace back and forth in his courtyard. It had been several hours since her demon companions had left in search of their cure and he had tried to make her understand that even if they did return in three days, which he doubted, all she could do was wait. He had been very cordial to her – inviting her for a meal, offering a soft bed to rest on. But she refused to speak to him or look at him, nor would she leave the courtyard. He had eventually settled on watching her.

He wondered why a priestess, especially one with such magnificent holy power, would travel with demons in the first place. She seemed intelligent enough. Did she not understand what monsters they were? Complete and utter filth. He hated all demons of all kinds. Perhaps she had been corrupted. It bothered him that one with power such as hers would waste it fighting alongside demons. It made him feel slightly ill and very, very angry.

His eyes eventually strayed to the unconscious girl lying in the crook of the large tree. She appeared to be injured and if he wasn't mistaken, he could detect very faint spirit energy. Another of his people? It wasn't hard to believe…those of the spirit world had been scattered ever since their world's destruction, forced to live among humans. Most disguised themselves as humans to avoid attracting demons that sought to kill them.

Koenma preferred his human form, as he felt a close kinship with the human race. His mother, after all, had been human. Not to mention that the human world had been their refuge. Until the spirit world could be restored to its former glory, the human world would remain their refuge.

He was certain that the unconscious girl was, indeed, of the spirit world. He wondered what she had been doing with that group and how she had been injured. The white-haired half-demon had been carrying her and somehow he didn't think any of the three demons had harmed her. They had seemed to be protecting and caring for her, which he supposed he should take into consideration.

Still, she was better off without them. He decided he should move her into the castle to have her injuries treated. She would be properly cared for by his best healers.

He stood to his feet and walked calmly to where Kagome paced back and forth. She looked up and jumped a little when she saw him approaching. He stopped.

"Do not worry," he said, holding up one hand in a show of peace. "I merely wanted to help the girl. She is very ill and we can care for her."

Kagome glared at him. "How do I know you'll help her?"

He smiled. "She is one of my people. We do not harm our own."

"That's wonderful," she muttered, looking away. He watched her as she continued to pace, studying her.

Her face was drawn and pale, her lips pursed in frustration. There were dark circles under her eyes, which were red and puffy from crying. She looked miserable. Whether she was corrupted or not, he felt some compassion for her.

He knelt down and gently gathered Botan in his arms. She uttered something incoherent and winced in pain. He then turned to Kagome, who was watching him. "Come with me," he said, andhis tone of voicemade it clear to her that this time it was not an offer - it was an order. She seemed to realize that and followed him into the palace without a word.

He led her through the dimly-lit hallways and she followed silently. She was trying hard to remain optimistic. That had always been her specialty. If there was an impossible situation, somehow it could be made possible. That was her motto. Even if this situation seemed impossible, she had to have faith in Inuyasha, Yusuke and Hiei. She had to believe that they would all come back for her.

But it wasn't easy to remain optimistic. When they had left, they had all seemed so exhausted, especially Hiei. He had looked too weak to stand, let alone to fight through a brigade of spirit world guards that Koenma claimed guarded the temple. The other two had simply looked battle-weary. They all had suffered extensive wounds during the fight with those spirit world beasts, and there had been no time for her to treat them before they left. Thinking about that only renewed her anger and she glared at the back of Koenma's head as she followed him.

She was exhausted, herself, and couldn't remember the last time she'd slept. She felt she was too worried to sleep now, anyway. Wondering if Inuyasha, Yusuke and Hiei would come back. Wondering how the other group was faring. Wondering if Botan would survive. It was almost too much to bear, to the point that she felt like breaking down into hysterical tears.

But she wouldn't give this Koenma the opportunity to see her break. Obviously, she had no reason to trust him, though his personality seemed different than before.However, if she was going to die, she was going to die with dignity.

Finally, Koenma entered a small room that was instantly illuminated. He laid Botan on a futon and covered her gently. The gesture held such tenderness that Kagome's anger softened a little. She watched, intrigued, as he placed a hand gently on Botan's pale forehead and spoke softly in a language she did not understand. Then, he stood to his feet and walked out of the room, beckoning for Kagome to follow him.

"She will be well taken care of," he assured her as he led her back through the maze of hallways.

"What was that you did then?" she asked.

He glanced back at her and smiled. "That wasa prayer of healing, which will also help to ward off whatever evil consumes her."

"Will she be alright?" Kagome asked.

"I do not know. I can only guarantee that we will try."

"What would happen to her if…if she…"

"If she died?" Koenma smiled bitterly. "No, she will not die. However, in her case, her soul would perish and she would cease to exist."

Kagome gasped in horror. "You mean she'd…disappear?"

"Not quite. Her soul would be taken over by the demonic energy that consumes her body. Therefore, she would cease to exist as you knew her."

"You mean she'd become…?"

"A demon, yes, but mindless and bloodthirsty. It would not be a pleasant sight."

Kagome felt chills run through her. She could say nothing else as she continued to follow him through the torch-lit hallways. After a few moments, he came to a set of sliding doors and moved one aside. Beyond was a large room where a meal had been prepared for them. As the scent of food drifted past, Kagome was suddenly ravenous. But she waited, glancing nervously at Koenma.

"Please don't hesitate on my account," he said, gesturing toward the room, and she rushed in without a second thought. As she wolfed her meal down, he sat across from her and nibbled on his slowly, watching her with a small smile playing on his lips. When she was finished, he slid his portion over to her without a word and she immediately ate what was left. When she was finished with that, she sat back, satisfied, but still troubled.

"Was the food to your liking?" he asked.

She forced a smile and replied honestly, "It was delicious."

"I'm glad. I hope you will continue to join me for meals during the next few days."

She frowned and looked away. "I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Of course you do. You are not a prisoner here; you're a guest. Also, I am not a monster, such as those you so willingly travel with and call your friends."

"They're not monsters," she replied, clenching her fists in an attempt to quell her anger. "They've done more good for the sake of humanity than any human I know. And they haven't made any threats on my life." Which wasn't exactly true, as Inuyasha had threatened her on more than one occasion. But Koenma didn't need to know that.

"They are cold blooded killers and always will be," Koenma said calmly, yet his eyes were cold and seemed to pierce through her. "No demon anywhere, at any time, would think twice about killing for their own personal gain. They slaughter humans without a glimmer of remorse. They hunt those from the spirit world mercilessly. They even kill each other if it serves their purpose."

Kagome stood to her feet, tears of rage welling in her eyes. "So you don't consider killing me as serving your own purpose? To prove what so-called 'monsters' my friends are?"

He stared at her before smiling slightly. "You said yourself that you trust your friends. Should they return in three days, your life will be spared. And I must admit, I do not relish the thought of killing you. I can see that you are an intelligent, strong young woman, though a bit misled. It would be a shame to allow spirit power such as yours to go to waste."

"Spirit power? You mean my priestess abilities?"

"Indeed. Where do you think that power comes from? You draw your strength from the spirit world. Few humans are born with such a gift, and those who have it must use it for the sake of their people, to protect and serve. Not to defend those who would cause harm."

"They wouldn't hurt anyone!"

"But they have." Koenma's smile was almost sad. "I smell the blood on their hands, strong and putrid. They have killed and would kill again and you would still defend them. Tell me, young priestess, can you truly look me in the eyes and tell me you have never been afraid of them, particularly the one you refer to as Inuyasha?"

Kagome frowned. Of course she had been afraid of Inuyasha, many times…especially when his demon blood had taken over. But he hadn't been himself at the time, right? Though…would she still trust him if he didn't wear the rosary beads? She had a way to subdue him now…but she wouldn't be afraid of him even if he were to break free of the binding spell…would she?

She met Koenma's eyes, unflinching, and said, "I have been afraid of him, yes. But I wouldn't now. He has changed."

"So you say." Koenma said. "But you can subdue him, correct? You would not be able to control him without those beads around his neck."

"I wouldn't have to control him!" she insisted, inwardly wondering how Koenma knew so much about Inuyasha. "He would be the same person if those beads came off."

Koenma shook his head sadly. "My dear, naïve child. Why did you have to put those beads on him to begin with? No matter what you may believe, that was his true nature. This is merely a façade, orchestrated until he can find a way to achieve whatever ultimate goal he may have. You see, I understand that not all demons are killing machines driven by blood lust. There are those who are cold, calculating and devious, willing to undertake any deception to obtain what they want. Whether it is wealth, power, etc. It matters not."

"Aren't humans the same way?" Kagome asked. "I have seen humans in positions of power cause more destruction than any demon could."

"The human world is in chaos because demons have been allowed to roam free. One day I will put all of them in their place – back to the stinking world where they belong."

Kagome threw up her hands in disgust. "And you call me naïve! How often do you even leave your comfortable little palace to see what really goes on in the world? I've traveled all over this country and I've seen killers of all kinds, including humans! Inuyasha is not one of them, and neither are Yusuke and Hiei. I trust them with my life. They'll come back for me and you'll see."

Koenma regarded her somewhat sadly. "They may return for you…they seem resilient enough…but for what purpose? My dear, they are using you for their own selfish gain. No demon acts out of a compassionate, unconditional motive. As I said, they will use whatever means necessary to accomplish their goal."

"We all have the same goal – to defeat Naraku. Is that selfish that we would want to protect this world from Naraku's destruction?"

"I know of Naraku," Koenma said."Your group has traveled throughout this country in search of that abomination, always one step behind him. And if I recall, is it not your fault that he possesses shards of the jewel at all?"

Kagome reeled as though she'd been slapped, her face turning bright red. He couldn't have possibly said anything worse to her. "H-how do you know about that?"

"I have watched you, Kagome Higurashi, and your little group," Koenma stated. "I know all about you and about them. I know that Inuyasha is the son of the great white demon lord of the Western lands, where his other son reigns, a fearsome and heartless creature. I know that you came to this land with the jewel embedded in your body because you are the priestess Kikyo reborn. I know that the monk and the demon hunter who fight alongside you, as well as Inuyasha, all have personal vendettas against Naraku and in defeating him will achieve their quest for revenge as well as retrieving the jewel."

"So, if you know so much about us, then surely you know all the good things Inuyasha has done. He's not the cold-blooded killer that you think he is."

"And I tell you, he would discard you immediately once the jewel is in his hands. You are being used by him."

Kagome couldn't believe that she was actually listening to this. Even worse that her heart was starting to doubt her own convictions. Koenma didn't know Inuyasha like she did. She believed in him. Surely if it came between her and the jewel, Inuyasha would choose…

"You're wrong," she said, clenching her fists. "You're so wrong. Maybe that's the way it was in the beginning, but it's not now. Inuyasha is…he's…he's not like that!"

Koenma sighed. "I was right, you truly have been corrupted," he mumbled. "Very well. I shall say nothing more of it." He stood to his feet and motioned for her to follow him. "Come with me."

Fear stabbed through her. "W-where are we going?"

He smiled genuinely. "I will not harm you for now, young priestess. I will merely show you to your room and provide you with clean clothing. You look exhausted. Perhaps you should rest?"

Kagome honestly didn't think she could sleep after all of this, but she stood up and followed him, anyway. He led her back through the maze of hallways until stopping at a room and motioning her inside.

"Sleep well," he said and left her, the lights blinking out as he departed. Kagome shuddered…that was so creepy. She swallowed her fear and closed the door behind her, looking around the small room he'd provided for her. A soft-looking futon lay on the floor and next to it were brightly colored clothes, neatly folded. She discarded her school uniform, actually glad to have it off, as it was filthy and was starting to smell slightly. The clean clothes were soft and welcoming and as she laid her head back on the soft mattress, she realized just how tired she was.

Before she let herself succumb to exhaustion, Kagome thought of Inuyasha and felt a stab of regret. She wouldn't doubt him. Not now. She had to believe that he would return. She had to believe that they all would return safely, and this awful mess would be over soon.