Okay! Here is Chapter 9! As I told my friend last Tuesday when I posted Chapter 8, "I'll get the next chapter out soon. 'Soon' being somewhere between now and next Tuesday, mind you." And so, as I said, it's out 'soon'.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I do own a bottle of ibuprofen for the massive headache I feel coming on as a result of staring at the computer screen and typing. In the dark. Again.

Last Time: A small cracking sound was heard, as a pink light engulfed the crow before exploding into shards that scattered in all directions.

Both Inuyasha and Kagome looked on in horror.

'I really hope that's not what I think it is…'

This Time:

Kagome and Inuyasha wandered throughout the park, weaving randomly back and forth, as Kagome tried to pinpoint the direction of the feeling that she was getting from the Shikon. They both whirled around at a screeching hiss from behind them to confront the head of the crow youkai. Inuyasha's claws made quick work of the head, and a small pink glimmer fell to the ground. Kagome crouched down to examine it and let out a gasp of surprise.

"What is it?" Inuyasha demanded.

She held up what looked like a sliver of glass.

"I think it might be…," she gulped nervously, "a Shikon no kakera…?"

Inuyasha was silent for a moment, then he let out a shriek that scattered any wildlife in hearing range.

"Nani!"

Kagome was again wandering the shrine grounds by herself.

'Inuyasha must be so furious right about now,' she thought sulkily, 'I've just gone and shattered not only the most powerful magical item in the known world, but a memento of his dead love.'

She sighed, which, seeing as she had done it so much in the past two and a half days, was beginning to get on her nerves.

"Great, just great. Now I'm getting on my own nerves!" She let out a scream of frustration that, thankfully, no one was around to witness.

She stormed her way over to the covered well with her original clothing, resolving to get home once and for all. Kagome slammed the doors open, and stomped down the creaky steps, raising clouds of dust around her feet.

Dropping the pile of clothes and peering into the well, Kagome began to get a feeling of apprehension. After all, what if getting to the future was just a mistake? Falling to her death at the bottom of a dirty old well didn't sound like much fun to her. The sound of the stairs creaking behind her startled Kagome, and she whirled around to face whoever it was.

Fully expecting it to be Inuyasha, she was not prepared when a scantily clad woman with cropped black hair holding a red skull purse over her shoulder. She gulped, somehow knowing that this woman wasn't a normal shrine patron there for a visit. The woman's eyes bored into Kagome's, the startling deep pink holding her own deep blue gaze captive.

'Youkai,' Kagome thought numbly, 'No ningen could have eyes like that and feel this frightening.'

Pink eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Where is the Shikon?" she demanded, "Give it to me now, or I shall be cross."

Kagome took an unconscious step backwards. "I…I don't have it anymore."

Not exactly a lie, seeing as she only had a small piece of it now.

"You will give me the Shikon!"

Small, nearly invisible web-like strands whipped out and snatched the pouch with the shard out of Kagome's pocket. The woman's smirk turned into a look of shock as she pulled out the Shikon no kakera.

"What have you done with the rest of it? Tell me now!"

"I," Kagome moved back until her legs where pressed up against the well's rim, "don't know where it is."

The woman looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Then I suppose you are useless to me now. My name is Yura," she gave a mock bow, "of the Hair."

"Hair…?"

"But you needn't be remembering it," Yura threw her hand out as if throwing something and a sword materialized and flew to her hands, "because you'll be dead soon!"

Kagome leaned backwards as Yura swiped at her and narrowly missed the blade. Her eyes widened as she lost her footing and fell screaming into the well. Yura leapt up to stand on the rim of the well and threw the sword down after.

"I'll get you!"

The screams faded and the echoing sound of the blade striking the dirt at the bottom of the well sounded loudly in the silence. Yura jerked her hand up for the threads to pull the sword back into her hand.

"Gone?"

She opened her hand and let her sword dissolve back into threads, then calmly walked out of the well house and back down to the streets below.

"I suppose," she mused, "that I will have to find the rest of the pieces myself then?"

Inuyasha shifted restlessly on his bed. Kagome had been gone all afternoon so far with no sign of returning any time soon. He growled to himself and rolled over to stare at the wall. Why should he care if the stupid girl went and got herself lost in the city?

He sat up suddenly.

'That baka still has the Shikon no kakera with her!'

Ladies and Gentlemen, Kagome has left the era. Mwaha. At this point in time, Inuyasha has just gone into denial of his attraction to Kagome. Mwaha again.

Japanese Words Used: (in order of use)

Shikon no kakera: Shikon shards.

Fwee.

Review and tell me what you think, and others if you liked it! Miji loves publicity for her stories.

Much love,

Miji