The "internal faces" are actually smilies in the original version that cannot be shown on FF.N, as they make use of parenthesis, asterisks, little upward arrows I don't know the name of, and other smiley essentials. For some reason FF.N is a butt and wont show these characters. Just so ya know.

Chapter 4

"You have been awakened because your demon strength is needed to protect the Jewel," said Kaede.

"Hmph. Why did it have to be me?" snarled Inuyasha.

"You were convenient," said Kaede. "You are a friendlier half-demon who happens to be in the area, and you have past loyalties to Kikyo, if that matters now."

Inuyasha growled. It was a bestial, somewhat wolf-like sound, that made Kagome slightly wary of him. His entire voice had a tone of that. She knew it would grow on her.

"How are you going to guard me?" he asked. His eyes were hard. Inuyasha did NOT want to be caught up in ANYTHING to do with Kikyo ever again. If he could figure out a way to get this damn rosary necklace off . . . It was bound to him with a spell. If he tried to remove it, it would grow heavy like when he was subdued, and no amount of strength would lift it off.

"Niirou will guard you, and wake Kagome to subdue you should you try to escape," said Kaede. "Please consider joining us willingly in protecting it, Inuyasha."

"Huh," he huffed.

"Well, for now it's alright," said Kagome. "He's on our side and that's that, willingly or unwillingly."

"How come she has Kikyo's eyes?" asked Inuyasha. He glared at Kagome with hate in his gaze.

"We believe her to be my sister's reincarnation. The reason we think it is because the Jewel was found inside her body."

"Huh," said Inuyasha, huffing. His golden eyes looked contemplative. Like he was scheming. "When are you going to destroy the Jewel? Sometime soon?"

"As soon as we figure out how," said Kaede. She looked away, frowning. "We thought the Jewel was destroyed in Kikyo's cremation, but it appears to be tougher than we expected. It might take a true Cleansing of the Orb to destroy it, and that I do not know how to do."

"What do you mean by a Cleansing?" Kagome asked. This was fascinating stuff. She wanted to find out more before she tried to go home. It had been Friday when she'd been pulled in, she had a couple days.

"The Orb is evil," said Kaede. "Pulsing with negative, demonic energy. To Cleanse it would be to wipe out that negative energy, destroying it."

Kagome was confused. How could an object be evil? It didn't make sense. Wasn't something evil supposed to be alive? Unless the orb was alive. :internal trying-to-understand frustrated face: She voiced her questions.

"The orb has it's own lifeforce in a way," said Kaede. "It doesn't need to be alive to be evil, however. Crystals are like that, and this Jewel is a kind of crystal. Do you understand?"

"Yeah!" grinned Kagome. This was awesome::internal, very excited face: In spite of her disdain for school, Kagome loved to learn, especially when the subject was as interesting as this.

"We need to go to the Forest Sage for help. She is deep in Inuyasha's Forest. I cannot go with you, I am too old to make the journey." Kaede sighed. Kanta came forward.

"I will make the journey with them," he said.

"I will, too," said Niirou, who had blonde hair. Kanta had dark brown hair. They were brothers.

"Good," said Kaede. "You leave tomorrow."

………………

The four people walked through the dark forest, Kanta leading, as he knew the way, and Kagome and Inuyasha, and finally Niirou, taking up the rear. Inuyasha kept glancing surreptitiously at Kagome's pack, the Jewel of Four Souls safely stowed away in a glass box; there was a charm on the box that kept it from being opened only by Kagome, Kanta, and Niirou, and of course the Forest Sage.

Inuyasha seethed. He was so close to the Jewel, so close! That Jewel was his key to ultimate power, and he couldn't get to it. So close. He studied Kagome.

He hadn't known Kikyo as a young girl, so he couldn't tell if they were alike in that way or not. She'd been 21 when he met her . . . . . . unhappy memories flooded his head and he growled to shoo them away. Kagome looked back at him, green-gray-brown eyes so much like hers. EXACTLY like hers. He glared at her back and she looked away.

Inuyasha seems to really want this Jewel, thought Kagome. Maybe it would make him more powerful? Why did she think that? . . . Well, it is a demonic crystal, and in stories crystals can make you more powerful. Novels. Those sci-fi/fantasy books she loved so much. She wondered just how much like those books this time would be. They already had the magic crystal part down. Hee hee hee. This was gonna be cool, she could feel it::internal smile:

Inuyasha was filled with unhappy thoughts of Kikyo. Meanwhile, Niirou was wondering if the demon boy was going to make a break for it anytime soon. He didn't look tense, like he was preparing to, but with demons sometimes you couldn't tell. Spiritual creatures. Like angels, but the polar opposite. Full of tricks and deception. He would watch him carefully.

Kanta, who had dark green-blue eyes, was watching the trees for demons that might attack. The glass box the Jewel was stored in stifled its demonic aura, but not completely. Glass was always good for trapping auras. When the glass was pure, it could trap them completely, but they were quite expensive, and Kaede couldn't get her hands on anything like that.

Kagome looked around the forest. It was dark. Even the scant sunlight filtering through the leaves couldn't penetrate the almost unholy blackness that made every recess and empty spot seem to teem with untold terrors. She wished she had someone's arm, like a boyfriend or dad, someone big and strong, to hold onto, so she wouldn't be so afraid.

She looked back toward Inuyasha, who was watching the trees, too. He seemed at ease, he was probably at home here. She asked Kanta, since Inuyasha himself might not know, "Kanta, how long has Inuyasha been nailed to that tree?"

"About 50 years, I think," he said. A crow flapped across their line of vision and Kanta and Niirou drew their swords.

"50 YEARS!" shouted Inuyasha. 50 years? So that old crone must have been . . . Kaede, Kikyo's sister . . . He knew by her sharp gray eyes. Where was Kikyo? Was she an old woman, too? "What happened to Kikyo! Where was she!" Maybe she'd died . . . but . . . wait . . .

"As far as I know, she died of the wound you gave her fifty years ago."

"The wound I gave her! I don't remember laying a finger on her! . . . She died?" His voice was suddenly softer, with emotion.

"Yes." The crow flew away, just an ordinary crow, not a demon crow like Kanta and Niirou had suspected. They sheathed their swords. Niirou's blue-green eyes roved the trees for any more possible dangers. Satisfied that they were alone, they continued walking.

Inuyasha folded his arms inside his sleeves. He stared at the ground, as if contemplating.

Kagome stared at him, and wondered if he had had more of a relationship with Kikyo than he was letting on. She thought, in a moment's fancy, he might try something on her, since she was her reincarnation, but shook the thought away. Why the hell was she thinking like that::internal, ashamed angry face: I thought you liked Hojo, and now you're after some dangerous demon boy you don't even know! What's gotten into you, Kagi-chan::disappointed face:

Kagi-chan was her nickname for herself that she only used inside her head. The rest of the day went on without trouble, and they found a clearing to camp for the night.

Crickets chirped in the brush around them, and an owl hooted, soft and haunting somewhere in the distance. It was answered by another, perhaps a mate, or maybe a warning to stay out of its hunting territory.

The stew was great. Kagome had never eaten such delicious food in her whole life, and said so.

"Thank you! I didn't know I was such a great cook," said Niirou, blushing at the complement.

She wondered if all the food in this time was this good. She didn't think Niirou had done anything special with the food; just chopped it, stirred it, heated it, and served it.

Inuyasha slurped up his food and laid down in the grass to sleep. Kaede hadn't had an extra sleeping sack for him, but he didn't care, he was used to sleeping with nothing but the clothes on his back in the wilderness. Kagome wished he at least would've accepted a blanket, but he'd refused.

Well no use wasting her pity on him. If that was the way he liked it, then that was fine with her. She unrolled her own sleeping sack and laid down to sleep. Kanta took the first watch on Inuyasha. Niirou went to sleep, to awaken for his shift in 3 hours. The fire crackled and popped, shooing away the darkness that threatened to consume their campsite.

Inuyasha didn't even have a pillow. He just used his arm. His ear twitched when a moth landed on it.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked timidly.

His ear swiveled in her direction, behind him. "What." he said.

"Were you in love with Kikyo?" Might as well be blunt. He exploded.

"WHAT!" he turned to face her, eyes blazing with fury. She shied away.

"I was just curious . . ." she said. She remembered the subduing spell to use in case he attacked her.

"I was NOT in love with Kikyo!" Inuyasha roared. "And I want to never hear you mention that name again!" He turned away from her again. His twin silver tails lashed angrily in the red firelight.

Kikyo . . . Inuyasha growled internally. She was dead, and there was nothing he could do. Well, she'd tried to kill him, anyway. For taking the Jewel of Four Souls, which was going to be Cleansed by turning him into a human. Or something close to it. Kikyo's race. The Iitairiis, or something like that. Kikyo . . . I . . .

Kanta could see some of the stars through the canopy. Niirou was dreaming about the cakes his mother used to make, before a demon came to the village and killed her.

Niirou had a rather cat-like face, as his mother used to point out, while Kanta had more of a wolf-like face. The two species were actually closer related than Kagome's future would have you believe.

Kagome fell asleep, wishing she hadn't angered Inuyasha.