Previously, Onigumo and Naraku reawakened from Kagome's memory-driven dream and Naraku regained control over his body, leaving Onigumo to once again lay dormant in their shared mind.
As Naraku took his time, flying back to his castle his mind kept going a mile a minute thinking over the potential uses of his miasma and Kagome's odd condition. After the previous experiment, he had executed, Naraku knew a less potent version miasma could completely rid an article of clothing of his scent. With that new knowledge, he wondered what else he could use his miasma for.
Originally, he believed his poisonous gas had only two uses, killing living things and serving as a good cover for an escape. However, now the possibilities are endless. He simply needs to take the time and effort, to test out the hypothesizes swirling in his brain.
His mind also kept coming back to Kagome. He knew something was amiss with his interactions with her, yet he could not pinpoint it. For better or worse, he could not identify the reason why last night he acting so strange around her and Onigumo, why Onigumo was able to resurface so easily. Not to mention, himself not feeling inclined to force Onigumo back into submission.
The Jewel, it must be because of the Jewel, he thought.
Kagome continued sitting there alongside side the Tree of Life, trying to calm her nerves by admiring the sun rising through the sky. As she kept gazing at the sun piercing the horizon, she found it mesmerizing how a sunrise reminded her of a sunset, but at the same time struck her differently. The same beautiful hues of reds, oranges, and purples painted the sky during both, yet one marks the start of a new day while the other marks the end of an old day.
The end of one thing can be the beginning of another, she thought to herself.
Kagome sighed, then proceeded to pick herself up while patting down her skirt, trying to remove any dirt stuck on it. She did not know if she would be able to face Inuyasha properly after witnessing such a scene in the forest, but she did know she would try to act as nothing happened.
After sitting at the Tree of Life remembering what had happened the night before, she knew Inuyasha did not realize she was there. If he had noticed her presence he would have acknowledged her presence, that was the type of person he was. He was not the type to play mind games or play around the bushes. He might have been rough around the edges, but always straight forward and honest.
That is one of the reasons why Kagome fell in love with him, and she bet it was one of the reasons Kikyo fell in love with him too.
As she started walking back to Kaede's hut, she readied herself. By the time she arrives, Inuyasha should have already returned, Sango, Miroku or Kaede should have told him she left last night in search of him and has been gone the whole night and he should be out looking for her. Kagome began smiling at the thought of Inuyasha trying his best to sniff her out with his dog demon sense of smell. He always acts like he could care less where she is or who she is with, but she knew he did, in fact, care for her deeply.
She looked ahead of herself with determined eyes, and in the far distance, she saw a moving spect of silver and red. Knowing who was approaching her she could not help feeling she is making the right decision.
"I can do this. He'll be happy. She'll be happy," she paused before continuing, "If they're happy, I'm happy."
Author's Note: Sorry! I only wrote chapter 22 this week, but next week chapter 23 and 24 will be posted. It's not 1000 words! But I decided I should post it because I have been failing you all for the last 3 weeks. I hope you guys and girls enjoy this chapter.