Inuyasha starred between the two women, unsure of what to do. For a moment, he was flabbergasted.

"What the hell was that?" He shouted.

Rei assumed the question was for her. She turned her eyes toward him, careful to keep Kikyo in her peripheral. She gave him a small smile.

"I told you I wasn't just any regular miko, or girl for that matter." She explained.

"Is this what that, 'wand', was for that you lost?" he asked.

"Yes, but apparently I don't need that anymore." She put her eyes back to Kikyo, who hadn't moved a single muscle so far.

Rei herself was also confused. She didn't understand why this had happened, and she hadn't even called on it. She decided that it had to be because of the Sacred Jewel shard in her hand. The other confusing part was her clothes. She wasn't in her Sailor Scout uniform; instead these seemed to be the charred remains of her miko clothes. Maybe that was due to the shard as well…

She was brought out of her thoughts as Kikyo made a sudden dash for escape. Rei gasped and charged after her.

Rei was faster than her, and easily caught up. She was slowed down just before she could overtake Kikyo, as a sudden string of arrows were shot.

Rei barley dodged them, most of them zipping through her flow of black hair.

As Kikyo turned back around from her assault, Rei took the chance to fire her own arrows. These arrows were engulfed in flame, much more menacing than the first fluke shot back with Kouga. Kikyo had to put her best dodging skills to the test; she couldn't block them with her bow since they were not spirit based, and unlike her arrows these could still cause damage if they even grazed her hair.

Kikyo spun around once the last arrow had zipped behind her, taking a firm stance. She realized she had to up the antics. Her next attack was a sacred arrow.

Rei noticed the danger as soon as the woman had stopped running, and skidded to a halt. Kikyo took advantage of this awkward moment and fired the arrow. Rei had no time to dodge or run, so she did the only thing that came to mind.

"Mars Fire…Ignite!"

The sacred arrow was engulfed in flame, but only managed to slow down its velocity. The lowered speed however, gave Rei the time to side step out of the way.

Kikyo also had to do some quick thinking as the flames from the earlier attack continued forwards, toward her. The barrier she produced was sufficient enough to put out the flames, but she released it a little too soon.

Rei used the cover of the flames to charge at Kikyo head on. Just her line of vision was clear past the fire; Rei was there with a fist at the ready.

Before the blow landed, Rei suddenly found her self being pulled off the ground.

"Inuyasha what are you doing?" She yelled.

Kikyo took no time to ask question, she merely turned around, and walked away.

"Arg, get back here, you! Don't just walk away as if I'm letting you escape!" Rei couldn't wiggle her right hand out of his grip. She hung in his hand wiggling and gasping like a hooked fish. "Are you gonna let you're little boyfriend fight your battle for you, you decomposing wimp?!" Her last assault fell on deaf ears, as Kikyo once again did her disappearing act into a sudden mist.

Once she was gone, Inuyasha lowering Rei to her feet. Rei thanked him by slapping him in the face.

"Hey, what was that for?" He growled.

"What do you think? You let her get away! You have a lousy sense of loyalty." Rei tried to stomp past him, but he called her back.

"I don't owe you anything!"

"Oh, really? You don't think you're responsible for trapping me here in the first place?"

Inuyasha was taken aback, and suddenly looked sheepish. "I thought that was Kagome's fault."

"Partly. But you were the one who attacked an innocent girl. A snooping girl, yes, but I doubt she would handled the situation quite the same way as you!"

"What does this have to do with you trying to kill Kikyo?"

"It should not matter to you since the damn woman is dead. She doesn't love you anymore, and shes tried to hurt you on several occasions. Hasn't it occurred to you that shes probably giving Naraku information on me, which would also endanger you since I have been traveling with you?"

"I…She wouldn't…" Inuyasha stammered for a response.

"That's what I thought. God, you are so slow…"

"So what's killing her going to solve?"

"I don't know yet, but I plan on finding out." With that Rei was finished. She turned away from the half demon with determination in her eyes and anger in her fists.

Inuyasha slowly followed her back to the others.

"I cannot believe you did that!" Kagome shouted.

Rei had just finished telling the tale of her and Inuyasha's little misadventure with Kikyo. . Her clothing had since changed back to normal. (Some things just can't be explained).

Everyone was arranged into a circle, with the exception of Inuyasha, who chose to isolate himself into a corner.

The group all agreed that Inuyasha had done wrong, and so were giving him their scolding, each in their own way.

Kagome sat back and pouted fiercely after yelling at him from across the floor.

"I must agree Inuyasha…" Miroku said with a bowed head, "What possessed you to jeopardize our friends life in that way?"

"Well I know now where his loyalties lie…" Sango murmured. Kilala meowed from her lap.

"You idiot!" Shippo shouted.

Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore, "Alright, shut up all ready!" He lashed out from his crouching form in a corner.

"Don't you tell us to shut up!" Kikyo retorted.

"She was gonna kill her! I had to do something…" Inuyasha attempted to defend himself.

Sango stepped in, always the voice of wisdom, "But, Inuyasha, wasn't Kikyo the one who attacked first? Rei was merely defending herself."

"Yeah, well she didn't have to run after her."

"But it also sounds like Kikyo has been keeping correspondence with Naraku. So really, I don't blame her."

Rei nodded. They were only repeating what she had tried to tell him earlier in the woods.

"What are you saying, then? That it would have been better if she had killed Kikyo?"

The group fell silent. It was a touchy subject for him, they knew.

Finally, Miroku the courageous one, murmured, "We wouldn't have blamed her…"

The room's awkward silence continued for several minutes until Rei rose from the floor. She made her way to the sliding door.

"Where are you going?" Kagome asked.

"To find fire wood." She slid open the screen.

"Can I help you?" Kagome asked.

"May I as well?" Sango stood hopefully.

Rei nodded and stepped outside.

"I will come as well." Miroku also stood and followed the women outside.

Inuyasha was left alone in the room. He lowered his head slowly, heavy with thought.

He didn't understand why they had gotten so upset. They had never wished harm to Kikyo before. Or had they? For all he knew they simply didn't tell him. Maybe it was a unanimous agreement among them that they wished she were gone. He agreed that Kikyo was unusually interested in Rei, but he blamed that on the new comer, not Kikyo.

Since Inuyasha thought the way he did, he didn't realize that he was misdirecting his feelings. He really was distressed at Kikyo and her sudden actions, but he still harbored affection for her. Instead of getting upset at the woman he cared for, he focused his energy toward Rei, the one he believed was the source of these changed circumstances. He blamed her for the reason of the seemingly sudden change of attitude toward Kikyo by his friends.

Outside, Miroku and the girls had finished with their fire wood gathering. They were currently busy with arranging the wood into a square typed structure to Rei's specifications.

"What exactly is this for again, priestess?"

"Miroku, please call me Rei. I'm not used to that honorific."

"Oh," Miroku raised his eyebrows in an expression of surprise, "I hadn't realized we were on such casual terms with each other." He casually moved closer to her around the wood.

"Come, on. Were friends, right?" Rei gave the monk a warm smile.

"I hope to call us, 'good', friends…"

"Well, if you- eek!" Rei squealed and whirled around, grabbing her butt.

"Eh, he he?" Miroku scratched his head.

Rei bonked him on the head with a fist.

"You better watch it now, monk." Sango warned.

"That's right!" Shippo agreed, "Rei has fire powers now, so you better keep that wandering hand to your self unless you want it burned off."

Kagome giggled, she doubt that were a possibility. "Any ways, what are we doing again?"

"Were building up the wood so I can get a good sized flame for a reading." Rei explained.

"What kind of reading?" Shippo asked.

"A sacred fire reading. I can read signs in the flame when I enter into a trance."

"Done!" exclaimed Miroku. "Is this good enough?"

"It will do. Thank you guys for helping me!"

The group wasn't exactly excited to return to Inuyasha in all of his moodiness, so they stayed behind with Rei in the garden. Sango had brought up the idea, and they all decided it was wise for more than one reason. First, Rei was vulnerable outside, alone in her trance. Second, they would need eyes watching the fire to make sure that a stray ember didn't catch anything of fire. Lastly, they were all just curious.

Rei settled herself down into a good position once the fire was strong. She began chanting the nine words of power, and performing their corresponding hand signs.

"Evil spirits begone!" she threw a sacred scroll into the flame.

The group behind jumped slightly with surprise as the flame suddenly sputtered and sparked.

After that, Rei was silent. For a while she just stared into the flame…concentrating…