Inuyasha sat near the door to Kaede's hut, apparently lost in thought. The old woman carefully tended the fire quietly to avoid waking the worn-out Sango and Miroku. After feeling her knowing gaze on him once too often Inuyasha rose and left the dwelling without a word.

A strange breeze swirled around him, and Inuyasha tried to smell for demonic activity. There was something unusual carried on the wind, though it didn't smell like a demon. It was sweet, and for some reason he wished to find the source of the scent. He leapt through the trees, following the trail past the well and into deep forest. The wind guided him to a stone path that led up to a humble shrine, and the odor dissipated in the small clearing. The hanyou turned to leave since he had lost the trail, but he couldn't sniff any traces of the sweet scent that should have still lingered. Inuyasha then noticed a statue of a praying monk crouched near the exit from the clearing. The stone man was bent in supplication, no taller than the stump next to him.

Inuyasha approached the statue slowly and sat down on the stump. He eyed the praying man and crossed his arms, unsure of why he felt a little less lonely sitting with a stone person.

"I envy you," he muttered. "Life was a lot easier when I was a statue like you."

Golden eyes narrowed and discreetly peered at the silent monk. There was silence for only a moment.

"You're lucky you don't have to worry about some bastard trying to kill your friends."

The silence of the statue was almost accusing.

"Yea… and women troubles… be grateful those aren't something you have to deal with." Inuyasha snorted.

His memory flickered back to the previous day, and Inuyasha felt guilty for overreacting at Kagome. He knew she hadn't really meant to hurt him, and he'd done his own fair share of hurting her. The breeze picked up again, and his furry ears flicked around vigilantly. There was a rustling on the other side of the path, and the hanyou peered into the shadows of the woods. The whole area seemed misty, and out of the corner of his eye Inuyasha was sure he saw the statue move. Surprisingly he wasn't alarmed by the circumstances, rather he relaxed and moved to squat down against the tree stump, crossing his arms and settling in to rest. A small voice spoke up, warning him that he was in danger, but Inuyasha was far too tired to care.

---

It could have been several hours or several days later, but Inuyasha woke at the sound of footsteps approaching him. He was momentarily disoriented before he remembered falling asleep in a shrine yard. A small figure came trotting through the light mist, and Inuyasha rose to a crouch when he saw an old monk headed up the path. The man said nothing to him but paused next to the hanyou and smiled before continuing on to the shrine. Inuyasha followed him out of curiosity.

He was dressed as a wandering priest with his straw hat and plain clothes, but the staff he walked with had a strangely ornate serpent head gilded to the top. The old man came to the landing of the shrine and carefully sat down on the last steps, laying out his personal items next to him carefully, then simply stared at Inuyasha.

"Oi," Inuyasha growled, "who are you? What is this place?"

The monk just shook his head and smiled, far too happy at not answering, in Inuyasha's opinion.

"Keh, whatever." Inuyasha turned and walked back down the path away from the shrine, back toward the village. If he hurried he might get to meet Kikyou as she finished her temple duties for the day.

---

Kagome dropped her backpack inside Kaede's hut and greeted her friends. She glanced around, briefly sad to not see Inuyasha lurking in the shadows.

"Where is Inuyasha?" she asked.

Sango and Miroku both looked puzzled, and Kaede mumbled cryptically, "He went out early and will not be back for a while I think. He has much on his mind."

The young girl felt a pang of guilt that she was probably responsible for his unsettled thoughts, and she excused herself to go look for him.

"Should we go with her? The night is dangerous." Sango rose to her feet and strapped her gear on.

"You are right, of course," Miroku answered and followed after her out the door. Shippou slept peacefully next to the fire, and neither of them felt the need to wake him.

Kagome had a head start, but the white of her school blouse was visible just over the forest line. They hurried to catch up to their friend.

---

The night was surprisingly still and quiet, very unusual for this era of rampant demon and spirit activity. Kagome was trying to use her senses, but without any clear idea of what she was looking for it was futile. She stumbled past the well and saw a woman standing next to a tree. Kagome knew that some sort of plot must be in action when she saw Kikyou waiting for her.

"There is no further use for you." The cold voice did nothing to warm the night's chill. "You returned my soul to this era. Your body has no more purpose here. I give you the chance to leave now or I will kill you."

Kagome was frozen to her spot in astonishment. "Why are you saying this? I've only ever tried to help you."

The dead woman turned and stared at an unknown spot behind her. "He cares for me not you. You are just a distraction. I would have taken him to hell by now if not for you."

It was then that Kagome sensed it, a bizarre spiritual energy coming from a place deep into the woods behind Kikyou. The girl had no idea what it was, but she was certain that it had something to do with Inuyasha.

"How can you want to hurt someone that loves you so much? Hasn't he suffered enough for you? I thought you'd given up the whole revenge thing in favor of killing Naraku!" Kagome ignored the tears that streamed down her cheeks. They were shockingly warm versus the unseasonably cold night.

Kikyou glared at her and spoke louder, "This is not your concern. It does not involve you. I do not need you to destroy Naraku now, therefore you have no purpose here."

Kagome gritted her teeth. I should have let her die.

Kikyou began walking toward her slowly, right hand outstretched in a guiding manner. "If you come I will show you."