Note: ".:." is Youko speaking...but you'll know that when you read it. ;)

Chapter 2 - Ooops

It was two weeks since Inuyasha went to the next world with Kikyo. The moment they arrived back at Kaede's village, Kagome told them she needed to go home for a bit.

No one told her she couldn't. They all understood that she needed some time to herself, and that his death was harder for her than anyone. She had cried the whole walk to the well. There was no Inuyasha to try to stop her. It was the little things that really got to her. Reality was a giant slap in the face.

Kagome had spent a week sitting underneath the sacred tree crying. Her mother understood and let her cry. She would comfort her daughter, when it seemed like the tears would stop, they would only to start up again. It was the night before her return to the feudal era that Kagome seemed to snap out of her mourning.

Kagome came down that morning all smiles. Needless to say it crept out her brother, and her grandfather assumed she was possessed by demons. It was Kagome's mother who immediately saw that Kagome was moving on with her life.

Kagome was like that, she was too kind hearted to show what she was really feeling until it became too much for her. Kagome packed extra supplies to make up for the lack of Inuyasha's ramen stash she was required to bring.

She wanted to cry over this realization, but what was done was done, and there was nothing she could do.

She strapped on her backpack and headed back to the well. She had said her goodbyes and now knew that, without Naraku, they could search for the last jewel fragments at their own pace. She felt the almost completed jewel around her neck. Four shards left. One was in Kohaku's back, the other was in the land of the dead, and the final two were embedded in Kouga's legs.

No one was waiting to greet Kagome on the other side of the well. She had almost expected Inuyasha to be waiting for her. She stopped dead in her tracks when she felt something foreign around her. She felt like she had been hit by a semi and she fell to her knees breathless.

She looked around for her assailant, but there was no one around. She got up and felt different. She knew what had happened, she had her soul back.

She couldn't hate them; it wasn't in her nature to hate. She walked into the village, and was surprised that no one was there to greet her. She entered Kaede's hut and sat down.

It was evening when Kaede returned. She was surprised that Kagome was sitting in her hut waiting for her. She gave Kagome a small smile.

"Kaede, where is everyone?" Kagome asked the old miko when she handed her a bowl of leftover stew.

"The rest went to Sango's village to pay their respect to the dead. I had Shippo take me to the mountain where the final battle took place, and I found these," Kaede pulled out Kikyo's bow and Inuyasha's mystic necklace.

Kagome gasped and fingered the prayer beads. "Where's Shippo now?" Kagome looked around for the young fox.

"Shippo is resting with one of the village boys for the night."

Kagome ate in silence. She wanted to ask the hard questions, but she didn't know how to ask. Kaede seemed to pick up on this, "Kagome, what is ailing you child?"

"I don't know how to ask..." Her voice trailed off.

"Child you have never been one to 'beat around the bush' as you say, so speak up child." Kaede told her.

"I wanted to know about their ashes." Kagome held her eyes to the ground. She knew it must have been hard to burry her sister for the second time in her life.

"Kikyo's ashes have been replaced to their proper place, and Miroku and myself have placed sacred scrolls allowing her to rest in peace for all eternity, as for Inuyasha's ashes they must be taken to his brother so that he can bury them in a proper demon fashion."

Kagome's head shot up. They would have to take Inuyasha's ashes to Sesshomaru. The blood drained from her face. "Oh," was the only word to escape her lips.

The rest of the night was spent with Kaede telling her how everyone was while she was gone.

Sometime in the future

"Botan get in here!" A small child roared over top a stack of forms that needed to be filled out.

A few moments later, a blue haired woman entered the room, "You called Koenma, sir?"

"We have a problem." Koenma was fingering a tiny fragment. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know what went wrong. Oh this is terrible!" The toddler banged his head against his desk.

"Koenma, sir, what's wrong?"

"Botan this is the end of the world if we can't right this. If this were to get into a demon's hands, no one would be able to stop it. I don't know how it's happened. Last of our records show that this was burnt whole with the priestess Kikyo, but if I am holding a piece something went very wrong."

Botan continued staring at the young ruler unable to comprehend what he was talking about. "Koenma, sir? What are you talking about?"

"The Shikon no Tama of course!"

Botan's eyes widened with horror. "I thought it was only a myth for demons."

"I thought so too until Dad gave me this." He held up the shard between index finger and thumb. "You have to take the team back in time and figure out what happened. You have authorization from Father to take them back. You have to hurry Botan the fate of the world is on their shoulders!" He despaired as he ushered her into the portal.

With Botan

"Thanks for coming over on such notice guys." She said looking at the four men in Yusuke's living room. "It seems that you have a new mission."

"No way in hell! I'm not going on another mission, not after the Dark Tournament! Besides," Yusuke huffed as he slopped down into the chair, "Keiko would kill me."

"Yusuke now is not the time to be a complainer. The fate of the world depends on this mission!"

Yusuke scoffed and rolled his eyes, "They're all 'the fate of the world depends on this mission' missions."

"That's not true Yusuke, and you know it. This mission is about the Shikon no Tama." Before she could explain about the mission, everyone noticed the looks exchanged between the two demons.

.:Shit, and I thought it was only a legend. Kurama accept the mission! I want to see this fabled jewel! You have no idea how longed I searched for it!:. Youko demanded from inside Kurama's mind. .:I heard a tale once that it was broken, but none of my sources led to anything concrete. What I would give to get my hands on that baby. That would've been the heist of a lifetime!:.

"I'm in," Kurama stated before Botan could give details, mentally rolling his eyes at Youko's excitement.

"What do you know Kurama?" Kuwabara asked.

"It's not what I know, it's about the legends Youko heard while he was leader of his 'group'. He was in search of it, but he never found it. Now his curiosity has been piqued."

Botan nodded her head and started to tell them the classified information about the case. "The jewel was supposed to have been burnt whole with its protector, but somehow king Enma came across one of its shards. That's where you guys come in. I'm to send you back into the past so you can figure out what happened. You need to bring the jewel back to Koenma so he can keep it safe in the vault."

"Hm." Botan smirked, that was a sign that Hiei was in.

"I'm game." Botan was giddy. As for Yusuke, the boy didn't have a choice in the matter. This was his job.

"Great everyone's aboard!" Botan was now ecstatic.

"Hey don't I get a choice in the matter?" Yusuke fumed.

"Nope, sorry Yusuke. Okay, now that everyone's on board, you have one day to pack for a journey to the past. Meet me here tomorrow at noon and I'll send you back." Before Yusuke could interject and rant some more, she was gone.

Back in the feudal era

The others were due back in a few nights. Shippo had returned and was relieved his friend had returned. Kaede had given Kikyo's bow to Kagome as a present.

Kagome took Shippo out to the forest with her to practice on her new long bow. Without Inuyasha to protect her, she now needed to be good enough to protect herself. Using the long bow was harder than she thought. It took a dozen tries just to pull back the five-foot bow, let alone shoot it.

"You can do it Kagome, I know you can." Shippo told her encouragingly when she would become frustrated.

'Shippo's right,' she thought. 'The least I can do is try my best.' She fingered the necklace. 'Without you to protect me, I need to be strong.' It was dusk when Kagome figured out that pulling downwards was much easier than her usual horizontal pull. It required less strength, plus it was faster.

She was amazed at the speed and the accuracy of the bow. 'No wonder Kikyo was a great shot, this is an awesome bow,' she said to herself calling it a night. She knew she would be sore in the morning. Later that night she walked alone to the hot springs to help relax her tight muscles. When she returned an hour later, Kaede was waiting for her.

"Child," she presented Kagome with a miko's uniform, "When ye present the ashes of Inuyasha to his brother, it would be an honor to both him and Kikyo if ye were to wear this."

Kagome was speechless. She hated to wear the miko's garb, but knew it was in honor of Kikyo and Inuyasha. "I guess." She was hesitant to accept. She took the clothes and shrivelled her nose as the mold and mildew hit her senses. At least she was thankful that they hadn't been worn in a while. It also meant that she would have to go home for a while to wash and dry them.

When morning came around she fixed breakfast for the three of them, and told them that she would have to go home for a test. She couldn't tell Kaede the truth. She didn't want to hurt the old woman's feelings. Her new bow felt weird on her back. It was heavier, yet having it made her feel oddly powerful and safe.

On the other side of the well, she told her mom the story as she sent Souta off to school. Her mother smiled lovingly at her daughter as she threw the clothing into the washer and added a large amount of vinegar into the soapy water.

The pair sat down at the kitchen table and talked for the first time since Kagome started her adventure. They almost didn't hear the rinse signal, but were able to add the fabric softener in time.

As her laundry was hung to dry outside, Kagome went to practice her archery. Her mother had errands to do in town, and Kagome didn't want to be seen. She had no excuse not to practice either. She had spent all day at her make shift archery range, (which was really a tree at the side of the shrine.)

The sun was starting to set when she called it a day. Her mother was cooking supper when she opened the door and stepped inside. She walked upstairs and into the bathroom. She could barely lift her arms to turn on the faucet. Kagome grit her teeth and blinked back tears as she raised her tired muscles. 'This is supposed to get easier, not harder!' She cried to herself as the hot water hit her body relaxing her once more.

Yusuke's house

The spirit detective team assembled at Yusuke's house the following morning. Botan looked at their tiny backpacks. The ferrywoman was partly relieved she wasn't going to go with them. She didn't even want to imagine their stench after a week. That thought alone was enough to make her gag.

"Alright boys, prepare for your journey back in time." She told them with too much perkiness for first thing in the morning. She handed the device to Yusuke, who placed it in his pocket. "Be careful with that Yusuke because you'll need it to get home. I've set it so you'll be there a few days before Kikyo's funeral. There you can grab the jewel and head home. See it's simple."

"So then why did we have to pack our gear if it's a simple in and out mission?"

"Now Yusuke, you should know by now that anything is possible." Kurama spoke up defending Botan.

Yusuke grunted and pressed the button. A yellow portal opened. Kuwabara was pushed in by Hiei to see if he would be incinerated. Disappointed but not showing it, Hiei shrugged and stepped in. Trying to contain a chuckle Kurama shook his head and grabbed Yusuke by the cuff of his shirt and dragged him along, who was now kicking and screaming.

"I thought Botan informed us that we would be at Kikyo's village?" Kurama asked looking around seeing nothing but trees.

"I'm gonna kill her next time I see her! I don't see a village, and there's nothing but fucking trees," Yusuke grumbled.

"I suggest we find the nearest village and enquire the whereabouts of the village we seek," Kurama said thoughtfully as he scanned the area for a trail that humans would have used through the forest.

.:Gawd! Fresh, unpolluted air; it's so clean and refreshing. You have no idea how horrible your air is! If it wasn't for me and my plants you'd be sick. Can't you feel the blood becoming stronger. Take it in while you can ki- wow look over there, the plant with the six red leaves, they are supposed to be extinct!:. Youko's wonder and awe made Kurama smile and shake his head.

While walking along the trail, Yusuke kept grumbling about hating trees and how it was too green, while Kuwabara kept asking to stop and rest.

"Guys can we stop?" Kuwabara asked again.

"That's the fifth time you've asked in the last hour moron. Do you think the answer would be any different than the last time you asked?" Hiei scolded from the treetops.

"I wasn't asking you shrimp!" Kuwabara shouted.

In a blur of movement, Hiei was down on the ground with his sword pointed at the giant's throat. He was about to go in for the kill when Hiei suddenly stopped, "blood," was all he said before he took off towards the source.

The group followed Hiei, and stopped at the sight of the soon to be massacre. One demon was fighting what seemed like an army. An unspoken agreement went between them and they rushed to help.

Yusuke was having a blast. He was killing demons one after another. The other group members seemed to be having as much fun as he was. One demon took a cheap shot at Yusuke and sent him flying into a tree. He heard a cracking sound.

Kurama and Hiei heard it too and their eyes flew to their fallen comrade. Yusuke growled, he was going to kill that fucking demon if he broke any of his bones. Yusuke felt fine, he didn't think any of his bones were broken. He patted himself to make sure. His eyes widened in horror as he realized what the cracking sound was, 'Great! Now how are we supposed to get home?' He thought as he pulled out the smashed time device and held it in his hand.

end chapter

Beta's Whine: You know, Canadians are nuts? I was already minding my own business and doing a favour (and Word is set on Canadian automatically when I get their stuff –fumes—stupid U) for an internet buddy, and what does J decide? That I might as well do hers too! Like I don't have better things to do than beta people's stuff? Anyway, I still enjoy Hiei using Kuwabara as a test dummy (-- in more ways than one)!

Author's Reply: You know I was only being evil and SUGGESTED it. YOU, on the other hand, were the one that SAID for me to ship you the next chapter! So it's not my fault :P So everyone, I hope you enjoyed the next installment!