Back at the village, the villagers were cleaning up and repairing their homes. Kagome was a bit disturbed at how unaffected they all were at having been attacked by a giant centipede. Kaede had relayed that her sister had died, how Kagome's resemblance to her sister implied re-incarnation, and decided that Kagome should be the next care taker of the Jewel. Kagome told her companions how, then, she would proceed in protecting the Jewel.

"WHAT?" Inuyasha cried out.

"Are you out of your mind, girl?" the elder miko asked.

"It seems perfectly logical to me." Kagome said, unaffected by her companions protests.

"NO NO NO NO!"

"Osuwari." Inuyasha's face met the floor boards, and then the ground beneath the house.

"Don't do that inside."

"Sorry."

A short silence followed.

"If you're... after the Jewel's powers too..."

"No. It's just... The Jewel was in my side for a reason. I feel it should be put back."

"... demons will be targeting you for the rest of your life..."

"Wouldn't they anyway? At least this makes me less inclined to drop it or have it stolen."

"Girl, you're crazy! You're stupid! You're so stupid, I can't believe I thought you were Kikyou!" Inuyasha rejoined the conversation after pulling himself out of the floor.

"I can't believe you keep mentioning your error, if the difference between us is indeed so great."

"Shut up!"

"This Jewel..." Kagome turned her statement toward Kaede "Is something that has been with me since before I was born. I clearly don't have a spotless record for protecting it, even if that only stain is today, but that is something I've been doing all these years, if I was aware of it or not. If the next thief has to cut it out of my side again, so be it. It's better than letting the thing roll about on the ground, as when I was scrambling to keep it from Inuyasha-san."

"Er..." the miko was a bit taken aback. Inuyasha was silent and scowling.

"Since you've your heart set on my protecting the Jewel anyway, I shall do so as I see fit. Besides, the previous miko didn't have such luck by merely carrying it about, and I'd rather not see history repeated. I'm sure both of you wouldn't like to see that, either." Kagome said.

Her companions were silent. Perhaps Kagome had said too much? If the old woman was too attached to her sister and her ways after fifty years of death to try to avoid the mistakes of the past, Kagome worried for her sanity. Well, maybe the death of a sibling never really heals, Kagome wouldn't know. More worrisome, however, was Inuyasha's silence. Kagome had expected him to say how he wished she would die, so he could steal the Jewel. Why hadn't he?

"Well, since we are in agreement..." Kagome said, before re-opening her wound, and shoving the gem into her side. Inuyasha, for some unknown reason, cried out in pain more audibly than she did.

"Ho, is Inuyasha being exorcized?" asked a passing villager through the window.

"I wish." replied Kaede.