InuYasha: Kagome's Choice

Author's Note: Okay, so…it's been another two years, haha. ^_^u Honestly, I had given up on this story, because I lost interest in watching the anime (since it wasn't really on TV anymore). And when I thought about coming back and continuing the story, I couldn't really remember the characters much, or my story plot at all.

But recently, I started watching it again, finally watching it from the beginning, and I feel like I know them better now than I did way back when. I don't think it's going to lead where I initially planned, since I can't remember, but we'll see how it goes, haha.

Surprisingly, I found that I had already written the first half of this chapter soon after the second, lol.

Chapter Three: An Unexpected Encounter

"Why would they work for him?" Sango queried, eyes wide with shock.

"I'm not sure, but they'd work for anyone if they were paid enough, I suppose," suggested Miroku.

"Well, come on, guys, we're getting closer to the jewel shard!" exclaimed an anxious Kagome, who had gained a little more speed. The sun had set, and with its departure came a fog, starting out light but then grew into a thick, white cloud of cold. And the farther they traveled along, the thicker the fog grew.

"Well, the fog's getting too thick to see right in front of you. I think we should call it quits for tonight," Miroku proposed, having tripped over a large stone in the pathway, unable to see it in his way.

"But we're getting closer!" InuYasha protested; another jewel shard down meant one step closer to becoming a full demon for InuYasha, and one step closer to defeating Naraku.

"Yes, but there's no point if we can't see them," insisted Miroku from behind.

"He's right, InuYasha. Besides, I can barely sense it now. It must be getting further away," voiced a disappointed Kagome.

"Fine," sighed InuYasha, for once realizing he was beat. "Let's head to the town nearby for the night. But first thing in the morning we're heading back out! And we're going to find that jewel shard!" InuYasha seemed to be speaking to Kagome more than the others, for she had the ability to sense the shards. And Kagome appeared to notice, as she had pursed her lips at InuYasha and turned away.

"Right, then, shall we go? It's this way, I believe," pointed Miroku, and he took the lead.

"Boy, it's about time, I'm getting tired, anyways!" Shippo said, relieved that they were finally taking a break.

They made it to the town within minutes and eventually found and tavern and inn to stay the night, as InuYasha was grumbling the entire time, who, in turn, was told to sit by Kagome and shut up.

The next morning seemed to be better, and a good night's sleep allowed InuYasha to calm down and clear his head. They were refreshed and ready to attack the day and find that rogue jewel shard. However, something was wrong; someone was missing. As everyone came out of the rooms and into the tavern area of the inn, they had noticed.

"Huh? Where's Kagome?" asked InuYasha, looking around Sango, assuming she would have been with her.

"I don't know, I thought she had awoken before I had and gone down," replied Sango, looking just as confused.

*

In reality, Kagome had gotten up during the night to search for the jewel shard. It had gotten closer, and was even in the village. And it was just too strong to resist looking for it, but an inner yearning of Kagome had escaped her. Instead of telling the others, this time, just maybe, she could get a jewel shard on her own. Without the help of the others, to show them that she could do something on her own. With a couple hours left before sunrise, Kagome headed out by herself.

She had taken her bow and quiver, newly restocked with fresh, sharp arrows. "I think it's this way," she whispered aloud to herself. 'Yeah, I can feel it nearby now!' She sprung into a sprint, adrenaline flowing through her body. It was just one jewel shard. Surely she could handle it on her own, and she would be able to add it to the two she currently held in her possession. She had been practicing her Sacred Arrow when she had the chance. Always standing by, always cheering the others on, always getting in the way. Only once in a while was she lucky enough to actually be useful to the team with her arrow. Defeating that demon the other day had given her some new hope in her own abilities.

Kagome had realized that the jewel shard was moving, heading away from the town. She knew if she didn't hurry faster, her opening at getting the jewel shard would close. "Faster!" she yelled at herself, and she pushed herself as fast as she could until she was on the outskirts of the village. In the dim light emanating from fireplaces in the homes of the village, Kagome could barely make out a silhouette of a man briskly walking away. She heard him chuckle and speak to himself.

"Heh, heh, I think I did pretty well for myself," the man gloated. His speech was husky but slurred, he was obviously inebriated. And from the sound of clanking, he had just robbed someone, if not someones. Focusing hard, she could see a jewel shard, hidden in the pocket of the man's coat.

Almost by reflex, Kagome held up her bow, nocked her arrow, and called out to the man. "Hold it right there! Don't move!"

Unaffected by her threats, the man casually turned around to see who was addressing him. He was a short man, on the heavier man, and looked to be somewhere in his late thirties. His face was covered in stubble, and his eyes were bright from his intoxication. Delighted by the sight before him, he moved towards her, with a smirk on his face. "Now, now, who might you be? You're a beautiful, young girl. Did you come all the way here by yourself for me? Mm, I see, you wish to become my wife!"

Slightly bewildered, Kagome let her guard down for a moment. "Ew, never! I want the jewel shard you have!" But after her initial shock from the man, she realized that he was only a mere human. He was still waddling toward her, but she lowered her bow. "You're not a demon," she commented quietly. "Why do you have a Sacred Jewel shard?"

But the drunkard was not interested in answering any questions. When he was close enough to her, he grabbed her by both shoulders and started pulling her closer. "Hey, let go of me!" With all her force, Kagome pushed the man away from her, and began to draw her bow again. She really did not have any intention of shooting him, but she hoped it'd be enough to frighten him. However, his drunken state left him uninhibited by fear. He just chuckled and came toward her again.

"Stay back!" She had her arrow pointed right at him. "Tell me why you have a jewel shard!" But before he had the chance to answer, an eerie feeling spread all throughout Kagome's body. The air had grown cold, and a fog looked to be heading towards them. Kagome gasped. "Jewel shards!" They were coming closer. And it wasn't just one, or even two. There were five. Five jewel shards coming closer. "No doubt about it," Kagome said, aiming her arrow towards the fog. The air suddenly had an ominous feel to it, as the fog was nearly engulfing the two in it.

A strong, confident, icy voice came from within the fog, sending chills down Kagome's spine. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Sacred Jewel shards, it seems."

Author's Note: Wow, I'm totally surprised I actually got this chapter done, haha. Sorry it took an extremely long time to update! Hopefully I can actually keep this one up now! ^_^