» A/N- This should answer some questions.
» Disclaimer - I do not own Inuyasha
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• Gather the Shards •
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Desecrated
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• Chapter III •
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"Inuyasha!"
Kagome reached a hand out trying to run to where he was thrown, the spear in her other hand. The undead-being stared with its red glowing eyes.
Stupid girl. Inuyasha pulled his arms from where they were imbedded in the crystal wall. The whole side of the crypt was covered in a reflective crystal armor of the same mineral to what covered the skull's body. He watched as the creature turn to face the human girl. She's going to get herself killed.
She stood there with nothing but that pathetic stick. But he had to hand it to her, for as useless as she was, at least she had guts. The skull moved towards her, its form towering over her.
"I, Hōsenki, a demon whose soul is linked with gems will not allow this sliver to go back into the mortal realm!"
Kagome held the spear out using it to point at the undead skull, narrowing her eyes, "We aren't here for your stupid gem!"
Inuyasha dropped down from the imprint he left on the wall, landing on his side. Shit everything hurts. He pulled himself up. Pushing off his knee and gripping the crystal wall for support. He watched as Kagome stepped back. Her foot catching on one of the bones that littered the ground, narrowly escaping a swipe from Hōsenki's crystal arm. Kagome let out a yelp as she fell back.
"You…!" Inuyasha growled out and Hōsenki turned its gaze back to Inuyasha. That got its attention. Good. Inuyasha flexed his claws and crouched forward, ready to pounce. He was a little off balance and light headed but he wasn't out of this fight yet.
"Still alive little half-breed?" Inuyasha glowered at that.
"It'll take more than that to kill me!"
Hōsenki moved towards him, moving faster in that large body then Inuyasha predicted, he couldn't even follow its form with his eyes. Its large crystal body darted behind him, charging. Inuyasha didn't get a chance to fight back as its horn skimmed his side, the air knocked out of his lungs as he's stuck by its large skull.
"Gah!" Inuyasha coughed up blood. Dammit. He heard Kagome scream his name again from across the room. She is useless. He quickly wrapped his arm around its horn so he wasn't flung off as Hōsenki jerked its head around.
He could feel the wound on his side already start to heat up. It was healing like normal. So only the place where the arrow had sealed him wasn't healing. It was more like a human wound. Shit. He had already lost so much blood.
"Let him go!" Kagome cried.
Kagome ran at Hōsenki, spear pointed at its body. Inuyasha's eyes widened as the spear she was holding started to glow. Kagome forced the spear into its crystal arm and a large light shot out through the crypt. Inuyasha was temporarily blinded but he could hear its crystalized structure shatter.
Hōsenki thrashed around screaming in pain, tossing Inuyasha off its face. Inuyasha fell behind Kagome, crushing the scattered bones that littered the ground beneath him as he landed. Hōsenki's arm now had a large chunk gouged out, what remained was cracked and was chipping away.
The other crystal arm swiped at her and Kagome raised the spear in defense, her eyes scrunched up as she braced herself for the hit. Inuyasha jumped up and grabbed her by the collar, pulling her back. Hōsenki's arm crashed right through the spear breaking it in half, just narrowly missing Kagome.
The force from Hōsenki's blow launched them back, Inuyasha's body cushioned Kagome's as they collided against one of the crystal walls.
Inuyasha pushed Kagome behind him, "Stay here, one hit from him and that human body of yours is dead." Kagome didn't acknowledge him, she seem to be staring at Hōsenki distractedly, like she could see something. He had to hold back a growl because now was not a good time to be distracted!
"Hey I-I-," Kagome turned to him but Inuyasha didn't give her a second glance, he was running out of steam. The head seemed to be the only thing that wasn't covered in that crystal substance so it should be its weak point. This was his only chance. Inuyasha darted away from Kagome, one hand on his chest putting pressure on his still gaping wound, and sprinted up Hōsenki's extended arm.
"Stay!" He ordered sharply. This way you aren't in my way.
"Wait! I thin-!"
"You fools! I will never let this shard rejoin the others." Hōsenki bellowed, swinging its arm around trying to shake Inuyasha, but he only managed to make the path much easier as Inuyasha jumped to the base of its skull, clawing at the bone.
Inuyasha's claws bounced off the surface of Hōsenki's skull, he barely left a scratch. Is this creature's whole body made of some type of adamantine? It had to be weak somewhere!
Hōsenki attempted to swat Inuyasha off its head, "I will…never…let it go!" Inuyasha grazed his claws around towards its eye and Hōsenki let out a howl. Inuyasha looked and he didn't even leave a mark on the surface of its skull. Then what…?
"This is it! Right here!" Inuyasha turned to see Kagome on Hōsenki's back, the head of the spear in hand. It was glowing again, she raised it up and stabbed it into Hōsenki's back. That same light erupted. Illuminating smaller than before, gouging out a similar chunk on the hard surface of its back. Shattering the pieces around the crater that formed. It looked like a cracked mirror.
"Noo! You can't!" Hōsenki curled his back in pain, "Noooo!" Good with that he might actually go down. That girl's stronger then she appears. Inuyasha couldn't help but be impressed.
Kagome dropped the spear head and reached around the hard ridges of Hōsenki's back, trying to find something to hold on to as Hōsenki moved. She was going to fall. No telling what this height would do to her. Inuyasha gritted his teeth and jumped for her, trying to grab hold of her extended arm as she lost her grip. He was just out of reach. Kagome let out a gasp as she looked over Inuyasha's shoulder.
"Inuyasha, watch-!"
Three crystal fingers caught him midair and forced Inuyasha against the wall, trapping him to the wall under its grip. Inuyasha clenched his jaw shut trying to keep from shouting out in pain. The sound of Kagome hitting the ground reached him. He struggled against the firm hold Hōsenki had on him but his strength was failing. Shit, did this thing not have a weakness?
But that's not what bothered him the most. Inuyasha still couldn't smell anything other them himself and Kagome. Everything else was void. Did this thing not have a presence?
"Stubborn aren't you?" Hōsenki taunted, "But if you take a look around you aren't the first mortals to try and best me! And you won't be the last!"
Inuyasha spat at Hōsenki, hitting it right between the eyes and grimaced when he noticed blood mixed in with his saliva. Damn. It was getting harder to breath.
"You fool! Allowing yourself to be a puppet! I will end this." Hōsenki leaned in, opening its jaw, sharp teeth poised to finish him. Inuyasha held his head up defiantly looking it straight in the eye. There was no way he was going to give this thing the pleasure of hearing him beg.
But then it stopped. Hōsenki closed its mouth, leaned in close to Inuyasha's face. Its glowing eyes boring into his, the hand that held him against the wall pushed him further, he couldn't breathe.
"I know that pearl…" Hōsenki muttered. What was it going on about? Inuyasha was confused. Everything hurt and it was so hard to concentrate. He gulped and pushed against the hold but his efforts were in vain, "Then…you must be the great Dog General's son. But then, how did you get here?"
The grip on Inuyasha slacked and he took in a ragged breath. Trying to follow what this thing was talking about. Inuyasha quirked his brow and gasped out, "…what?"
"Usually mortals are only allowed to come to this place once. If the pearl is still intact…" The skull trailed off, not taking its gaze off of Inuyasha, unnerving him to no end. "Dog General's son, how did you get here?"
Inuyasha paused having a hard time following, "…you knew my father?"
"He was a dear friend of mine." Hōsenki's eyes lightened and it lowered Inuyasha to the ground, letting him go. Inuyasha fell to his knees shakily, too weak to hold his own weight. He greedily sucked in air now that he was able to breathe freely.
Inuyasha's ears twitched at the sound of crunching and he glanced over to see Kagome limping over towards him and he felt himself let out a sigh of relief. It was strange but he was glad to see she was alright. Whatever connection his father had with this thing, he was grateful for. It was unnatural how much defense this being had.
She knelt down in front of him and glared at Hōsenki over her shoulder, blocking Inuyasha from its view. She grabbed Inuyasha's shoulders trying to help steady him. He couldn't fight her, he was so spent, so he only responded with a hiss of pain.
"So tell me," Hōsenki continued, asking again, "How did you get here?"
"Where exactly is…here?" Kagome asked for him, gesturing with her head. She didn't lower her guard not knowing what to expect from the giant crystal being. Inuyasha pushed against the wound on his chest and tried desperately not to lean on Kagome. His vision was so spotty now, and his breathing shallow. It was hard enough to follow Hōsenki's words much less answer them. He would also like to know where this place was. The last thing he remembered was…
"You don't know where you are? How troubling. So you really aren't after my shard piece." Hōsenki said thoughtfully. Inuyasha could feel Kagome tense in front of him.
"Well, yeah! I told you that already!" She seethed, her grip on his shoulders tightening. It was hard to keep his eyes open. No, this Hōsenki was a threat, he couldn't fall asleep here. Kagome continued talking, he had to concentrate to even understand her words, "So what is this place?"
"This place has no real name. You could call it The Origin," Hōsenki began. Inuyasha only felt more confused than before.
"The Origin? This graveyard?" Kagome lightened her grip on his shoulders and moved away to face Hōsenki completely. Damn, he couldn't even hold his own weight at this point. He slumped his head against her arm. Kagome reached for him and he was powerless to stop her.
"This place is more or less a borderland between the living world and the next," Kagome eased Inuyasha down to rest his head on her lap. Hōsenki continued talking, but it he only heard it in parts. It all felt like nonsense. How did something like a border get to be called the origin? How are those things connected? Inuyasha wanted to ask. None of it made sense.
"But it is curious," Hōsenki continued not giving a chance for Kagome to interrupt, "If you two don't know how you got here then that leaves me with more questions. Those demons that lurk outside these walls are also mortal beings that shouldn't be here. Defiling bodies that should be laid to rest."
"Those crows aren't supposed to be here?" Kagome asked surprised. She brushed her hand through his hair out of habit of having her cat lay in her lap and if Inuyasha had the strength he would have swatted her away. It was distracting and he could barely make out their words as it is.
Hōsenki shook his head, "No, they are not. And it's not just the crow demons, many scavenger types have somehow found their way here. No matter how many I cut down, more appear. It's why I am in hiding and why I have sealed this place from detection."
That explains the lack of scent in the area. Inuyasha's breathing was now steady and he could feel the itch of his blood trying to replenish itself. At least he stopped bleeding out. Good. He would survive the night if things remained this way.
"Why would you need to hide from them? You are very strong." Inuyasha begrudgingly agreed with her. This undead being was very strong. More like it didn't have a physical weakness. That magic Kagome had did nothing more than crack its surface. Those pathetic demons wouldn't even be a challenge.
"I don't hide from the demons in fear for my life. I hide because they know I have a sliver of the Shikon Jewel."
"I still don't get it. Why do they want the shard? It's not like its whole."
"I brought this shard to this place in death to keep it from rejoining the jewel. As I am a being that connects with gems I can feel the taint that it carries. It's taint too feeble for an ancient being like me to be tempted by it."
Inuyasha stared at Hōsenki, listening to him explain. The voice of someone from his past he'd rather forget coming back to him 'Why I can't I purify it?'
"You see, the jewel and all its pieces. They talk." Hōsenki explained, looking down at both Kagome and Inuyasha, casting a shadow over them, "It promises power, and I can feel the power it possesses. It speaks true. The shards grant unbelievable power, the soul trapped inside is incredibly strong for giving out such power while being fragmented."
Inuyasha went still in Kagome's lap while Hōsenki talked.
"You mean…it physically talks?"
"Yes. It speaks about granting a wish to those who gather the shards together and make it whole. Demons and humans have fought over the jewel trying to get this wish. It's corrupted. I won't allow the jewel to be whole."
Kagome nodded and sagged her shoulders. She went quiet for a moment.
"I don't know how the crow demons got here but I was pulled through a mirror." She admitted, bringing back Hōsenki's original question, "By a demon I think. It also talked about the jewel."
Pulled? Inuyasha had to pause for a moment to rack his brain around it. He had no idea how he ended up here. But she was pulled here? He wanted to ask for more information. Inuyasha tried to open his mouth to ask but he ended up coughing.
"Hmm, I see." Hōsenki said, not investigating further, "Then I take it you have no means of leaving this place?"
Kagome shook her head as she patted Inuyasha's back, "None that I know of. Inuyasha do you-?"
"No." He grunted out, it hurt to talk.
"That does not bode well for your bodies. You may rest here if you'd like, and I will help you find a way back if there is one. Because this place is not meant to sustain the living."
"Ah, thank you," Kagome gave it a small bow of her head, "In the morning we could try to find a way out."
"There is not but darkness here. Although yes, once you wake I will do what I can to help you. I apologize for attacking you," The skull turned to the giant hole in the ceiling it created to ambush them and started closing it up with the crystals that made up its body, "Any son of the Great Dog General and his companions are family to me. It is the least I could do."
He may not remember much of his father, but he had never been more grateful that his old man knew this thing in life. Whatever it was on about saved their asses.
"No light…" Kagome muttered to herself. The concept seemed to bother her. And she was petting him again. With all that adrenaline gone Inuyasha was hard pressed to keep from falling asleep. His body so sore and exhausted. And Kagome's little petting wasn't helping any.
There was silence as Hōsenki went to work sealing the ceiling of this crypt. Kagome didn't take long to fall asleep, her chin tucked to her chest while sitting up. Inuyasha's head still in her lap. He would move once he could gather his strength. But waking up pinned to that tree. Not knowing how he got there. There was no way he was going to let himself fall asleep any time soon.
There was too much to think about.
Inuyasha woke to silence. His chest throbbed but the lightheaded feeling was gone. He took in a deep breath and let that calming scent that surrounded him sooth his nerves.
A rumble came from outside and it shook the building lightly. Small bits of rubble fell from the ceiling. Inuyasha's eyes snapped open. When did I fall asleep?!
"Awake so soon?"
Inuyasha turned his head on Kagome's lap to see the glowing red eyes of Hōsenki already on him.
The thunderous rumble came again from the outside, louder this time. The whole structure vibrating and the crystals that outlined the walls and part of the ceiling clinked together like bells.
"It is good to finally meet you, son of the Dog General. I don't know how much time had passed since I last saw your father but seeing the pearl intact means he is also here. Good. That demon deserves to rest those bones. I will seek them out once I get you and your companion out of here."
Hōsenki turned his gaze to Kagome who was still sleeping. That position was sure to give her a crick in the neck when she wakes up.
Inuyasha's mouth felt so dry and he tried to swallow his own spit. Now that he had a moment to himself, there was something wrong with the air here. It was draining.
"Once she wakes I wish to discuss the demon that pulled her here. I wonder if that is a passage all the demons are taking to get here and she happened to stumble upon it."
Inuyasha again used silence as his answer. This undead thing talked too much. Everything was sore and although his chest wound had stopped its bleeding it was just as closed as any human wound would heal after only a couple hours. How long did it take for an injury like this to heal for a human anyway?
"It gladdens me to see that pearl again," Hōsenki said softly, as if only talking to itself. Inuyasha's ears twitched, picking up every word, "It means that this won't be the only time we meet."
What does it mean by that? Inuyasha opened his mouth to talk. There was a crashing sound coming from the floor above them, shaking things more violently then before.
Kagome shoved Inuyasha off her lap, he landed face first onto the ground.
"What the hell was that for?!" Inuyasha coughed out, lifted himself on his forearms to look at Kagome as she gripped her hip. Tears forming it the corners of her eyes.
"Th-it burns-!" Hōsenki's roar overpowered everything else Kagome tried to say and its giant crystal body collapsed on the ground shaking the whole area even further.
Kagome leaned over Inuyasha her head close to his ears, both hands scratching and pushing down on her hip trying to alleviate whatever was there. She tried to whisper to him, everything she said came out strained, "Inuyasha, the shard on. Inside his. Back. Hōsenki has. It's dark. The light it had -growing dark."
Inuyasha looked over at Hōsenki and could see the clear mineral on its back melting and bubbling up.
"You can see the ssshards?" Hōsenki asked angrily not missing a thing Kagome said, feeling the same pain she was. The skull hissed, "How?!"
The trashing and rumbling from the floor above created a small earthquake for them. The ceiling starting to fall apart. Kagome let out a sob of pain instead of answering, falling to the side as the floor above them broke open.
A centipede demon woman burst into the room, the broken stone of the ceiling coming down with her.
Inuyasha didn't know where he got the strength and quite frankly didn't care as he pushed himself up and grabbed Kagome around the waist. He forced their bodies against the wall getting them away from the giant pieces of stone that would have crushed them.
"You!" Kagome pointed at the demon and shrunk back against Inuyasha. Inuyasha could see the recognition in her eyes. So that's the demon that pulled her here?
The face of the centipede's was so similar to Kagome's Inuyasha had to take a double take. The centipede woman gave neither him nor Kagome more than a passing glance. Instead she wrapped her long insect lower half in coils around Hōsenki, immobilizing it.
"So girl sees the shard in its back? This Midoriko will be taking it back now!" A long tongue came out of that mouth exposing her sharp razor teeth. The tongue curled around in the air for a moment before plunging into the fizzling area of Hōsenki's back.
Hōsenki's scream was deafening and Kagome whimpered in pain against Inuyasha, her knees had given out and he was her only support standing. Shit. Inuyasha knew they had to get out of here. Whatever that Midoriko was, it was dangerous and no one was in any shape to fight.
Things went quiet as Midoriko's tongue pulled a black shard from Hōsenki's back. She uncurled herself from the undead being and Hōsenki fell over, its eyes dull.
Midoriko turned her eyes to Inuyasha who had Kagome slung over his shoulder as he climbed up the wall of the crypt.
"Ah ah ahh," Midoriko looked pleased, her tongue wagging, "Now don't go trying to run from me."
"Inuyasha," Kagome said panicked pushing at his back as if that would make him climb faster.
Inuyasha continued to climb without looking back, but he was too slow. Midoriko darted up the wall after them, and Inuyasha was half tempted to drop Kagome so he could go faster. He didn't have time to give it more thought as Midoriko brushed past him, her insect legs forcing his hands away from the wall as she ran over them.
"Gah! Damn-!" Inuyasha cried out. Kagome held on to him like a life line, whispering 'it burns' over and over.
"There is no reason to fear." Midoriko said in a way that made Inuyasha shudder.
Inuyasha yelled, his arms reaching out trying to grab hold of something while Kagome's body tensed and he could feel the heat of something in her hip through her cloths, burning through to the flesh of his shoulder.
They didn't fall far. The segmented lower half of Midoriko wrapped around the both of them tightly. Inuyasha struggled to push against the wormlike body. Kagome pushed against his chest trying to get some breathing room, and the pressure on his chest hurt, the wound on his chest still aching.
"Got you." Midoriko said almost too sweetly, her tongue still hanging out and he could see the glint of the jewel, "You will be safe with me soon."
Safe? The hell they would be safe with this demon! Inuyasha pushed back against the hold Midoriko had on them but that didn't stop Midoriko's movements as she launched her body towards the reflective crystal wall of the crypt, and to Inuyasha's surprise they all phased right through it.
There was a feeling of falling in his gut as a blue light enveloped them.
The vice grip the centipede had on him relaxed a bit and he used a burst of energy to bust out of the hold, knocking Kagome to the side, "Feel my claws you witch!"
Kagome's small yelp let him know where she landed and he readied his claws. Vaulting forward he raked right down the middle of Midoriko's body killing her in a single stroke.
"The hell you'll do anything, heh." Inuyasha landed on his feet with ease feeling more confident now that the demon was dead. It was surprising how easily this thing was to take down. How did she overpower Hōsenki anyway?
Inuyasha turned back to see Kagome giving him a look of awe.
"She really dead this time?" She asked tentatively making her way over to him, gingerly tip toeing her way around the demon's remains.
"Dead?" He scoffed, and then coughed as his throat couldn't take it, "I would like to see her get up after that."
She gave him a grateful smile at that, she then looked away, turning to the surrounding area and frowned, "Where…?"
Inuyasha followed her gaze to the cave they were in. It had one small light source in the roof and multiple caverns. It was also full of mummified demons. In the center was a demon that looked to be the leader, and it had its hands missing, as if they were ripped off.
"Che, just from one grave yard to another." Inuyasha kicked one of the torn chunks of Midoriko, only for the dead flesh to sizzle and steam away.
Kagome squeaked and jumped behind his back as he braced himself for what Midoriko's body morphed into. The steam settled and Midoriko's body changed into that of a normal woman's. But it didn't get back up. At least not yet.
"She did that before…" Kagome told him quietly. Peering at the changed Midoriko from over his shoulder.
Now that the body lacked all its insect like features it looked so eerily similar to the girl next to him, Inuyasha couldn't help but be suspicious. From Midoriko's open mouth a small centipede crawled out and scurried away into the mass of mummified corpses.
"Hah," A voice sighed making both Inuyasha and Kagome jump and looked around, "That makes this the third time this body has died."
"Where the hell are you?!" Inuyasha demanded, "Come out!"
"Please, I am here in peace." A shadow of a figure glided towards them holding its arms up in surrender, the only detail Inuyasha could make out was its large white eyes with small black pupils. Kagome hid her face in his back and screamed at the appearance of the spirit.
Inuyasha wasn't sure how much longer he could even stand. He was running on empty at this point.
…And why does its voice sound so familiar? He had heard it before, but where?
"What are you?" Kagome questioned the shadow spirit, Inuyasha could hear the false bravado in her voice.
"Girl? You don't recognize me?" The shadow gestured to the dead human body beneath it, "Midoriko."
"The hell?!" Inuyasha interrupted, looking back and forth at the spirit and the dead woman on the ground. Was he still pinned to that tree, dreaming up crap?
"Excuse me, when I am out of the physical body without a larynx my voice does sound different. You are both safe here with me." Inuyasha took another good look to the piles of demon corpses around them and couldn't help but think otherwise. In fact he didn't believe a word it said, "It might seem strange but I am just a spirit now."
"I don't care, aurghh!" Kagome said getting frustrated, "You forced me here! I don't want to be here! I want to go home!"
"I can't allow that!" The spirit bit back, "You share a soul with this Midoriko, so you are able to see the shards. You don't understand! The evil in those shards is growing stronger, it's able to manipulate others into making it whole again."
Kagome tightened her grip on Inuyasha's clothes and whimpered, whispering quietly so only he could hear, "This all feels too dangerous…when she gets close my hip burns."
"Girl, listen. I am able to temporarily take physical form with this Midoriko's body and the life force of a centipede. But that form does not last for long. And even alone, if I were to gather the shards, the great beast that would appear is my equal. With you by my side, your strength similar to Midoriko's, then in our combined strengths we could defeat the great demon."
There was crow cawing coming from further in the cave. Inuyasha agreed with Kagome, this was all too dangerous. Something about this unnerved his to no end. And if this shadow just wanted Kagome then why was he even here?!
"I forced you here because I don't have a choice. Your soul is connected to this Midoriko's, it is why I am able to follow you through reflections. You are the only one who I can call on for help. The strength others gain from the shards is tearing the realms apart. The jewel was a mistake and must be destroyed." The spirit stepped towards them and Kagome pulled Inuyasha back with her as she tried keep her distance. What caused the spirit to give her that pain she was feeling anyway? "Look around girl, you might think all these bodies are of multiple demons, but it's really just many demons merged together as one-."
"You know what?! Just shut the hell up!" Inuyasha said fed up. He was done. There was no reason for him to be here and he wasn't about to get caught up into this. It hurt to stand. He needed to get away, let his injuries heal and rest. Sure he thought he knew all about the jewel but he wasn't sure what he believed anymore, "I'm leaving."
Inuyasha tried to storm out, Kagome didn't let go of his back as he attempted to stomp out, but more like limped, to where it looked like an exit to the cave. Kagome pleaded as he walked, 'no you can't leave me, please.' He didn't fight her off, frankly he didn't care where she went, just that he wasn't staying here.
"Wait!" The shadow called out after them, "You cannot leave the caverns that way! You can't!"
"The hell I can't!"
"You don't understand. There is a barrier around this place. It keeps others from entering and me from leaving. If you wish to leave there is only one exit. I have no need for you anyway, half breed."
Inuyasha whirled around and let out a low guttural sound. Bitch. If it wasn't already dead he would've killed it again.
"I just need the girl." The shadow of Midoriko said simply. Kagome's grip on him tightened. The shadow motioned them to follow and Kagome practically dragged behind him not wanting to let go, but not wanting to follow.
The shadow lead them over a small mound of bodies that hid a small well.
"The bone eaters well?" Kagome said surprised and she went over and touched its wood surface. Her hands moving over familiar knots. Inuyasha blanched. How the hell is this an exit?
"You know of it?" The spirit asked. Kagome nodded slowly her bangs shadowing her face so Inuyasha couldn't read what face she was making, "Good that makes this easier."
"How is this an exit?!" Inuyasha leaned against the well, trying not to let this spirit see his fatigue.
"Well when, this, Midoriko shattered the jewel to keep the great demon from coming back the jewels were scattered across realms. This well is what connects all the realms together. To put it simply for someone like you to understand, this well connects all the realms. Something Midoriko didn't predict when the jewels were scattered."
"How does it work?" Kagome asked looking down into the dark well. Inuyasha could feel the disbelief in her voice.
The shadow pulled out the black shard she took from Hōsenki, and showed it to them, "It follows the shards. All you need to do is jump into it and it will lead you to the nearest shard."
Inuyasha made a grab for the shard but the shadow pulled back. Those large white eyes narrowing at him. So the spirit wanted the keep the shard then?
"This shard is too corrupted for you to take. I will keep it safe here."
