InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ I'm Sorry ❯ Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own, didn't create, but I sure do love it.

Author's Note:

 

Chapter 16

 

The next morning saw the pack on the road very early, having eaten a simple breakfast; Inuyasha chivvied everyone out as soon as possible. Deciding to try for as much surprise as possible, they all rode on Kirara, until Kagome was sure that the nest was directly below them, inside a hill that looked out over a small river.

 

Looking over Kirara's side, with Inuyasha holding tightly on to her from behind, Kagome carefully searched the landscape far below, while Kirara slowly circled the hill. Again she closed her eyes and felt outward with her inner senses, searching for the Shikon shard and any strange youki. At last she opened her eyes, and relaxed back into Inuyasha's strong embrace as she sorted out her impressions and began to describe them to her friends.

 

“Okay, it definitely feels like a round dozen of the youkai and one of them definitely has a shard. They don't seem to be moving around, but they are awake, or at least aware. None of them seem to be too close to the surface, but not too far, either.” Kagome paused, taking another long look at the ground below. “I think that the entrance to their den, or nest, is facing the river. Not sure exactly where, though.”

 

Inuyasha smiled at her description, and squeezed her waist gently, “That's more than good enough, Kagome. Sango, have Kirara take us about halfway down, and approach from the river. I want to see if we can spot the entrance to their nest. It's probably hidden, but I bet it'll be easier to spot from the air than from the ground.”

 

Sango nodded, and leaned forward to whisper in Kirara's ear; the two-tailed firecat immediate began to circle back towards the river, dropping lower as she flew. Approaching the area of the nest again, this time much lower, she flew slowly over the ground, allowing her rider's plenty of time to search for the entrance.

 

“There! To the left of that large, dark grey boulder. I think that's the entrance. It's covered by that rose bush.” Shippo pointed to a faint shadow that was hidden by a large rose bush.

 

Peering intently at the spot he had pointed out, both Sango and Inuyasha nodded, and Inuyasha spoke first, “Good job, Shippo. Sango, bring us down about 50 paces away from the entrance, towards the river.” Sango nodded and said only, “Right,” as she guided Kirara to the spot Inuyasha had picked out for their landing.

 

Once on the ground, Kagome dropped her large pack, and notched an arrow to the string of her bow, and watched her friends prepare. Miroku slipped off to one side, and checked the ofuda's he had hidden in his sleeves, Sango hefted Hiraikotsu and prepared to throw, and Inuyasha started walking forward, his hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt, ready to draw. Shippo and Kagome stayed about ten steps behind the others, giving them plenty of room to fight, while still covering their backs.

 

When they were almost upon the entrance, Sango held out a small torch, and said quietly, “Shippo, light this please.”

 

Shippo grinned and said softly but firmly, “Foxfire!” At his words, a small ball of flame shot from his fingers directly to Sango's torch, igniting it with a small `WUFF”

 

Sango used the torch to light a small package that she took from a pouch on her leg, and throw it into the opening under the rose bush. It fell right into the center of the hole, and out of sight. Within a couple of minutes, they heard a distant screeching and hissing, that rapidly grew louder.

 

At last the first of the large serpent youkai appeared. Inuyasha crouched a little lower and cracked his knuckles warningly. “Wait,” he said, as the first one spotted him and slid at him, fanged mouth gaping. Others appeared immediately behind the first and Inuyasha asked “Kagome, do you…?”

 

“No. It's still in the nest, none of these have a shard.” She answered his question before he even finished it.

 

“Fine, than I won't even need Tetsusaiga for this.” He leapt forward, snarling and Sango threw Hiraikotsu sharply, to one side of the approaching youkai. The first youkai reared up hissing, ready to strike, when Inuyasha removed its head with a lazy slash of his claws. Hiraikotsu whirled past, cutting another two serpents in half, before Sango caught it again. Miroku used his staff to knock the youkai facing him flat to the ground, before whirling his staff around and impaling the serpent's skull to the ground. The last two youkai in the open didn't last any longer than it took Inuyasha to reach them, slicing them to pieces as soon as he did.

 

Spinning around, he checked for any signs of youkai trying to sneak up on them, before he barked to Sango, “We need to drive the rest of them out in the open, I don't want to have to follow them into their nest if I can avoid it.”

 

Sango nodded and pulled two more small packages out of her leg pouch, then walked back to pick up the torch she had dropped. She walked over to where Inuyasha was standing next to the entrance to the nest, and said, “Inuyasha, watch your nose, this stuff is pretty noxious.”

 

Inuyasha nodded and shifted around until he was just upwind of the opening. Sango waited until he was clear, then lit both packages and threw them hard into the opening, trying to get them both as deep in as she could. Listening carefully, she smiled behind her filter mask as a loud hissing and screeching came once again from within the nest. She nodded and began backing carefully away from the entrance, never taking her eyes off of it.

 

Less than a minute later, a large, hot blast of flame came out of the opening, shielding the exit of a number of youkai. Sango and Inuyasha sprang into close action, he with his claws, she with Hiraikotsu, quickly dispatching the attacking youkai. As Inuyasha looked around for the one with one eye, the one that probably had the shard, he heard Kagome cry out, “Oh, no you don't!” Whirling back, afraid that it had managed to sneak past him to attack Kagome, he saw that instead of Kagome being attacked, she was aiming her arrow at a fleeing serpent. As he watched, she released the glowing blue arrow and it slashed a bright path that ended in the back of the serpent's neck, just behind the head. The serpent youkai convulsed once, than fell still as the holy arrow did its purifying work. Within seconds the entire youkai had disappeared, leaving only a glinting shard that fell to the ground with a sharp `tink'.

 

Kagome walked over, a second arrow ready, just in case. Seeing no further danger, she replaced the arrow in her quiver and picked up the shard. As she did so, the dark, evil aura that infused the shard faded, to be replaced by a pure pink glow.

 

Turning back, she slipped the shard into the little vial she wore around her neck, to join the other shards they had already collected. “Well,” she said brightly, “That's that. What's next? Back to the town, or off to Mushin's temple?”

 

Sango spoke up, looking curiously at the dark entrance to the youkai's nest. “I think we need to check out the nest, to make sure that nothing is left. Especially eggs.” As she spoke, she knelt down next to the entrance and sniffed carefully. With a grimace, she backed up several paces quickly, and went on, “The poison I used to drive them out of the nest still lingers. We'll need to wait until it clears.”

 

“And just how long is that going to take?” Inuyasha asked impatiently.

 

Sango shrugged and said, “An hour, perhaps two. It depends on how well the nest is ventilated.”

 

Miroku nodded and walked over and knelt down in front of the entrance and held his hand out. Unwrapping the prayer beads that sealed his Kazanna, he opened and closed it several times, creating an artificial breeze that rapidly pulled the poison gas out of the tunnels, and into the void in his hand. After about five minutes of this, he got up and said, “There, I believe that the poison should be sufficiently cleared for us to enter…although,” he paused and looked at Inuyasha and went on, “Perhaps, Inuyasha, you should remain outside, since your nose is far more sensitive than Lady Sango's or my own.”

 

Inuyasha frowned and grimaced, but nodded at the truth of Miroku's statement. “Alright, the two of you check it out. But, be careful. Shatter any eggs that you find, and make sure there's nothing dangerous inside, than come straight back.” He looked at them very seriously, “You got that? No screwing around down there, search it and come back.”

 

Sango and Miroku both nodded their understanding, and Sango leaned Hiraikotsu against the nearby boulder before drawing her sword and picking up the torch. Miroku gripped his staff tightly and followed Sango into the dark hole. Before they had even gotten out of sight, Kagome had gasped and started pulling things out of her pack.

 

“Wait a minute, Miroku please use this.” She ran up to the entrance and when he turned around she tossed him a small flashlight, already turned on. He caught it deftly, smiled his thanks and turned back into the darkness, shining the light ahead of the two of them as they started back down.

 

Kagome stood nervously next to Inuyasha waiting for Sango and Miroku to return. Finally, her fidgeting began to get on Inuyasha's nerves. “Would you calm down, wench! They'll be back when they're finished, alright?” he snapped.

 

“I'm worried, alright?! It's been a long time, and I haven't heard a thing from them, and…” She shot back at him.

 

“Feh. They're fine, they didn't find any eggs or anything like that, just some stuff Miroku wanted to bring out, that's all,” he sighed, “They've been talking the whole time, and nothing bad has happened.”

 

Kagome stared at him in amazement, then blushed a very bright red, a blush that covered not only her cheeks, but her face and neck as well. She cleared her throat and said, “Sorry about that, I forgot about how well you can hear. Sorry”

 

Inuyasha looked at her blushing face, and wondered what caused her to blush so brightly, but decided that asking her about it would probably just get him sat. Multiple times. Instead, he just said, “Feh. They're on their way back up, and should be coming out any minute.”

 

Kagome just nodded her head, and worked on controlling her blush, since she didn't want to listen to Miroku's clever quips at her and Inuyasha's expense.

 

By the time Sango and Miroku had returned, her blush was completely gone, and she was waiting patiently, more or less, by Inuyasha's side. Sango returned the flashlight to Kagome, with a smile and a quiet “Thank you” while Miroku lifted a heavy cloth bag out of the hole and up on to the ground.

 

“What's that Miroku?” she asked curiously.

 

“Well, it appears that these youkai were collecting treasure and money from their victims. I think that we can put this to good use,” was his reply.

 

“Good use? Surely you don't mean we should keep it for our own use? It's not like it belongs to us, does it? It belongs to the families of their victims! We should return it to them, not keep it for ourselves! That's just not right,” as she spoke, her voice became more and more impassioned.

 

Sango and Inuyasha exchanged amused glances, while Miroku stared at Kagome in disbelief. Finally he just sighed, and said, “Of course, Lady Kagome, we can take this back to town and have the headman and the local temple distribute this treasure to those in need.” The expression on his face was a clear indication that he would have preferred to retain the treasure for their own use, but that he could not resist her appeal.

 

“Thanks, Miroku. That'd be great!” She enthused, turning back to Inuyasha, she said, “If there's nothing else we need to do here, I think we should head back now. And, if you don't mind, I'd like to walk, at least for a while. I want to enjoy the day, it's so nice!”

 

Inuyasha snorted, but shrugged and said, “For a while, anyways.”

 

Kagome smiled happily at him and slung her bow and quiver over her shoulders, only to find that Inuyasha, once again had put on her pack, and was waiting for her to join him. Looking at her friends, all safe and unharmed, she felt a peace that she hadn't felt in long time, really not since she had first fallen through the well. `I'm happy, truly happy,' she looked up at Inuyasha, walking next to her, `Things have changed, and changed for the better, ever since he told me about our pack. I finally feel like I have a real place in his life, that I'm not just his `shard detector'. Some of the things that he's said, and done, make me wonder if I ever was only that, and he just didn't want to admit it to himself. I'm happy, and I intend to enjoy it, even if it's just for a little while, before I think about Naraku, or the Jewel, or anything. This is my day, and I just want to spend it with my friends.'

 

Miroku slung the pack of treasure on to his back and stepped up along side of Sango, matching her pace as she carried Kirara in her arms. Shippo jumped up onto Kagome's shoulder and the pack headed down towards the road that paralleled the river.

 

Inuyasha and Kagome walked in silence, neither feeling any need to speak, rather just enjoying the warm sunshine and fresh air. Eventually, they reached the river road, and turned onto it to follow it back to the town. After a while, Kagome noticed that Miroku and Sango were talking, and that Miroku hadn't been slapped even once. She snickered to herself, wondering if he was trying to figure out how being in a pack changed things between he and Sango, or if he was just tired.

 

Inuyasha looked at her and asked, “Something funny?”

 

She smiled at him, and said, “Just thinking about how knowing that we are a pack is already changing us, just a little. I think I like it.”

 

He nodded back at her, then smiled, “I'm glad.”

 

Kagome looked up at him, and eased a little closer to him before casually reaching out to hold his hand. When she did, he looked back at her, and then away, trying to hide the flush of pleasure that he got from holding her hand, from touching her in any way.

 

Miroku looked over at Sango and caught her eye, he nodded at the couple walking ahead of them once he had her attention. She smiled at them for a moment, then looked back at him, before giving him a small smile as well.

 

The small pack continued to walk down the river road for over an hour, without meeting another traveler, when Kagome started to get nervous, for no apparent reason.

 

“What's wrong, Kagome,” Inuyasha asked, scenting her worry as they walked along the road.

 

“I'm not sure, but…” she paused, trying to isolate what was upsetting her. “Shards. Inuyasha, I can feel two shards coming this way, very fast! I think its Koga.” Kagome came to a halt in the middle of the road, and her words as well as her actions warned the rest that something was up.

 

Looking around, Inuyasha quickly spotted Koga's trademark whirlwind, coming from downwind. `Damn! I hate it when that wimpy wolf shows his face around…' “GRRRR” he growled at the very thought of Koga sniffing around Kagome, always talking like she was his mate.

 

To his surprise, Kagome moved even closer to him than she had already been, in fact, she moved over until her back was pressed directly against his chest, and he heard her mutter, very quietly, “Great, just great. Why does he always have to show when…” Kagome's soft mutter broke off when Koga slid to a stop in front of her.

 

“Kagome, I thought I caught your lovely scent, how has this mutt been treating you?” While he was speaking, he reached out for her hands, just like always. But this time, Kagome pulled Inuyasha's arm around her, like a shield, and she was holding on to him with both hands. Though surprised, Inuyasha didn't object, contenting himself with snarling silently at Koga.

 

“Umm, hello Koga, how have you been? Any luck tracking down Naraku?” Kagome hoped that this time, Koga could be sidetracked away from talking about his infatuation with her.

 

“Fine, Kagome. Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck catching Naraku's scent. He seems to be hiding it really well,” he answered her questions, wondering why that stupid half-breed mutt was holding her like that, and why she seemed happy about. 'What's wrong with her? They're not mated are they?' Koga took a quick sniff, trying to reassure himself that she hadn't… “What the…what the hell have you done, you worthless half-breed?! You can't be a pack leader!!” By the time he had finished speaking, his voice had risen to a shout.

 

Unfortunately for Koga, he had managed to not only ruin Kagome's idyllic morning, he also pushed several of her `hot buttons' one right after the other. Before he had even finished speaking, Shippo leapt from his mother's shoulder to the relative safety of Sango's arms and Inuyasha's snarl had turned into an expression of disbelief.

 

`Oh, Koga, you screwed up this time. Count yourself lucky you don't have a necklace like mine; she'd sit you until you were buried. And it's not gonna be much better since she can't sit you. I knew you were stupid, but this…!!' Inuyasha thought to himself in disbelief.

 

Sango and Miroku exchanged identical looks of `Uh Oh!' before they turned back to watch the fun with grins on their faces.

 

Gripping Inuyasha's arm tightly to prevent herself from losing her temper completely, Kagome spoke through tightly clenched teeth. “Koga. We've know each other for quite a while now, and usually I try keep the violence and bloodshed to a minimum, but… Where do you get off speaking to ANYONE!! like that! Calling ANYONE! a dirty, half-breed mutt! How dare you! How dare you speak to my friends in such a rude, disrespectful way. I don't care who you think you are, pack leader or pup, no one speaks that like that to my friends, far less my pack mates or my pack leader!!” Taking in a deep breath, she tried to control the rage that boiled just under the surface.

 

“Koga, I think that you need to leave. Right now. And I think that until you can speak to me and mine, with courtesy at least, if not respect, I do not wish to see you. Do you understand?”

 

Stunned by her rage and by her words, Koga stammered “B-But…Kagome, he…”

 

“Do you understand!?”

 

He cringed. There was no other way to describe it. Koga, the wild leader of the Eastern Cave wolf-youkai pack…cringed. He backed away, stammering that, yes, he understood, and… Finally, he just looked at her as if he was afraid she was going to leap at him and rip his throat out with her teeth and spun away in his trademark whirlwind.

 

“The nerve of him, how dare he! I can't believe he said that.” Kagome continued to rant, even after Koga had fled, much to the amusement of the other members of her pack. Especially Inuyasha, who had enjoyed seeing someone else, especially that damned wolf, finally getting the hot side of Kagome's temper. After letting Kagome vent some of her rage for a few minutes, Inuyasha decided to take a chance and see if she was calm enough to continue on their way.

 

“Kagome, are you ready to go now?” He asked quietly, still holding her close. When she didn't respond to his question, he sighed and lowered his head until his chin rested on top of her head and began very quietly purring. If he remembered what his mother had told him correctly, she said that it felt nice, but it made it hard to think. He hoped that it would work to calm Kagome down without focusing her anger on him. As he had hoped, she began to relax after only a few minutes, and she finally stopped muttering and sighed softly.

 

“Sorry about that. It's just that, when he started talking about you like that, I kinda lost it.” As she remembered what she had said, and more importantly, how she had said it, she turned pink. “I really don't know what came over me, I just…” she trailed off, not quite sure what she wanted to say.

 

Inuyasha started to speak, “It's okay, Kagome. To be honest, I was just glad it was him, and not me.”

 

To his surprise, Myoga, who had been silent for most of the day, spoke up. “Lady Kagome, your response to Koga's remarks, while extreme, is not really surprising. No lead female would ever tolerate an outsider addressing a pack member so disrespectfully. Although I would not have expected a human to respond in this manner, it is instinctive with inu-youkai, and clearly Lord Inuyasha's instincts are beginning to be passed on to you, and probably the other members of our pack.

 

He paused and cleared his throat before continuing. “Perhaps it is because Lord Inuyasha has such strong bloodlines from both his youkai and human parents that his instincts are being shared, perhaps it would happen with any mixed pack. I simply don't know.”

 

Kagome bit her lip, then asked, “So, what other instincts can I expect to feel, or develop? I hate it when I lose my temper like that. I hope that it's not going to become a habit or something.”

 

Myoga sighed, “I wish I had a simple answer for you, My Lady, but I just don't know. This is a totally new occurrence. Although, if you will forgive me, I don't think that your new instincts had anything to do with how you responded to Koga's insolence, other than making him the focus of your wrath. Your temper is, well, you can be rather intimidating when you lose your temper.”

 

Inuyasha snorted. “Keh. I'd rather fight my brother than face Kagome's temper, although, today was pretty…” He broke off, not sure he wanted to complete that sentence. As he held her, he sniffed her hair and neck softly. `No wonder she blew up like that, she's about finished with her heat. Now I know Koga is an idiot. He should have scented the change and kept his distance. Oh well, that's his problem, not mine. Mine is to make sure she gets something to eat and plenty of sleep for the next few days, otherwise she's gonna make my life hell.'

 

“Well, not to change the subject or anything, I think it's about time to eat. Why don't we stop here, have a hot meal and then head back to town?” As he asked, he kept holding Kagome, but looked at Sango and Miroku.

 

Sango nodded and said, “Excellent idea, I'll start a fire and start some water boiling.”

 

Miroku took Kagome's pack from Inuyasha and handed the plastic bucket to Shippo. “Here you go Shippo, can you run down to the river and bring back some water while I get the fire wood, or would you like to gather fire wood?”

 

“Water! I'll be right back.” With those words, Shippo ran off to the edge of the river, filled the bucket and walked back, struggling to keep it from dragging on the ground, but carrying it nonetheless.

 

Miroku headed into the nearby woods, picking up wood as he walked while Sango quickly dug a small fire pit and lined it with stones. By the time Shippo had returned with the water, Miroku had brought an armload of wood and stacked it up, ready to be lit.

 

Kagome had recovered enough by this time to help Sango with lunch, and between the two of them, prepared a simple stew, with fresh bread to go with it. While it was heating up, Kagome made a container of lemonade from premixed powder.

 

The simple routine of preparing a meal, then eating it helped Kagome completely relax, so that when Inuyasha mentioned that he wanted to return to town faster than walking, she was agreeable and asked if she could ride on Inuyasha's back.

 

Inuyasha paused at her request, than said, “Alright, as soon as we finish cleaning up from lunch we'll head back to town. We may or may not spend the night, because I do want to get to Mushin's temple. He may be a drunk, but he could be a big help, if he knows as many people as Miroku claims.”

 

While they finished their lunch, Kagome pulled Shippo aside and discussed some of the training that he had been doing with Myoga. When he mentioned healing, Kagome was intrigued.

 

“So, Myoga thinks that you can use your foxfire to heal with? Did he explain how, or did he just tell you to `figure it out'?” She asked the little boy.

 

“Oh no, well, he didn't really know how it was done, but he thought that if I practiced with small cuts, I could learn to do it, myself.” Shippo laughed, “I guess he did tell me to `figure it out' didn't he?”

 

Kagome laughed along with him, but said, “Well, if it helps, I've healed a couple of times, even if I didn't really know what I was doing. Let me get my first aid kit out first, cause I think we'll need it for a while. Then I'll show you what I did, and tell you what it felt like. Then you can try it with your foxfire, okay?”

 

“That would be great, Kagome!” he said eagerly.

 

Kagome removed her first aid kit from her backpack, and set it down on the ground next to her. Reaching behind her back, she carefully drew her knife from its sheath, to the immense surprise of everyone except Sango, and the great pleasure of Inuyasha.

 

“Alright, I'm going to make a short cut on my arm,” as she spoke, she carefully drew the point of her knife down the back of her left forearm. “There. Now when I healed before, my power came up into my hands,” placing the knife aside, she raised her right hand and closed her eyes, feeling her miko power filling her hand, “then, I simply wished to have the injury healed. I sort of imagined the wound closing up and disappearing.” Taking a deep breath, she pressed her glowing right hand on top of the bleeding cut. “Like this.” Pressing down hard on the cut, she concentrated on the image of the cut closing up, like a zipper, and then disappearing. After about thirty seconds, she lifted her hand and let her power withdraw inside again. When she looked at her arm, she saw to her pleased surprise, that the cut had completely disappeared, and the only sign of her injury was the smeared blood on her skin and hand. She silently showed it to Shippo, then took an alcohol wipe and cleaned both her hand and arm of blood.

 

“Now, Shippo. Would you like to try it?” she asked him.

 

He shook his head eagerly, “Yes, I would. I'm to call up my foxfire, imagining that it can't hurt, than when I press down on the cut, I'm to see, inside my head, the cut close up and than disappear, right?” he asked carefully.

 

“That's correct. Do you want to cut yourself, or shall I?” Kagome offered.

 

“No, I'll do it. I think that's the best way.” Shippo said, as he took his tiny dagger from inside his vest, rolled up his sleeve and made a tiny cut, which welled up with blood immediately. Putting his knife down, he mimicked his mother exactly. Summoning his foxfire around his hand, he closed his eyes and pressed his flaming hand to his arm firmly for thirty seconds. When he pulled his hand away, he kept his eyes closed until he heard the gasps of those who had been watching.

 

“Amazing. Lady Kagome, I don't think I've ever seen spiritual healing done so… dramatically,” Miroku commented from across the fire. “Certainly, not by two so young. The only times I've seen that done, the practitioners were quite old, and had been studying for many years.

 

Myoga agreed. “Only a very few healers have every been able to do that without a great deal of training. I'm quite impressed.”

 

Kagome agreed as she used a fresh alcohol wipe to clean the blood off of Shippo. “That was outstanding Shippo! I'm very proud of you. You listened carefully and did exactly what you were told.”

 

Shippo beamed at the praise he was receiving and after everything was cleaned up and put away, he climbed up onto her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Kagome, may I, would you mind if I called you `Okaa-san' sometimes?” His voice was very soft, and free of any of his usual wheedling.

 

Kagome turned her head to look at him than gave him a hug, “Of course you can, anytime you wish. After all, now that we're a pack, I am your mother; in every way that matters, you are my son.” At her words, finally saying out loud that which had been only silently acknowledged, they both began crying softly.

 

Inuyasha looked at them sitting there, crying together, with big smiles on their faces. He shook his head, but refrained from saying anything, simply making sure that everything was repacked in Kagome's backpack. When everything was ready to go he walked over and knelt down in front of her. “Hey. It's time to go.” He caught Shippo's eye and asked, “Do you want to ride with Kagome and I or keep Sango and Miroku company?”

 

Shippo thought about it for a minute, then said very seriously, “I need to talk to Myoga some more about using my magic. I'd like to do that this afternoon, if that's alright, okaa-san?”

 

Kagome smiled at his calling her `mother' and said, “Of course. I'll see you when we get to the town.”

 

Within minutes, the pack was on the move again, this time much faster. With Kagome on his back, and the others riding Kirara, they reached the town in less than an hour. Once again, they chose to walk into town, rather than upsetting anyone with displays of flying or extreme agility.

 

When they reached the town gate, this time they were welcomed eagerly, especially when Sango informed them that the nest of youkai had been exterminated. As they walked through the streets, the sounds of celebration began rising behind and around them as the news spread.

 

“Well, they sound pretty pleased with the news, don't they Inuyasha?” Kagome asked, listening to the sounds of joy.

 

“Keh. I'm glad we got another shard, and that no one was hurt.”

 

“Me, too.” Smiling at the town folk who waved to them and greeted them so happily, Kagome was actually looking forward to some peace and quiet inside the headman's home.

 

In very little time, they reached his home and left the rising sounds of celebration behind. Matoko met them at the door and led them to the same room that they had dined in the night before.

 

“My father will be here in just a moment, he is meeting with the high priest and the senior monk from the temple. Please, refreshments will be brought momentarily, so please be seated and relax.” Matoko was a bit ruffled today, obviously happy to see them alive and well, and equally happy about the success of their mission.

 

Sango nodded to her and drew her aside to speak with her before her father arrived. The others took their seats on cushions placed around the table. Rather than sitting at one end, Inuyasha and Kagome sat in the center of the long side, facing the door, with their backs to the wall. Seeing where they had seated themselves, the others ranged themselves along the same side of the table, just before the headman and several others entered.

 

After bowing, everyone took their seats and the meeting began.

 

“First, allow me to offer you our heartfelt thanks, because of your efforts we are finally free from the depredations of those horrible demons. I see that no one was lost, but is it possible that no one suffered serious injuries?” Matushina-san was the first to speak, and he tried to see if anyone showed signs of minor injuries, but none were visible.

 

Inuyasha simply snorted, although Miroku was the one to speak. “Set your mind at ease, none of us were injured in any way. The serpent-youkai nest was completely exterminated. We found no fresh eggs, and no sign of any young.”

 

Matushina-san smiled at that and said, “That's wonderful. Now, I've spoken with the senior captain of our fishing fleet, as well as one of the two captains of trading vessels that sail from here,” he nodded to the two men sitting to his left, “and the high priest of our local temple and the merchant who handles almost all of our trade in preserved fish,” here he nodded to the two men to his right, one dressed in priestly robes, and the other in a rich kimono.

 

“They have all agreed to pass the word among their people to look for any signs of newly powerful demons and humans who have become, as you put it, magically powerful recently. I brought them here so that they could hear directly from you, what signs they should look for. So, would you please describe these signs to them.”\

 

Miroku looked at Inuyasha quickly, and went on as soon as he nodded back at him. “Certainly. First, when we speak of `recently' we are concerned with the last year or year and a half. If their power increase dates from much before than, it is unlikely to be of grave concern to our mission. Second, any rumors about `Shards', `Jewel Shards', `Sacred Shards', or the `Shikon no Tama' are very important.” Miroku paused, and studied the faces of the men sitting across from him, the only one who seemed to react to his words was the high priest. “Have any of you heard anything about such matters already?” he queried.

 

The all shook their heads no, except the priest who nodded slowly. “Yes, I know of the Shikon no Tama. It was said to have disappeared over 50 years ago. Recently I have heard that has returned, but it was only a rumor, with no details.”

 

Miroku nodded gravely, “The rumors are true. The Shikon no Tama has returned, but it is not intact. It was shattered into hundreds of shards, and scattered across the land.”

 

The priest frowned at him, than transferred his frown to the others as well, “And you are seeking these shards? By what right do you strive for this? It is a very holy relic, and should be in the care of those who are trained for such work. Not, forgive me for saying this, but not a mismatched group of adventurers and demons.”

 

At the priest's words, silence fell in the room. Kagome reached out and grabbed Inuyasha's arm, and even before he could begin to growl, she silenced him with a shake of her head.

 

“Sir, we are very well aware of what the Shikon no Tama is, and the grave risks that face everyone if it falls intact into the hands of those with evil intent. We seek not only to gather the shards from where they have fallen, but also to retrieve them from those who wish to use them for evil goals. As for what right we have to do this…The Shikon no Tama is mine to protect, mine to purify, and mine to chose who might use it. This right, this mission was given to me by fate, by karma. I will not turn away from it.” Kagome spoke to the priest clearly and calmly, but with more than a hint of steel in her voice.

 

He looked back at her, clearly unhappy with the thought of so precious a holy item being claimed by a young girl, especially one who dressed so immodestly. Still, they had destroyed the nest of demons…or had they? `They claim to have destroyed them, but no one witnessed it, perhaps this is an elaborate hoax? But, do I want to accuse them outright? Perhaps I should investigate their claims. If it is as close as claimed, a good rider could go there and back before nightfall. Yes, that is the best course.'

 

The priest frowned, then spoke, “I see. Well, if indeed you have cleaned out that nest of demons, I will be more than happy to comply with the headman's request, and gather the information you seek to be passed on to you in turn. Still, I do have concerns, grave concerns that one so young as yourself should try to purify the Shikon no Tama. The jewel is very powerful, and is very susceptible to evil influences. One so young cannot hope to counteract these influences…”

 

As he spoke, the looks on the faces across the table ranged from irritation to amusement, with the young woman he was speaking to showing the most amusement. When she pulled a small vial from inside her shirt, he broke off as he saw the powerful spiritual aura of the jewel fragments inside. She opened the vial and shook one fragment onto her palm, before replacing the top and tucking it back inside her shirt.

 

“Do you recognize this, priest?” she asked him.

 

His face pale, he nodded.

 

“Would you like to hold it in your hand, just for a moment?”

 

His brow furrowed for a moment, then cleared. “No, thank you. I can feel it from here, and indeed, you have purified it perfectly. I am afraid that my touching it might undo all of your efforts.” He smiled at her, more relaxed than he had been during the first part of the meeting, and went on. “I am only human, after all, and all too prone to error.”

 

Kagome just smiled back and returned the shard to its resting place with the others.

 

Miroku spoke up again, saying, “There is something else, as well. When we searched their nest for any eggs or survivors, we found this.” He picked up the bag resting on the floor and placed it on the table, then pushed in front of the headman. “I believe that this was taken from their victims. We would like to see it either returned to the survivors, if any, or used to restore some of the damage that the youkai caused.”

 

The headman opened the bag cautiously, not quite sure what he would find. Once open, he froze, stunned by the quantity of money, jewelry, and other items of treasure that he saw.

 

“This, this is most generous! There are indeed some survivors, for whom this money will make a great difference. Thank you.” He and his companions bowed very low from their seats.

 

Miroku and the others bowed in return, before returning to the business of arranging for the collecting and passing on of information to the pack. Miroku explained that they were often traveling, and that if possible, it should be sent to both Kaede's village as well as to Mushin's temple.

 

The headman offered the hospitality of his home, for as long as desired, but Inuyasha made it quite clear that they needed to continue their journey immediately, and that if they hoped to reach Mushin's temple before sunset, they needed to leave soon.

 

Matushina-san agreed with their wishes, but asked that they delay their departure long enough for his daughter to prepare some food for their journey.

 

“Please allow us to provide you with at least your next meal, I beg you. We owe so much more than we can ever repay, so please, allow us this small token.”

 

Inuyasha nodded and said, “Alright, but we really do need to get going, so if you don't mind, could she make it quick?” Although Kagome gave him a dirty look for his rudeness, the headman took no offense, but rather smiled and escorted them out of his house and all the way to the gates, where Matoko and two others caught up with them, out of breath from their run while carrying baskets of food for their guests.

“Father, I hope we're not too late!” Matoko gasped as she arrived at the town gate. Seeing Sango and the others waiting just outside, she sighed and said, “Oh good, you haven't left yet. Please,” she offered the baskets to Sango and Kagome, “Take these for your dinner. I hope that you enjoy it!” She gave Sango a quick hug and then stepped back to her father's side.

 

With a final round of farewells, Kirara transformed into her larger form, everyone except Inuyasha and Kagome climbed on. Kagome climbed onto Inuyasha's back and waved goodbye as he leapt for the trees lining the road. Kirara ran up into the sky, and the townsfolk waved and cheered as they disappeared from view.

 

Matushina-san turned to his daughter and asked, “Did you put the pouches into each basket, daughter?”

 

“Yes, father. They'll find them when they open them for dinner tonight.” She replied.

 

“Good. They deserve more, but it least I can justify giving them that much because that is the amount we promised to anyone who rid us of that nest of demons.” He shrugged uncomfortably at the thought of trying to convince Inuyasha to accept the reward, and was quite pleased to have the opportunity to avoid the argument.

 

“Well, they're gone for now, and I wish them well in their search. Let's get back home and start using the treasure they gave us to repair some of the damage of the last year, eh?”

 

Matoko nodded and together they walked back through the gates, and back to their own home.