InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ InuYasha: Into the Shadows ❯ Part 3 - Kagome ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

18 September 2061- Year of the Comet
Shinjuku Ward : Tokyo-to
Japanese Imperial State

The engine of her hot pink Yamaha Rapier screamed as Kagome sped through the city streets.

“Ooh,” she moaned to herself. “Why did I say I could do this?”

She pressed down on the throttle as she swerved through the obstacle course of trash and slow moving squatters. The Shinjuku ward was Tokyo’s most dangerous area, especially when the sun went down. It was a haven for the city‘s degenerates, where street gangs ruled largely free of interference from local law enforcement. Despite all of that there she was, a young girl of seventeen from one of Tokyo’s more privileged wards, cruising through this barren at reckless speeds.

She had joined in on a scavenger hunt with her friends Eri, Ayumi and Yuka that several kids at her school were participating in. On the list was an item that no one was really expected to get, a flower from the Green, Shinjuku’s legendary “haunted forest”.

When the subject of the flower came up, Kagome boasted that she wasn’t afraid to go get it. They all laughed at the thought, none of them really believing she would go through with it. Kagome decided she would prove them wrong, how hard could it be to just drive down there and grab a flower, anyways?

It turned out to be harder than she had guessed. She had stopped when she first entered the ward, seeking directions to the Green. That ended up being a mistake. The ganger she asked hadn’t been very helpful, instead insisting that her Rapier now belonged to him. A well-placed kick slowed him down; but as she sped away he hopped on a bike of his own, intent on giving chase. She eventually managed to lose him, but she hadn’t slowed down since.

She turned down yet another street, now hopelessly lost. Her heart raced as the buildings to her right gave away to a dark, brooding line of trees.

“This has got to be it!”

She slowed her bike down; vines snaked across the road here, seemingly reaching for the abandoned buildings across the way. Smiling in satisfaction she came to a complete stop and had to suppress an involuntary shudder at the sight of the dark woods.

Looking around it appeared this section of the city was deserted. The nearby buildings were falling apart and she saw no other traffic on the street. She removed her backpack, rummaging through it a moment before producing a flashlight.

With a final look around to ensure it was safe to leave her bike unattended, she stepped off the road and towards the line of twisted trees.

“Kinda spooky.”

Scanning the edge of the tree line with the flashlight she didn’t see any flowers.

“Of course not. That would be too easy,” she said irritated.

Shining the light into the woods, the shadows took on a menacing appearance.

“C’mon Kagome. You can do this.”

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the Green. Walking slowly, she scanned the foliage around her with the light. She was several meters into the woods when she caught sight of a pale purple bundle of ajisai. With a triumphant grin, she plucked the delicate flowers and started back towards her bike.

As she stepped out of the tree line there was a woman sitting on her Rapier.

“Hey! That’s my bike!” she called, quickly moving towards her motorcycle.

The woman turned, looking at her with the most vibrant green eyes Kagome had ever seen. They almost seemed to glow. She was dressed in skin tight, black leather pants and a bikini-style top that left little to the imagination. Her black hair was streaked with green highlights and as Kagome approached, the woman gave her a smile that seemed anything but friendly.

“You have it, don’t you?” the woman asked quietly.

Weakly holding up the bundle of flowers, Kagome replied, “You’re on the scavenger hunt too?”

The woman got off of the bike and began moving towards her. Closing her eyes she tilted her head back, inhaling deeply.

“The Shikon no Tama. I can smell it.”

Cautiously, Kagome tried to circle around the strange woman and towards her motorcycle.

“I umm…I think they’re called ajisai.”

With inhuman speed the woman charged her, lips curled into a predatory snarl. She came so fast Kagome could do nothing but thrust her arm out and shout.

“Stop it!”

A burst of white light erupted from her hand, striking her attacker. The woman reeled backwards, skin ripping away from her arm and shoulder revealing a chitinous shell underneath. Instead of a hand, the now insect-like appendage ended in a vicious looking hook.

The woman hissed in pain, “Give it to me!”

“Fine! Take them!” Kagome screamed, throwing the flowers at the monstrous woman before sprinting towards the woods.

Her heart raced as she ran through the thick growth of the Green. The woods didn’t seem so threatening now that she had a bug-lady chasing after her. She looked at her hand as she ran wondering, that flash of light. How did she do it?

She wasn’t sure how long she had been running, but her lungs began to burn from the exertion. Unable to continue she stopped, leaning against a tree to catch her breath. Frightened, she looked around but didn’t see any sign of her pursuer. Taking in her surroundings, it appeared she was in a section of the Green that had overtaken a city block. Vine choked buildings stood crumbling around her, it almost seemed surreal.

She was finally beginning to calm down when a deep male voice sounded behind her.

“What do we have here?”

Spinning around quickly she found herself looking down the long, cold barrel of an assault rifle.


“You didn’t have to tie me up y‘know,” she said to her captors.

They had placed restraints on her wrists, binding her hands behind her back before bringing her there. It looked to be some sort of encampment within the Green, the foliage having been cleared out around several dilapidated buildings. There were five of them, all heavily armed men. The one who had initially captured her appeared to have lost his right arm in some sort of accident. In its place was a cybernetic replacement.

“It’s called kidnapping,” she continued indignantly. “Don’t you know you can get in trouble for this kind of thing?”

They were discussing something among themselves, speaking low enough she could not overhear the conversation. She knew it was about her however as they kept glancing and gesturing in her direction. One of them finally spoke loud enough.

“Fetch Kaede, she’ll know what to do.”

One of the men departed, returning a short while later escorting a thin woman who appeared to be in her thirties. Her dark hair was tied back, streaked prematurely with gray. She wore a long, armored trench coat embroidered with what appeared to be mystical sutras. Underneath it were a faded pair of blue jeans and a black, tight fitting muscle shirt. Her left eye was covered by a patch.

She stopped in front of Kagome, studying her for a moment.

Seeming lost in her own thoughts she muttered, “The resemblance is so…” Shaking her head, she let the thought go. “Cut her loose.”

“What?” asked the man with the cybered arm.

“Cut her loose.” Kaede repeated, fixing the man with a stern gaze.

“But miko. She might be a spy from the Imperial army.”

Kaede laughed at the comment. “A spy? Since when does the government send teenage girls to infiltrate groups of poor squatters?”

“Yes miko.” His tone was one of defeat as he stepped behind Kagome and removed the restraints.

“Hmph.” Kagome huffed at the man before turning to Kaede. “Thank you.”

Kaede smile politely and nodded, “I don’t know what you’re doing in the Green girl, but I suggest you…”

Before she could finish, the sound automatic gunfire filled the night air.

“Holy shit!” came a cry from one of the men nearby as another screamed in agony.

Kagome’s heart raced as she tried to see what was going on. She spotted the source of the chaos at the edge of the clearing. The woman who had been chasing her arrived, her insect-like arm wholly going through one man‘s chest, pinning him to a tree.

“Don’t just stand there!” The man with the cyber arm shouted. “Kill the damn thing!”

Kagome ducked, covering her head and ears with her arms as a barrage of bullets flew across the clearing towards the bug-lady. The monster staggered backwards, hooked arm pulling loose from the tree and dropping her screaming victim to the ground. The attack tore away more of her skin, further exposing the chitinous form underneath, but she otherwise seemed unscathed. As more of her form underneath was exposed, she began to take on the appearance of a monstrous preying mantis.

Her vibrant green eyes caught sight of Kagome and she began a full sprint in the girl’s direction. In her path stood another of the men, holding a MP5-TX submachine gun in his hand. He fired several bursts into the rapidly advancing woman but she continued her charge, unflinching as the bullets slammed into her chest. Reaching the man she brought up both hook-like appendages, piercing his shoulder and ribcage as she forced her arms outwards, rending his torso in two.

“Give me the Shikon no Tama!” she howled, descending on Kagome.

Kagome started to run, pumping her legs as hard as she could. She had to get away from this horrible creature. Kaede looked at the fleeing girl in surprise.

“The Shikon no…” Turning her head to the man with the cyber arm, she shouted. “Protect her!”

He grunted as he fired another seemingly ineffective burst into the rampaging mantis woman. With a nod to Kaede her turned and began chasing after the girl.

“I hate bugs,” Kaede muttered as she focused her energy.

Thrusting her hands forward she sent a radiant bolt flying through the air, catching the creature on the side and sending it crashing into the ground. The two remaining gunmen seized the opportunity, slowly advancing on the creature, firing round after round.

Kaede nodded, satisfied that the beast was temporarily slowed and turned to run after the girl as well. Her mind was racing with thought. The girl bore a striking resemblance to her dead sister and the mantis woman seems to believe that she possessed the sacred jewel. Could she be…

The screams of the two gunmen behind her wrenched her from her thoughts. She winced at the thought of the deaths the creature had caused so far. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard crashing in the woods behind her. Looking over her shoulder she saw the creature gaining on her rapidly. It had shed most of its human guise and other than a few scraps of skin hanging from it’s armor-like shell, it appeared wholly as a mantis.

Kaede spun swiftly, readying a spell but she didn’t have time. The creature charged her and used it’s powerful arm to knock her aside. She grunted in pain as she flew through the air, finally crashing into a tree. The mantis continued past her, intent on catching the girl.


Her head lowered, Kagome ran with all of her might. She didn’t know what that thing was or why it kept shouting about some Shikon no Tama, but she did know she had no desire to find out. Lifting her head to scan the woods in front of her, she saw a large tree directly ahead. She tried to turn to the side but it was to late, she was moving too fast. She yelped in pain as her right shoulder careened into the tree, sending her spinning around and to the ground on the opposite side. Leaping to her feet she got tangled in something and she flailed her arms wildly while she stepped backwards trying to free herself. Looking to see what it was, she screamed in horror as she saw a young elf, head slumped, pinned to the tree by what appeared to be an arrow. She had been caught in the tattered remains of his red trench coat.

Her mind was brought back to her current situation by a loud thud on the ground next to her. Looking down she saw the corpse of the man with the cybernetic arm slide by, sending up a shower of dead leaves. Looking back up she saw the mantis creature moving towards her slowly.

“You’ll not escape me now girl,” it hissed, mandibles clacking. “Give me the Shikon no Tama.”

Again it charged her with amazing speed, there was no running this time. Her eyes darted around, looking for anything she could use as a weapon. Without thinking she reached up and grabbed the arrow sticking into the elf.

“Somebody help me!” she screamed as she struggled to pull it loose.

An unseen pulse surged from the arrow and into her arm as she pulled it free, the body of the young elf falling unceremoniously to the ground. As it came loose, the arrow crumbled uselessly in her hand. It was to late, the mantis was upon her. Clenching her eyes shut in fear, she extended an arm in a futile attempt to ward off the beast.

“Stay away!” she cried.

The darkened woods lit up momentarily as a wave of energy flew forth from her hand, crashing into the mantis woman and sending her flying backwards. The force of the blast knocked Kagome to the ground and she could hear the creature screech in pain as its right arm was ripped away.

Kagome looked dumbly at her hand, “Just like before…but how?”

There was no time to think about it, because much to her surprise, the body of the elf was writhing on the ground beside her. She scrambled backwards, trying to get away as she watched him undergo a rapid transformation. His black hair fell away as a thick silvery mane sprouted and quickly grew to replace it. He howled in pain as two animal-like ears sprouted from his head. He was on his hands and knees now and when he threw his head back he glared at her with two golden eyes full of rage.

“Kikyou,” he snarled, showing two elongated fangs. “What have you done to me?”

The mantis woman had recovered from the blast and was now descending on the prone Kagome. As she tried to roll out of the way, the creature’s hook-like arm slashed into her side. The cut wasn’t deep, but it was still enough to make her scream in pain. As she continued to roll, something flew from the wound and into the air. A small, shimmering orb.

“Finally!” the mantis woman screeched. “It will be mine!” She turned from Kagome, focused on the orb.

“Oh no it won’t!” growled the elven beast-boy as he launched himself into a rolling dive across the corpse of the dead cyber-armed man.

Coming to his feet he held a Steyr TMP machine pistol in each hand. He had retrieved them from the holsters of the corpse as he rolled across it. The muzzles lit up as lead rained into the back of the monstrous mantis. He charged forward, fingers on the triggers, countless holes erupting in the beast’s already damaged form. Once the clips were emptied, he threw the pistols to the ground and leapt into the air, arm extended above his head. His fingernails elongated, turning into vicious claws as he landed on the back of the mantis woman, tearing through her as they both went crashing to the ground. The creature lay lifeless beneath him and he took a moment to look at his gore splattered claws with a grim chuckle.

“These are nice,” he muttered.

The orb landed in the leaves to Kagome’s right and she scrambled quickly across the ground, snatching it up. She didn’t know what it was but it seemed important. His attention was back on her now, those frightening golden eyes sending a shiver through her spine.

“Give me the jewel, Kikyou,” he growled.

“Quit calling me that!” she asserted as she regained her feet. “My name is Kagome!”

He tilted back his head, sniffing the air.

“You really aren’t her, huh? I should have known. Kikyou was prettier.”

“Hey!” Kagome’s jaw dropped.

“Now why don’t you be a good little girl and give me the Shikon no Tama?” He drew back his arm, extending his claws. “Or, we could always do it the hard way.”

“What?” she stammered.

“I said give it to me!”

With a snarl he leapt through the air at her, claws extended. Jumping to the side she narrowly avoided the attack.

“Hey! You’re trying to kill me!” she exclaimed while running.

“And what gave you that idea?” he taunted. “Yeah, Kikyou wasn’t as stupid as you either. But you sure as hell reek of her scent!”

Again he exploded into action, charging at her. She could feel his claws rip the back of her sweater as she dove behind a tree. His speed carried him several meters away before he was able to turn around and ready himself for another assault. Kagome saw Kaede burst through the trees behind him the woman hurriedly reached into her jacket before pulling something out.

“Your luck will run out eventually,” he snarled, once again taking a mighty leap at her.

As he jumped, Kaede threw the object in her hand. It left a faint, shimmering trail behind it as it closed upon him. Kagome could barely make it out, but it looked like some strange necklace. Kaede’s aim was true and the beaded necklace slipped over his head and onto his neck.

“Quickly girl!” Kaede shouted. “Speak a word of subdual!”

“What? I don’t know any words!”

“Hurry! Any word will do!”

As he descended upon her, his ears looked remarkably like those of a dog.

Unable to think of anything else she shouted, “Sit boy!”

The necklace glowed briefly and an invisible force brought him crashing to the ground. As he struggled to stand, his face was contorted in pain. He grabbed the necklace with both hands, struggling to remove it. Despite his efforts, the necklace would not come free.

He gave Kaede a venomous glare, “What did you do to me you witch?”

“It won’t do you any good to resist, InuYasha.” she said smugly.

“Why I oughta…” He started towards her.

“Again.” Kaede called to Kagome.

Kagome pointed at him, “Sit!”

Once again he was thrown to the ground, this time with such massive force it caused him to shout out in pain. A wide grin spread across Kagome’s face.

“Now this is fun.”


Kagome watched InuYasha intently as he sat brooding. He was a stubborn one, it took an hour of her telling him to “sit” before he accepted the futility of trying to attack her or Kaede. Now they all sat in what Kaede referred to as the Sunset Shrine, located in a section of the Green that had swallowed the surrounding neighborhood whole. As Kagome looked at him, she couldn’t keep her eyes off of the two dog-like ears that had sprouted from his head. Slowly she reached out with her hand…

“Don’t even think about it,” he sneered.

“Oh,” she whined, “They’re just so cute though.”

“Will you cut it out already!” Muttering under his breath he added, “Idiot.”

He then turned his attention to Kaede. “How come I look like this anyways? What did Kikyou do to me?”

“Using her magic, Kikyou placed you in a state of suspended animation when you tried to steal the jewel,” she replied. “Your newfound…appearance is something different altogether. Kikyou had nothing to do with it.”

He scowled, “I’m listening.”

“Twenty-two years have passed since you were bound to the tree, InuYasha. Many things have changed. It is currently 2061 and what they are calling the Year of the Comet. If you look up at the night sky you will see it, Halley’s comet, as it is passing by our planet during the fiftieth anniversary of magic returning to our world.”

InuYasha interrupted. “That still doesn’t explain why I look like a….a…”

“A dog?” Kagome blurted out helpfully.

“Shut up!” he shouted.

Kaede continued, “With its return, the comet is creating a slight increase of magical energy in its wake. This spike in energy has had several consequences, one of them being what scientists are calling SURGE, or Sudden Recessive Genetic Expression. Much like a rise in the world’s magical levels are believed to be responsible for UGE and goblinization. It appears that the mana-spike caused by Halley’s comet is affecting people’s genes and causing SURGE. I believe when Kagome released you from your magical stasis, it effected you immediately, bringing about your change.”

He frowned, “What? So people all over are turning into freaks?”

“The actual percentage of people affected is relatively small.” Kaede explained. “But yes, there are others and each case seems to be unique, the change affecting them in different ways.”

He sat in silence, trying to take it all in before speaking. “Twenty-two years huh? So where is Kikyou anyways? I wouldn’t mind talking to her.”

A slight frown crossed Kaede’s features. “My sister died immediately after your attack on the shrine InuYasha. We cremated her remains along with the Shikon no Tama.”

Turning her gaze on Kagome she continued, “Which brings us to you, young woman.”

“Me?”

Kaede nodded, “Yes. Your physical likeness to her is uncanny. Combined with the fact that the sacred jewel was embedded in your body, it is my belief that you are Kikyou’s reincarnation.”

“What? No!” she stammered, “I’m just…”

“Hah!” InuYasha interjected. “Who’d Kikyou piss off to be reborn as this twit?”

“Hey! Why’d you say that?” she gasped, offended.

“That’ll be enough from both of you.” Kaede spoke up, an authoritative tone to her voice. “It is getting late and there are still some things I would like to discuss.”

Giving them both a stern glare, Kaede continued. “Kikyou asked that we burn the Shikon no Tama with her so she could carry it into the world beyond and prevent it from falling into the hands of someone who would use its power for evil. The jewel’s reappearance, with you Kagome, can only mean that you are to serve as its protector.”

“Protector? No, I’m just a girl, I’ve still got to finish school and…” Her voice trailed off as she was overwhelmed by the day’s occurrences.

“We can talk more about it later,” Kaede said softly. “Like I said, it’s getting late and we should get some sleep.”


The twisted trees of the Green looked sinister even during the daylight hours. Kagome wasn’t sure how long she had been making her way through the woodland, but she knew she had to find her way out. Looking down at the sacred jewel as it hung from her neck, she thought about what Kaede had told her, and how she was supposed to be its guardian. Well that would have to wait. She had awakened before both Kaede and InuYasha, determined that before anything else she would find her way home. Her family was probably worried sick about her.

Her frustration grew, and she became ever more certain that she was now irrecoverably lost. Just when she was about to admit defeat, Kagome spotted a row of broken buildings through the tree-line ahead.

“Finally,” she said in relief, increasing her pace.

As she stepped on to the street she grinned widely, this appeared to be the same place she had left her motorcycle. Her elation was short lived, however, as she scanned the street for her bike and next to it she saw two leather-clad thugs. One of them appeared to be trying to start it.

“That’s MY Yamaha!” she shouted indignantly.

The street toughs looked up, the surprise on their faces quickly turning to feral grins when they spotted her. They began walking her direction.

“Then why don’t you be a sweetie and give us the keys?” one of the men said menacingly.

“Yeah, we don’t want to scratch it up,” added the second.

Kagome’s shoulders slumped as she wondered why her life suddenly had to get so exciting. Clenching her jaw she decided she was tired of running. Without warning , she ran forward in a full sprint just as the pair reached her. The men were stunned for a moment, they didn’t expect the girl to come at them. That was all the opening Kagome needed.

The lead thug swung out his arm in a wild punch. She ducked while continuing forward, somehow slipping past him. The second man scrambled at her, as his arms closed around her she rolled to the right, managing to break free. Now it was a foot race to the Yamaha.

Her legs burned as she ran with every ounce of energy she could muster. She was too afraid to look back but could hear that she was increasing her lead. As she rapidly advanced on the motorcycle she pulled her keys from her pocket. Quickly leaping onto it, she thrust the key into the ignition with a triumphant shout. Only then did she realize her pursuers had stopped running.

One of the men produced a heavy pistol, the highly polished Ares Predator that looked quite dangerous as the sunlight glinted off its reflective surface. The ganger had it leveled directly at her. With a pronounced sigh, Kagome let her head slump onto the bike’s handlebars in defeat.

The thugs took her to an abandoned building several blocks away. Opening the door, they shoved her through and onto the floor.

“Hey boss! Look what we found,” one of the men laughed.

Staggering to her feet she scanned her surroundings, her eyes adjusting to the poor light. She froze in fear as a large form moved from out of the shadows. A being almost the height of two men took a few steps towards her. Its leathery skin was olive green and mottled, two ram-like horns jutting out from its mammoth head. This was the first time she had ever seen a troll.

The troll wore a leather jacket, and underneath it a bandolier crossed his massive chest with several ball-shaped grenades attached to it. A large, sawed-off shotgun hung from its belt. Its beady black eyes didn’t seem to acknowledge Kagome, instead focusing on the Shikon no Tama hanging around her neck. The creature’s grotesque mouth contorted into a wicked grin, a single large fang jutting upwards from its cracked lips.

The troll gave a deep, rumbling chuckle, “So it has reappeared.”

The thugs behind Kagome seemed confused. “You know the girl?” one asked.

“Her? No, just the jewel.”

Pulling back as massive arm, the beast flexed a fist the size of Kagome’s head. Two long metal spurs erupted from the back of the troll’s hand as it advanced upon her. As it brought its arm down, one of the windows shattered, exploding inwards in a shower of glass. InuYasha streaked through the air with the glass, catching the troll’s arm with a booted foot and knocking it’s attack wide. As he landed he brought up a large revolver, firing a round into each of the two thugs standing behind Kagome. She cried out in alarm as the men fell lifeless beside her.

“You came to save me!” she exclaimed.

InuYasha snarled, “Don’t be a fool, I’m here for the jewel.”

“Look out!” she cried.

It was too late. With a deafening roar, the troll charged InuYasha. He grunted in pain, dropping his revolver to the floor as the creature wrapped him up and slammed him into the wall with astounding strength. The troll did not release its powerful grip, instead it backed up and began ramming him into the wall repeatedly.

“Hey!” Kagome called holding up the Shikon no Tama, “Isn’t this what you want?”

As the troll looked at her, she threw the jewel out the window. Dropping InuYasha to the floor the massive creature barreled through the wall and into the street. Kagome ran to InuYasha’s side.

“Are you okay?” She extended a hand to help him up.

He swatted her hand away and snarled. “Idiot! You just threw it out the window?”

He quickly leapt to his feet, snatching up his fallen revolver. Running to the hole the troll had made in the wall, he fired two shots into it’s back.

“That thing reeks of the dead,” he growled, wrinkling his nose.

“What?” Kagome asked confused.

“It’s a corpse, a spirit is animating it,” he said as he ran out into the street after the beast.

The troll was bending down to scoop up the jewel when InuYasha barreled into it’s back. Both of them went skidding across the asphalt as they hit the ground. Kagome raced forward and grabbed the magical orb, screaming out in alarm as the two combatants rolled her way. She quickly scrambled back into the relative safety of the building, clutching the jewel to her chest.

They were on their feet now and the troll struck InuYasha hard in the face, sending the young man flying backwards through the air. Kagome looked around in a panic, spotting the gun of one of the dead thugs sticking out of his belt, she grabbed it. The troll charged InuYasha as he landed hard on the street.

“Leave him alone!” Kagome screamed, firing two wild shots from the heavy pistol.

Both shots flew past the troll, one of the rounds grazing InuYasha’s shoulder causing him to shout out in pain.

“What the hell are you doing?” he yelled.

“I’m trying to help!” Kagome called out.

“Who?” he replied incredulously, struggling to stand.

Remembering the jewel, the troll turned around and began charging back towards Kagome. Looking over her shoulder, she realized she had nowhere to run. With no other option, Kagome broke into a fast run at the troll. Just before they collided she threw her hands protectively over her head and dropped down. As she slid between the troll’s pillar-like legs it reached down, ripping the Shikon no Tama from around her neck. Passing beneath the beast, she screamed in pain as one of her fingers broke when it caught onto something.

Sliding to a halt at InuYasha’s feet, she looked at her injured hand. Her eyes widened when she realized what her finger had caught on. Around the already swelling digit was the pin to a grenade.

“Run!” she screamed at InuYasha. Leaping to her feet she grabbed his arm, pulling at him as she sprinted for cover.

“What?” he snarled trying to pull away.

Without a word she held up her hand as she ran, the pin still wrapped around her finger. His eyes widened as recognition of what she was showing him sunk in.

“Shit!” he cried, beginning to pass her.

The troll held up the sacred jewel in triumph as it looked down at the bandolier of grenades strung across it’s chest. It didn’t have time to react before it was engulfed in a fiery explosion.

The blast threw them through the air and into the outer tree-line of the Green. Hitting the ground, they saw a radiant burst of magical energy exploding upwards. It looked as if hundreds of miniature meteorites were rocketing across the sky. One of the glowing projectiles streaked towards them, imbedding into a tree near InuYasha’s head. With a puzzled expression he plucked it from the bark, examining it quizzically. It looked to be a tiny crystalline shard.

His face contorted in anger. “The jewel! Where is it!”

Kagome reached for her chest where the Shikon no Tama had hung. Looking over at the charred remains of the troll she spoke meekly.

“Umm…he had it.”

“Dammit!” he yelled. “The Shikon no Tama? You fucking blew up the Shikon no Tama?”

“I’m sorry?” was all she could think to say.