InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ On a Leash ❯ A Scion's Trial ( Chapter 25 )

Disclaimer: If I did, this wouldn't be fan fiction.

A/N: I'm debating whether or not to change the rating on this story (on FF.net at least) from PG-13 to R, but let me tell you right now that if I do, the story itself will continue to move in the way it has been. I'm thinking of rating it this for language because I want to be safe from anyone who might try to get me and/or my stories booted off. Better safe than sorry. Please let me know your opinions.

I'm rubbing my hands together, eager to get to this. I have wanted to reach this point in the storyline for sometime, and finally, I will get to show you what's been making me so earnest. Ok, the Tetsusaiga stays in Inu's room when he's a dog. Um, about the Kouga tail thing, it's a split, so for the sake of argument, I'm going to say Kouga has a tail as well as Sesshoumaru. I flipped a coin again, so please no messages of debate, because this isn't up for debate-this is what I will do. All I know is that Sesshoumaru's pelt/tail is the same as his dad's, so I'm just going to call it a tail for the sake of argument. Kouga's tail might have moved, I don't know, but let's just say he has a tail and that is the feature that connects him to the wolves, ok?

I meant Capricorn but said Aquarius-my mom's Aquarius, hence the mistake.

This chapter has a song for some reason: "Twilight and Shadow" from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Chapter Twenty-Five: AScion's Trial

Kagome and Inuyasha were riding in the rear of a black luxury car with Sesshoumaru the next morning. Jaken had been left at the mansion with Kagura to help her deal with the affairs while the master was out of the house-or more accurately, be of some amusement to his mistress.

Inuyasha had told his fiancée what his brother had said when he returned to her room after the phone call. They had decided she would be coming along and Sesshoumaru had agreed that it was most likely for the best; they didn't need any unnecessary brushes with Naraku or anyone working for him. While he probably was not aware that Inuyasha was alive and kicking, it was quite clear that he wanted Kagome out of the way.

Besides, Kagome had already stated that she would not let him just leave her oblivious. She had told her mom that she was going with Inuyasha and his brother on some more family business. While Mama was not pleased at the idea of her missing school, she reasoned that Kagome did have the right to know more about her betrothed.

So, here they were, sitting in silence, vaguely able to see outside through the tinted windows, while they continued to jar slightly as the car rolled over a deserted country road. The faintly recognizable silhouettes of trees waving eerily in the breeze were dark against a field of various shades of gray. The denser the trees grew together, the more they looked like looming monsters of inconceivable size and strength, born into and yielding to the consuming shadows.

The luxury car began to slow down unevenly until finally coming to a stop. Ahead of them was an opening in the heavy forestry-just big enough for a person to squeeze through.

Sesshoumaru gently pushed open his door. "We will have to walk from here. It is not far. Come, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha opened his car door and slid out before reaching in to help Kagome out, who had been seated between the two dog brothers with Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga in her lap. She handed her fiancé his sword first before stepping out with the Tenseiga.

Striding evenly over, Sesshoumaru took his sword from the girl also while his brother slammed the door shut. He tapped once on the driver's window and mouthed, "Wait," at him.

The driver bobbed his head and relaxed his grip on the steering wheel.

Kagome and Inuyasha followed Sesshoumaru as he passed into the breach of the trees. Gradually, as they pushed some branches out of their way, a clearing was revealed. They were standing on a slope that led down to a basin with a smooth bubble of ebony right in the middle of it.

Kagome rubbed at her arms as the wind blew softly on her skin. She felt nervous for some inexplicable reason and the shadow-cast sky above wasn't making matters any better.

"So this is the old man's tomb?" Inuyasha asked, taking a few steps to the very edge of the hill as he tucked Tetsusaiga beneath his brown leather belt.

His brother nodded once, moving to stand abreast of him. "Indeed it is." Sesshoumaru's tail remained curled impassively around his right shoulder while he gazed into the distance at the tomb with quiet reverence. After a moment, he began to walk evenly down the knoll.

Inuyasha started after his brother, but paused and looked to the solitary girl still poised at the crest of the hill. "Come on, Kagome, let's go."

Her azure eyes had gained an almost ethereal quality as she continued to peer at the sepulcher with confusion and wonderment. She blinked once before shaking her head and scuttling over to where Inuyasha waited. "Right…"

"Kagome," he caught hold of her arm as she almost slipped down the thin grass of the rounded incline, and pulled her towards him, "you look like something's bothering you. What's wrong?"

She stared at him for a time until she bit her lip and glimpsed over to the grave. "I just have this weird feeling…like sensing something…and that something is going to happen…something with lots of power."

The shadows played freely over the massive grave-clearing as the sun was obscured by clouds. Everything was tinged with gray. The wind caressed Kagome's skin again, but an even deeper shiver was evoked this time.

Inuyasha locked his gaze on his father's burial place as well. "I know kind of what you mean…. Look, Sesshoumaru's pretty far ahead of us--we should get moving again."

Nodding slowly, Kagome descended with Inuyasha. She held onto his arm to keep from stumbling until they reached the base of the hillock and met the wide top edge of the bowl the tomb rested in.

"This is the Black Pearl," Sesshoumaru murmured, standing the closest to the rim of the basin.

Kagome only gaped in awe. The Black Pearl was so massive that it blocked much of the remaining sunlight and seemingly left the sky with a dark, otherworldly vortex.

Coming to the edge also, Inuyasha jumped easily into the depression. "So, how exactly do we get into this?" He looked around part of the width. "I don't see the doors."

Sesshoumaru leapt in and landed soundlessly beside his brother. "Quite simple." He snatched Inuyasha's hand and grazed his brother's fingertip with a claw.

Inuyasha let out a short hiss as he jerked his hand away. A rivulet of blood was beginning to blossom along the cut. "Damn it, Sesshoumaru! You mind explaining why you sliced my finger open?"

"Do not whine like a whelp, little brother," said Sesshoumaru with a slight smirk. "Place your finger tip as high up as you can reach and draw a line downwards."

After a muttered curse or two, the hanyou dragged his bleeding finger over the cool, flawless surface of the tomb, leaving a ribbon of blood in its wake. Shaking his hand and then jamming it in his jeans pocket, Inuyasha waited.

The blood trickled down for a second before a line of bluish light cut straight through it. The light sliced along the horizon at the very peak of the vertical incision and again at the very bottom. Inuyasha took a step back as the rounded stone began to tremble. Then, with an aged groan, the hewn sections of the Black Pearl parted outwards.

"Amazing," breathed Kagome, hopping into the depression with the brothers. She squinted, peering into the impenetrable inky depths beyond. "I can't see a thing."

Sesshoumaru stepped forward and touched the thick width of the crypt's door. "Inuyasha, it was our father's wish that you be the only one whose blood would be able to unlock the very tomb itself," he said softly, facing the darkness fore him. "Myouga was quite helpful in telling me the exact methods of unsealing it…. " He started into the shadowy deep.

Inuyasha and Kagome followed after the elegant demon into the chamber. Their footsteps patted in a dull tone on the stone. They whirled around when they heard the Black Pearl's doors shut again.

"Are we sealed in?" squeaked Kagome, now launched into absolute darkness.

"It is just to make sure we have no one following us," responded Sesshoumaru's voice. Light began to fill the cavern as candles and torches along the wall were lit in one even wave. "The fixtures in here are enchanted to light for whoever enters the tomb-or more accurately, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha remained silent, watching his brother's stoic face waver with fire glow. Looking around, he saw that on the other side of the chamber there was a tall mirror with an intricate frame of black metal; not far from it was an open doorway. He walked to the opposite side of the cavern to see what lay beyond the open passage, yet stopped when he saw his reflection pass across the mirror.

His face was illuminated by the firelight and a strange glow that seemed to radiate from within him. Curious, he stepped over to it, and saw that the glow came not from him but from Kagome. When he glanced back, however, there was no such radiance from her, although he remembered seeing a watered down version of the aura about her once before, back at her father's grave.

That's kind of weird… he thought, gazing at Kagome intently. Wonder what kind of mirror this is… Inuyasha turned to the mirror once more as a distorted face of smoke crossed over the glass. It disappeared so quickly that he didn't get a chance to react, but then a much different scene colored the looking glass--one of a place so close but so out of reach, a place, though he'd never visited, knew.

Kagome stepped over to Inuyasha, inquisitive as to why such a myriad of emotions that were flickering over his face as he stared at the mirror. "Inuyasha…" she stopped when she saw the strange collection of skeletal birds and mist circling about a hulking skeleton. "What is that place?"

"That's the demons' graveyard…" he replied, touching a claw onto the image of the skeleton that sat like a huge mountain in the center of the scene. "Father…."

"That's your father? He's huge."

"That is his resting place," Sesshoumaru said, now holding a torch and standing a beat away at the open entryway. "He is at peace… Let us proceed down these stairs to the catacombs. The deed to the Western Lands will be in the last room."

The pair nodded and moved away from the mirror and fell in step behind Sesshoumaru once more-he seemed to know where they were going.

The stairs were also cleaved out of the stone and they curved distantly downward. The walls were craggy and loomed menacingly at the trio as their trek to the next level grew longer and longer. Any light from the Sesshoumaru's torch was absorbed as soon as it touched any part of the black chamber. Cool air and cobwebs continued to surround the group as they finally reached the lower floor.

Sesshoumaru faced the pair. "This is the catacombs."

This chamber of the catacombs had a high ceiling and extended longest to the east and the west from what anyone could tell.

Peering intently ahead, Inuyasha remarked, "I think I see another doorway…or something up there."

"I believe this is where our swords will be needed for they will act as a key does in a keyhole." Sesshoumaru glanced down at Tenseiga hanging at his side. Reciting quietly, as if to his blade, "Two must be present, four in all, and it shall be revealed to the destined…"

The group carefully navigated around some of the dips and water-filled depressions as they crossed to the wall.

On the wall itself there were two slats with a seam in between that stretched from the catacomb's roof to its floor-a door. The oldest thrust his katana into the niche on the eastern side, while the younger placed his in the western one. Another strobe of sapphire light flared.

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru became cloaked by energy; their youkis mingled together and with the blue light-Inutaisho's warding. Then the stoneware doors trembled gradually apart.

As the wall separated, the brothers withdrew their katanas. The three then entered abreast, with plenty of space to either side as the sections continued to slowly grind away from the other. This chamber was much smaller than the others with two tunnels leading out.

"Uh-oh," the girl said, gaze flickering from one passage to the other, "this isn't good. Which one do we take?"

Sesshoumaru handed the torch to Inuyasha. "I shall take the one on the right, while you and Kagome take the left."

While the hanyou adjusted his hold on the torch, Kagome asked, "Don't you need the light, Sesshoumaru?"

"I will be fine. My sight is superior." He strode evenly to his designated passageway. "Inuyasha is taking you with him, so you must be looked after as well."

"Oh…" she murmured as Sesshoumaru disappeared into the darkness. "Kind of a complex guy."

"You have no idea…" sarcastically mumbled Inuyasha. "Anyway, let's go down the one on the left."

"Ok."

"Stick close to me," he reminded her as they advanced to the Black Pearl's corridor. "I don't want to lose you and have to look for your sorry butt."

Kagome clicked her tongue as she rolled her eyes. "Boy, Inuyasha, you absolutely have a way with words."

"Keh."

The tunnel was a bit narrow and jagged, but they walked slowly in their bubble of light. It was a bit like how their lives were right now-amidst the darkness of not knowing what would happen next, Inuyasha and Kagome retained some knowledge, some comfort. As long as they had their circle of allies, the shadows of doubt could not touch them, yet where there is light, there is shadow. Shadows of uncertainty and worry followed after them-in spite of that, with each step Kagome and Inuyasha took together, a light of hope and courage pierced the dark wonderland.

As they rounded a bend, Kagome tripped on rock and toppled forward. Inuyasha's arm flew around her waist and yanked her against him again as they stumbled into another wall. The torch smacked into the hewn stone as well but remarkably remained lit.

"Oof… That really smarted…" Kagome carefully pulled away from her fiancé and stared down at her ankle. Flexing it a little, her nerves gave a twinge of pain. "I think I bruised it or something…"

"Klutz…" he muttered. As Inuyasha helped her to stand on her own two feet, she went rigid and fell back into his arms, trancelike. "What's wrong, Kagome?"

"I can sense it again," she whispered, staring straight forward as if seeing something that he couldn't.

"What? What do you sense?"

"That…that thing from before." Kagome kept silent for a moment, as if scanning the area, before saying quietly," There." She pointed at the wall behind the half-demon. "All that power is emanating from there." Moving from the cradle of Inuyasha's arms, Kagome winced as she put weight on her injured ankle. "It's like two different energies are mixed together, so it's hard to discriminate."

Inuyasha shifted his grip on the torch. As he turned, the beam played across the wall in a wave, hitting the depths and valleys of the stone in a familiar, craggy relief. "Hmm…Then how do we get inside?"

"Maybe there's a hidden door or something."

"Hey, what's that?" Holding his free hand back to Kagome for support, Inuyasha stepped closer to the wall.

There was an emblem of some kind sculpted into the stone; it seemed to have been placed there with exceptional care, judging from the way it was flawlessly cut.

Kagome took hold of her fiancé's hand, gripping tightly onto his palm. "Maybe it's a way inside," she suggested, toddling up beside him.

"Never know. Now…how to work it…?" His mouth slid into a pensive frown as he felt around the crest for a seam or hitch or something that might open the wall. Other than the natural coarseness, there was no definite crack. "Damn!"

The girl felt over the barrier as well. Her fingers glided across the strange crest. She could faintly see, and feel, the decorative engraving of a dog demon pack running around the circular insignia. She traced the design a bit more until her fingertips reached the center and she faintly could see an impression. "It looks like a handprint," she mused aloud. "Hey, Inuyasha."

"Huh?" He cocked his head towards her.

Kagome traced one of the relief fingers. "Why don't you try putting your hand in here? You were the key that originally unlocked your father's tomb, so maybe you can unlock this door."

"It's worth a shot." Inuyasha slipped his hand away from the girl and faltered it to the emblem where he pressed his hand into the stone mold. It fit his right hand perfectly.

Another burst of cerulean radiance emitted from the blockade. It began to quaver violently, showering black powder on the pair from the ceiling as the gap opened enough for Inuyasha and Kagome to walk through. As they entered the new chamber, baubles of fire appeared along the walls, granting the hollow fresh light. Their feet made the dust that lay dormant on the limitless-black floor rise like an aged breath of fog.

At the far wall were twin dog statues situated on pedestals. Their features were smooth, yet somehow very realistic in detail as they sat nobly in their opal poise. Even from this large distance, the two massive canines' eyes sparkled with iridescent colors.

"Those statues look so real…it looks like they're gonna come to life any minute." Kagome grasped hold of Inuyasha's arm, still peering at the sculptures warily. "They look like the Grim from English mythology. We just covered that in class last week"

"The Grim, huh?" Inuyasha smirked. "Associated with death, right?"

She nodded, backing away slightly from the looming, high-ceilinged room, even though the couple hadn't pressed much further in than the great entryway. "Yeah. Sort of like the Grim Reaper's pet. It's said that the Grim shuttles the dead to the afterlife. It is supposed to be one of the scariest myths of England."

"So why are you all freaked out for?" asked Inuyasha, glancing at her. "Even if this English myth is true, these are just statues, in case you haven't noticed."

"They just seem really odd to me." Kagome glimpsed back to entryway as Sesshoumaru strode in.

Inuyasha followed her gaze and snorted at his brother's entrance. "Took you long enough, jack ass."

Ignoring him, Sesshoumaru inquired, "How exactly do they seem amiss?"

Kagome moved her gaze from the elegant demon to the pair of immortalized Grim. "They give off some kind of energy…like they're alive or something. It's really creeping me out."

"Hey, Sesshoumaru," asked the hanyou as his brother stood askance to him, "why are there English dogs of Hell in Dad's tomb?"

"Our father was powerful, Inuyasha, and had seen many centuries-those ones in which he gained the most respect was when the samurai was still a driving force in our society, if only for about a hundred or two hundred years. Though it was a 'civil' time in which he perished, Father retained his respect and control over many dog demons-not just of the western domain, but of this world and the ether." Sesshoumaru lethargically set his pale gaze on his brother. "That is what Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga represent-part of Father's legacy for us to inherit."

"Legacy, huh?" Inuyasha crossed his right hand to the battered hilt of his blade. Drawing his sword, he whispered to himself, "An inheritance that might lead to our own legacy, Tetsusaiga…" Adding as an afterthought as it transformed, Whatever that may be…

Sesshoumaru said in a low voice, "There is glyph on the opposite side. With any luck, the deed might be right behind it."

"Kind of nice that the catacombs are actually pretty linear." Kagome pushed a hand through her filthy hair, making a face as she felt dirt roll between her fingers. "I guess your father felt like he had enough protection with the first three doors."

"Well, if the deed's over there," Inuyasha returned the torch to his brother, "let's hurry up and get it." He took a few steps forward before ceasing.

The eyes of the two canines of death had flickered with light before glowing to an amber color.

"What the…?"

A rippling affect passed over the coat of the stone dogs, the sheen from the smooth surface died as it transfigured into a bristled texture. Low growls rumbled in ominous echoes as their chops rose to reveal alabaster fangs. Dropping their forepaws forcefully to the ground, the dogs continued to snarl as they skulked forward, gradually leaving their pedestals.

"We are the guardians of the tomb of the honorable Lord Inutaisho," they said in unison. "We have sworn our eternal loyalty to him and to any of his pack. Only those of his lineage may pass before us."

"I am his son!" shouted Inuyasha, holding Tetsusaiga before him. "Let me go through!"

The dog on the left lifted his great snout and sniffed the air. A doglike smile crossed his muzzle. "I can smell his blood in you as well as that of a human. You must be the younger, Inuyasha."

The dog on the right likewise lifted his nose and snuffled. "And the one in back is the eldest, Sesshoumaru."

"Indeed," he replied coolly.

"You, Lord Sesshoumaru, have nothing to prove to us. You wield Tenseiga, the blade of the heavens." The Grim stretched its forelegs and bowed its head between them. "Your father said you had already proven your competency, and as the eldest, is exempt from this trial." He straightened up, glowing eyes fixing on Inuyasha. "But you still must undergo and prove your worth-prove to us that you truly are worthy to be called a son of Inutaisho, wielder of Tetsusaiga, the sentinel blade of this world."

"What exactly are you going to make him do?" Kagome questioned quietly.

The dog on the left looked to her. "He will have to defeat us with no assistance."

Kagome gasped. He has to fight them alone…! "But…"

"Don't worry about it," Inuyasha replied breezily. "I can do it. I am from Inutaisho's family line. Just stay out of the way, Kagome."

"You needn't worry about the girl, for we will attack neither her nor Lord Sesshoumaru-only you, Inuyasha."

"Fine." He gripped the hilt tightly. "I'm ready."

The Grim dogs exchanged glances. "We will now test your strength." And with a howl, the pair of dogs came at the hanyou.

Inuyasha leapt out of the way as they both sprang at him. He landed beside the left pedestal. "Now it's my turn…" With a cry, he ran at one of the dogs with his sword raised.

As he swung the Tetsusaiga, the second Grim bounded at him. Inuyasha rolled to the side, but was still clipped by one of the large paws and was sent sprawling into the walls.

"Inuyasha!" shouted Kagome, horrified as the boy fell heavily to the floor. "Isn't there anything we can do?" She whirled on Sesshoumaru.

The demon man said nothing for a moment as his brother pushed himself up slowly. "This is his fight. He must make our father proud."

Eyebrows knitted in concern, Kagome thought, Please win Inuyasha…

With a grunt and a groan, Inuyasha got to his feet, only to have to dodge another series of bites and pounces from the colossal canines. Luckily for him, being a hanyou made him extremely agile and quick, but the Grims could hit hard when they made contact; when they missed him again and landed while he was still on the ground, the vibrations made him unbalanced for a moment, and subsequently exposed to attack.

As he stood there stunned, one Grim jumped at him. Inuyasha regained his bearings quick enough to reverse out of the way. The massive dog flew by him, tail sweeping out to smack him. Seeing the thick appendage coming at him, instead of ducking, the hanyou grasped hold of it and used to ride up to the dog's backside.

"This is a bit more even."

"Catching a ride like a flea?" the Grim growled mockingly.

"Keh-you're not gonna be able to squash me like you would that little parasite."

Inuyasha crouched down as his ride rounded to snap at him while the second made to knock him off. Raising Tetsusaiga above his head, he leapt up after the second Grim and thrust his blade into the soft underbelly of the beast and ripped it through the soft flesh. Blood poured in warm falls from its stomach, and Inuyasha dropped onto the first dog's head.

As the injured Grim thudded to the floor with a short spray of crimson, Inuyasha shoved his katana at the junction of this canine of death's shoulder. Twisting the fang-blade slightly, he dragged it along the dog's spine. The Grim gave a loud bark and howling moan of pain, letting out a harsh exhale.

"Let's finish this!" Inuyasha soared into the air, and dived back towards the remaining canine where he thrust Tetsusaiga between its ribs and hacked at the flexible bones, hearing them crack as he pulled the blade through the Grim's side.

Landing once and quickly kicking off again, the hanyou shot back to where Kagome and Sesshoumaru waited; the second Grim fell not far from the first. The two guardians lay panting, licking their wounds; their amber orbs flickered as they stared at Inuyasha as a soft radiance enveloped them.

Kagome rushed towards Inuyasha and threw her arms around him, not caring that he was splattered with blood. "Inuyasha! Are you ok?" She hugged him tight. "I was so scared that you were gonna get killed…"

Inuyasha wrapped his left arm around, while the other continued to uphold Tetsusaiga. "It's all right… I told you I'd be fine-have some faith in me, woman."

She nodded against his chest, giving him a squeeze. "I was just worried…."

"Don't worry, it's all over now," he told her with a slight chuckle in his voice as he twined his claws in the bottom of her hair. "All we have to do now is get the deed."

"You have done well, Lord Inuyasha…" Aforementioned hanyou and his fiancée turned to the fully healed Grim guardians. "You have defeated us fairly, and so we can verify the worthiness of your claim as Inutaisho's son." The pair of canines bowed deeply to Inuyasha as they had to Sesshoumaru. "What you seek is very close."

Straightening their long furred bodies, both Grims returned to their respective pedestals and resumed their seated guardianship, although facing each other now. The glossiness of carved stone returned, and the bright eyes faded back to black.

Pulling away from Inuyasha, Kagome peered over at the statues. "What a relief…they're all stone again." Tipping her head to the side, she made a thoughtful noise in the back of her throat. "I still sense another presence here."

Inuyasha faced the stationary Grims. "Yeah, I know what you mean." He moved his hand to re-sheath Tetsusaiga, but decided against it.

"It's coming from that light over there," Kagome said, gesturing to the space between the statues.

Looking from the stated location to her, Inuyasha scrunched his nose in annoyance. "I don't see any light."

"She may only see it," reasoned Sesshoumaru, who had been simply watching the occurrence with scarcely shown interest, "because of her spiritual powers."

"Oh, yeah. That's right…wonder what she sees."

The girl began walking towards the spot, feeling as if something with otherworldly hands was tugging her forward. She could hear the brothers following after her, so Kagome complied with the sensations' commands and paced all the way to the square of wall protected by the Grims. She stood before the glyph, waiting for the other two.

Touch it… something inside her begged. Touch it.

Inuyasha stared befuddled as Kagome reached a hand to touch the crest. So far, all the emblems had opened only for him. Why would that change?

But as he drew closer, he felt a prickle on the nape of his neck as his hairs stood on end. Stopping about three feet behind his fiancée, he tentatively put a hand forward, only to be rewarded by a sharp stab in his hand as barrier crackled over it. "Shit…" He shook his singed appendage as flickering flame of green dissipated from around it. "I guess you're gonna have to get it, Kagome. We can't get past."

The girl turned and bobbed her head. "Ok." Raising her palm to the glyph, swirls of white and green energy mixed about Kagome like a blanket of mist. After a moment, a small panel of the rock in front of her slid up. Within was a diminutive cubby where a plain wooden box sat on the single shelf.

Kagome walked in, yet as soon as she did, the panel shut after her. She let out a shriek as she was left in total darkness. The wall was so thick; she could barely make out Inuyasha hollering on the other side. "Oh, gods…" she murmured to herself, not able to gather any light from this tiny space. Taking in a deep breath, Kagome calmed herself down. "This room has the deed in it…maybe if I get the deed it'll let me out.

"If I follow that energy, it'll take me to where that box was-that's where all of the energy was originating from anyway."

Using her spiritual powers as her eyes, Kagome took a few baby-steps frontward with her hands stretched before her. Her waist bumped into something solid, and she lowered her hands to feel the lid of a wooden box. "All right!" she cheered to herself, laughing halfheartedly. "Now to get out of this creepy place."

Feeling around the lid, Kagome carefully slipped it off and heard it gently clink against the stone. She snatched at a tightly bound scroll and clutched it firmly to her chest.

Then something white blazed out of the box, illuminating the entire alcove. It lingered close before her cobalt eyes, making her squint them and look away from the brilliance.

Kagome… the light said, speaking directly into her mind.

Y-yeah?

Kagome…don't be frightened, dear… the voice soothed in a decidedly female tone. I have something for you.

Something purplish dazzled from the middle of the spirit, and floated over to Kagome with ethereal hands on a necklace that was placed around her neck. A round orb of glowing fuchsia rested against her collarbone, shimmering with its own internal luminosity.

Kagome placed her free hand to the bauble. This was that energy…this is where it was coming from.

Protect it well for only you will be able to keep this most treacherous, enigmatic jewel from being tainted by lustful darkness… You are the guardian of the Shikon no Tama…. Keep it out of reach of those in the shadows who would abuse it…. Keep your faith, Kagome, and…good luck…

Huh? "W-wait!" she cried as the apparition of light flashed unbearably bright. And then, everything went plunging into darkness. Rivers of energy and power swam through her body, overloading her senses as some form of anticipated climax that she didn't realize she was waiting for was reached. The Shikon no Tama…? was the last thing Kagome thought before her eyes closed and mind blanked out completely.

The panel re-opened and Kagome limply toppled back. Inuyasha rushed forward to catch her, the barrier gone. "Kagome?" He shook her gently, the scroll falling from her grasp going unnoticed. "Kagome!" His gaze went to the glowing jewel hanging around her neck. What happened to you, Kagome…?

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A/N: Hey, I think it was worth the wait, don't you? I'm still my toughest critic on this, but I hope everyone enjoyed this as much as I had getting all amp-ed up about it. I've opened a Yahoo! Group for people to join so you can discuss the stories, why I've done the things I've done in a story, about Inuyasha in general-just a really laid-back site. Here's the link, and if it doesn't show up, don't worry because I will post it towards the top of my profile.

http://groups. yahoo. com/ group/ moonlight_shadow-fanstuff

Remember to take the spaces out when putting it in the URL bar. Well, I'm not sure when my next chapter will be out, but hopefully soon.

~Moonlight Shadow

P.S. Mom not feeling good again, so beta-ed this myself….please be gentle.