A/N:  This chapter is also long and windy, but the plot thickens even more.  Bear with me until the end of this chapter, and you'll be begging for the next chapter...ok maybe not, but hey, it's possible.    I had a little trouble with writer's block, but I think I got over it.  Enjoy!

Jewel of circumstance chapter 3 – Down the Well

            As the assumed leader of the group, Yusuke knew he had two choices.  One, his usual first choice, was to take the aggressive approach and demand that this girl tell them who she was, how she had gotten in the shed without them seeing, and why she smelled like a demon.  Not to mention why they could sense some powerful energy around her, and why she was staring at them like she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing.  She was just a little thing; she couldn’t take on all five of them by herself; she’d have to give in eventually.  It wasn’t like they were going to beat it out of her; but she didn’t have to know that, did she?

            But he didn’t think that would be the best method in this situation. 

            The second option was to make up some other story, ask her a few questions, and see what she said.  This was very awkward, something Yusuke did not like in the least.  He had no idea what to say to her, and obviously she didn’t know what to say to them, either.  She just stood there, staring at them with an odd expression on her face.  As if she knew something wasn’t quite right about them.  He had that feeling that she had a kind of sixth sense; perhaps she did, perhaps she didn’t.  Either way, he didn’t think that starting a fight would prove useful.  Normally he would be disagreeing with himself at that, but he’d matured.  A lot.  And if he wanted to keep his detective job, he had to do things right.

            Meanwhile, Kagome continued staring at the strange group of older teenagers standing near the tree.  Indeed, she was wondering who they were, why they were there, and why they were staring at her with such odd expressions on their faces.  Like they knew, somehow, where she’d been.  She figured that she was just being paranoid.  There was no way anyone else could know where she’d been.  And it wasn’t like anyone would believe her if she told them, anyway.  They would think she was crazy! 

            So why were they there?  Not many people came to the shrine anymore.  Grandfather’s tours had decreased considerably in number, as did sales for his little souvenir shop.  Unless someone had specific interest in one of the Higurashi family members, they had few visitors.

            But she probably looked silly standing there in the doorway of the shed.  And suddenly, with that thought, a horrible idea came to her.  Perhaps they were staring at her that way because they’d been in the shed.  Which was highly unlikely because Grandfather would go ballistic if they’d gone in there.  But what if he hadn’t known?  Teenagers were infamous for doing things they weren’t supposed to.  Not that she would know anything about that…

            She didn’t know why she thought they had been in the shed.  Still, in the back of her tired and confused mind, it was the only explanation she could think of as to why they were looking at her like that.  Silly, perhaps, but it was a possibility.  Perhaps she was just being irrational.

            Mentally shaking the thoughts out of her head, she rolled her bike over to them and smiled as cheerfully as she could.  “Um, hi there.  Are you looking for someone?”

            “Not necessarily,” Kurama replied, not surprised when she stared at him in surprise.  He was used to that reaction from people.  But he wasn’t about to cut his hair to make himself look more ‘manly’.  “We’re students researching the history of ancient shrines for a school project.  The old man gave us a tour already.  We were just about to leave.”

            “That’s right,” Yusuke said, wondering if he was following Kurama’s line of thought; just get out of there and then decide what to do.  “You’re, uh…Kagome?”  Hadn’t the old man mentioned someone by that name?

            She nodded.  “Yes, I’m Kagome.  So, Grandfather gave you the tour?  I bet that made his day.”

            Botan chuckled.  “It sure did.  The moment we mentioned ‘tour’, he lit up like the sun.”  She extended her hand to Kagome in greeting.  “I’m Botan.  This is Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei.  Nice to meet you, Kagome.”

            “Nice to meet you all, too,” Kagome replied.  They seemed pretty nice, all except for the short one dressed all in black.  He was staring at her with what she could only describe as hostility…kind of like the look Inu-yasha had when he would rather beat the information out of someone instead of asking him or her politely.  Not that Inu-yasha knew what politeness meant, but still…it was the way this boy was looking at her.  She found his gaze very uncomfortable, but stared back nonetheless.  She was used to Inu-yasha’s rude, obnoxious behavior; she could put up with hostile looks easily.  He didn’t look away, either.

            The other four noticed this exchange and had to give the girl some credit; not many people could stand Hiei staring at them for long.  Of course, they had no problem with it; they knew him, at least about as well as anyone could know Hiei.  But this girl had no fear; no qualms about giving him a cold, hostile look back.  All of them had to suppress laughing at how funny Hiei looked being stared down by a girl.

            Finally Kurama broke the silent exchange and said to Kagome, “Can you tell us what is in that old shack over there?  Your grandfather told us not to go in there.”

            Kagome froze, not sure how to reply.  “Um…well, just, uh, junk.  That’s all!  And an old well, it’s pretty dangerous.  He probably didn’t want anyone to accidentally fall in.”

            Kurama nodded.  “Do you know anything else about this shrine?  Any particularly interesting bits of information your grandfather might have missed?  He had to cut the tour short, said he had some things to get finished.”

            Kagome had bent down to pet the cat at this point, and inwardly thought, ‘Oh if you only knew the half of it…’    “Um, well…I really didn’t pay attention to Grandpa’s history lessons, if you could call them that.  I’ve never really been good in history class, either…silly of me, isn’t it?  One day I’ll be the owner of this shrine.  I suppose maybe I should learn more about it.”

            “Wow, the owner?” Kurama asked.  “That’s an honorable position.  And odd, for a young girl like yourself to want to have such a big responsibility placed on her shoulders.”

            She shrugged, seemingly nonplussed by that assessment.  “Eh, well, school isn’t so easy, either, you know?  And besides, I love this shrine.  I’m starting to be very interested in its history and the history of my family; after all, if you don’t know where you came from, how can you know where you’re going?” 

            Kagome felt very proud of herself for remembering that statement.  Kaede had told her that when she’d been complaining about Grandpa and his infatuation with ‘history’.  The old woman’s words had been very poignant…

            “Kagome, your Grandfather knows that it is important to know his past.  A man who refuses to acknowledge his past will never know where he is going in life.  Take Inu-Yasha, for instance.  He would rather forget his past, but he does not know his future, either.  His future is as clear as the early morning mist, and he struggles through it like a blind man.  You must know your past, and accept it, to truly have a future.”

            “You know, that’s a good point,” Yusuke said thoughtfully.  “I’ll have to remember that…”

            The others nodded, silent.  Kagome didn’t miss the looks on their faces, and was somewhat astonished.  Apparently they all had a past.  It wasn’t hard to see that each of them had taken that statement in their own way.  If only she could get Inu-yasha to think about his past and accept it.  Maybe then he wouldn’t be so…disagreeable, for current lack of a better term.

            “Can you tell us one other thing?” Kurama asked.  “Your Grandfather mentioned something called the ‘Shikon jewel’, but couldn’t tell us where it is now.  I must say I’m interested in its history.”

            Kagome thought she might have felt her heart stop at that question.  Normal, Kagome…act normal.  “I have heard of it,” she said, trying not to let her voice start shaking.  “But not a lot.  I wouldn’t know where it is, either.”

            Kurama smiled.  “No matter, it was just a thought.  Well, we’ve got to be going.”

            “Me, too.  Nice meeting you all!”

            She took off for the house; much like her grandfather had done a short while ago.  They watched her go, then followed Yusuke and Kurama out of the yard, where Botan closed the gate behind them.  She then turned to the rest of them and asked, “Well, what’s the game plan?  Any ideas?”

            “We wait, like we were going to do.  Botan, can you talk to Koenma from here?”

            “Um…no, I didn’t bring anything with me to communicate with him back in the spirit world,” she said sheepishly.  “Sorry!”

            “It’s no big deal,” Yusuke replied.  “Listen, here’s what we’re going to do.  I think Kurama had this idea from the start…we’re going to watch her.  See what she does.  There’s something going on with her.  Hiei, Kurama, I know you sensed it, too…that scent.  She’s not a demon, that’s obvious, but something is definitely not right.  There’s also that strange energy that Koenma was talking about, and she had it with her.  It could be the Shikon Jewel.”

            “Wait a minute,” Kuwabara interrupted.  “What scent?  I’m lost here…I didn’t see anything weird about her.”

            Yusuke sighed.  “You didn’t sense any strange energy, Kuwabara?”

            “Well…” he thought for a moment.  “I guess maybe just a little…”

            “I believe it is the Shikon Jewel,” Hiei said.  “Kurama, do you not agree with me?”

            Kurama merely nodded, saying nothing.

            Yusuke stared at them suspiciously.  “There’s something going on with you all, isn’t there?”

            “What do you mean, Yusuke?” Kurama asked, giving him a pointed look.  “What are you indicating?”

            “I’m indicating that there’s a conspiracy going on with you all.  Except maybe Kuwabara, he never knows what’s going on, anyway.”

            “Hey, I resent that, Urameshi!” Kuwabara exclaimed.  “I know what’s going on…I think.”

            Botan giggled.  “Yusuke, relax.  We’re not conspiring against you.  You’re just paranoid because this is your first case in a very long time.”

            “I am not paranoid!” he shouted, then realized he was shouting.  He tried to calm himself down.  “Ok, look…I just have this feeling that there’s this big secret, or you all have this plan going on behind my back.  At least Hiei told me about the Shikon jewel when no one else was going to.  How twisted is that?”

            Botan and Kurama exchanged a look that plainly said, ‘How do we get him to shut up?’  “Yusuke, don’t worry,” Botan said.  “Why don’t we just report back to Koenma for now, and come back later?”

            “She might be gone later!” Yusuke replied.  “If that girl does have the Shikon jewel, we need to find out why, and all that stuff.  We also need to find out the big secret about the shed where the well is.  She must have come out of the well…we have to figure all of this out.”

            “All Koenma asked you to do was see about this strange energy,” Botan said, half-hopeful.

            “But we haven’t discovered what it is yet,” he replied.  “We have to find out.”

            Botan sighed.  “Very well.  We’ll wait to see what she does, although I really do not want to sit here all night.  All of us look suspicious, you know.  We have to get out of sight.”

            “Right.  Botan, you and Kurama go over there by that tree.  Night will be here soon, so it will be pretty dark over there shortly, and they won’t see you.  Hiei, you can go with them, and watch from the top of the tree.  Kuwabara, you wait on the other side of the gate, and I’ll stay down right here.  Sound good?”

            Everyone nodded and went to their respective stakeouts.  Yusuke leaned up against the wall, and closed his eyes, wishing he didn’t feel so uneasy.  What was wrong with him?  He trusted his friends, didn’t he?  He trusted them.  He would like to believe that they trusted him…

            But he wasn’t so sure they did, and it bothered him more than he’d like to admit.  He was sure that there was something going on with them, something they weren’t telling him.  And he didn’t like secrets.

            ***

            “Hello, Kagome, dear,” Kagome’s mother greeted her as she walked in the door.  “Back so soon?”

            “Yeah, I need more supplies.  And do we have any more potato chips?  Inu-Yasha loves those.  I also wanted to get some candy bars for Shippou, and a Coke for Miroku.  Oh, and do you have any – “

            “Slow down, Kagome!  Doesn’t your mother get a hug?”

            Kagome grinned and hugged her tightly.  “I love you, Mama.  You’re so good to me.”

            “I try,” she replied.  “It’s hard when my daughter is out roaming Feudal Japan, getting into dangerous battles and I can’t be there.  But I also could never tell you that you cannot go.”

            Kagome pulled away and gave her mother a solemn look.  “Mama, don’t worry about me.  I will be fine.”

            “I know you will, sweetheart.  I’m still your mother, though…and as your mother I suggest that you take a bath.”  She wrinkled her nose and winked at Kagome, who first looked offended and then laughed when she realized her mother was joking. 

            “I probably do smell,” she said.  “Where’s Grandpa?”

            “He’s in the living room.  He said he wanted to talk to you.”

            “Okay.  Thanks, Mama.”

            Kagome found her grandfather in the living room pacing back and forth, glancing out of the windows.  She watched him for a few moments before she cleared her throat to get his attention.  He stopped and looked up, and Kagome saw a mix of surprise and fear on his face.

            “Kagome!  Did you see those people outside?  Are they still there?”

            “No, Grandpa, they left.”

            “Did you talk to them?” 

            Kagome had the impression that he was waiting for them to waltz in and take them all hostage.  She sighed and nodded.  “Yes, I talked to them.  What’s the big deal?  They seemed pretty nice.”

            “They asked questions about the Shikon jewel!” he exclaimed.  “They wanted to know where it was!  Kagome, you didn’t tell them anything, did you?”

            “Why would I tell them anything?  They asked me about it, too.  Let me guess, you told them about it.”

            He coughed.  “Well…it does figure in with the history of the shrine…”

            “Of course they’re going to be curious about it, then.  Why wouldn’t they?  Unless they’re tired of hearing about the ‘history’ of this and the ‘history’ of that.”  She gave him a pointed look.

            He huffed, looking indignant.  “You children are all so wrapped up in your video games and movies and rushing back and forth here and there, that you never have time to even listen…”

            Kagome sighed again, and left the room, knowing that he was going to launch into one of his speeches again.  “Don’t worry about things, Grandpa,” she called over her shoulder as she went upstairs to take a bath.  She felt so tired and grungy…a short nap would be nice afterwards.  She’d have to go back soon, but she wanted just a little bit of sleep in her nice, soft bed instead of the ground…just an hour, at the most…

            ***

            Hiei was anxious.  Of course, no one would be able to tell just by looking at him, but no one was looking, and he was grateful.  He was perched on a fairly high branch of the tree Yusuke had told him to wait in, and was watching the Higurashi house with a rare amount of interest.  He was mostly interested in that girl…she was different.  There was something about her that made him uneasy.

            Perhaps it was the way she had not backed away from his stare.  Her look was more than indifferent, it was defiant.  Not many humans could stare him straight in the eye and not eventually look away.  Also, he could sense a power within her unlike anything he’d sensed before.  It was a little like the power that Sensui had possessed…but different.  Much different.  Sensui had been mad, a holy warrior gone corrupt.  This girl’s power was much like that holy power, but it was not as strong.  It also reminded him of the tree in the Higurashi shrine; a peaceful, serene energy that silently demanded respect.

            There was also the other energy; most likely the one Koenma had sent them to investigate.  She had possessed it, but it was not her own.  She was not using it.  Hiei knew that it was the Shikon jewel; at least, he was almost sure of it, and he was sure that Kurama felt the same way.  That minor assurance did little to ease his nerves. 

            As it was turning out, he knew that there would be more to this case.  He had known from the beginning.  Anywhere Yusuke went, trouble was sure to follow.  Or, in some cases, Yusuke was sure to follow the trouble.  Hiei had to admit that he, himself, would rather avoid trouble.  Most probably wouldn’t believe him.  Ever since the ordeal with the sword, the one that got him into trouble with the Spirit World, he would rather stay out of the spotlight, so to speak.  Of course, it didn’t always work out that way.  Koenma seemed to like recruiting him for everything that Yusuke did, probably as further punishment.

            Did that mean that he still held a grudge towards Yusuke?  No, it truly didn’t.  He had long since stopped despising Yusuke, even before discovering that the aggressive young man had a lot more in common with him than he first thought.  Hiei was still not sure he could consider him a ‘friend’, but that wasn’t necessarily a biased thing.  He could hardly consider anyone a friend, not even Kurama who seemed determined to act friendly towards him.  If had to choose one for a ‘friend’, it would be Kurama.  But he wasn’t about to admit this.  Pride goeth before a fall…where had he heard that?  He didn’t know, but it seemed to stick with him lately. 

            He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.  It wouldn’t do to be stuck brooding over things and miss – wait…there, that girl had just gone out of her house, carrying that same large bag.  He briefly thought of alerting the others, but dismissed that thought, as it would likely also alert that girl to their presence.  He waited, watching her.

            She got her bicycle and rolled it back towards the shed.  She stopped, opened the door, and rolled her bicycle in, shutting the door behind her.  Hiei’s eyes narrowed; going back into the shed with the well?  What was she doing in there? 

            When he became sure that she wasn’t going to come back out, he dropped down to where Kurama and Botan were.  They stared at him curiously.

            “She went back into the shed.” 

            Kurama frowned.  “Really, now?”  Hiei nodded.

            “Why would she do that?” Botan wondered aloud.

            Kurama shrugged.  “Let’s find out.”

            ***

            “She does a very good disappearing act,” Yusuke said, after opening the shed door, and all of them peered inside to the very empty shed.  Only the well greeted them.  They could still sense the strange energy, but at this point they were too confused to really pay much attention. 

            “I don’t get it,” Kuwabara said, scratching his head.  “Where did she go?”

            Kurama stared at the well.  “I think she went down there.”

            “But there’s nothing in it!” Botan exclaimed, peering in. 

            Yusuke rubbed his chin, thinking.  “You know, it does sound crazy, but I think I’m willing to try anything.  We need to follow her, and if she went down the well, then we’re going, too.”

            “Shouldn’t we tell Koenma, first?” Botan wondered, looking nervous.

            “Why?  What difference would it make?” Yusuke asked.  “I think Koenma would probably tell us to investigate it; after all, she had the ‘strange energy’ he wanted to know about, so we should further our investigation as much as possible, right?”

            “I still don’t think-“

            “Look, Botan, it’ll be ok!  When did you become such a wuss?”

            She glared at him.  “I resent that!”

            However, Yusuke was grinning.  “So you’ll go then?”

            She shoved him out of the way.  “Fine.  I’ll go first!”  She stared into the dark well, and for a moment looked like she might back out.  But she took a deep breath, climbed over the small wall, jumped down…

            And disappeared.

            “Wha…holy shit!” Yusuke cried.  “She…she’s gone!”

            “Botan!” Kuwabara yelled.  “Hey, Botan, are you down there?”

            There was no answer.

            Kurama and Hiei exchanged brief glances, after which Hiei said to Yusuke, “Perhaps you should go next?”

            Yusuke swallowed hard.  “I guess so…” he said quietly.  “Kuwabara?”

            “No way, Urameshi.  I’ll go after you.”

            He sighed.  “Fine.”  He crouched on the wall of the well, closed his eyes, and jumped. 

            ***

            Kurama waited for Hiei to jump in, and finally he was there, alone, the last one to take the leap into the well.  He placed his hand on the wooden wall and peered into the darkness.  Nothing.  Had Koenma mentioned this?  He wasn’t sure he could remember…Koenma had told him a lot.  He’d also given him the shard, which he held in his hand now.

            Looking at it, he was surprised how well Koenma had been able to mask its power…but then again, this was a shard that had been in the hands of a spiritual ruler for centuries.  Its power had neither increased nor diminished, but it was not corrupted.  It was a shard that had almost been purified.  Exactly why Kurama believed that if the Shikon jewel were found and put in the hands of the Spirit World, it would be purified.  But Koenma had disagreed. 

            He was sure that Koenma hadn’t told him everything; just the general plan, which he was still quite unsure of.

            Destroy the Jewel of Four Souls. 

            Sighing, he swung his legs over the side and dropped in.

            ***

            Koenma watched as the last of his group disappeared into the well.  He’d been watching them the entire time, from the moment Yusuke walked out of his house that morning until then.  As soon as they were gone, he made his appearance, also peering into the darkness just as Kurama had done.  He’d given Kurama the shard for that purpose:  to send them into the well.

            He felt anxiety like he’d never felt.  If his plan didn’t work, at least to some extent, he didn’t know what he would do.  He hated doubting himself, just as he hated sending Botan with them.  He had not told her anything except to go with them wherever they went, no matter what.  She had agreed, perhaps reluctantly, which was understandable. 

            He rubbed his temple wearily before giving the well a scornful look.  He then reached into the folds of his robe and produced a small piece of paper:  a protective ward, much more powerful than the ones Kagome’s grandfather had put over the well.  Koenma briefly wondered just how the well had gone undetected so long. 

            He did not want to do this, but he had to help ensure that his task would be completed.  Heaving a troubled sigh, he covered the well and placed the protective ward over it, sealing it.  No one or nothing could move that seal.  There was no way in or out.

            ***

            Stay tuned for Chapter 4!  Please review ^_^