A/N: Chapter 4!! More curse words this time, and more cheesy dialogue. I LOVE CHEEZ! It is almost 5 am, people, as I write this author's note for yet another chapter of this story. Here's hoping it turned out halfway decent.
“You bastard!
What do you mean we can’t go back?!”
Botan and Kuwabara cried out in alarm as a very furious Yusuke grabbed a fistful of Kurama’s shirt and pulled the redhead a mere inches from his snarling face. Both Botan and Kuwabara were afraid that things would get ugly; the look on Yusuke’s face spoke volumes that he was ready to kill just about anything, and Kurama was not the type to be passive in any sort of battle, friend or not.
But Kurama replied as calmly as ever, “I mean exactly what I said. We cannot return through the well.”
“Why? What makes you think I want to stay here after being tricked into this?” Yusuke demanded to know, his voice dangerous.
Kurama’s eyes did not waver; his gaze remained fixed on Yusuke’s. “This is part of Koenma’s plan. He did not want you to know until you were here.”
“What?! That stupid, stupid idiot!”
Botan gasped. “Don’t call Koenma stupid!” she yelled.
“Shut up, Botan!” Yusuke growled. “I’m not talking to you right now!” She stared at him, shocked, and was silent.
Yusuke turned back to Kurama, who was still staring at him with an unreadable expression. “Ok, Kurama…what exactly was Koenma’s ‘plan’, and why didn’t he trust me enough to tell me the truth, instead of a phony plan that really wasn’t what he wanted me to do at all?”
“Koenma’s plan was to get us here, which he didn’t exactly say what this place is, but it has to do with the Shikon jewel. He wants us to destroy it.”
“So he didn’t want us to simply find it, he wanted us to destroy it?”
Kurama nodded. “This girl, Kagome, obviously is connected with this place. Somehow, the Shikon jewel connects our world with this world.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the glowing shard of the jewel. “This is a shard of the jewel.”
Yusuke finally let go of Kurama’s shirt, and stared at the shard with fascination. “A shard of the jewel? How did you get it?”
“Koenma gave it to me in order for us to get here. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that having the jewel was the only way to get through the well.”
The others rushed forward to view the glowing object in Kurama’s hand. “Wow, it’s so pretty,” Botan mused. “But Kurama…doesn’t this mean…?”
He nodded, understanding her unfinished question. “It means that the actual jewel is not complete. Koenma told me that the jewel had been broken into several pieces and scattered throughout the land. This is the shard that he found back then. It is completely purified; no traces of evil, which is why its presence was so easy to cover with a masking spell. It may be only speculation on my part, but I imagine that this girl, Kagome, would have sensed its presence had its energy not been covered, and the spell is wearing off.”
Yusuke was confused. “How do you know that she can sense the jewel?”
“I don’t. But she is not an ordinary girl.”
Yusuke nodded. “Yeah, I’d kind of gathered that, too.”
“She is not strong by any means, but her spirit energy is more powerful than that of a normal human, much like yours, Yusuke, only I somehow doubt it’s even close to being as powerful.”
Yusuke shrugged. “I really couldn’t sense that much about her. But I guess I wasn’t exactly paying attention…”
Kuwabara scratched his head. “You know, I thought maybe I could…but I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t want to say anything.”
Yusuke glanced up at the sky and sighed. “Ok, so we’re getting off the subject here. Why does Koenma want the jewel to be destroyed?”
“I don’t know that, Yusuke,” Kurama replied. “I don’t claim to know what goes on in Koenma’s head.”
“Didn’t he tell you anything?”
“Only to destroy the Shikon jewel, and we’re not to return until we’ve done so.”
Yusuke sighed and rubbed his temple. “I swear this has got to be like straight out of a movie. Any minute now some camera people are going to jump out from behind fake bushes and yell ‘CUT!’”
But no such thing happened, and the discussion fell into silence. Yusuke could only pace back and forth, wishing he could wrap his hands around that little brat’s neck and choke him to death…if he could, actually, do that. For one, Koenma wasn’t exactly *alive* in human terms; and two, Koenma wasn’t exactly available at the moment. So that left Yusuke without a viable excuse to vent his frustrations. He did manage to kick the well a few times while pacing around, while the others simply watched him and were lost in their own thoughts.
Botan wondered why Koenma had sent her on this trip if he knew that he was sending them into another strange world where she couldn’t contact him. She had tried and tried, but had found herself to be completely cut off from him. She couldn’t even reach out to him with her mind, as she was occasionally able to do when she concentrated hard enough. Though her powers were limited in the human world, she could still be a source of help in that way. What, exactly, would her purpose be here if she couldn’t contact Koenma?
Kurama was watching Yusuke and feeling like a traitor of sorts. Indeed, the situation had gone far better than he’d imagined, but he still did not like lying to Yusuke, as Koenma had instructed. He also didn’t like that Koenma himself had lied to Yusuke; it just wasn’t like the ruler of the Spirit World to lie to his detectives about their job. If Koenma was knowingly sending them into a dangerous situation without telling them the truth, then Kurama felt that his respect for Koenma would seriously falter. Especially since Yusuke was the Spirit World’s greatest asset; to lie to him was a serious offense, and Yusuke would resent Koenma for it for a long time.
Kuwabara was trying to ignore his growling stomach and the gnawing feeling of nervousness that, along with his hunger pains, was making him feel nauseous. He was afraid of this place, though he’d never admit it. His spiritual power felt different, perhaps stronger, somehow, as though it had been unleashed. It gave him a rush like nothing else and scared him beyond imagination. He made a mental note to ask Yusuke about it later, wondering if he, too, felt the same.
Finally Hiei, usually the one with the most on his mind, was actually enjoying this. Like Kuwabara, he felt that his powers had suddenly grown stronger, as though a binding force had been lifted and he felt renewed, rejuvenated. He hadn’t noticed it at first, but gradually he felt certain that he could sense something strange about this place. He was beginning to become interested…something that rarely happened unless he was fighting. Perhaps it was the thrill of the promise of fights to come that was sparking his interest. Perhaps this case would not be as he’d originally thought…with Yusuke getting in over his head and causing disaster wherever he went. Amazingly, Yusuke had been thinking rationally up until Kurama had told him the big secret…which even then, things had gone better than he’d thought. Kurama had informed Hiei of Koenma’s plan before meeting Yusuke at the train station, and Hiei had been sure that all hell would break loose…almost quite literally.
At any rate, none of them wanted to sit there forever thinking about what they were going to do. Finally Kurama stood to his feet and announced, “I doubt that sitting here will get us anywhere. So let’s at least try to find someone who can tell us where we are. If we find Kagome, she could probably shed some light on this situation.”
“Let’s find some food, too,” Kuwabara offered. “I’m starving.”
***
Inuyasha sighed. He was bored. Kagome had returned a short while ago, and while he knew that, he was perched on top of Kaede’s hut, listening to the din of conversations going on beneath him. He heard Miroku and Sango talking about something, not that he was really paying much attention. Shippou was playing with Kirara, with a cat toy that Kagome had brought from her time. Inuyasha had made the comment that Kirara wasn’t like the brainless cats in Kagome’s world that would be amused by something as silly looking as that, but Kagome had insisted that Kirara would like it, anyway. And she’d been right.
Kagome was silent, however, and Inuyasha wondered what she was thinking about. Normally she joined in on the conversations, but tonight she seemed pensive. He heard Kaede ask her what was wrong, and then her cheery reply that everything was fine. He snorted. That excuse was about as convincing as hearing his brother say that he loved humans.
He sighed again and wished they were out looking for Shikon shards rather than sitting around wasting time. He was tired, but he could deal with it. He wanted this ordeal to be over, he wanted to kill Naraku and be done with it. He really didn’t want to think about what he would do afterwards, that was thinking too much. His head started hurting when he thought about ‘after’…he didn’t want to think about what might happen.
Like Kagome going back to her time and never coming back…
Like using the Shikon jewel to become full demon, like he’d originally planned. The thought of it scared him…he was afraid of losing his mind like before and killing everyone.
And other things that he didn’t care to think about.
But the end was not in sight…and wouldn’t be for some time. He only hoped that they could destroy Naraku before he could get the final shards. He did not want to think about how Naraku would use the jewel once it was completed. It was already so corrupted…it would take a long time for Kagome to purify it. Kikyou had been the previous keeper of the jewel. Even then, it had not been purified completely.
His thoughts were interrupted when he caught the scent of demons coming towards the village…as well as humans. He sniffed the air…three or four…one human, or two, he couldn’t tell. Not that many. At any rate, they were coming towards the village, most likely in search of the Shikon jewel shards that Kagome had. They were also coming from the same direction she had come, from the well in the forest. He sighed wearily, and jumped down from the roof.
No sooner than he landed on the ground, Kagome slammed into him, nearly knocking both of them over.
“What the – watch where you’re going, woman!” he growled. “Where are you going in such a rush?”
She glared at him. “I came out here to tell you that I can sense a Shikon shard…and it’s coming this way! It feels sort of faint…but it’s a shard.”
“It’s not like those fake ones, is it?” he asked.
She shook her head, remembering the fake Shikon jewel shards made by Izumo, the half-demon. She still felt sad for him…he had wanted to become human so terribly. The pains of not belonging to either race…neither youkai nor human. Inuyasha knew those pains well.
“I don’t think it’s like those,” she said. She wasn’t exactly sure, but she could hope.
About that time, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou peered out the door, wondering what was wrong. “Ah, Shikon shard…that’s why you ran out of here so fast,” Miroku said. “Coming this direction?”
Kagome nodded.
Inuyasha frowned “I sensed demons coming this way, right when you sensed the Shikon shard.”
“Best not to lead them to the village,” Miroku said.
Inuyasha flexed his clawed fingers and grinned that usual ‘battle-hungry’ grin, as Kagome had come to identify it as. “Let’s go greet them, then.”
***
“A village!” Kuwabara shouted. “We’re saved!”
A large sweatdrop appeared on Yusuke’s forehead. “Uh…Kuwabara, the situation isn’t that bad…”
Kuwabara frowned and then glared at Yusuke. “Listen, Urameshi, I haven’t eaten all day. I’m starving. And where there’s a village, there’s bound to be food.”
Kurama chuckled. “Not to mention, that Kagome girl is bound to be there, as well. And if she’s not, the people there might know about her whereabouts.”
“Wait, I think I see people coming this way,” Botan said, squinting to see in what little light the moon provided.
The others followed Botan’s gaze to see the dark silhouettes of a group of people coming their way in what seemed to be a rush. They stared for a few moments, suddenly not sure what to do…or what to say. Yusuke felt that uneasy, awkward feeling rush over him like a waterfall…and ruefully thought of a way to explain their situation: “Hi, we fell down a well in Tokyo, Japan, and ended up in the middle of nowhere, can you tell us where the hell we are?”
Inuyasha, meanwhile, had spotted what he’d thought to be the group of demons, only to find that they looked like normal humans. He, of course, knew that looks were very deceiving, having learned this from experience. They were just standing there, looking lost and confused. He turned to Kagome and asked, “Are they the ones with the Shikon jewel?”
Kagome had a look on her face of somewhere between shock and dismay. “Yes, I see it. The redhead, from what I can tell, has one in his pocket…but I don’t understand…”
Inuyasha was confused. “Don’t understand what?” He looked back at them, and then made a slight connection. “Hey, their clothes are strange…like yours. They’re from your time, aren’t they?”
Kagome nodded slowly, her eyes wide. Inuyasha saw that she was shaking slightly. “I…I don’t understand…” she said, her voice trembling. She saw them walk towards her and the others, and tried to quell the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. They had looked harmless enough…but could they really be demons? Hadn’t she felt something was strange about them when she’d met them at the shrine?
Miroku and Sango shared a glance, and shrugged. “Do they look like demons to you?” he asked Sango. She shrugged again and replied, “Perhaps the short one, he has a fierce look about him. The others merely look lost.”
“Hey!” Yusuke yelled suddenly, pointing at Kagome, and then realized he didn’t know what else to say. He frantically tried to decide which question to ask first…there were multitudes of questions that needed answering, and this girl was the one to answer them. “Where the hell are we?” he asked, thinking it to be the most important at the moment.
Kagome was confused, and then angry. This guy didn’t have to talk to her like that! She could tell Inuyasha didn’t like it, either, as he started growling low in his throat.
“Where did you get that Shikon shard?” she asked, ignoring his question, and pointed to Kurama.
Kurama moved in front of Yusuke, sensing an outburst from him at being ignored. “It was given to me. We don’t intend to use it for negative purposes.”
“Feh, I don’t know of any demon that doesn’t use it for his own selfish purposes!” Inuyasha stated, pulling out the Tetsusaiga. “Hand it over!”
Botan, Kuwabara, and Yusuke all gasped as the Tetsusaiga transformed into the large fanged sword. Kuwabara whistled. “Whoa, that sword is huge! I wish my spirit-sword was that big!”
Hiei snorted. “Hn…it’s not the size of the sword, it’s how you use it.”
Kuwabara gave Hiei and evil grin. “And you would be an expert on smaller swords, wouldn’t you?”
Hiei didn’t reply, but the look he gave Kuwabara was enough to make the taller man refrain from making his next comment.
Yusuke was impressed, but he could see the look of a challenge in the other’s eyes. “Heh,” he laughed, feeling the rush of an impending battle surge through his veins. “Pretty impressive sword. But we’re not handing over the Shikon shard…instead, why don’t you answer my question before I get violent?”
“So get violent, then,” Inuyasha answered with a snarl. “Where do you get off demanding for things you probably don’t know anything about?”
Yusuke was about to answer when Kurama raised his hand sharply, interrupting him. Yusuke reluctantly stopped, but still glared daggers at the white-haired, dog-eared brat. Inuyasha glared back, ready for him to strike.
Kurama spoke calmly, “Our intention is not to fight…and your accusation of us using the shard for our own purposes seems very shallow considering you’re a demon, yourself.”
“What of it?” Inuyasha bit back. Kagome sighed.
“Inuyasha, calm down. Look,” she said, talking to Kurama. “I don’t want to fight if we can help it. How did you get through the well, and why did you follow me, if you won’t tell me where you got the Shikon shard?”
Kurama smiled. “It seems each of us has a story to tell. But please answer our questions after I have answered this.” He eyed Inuyasha’s sword with respect, but also with a clear warning in his green eyes. “I am not one to turn down a battle to defend myself. In any case, we followed you because we suspected you had the Shikon jewel. The man we work for asked us to investigate a powerful energy that surrounded your shrine, which we believed might have been the jewel. He is the one who gave me the jewel shard.”
“So you know that the jewel is not complete yet,” Kagome said. Kurama nodded gravelly. And suddenly, something dawned on her. “Wait a minute…if this guy gave you the jewel shard in our time…then…”
Kurama nodded. “The jewel was never completed.”
An intense feeling of dread filled Kagome’s heart. “So we never found the last shard…?”
Kurama shook his head. “I don’t know. Perhaps that is why he sent us here…which is, may I deduce, is sometime in the past?”
Kagome nodded. “The Sengoku-Jedai…Warring States era.”
Everyone heard a sharp intake of breath, and they all looked at Botan, who had a look of horror on her face. Yusuke blinked. “Botan, what’s your problem?”
She collapsed to the ground, her knees having given out. “I know…I know now…” She gasped. Kuwabara knelt down beside her.
“Botan, are you okay?” he asked. He was shocked at the look on Botan’s face as she looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes.
“I couldn’t contact Koenma,” she said softly. “Now I know why. He’d told me, a long, long time ago, but I’d forgotten. Kuwabara…the spirit world…is gone.”
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I’m evil to end it here, I know, but this chapter has been a pain the ass to write. This is the most satisfying version that I’ve written (about the sixth draft or so) and this is it, I give up. Here’s to chapter 5, which will hopefully be a whole hell of a lot easier to write…
I had a bunch of notes to add concerning this chapter but
I'm too tired and it's all too complicated. So, uh, if there's any
questions, just ask, and I'll try to answer them.
Thanks so much for the reviews, I hope you liked this chapter just as much as the others. Sorry for the long wait between chapters.