Chapter 26

Keade sat and stared at young Kagome or what would appear to be. The girl in front of her was without a doubt not the chaotic re-carnation of her sister. It was written in her walk, talk, and over all sense.
"Oy! Don't doze off you old bat, can you help or what?"

She gave a long sigh and moved her old aching muscles, she was an old woman and yet every time these kids found trouble they ran to her as if she could fix anything they had done. Yet she supposed that's what kept her young.
"I hear ye Inuyasha, but what ye are suggesting is no easy task."
"I didnt ask if it was easy I asked if you could do it or not!"
Another long dragged out sigh escaped from the elderly woman "I will need to be alone to do proper research."
Inuyasha picked up his sword along with Kagome's bag "You heard her, everyone get out."

With that the group left but stayed near enough in case they we're called on.
Inuyasha starred aimlessly ahead, the rest were off taking care of old wounds or simply resting. He reached into his sleeve and retrieved the letter Kagome had left for him, he had read the first letter but refused to read the second. Whatever Kagome needed to say to him she could, and would once he got her back. So now he just stared at the thin scrap of paper, glaring at it for all his troubles.
"Why don't you open it?"
He growled and stuffed the paper back into its place "None of your business"
Mari had somehow sneeked her way up to the tree he had settled himself in, unknown of the sentimental value it held for the hanyu. She wore Kikyo's outfit, the white hitoe tied tighter around the waist showing off her form. Along with the red nagabakama tied at the bottom and stuffed into a pair of black ankle high boots. Her hair tied into a tight bun, he raised a brow but other wise said nothing.
"If she wrote it for you don't you think she'd be upset if you didn't read it?"
"You don't know what she'd be"
Mari sighed "She misses you~"
That got his attention "What?"
"Kagome, she's still trying to break free. It's because of you that she hasn't given up hope, just saying."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her, Mari looked away "I just can't understand why you fight for her"

"What do you mean?" he asked, a low growl rising up.

"You're charging into uncharted waters here, I'm starting to wonder if you even know why your fighting to get her back."
Inuyahsa abrubtly stood, his fist clenched "No you wouldn't know! You don't know shit about Kagome or me!"

Mari stood calmly patting her lap clear of any dirt "And yet I can't help but wonder, do you even know anything about who Kagome is. Just tell me one thing Inuyasha, what excatly are you in love with? Her soul or her flesh; if you love her soul then she could die, reincarnate and I'd would make no difference. It didn't make a difference with Kikyo. But If you love her flesh then you should love me, I am Kagome after all. More or less."
Suddenly a fist flew by her, craking and breaking a hole in the tree.
"Shut up.. just shut the fuck up! Love is not a choice, Kagome taught me that. So I don't give a damn if it doesn't make sense to you I know what I have to do, and I'll stop at nothing to get my mate back."

Inuyasha turned away from her with a small glare on his face, Mari ignored him staring out into the forest "I hope for your sake you know what your doing"
He jumped down and began heading back to check on Kaede.
"You and I both.."
Inuyasha walked away starring hard at the ground until a young kitsune jumped on his shoulder, his new favorite spot. The only acknowledgment he received was a pat on the head and a smirk from Inuyasha.

Keade striked fire into the pit and began to boil a pot of water
"Yo, did you find anything yet Keade-baba?"
She gave him a hard stare before signaling for him to sit "Yes, the thought struck me when I recalled the first thing I noticed when I saw Kagome-"
Sango and the rest walked in then, they sat themselves down quietly waiting to hear Lady Kaede's words.
"I had felt the darkness invaded within Kagome, after some time to think upon this I realized it was a simple spell that would lead ye straight to Naraku."

Kaede reached behind her and added some herbs into the bowl "No more than a spell used to trace the evil aura back to it's root, I may need something of Kagome to which she has a strong emotional tie to."
Everyone looked around with no real idea of what that object might be before something was thrown across the room.
Kaede caught whatever that something was before letting the item hang by its chain, she nodded while the rest marveled at the locket.
"Quit gawking just get on with it!"
She threw the locket into the boiling water, a bright golden light shined from the pot. Within the light a small spec of black began to grow and spread, like tentacle wrapping around the ray to where light began to flicker. Kaede picked up the bowl un-mindful of the heat, chanting ever so quietly "I can see him.." if Inuyasha hadn't been sitting there, his ears on Kaede's words would have been lost in the sound of the wind picking up speed and hitting the cabin.

Mari clenched her fist on her lap, the light hurting her eyes and the sound of the wind ringing in her ears. She could feel Kagome crying out but her voice was so quiet and soft no matter how much she tried to focus on it not a single word was caught.
Kaede opened her eyes but her stare was blank, seeing past what was in front of her.
Her eyes snapped back to themselves as she gasped-
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ok so by now you guys have to know what that cliffhanger means, it means next chapter full of action! Yai!