The Matchmakers

I do not own Inuyasha
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Those Blasted Things

Kagome was looking in her mirror at the collar that had appeared around her neck. She caught a glimpse of Miroku and Sango running toward her. She lowered the mirror and bowed her head. She saw a splash of red across from her and knew Inuyasha had also arrived. The only one missing was Shippou. She turned her head slightly and she could hear him running. He would be here in a moment.

Miroku ran up "What happed we saw a bright flash of light around here somewhere?"

Sango came up and stood behind Kagome Kirara standing on her shoulder. She placed her hand on Kagomes shoulder. "Are you ok Kagome? Did you see the light.?"

"I didn't smell any demons around so they didn't cause the light." Inuyasha stood with his sword drawn looking around the village. Every once in awhile he would sniff the air.

Shippou finally reached the group. He ran and jumped on Kagome's lamp. "What happened?"

Since Shippou finally made it to the group Kagome raised her head. Leave it to Miroku to see the collar first.

"Where did you get that Kagome?" He walked over to her and knelt in front of her. He raised his hand and ran it around the collar. Touching the design and the rubies on it. "It must have cost a small fortune."

Sango moved in front of Kagome to get a look at what ever everyone else was talking about. "Oh my! I have never seen anything so lovely."

"Maybe her new boyfriend gave it to her." Inuyasha sheathed the Tetsusaiga and turned away from Kagome. He didn't want to see the collar that Sesshoumaru had given her. He was the only one rich enough to buy that thing.

"Inuyasha, Sit Boy!" Kagome glared at the hanyou as he fell to the ground face first. How can he be so jealous. It's not like he has a claim on me or anything. I thought we went over this yesterday. He will never learn.

"It was not Sesshoumaru who placed the collar on Kagome." Kaede finally stood up and walked to Kagome. "Excuse me Miroku." She waited till he moved away before she approached closer. She lifted Kagome's head and turned to stare at Inuyasha. "Ye said that ye could not smell any demon so how could he have put this on Kagome. I have been sitting here with Kagome and I know how the collar came to be on her but I do not know by whom."

Inuyasha was finally able to stand. He glared at Kagome. "Maybe he had someone else do it for him."

Kaede just shook her head. He was definitely as Kagome would say hard headed. She looked closer at the collar she moved Kagomes hair and looked at the back of it. There was no latch. So who ever put it on her didn't want her to take it off. She knelt in front of Kagome and placed her hands around the collar. They started glowing with a light purple hue.

Kagome felt Kaede's hands warming up. She must be trying to use her miko powers to remove the collar. As she felt Kaede's hands getting warmer she felt the collar begin to pulse. She couldn't breath. She felt the sparks coming off the collar. It felt like hundreds of needles going into her throat. She reached up and grabbed Kaede's hands. "Kaede please stop."

Kaede glanced up from her chanting and saw that the collar had took on a bluish glow and little sparks were coming from it. Then she looked to Kagome. She had tears in her eyes and she was gasping for air. Her face had gone totally white. Kaede quickly jerked her hands away from the collar. "I am sorry Kagome I didn't expect the collar to react so." She went and grabbed some herbs and rubbed them on Kagomes throat. The collar had burned her lightly. It looked like she had a sunburn.

"Thank you for trying Kaede. Well we know miko powers don't work. I would try my poison but I really don't want to get shocked like that again. It hurt." Kagome took the paste that Kaede handed her and rubbed it into her neck. Oh that felt so good. "Inuyasha you think Sesshoumaru had something to do with this?" When he nodded yes she sighed. She didn't think Sesshoumaru would do that but maybe he would know where the collar came from. Surely the collar was unique. Maybe he has heard of it before after all he has been around for a couple of generations. A person couldn't live that long with out gaining knowledge of strange things. "Fine lets go find him and see what he know." She stood up and everyone started breaking camp. "We will be back in a couple of days Kaede. We don't want to miss your festival."

Once the camp was packed everyone was ready to set off. Shippou jumped on Kagomes shoulder and Kirara was on Sango's. Miroku and Sango walked side by side. Kagome followed the group and Inuyasha was ahead of everyone.

Kaede watched them leave and chuckled when the monk's hand got to close to the taijiya. She watched the boomerang land on the monk's head. He fell to the ground and everyone just left him where he fell. She hoped he woke up soon or he would have to run most of the day just to catch up to the group. Good luck Kagome I hope you find the answers you are looking for. She turned back to her herbs. The group was soon put aside as a villager came to ask for her help.

Sesshoumaru stood up. He ran his hand around the collar. He let a small amount of poison out of his hand and dropped it onto the collar. The collar glowed and he had trouble breathing. He could feel the sparks coming from the collar. They were digging into his throat. It was painful but he could stand it. The poison didn't work. So how was he suppose to get the damn thing off. When the poison was gone the collar stopped glowing. I wonder if the miko had something to do with this. He looked around him trying to find out where the closest water to him was. That's when he realised that he was standing outside the boundaries of his lands. What happened to the barrier. He formed the cloud at his feet and to the lake near his border.

When he landed at the lake. He leaned down and looked at the thing around his neck. Then he realised that the miko couldn't have been the one to put the collar on him. It was made of gold and had rubies in it. The collar was well made. Only the finest jewelers could have made something like this. He would go check the jewelers in the western lands. For he had the best of everything in his lands.

He flew toward the first town where a well known jeweler lived. He was a Washi youkai. Sesshoumaru used to visit his shop with his father to buy his mother gifts.
If anyone knew about the collar he would. He found the town and lowered his cloud and stepped off. He walked through the village and wasn't surprised when the village elder approached him. He let the man get closer and watched him bow to him. "Yes Goro" He knew all the people living in his lands.

"We are glad to see you Sesshoumaru-sama. You have not graced us with your presence in such a long time. We have made many new improvements to the village would you like a tour?" Goro watched the lord. He knew of his anger and didn't want to do anything to make it appear.

Sesshoumaru could feel the fear coming off the human standing before him. Unlike many villages of the other lords he permitted humans to reside in his lands. He had no liking for them but they always paid their yearly dues. They would pay him in coin, food and animals. Each town depending on its size would have to give yearly dues. Sesshoumaru kept youkai's in each town and the villagers may not like it but they would not dare to argue with him. He stared down at Goro "I have came to see Ichizo the jeweler." With that he walked away from the ningen and further into the town. He could smell the fear of the ningens all around him. It was quite bothersome. He found Ichizo's shop and walked into the store.

Ichizo looked up to see who had entered his shop. When he saw Sesshoumaru he stood and bowed to him. "My Lord how may I assist you?"

"I have a question that I was hoping that you could help me with." Sesshoumaru took the seat that Ichizo offered him and waited for Ichizo's servant (a kitsune youkai) to place his tea on the table before he continued. He pointed to his neck. "I need information on this damned collar. I was hoping that you would know who made it. Or at least how to take the blasted thing off."

Ichizo walked up to the demon lord. "May I my Lord?" He motioned with his hand if he could touch the collar.

Sesshoumaru nodded yes

Ichizo lifted Sesshoumaru's head and looked at the collar closely. He was amazed at the detail on the thing. He walked behind the lord and moved his hair out of the way. There wasn't a catch to remove the thing. And he couldn't find a mark of the one who designed or made it either. "My Lord in all honesty I wish I could say that I did make it. It is a work of art. The detail is amazing. I didn't see a catch how did you put it on?"

"I was patrolling my lands and when I stopped it appeared on my neck. I tried to use my poison to remove the blasted thing but found out that it was not a good idea. Do you think that you could remove the thing?" Sesshoumaru watched Ichizo closely. He didn't want him to lie to him.

"Would you care to tell me what happened when you used your poison?" Ichizo sat down across from his lord.

"It started glowing and I couldn't breath very well then sparks shot into my neck. It was not a pleasant experience." Sesshoumaru stood and faced the washi youkai. "I do not have much time to waste can you remove the thing or not?"

"My Lord it seems to be protected by some spell. To remove it could mean your life. I would not like to be the one to kill you my Lord." Ichizo looked up at Sesshoumaru. "You might ask a miko if they could remove the spell that guards the collar. Then I could remove it for you. I am sorry that I have not been helpful to you Lord Sesshoumaru."

"Very well. If I find a miko I will be back to see you." Sesshoumaru walked out of the shop and to the edge of the village. He called forth his cloud and took off for the skies.