Episode 26

Inuyasha grows impatient as Sango recovers from her wounds. To Miroku, telling him that Sango suffered more than physical injuries, he answers that vengeance is the best cure to her kind of heartache, and that to avenge her family, she must remember where is Naraku's Castle. Meanwhile, Kagome tries to comfort Sango as she visit the graves of all the villagers she knew. As thanks for the burial, Sango wants to tell them where the Shikon Jewel came from.

She leads them to a cave protected by a barrier, and then tells them that the barrier will let them pass since they sympathize with the Shikon Jewel's victims. The cave is a memorial and a graveyard, and its keeper, the miko who created the Jewel, just doesn't want anyone to despoil the place. Myoga can't enter, though.

In the deep of the cave, they find the remnants of Midoriko and the countless demons she fought. The miko is petrified in a stalagmite, in the jaws of a likewise stony demon. There is a hole in her chest. Sango narrates her tale, how great a warrior and priestess she was, able to purify even the souls of demons. Miroku agrees and expands on what the Four Souls of the Jewel of Four Souls are : Aramitama (courage), Nigimitama (friendship), Kushimitama (wisdom) and Sakimitama (love), which combines to form the human soul. Sango resume her narrative, and tells how Midoriko, wounded by a demon after a long battle with a lot of them, couldn't purify its soul, but managed to encase it along with her own within the Shikon Jewel. Thus is the battle going on in its depths, the eternal fight of the miko Midoriko and the demons she emprisoned. As InuYasha mock the priestess's efforts and braggs about how he will become a full demon with the Jewel, he is seized by a white light and expelled from the cave.

Once outside the cave, Shippo tells Myoga what he saw. Meanwhile, Sango continues to talk to Kagome and Miroku with InuYasha sitting guard on top of the house's roof. Sango tells how the Shikon Jewel went from hands to hands until her grandfather found it inside a demon he killed. He died in the fight, along with many other Demon Slayers. By then, the Jewel was defiled beyond the slayer's ability to purify, so they gave it to the care of Kikyo. Miroku then remarks that while the Jewel is supposed to hold great powers to do evil or good, he has never seen it used for anything other that evil. He calls to InuYasha never to use it, to which the later doesn't answer, merely thinking that first, he has to kill Naraku.

During the night, Kirara and Myoga goes to seen Midoriko, with the fragments of the Jewel currently in their possession. This time Myoga has no problem going through the barrier. But as he is paying his respect to the priestess, the Shikon Jewel reacts to the bodies of the numerous stone demons. The demons inside the Jewel are trying to escape and revive. Inuyasha and Miroku go to Myoga and Kirara's rescue, with the soul of Midoriko seemingly joining Inuyasha's fight to free Kirara from a demon. Miroku retrieve the Jewel, stopping the manifestation of spirits. While InuYasha and Myoga leave the cave, Kirara goes back to sleep at what's heavily implied to be her former mistress's feet. Midoriko couldn't have battled that many demons on her own, surely she had the help of a loyal friend.

Characters

 * Inuyasha, Miroku, Kagome, Sango, Shippo and Kirara


 * Myoga


 * Midoriko, Kikyo (flashback)