Sango returned to the caves feeling refreshed and ready to get going. She hoped Miroku was feeling better today but she remembered that Koga had said that he would be taking them to his doctor friend, so maybe he could take a look at the monk. When she entered the cave, she went back to where she had left Miroku and looked around, wondering where he went.

"Miroku? Miroku, where are you?"

"He's not here." Ginta said, talking over slowly. "Koga went to talk to Ms. Kagome about a matter."

"Without me? I thought he was going to take me down there."

"He'll be back soon, ma'am."

Sango put her hands on her hips. "That doesn't explain why there's no sign of Miroku."

Ginta seemed a little nervous. "I think it would be best if Koga told you."

She frowned. "Did you eat him?"

"No! No, of course not…"

"Koga! Koga!" Hakkaku yelled, jumping into the caves. Upon not seeing him, he looked at Ginta. "Where's Koga?"

"In the village. He'll be back momentarily."

"Well I have some news regarding that plant."

"What did you find?"

"Um… well…"

"I'd wait until Koga gets back." Ginta warned from behind Sango, making a face at his friend to shut up.

Hakkaku cleared his throat. "Yes. I don't want to repeat myself."

Just then, Koga jumped in and ran up to the three.

"Oh, good, you're back. Listen, we have a problem-"

"Koga, I need to tell you about those plants."

"Hakkaku!" Ginta yelled.

"What is it?" Koga growled.

"I went to go gather some of the plants but as I got close to the patch, I realized that they weren't the same plant at all. Whatever the smell was was just a ruse. It was crafted really well into masking the scent but once you smell the original then you can tell instantly that the other is fake."

"Then why did you bring it up in the first place if you could tell it was a fake?" Sango snarled.

"No, I mean, they have to be smelled within a good amount of time to tell the difference. I haven't gone to the original plant patch in a long time, so my nose didn't pick up the difference at first."

"So what does this have to do with Miroku being gone?"

"That wasn't the monk." Koga said.

"What?"

"It was a kappa disguised as the monk."

Sango blinked a little. "How is that even possible?"

"He said that the Kappa King was able to do it by projecting the monk's image and personality onto him through some sort of mirror. Everything was able and amplified by the use of the jewel shards."

Sango thought for a moment and then her brown eyes widened.

"Wait… are you saying that Miroku is still with the Kappa King?!"

"That's what the kappa said before he left. Something about collateral."

She put her hands over her mouth and tried not to cry. She felt like a complete failure. She should have been able to see through the kappa and realize that it wasn't Miroku at all. How could she have missed it? She then remembered all the lecherous actions and made a face. Oh yeah… kappas are pretty lecherous as well… I would have never been the wiser.

"So then… what now?"

"I'll still take you to Kagome but I let her know that one of the people in her party is not who they seem either."

"What do you mean?"

"The kappa said that there was another spy in their group."

Sango narrowed her eyes. "Take me to them."

Kagome didn't know what to do. The information Koga had just given her was pretty paramount. One of the people in her party was not real. It really couldn't have been Sesshomaru because even a kappa couldn't fake a broken hip like that. The only other people would be Shippo or InuYasha. InuYasha was acting a little weird but pretty normal. He is a hanyou and being captured and tortured like that bruised his pride tremendously, so him acting a little different was justifiable. Shippo was every bit the same as he was before. But if what that kappa told Koga was true then it has to be one of them. I mean… if Dr. Ko tried to operate on a kappa that was posing as Sesshomaru, then one: the kappa wouldn't even let it happen and two: the disguise would probably have faded away. But Sesshomaru's pain and screams are much too real for him to be a kappa. The information was confusing and also a little disturbing. Someone in her party wasn't real and it was between InuYasha and Shippo. She had to find a way to get one of them to expose themselves…

"Kagome?" She looked down at Shippo on the floor. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, perfect. I'm just worried about Sesshomaru." She semi-lied.

Kagome thought about when she got back and went to the castle and the steps in between then and there. Everything seemed normal…

"Shippo?"

"Yeah?"

"You said that InuYasha left you in the tree to keep you safe and wait for me, right?"

"Yeah."

"How did you know where they went if you had been in the tree the whole time?"

"I wasn't… He put me in the tree but when they all left I followed them to where they had taken them. Then I went back to the tree to wait for you."

It was something Shippo would do… She then remembered finding Sesshomaru and InuYasha.

"How did you know where to find Sesshomaru and InuYasha?"

"I went searching just like you… What are you trying to say, Kagome?"

She worried her lip. She didn't want to just come out and tell him that she didn't think he was real but InuYasha just couldn't be the fake one… right? Things weren't adding up and it was just making her more and more suspicious and confused. There was a knock on the door and she went to it, opening it up.

"Kagome!"

"Sango?" she said, hugging the girl who now looked about her age or even younger. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"I'm glad to see you too! Did Koga come and tell you the news?"

"About the kappas? Yeah… I'm…" She got close to Sango's ear. "Having a hard time telling which one is which."

"You've already narrowed it down? You're smarter than I was…"

They walked back into the living room and Kagome pointed to the other side of the door.

"InuYasha is waiting for Sesshomaru's surgery against the door there."

Sango leaned over and saw InuYasha sitting cross-legged at the door. She frowned.

"He looks like hell."

"Well, he and Sesshomaru had their yokai powers stripped from them."

"I know that. I saw it happen. I mean just in general from the way we usually see him…"

"So how long ago did you get captured?"

Sango blinked a little "What do you mean?"

"I'm… getting two different answers. One is extreme and the other seems plausible."

"Okay…"

"InuYasha says I've been gone for three months while Shippo verifies that it was only three days."

Sango's eyes widened. "It's been three months, for sure. Do you really think that the torture endured by the both of them happened in three days? They just got to me the other day; I looked like my normal self until then."

"But how is it months?"

"Maybe something weird happened with the well? I'm not sure but I can verify that it's been three months."

Kagome looked around but didn't see Shippo. She stood up, looking around.

"Shippo? Shippo, where are you?"

"He's not here." InuYasha said softly.

Kagome and Sango went to where InuYasha was and he had his head hanging down, his hair limply laying there.

"InuYasha, are you alright?" she asked, kneeling in front of him.

She raised his head and found him crying, his eyes red and swollen from trying not to make a sound.

"InuYasha…"

"Shippo's not here. He's gone."

"Well he was here a minute ago. I mean-"

"No… no I mean he's gone."

Kagome thought for a moment and then her eyes widened.

"Then Shippo…"

"The one traveling with us was never real. I knew it but… I wanted to believe for just a moment that it was really him. The quirks, the annoyance, the gung-ho attitude… I just… for a few more minutes I wanted to believe that he was here."

Kagome touched InuYasha's face and then made him get up for her. He seemed to crumble in her arms as he wrapped his arms around her, shaking.

"I didn't want to do it! I really didn't! I didn't want to but they made me and I… I'm so sorry! I'm sorry Kagome!"

"It's alright, InuYasha… I think… Why are you apologizing?"

"They made him do a pretty horrible thing."

Sango and Kagome turned around, gasping at the kappa that was standing there.

"You." Sango snarled.

The kappa held up his arms in defense as Sango grabbed him and held him.

"What do you want me to do with him, Kagome?"

"Tie him up. I have to help InuYasha. I'll deal with that thing later."

She led InuYasha to his room and sat him down on the bed.

InuYasha was practically drained and lifeless. He didn't want to keep living at that moment. Once Kagome found out what he had done… she would leave him and then they would be stuck in these forms forever… Kagome moved his hair from his face slowly and then touched his face, making him look at her. She was so pure and he was so… horrid…

"InuYasha, tell me what's going on. You knew the Shippo that was with us wasn't real and you didn't say anything."

"If I tell you, you'll hate me forever." He practically whispered.

"Just answer my questions as best you can."

InuYasha pulled his face from her hand.

"Shippo is gone but I wanted to believe that he was still here. I hated that kid but… in the end, I missed him. When that kappa was there, portraying him so well, I allowed myself to get caught in the illusion so I wouldn't have to remember what happened to him. It kept me sane up until now. The past is catching up with me… even that stupid doctor could tell I wasn't alright…"

"So then what did happen to Shippo?" Kagome asked.

InuYasha hesitated and then gulped, looking at her briefly and trying to avoid eye contact.

"They made me eat him."

uh oh. what's this revelation?