Yes, yes, I know what your thnking. GOD! FINALY!!! Hehe, I…was lazy. I'M SORRY!!! Enjoy though^^. Review!!

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Chapter 24 The obvious trap and the switching of souls

Sango sat, looking up at the sky. She was fully healed, and so BORED! She missed her friends and wished there was a some way she could communicate with them, to tell them she was all better, or at least ask if they were all right. Kagome had once told her of a "cell phone" something that connected people with other people because of a "satellite". Of course, this was so farfetched that even Sango wondered if Kagome was just amusing herself by telling such a tale, even so, she wished she had one now.

"Sango?! Sango?!" She looked over surprised out of her thoughts.

"GRANNY KEADE! I'M OVER HERE!" Sango called to the older woman.

"Ah! Sango! What are you doing out here child? You should be resting! Your wounds were great."

"But I'm all right now Granny! The medicine seemed to work well..." She patted her belly lightly to show her. Keade smiled. She knew how sad Sango was to be away from her friends, how lonely and worried she must be.

"Also," Sango continued. "I have been resting far more than I think I should. Bed sores you know." She smiled hopefully.

"Yes Sango, I would just like to be sure that the medicine was true, and that you risk no further injury. We still are not positive who that strange girl was." Sango was silent, lost in her own thoughts, once again. Miroku had said that he suspected her to be the child of Kagome and Inuyasha, as impossible as that may sound...yet...

Sango flopped to the grass; all she had been doing is thinking this way. She longed for the fun she had with her tight group. Though the happy times had been short, they had always been memorable. Keade chuckled.

"Bored are we my girl?"

"YES! Perhaps I will practice my boomerang...it would give me something to DO, unless you have something you want me to-"

"No, no my dear! Be off with you! Go practice with ye weapon! I will keep the villagers away."

Sango smiled gratefully.

"Thank you granny." The older woman only smiled and shuffled away.

The clearing was large and wonderful for practice with such a large weapon as hers. She remembered the time when she had found it with Kagome. They had been so excited...

"Sango..." Sango turned unnerved. She had her that voice before...

"WHO IS IT?!" She called to the seemingly empty forest. The figure floated delicately to the forest floor. Sango growled her eyes narrowing.

"KANNA! WHAT DO YOU WANT?! I WILL KILL YOU!"

The young girl looked at her blankly. Her mirror turned away, Sango noted. But...why?

"Fear not Sango. I have only come as a messenger from the Lord."

"Yes?!" She said through clenched teeth, her hand itching to fulfill her wish. "AND WHAT BUSINESS DO I HAVE WITH HIM?!"

The girl stood waiting, as if for Sango to continue.

"Naraku... he sends his deepest apologize."

"WHAT?!" Sango screeched.

"He has captured your friends, and would very much like to slaughter them now."

Sango gasped horrified. 'MIROKU!' she thought/

"You...YOU LITTLE WITCH!" She flung her weapon. The girl disappeared and reappeared as Sango caught her heavy tool.

"AHH! WHAT HAS HE-!"

"Though Naraku feels this is rude." Sango was paralyzed with confusion and hate. "He would like you to be present. With this said, he invites you to "come...and play". He hopes to see you there.... Sango." With this she was gone. Leaving no trace that she had even been.

Sango screamed, loud and piercing.

"NOOOO! NO, NO, NOO!!! DAMN YOU NARAKU!! DAMN YOU!" she clenched her fist. 'This has to be a trap.' she thought. 'This is obviously a trap.' she pictured those she loved captive and shook her head. 'Yet, what choice do I have?'

She sped through the village calling out for Keade. Startled, many people looked on and called with her. 'What was going wrong? What had happened?'

"SANGO?!" Came her voice. Sango flew into the old woman's arms sobbing and rigid.

"A HORSE KEADE! I NEED A HORSE!"

**Time Passes**

Though Kagome and Kikyo had been walking all this time, only stopping when necessary, it soon became clear that Naraku and Inuyasha would have to wait. The darkness that covered the land would not permit them to walk any further. Kagome, with rage setting in her eyes, watched the sun set.

"This doesn't make any sense Kikyo! If like you said, Naraku was waiting to watch us fight, why would he hide so far away?! Unless..." She looked at the woman warily. Her thoughts were open, printed on her face. 'Unless you lied and are going to kill me.' it said.

Kikyo added wood to the already sizzling fire.

"I will not harm you...tonight. Naraku, the foolish man, he must think we will share on night in which we share a "womanly moment" and become the best of friends. Thus refusing to kill each other, but having too, and making the jewel tainted even more." Kikyo laughed. "How idiotic does he think I am?"

Kagome slumped onto a log and stared at the dirt. 'That could be true.' She thought. She just wanted to be with Inuyasha. She just wanted them all to be safe. She sighed and taped her foot, watching the dust billow around it.

"Do you blame yourself for all this Kikyo?"

"Shut up." She snapped. Kagome looked up embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I just-" She had forgiven Kikyo again. It didn't seem to be so important as to hate her now, though...she would have to kill her..

"Stop spouting utterly senseless questions! You really are annoying." Kagome shifted and stared at the fire. 'She's right. I'm just annoying her.'

The two women stared off to space. The tension was almost suffocating. How odd must they have looked, sitting, staring, rigid twins. Kikyo narrowed her eyes suddenly and stood. She was tired of this!

"I will not harm you tonight Kagome. We will continue on tomorrow." 'For the talking' she thought. Kagome sat up strait and watched her leave.

'Oh...that's right.' She thought sighing and slumping back. 'Kikyo requires dead souls at night.'

She hugged her self and looked around her, suddenly realizing what this meant. She was alone. It was the first time she had ever slept in the feudal era without Inuyasha somewhere close by. She went over her situation in her mind.

She was all-alone, in the dark, with nothing to sleep on but a log, in the feudal era, with a murderous dead woman. Wonderful.

Suddenly she panicked. She didn't want to be alone. SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE! She stood up and walked to the edge of the firelight. 'Where is Miroku and Shippo??' she wondered fitfully. 'Are they worried about me?! Have then been following my trail? Are they close?!?'

"Mi...Mirokuuuuu....?" She murmured.

"Siippooo...Ke-Kelala?" She started again softly. She knew they weren't there. She didn't feel Miroku's jewel shards. She began rubbing her arms faster for comfort. She retreated to her log, stood up, and paced around her light prison. She felt desperate. A lonely, wrenching feeling, as though all was lost, as though she was waiting to be slaughtered. Something in her soul didn't want to be alone. Her soul was crying. She..was crying.

"Kik-Kikyo?!" She bit her lip and jogged back to her log. Huddling close to the light and warmth. 'Why am I so scared?! So scared that I want Kikyo beside me?!' she thought swallowing in a dry mouth. She was in a cold sweat.

"God," she joked to herself. "I'm going to hyperventilate soon if I'm not careful..ha" She stoop up again, then sat down.

"What should I do?! What should I do?!" She shook her head. "Calm down Kagome! You need sleep. Inuyasha needs you." She said talking soothingly to herself. "Inuyasha needs you to keep cool." She took deep breaths. She sighed and shook it off. She bent to curl up and go to sleep, but at that moment, something in her snapped, and at that moment, something in the woods snapped too.