Chapter Two: A Long Discussion Inuyasha's Betrayal

Later that night Inuyasha was "out", and the others were sitting about the campfire.

Kagome was troubled about what Inuyasha had said and she wasn't the only one. She was sure that Sango and Miroku were upset as well.

Shippo was munching on a lollipop and couldn't care less that Inuyasha was acting weird. "Inuyasha will be fine," He said with the sucker sticking out of his mouth.

Kagome couldn't help but feel worried about Inuyasha. "Poor fool...brought the cave down on herself..." Kagome couldn't get the unusually harsh words that had escaped Inuyasha out of her mind. She knew that he had sounded different when he said it. Inuyasha wasn't the most hospitable demon in the world, but he wouldn't joke about the death of an innocent woman. She couldn't get Inuyasha's second voice to leave her thoughts. He had been rude before but he sounded like he had a woman's voice talking with him. Kagome had almost assured herself that Inuyasha wasn't himself. She looked across the fire at Sango. She was surprised to lean that Sango was looking back at her.

"Did any of the rest of you notice that Inuyasha sounded different?" Sango asked. She knew that Kagome was thinking the same thing and that her friend would worry.

Miroku responded quickly, "He certainly had a different disposition, didn't he?" He looked around at all their faces.

Both girls simply nodded.

"What was going on between you and that weird woman in there Miroku?" Sango asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It was different...it was like she knew...had always known...she made the pain go away..." Miroku answered in a serious voice. He raised his right hand and stared at his covered palm.

Sango fell silent. She didn't know if she'd hurt Miroku by bringing up his wind tunnel or not. He probable didn't know that he'd hurt her with his words as well. Sango had always thought that she could help Miroku in that way. She put the thought aside and let him think about his statements. "What did the woman say about the Shikon jewel?" Sango asked after a long moment of silence, "Didn't she say that she was part of it?"

"That's right...she said that to Inuyasha before..." Kagome stopped herself. Truth was, she wasn't sure what had happened. Kagome remembered that Sango had told them a long time ago about the four souls of the Shikon jewel. It hadn't been too long after that, that Sango had joined them. Kagome smiled in remembering her friend joining them. Her thoughts then returned to Inuyasha.

Miroku all of a sudden asked, "Do you think that maybe the girl had more than one of the souls inside her?" He looked up at Kagome from across the fire.

Sango looked at him in surprise. "Another soul?" She asked.

"In fact didn't she say something about wanting to release the other soul inside her?" He asked letting his gaze fall to the fire.

Kagome spoke up, "I do remember that she said something like that. You don't think that one of the souls could have died in the cave, do you?" A sudden fear swept over her thinking that Inuyasha didn't save the other soul as well.

Miroku then looked at her with a more intense gaze. "In my mind, there's almost no doubt that there was another soul inside that woman's body." He stated with all seriousness. "They were both fighting for control," he continued. Miroku seemed to fall into a deep thought.

Kagome was still worried about Inuyasha. "So if they were both fighting for control...who won?" she said out loud. "And what does it all have to do with Inuyasha?" She said in her usual worried voice.

Sango decided that it was time to put and end to this nonsense. "If Inuyasha were in trouble he would eventually come to us about it," she said, desperately trying to lay Kagome's fears to rest.

"He would...but would the soul that now possesses him come to us?" Miroku asked still in deep thought.

Kagome gasped at his words. "Then you do think Inuyasha is possessed!" she asked Miroku from across the fire.

Sango brought the discussion to an end. "Look Kagome, we don't even know for sure if Inuyasha is possessed by this soul. Let's just go to sleep and think about it in the morning. Inuyahsa may be back to normal by then." She coaxed.

"I know that something is wrong with Inuyasha. Maybe Sango's right. I should just stop worrying about Inuyasha. He'll be fine." She thought to herself. Kagome laid down in her sleeping bag, as did the rest of them. She finally fell asleep thinking more about what the woman had said. "I am part of the Shikon jewel itself..." The mysterious woman's voice faded and Kagome drifted off to sleep.

Inuyasha was miles away bounding over trees and all sorts of terrain. He had a sharp, evil grin on his face as he "flew" over the land. After several lakes, rivers, and streams, He finally reached his assumed destination, the edge of Naraku's barrier. Then, what seemed to be two seconds later Inuyasha fell, face forward, on the ground.

The woman's phantom-like form leapt from Iuyasha's body as he fell. She knelt beside him and whispered, Thank you my friend...not only did you help me kill one of my sisters, but thanks to you I will destroy the other two soon enough..." Her spirit then passed through the barrier leaving Inuyasha to lie there. When she walked it appeared that she hovered a few inches off the ground. There was no sound of her footsteps as she walked either. Her robe simply dangled in the air. Upon reaching Naraku's castle gate, she disappeared.

Naraku was silently contemplating how he was going to destroy Inuyasha. "I tire so of all those wretched demons failing me!" he said out loud.

"Then perhaps you should try me..." came a woman's voice from behind him.

Naraku slowly turned to see his unwelcome guest. His eyes widened when he saw her. "Tric-," his air cut off.

She woman standing before him nodded. "It's been a long time since I've called upon a descendant of the Great One," her words slithered out of her mouth like a snake through grass. I have no doubt, then that you know who I am," she stated with conviction.

Naraku bowed before his visitor. "What can I do for you Trickoni?" he asked still on his knees.

Trickoni simply smiled and walked toward him.

Meanwhile Inuyasha was finally waking up. He immediately put a hand to the back of his head. "What the Hell?" He cursed as he got to his feet. He scanned his scenery and walked in the direction of Kagome's scent. Though it was faint, he could still smell her (due to Trickoni's magic he couldn't smell her or Naraku. So long as there are no questions, I will continue). By this time Inuyasha was wondering how he was so far away from Kagome. When he tried to remember his head started to pain. He decided not to dwell on it, and ask Kagome later what had happened (more of Trickoni's magic I'm afraid). When Inuyasha reached the camp he was irritated that they were all asleep. "What am I, chopped liver?" he asked in a rather loud voice.

Miroku, in sleep took a swing at Inuyasha with his staff.

The staff hit the back of Inuyasha's knees and brought him crashing to the ground.

"Hey!" Said an annoyed Inuyasha. "WAKE UP!" Inuyasha's echoing voice mixed with the echo of Kagome's waking up, "SIT!"

When Inuyasha finally quit complaining about being "sat" when he'd woken up alone and completely in the dark, Kagome started to tell him all about his interesting behavior.