The Switch: Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

I'm glad y'all liked my cliffhanger. Oh wait you didn't… never mind then…

Yay! Chapter 10! I'd like to thank all the little people out there, like Shippo and Rin. And all the not-so-little people, like all of my wonderful reviewers! I couldn't have done it without you! Always remember to read and review!

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In case you forgot: When I say Miroku, I mean Miroku in Inuyasha's body.

When I say Inuyasha, I mean Inuyasha in Miroku's body.

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"Just who do you think you are?" Koga snarled back at the stranger who told him to let go of his 'mate.'

"I am the Lord of the Western Lands. You may call me Sesshomaru. Now put the girl down."

"I don't care if you're the Lord of the Flies. Or the Lord of the Dance. Or even the Lord of the Rings. No one tells me what to do."

Hearing what was going on, Inuyasha rushed over to see his half brother threatening Koga. "Who died and made you boss of the western lands?" he sneered. Miroku and Sango followed (ooh, but where is Shippo? Do y'all remember from last chapter?).

Sesshomaru ignored his younger brother. "Then you will die a slow and painful death," he replied calmly, as if he and Koga were talking about the weather.

Seeing the look on his opponent's face, Koga reluctantly put Kagome's feet back on the ground. "Don't go anywhere, Kagome. I'll be back for you."

"No. You will leave. Now." With Sesshomaru's words, Koga took off, dust whirling after him. Inuyasha was sure the wolf had his tail between his legs.

Everyone turned as a sound of protest came from the woods a beat later. "I will be the one to kill Inuyasha," the gang heard another cold voice announce as Kikyo stepped out of the trees, her soul skimmers swirling around her. "Take their souls," she ordered and the strange snakelike creatures hovered to Inuyasha and Miroku. "I need Inuyasha's soul to kill Naraku. Then we can go to hell together," the miko explained. "But since I don't know which one of you is really Inuyasha, I'll just take both of your souls."

"Get away from me," Inuyasha protested angrily, flailing his staff at them. But the soul skimmers didn't care or notice. They had two jobs. Steal the monk's soul and steal the half-demon's soul.

"I won't let you," Kagome shouted, shooting an arrow at Kikyo, who just cackled as the arrow flew past, inches from her head.

"It is too late," the older priestess said smugly. And she was right. Inuyasha and Miroku collapsed to the ground. The soul skimmers, with two shimmering souls between them, headed back to their master. Sesshomaru (though it certainly wasn't for Sango and Kagome's sake) distracted Kikyo.

"No one defies the Lord of the Western Lands. I shall be the one to kill Inuyasha," Sesshomaru announced, cleaving the soul skimmers in half with one swing of Tensaiga. Slowly, the souls hovered back to Inuyasha and Miroku, disappearing inside their bodies.

"No one disposes of my soul skimmers," Kikyo retorted. The two moved deeper into the forest, fighting, and Sango and Kagome could faintly hear the occasional 'twang' of a bowstring or a swish from Sesshomaru's blade.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, rushing to the monk's body.

"Lord Miroku!" Sango shouted, hurrying to the half-demon's body. But both men were unconscious. Neither girl could wake them.

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The girls sat, waiting for their companions to wake up. "Have you seen Shippo?" Kagome asked curiously after about half an hour. She hadn't seen the kitsune in awhile.

Sango's eyes went wide. "I'll be back." She cursed under her breath.

"What is it?"

"Oh, Miroku told Shippo we'd play hide and seek… and then all this happened. So I guess he's still hiding."

Kagome giggled. Poor Shippo, she thought as Sango trudged into the woods.

Then she noticed the monk's body twitch slightly as if he was waking up. "Inuyasha," she said happily. She leaned over him, smiling with relief as his violet eyes opened. "I'm glad you're okay," she said softly, noticing that Inuyasha's body still lay unmoving. He looked as if he were worried, his violet eyes a little wider than usual. She could tell he was about to protest.

"Don't worry, Inuyasha. It'll be okay. We'll fix everything." She kissed his forehead gently, then his lips. Poor thing. I know he's having a rough day. It seems like everyone's out to get him. Koga, Kikyo, Sesshomaru… Carefully, she smoothed his black hair. He's so cute when he's surprised, she thought, noticing the look he had on his face. Even though he looks like Miroku.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. He groaned. "That bad, huh?"

"What… what exactly happened?" he asked, sounding dazed. Kagome explained everything. "Where's Sango?" he asked when she had finished.

"Looking for Shippo."

Sitting up, he groaned again. "I should probably help her."

Puzzled, Kagome protested "But it's not your fault."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "If that's what you think, then I'll stay here." He looked at his cursed hand for a moment, then back at Kagome.

Kagome smiled. "You almost died, just stay here." She moved closer so he could lean against her. They sat quietly until they saw Sango crashing through the bushes carrying an irate Shippo.

"No, Shippo, your hiding place was really good. That's why we didn't find you."

"Was it taking so long that Miroku had to rub you?"

"What?"

"Well I figured that's why he's passed out over there."

"Oh, right," Sango said, laughing nervously. "He's such a pervert," she said, almost sounding as if she didn't mean it for once.

"They took so long that I fell asleep," Shippo bragged to Kagome, now pleased with his hiding skills.

"That's… wonderful," she replied, not sure how she was supposed to react but offering him a smile anyways.

Shippo prodded the unconscious half demon. His eyes fluttered open and he sat up. "Oh, my head," the now-conscious hanyou moaned. He rubbed his temples.

"It's good to see you awake," Sango said, smiling. "I found Shippo."

"I knew I picked a good spot," Shippo bragged.

He just gave them a confused look. Then his golden eyes narrowed on the other male in the group as he stood up. "Can we just get the hell out of here and find some jewel shards?"

"You almost died a few hours ago. Why are you in such a hurry?" Kagome asked, giving him a look that said 'stay put.' Wow, he sure is acting like Inuyasha now.

He just let out an exasperated sigh in response. "I want to talk to you. Alone." Sango said, grabbing a sleeve of his haori and dragging him away, while Shippo watched with wide eyes.

"Oh, Inuyasha, everything's so complicated right now," Kagome said with a sigh, while the man in front of her fiddled with his staff.

"Yup."

"I think it's funny." Kagome looked at Shippo strangely, wondering what he thought was so funny. "I mean, we didn't know they switched. And Kikyo and Sesshomaru and Koga didn't know. Think of all the fun we could have."

"Doing what?"

"Umm… tricking people?"

"I think you need to put a little more thought into that," Kagome said dryly, but the kitsune didn't notice the sarcasm. He seemed to be looking at something behind Kagome.

Before she could turn around to see what Shippo was looking at, Kagome felt a hand on her behind. Startled, she jumped back. "What is wrong with you?!" she shrieked, scooting away from the roving hand.

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"Things are complicated now, aren't they?" Sango asked, once they were out of hearing range.

"Yeah, I guess so." He hadn't noticed how close Sango was. Hesitantly, she reached for a strand of his silver hair and played with it, then looked up into his golden eyes.

He knew what was coming but didn't stop it. Sango leaned in for a kiss…

Once they broke apart, Sango said softly "I think I could get used to you being this way." He's so strong… and his hair… and his eyes…and his ears… She let out a dreamy sigh

"What way?"

"As a half demon. You know, looking like Inuyasha."

His golden eyes blinked, confused. "I am Inuyasha."

Sango pushed him playfully. "You had me convinced when you were ready to look for jewel shards."

"I'm telling ya, wench, I'm NOT the damn monk."

After thinking for a moment, Sango smiled. "That's okay with me."

The demon slayer rubbed Inuyasha's ears and a blissful, dreamy look settled over his face. Oh, that feels so good, Inuyasha thought happily. Why did I like Kagome when I could have Sango? She's tough, she's pretty, she can kill stuff… and I don't think about Kikyo whenever I see her. What a great woman… This time it was Inuyasha who started the kiss…

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AN: If you didn't get that, they switched back ;) Chapter 11: coming soon to a fan fiction site near you!

And of course, read and review. Er, review since you already read.