Hello peoples. Here I am to give you the next installment of A Kiss in the Dark. Last we left off, Kagome had figured out the plan to hook up Sango and Miroku. Just what is that plan you say? Find out now.

Before I start off, I want to thank AnimeWannabe and The-world-needs-peace for their lovely reviews :) This chapter is dedicated to them and to all those who decide to press that "Go" button after reading this. Enjoy!

Oh and I dun own Inuyasha just so we're clear on all that, though like many others say, I wish I did. Mostly I wish I owned Inuyasha (human form), Miroku and Sesshoumaru, alas, all I have are these... (hugs plushies) Well anyway, on with the fic ;)

A couple of days later...

Kagome and Shippo were at Kaede's hut finally alone with Kaede with all of the others sucesfully out of the way. It was easy enough to get rid of Miroku and Sango, who were outside playing janken (A/N: Rock paper scissors, remember that episode?) determined to become better players in hopes of beating Kagome one of these days. However, Inuyasha was a little harder to get rid of. He was determined to pick up and leave, especially since Kaede's hut was a pit stop pretty far from their trail, and it took a lot of presuation from Kagome to even get him to stop there in the first place. She had suggested he go spar with Kilala and train so now she had at least a little while to get her plan into motion with Kaede's help.

"Kaede, I have to ask you something," Kagome said slowly, going over in her head exactly what she wanted from Kaede.

"Yes child, I could tell you had something to ask me from the moment I first saw your face," she said knowingly, "I'm just surprised it took you so long to ask."

"Yeah well," the young miko said, while fidgeting with her skirt hem and then looking up at Kaede. "I wanted to know if you had any more of those special charms that are voice command activated. Kind of like the charm you made for Inuyasha that activates when I tell him to sit."

Kaede rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Let me get this straight. You need another charm for Inuyasha? Is not one enough?" And then thinking about it, she added, "Or do you need one for the monk?"

"Um well sorta, but..." Kagome didn't know how to finish her sentence without telling Kaede her secret plot.

Shippo sighed and finally spoke. "Just tell her, Kagome. I'm sure she won't tell, right Kaede?"

Kaede's bored look soon lightened. The old woman had a very routine life. Little tidbits of excitement was all she could live for now. "Tell me what?" She had a big curious grin on her face.

Kagome gave Shippo a bad look and then sweatdropped. "Oh, it's nothing, Kaede. Shippo umm wanted me to tell you that he's finally potty trained. He's too nervous to tell you himself and he knows you won't tell the others," Kagome started patting the pissed off kitsune's head. "Isn't that right, Shippo? Who's our little man?"

Kaede's expression fell. "Oh so that's what it is... good for you, I guess..." she said disappointedly.

Shippo threw her hand off his head and said, "No, of course it's not! Kaede, Kagome and me are planning to get Miroku and Sango together and we need your help," he said, and stuck out his tounge at Kagome.

Kaede's face brightened again. "Ahh I see... I should have known you were lying before, Kagome. We all know Shippo is not as of yet potty trained..."

Shippo laughed sarcastically. "Ha ha ha... And here I thought sense of humor was something lost after the age of eighty-five," he said and then left the hut.

"I'm only fifty-nine years of age I'll have you know!" she yelled out after him, obviously wounded by the insult. "Anyway, what is this plan you were thinking of?"

Well it looked like she didn't have a choice. "You can't let anyone know about this, please. Don't even give Sango and Miroku funny looks or anything, they could get suspicious," she pleaded.

Kaede shook her head. "You know I won't, Kagome, though the fact that you could tell Shippo this and not me is quite insulting to say the least."

"Oh no, Keade," Kagome said while waving her arms in defense, "The only reason I told him was because he is an integral part of this plan, I totally need him," she took a deep breath. "Well, this is the plan..."

---5 min later---

"... and that's where you come in. Do you think you might have what I need?"

Kaede smiled and got up. "I think I have just the thing you're looking for," she said and started rummaging through her cabinet.

------A week later-----

The group was walking through the forest, still on Naraku's trail. They had gotten pretty far and Inuyasha now swears on being able to sense Naraku, but Kagome had bigger issues on her mind for the moment. Like the perfect time to put her plan into motion. And Kagome finally had her chance.

Kagome had forced them to call it a day quite early but not because she was tired this time. She had seen her opportunity and they needed to be in that particular location. She was still so shocked, she couldn't have picked a better place.

After she was able to convince, better yet, force Inuyasha into settling down at that location, she went forth with her plan. She grabbed Shippo and pulled him to the side to where no one could hear them.

"Kagome has been acting very wierd lately, do any of you guys know what's up with her? She won't tell me," Sango said while watching her friend run off.

"Hell if I knew what was wrong with that damn wench. Her crazy 'sitting' spree is going to be my end, I just know it," Inuyasha said, while rubbing his body, sore from the dozens of 'sits' he had gotten earlier.

Miroku closed his eyes and shook his head. "I have no idea, I could never understand women. The mere wierdness and crazy states of their behavior is mind boggling. I find it best to..." he trailed off when he opened his eyes and saw Inuyasha shaking his head frantically and then hesitantly looked over at Sango and she looked quite... pissed...

"You didn't finish, monk. You find it best to what?" she said through gritted teeth.

Miroku sweatdropped. "Uh no see its not like that, w-what I had meant was, umm well..." 'I'm screwed' Miroku groaned mentally.

"Grr..." Sango knocked him upside the head. "So I guess you didn't see that one coming either, what with me being so crazy and all," she said while stomping away.

Inuyasha looked down at him on the ground. "I tried to warn you, but you just had to open your big mouth."

"Ehh yeah..." Miroku mumbled while rubbing his sore head.

Kagome took Shippo to a cave nearby their campsite. "Isn't it perfect, Shippo? It's the perfect size and everything," she said while peering in.

Shippo took a look inside it and shivered. "I guess... if you're into cold creepy caves then yeah," he said and stepped back.

"That's the plan Shippo, so they can keep each other warm," she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Right... so are we gonna do this now?" he asked.

"Yep, you rembember what to do right?"

Shippo sighed. "Of course I do. I'm not stupid, like some certain dog-eared idiot I know," he said, walking off.

Kagome smiled to herself. This plan was so perfect. 'How smart of you to think of such a great idea' she thought. 'Who says you need good grades to be smart?'

Shippo ran over to Sango. "Sango! Sango!" he called, putting on the most scared look he could muster.

She stopped playing with Kilala and looked at him in concern. "What's wrong, Shippo?" she asked.

He took a while to catch his breath before saying anything. "Youkai... in the... cave," he said between pants.

She got up. "Is it coming after you?" she asked, looking around for said demon.

"Umm... well... not exactly..." he couldn't say it was after him. Plan was she was supossed to go looking for it.

"So it's not bothering you then?" Then she thought about it. "Hmm how come you're asking me to get rid of it? I'm surprised you didn't just run to Inuyasha," she said.

"Well umm the demon is a small fry, no need to get Inuyasha involved. You can handle this one."

Seeing Sango get angry made him realize the utter mistake of his words. "No! I meant that Inuyasha is sleeping now and you're such a great demon exterminator so-"

"Just tell me where this youkai is supossed to be," she cut him off, still annoyed by his earlier remark.

She was mad at him yes, but the plan was still rolling into motion. "This way," he said, leading her to the cave.

They walked up to the cave. "The demon is supossed to be in here?" Sango asked, while looking into the cave. "I don't see one in here."

"You have to go all the way in," Shippo said.

The demon exterminator gave him a suspicious look. "Why would you go all the way in a cave in the first place?"

'Why don't she just go in already?' "It was out here, but then it went in there. I'm scared, Sango. It might come out tonight and attack us while we're sleeping or something," he cried, hoping she would buy it.

She sighed. "Okay, I'll give it a look." She stepped in the cave and looked around inside.

While Shippo was convincing Sango to go in the cave, Kagome was trying to do the same with Miroku.

"Miroku! Miroku! I need you!" Kagome cried while running towards him.

Inuyasha fell out of the tree. "Why Kagome, this is so sudden," Miroku said with a perverted grin on his face. "Kagome! What the hell is going on!" Inuyasha yelled while jumping up.

'I can't believe they would think that!' She fought the urge to smack them both. "It's not like that, Miroku. I need you to get rid of a youkai for me," she said, trying to take the edge out of her tone.

"Why would you need me to get rid of a youkai? Why don't you just ask Inuyasha? It more fits his job description," he said, looking confused.

Kagome had to supress her annoyance once again. He was wasting time. "It's a ghost youkai," she said, resisting the urge to add "you dumbass" at the end of the sentence.

Miroku picked up his staff and got up. "Where is it?" he asked.

'Well it's about time' Kagome started to head for the cave. "It's this way," she said.

They reached the cave. "It's in here?" Miroku asked, looking at it.

"Yes, it's in there. There's a restless spirit inside that will do much harm if it isn't exorcised soon." She looked at him with puppy eyes. "Will you get rid of it for me, please?" she asked in her sweetest voice.

He looked very uncomfortable about something. "Kagome, I'd rather not-"

"Oh just go in there, it won't bite!" she said and pushed him in the cave. 'Yes!' she thought to herself and activated the first charm to seal the rock.

He stumbled in and looked around. "Kagome, I really don't..." he looked around when all of a sudden the cave became darker. He ran to the boulder that covered the entrance. "Kagome! Kagome! What's going on?" He started to pound on the intruding rock.

"Miroku, is that you?" Sango asked, walking towards him.

He jumped when he heard her voice. "Sango, what are you doing in here?" He asked while focusing on her image in the dim light that was able to get in.

She sighed. "So they got you too? Damn, I should have checked for a second entrance."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, while continuing to try and move the rock.

"For some reason, Kagome and Shippo are playing some trick on us. Crap, I should have seen this coming," she said and sat down on a rock. She looked at Miroku who was continuously trying to move the rock. "It's no use, Miroku. The rock has been charmed with magic. You won't be able to move it."

"What?" he demanded and started pounding on the rock even more. "Damnit, Kagome, this isn't funny! Let us out now!" he yelled and then kicked it.

------Meanwhile, outside the cave-----

"Kagome, he sounds mad. Maybe we should forget about this," Shippo said, very scared when he heard the pounding and the yelling.

Kagome looked scared herself. "W-we have to continue," she said, and jumped when she heard a thud. "Even though he may be mad at us for now, as scary as that is, he hopefully won't be mad for much longer," she said, as if trying to convince herself.

"I don't know, Kagome," Shippo said, and then inspected the charmed boulder. "What's the magic word that's gonna get this thing to open anyway?"

Kagome smiled mischievously. "The magic word is when Sango says 'girlfriend.'"

Shippo gave Kagome a confused look. "But how did you get Sango to say it to activate the..." Kagome had a huge grin on her face.

Shippo then sighed and shook his head. "You know what, something tells me the less I know, the better off I'll be."

Hmm... will her plan work? And just why is our usual peaceloving monk spazzing out? Answers to this and more in the next chapter, plz review :)