Sango had been having a hissed argument with Kikyo, but InuYasha didn't listen. Miroku seemed to have stepped down, as of late. No matter how close Sango got to him, he resisted his lecherous ways. It was really impressive to InuYasha how… How… InuYasha groped for a reasonable word to put in that place. How respectful Miroku was being, to Sango and to him by this one act. Sango stopped, looking a little confused, and a little sick.

"This place has a terrible aura… It's hauntingly familiar, too…" Said Sango. She rubbed her arms, as if cold. "Makes me feel unclean just being here." She said. Miroku nodded with his eyes closed in that knowing way he always did.

"Yes, a putrid aura indeed." He said, looking at his staff.

"Do you even know what is leading this staff?" Asked Kikyo.

"Um, do we know what's leading the staff, asks Kikyo."

"Not a clue." Said InuYasha.

"Um, then Kikyo suggests she scouts ahead, since she's dead anyway." Said Sango after a moment.

…

"WAAAH!" Naraku yelled, with enough volume to surpass a bullhorn easily. Kagome had curled up and shielded her ears a bit later than was ideal, but she'd done it, regardless of how much it hurt to move. An interesting thought made it through her terror.

It's not a good idea to have a baby that's demonic in any way… Well, there's one pro to not being with InuYasha. She would only recognize later on how out of character that reflection was, but fright could do that to a person.

"Ow…" She whispered, not that she could hear herself over the buzzing in her ears.

"You will…" There was a pause, as if Naraku was biting back some words. "…Become part of a… power. Part of… Me." He appeared mentally relieved after that. Then he braced himself for a second time. "Though you will… Be rather harder… to take than Potty! Is ideal." Kagome strained to make this out above the ringing she heard.

"How… How so?" She asked, although she couldn't be sure she was speaking.

"Because I want you, powers intact." Another pause, in which Naraku took a deep, long breath. "However powers such as yours… come from the spirit."

"You mean… You're going to take my body?"

"And powers."

…

Kikyo, through those wise, and incomprehensible way of thinking she always did, concluded that she knew how Sango could see her. Initially she thought Kagome had been subconsciously been trying to save herself, so she helped Kikyo become visible, but that was not a likely theory once she learned that no one could see her but Sango. So, since there was something Sango lost, Kikyo concluded that the gods must smile upon her, and that they wanted her to stay useful, even if it's only for her own benefit. Something along those lines, but with much bigger words, since it was, of course, Kikyo thinking this. Another thing Kikyo had noticed was that Sango kept looking directly at the Shikon shard. Kikyo had wondered about that, and she thought she might know what it meant. To be sure, though, she'd need to help them find the jewel faster. She set her mind to that task, and nothing more than that.

…

Miroku had noticed something. He'd noticed it a couple of hours before, but he'd noticed it. Miroku liked to think himself very observant, and that he was. He was also a little full of himself, but only a little. He'd notice how uncomfortable InuYasha seemed to be. He'd been watching this, and he'd wondered about it. Sango seemed oblivious to this occurrence, but Miroku wanted to know more. He had been slowly making his way closer to InuYasha so he could ask the Hanyou what was wrong, and finally he had made it.

"InuYasha, you seem ill at ease." He said. InuYasha's ears fell back, and his face took on a rather pouty - but in an InuYasha way – expression.

"It's Sango…" He said quietly. As far as either man could tell she couldn't hear them. "She's not the same person. I feel like I've lost her." Miroku was shocked at how easily he had InuYasha confessing what was wrong. He hid that, though. He didn't want InuYasha to think that was a bad thing.

"What do you mean? She seems like Sango to me." Said Miroku. As an established con artist, he'd had plenty of practice not losing his composure.

"It's just…" He sighed. "I don't even know how to describe it. I've never described something like this." He said, irritated "Sango was… Is the woman I…" Once again he fought against a good deal of himself to say the next word "…I love… But I can't see this new Sango, this one without her courage that was so much of her, as the Sango I fell for." He said. He put his face in his hand briefly. "I don't even know… Go away, Monk." Miroku nodded. InuYasha was clearly making an effort to be better. It was rather disturbing, in a way.

…

About three hours later - Sango couldn't be sure of exactly how long it really was - they arrived at what appeared to be a tree fort. The aura was coming from it.

"This is Naraku's new castle?" She asked Kikyo, who nodded.

"Yes, this is it. Naraku had childish impulses, so I doubt he could resist." Said Kikyo.

"Kikyo, what's the pinkish-blackish glow?" She asked. She saw Kikyo's eyes widen a fraction, though she couldn't be sure.

"So you can see it." Said Kikyo. "That," She pointed. "Is the Shikon no Kakera's aura. If that is what you're seeing, then we may have a few things to discus. Later."

"Right, as for now we have to go and save Kagome, and get those Shards.

"Precisely." Said Miroku.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for? Lets go!" Said InuYasha. A thought occurred to Sango; She was still a coward, and didn't know if she could fight. She could hardly grip Hiraikotsu, and when she did it didn't feel right. She laced her Taijia mask, shoving that thought aside, and stepped forward, only hesitating a little.

Into the fray, She told herself.

End Chapter Nineteen

All right, I have little to say here, other than: SnowFox, really, don't worry about it! I should be saying I'm sorry, since I got totally lazy and just didn't write a chapter one day! Really, relax, you guys don't have to review every chapter ever, kay? It's always nice when I get reviews, and if, but some amazing miracle, I manage to get the most reviews of any story (which is not going to happen this story) then you'll have helped enough already, love.

All right, it's like, one thirty here; so I need to go do some other stuff, then in a few hours go to bed. Night all,

Miko-Chan.