"Fujin." Said Kagura, with what seemed to be joy as she cut through the air, making blade to attack InuYasha. Sango was hiding, unsure of what to do.

"Tetsusaiga!" Said InuYasha as he filled the area with a yellowish glow. However Kagura wasn't stupid. Though InuYasha may have swung the sword with all the grace of a drunken ox, he had a good deal of strength behind each swing. She didn't let him get close.

InuYasha smelled it. The point where the two yokis collided. The point where he could invoke the Kaze no Kizu.

And, being InuYasha, he didn't think that Kagura had a trick up her sleeve, so he did.

"Kaze No Kizu!" He shouted, bringing the blade down with so much force he was off the ground. Kagura smiled.

"Heh, child." She said, reversing the flow of the wind. The wind scar sat there a moment, swirling in around its self, then came back.

However, even though InuYasha couldn't have dodged, the lucky thing was that a pink shield came up around him at the same time his prayer beads glowed. He looked very confused. Kagura's face twisted in rage.

"Fujin No Mae!" She said, mustering nearly all she could get into that attack. InuYasha smirked.

"Feh, so you want it that way?" He shouted above the noise, and leaped into the wind.

He watched as time split apart. Thousands of him died because he couldn't do this right, but here… Here he lived. He refused to die, because if he did, Sango would die.

He saw it. The smoldering bit.

"Kaze No Kizu!" He yelled, this time swinging the blade the ease. When he landed the wind was going back to its maker, and leaving InuYasha alone. He rushed back over to Sango, who was cowering in the bushes.

"Hey, Sango." He said with worry in his tone as he gently wrapped his arms around her, easing her to her feet. He looked into her chocolate eyes that were dry with fear. "Sango, she's gone, you're safe, for now." He tried. He pulled her close, into a hug. He wanted her to get her courage back, but he excused it mostly on wanting her not to be fearful.

"I'm… I'm sorry." He heard her say, just before there were wet droplets hitting his shoulder. He grabbed her shoulders, and pulled her out to face him. Her eyes were red, and her face was creased with fright and grief.

"What are you sorry for?" He said. She opened her mouth to answer, but InuYasha wouldn't let her. "You're alive, that's enough for me. What could you have done in that fight? A boomerang would have been easily dodge able for her, and you might have died if you'd been in the one. Don't. Be. Sorry." He said. He was still for a moment, the only sound around was her sniffling, and the dying down Bakuryuha. After a time she nodded.

…

If Kagome had been acting like this really, Miroku would have long since had his way with her, but this was Naraku. This was not something he wanted to… Hell, he had a hard time getting himself to even touch her rear. Currently this Kagome thing was reading one of Kagome's books, and pretending to understand '1 3/3,' let alone '1 4.532, ?'

Miroku had tried reading the book once. It confused him to no end, and he didn't even get past the second paragraph! He rolled out his bedroll to get some sleep.

A while after that, once he'd fallen asleep, he woke to the sound of the book closing, but he dare not open his eyes, lest he have to act like she was Kagome again. He assumed that 'Kagome' was going to her own bed, and that was fine with him, all things considered. Then he felt a hand on his face…

"You'll die before they even return…" Said 'Kagome', her face was in the expression of enjoyment.

…

"You jerk!" They heard 'Kagome' yell. InuYasha and Sango were amazed at how realistic Naraku was faking being Kagome with a crush. They dashed up, with mock worry, which became genuine once they arrived. "If only you had a necklace!" For a moment Sango was baffled about how Naraku knew about that, then tried to set her mind to the task of not running away. InuYasha was already helping out by catching Kagome.

"Don't get hurt…" Said Sango in a whisper. The prayer beads flashed in acknowledgement, not that anyone noticed.

"InuYasha, stay outta this!" Said 'Kagome'. "This…" Naraku seemed to think. "This two timing Monk has to take what's coming to him!"

Sango saw an arrow on the ground. Kikyo was standing next to her.

"Hit her with it." She said. Sango didn't really know how, or why she had managed to get herself to do this, but she threw the arrow, a bit clumsily. Time seemed to slow for a moment as Kikyo, Kagome and Sango watched this arrow fly.

The best it'll be is a distraction. Why did I do that? Thought Sango.

Swish, swish, swish… The arrow turned over, and over. Eventually it came to Kagome's body, and the arrowhead just barely touched her. Nothing happened.

Then, after a moment the world swung back into place, and the arrow dissolved, as did all the evil around Kagome's body. Kagome, the patchwork figure, stretched, the shrunk, then was gone.

…

Kagome opened her eyes. She had eyes! Eyes usually implied a body, too. But not always. She sat up, feeling a slight prick of pain as her leg – She had a leg too! – scratched something sharp on the ground. She saw three worried faces, and three tips of tails. The worried faces were her friends, and InuYasha. The tails were Kirara's and Shippo's. Funny, she didn't remember Shippo being there. After a moment of thought she noticed something. Her butt felt raw, as if someone had been rubbing it too much. She scanned the faces in front of her, looking for the one that did it. Her hand found Miroku first, though, and Miroku's cheek found her hand.

"Ugh… I feel un-clean." She said. The faces smiled with relief, and the tails even seemed to relax.

"Good to have you back." Said Sango. With that, Sango helped her friend waddle off to the hot springs.

End Chapter Twenty-Two