Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Things are about to get more emotional. I highly doubt there will be any more comedy from this chapter onwards simply because of the direction that the plot is taking. There will be more angst and the occasional fluff, and yes, there is still action to come. :sighs: I don't hate doing action… okay, so I highly dislike writing it, but it does add more flexibility to the story, and it is more enjoyable to read than to actually describe. I'm trying to add enough fluff without breaking the overall mood of the story but, as you probably know by now, fluff isn't my natural element. Angst is, obviously.

Aamalie: Believe it or not, that was the first time I've ever done a proper fluff scene. You know, like past the hugging and touching the shoulder stuff. I've been reading too much of the PoF's fanfics. You thought -that- was the best line? Uh… why?

Bonzo the Fifth: How was the first explained :looks confused: All I did was type down how she refused to say anything about it, and it's not like she's directly lying to him. You're right, this is too obvious. However, things will get a bit more dramatic because of the "secret" that she's tried to hide for so long. Ofudas wouldn't work.

Blusorami: I don't write lemons, which is why I stopped them before it went too… deep. Miroku isn't really hurt, he's mainly shocked and confused, although he has already suspected that there is something wrong with Sango. He does, however, he doesn't need to voice his assumptions aloud, considering that Sango is going through enough without reminders.

Stripe: How did you just manage to come across this when I'm on your author alert list :looks confused: Of course it's dark and creepy, that's why it's in the horror genre. Um, no, not in this particular story. However… I do have plans for the future.

Inuyasha'sonlywoman: Thank you for the inspiration. It always makes me happy to know people like this one.

Ninalee-chan: Because… because it gives me a nice, wonderful excuse to write angst. My friend Dante once told me, "You can't kill kids, Iggy! It's against the law of… :pauses: the law of fanfiction!". Well, in this one I did, and I actually have a reason behind all this. Inuyasha didn't really "shoulder the blame", he just let the villagers assume that he had done it, and Sango didn't want to draw attention to herself. No dream segment, Ninalee.

On with the chapter!

He had seen.

Kami, he had seen me stab Reichi-kun!

"Sango -" he started to say, but cut himself off. I stood up, backing away and clicking the blade so that it fell to the ground. My hands were sticky with blood. Reichi-kun's blood.

"Houshi-sama, I -" I tried to think of something to say to fill the stunned silence between us. He took a few steps towards me, as if afraid I would suddenly strike out at him.

"What did you do to him?"

I shook my head, unable to think of a response. He knelt down beside the child, looking at the stab wounds. When he spoke, his voice was unsteady.

"Sango, what happened?"

"N - nothing! It was my own fault!" I couldn't bring myself to tell him. I just couldn't. Even though he already knew… I had to protect the secret.

He looked up at me, frustration and hurt evident in his eyes. "You couldn't have done this," he said, his voice unusually calm. "What is controlling you? What?" he demanded, standing up and approaching me.

"I - I don't know," I stammered, backing away. I had never seen him look so angry like this before.

"Quit hiding it, Sango! I want to help you, but if you don't let me -" He grabbed my shoulders, and his gaze bored into mine, almost as if he was trying to see through the depths of my soul. For a second, I was truly frightened of him.

"No, I'm telling you the truth!" I tried to hold my tears back. "Houshi-sama -" The pressure increasing in me was too much. I felt my legs collapse, my fists clenching as I struggled to keep my defences up, to keep him from seeing me turn into an emotional mess once again, but it didn't work too well. I really didn't know what was controlling me, why I felt so angry at the slightest annoyance, and it only confused me.

His tone softened as he caught me in his arms. He sounded tired. "Sango, I only want to help you," he said, holding me, trying to offer any support, although I knew that he didn't know what to do any longer to draw me out. The tears I had been trying to hold back spilled over my cheeks.

"I know, but - I can't… if anyone finds out…" I whispered, looking at him. "Look at this, Houshi-sama." I moved away to show him the blood. He opened his mouth, almost hesitantly, to say something, but then Kagome and Inuyasha came in.

"Sango-chan, where -" Kagome-chan began, but stopped at the sight of Reichi's body. Inuyasha passed her, kneeling down and inspecting the body. Then he turned and looked directly at me.

"What the hell happened here?" he growled. "You must have had something to do with this, Sango. There's blood all over you. What did you do to the brat?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped, her temper fuelling up at his words. "That's - that's not - you shouldn't -"

No one could have given Inuyasha a glare of hell at that moment that was worse than the monk's. Kagome's anger was nothing compared to the anger that I could feel was radiating off of his body. I wasn't sure if I was more horrified about what I had done this time or if I was more scared about what Miroku might do in his anger. I managed to decrease my crying, wiping my face and mentally telling myself to calm down.

Miroku held me tighter against him, shielding me from the hanyou's accusing stare. "Inuyasha, leave her alone. Maybe you should go bury the body." To the others, it sounded like a solemn suggestion, but to me, it sounded even worse than the accusation that Inuyasha himself had figured out.

Kagome put a calming hand on his shoulders, her voice unusually quiet. "It - it looks like he was taken by surprise."

"Well yeah," Inuyasha snorted. "If you were suddenly attacked with a knife, you'd be surprised too."

"That's not what I meant, Inuyasha," she said coolly. "Do you really think that Sango-chan would have had anything to do with something like this? The only way she could have had anything close to doing something like this was if… "

I blocked out the rest of what she said, burying my head in his shoulder. I didn't want to face any of it, and what was even stranger was that I didn't want to face my friends about it. I just didn't want to have to think about it anymore, otherwise it might drive me over the edge.

"It's okay, Sango. It's okay," I vaguely heard his voice say calmly. His hand went up and down my back in a soothing motion.

"Is Sango-chan hurt?"

"I'll tell you later." I could tell that he didn't want to describe what he had seen, and inwardly I thanked him. I didn't want to know what exactly he had seen. Had he seen the demon take control of me, or was he confused about the whole thing, like Kagome-chan? If he knew the demon was inside of me, trying to maintain control of my body, what could he possibly do to help?

Nothing. This was my fight, my inner battle. My partner's support could only go so far, and words were powerless against demons. Evil demons were usually unreasonable, only seeing their own despair and torment, so they attacked without thought, motivation being what drove them to destroy villages and families.

Inuyasha and Kagome stayed in the clearing to do something, not sure what. My senses dulled and I was unaware of anything else except for what I had done and the monk beside him, helping me get back to the hut. I was covered in blood, dirt, and cold sweat from fear.


He made me sit down on the mat, getting a damp cloth to wash away the blood. For some reason, I hesitated and backed away, causing dark stains to appear on the tatami.

"No…"

"Sango, I have to clean you up," he said, a hint of a plea in his voice. I knew he didn't mean to make it sound that way, but the words cut me deeply, reminding me of what I had done.

"What will that do?" I said, allowing my anger and guilt to take control of my temper. "Will cleaning the blood off of me erase what I've done? Will it bring back Reichi-kun? No!" I raged on, ignoring the wince at the increasing volume of my voice on his face. "It won't do anything! I can still feel the blood on my hands, Miroku! Kirishi-san and Reichi-kun will still be dead. Nothing can change that!"

Miroku remained silent as my words struck him. I felt guilty for yelling at him, but I hated myself at this moment for taking out my pain and anguish when he was only trying to help. I also hated myself for feeling so helpless, for not being able to prevent these things from happening. It wasn't his fault that there was a youkai inside of me, taking over my functions. So why did I have to take it out on the one person that cared about me most? Shaking a bit, I managed to find my voice.

"I'm sorry, Miroku. I'm sorry for yelling at you. I didn't - I didn't mean it." I looked down to avoid his gaze, not wanting to see the hurt in his eyes. "I know you're only trying to make things easier."

Still being silent, he took my hands and started washing them, getting the bloodstains off. His fingers moved gently over my skin, not scrubbing hard at the red liquid that remained. After about another ten minutes, he dipped the cloth back in the bucket, rinsing the cloth off. He didn't speak, and I briefly wondered if he was angry at me until his fingers tilted my chin upwards so I would meet his gaze.

"I understand," he said softly, drawing me closer to him so I could lean against him as he dried my hands. He felt comfy and warm, his face about an inch from my shoulder. I allowed myself to relax against him, mentally preparing myself for a perverted attack on my behind even as I knew he wouldn't do it. Not at a time like this. It had just always been in his nature to lighten up the situation, so I had come to expect it from him.

"Miroku," I whispered, wanting to stay here with him, and at the same time, not wanting to because I feared that my anger could really take control over me, and I could say things that I didn't mean, simply because I was frustrated about everything. His hand brushed over mine in a comforting gesture and he held me closer against him. "Miroku, I need to head out for a bit. I need to get rid of... of some things on my mind, but it would be a better idea if I did it alone." Reluctantly, I got up, vaguely remembering that half of my kimono still had dried blood on it, but I would change it later into something a little more… decent-looking. I offered him a faint smile, so faint that it could barely be called a smile. "I know you want to help and comfort me, but right now…" I looked away.

"Sango…" I think he wanted to say something, anything to cover up the wall of tension I had put between us, but I swallowed and spoke again. Otherwise I would never get it out.

"… right now I have to get rid of this anger that's been building up inside of me. I'm not angry at you, Miroku. If anything, I'm angry at myself. I'm starting to think that maybe my thoughts and feelings are being influenced, and that I'm starting to lose control. Of what, I'm not exactly sure. I was never as strong as you thought I was, and I'm not any stronger now. I know Inuyasha, Kagome-chan and you all believe that since I watched my family die and that I have to fight my brother because he doesn't remember me makes me strong, but I'm no stronger than any of you. I'm a taijiya, Miroku. I was trained to be a fighter and have confidence in anything that I did even if it was wrong because at least I tried. But trying isn't enough anymore, and… "

A well of emotion was rising, threatening to erupt soon. I had never confessed this much to anyone before, and I was still scared of telling Miroku this, but at the same time, I knew he'd understand. After a moment, in which I regained my composure and my voice, I turned back to face him. He was still sitting there, listening to me intently, his gaze gentle.

"I just don't understand. I don't know what to do anymore. When my family was killed, I learned who caused their deaths. The solution to avenging them was killing the one who did it. That was easy said, all I had to do was go after Naraku. I was still too weak to stand up or walk very much, let alone fight, but I never gave up because I knew I had to do it. When Kohaku was resurrected and he was sent to fight me simply because Naraku knew I wouldn't fight my own flesh-and-blood, I had to summon everything in my willpower to keep from crying every time I saw him. I had no choice but to fight him unless I allowed him to kill me, and I couldn't do that. As you know, I could only defend myself. Then Naraku would never be killed, and my efforts at destroying him would all be in vain. When I found out that Kohaku's lifeline was tied to the Shikon shard, it became another task and another reason for me to annihilate Naraku. This is different, though. I don't know exactly what I am fighting against, and I don't know how to prevent it from getting stronger. And that… that just puts everyone in more danger because it chose to take over me, and I can't fight what I don't understand. I know the basics of what it is, but at the same time, I feel so uncertain."

By this time, I had turned away again, staring out the window to look at the stars, yet not really seeing them. My voice had grown a bit more audible, but the trembling in it was evident. He stood up behind me, though he didn't touch me on the shoulder like he had done so many times before to comfort me. Perhaps he knew I didn't want it yet.

"We'll have to head to Kaede's first thing tomorrow. We can see if she knows any type of demon that can take control over the body of a human," he said.

"I'll be back shortly," I told him, grabbing Hiraikotsu and exiting the hut.


Inuyasha finished wrapping up the boy in an old blanket that the villagers supplied. Kagome had tried to help him clean up the area as best she could, trying to think up a possible excuse for Reichi-kun's death that Kaori-san would believe. She stood up as he prepared to take the body back to the cemetery grounds.

"Inuyasha, I'm going to tell Kaori-san what happened," she finally decided, her quiet voice breaking the tense silence in the clearing that had built up ever since Miroku and I had left.

There was a pause as she waited for Inuyasha to reply, and he did. "What are you going to tell her?"

"The bare facts. Her son died."

Inuyasha turned to look at her. "Is that all?"

Tears stung her eyes. "What do you want me to tell her, Inuyasha? That my best friend was somehow involved with the murder of her older son?"

The hanyou's tone was flat with a hint of sympathy. "Well, it's the truth. Can you really lie about something like that?"

Saying "sit" would never be enough to make him understand.


"Hiraikotsu!"

The heavy weapon sliced up numerous trees before it came back to me. I caught it, but my fatigue caused me to stumble and the Hiraikotsu to slip from my grasp.

I had just spent the last fifteen minutes destroying a tree trunk. Or rather, beating it up, then destroying it by cutting it in half with the large boomerang. I beat on it with all my strength, trying to wear myself out physically and emotionally, trying to figure out why the demon was doing this to me. Eventually, my physical strength was drained for the time being, and I knelt down on one knee, catching my breath.

"What is wrong with me?"

I had been angry earlier, but at one point, my anger had turned into rage and I had nearly taken it out on Miroku. As angry as I had been, the rage had felt disconnected. It just wasn't me. True, I am not usually a happy person either, but my anger had never been that strong before.

Was I still Sango?

What if the creature managed to take full control of me? What if my friends' lives were threatened? I had to stop this before it got worse.

The only problem was that I didn't know how to.


Some time later, I felt Miroku's hand on my shoulder. He had come to get me, helping me up. I turned to face him.

"Sango, it's been about an hour," he said quietly, sounding and looking tired, but I could sense the concern behind his words. "Look at you; you're covered in dirt. Come on back to the hut." When he sensed my hesitation, lowering my head, he tilted it so I would look back up at him. "Inuyasha and Kagome-sama have gone to tell Kaori-san what happened."

I looked away, my fists clenching on the dirt. "What are they - what are they going to tell her?" A wave of dizziness passed over me and I accidentally fell back against him, my exhaustion finally catching up.

He caught me in his arms, then lowered them back to his sides as I rested against him, closing my eyes. I really appreciated the fact that he was allowing me to simply relax for a moment, making me feel like I wasn't pressuring him for comfort again.

"They're not going to say anything about you. At least, I don't think Kagome-sama is going to. I think she's found a way to convince Kaori-san about Reichi-kun's death involving a youkai or something. I didn't ask her, but I caught a few words about what she said to Inuyasha," he told me, hesitantly putting his arms around my shoulders to support me as I leaned against him.

"You know I killed someone, Miroku. I took a life, and not just any life. The life of a little boy." Reichi-kun… My voice shook no matter how hard I willed it not to, and I could feel the pressure starting to build up inside of me again.

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. He opened it again, but all he said was, "I know."

After a few more minutes, he put an arm around my waist and we headed back to the hut. The hut across from ours was silent and gloomy, no lamps lit inside of it. The others weren't back yet. I briefly wondered what was taking them so long before I went in.


I sat down on the mat, grabbing the white sleeping robes that had been provided, and started to change underneath the covers as Miroku turned around, respecting my privacy. I changed so quickly in my attempt to get the clean white robes on that I almost tore the bloodstained kimono off in my haste, throwing it to the other side of the hut. I hated the feel of it, I hated the red stain that had spread all over it.

"You can turn around now," I said quietly, unable to hide the quaver in my voice. Miroku slowly turned around, his gaze full of concern as he watched me. I just sat there, clenching the blankets in my fists, biting my lower lip. It was the only way I could prevent myself from crying.

"Sango, if you need me…" he began. I lay down, pulling the blanket up to my neck to muffle the sound of my tears. I didn't want him to see me this way. I was literally sobbing into the blankets. The only time I had cried this much before was when Kohaku had first come back, and I believed that he had remembered me. My shoulders shook with the force of my tears, and he wrapped an arm around my waist, the breath from his words brushing across the back of my neck as he tried to comfort me.

"… I'll be here."


The next morning, the group headed to Kaede's. Luckily, I had not had to face Kaori-san earlier. Although at one point, when I went out to breakfast, I had heard someone crying in one of the huts. Koichi-kun was devastated about his brother's death, and Kaori-san comforted him, looking close to tears herself. I didn't talk to either of them for the remainder of the morning. I thought for sure that she would have suspected something by my silence, but she was too concerned about her younger son, so she didn't get a chance to talk to me. Kagome-chan had talked to her, and I never found out what lie she had thought up to 'protect' whatever I had done. I didn't want to know, either. Shippou had missed the whole thing last night, and none of us felt he needed to know about it, least of all me. I still had images flashing in my mind whenever I thought about the blood from any of the demons that we had destroyed lately, Kirishi-san or Reichi-kun.

It was a silent walk; none of us really talked. Miroku and I occasionally brushed shoulders, but didn't hold hands although I knew that he kept glancing at me as if to make sure I was okay. I really wasn't, but now was not the time to discuss it. Kagome and Inuyasha didn't know we had confessed about our feelings and for some strange reason, I felt I did not want them to know yet. At one point, however, he put an arm around my shoulders and I leaned against him, allowing him to comfort me in his own way.

We arrived at Kaede's in a sombre mood. She greeted us, her smile fading when she saw me. I must have looked exhausted or sick or something, because she immediately invited us in, sensing something was wrong.

"What be the matter?" she asked once we were seated inside.

Inuyasha crossed his arms, looking at me. Kagome-chan cast a worried look at me, then sent a glare at him. Miroku kept a protective arm around me, but I didn't rest against him. When he realized I wasn't going to speak, he talked for me.

"There is something strange going on," he told her. "Sango has not been herself lately due to an unknown presence that has most likely resided in her body."

"A demonic presence?" Kaede suggested. Miroku nodded. I opened my mouth to speak, and he squeezed my hand, offering silent encouragement.

"It takes control of my body at different times, and at one point, I blanked out. I couldn't remember what I'd done, but… I almost attacked Houshi-sama."

Kagome-chan looked horrified at my statement. "You - you attacked Miroku-sama?"

I didn't answer. Miroku shifted closer to me, and if he was any closer than he was at the moment, I would practically be in his lap, although the embarrassment didn't bother me. As a matter of fact, I wanted to be in his arms. However, Kagome-chan and Inuyasha would have something to say about that if we snuggled in front of them, and I was too shy to confirm Kagome-chan's suspicions.

"It was against her will," he explained, but with such coldness in his tone that Kagome-chan looked almost frightened. Miroku had been so protective of me lately.

Kaede looked thoughtful. "I know of a few demons that can take over the minds of humans. What else happened?"

"I had dreams that warned me about the ones I was going to - I mean, it was going to make me kill." My throat tightened and he tried to pull me into his embrace, but I resisted. No tears. Not now, later when no one would be around.

Kagome-chan's eyes widened as she observed the close contact we had, but she wisely chose not to say anything in front of the less observant ones.

"Ah. They were warnings," the old woman comprehended. "Well, I do know of a way to see what it is that has decided to reside in your body."

"How?" Miroku asked.

"An incantation," she answered. "It is the only safe way to check what kind of demon it is and how it got into your body. Please lie down on the mat across the room and relax any tension in your body."

Reluctantly I did as she asked. Miroku stayed on the other side of the room with Inuyasha and Kagome. Sometimes the best support is giving none at all, but providing silent respect for what has to be done. I could tell that he was much more worried about me than he had been earlier, and I couldn't blame him.

I had never been in possession of a demon before. Sure, Naraku had controlled me with the stupid jewel shard, pitting me against my friends by way of a simple yet twisted lie. But I had never been in direct possession of a demon like this before, and I had no control about it. It could control my body, which was bad enough, but the fact that it might possibly be taking over my mind was just… I didn't know how to describe it, but what I did know was that I have never been more scared in my life. Scared for me, and even more scared for my friends.

Kaede clasped her hands, chanting some strange words. A strange type of warmth filled me and a bright light made my body glow. Then it faded. Kaede opened her eyes and looked at me as I sat up. The expression on her face made fear build up in me.

"Child, a dream demon by the name of Tsuyuki has entered you. I do not know exactly how strong it is, but it has become strong enough to weaken the barriers that your mind has put up. You do not have much time." Seeing the despairing look on my face, she continued on. "I can perform a ritual that will allow you to fight it, to force it out of your mind. However, I do not have the items that are essential for it. You will have to travel into the east, to a place called Mount Hikoshira. The items should be somewhere at the top."

I got up, attaching my Hiraikotsu to my back. "I guess I should be heading there as soon as possible, then." It wasn't a question, it was a flat statement with a hint of guilt. My voice lowered and I avoided looking at the others. "After all, isn't it my responsibility?" No one answered, and an usual quiet fell over the group. Even Miroku didn't say anything to contradict my last sentence, and he knew.

I exited the hut, leaving the others in the uncomfortable silence. If this was the way to destroy it, I would gladly do it. It was just a matter of time now.

I know it seems like it will only take two or three chapters to be completed, but I still have some remaining ideas written down before it will be finished. I actually haven't completed the written process of it yet, but I have the general idea of how it's going to end. Stupid Quick Edit.

:sighs: Well, I'm wondering whether or not to give you the meaning of Tsuyuki's name in case you're super intelligent and you somehow manage to figure out how the conflict will be resolved. I spent about a week (during the typing process of chapter 4) trying to figure out a name for it, and I ended up using bits of names.

Himitsu - secret

Yume - dream

Jaki - Evil

Lame, I know, but I don't know a Japanese dictionary, and there are so many mixed glossaries out there in Japanese that it would have taken me a while to find specific words. That, and I'm just too lazy. However, I think the name Tsuyuki fits it.