The sudden haze overwhelmed them the instant they stepped foot passed the broken barrier, and within seconds, it was somewhat difficult to see anything, let alone anyone. Fortunately, the mist wasn't so thick as to impede their quest but merely clouded their vision slightly.

Reaching forward, Kagome clasped her hand over Link's, who in response couldn't help but questionably stare at her. "Better safe than sorry," she replied with a smile. Her other hand found Sango's, and together, all three ventured forward, following the faint outline of Inuyasha and Miroku. Kirara rested on Sango's shoulder, and as for Shippo, he clung frighteningly to Kagome neck.

A sudden thought surfaced in Kagome's memory and she couldn't help but giggle suddenly, which of course baffled the slayer and Link. "Oh, that's right! Sango, do you remember when we all got lost in that fog a while back and we suddenly lost Inuyasha?"

Sango pondered to herself. "Oh yes, how could I forget?" She giggled in remembrance.

Overhearing this, Shippo couldn't help but blink. "You mean when Inuyasha fell in that hole?"

The priestess nodded. "We had searched everywhere for him," she explained.

"I remember there were three of you, Kagome…" Sango voiced. She guessed that it must have been Hachi and Shippo who had transformed that day on the mountain. She'd been so woozy from the mist that she hadn't been sure if she was just seeing things or not.

Kagome nodded. "Remember how you were all over Inuyasha?" She teased, although she had been very jealous of their close proximity at the time, but these days, Kagome didn't really care. Looking back, she found that she had been very naïve into thinking he had loved her. Sure he cared about her, but she believed it wasn't in 'that' sense. In his eyes, he most likely thought of her as a friend.

Sango blushed. "Oh no…Kagome is wasn't like tha—"she stammered, but Kagome laughed.

"I think you were only doing that to get back at Miroku for all his perverted ways," she teased. "I'm just kidding. No, there was something in the fog that day that made us all loopy, well everyone save for Miroku and Inuyasha that is."

Miroku squinted ahead of him, but he couldn't see much passed the haze. It had come so suddenly, that it surprised him. From behind, he heard the girls giggling and conversing, and he reached out toward the slayer. Unabashed, he grasped her hand and walked alongside her. "It's better to stick close, wouldn't you agree Sango?" He smiled.

A hand suddenly slid across the back of Inuyasha's rump, and on instant he stiffened. Flabbergasted, Inuyasha couldn't help but turn toward the priestess. "Hey?!" He was about question her, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted.

"Just go with it," was Kagome's reply. What was the big deal, it wasn't like she was insulting him or anything.

Now this came as a shock to the half demon. So, it was Kagome who…touched him? What? Embarrassed and slightly puzzled, he took the hand away, but her fingers interlocked with his own. Red in the face, Inuyasha couldn't help but scratch his nose awkwardly. What was with her all of a sudden? It was unlike her to just go and do impure things. As they held hands, he realized that Kagome's once smooth hands felt a little rougher than usual, but then again, she'd been off practicing her archery since the final battle with Naraku was underway.

The faintest sigh reached the slayer's ears and she curiously stared ahead. Her eyes fell on the faint outline of the monk; at least, she thought it might be him. "Miroku?"

"Just go with it, Sango…" He couldn't be more delighted. Sango was actually letting him get away with touching her. Maybe it was the fact that this fog had miraculously appeared and the fact that it was difficult to discern anything made it all the less embarrassing? Another content sigh escaped him. "You're so soft and delicate…if I didn't know any better; I'd say you like this…"

Sango blinked. "Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

While venturing further into the haze, Kagome couldn't help but feel the calloused hands of her traveling companion, Link. Although he was fourteen, only a year younger than herself, she found that it was odd, but considering how Link mentioned that he had traveled from his home land to help his people, it was no wonder; she was sure he went through strenuous tasks that were just unbearable for a ten year old. His story had surprised her but she believed him. She wasn't sure why, but there was genuine truth in his eyes.

A gentle brush from his finger against her skin sent a tingly sensation through her and she blushed in response. It wasn't as if it was intentional, and they'd been holding hands for some time now so it was only natural. Just yesterday evening, after saving the Zoras from the fearsome pirates, Kagome remembered the same feeling she got when she had reached out to toward Link. Instinctively, she had reached out and grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the women who had attempted to snatch him away. Kagome wasn't sure why she had reacted in such a manner, but the same tingly sensation had hit her then, just like the time before when Shippo had transformed into his bird form and Link had suddenly wrapped his hands around her waist. She knew that Link could take care of himself and that much he proved through his excellent swordsmanship and archery.

The priestess wondered what it could mean. Surely she wasn't feeling something for the boy, was she? They'd only just met, and she still hardly knew anything about him, except for a little bit of his past, most of which he didn't specify much on. Kagome blushed at her own thoughts. 'Come on Kagome, focus…'

After some time wandering aimlessly forward, the fog started to diminish and it wasn't long until the group found themselves in an open area where the canyon walls towered around them. It seemed as if no life had ever existed in such a remote area, far beyond the open field of Termina.

Smiling still, Miroku turned to look at his darling Sango, but he paused, his eyes wide with surprise and at a lack for words, he took an intake of breath. The person his hand interlocked with was not the beautiful slayer with her feminine curves that could taunt any man, but it was a much leaner individual, whose long silken silver locks fell over his back and his amber eyes staring back with the same surprise. His heart dropped and was replaced with utter shock and confusion.

Inuyasha's eyes were the size of saucers. His eye twitched and he couldn't help but let his eyes fall on the monk's hand. What the hell? Did the monk mistake him for Sango? And why was he still holding his hand? He was about to question the monk, but before he could, his ears caught the sound of…laughter? Immediately, his head swiveled in the direction of his friends and he grew mortified with shame. Realizing the monk had yet to release his hand, he grew furious. "Hey!"

With his free hand, Miroku scratched his head. "How odd…" He didn't get it, how could he mistake Inuyasha for his lovely Sango?

Annoyed and disgusted, not to mention embarrassed by the entire ordeal, Inuyasha removed his hand from the monk's slackened grip and swatted him away from his person. "Get off!" He felt violated. The monk had just felt him up! How could Inuyasha mistake him for Kagome?

Slightly disheartened yet also deceived, Miroku gazed at his hand. How could he make such a mistake? Looking over to Sango, who was by this point was trying to cover her mouth from her laughter along with Kagome, he couldn't help but wonder what she must have thought. He realized she was laughing. Laughing? He shook his head slightly. "I should probably wash my hand…"

Surprised by this, Inuyasha grew defensive. "Are you calling me a dirty dog?!"

Blinking, Miroku looked at the half demon standing irate before him. "Not at all. I'm sorry Inuyasha, but this hand is reserved only for the ladies…" It was not Miroku's intention to give the half demon false hopes nor was it to lead him on. It was simply a slip-up; the fog had tricked him.

"Then why did you grab me?!"

Once again, Miroku scratched his head. "It was a misunderstanding…"

"What's there to misunderstand?!"

Miroku stepped away and weakly smiled. "It was not my intention to fool you…nor did I intend to lead you on…if that's where you're going with this."

"What?! What the hell are you talking about?! I'm not that kind of guy, Miroku!"

By this point, Kagome was weak at the knees and could hardly hold herself upright. She leaned onto Link, who stiffly caught her before she fell. "I can't take it anymore…" Tears fell from her eyes and she clung onto the boy with renewed laughter.

Red in the face by his friends' amusement, Miroku cleared his throat and turned his back to the half demon. "Never mind. Let's keep moving. Time is wasting and—"

Roughly, Inuyasha grabbed the monk's ponytail, "We're not finished here! Explain yourself Miroku!" When the monk had tried to pull away, Inuyasha tightened his grip. "I want answers!" He seethed. He was beyond embarrassed and infuriated that his friend, Miroku, had felt him up and now he was acting as if nothing had happened.

A sudden thought came to mind, and Inuyasha thought back to the day when the shop owner of the Treasure Chest had mistook him and Miroku for homosexuals. Inuyasha's face paled in remembrance and he released the monk's hair and cowered away from him a good few feet. Maybe the shopkeeper was right about Miroku? Did his interest lie not only in women but also in men? Was homosexual even the correct term for such an individual? He didn't know. He didn't know what to think anymore.

Shoving his hands into the sleeves of his robes, Miroku's thoughts lingered onto that of the crazy, obsessed woman who had worked at the Treasure Chest in town. He remembered how she and her female friends had tried to come onto him and Inuyasha and attempted to make them kiss each other. The vision of his face nearing the half demon's did not help his train of thought. Miroku shook his head, scoffing.

Serena snickered from atop of Shippo's noggin. The scene was more hilarious then that back at the town. She wondered about those two; she really wondered.

Baffled, Shippo looked between Inuyasha and Miroku. "I don't get it. What's so funny?" Did he miss something?

Kagome's laughter did not subside, and she held her stomach. With her head against Link's shoulder, she clung onto him; she didn't have enough strength to stand up and her stomach hurt.

Flushed, Link sat on the ground with the priestess clinging to him. Though he understood her reasoning for laughing, he didn't think it was that funny, and he didn't show it either. However, he couldn't help but stare at his hand, the hand in which Kagome had held only moments before. Unlike his own, hers were soft and smooth; he hadn't detected any callouses which came as a surprise to him. Link would have thought she'd have some marks because of her title as a priestess, but then again, maybe she just took really good care of her skin.

Annoyed, both men turned and glared at Kagome. "It's not funny!"

Serena fluttered by. "Aww, the lovers are in sync," she teased, giggling as she landed on Sango's shaking shoulders.

Although Sango thought holding her hand over her mouth would help suppress her laughter, it didn't help that Serena commented. She joined Kagome, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Losing it, Kagome beat her fists off the ground. She couldn't take anymore; she was laughing so hard as it was and it really hurt. She gasped for air, and breathed hard to try and get some control over herself.

Red in the face still, Inuyasha stomped himself up toward his so called friends. "Damn it, would you guys stop!"

Miroku nodded. "Indeed, this is quite an inappropriate time…"

As her laughter subsided, Kagome leaned off the boy and wiped her eyes, the smile however never left her face. Somewhat bashfully, she removed herself from Link, blushing when she realized just how close she'd been against him. Unexpectedly, she cried out in surprise, startling Link and everyone else around her. Curious, it felt as if something hard had latched onto her ankle. The moment her eyes found sight of the source, she gasped. No longer amused, she bit back a fearful cry and scooted closer to Link, who reacted with disbelief.

Upon noticing the source of her fear, he unsheathed his sword and sliced the offending skeletal hand in half, which in turn freed the young girl from its clutches. The others reacted in the same manner and readied their own weapons. One by one, emaciated hands sprung from the ground around them, and with it, fearsome creatures emerged.

Kagome hurriedly regained her footing and stood behind Link with fright. Her heart pounded quite fast and she held her breath. This whole scene reminded her of a scary movie her friends had taken her to see at the movies once, and she didn't enjoy such shows.

Serena responded with alarm. "Those are Stalchildren, be careful!"

Recognizing the fearsome beings, Shippo cowered behind Sango. "We're surrounded!" Not this again. Wasn't once enough?

"Stalchildren?" Sango questioned. She instinctively clenched her boomerang and eyed the beings stalking towards them.

Not at all fazed, Link skillfully dispelled the closest monster, and it fell at his feet in one attack. As he was about to charge forward, he looked over his shoulder and sweat dropped. He could practically feel her hands grip his tunic. "Uh…Kagome…there's no need to cling so closely…"

Blushing, she released her hold, but her eyes never left the fearsome beasts approaching them. Why was she acting like some frightened teenager? She'd been up against much terrifying monsters before. Kagome supposed she was still a little shocked when that hand had grabbed her ankle; it was unexpected after all.

Annoyed, Inuyasha was just about to use his powerful sword, but something strange occurred. The power of the mystic light surrounding the blade's surface weakened. "What?" What was up with his blade? If he had his father's fang, then he wouldn't have this trouble.

Not at all hesitant, the slayer threw her boomerang, and within seconds, bones laid scattered around the vicinity. Nothing moved. "That's it?" She asked. She figured they'd have put up a bigger fight than that.

But she spoke too soon. One after another, the bones reassembled themselves and in a matter of seconds, they were on their feet, stalking toward them with their outstretched hands ready to claw the skin from their flesh and drag them down into the soil with them.

"They just keep coming!" Miroku blurted. With his staff, he managed to knock a few back.

"This is freaking me out!" Grabbing an arrow from her quiver, Kagome aimed for the nearest one. The moment her arrow made impact, the bones disintegrated into ash. The only way it seemed to fully destroy them was to burn them. Thankfully her spiritual powers could handle that.

Inuyasha hacked the nearest one in half with his sword and then charged at the rest. With each attack, the light from his sword flickered. 'What's up with my sword?'

Still cowering behind the slayer, Shippo watched the fight unfold between the living and the dead. Once before, when he entered the canyons with Link a few nights back, he remembered the fight between him and the Stalchildren. Well, it wasn't so much as a fight, but more like an ambush, and it was up to Shippo to save Link. That was then and this was now. They hadn't seemed so fearsome before, he guessed, but still he couldn't help but remain on the sidelines watching his friends in battle. He knew they could take care of themselves and besides, Link was there to help, but still, he knew he needed to be strong. "I have to help…" Mustering up his courage, he ran right into the line of fire to join his comrades. There he stood his ground, searching for the nearest opponent to take on. One caught his eye, and he fisted his hands. "Hey ugly! You don't scare me!"

Unfortunately, not only did the lone skeletal being turn to look in his direction but so did two others, and in a matter of seconds, all three closed in on the tyke. Once they stood a few feet away, they glanced at one another and cackled quite shrilly, as if they found his bravery foolish.

Gritting his teeth, the child focused his energy into his hand and within seconds his form lit up in a dazzling blue light. The power he searched for immediately took form into his hand and in one fell swoop, he threw the blue flames at the creeps. "Fox fire!"

Their laughter ceased and as the flames engulfed their bodies, they remained still, their eyes focused on the child intently; their nonchalant gaze bothered him and immediately he ran away. The flames receded from their skeletal forms and enraged, they chased after Shippo.

"Ah! Help me!" He cried. Since Link was the closest of his teammates, he leaped onto his shoulder and clung onto his neck.

With a roll of his eyes, Inuyasha hacked the stupid vermin with his sword until they fell to his feet. "Stop acting so scared and man up!"

Link sighed. As he went on to dispel the rest, he couldn't help but notice that they seemed to stalk towards Inuyasha the most out of all his companions. Why was that? Slashing the nearest one, he took his time evaluating the half demon's agility and technique in swordsmanship. All in all, he wasn't bad, but there was still much he could learn.

"We aren't getting anywhere!" Sango cried out as she swung her boomerang at another in her path.

Slashing his staff at another, he watched as the skeletal head went flying and the rest of the body stomped around, clawing at the air. Miroku agreed. "No matter what we do, they just get back up."

Standing her ground, the priestess decided to give her light arrows a try. Aiming for a group of Stalchildren closing in on Sango, she released. With confidence, her arrow soared, enwrapped with a golden light. Once it made impact, a startling cry filled the area and the remaining skeletons cowered in fear before hesitantly stepping away. Such a sight filled the girl with giddiness.

Fearful of the girl, they turned their sights to Miroku and Inuyasha, but another light arrow stopped them in their places. The burst of light startled them again and disoriented their movement.

Kagome grinned. So they were unable to stand the light? She supposed that made sense, after all, they were dead.

In the process of attempting approach the team, while hesitantly looking in the direction of the priestess, the ground beneath them suddenly shook. The tremor was so intense that it seemed impossible to withstand their footing, and so, everyone collapsed upon the ground. As the ground shook, the Stalchildren were in such disarray, that they could hardly stand upright.

Eventually, it receded. Warily, the group turned their eyes to the Stalchildren, who silently lifted their heads; they'd been cowering from the quake. Without even bothering to acknowledge or continue their attack on the group, they burrowed themselves back into the soil.

Picking themselves off the ground, the group searched their surroundings. Everything was now calm and quiet.

"This place reeks of corpses and graveyard soil!" Inuyasha complained.

Serena rolled her eyes. "What do you expect? Everything here is dead. So don't expect seeing any flowers any time soon. Just saying."

Hearing this, the priestess looked around. 'Dead? Everything?' Surely there had to be some sign of life. As she searched her surroundings, as did Sango and Miroku, she spotted a lone tree, with its branches brittle and leafless. Crows flew overhead in continuous circles, while some were perched upon the tree, staring them down. Kagome wondered if Ikana had always been so desolate.

"Tee hee hee hee! What have we here?" A shrill voice rang out.

Surprised, everyone searched around for the source of the noise, all except Link, whose eyes were fixed above him.

Spotting the strange figure seated upon the high wall, Inuyasha readied his sword. "Who are you?!"

"Tee hee hee hee! Why have those full of life ventured out here of all places?" The elderly voice asked. She sat with her legs hanging off the towering cliff before them, looking down with piercing red eyes. A dark brown cloak shrouded her entire form, making it impossible to discern any physical features. "Are you perhaps on a journey in search of something valuable?" She questioned.

Inuyasha glared. "What of it? I don't have to explain myself to you!"

"Inuyasha…let's hear this person out," Kagome chided softly. Besides, this person, whoever it was, didn't seem dangerous.

Serena fluttered closer to Link's ear, straying a little behind his blonde locks. "It's that ghost from before, Link."

Link nodded. He remembered. The ghost had told them off Sakon's whereabouts some days back, and he was sure Shippo also remembered. Looking at the child's expression, he was correct in that assumption.

"Excuse me, but do you happen to live around here?" Miroku asked the seated figure. "We've been walking for a while now, and so far, we haven't seen any others."

"If you wish to know, then I suggest you cross over the gorge ahead," She pointed a bony finger behind her. "Something sinister is happening over yonder, and I caution you all to be wary. Can you not feel it?" With that said, her form faded from view, startling the group.

"That person disappeared!" Shippo exclaimed with absolute shock.

"That must have been a spirit," Sango explained to the child.

Miroku agreed. "I'm guessing that there are more who haven't crossed over in this land. How sad…"

Without so much as a warning, Inuyasha leaped into the air and landed upon the towering cliff above. He sniffed the air tentatively. "I smell blood…lots of it!" He shouted.

Hearing this, Sango and Miroku quickly boarded Kirara and Shippo hastily transformed into his pink ball for Kagome and Link. In a matter of seconds, they were following after Inuyasha who had decided to run ahead of them.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Kagome muttered to herself worriedly.