Chapter 25

The group had been traveling for days and they hadn't gotten a single shard.

"Maybe Naraku has already been through this area. He could have already taken the jewel shards?" Miroku suggested.

"Or maybe Kagome's broken!" Inuyasha grumbled. Not finding any jewel shards had put him in a bad mood.

"Are you saying that it's my fault?" Kagome asked, dangerously low. She had stopped walking and the whole group had their eyes on her.

"Whacha gunna do about it if I am?" Inuyasha mocked.

"SIT!" Kagome screamed, feeling slight satisfaction as Inuyasha plunged to the ground. "You are the rudest, most selfish person I have ever met! If you think I'm doing such a bad job at this then why don't you go ask Kikyo to do it instead! Then you won't have to go find her when Naraku is dead so she can drag you down to hell!"

The mouths of Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Rin and Sesshoumaru were all hung open is shock. Kirara had frozen in place as though moving would draw attention to her.

"You know what! FINE! She would do a better job then you any day!" Inuyasha shouted when he was finally released from the spell.

All the spectators gasped, and Kirara seemed to be glaring at Inuyasha for his harsh words towards the kind and generous Kagome.

Kagome on the other hand, was in complete shock. Inuyasha had stopped moving and was staring at Kagome to see the damage he had done. Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Rin, Sesshoumaru, and Kirara were all watching silently in anticipation of what was going to happen.

Kagome opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Her eyes betrayed her and let themselves well up with tears. Everything was silent. Birds had stopped chirping, the breeze had stopped playing with the leaves on the trees and the crickets had stopped playing their song. It was as thought everything was anticipating Kagome's reaction.

"Alright." There was nothing in Kagome's voice. No bubbling happiness. No pain from the hurtful words, nothing. That made everyone flinch, which the exception of Sesshoumaru, who only flinched on the inside. "I believe that she is in that direction." She slowly brought her hand to point in the direction that the glow of Kikyo's soul collectors could be found, glowing faintly in the distance.

No one moved.

"Why don't you go to her!" Kagome screamed. The hurt, betrayal and sadness she felt flooded out of her in waves, strong enough for everyone to feel. Tears poured out of her beautiful eyes, making Sango's eyes water for her tortured friend. Miroku felt anger to Inuyasha for making Kagome feel as she did, for it was depressing everyone in the group.

Kagome had sunk helplessly to her knees while heart-wracking sobs escaped her. The sobs shook her poor, delicate looking frame, making her tremble.

Sango took a hesitant step forward, the dashed over to comfort her friend. She knew that Kagome wasn't just crying about what Inuyasha had said. Stress and other things had been kept inside for an unhealthy amount of time and it had to be let go. Inuyasha just happened to be the person to push her over the edge.

"Miroku, why don't you go start lunch?" Sango suggested. "Kagome's bag is over here, I think she has some ramen left. Go over to a river somewhere and start making some." She instructed.

Miroku noticed her plan to give the emotionally distraught girl some privacy and went and grabbed the bag before leading everyone to find a river so that they could make lunch.

"There there Kagome." Sango soothed, knowing Kagome needed to cry, she just stayed for support.

"Oh Sango! I must look like a fool!" Kagome sobbed.

"No! Of course not." Sango assured.

"Inuyasha must feel horrible. I made him look like a monster!" Kagome cried.

"Well, what he said would have hurt anyone. A little guilt won't hurt him." Sango cooed her distraught friend.

"But he hasn't done anything completely dreadful. Everyone will be so upset with him. HE probably things that I'm such a baby! Crying over nothing. I need to grow up and stop acting like such a child." Kagome cried, tears still pouring freely down her cheeks.

"You are overly stressed. You need a break every once and a while. You are living two lives! That would make anyone cry. I admire you for holding out for this long." Sango admitted.

"But I should have been able to control my own emotions. How am I supposed to be expected to control and protect the sacred jewel shards if I can't even keep myself from breaking down?" Kagome sighed, the tears slowly beginning to cease.

"You are stronger then you think Kagome." Sango said softly.

"Not as strong as you. You have been through more then I have and you don't have breakdowns. You are strong enough to be able to control yourself." Kagome whispered.

"You give me far too much credit Kagome." Kagome said, holding up her hands in hopes to stop Kagome from saying anything else. "I envy you for being able to show your sadness and fear. I am unable. I have lost my family but I have not been able to break down and cry about it. I can't because I don't know how. I have been taught that when you cry it is showing a weakness, but you have taught me that that is not true. You are so free, while I am trapped to held onto my grief." She admitted sadly.

Kagome had stopped crying completely now. "Sango?" She began.

"Hmmm?"

"I'll be there for you when you're ready for your breakdown." She offered.

Sango smiled gratefully at her friend. "Thank-you Kagome. You can never guess how much that means to me." She said before falling into an embrace with her closest and dearest friend.

"I hope the girls are alright." Miroku voiced his worry.

"They'd better hurry up or I'm sending Shippou after them." Inuyasha smirked at the shocked faces of his companions. Obviously he had gotten the reaction he had wanted.

"What! Why me?" Shippou whined.

"Because you don't get yelled at when you do, and you would be missed least if you got attacked." Inuyasha explained harshly.

"Inuyasha, you're so mean! I'm telling Kagome!" Shippou cried.

"Tell me what?" Kagome's voice floated through the trees. "What did you do Inuyasha?" She demanded.

"Kagome! Inuyasha said that if you and Sango had taken much longer, he would have sent me after you because I wouldn't be yelled at and because I wouldn't be missed as much as everyone else!" Shippou sobbed.

"Oh, that's not true Shippou. I would miss you so much!" Kagome cooed the small child, while giving him a comforting hug.

"I would miss you too kagome. But I would haunt Inuyasha if something happened to me." Shippou grinned at the mental image of him chasing Inuyasha around. Inuyasha being scared to death, and Shippou floating behind him.

"Well, nothing will happen to you, will it Shippou?" Kagome asked.

"No, because you love me. Right Kagome?" Shippou looked up at her with big, pleading eyes.

"Of course!" Kagome giggled. Both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were feeling very jealous at the moment.

"Wow look! You can almost see the smoke coming from Inuyasha's ears!" Sango said jokingly, soft enough for Kagome to miss but loud enough for Inuyasha to hear. He slowly and dangerously turned his head toward Sango. With a growl he brought his fist up, ready to strike, and brought it down…right on Miroku's head.

"Hey! What was that for? I didn't do anything! Do you honestly think that was necessary?" Miroku complained, while rubbing the sore spot that now adorned his head.

"Yes! Now shut up." Inuyasha growled, only answering Miroku's last question. His eyes were trained on Kagome and Shippou, while his ears were trained on Sesshoumaru. He had to make sure Sesshoumaru didn't try anything.

"Well," Kagome started "Now that Sango and I are both ready, and you are all ready. Should we leave?"

"Brilliant idea Kagome." Miroku replied enthusiastically.

"Certainly." Sesshoumaru answered.

"Yay! Lets go!" Shippou and Rin cheered.

"We will fight demons! But Lord Sesshoumaru will protect us!" Rin said happily to herself.

'Hey! Why is it when kagome says it's time to go, everyone goes happily and crap. But when I say it, no one listens." Inuyasha demanded.

"Because Kagome asks if we are ready. You demand that we leave at that exact moment." Sango pointed out. Miroku, who was afraid of being Inuyasha's punching bag again, hid behind Kagome. His head was still throbbing from the last time Inuyasha took his anger out on him for what Sango had said. Although he hadn't quite caught what it was.

"If it weren't for me, all of you would be dead." Inuyasha growled, not having been able to find anything to reply to what Sango had said.

"What did you…" Sango looked as thought she was ready to blow. She could certainly take care of herself. And who was Inuyasha to say she couldn't?

"Of course Inuyasha." Kagome said absently. Sango looked at her in surprise.

"You're not angry at that?" Sango threw her hands up in frustration.

"No." Kagome shrugged. Sesshoumaru, who had so kindly offered, was carrying her bag, so she was able to walk and keep the same pace with Sango.

"Why not! You should be angry not agreeing with him." Sango cried in exasperation. The girls how had the full attention of the group, which Kagome for embarrassing, considering it was the second time that day that she had the groups full attention. Kagome turned bright red and told everyone that there was nothing to see.

"Sango, Inuyasha says things that he doesn't mean. Just like everyone else does one and a while. Only he says it more often then most. So getting mad at him for that it like getting mad at me for eating." Kagome explained calmly. Inuyasha, who was listening to the conversation, got rather insulted by Kagome's statement and wouldn't put up with it.

"And what do you mean by that?" He demanded.

"I believe she meant that you are rude and should not be taken seriously." Sesshoumaru seemed to also have been listening to the conversation.

"I wasn't talking to you stupid!" Inuyasha hissed.

"Well you had not said a name to accompany your rather broad question, anyone could have, in fact, answered it." Sesshoumaru relied coolly.

"Does anyone else notice that no conversation is private around here?" Sango yelled angrily. Although she had listened to Kagome, who's reasons were valid, Inuyasha was still in trouble.

Kagome gave up. Sango would be angry with Inuyasha no matter what she said. 'I guess that this is her way of venting. She just goes angry and not sad.' Kagome thought as she watched Sango. 'Poor Inuyasha, everyone seems to be venting they're feeling out on him.' Kagome sat down and relaxed as Shippou and Rin cuddled up to either side of her.

It had been days and Sango's moods had changed over and over again. First she would be yelling, and then she would be crying. But now, she refused to talk to Inuyasha, and when she a time came that she had to communicate with him, she told Miroku to pass on the message. It was getting ridiculous. Kagome was determined to find out what was going on because it certainly wasn't like Sango.

"Sango, can I talk to you?" Kagome asked. She walked slowly and carefully towards her friend, afraid of a new mood swing.

Sango looked up from polishing her hiraukotsu (hi people, I don't know how to spell that. So could someone tell me if it's spelled right or give me the right spelling for it! Thanks, and sorry for interrupting the story!) and nodded her head. "Sure Kagome, about what?" she asked.

"What's been wrong with you lately?" Kagome asked, getting right to the point. Everyone else had been sent to go and bathe, so the two women could talk in private for a while. "You've been so moody lately."

"Oh Kagome!" Sango cried, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're going to hate me."

"Sango, why would I hate you?" Kagome questioned.

"Well, you see" Sango hesitated. "I think I've begun to have feelings for Inuyasha!"

Kagome was wide eyes in shock. She said nothing for a long time. Her mouth was open for words to come but none came. Her best friend having feeling for the same man that she loved? What was going on here? Everyone was acting strange. Sesshoumaru had supposedly fallen in love with Kagome, Sango falling for Inuyasha. And even Kirara had been keeping to herself lately! Was everyone sick? Was kagome the only one not changing? Or had she changed and no one took any notice to it?

Kagome fell to the floor. Too many thoughts were running through her head and weighing her down. Sango came running over to help but Kagome scooted away. Hurt flashed through Sango's eyes. And then they seemed to clear.

Sango burst out laughing.

"What's so funny!" Kagome demanded

"I…I just told…just told u that…I had feeling…feelings for Inuyasha!" Sango gasped out in between her laugher and gasps for breath.

"And what do you mean by that?" Kagome demanded.

"I don't know where that came from." Sango admitted feeling rather guilty now. Poor Kagome was so confused that she didn't know whether to laugh, cry or get mad at her friend for making her believe that they were in love with the same man. She settled with a blank stare.

"What is going on here? What are you talking about? Are you feeling all right? You're acting like you've been drugged!" Kagome admitted.

"I don't know what's going on. For a second it was like I was watching what I was doing, and not doing them myself." Sango told, scratching the back of her head as she thought.

"That's odd." Kagome said, holding her chin, as she was deep in thought. She began walking back and forth when she froze.

"Kagome?" Sango asked, unsure of what her friend was doing…or staring at.

"Come here! Quickly! And stay quiet!" Kagome instructed quietly. Sango did as told and followed Kagome's line of sight. There is the distance was…

SESSHOUMARU DANCING?

And to make everything more strange, he was dancing, as someone would picture a monkey trying to dance.

"Is he singing?" Sango questioned her seeing and hearing abilities.

"I think so! Let's get closer and see." Kagome said, moving forward. After a few steps, the girls were close enough to hear that Sesshoumaru was indeed singing.

"It's peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time
Where he at! Where he at! Where he at Where he at!
There he go! There he go! There he go! There he go!
Peanut butter jelly! Peanut butter jelly! Peanut butter jelly! Peanut butter jelly!
Do the peanut butter jelly! Peanut butter jelly!
Peanut butter jelly! Peanut butter jel.."

"Oh…my…GOSH!" Kagome yelled out. Sesshoumaru abruptly stopped singing and dancing and started at his audience.

"What just happened" Sesshoumaru asked, sounding as confused at Sesshoumaru could sound when he was acting normal.

"You were…dancing!" Sango stuttered.

"And singing the peanut butter jelly song!" Kagome continued.

"What on earth is the peanut butter jelly song?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"You really don't know what you did, do you?" Kagome asked. Sesshoumaru just shook his head silently.

"DO you think it's like the same thing that happened to me?" Sango asked, trying to find an explanation.

"No, because you knew what you were doing." Kagome said thoughtfully. "Well, "Well, I'm going to look around and see if something possessed either you or Sesshoumaru. Want to look with me Sango?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah. Let's go." With that Sango and Kagome left to look for clues.

I'm sooo sorry that I've taken so long to write this chapter! I just haven't been able to sit at the computer and type up it up, and when I did I was changing everything. SO finally here it is, and the next one is coming up as soon as I can!

I just want to thank my reviewers for sticking with me through this LONG time. So thanks goes to

Cuban inuyasha fan

Black Juju

Inuyasha's lil sister

Paulita448

Charolotte Smith

Loove,animeSTAR,blozzoms'inu01gurl

MartinaM89

Akari-san

Thanks for sticking with me through the long period between chapters!