So much had happened over the course of five days that it felt like two weeks to the gang. They arrived quite late in the evening in a strange world, brought by a strange light. Apparently the land needed their help, or else, it would perish. Strangely, the Goddesses of Termina cursed their own creations because some of their people did not worship them but instead revered other deities. Therefore, the mystical beings placed a never ending cycle upon their lives. In the past, there were instances where the land was saved, yet not by the correct hero or heroine, because only one with a pure heart can save Termina from its final days. Doesn't this sound more like a tragic story?

Someone among their group possessed that 'pure heart' destined to put an end to the tragedy befalling the land, and it is with that individual that the Goddesses would return to the world they left and grant him or her a single wish. Who was the true hero of this tragic tale? Was it the young priestess, Kagome? Or did that pure heart lie within the good natured monk, Miroku? What about Sango? Shippo? What if it wasn't a person, but a certain feline? Inuyasha? Why is Link left out of this?

OOO

With aching feet and a pain in her backside, Kagome abruptly stopped on their travels away from Great Bay. She didn't know how much longer she could take walking. Already, she tripped over numerous roots, and by this point, they were among a thicket of lofty trees. Clock Town was still a distance away, yet she could make out the light from the clock tower just fine. "Guys, let's camp here for the night…besides, it's too dark to see anything."

Inuyasha, who had noticed her lag behind, stopped and turned to his comrades. He pointedly stared at the priestess, whose hair was slightly a mess, and her uniform slightly untidy. "What's the big deal?" He questioned. "There's no time to rest, and we've already gotten this far. The sooner we pick up the pace, the faster we'll get the next pendant."

Serena, whose light illuminated the darkness around them, regarded the half demon's words. "As much as I'd like to disagree, he's right…for once…" There really wasn't much time left for this land, and Serena knew, especially by the strange tingling sensation in her wings; the land was dying.

"See?" Inuyasha replied, looking for a change in Kagome's mood. "What did I tell yo-" In midsentence, he stopped and accusingly glowered at the small orb of light. "What did you say?"

Not the least bit bothered, she merely fluttered upon Kagome's shoulder. "Was I not loud enough, or are you just hard of hearing?"

Link scratched his cheek, and shook his head. "Serena…" he muttered disapprovingly.

Before the argument could get out of hand, Miroku stepped between them. "I agree with Kagome. In order for us to properly manage on our journey, food and rest are essential. I say we camp here and continue in the morning," He declared, and at this, everyone nodded.

Since the odds were against him, Inuyasha huffed and turned his back to his friends. "Fine. See if I care."

Kagome, with tiredness falling off her in waves, sat down and made herself comfortable. She was extremely thankful when she released the burden from her shoulders and back, and placed it against a fallen log beside her. Inside her backpack, she had her rolled up sleeping bag and a pillow which would again serve its purpose.

With her boomerang beside her, Sango cushioned the small child upon her lap and pushed back his red locks. It seemed the pill helped lessen his fever. Still garbed in her slayer outfit, she decided she'd change tomorrow, since she was still wary of her surroundings.

Out of nowhere, Miroku offered up their reward, given to them by the Zoras. It wasn't money or anything valuable, but it was food. "Looks like its fish tonight…" While they were practically starving, they didn't bother to give the net of fish a second glance, but seeing as how it was their only source of food for the time being, they would deal with it.

Inuyasha didn't bother looking at the scaly sea creatures as he soon started walking deep in to the brush, with no warning to the others who watched him.

"Inuyasha, where are you going?" Kagome asked while unfolding her sleeping bag.

Not even bothering to stop and acknowledge her, he rolled his eyes. "To get firewood. I can't have you guys freezing to death on me."

Picking herself off the ground, she followed after him, until she walked by his side; her actions were surprising but still baffling to everyone else seated upon the foliage. "I'll come with you."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Suit yourself."

While the two disappeared in to the night, Link settled himself against a tree, arms crossed. As Serena planted herself upon his shoulder, Link observed Sango and Miroku; this was his first time alone with the pair, excluding Kirara and Shippo of course. As he examined their posture and form, he noticed that the battle made them wary, as it had himself. Miroku and Sango were warriors from another world, the one in which Kagome spoke of a short time ago. However, they were different from any ordinary fighters. Neither had shields to protect themselves in battle, and Miroku, as it seemed uncommon for a monk to fight, was only equipped with his staff. Sango on the other hand had two strange swords sheathed to her side, and her attire was quite tight and fitted to her body, thus exposing her feminine assets. Of course a dress would seem inconvenient, considering that many tripped over their own skirts from time to time, and in battle, it would prove quite problem some.

Soft murmurs intruded upon his thoughts, and curious, he listened in to their conversation. He saw that Miroku leaned himself against a small boulder, seated across the slayer whose expression seemed concerned. Absentmindedly, he watched as the monk idly rubbed a few twigs together, in hopes of starting a small fire in between a circle of rocks with twigs and leaves piled together.

Miroku was the first to speak. "I wonder what's going on between those two…" He was referring to Kagome and Inuyasha. The fact that they only seemed to argue nowadays, with affection diminished, he couldn't help but worry. Inuyasha remained his same self, but more arrogant, and Kagome less talkative and more saddened, of course she had her reasons, but did Inuyasha?

Her fingers nimbly removed the net that covered the fish. "I'm not sure. Kagome hasn't said anything," she replied. Sango remembered a short time ago, since their coming in to Termina, when Inuyasha barely said anything to Kagome, nor did he compliment her during the night of the festival. In truth, he was more haughty and all this time, still obsessed with fighting and winning. He hardly went to Kagome's rescue, and that angered her.

Besides Inuyasha's rudeness to Kagome, and her lack of affection for the half demon, he smiled. "At least she's energetic…that's all we can really ask for."

"I know…but she won't even talk about it…Kagome's been keeping her emotions bottled up and…"

Sensing where she was going, Miroku interrupted. "She's been through a lot…I can't count how many times she's been abducted in the past and targeted. But no matter how much she endures, she doesn't let it hold her down. Kagome is stronger than we give her credit."

The slayer nodded in approval. "She tries her best…We'll just have to keep an eye out for her." Since Kagome was with Inuyasha, Sango didn't think Kagome would come to any harm, and besides, Inuyasha was there with her. Hopefully he had the decency to keep an eye out for their companion.

Movement shifted Miroku's attention away from Sango. He and the slayer watched as the blond youth moved away from the tree, and without a word, sauntered in to the forest until he too disappeared from sight.

Miroku scooted himself over to Sango, feigning he was chilled. When he got close to her, he whispered in to Sango's ear. "He doesn't say much, does he?"

Sango shook her head. "No. Honestly, I have a feeling he doesn't trust us entirely…" Well, that was the truth, at least in her eyes. Each day, he'd normally regard them and immediately continue on their daily travels without so much as a word. Link was a quiet boy.

At her response, Miroku shrugged. "Well, we haven't had the chance to really get to know each other, so we can't really blame him."

She sighed. "Yeah…you're—" Sango gasped when a certain hand grasped her bottom. With clenched fists, she glared at the offending monk, whose innocent eyes looked elsewhere. "Keep your hands to yourself!" Sango raised her hand, and it wasn't until her palm made contact with his cheek that it now bore her handprint. After that, she scooted away to a safer distance.

Regardless, Miroku reached out to her. "Sango…don't be like that…" When he saw her angered expression and the twitch of her eye, he gulped. "Don't tell me you're still bothered by what happened at the beach?"

Her eye twitched. "I'm not mad! Stay away from me!"

A pout formed upon his lips and he listened to her demands sat a distance away from the irate woman. Why were some women so difficult to woo?

OOO

"Link?" Serena called as she fluttered after her partner. "Where are you going?"

Looking over his shoulder, he acknowledged the fairy. Truthfully, he didn't like standing in one place for too long, and the fact that Miroku and Sango were talking of their friend in such a manner annoyed him, though, he too noticed the priestess's silence. "Nowhere…"

"Eh?" She didn't buy that. "How can you be going nowhere when you're definitely going somewhere?"

OOO

When Kagome and Inuyasha had yet to return, Miroku managed to start a fire, and it soon blazed before them, crisping the fish, which was rewarded to them for their generosity for saving the tribe. The night was now upon them, and it seemed as if their travels were hindered until tomorrow. Yet, they were unsure of which destination to take.

Miroku, who was seated upon the forest floor, examined the map before him. While the handwriting was somewhat difficult to decipher, considering it's eloquence, he knew exactly where he and Sango were. They were in Great Bay, or to be more precise, near the outskirts of the ocean. And there were only two more regions left to travel to. "It seems Woodfall is closest…"

Shippo sneezed, and rubbed at his sore nose. He was feeling a lot better now, but the migraine had yet to subside. He searched around the encampment, wondering where Kagome and Inuyasha disappeared to. Even Link and Serena were missing. "Where did they go?" He asked from upon the slayer's lap.

Sango placed the stick, which held the fish, in to the ground. "Kagome and Inuyasha went off to gather firewood, and Link and Serena went off for a bit."

"What happened? So, we got the pendant then?" Shippo asked, and upon their smiles, he was satisfied. A thought came to him suddenly and he leaped from Sango's lap and pulled open Kagome's backpack nestled against the tree. When he finished rummaging through it, he took out a familiar red book and starting flipping the pages. "I forgot to record everything!" The second he got a hold of one of Kagome's pencils, he started writing in the blank pages. Now that he had rescued the imprisoned Zoras and the leader was taken care of, there was still more Shippo had to accomplish. As a member of the Bombers, he couldn't let anyone down.

Kirara mewed from upon Sango's lap and snuggled herself in to a small ball to sleep.

OOO

Walking through the forest, Kagome couldn't help but look at Inuyasha beside her. He had decided to carry all of the wood. At first she believed she held feelings for Inuyasha, but she realized that her heart had lied to her. Kagome saw him as a friend, someone who she easily got in to an argument with, yet enjoyed the company as well, yet there were times she's rather not be around him; this wasn't really one of the times.

Sensing that something was up, Inuyasha glanced at the girl, wrapped up in her own thoughts. He didn't get why she wanted to help gather firewood with him, and what was with that expression? "Uh, hey Kag—"

"Inuyasha," Kagome interrupted suddenly, and Inuyasha stopped and gulped. "We…need to talk."

The half demon blinked. "Yeah? What about?"

Kagome's stare fell on her shoes and then back up in to his golden eyes. "Uh well…about…us…"

"Huh?" Inuyasha couldn't help but stare inquisitively at her. "What are you talking about? You've been acting strange lately," he stared at her worriedly. "Are you sure you're alright? You know, you can talk to me, if you want."

Brown orbs locked with amber. "Inuyasha…we've been through a lot, haven't we?"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow and scrutinized her. "Yeah…what's your point?"

"We've had our share of bad days too…remember?" She questioned.

In response to her questions and strange behavior, he nodded. "How can I forget? You've sat me a million times. That's not counting that spicy food you conjure up and force on me…"

A twitch developed beneath her eye, and her hands fisted tightly, though she tried to remain calm. Kagome shook her head. No, that wasn't the problem. "I don't mean that…I mean us. The both of us. Inuyasha…do you…" She couldn't get the words to form, and she found herself stuttering a bit, and with Inuyasha's constant stare, it only made it more difficult.

"Do I what?" He questioned. He examined her fidgeting form and her averted gaze. What was up with her?

With an exhale of breath, Kagome decided to just come out and say it. "Inuyasha, do you…uh…well…I mean to say…"

"Spit it out!"

Irritated, Kagome couldn't help but growl in frustration and turn away from him embarrassed. "Sit!" How could Inuyasha be so insensitive at a time like this, especially when she was going to ask if he still liked her…it wasn't as if she cared, but bringing up such a topic was too much for her. She wanted to be sure that she didn't feel anything for him and the same with him. "Oh just forget it!"

The load of wood had fallen upon him as he hit the ground hard. He cursed under his breath. Why did she sit him? "What was that for?!" Kagome was acting strange. First she wanted to tell him something that seemed important, and then when he told her to hurry it up, she sat him.

A sudden rustle from the bushes startled her, and she looked over her shoulder. Internally, she fretted that it might be a bear or a wolf, but instead, she released a sigh. "Oh Link, what are you doing out here?"

The young boy merely blinked at the comical but random scene before him; he stared at the small hole beside the girl's feet, and the half demon who was covered with bits of rubble on his clothing.

Inuyasha pushed himself back to his feet and pointed to the mess. His back throbbed with pain, but did Kagome care, no! "That hurt, you know!"

Kagome glared. "I'm sorry!"

With a huff of ignorance, he picked up the scattered lumber and proceeded to balance them in his arms before turning back to Kagome, whose eyes were focused on Link. "You coming or what?"

She shook her head. "Actually, I sort of want to talk to Link…we'll be back shortly."

Seeing how it was, Inuyasha groaned and turned away from the two. "Whatever." It wasn't like he cared. He'd seen Link in battle before, so he knew Kagome would be fine, besides, she was close by the camp anyway. If something were to happen, he could be there quick. "Don't take long."

As soon as Inuyasha disappeared through the thicket of trees, Kagome turned to stare at the boy beside her. At lease there was someone here who wasn't as stuck up and self-absorbed like Inuyasha. Her expression took on a more serious one. "Link, I've been wanting to talk to you, if you wouldn't mind listening."

Regarding her sudden frown, Link raised his head and listened to her words. He watched as the young girl settled herself against a tree before her eyes rested on the eclipse above. There seemed to be a lot on her mind.

Looking away from the sky, she placed her utmost attention on the boy in front of her. There was so much she wanted to say to him, and yet, so much she didn't know about Link. Kagome knew he had his reasons for everything, but when it came to fighting and putting himself in to danger, she felt sort of worried. Even though she didn't know him that well, from experience, Link seemed like the type to just go for it. He never showed signs of worrying for himself, but for others around him. Kagome remembered how he ran to her rescue, and even threw his own sword at the beast; it was a risky move, but in the end, he was seriously injured, but he didn't seem to care, and had fought against her and Sango when they tried to heal him. To her, he seemed like the type of boy that only cared about others than himself. How many times had he saved her within those five days?

Realizing that she was deep in thought, she focused her attention back on the patient boy. "Link…I want to tell you how grateful I am to you for rescuing me those times, even though we hardly know each other… I've noticed that you tend to make decisions selflessly…based on your own judgment…" When he did not say anything, she continued. "I'm not saying that's wrong, because it's not, but you know…you can always ask us for help too," She smiled to herself. "We're team after all, right?"

His silence was baffling, and she hoped she hadn't said much, but he didn't seem upset, but sort of lost in thought. Looking him over, she noticed his tattered tunic and his bandaged hands. Kagome remembered healing his one burn, but he never did show her his other wound, which baffled her still. Link told her before that his hand injury was something that could not be healed. What had he meant by that?

Unexpectedly, Link reached for his bow, which had been strapped to his back the entire time and in his other hand was a single arrow. His eyes remained on hers, but it was the most puzzling stare she had ever seen.

"Link? What's wrong?" She turned to look behind her. The forest seemed awfully quiet suddenly, and she suddenly felt shivers run down her spine. Something wasn't right. Was there something out there watching them? When she looked back at Link, she stepped away. "Link? What are you doing?" Why did his eyes seem…empty all of a sudden?

With the arrow aimed straight for her, Kagome gulped and tried to understand why he would suddenly do this. "Link…why?"

A growl erupted somewhere behind the startled priestess, and fearful, she hesitantly turned around, only to find a very massive beast behind her, its claws glistening in the night and red eyes narrowed viciously.

OOO

Entering the encampment, Inuyasha dropped the load of wood and picked up a few before tossing them in to the small excuse for a fire. After that, he dusted himself off and took a seat next to Miroku.

"Inuyasha, where is Kagome?" Miroku asked, quietly roasting his fish just as Sango did.

Inuyasha nodded towards the forest where he had exited. "She's talking with Link…boy is she getting on my nerves…"

"Huh?" Shippo stared at him. "What's wrong?"

"Mind your own business!" He growled before plucking one of the roasted fish off of a small stick and eating it hungrily.

Shippo whined. "Hey! That was mine!" He cried out.

"Shut up."

Tears edged the side of the child's eyes and he fought against crying out for his mother, Kagome. However, at the sudden shift from Sango, he was handed a cooked fish from his slayer friend.

"Here you go. There's plenty," Sango offered kindly.

Shippo accepted this, but he still stuck his tongue out at the stubborn half demon. As he munched on his fish, he couldn't help but wonder about Kagome and Link. Were they friends too? He had a sinking suspicion that Link did in fact like her, and it was clear back at the Snowy Mountains when he had shielded himself above Kagome. Shippo wasn't a fool; he'd seen the way he looked at her up close; heck, even Inuyasha did that and so did Miroku with Sango. But, he didn't understand why Link hardly spoke to her. Wasn't it practical to just talk to the person you liked? It wasn't that hard, was it? Maybe Link was shy?

On account of Miroku's sudden sigh, Inuyasha took his eyes off his nightly meal and gave the monk a questionable stare. "What's wrong with you?"

Miroku shook his head, and stared at the flames. "We've already found two pendants…and there are only two more left, but we've gone through a lot for this one in Great Bay…it took us two days while the first one only took us half a day…"

"And your point?"

"My point is, just think about how long it will take us to acquire the remaining two? The Great Fairy explained that there was still more to accomplish after we've gathered all four…but I'm beginning to wonder if it's really enough to save this land…" His stare fell on Inuyasha. "So much has happened since our coming here…and who's to say what will happen tomorrow? How much time in Termina do we have left?"

Sango nodded. "I've been thinking the same thoughts…we're not far from town, but do you think we should just continue on foot toward our next destination?" After all, it would save them a great deal of time.

"That's probably our best bet," the monk replied. "The Great Fairy wanted us to return with the four pendants, and if we just head for town in the morning, it would delay our search."

Inuyasha nodded. "Then we'll just keep going then. It's not much to think about."

A ball of pink light suddenly fluttered in to the camp, and all eyes greeted the fairy. There was a moment when she looked around the camp, fluttering around the area as if she were in search of someone.

"Link is with Kagome, if that's what you're wondering," Shippo explained.

"Huh? He is? Which direction?"

Inuyasha pointed behind him. "That way."

"Eh?" Now that was strange. "I was just with Link…and he was walking away, but in the opposite direction…"

This news bothered the gang, and Miroku stood up suddenly with a narrowed expression. Sango did the same, and Shippo couldn't help but stare at the fairy with a puzzled expression. Inuyasha on the other hand held the fish firmly in his grasp.

"Wait…are you saying that Link was just with you?" Miroku questioned.

The fairy nodded. "Yep, he wanted time alone to think…he doesn't like to talk to anyone when he gets in to that mood…and the fact that he's with Kagome is surprising…Link isn't very sociable…so…" Wait, did he walk around? If that were the case, then he probably wanted to speak to Kagome privately, and that's why he wanted to be alone.

Inuyasha dropped the fish but before he could reach for his sword, he heard a feminine scream not far away. "Damn it!" 'How did I not notice?'

OOO

The feral beast fell to the ground with an agonizing cry, and Kagome couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief from her sitting position on the ground. The creature was dead with one shot between the eyes by Link's arrow. It hadn't been Kagome he was aiming for, but that creature.

She smiled up at her rescuer. "Thank you! You sure have remarkable hearing."

Without a word, Link lowered his bow and loomed over the seated priestess. He reached towards her, and when she thought he was going to help her to her feet, she was sadly mistaken. He was reaching for…her skirt.

"Uh?!" She slapped his hand and backed away. "What are you doing?!" That wasn't like Link at all. He wasn't that sort of boy, at least, that's what she thought. When he continued his advances, she stood up and ran behind one of the trees baffled. Why was he trying to…She gasped. Wait, he was after the pendant that was in her skirt pocket! But why? "Why are you doing this?"

"Give it to me," he said, and when she refused, he frowned deeply. "Very well…" He reached for another arrow and this time, his target was Kagome. He released the arrow, and fearful, Kagome watched as it flew past her and in to the tree.

Falling on her knees, Kagome quickly crawled away until she regained her footing. Something was seriously wrong with Link. Why was he trying to kill her? Or, was it Link? Another arrow zipped past her, and startled, she tripped over feet. She was about to get up and run again, but she stilled when a shadow loomed over her.

Standing over the girl, he reached towards her and managed to grab her arm and push her back until his free hand seized the pendant sticking half way out of her skirt pocket. With the item grasped tightly in his grip, he released her and eyed the necklace.

"Hey!" Kagome reached to take it back, but instead, she was pushed to the ground roughly. Kagome gasped. Opening her eyes, she was about to criticize him for his rough and baffling actions, but before she could, she found a familiar half demon in front of her with his sword drawn.

Inuyasha glared at him. It was Link. It had to be, because it was the same scent. Normally, shape shifters never carried the same scent as the original individual, but this was definitely Link. It had to be. Besides, he knew that stare and attitude anywhere. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Sango and Miroku finally managed to catch up, and watched as Inuyasha and Link faced off. Even Serena couldn't help but questionably stare at Link, especially the pendant grasped firmly in his hand.

"Inuyasha, I don't think that's Link!" Kagome explained as she raised herself up to her knees. Link would never try to hurt them; she knew this.

Despite her words, Inuyasha ignored her. "Don't give me that," he spat. "It's him! I can still smell that horrid stench of blood on him!" That and the mysterious scent of the forest.

"What?" The monk couldn't help but find this all alarming and questioning. "But how could that be? Are you implying that this isn't a fake?" The actions their new companion made confused him.

"Link wouldn't do that!" Shippo argued from atop Sango's shoulder.

Annoyed, Link backed away. "If you value your lives, stay away…I have no use for you…"

The half demon growled at this. "So, you planned to stab us in the back from the start! I knew we couldn't trust you!"

Wait…what? That wasn't true, was it? Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding? That had to be it, right? None of this made sense to the priestess. After all that they endured, why would Link choose now to turn his back on them and take the pendant?

The boy backed away. "Of course," he agreed. "I'm better off alone on this task. You would all just inconvenience me," he explained haughtily.

"Link…tell me you're joking?" Serena warily voiced. Even though she knew her companion well, she knew that deep down Link didn't enjoy staying near these people, even though he hardly knew them. She knew that Link was a boy who did things on his own, but to see him act in such a way was a little unlike him.

Link didn't bother to look at her, but he instead glared at Inuyasha. "I'm not…don't try to stop me…you've taking up too much of my time as it is. If none of you had appeared, I would have been better off."

Before Link could turn his back to them, Inuyasha ran at the boy, who wasn't fast enough to step away. With fast speed, Inuyasha punched him in the face and knocked Link to the ground. "What the hell are you saying?! You tried to hurt Kagome for the pendant!"

The young warrior didn't even wince from the attack but stared in to the half demon's eyes. "My intentions are my own…"

"What do you mean you would have been better off?" Shippo questioned. "If Inuyasha didn't show up when he did, you would have been killed!" The kit was referring to their first meeting, when Link was attacked by that strange monster and Inuyasha had stepped in and saved him.

The blond youth frowned at this. "Yes, I am aware of this Shippo…I wanted to die, don't you understand?"

Everyone couldn't believe their ears, especially poor Shippo. Link wanted to die? What? What were they missing? Why was he acting this way? Why would he want to die?

Miroku stepped forward cautiously. "Wanting to kill yourself for your own reason is a serious sin…do you not understand the consequences of such judgment?"

The boy clenched his teeth. "I'm fully aware…this is already hell…And it's none of your business!" With that, he took off running, startling everyone around the vicinity.

Kagome reached out toward Link, but she couldn't find the words to tell him to stop. All of this surprised her, and the fact that he had never wanted to be a part of their team bothered her. So…did he truly not like them? What happened to that boy she was starting to befriend? 'Don't go…Link.'

Shippo cried out. "Link! Don't leave us!"

Before anyone knew what to expect, Inuyasha leaped in to the air and tackled the boy from behind. After hitting the ground hard, Inuyasha towered over him, his hand threateningly close to his neck. "I might not know your personal life, and you might have reasons for wanting to kill yourself, but don't you dare take your problems out on us!" He grabbed his shoulders. "You're a part of this team whether you like it or not!"

The priestess placed a hand to her heart, and she worriedly stared at the boy on the ground, just lying there silently listening to Inuyasha. Was he listening? Was he going to remain a part of their group?

"You don't understand…and you never will…"

Inuyasha growled and fisted his hands. "Damn you piss me off!" He yelled, but Link remained silent. "You have people who care about you, but you don't even care! You think you can just go on your merry way, but you don't see how that hurts others, do you?!"

"Inuyasha…" Sango muttered with surprise. So, Inuyasha did care about Link?

Releasing the boy, Inuyasha couldn't help but scowl at him. By this point, everyone had blocked Link's escape in case he should run off; they were concerned for their newest companion. Whatever it was that was bothering Link to the point of suicide, concerned them, and they wanted to sit down and talk about it.

Annoyed by the youth, Inuyasha was about to turn his back on Link, but in an instant, Link, daringly, unsheathed his sword, but when he attempted to attack Inuyasha whose back was still turned to him, he found that his attack was futile. Inuyasha turned suddenly and grasped Link's wrist roughly, halting his movements; it was so fast, that he hadn't had time to dodge.

"Put your sword away and stop acting like a child!"

Aggravated, Link did the next thing he could think of, and he threw the pendant high in to the air, and as everyone stared at the flying necklace, they were surprised to see a crow fly out of the nearest tree and latch onto the round object before flying away.

Kagome gasped. "Oh no!"

Inuyasha cursed and was about to beat Link upside the head, but the boy was gone. "Where the … Hey!" He saw Link's retreated figure making his way past the stunned slayer and kit. "Get your ass b—"

An arrow suddenly zipped past the half demon, and on impact, struck the boy until he fell to the ground. Another arrow immediately hit the crow straight on, and the pendant fell; luckily Kagome managed to catch it before it hit the ground.

Baffled, everyone turned and found…a familiar boy garbed in green, staring at them with an annoyed expression.

Miroku, who was already by the fallen Link's side, stared between the two. "Wait…what's going on here? Are you the real Link?"

Inuyasha couldn't help but stare back and forth between the two with a stupid expression marred to his face. Eventually his eye twitched. "What is going on here?"

A pout formed upon Link's lips and he couldn't help but sigh and shake his head disappointedly. Really, he was gone for ten minutes and already everyone was tricked in to believing nonsense. Of course, he should have known Inuyasha to be the biggest fool out of them all.

"Link?"

Opening his eyes, Link regarded Kagome pitifully. "I am myself…you were all deceived." Stepping forward, he returned his bow upon his back and stepped in front of Inuyasha. In all honesty, he felt a little hurt that everyone mistook that clone for himself, but then again, they only just met five days ago. He glared at Inuyasha. "I'm not … a backstabber…"

In tears, Shippo sprung from Sango's grasp and threw himself in to Link's arms. "I knew you'd never leave us!"

Link sweat dropped. That's not what Shippo was shouting earlier…In fact, he heard the ruckus while on his way back to the camp. Actually, it was Kagome's scream that pushed him forward in the destination. When he arrived upon the scene, he couldn't help but watch everything unfold before him. It was surprising that there was an exact replica of himself among his newest companions. What really caught his interest was the feelings it possessed, and the personal wants it made known to everyone, Link's thoughts. That replica…held the same emotions he himself had…but never revealed. How did it know? How did that fake know that he had wanted to die back then? And furthermore, why did it confess so much, when Link wasn't the type to share such information to just anyone? He would have assumed the gang to realize immediately that it was indeed an imposter…but apparently they were convinced…

The imposter that was struck down quite easily suddenly shattered in to flames. Any traces left behind vanished in to the night, and then there was nothing left but the indent of a body in the grass.

"So, it was a fake…" Kagome muttered worriedly, and Link nodded.

Miroku mused to himself. "If that's the case, then someone must be after the pendants."

Snapping out of his reverie, Inuyasha looked to the monk. A fake? Wait, that wasn't merely a fake. Why did it have the same exact scent as Link? On top of that, why did that phony admit such nonsense of wanting to kill himself? "This is something Naraku would pull!"

"But I doubt he's responsible. Still, there's no telling. Maybe we weren't the only ones brought here by the Goddesses," Sango replied.

But of course Shippo argued with that idea. "Didn't they bring us here because they needed our help? Why would they bring a wicked man like him here?"

Inuyasha agreed. "Then…that would mean, someone here is trying to stop us."

Kagome sighed. "Now what do we do? It's not safe no matter where we go. If we head for the town, then we might put everyone there in danger."

Glancing over the map, Miroku showed his companions their exact location and what regions were left. "We could easily head to the swamp and journey back to Ikana," he suggested, and it seemed like a good plan, but someone in the group had to disagree.

Link took the map from them monk's hands and allowed his eyes to skim over the drawings and writings. To him, it seemed wrong to simply venture to the swamp lands; now was not the time. In fact, he had an idea that whatever it was that was affecting Ikana more than likely affected the Swamp Lands; after all, Ikana's river connected to the Kingdom of Deku's. A few days ago, while tracking after the man who had kidnapped Kagome, Link recognized an unsettling wind in that wasteland. If the whisperings weren't odd enough, then it was the restlessness in the spirits. But the biggest problem that he'd witnessed was linked to the flowing river; the canal was a river of blood, and how that happened, Link did not know. It wasn't simply his unease of Ikana, but the fact that the river connected to the Swamp Lands. Whatever it was that was affecting that land was certainly affecting the other region as well.

"Link?" Kagome voiced questionably.

Link pondered deeply. If he and everyone else could somehow undo the evil plaguing Ikana, then perhaps it might alleviate what's happening in the Swamp Lands. He could only imagine how the inhabitants of the woody area were thriving. There was no clean water, and surely by now the vegetation had died out. The sooner they ventured to Ikana, the better. Think of it simply as killing two birds with one stone. Perhaps there was a way to purify the flowing river? With that sorted out, Link glanced at the others, who had stood staring at him for some time. "We should head for the wasteland instead. I have an idea that what might be happening there is also affecting Woodfall."

"Eh?" Kagome couldn't help but stare at the youth. "The wasteland?" Now that he mentioned that, Kagome suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine. What was happening in that land?

Inuyasha watched as Link returned the map to Miroku. This was the second time Link decided to take charge, and although he didn't want to admit it, Link's idea didn't seem like a total failure. "Are you suggesting that Ikana is our best hope? What would you know what's affecting it?"

It was around this time that Serena intervened. "Well, Link's been there plenty of times in the past, and it wasn't but a few days ago that he ventured out to Ikana, along with Shippo."

The fox child nodded at this. "Yeah…that place was creepy…there were weird voices and monsters that came out of the ground and attacked us!" Shippo even recalled the flowing river, and the skeletal hand that had reached out and almost snatched him up. He trembled at the thought.

Both the monk and the slayer looked to each other. "We didn't see anything out of the ordinary…"

Link found that puzzling, but he didn't' bother questioning the two. "We should embark at first sunrise, and if we're lucky, we should reach Ikana by the afternoon. Traveling by dark is dangerous."

Shippo suddenly shivered at the very thought of returning to that scary place. If almost getting eaten alive and killed didn't upset him, then it was the thought of reliving the nightmare. "Uh…can't we just go to Woodfall first? What's the hurry?"

Link arched a brow.

Serena understood the child's unease; she certainly didn't feel up to another trip there, but they had to. "Time…" She replied, but that only served to further his fears.

"But…but…"

Noticing Shippo's stiffened posture, Inuyasha couldn't help but dubiously stare at him. What had him so worked up? The child practically saw monsters and demons every day; it wasn't anything new. "Well, if you're that scared, then that's all the more reason to get that place out of the way first."

Shippo frowned. "What?"

Examining the map again, Miroku also agreed with Link's decision. "Since Ikana lies in the East and the Swamp to the South…hm it seems that there is indeed a river that leads in to Woodfall."

"Really?" Sango asked, also taking a look at the map. "If that's the case, then Ikana would be in our best interest."

Inuyasha nodded. "Well, then, I don't know about all of you, but I'm getting some shut eye. Tomorrow we set out." With that said, he returned to the camp with his hands behind his head. He yawned.

Both Miroku and Sango followed after, with a troubled fox child that couldn't believe his ears. Link on the other hand couldn't help but glance at the silent priestess; by her expression, she must have realized by now. She would be returning to that land, where she had been…

OOO

Tossing and turning in his slumber, Shippo's realized he could not stop himself from thinking of that place of death; it tormented him and scared him. If Link hadn't decided that they should head there in the morning, he wouldn't be so restless. How could he step foot there again?

Sitting up in the laid out bed of Kagome's, he looked around. 'Figures, everyone's asleep…' They weren't the least bit worried about their change of plans, but what about Kagome? Shippo crept up closer to his surrogate mother's face, noticing her calm expression and her even breathing. Out of everyone, including himself, she had to be frightened the most, after all she was taken there not long ago against her will. If that wasn't enough to alarm her, then most certainly it was because that 'man' dwelled there.

Shippo gasped. Oh no! What was wrong with him?! He forgot to tell Inuyasha and everyone else about that man's location. Tomorrow, they might end up crossing his path, and then what about Kagome? She'd be in danger! He fisted his hands. No, he wouldn't let anything happen to her. Besides, Link was with them, as was everyone else. But still…wasn't that guy responsible for taking the Shikon Jewel? If that was the case, then…maybe it was a good idea to head out that way…maybe…

Whatever the case, Shippo couldn't help but grow worried. If only he were stronger…then he'd have nothing to fear.

He settled back down in to the comfortable sleeping bag next to Kagome. While he lay there, he concentrated on falling asleep, but it proved useless. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't clear his thoughts. Shippo buried his face in to the blanket and nestled closer to the warmth of his mother. What did he have to be afraid of? He faced bigger demons before…and so far he was still alive.

Eventually, his eyes drifted shut. He wasn't dreaming, but he was somewhere between slumber but at the same time still conscious of his surroundings. In his relaxed state, he felt himself stir and look around. Something had woken him, but he didn't know what. A sudden fear swept over him, and he brought the sheets up higher to his neck while his eyes glanced around the camp. Something was out there…watching. He gulped.

The fire had long since burned out, and now he was cold. Whether it was his imagination or not, he swore he saw something of a person's outline cross his line of vision. Frightened, he watched in alarm as this person turned toward his direction, and it became clear to Shippo that this was no ordinary person…Amidst the darkness, scarlet eyes locked with his, and it was within that moment that the air felt thick and heavy. Shippo's heart pounded quite deafeningly in his ears, and he shuddered at the terror towering over him sinister like.