The sun ascended in to the reddish sky at a slow pace, and it was within those early hours that the group of travelers broke from their slumbering's and set about getting ready to set out for their next destination. With two pendants in their grasp, they were ready to fetch the third one which rested in a land of death and decay, where troubled spirits roamed about the wasteland, and a place buried with many secrets.

Packing up her sleeping bag and brushing the knots out of her long locks, Kagome couldn't help but glance over every once in a while at the sleeping child beside her. A smile graced her lips and she couldn't help but giggle when he mumbled incoherent words and his little face scrunched up. 'I wonder what he's dreaming about…'

"Isn't he up yet?" Inuyasha asked while carrying a few canisters of water in his arms. As he stood beside the priestess, he couldn't help but stare at the sleeping child. "What's he smiling about?"

Kagome smiled. "Who knows, maybe he's having a good dream," She retrieved the bottles from his arms and placed them in to her backpack. After closing it, she bent down and was about to wake the boy, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. "Aww..."

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Hurry up and wake him. We're leaving soon."

"Yeah…but look at him…let's let him sleep a little while longer, at least until Sango gets back," Kagome said.

"Fine."

Donned in his extra fitted tunic, Link stepped out from the trees and sorted through his belongings. With his shield resting against a tree, he sorted through his bag of rupees he had gotten back from the half demon during the fight with Aveil.

"Hey!" Inuyasha's voice spoke up suddenly, and Link barely acknowledged him. "How did you get those back?" He asked.

Calmly counting the colorful gems, Link remembered exactly how he came back in to possession of his bag. "During the fight, you made the mistake of dropping the bag, and so I took the liberty of reclaiming it…"

Inuyasha's expression turned sour, but he turned away from the boy. It wasn't as if he wanted to hang onto those strange gems in the first place. The only reason he took them was because he was curious.

Meanwhile, Miroku stretched his tired muscles achingly. For the first time after arriving here, he actually had a decent dream, of course it mostly concerned his possible future with a certain demon slayer. The monk couldn't help but inwardly smile.

Tossing in his sleep, Shippo groggily opened his eyes, blinking a few times for his vision to focus. He had a strange dream of a little girl named Charlene and she couldn't find her doll. Shippo remembered playing the hero and retrieving it for her, but then she suddenly ran away. Tiredly, he yawned and looked around. His emerald eyes landed on Kagome, who was peering down at him amusedly, but she smiled nonetheless.

"I thought you'd never wake up, Shippo," She giggled.

Yawning again, Shippo stood up and stretched his arms. "Morning…what's everyone doing?" He asked.

Picking herself off the ground and fixing the hem of her skirt, the priestess went about sorting the regular arrows and her light arrows in her quiver. "Well, Sango and Kirara went to get breakfast for us. Right now we're just waiting for them and then we're leaving."

As she said that, he nodded. Shippo bent down and picked up the blanket Kagome had given to him, but when he went to fold it, something fell out of it, and looking, Shippo found a small doll on the ground. Dropping the patterned blanket, he picked up the object and examined it. 'So…it wasn't a dream…'

"Shippo, where did you get that doll?" Kagome asked as she knelt beside him.

Surprised, Shippo held it tightly in his grip and stared at the priestess, who in turn curious returned the stare. "Uh…I found it…"

At that moment, Link, who had heard the conversation between Kagome and Shippo regarding the doll, ambled over to the monk, who at the moment was inspecting his staff. On his way towards him, Link couldn't help but stop and stare at the half demon.

Sitting on the ground, Inuyasha quietly scratched his right ear with his foot; it was normal for him to do this, and heck, even Kagome and the rest of the gang was used to it, but Inuyasha couldn't help but stop mid-scratch and narrow his eyes at the blond boy. "What are you looking at?"

Blinking, Link looked away and resumed his pace over to the monk. "Miroku…"

The male turned around and grinned. "Morning," he cheerfully greeted. Noticing the youth's serious expression, he couldn't help but lean in towards him. "Is something wrong?"

Leaning in closer to the monk, Link lowered his voice. "Would you follow me in to the forest?"

"Hm? But of course, but is something the matter?" He scrutinized Link, but Link gave no indication of his emotions. "Very well. Let's go."

Noticing both Miroku and Link heading off in to the forest, Kagome couldn't help but watch them depart. "I wonder where they're going…"

Surprised, Shippo ran after them, but he stopped when Link turned around and disapprovingly shook his head toward the tyke. 'Huh?'

"Hey, where are you two going?" Inuyasha shouted from his place on the ground.

Stopping, Miroku turned around. "We'll be back shortly, Inuyasha." With that said, he and Link disappeared through the foliage of the trees and shrubberies.

At that moment, a shadow flew overhead, and Kirara descended to the ground. Upon her back, Sango carried a dozen apples and different fruits in her Chinese styled hat. Glancing at her companions, she couldn't help but notice a couple of her friends were missing. Jumping from her back, Sango sauntered over to Kagome, who stared at the fruit questionably. "Where did Miroku and Link disappear to?"

"They went for a walk in the forest," Inuyasha replied with annoyance.

Leaning in closer, Kagome grabbed a small greenish fruit and held it up to her nose. "What is this?" The color seemed odd and it didn't look like an apple or for that matter, any type of fruit she'd seen before. Its stem was long and curved ever so slightly, and the fruit itself was rounded like a perfect oval.

"I'm not sure. There was an entire tree filled with them," The slayer replied.

Taking a bite, Kagome couldn't help but gasp. "It's sweet!" Sweet wasn't the word. The taste danced on her tongue, and it was so soft, that she couldn't help but take another bite. "Inuyasha, you have to try one! You too Sango."

While the adults were busy talking amongst themselves, Shippo couldn't help but stare off in to the forest. Why didn't Link want him to follow, and why were he and Miroku acting so secretively? Glancing down at the doll, Shippo held it tighter. Maybe Link and Miroku were going to look for the little girl? Hopefully she was okay, and by now she must be missing her doll.

OOO

"What is this about, Link?" Miroku asked the silent boy. They'd been walking for a while now, and Link had yet to say a word, rather, he wore a passive expression.

"Last night, I couldn't sleep," he began, though he didn't look at the monk beside him. "So, I ventured out for a short walk."

Miroku nodded. "Oh?"

Stopping, Link turned towards Miroku, who confusedly stared back. "Take a look there," Link replied.

Baffled, he did as was asked, but when he looked at the innocent shrubbery, he couldn't help but notice some fabric sticking out of the bush, along with a skeletal hand. He narrowed his eyes and bent down to inspect further. Pushing away the leaves, a small body of a little girl was revealed. Red blotches stained the once pretty blue fabric, and she was without shoes. "How awful…"

"I assume she must have died a few years ago…"

Miroku nodded. "I sense that her spirit is not at rest…I wonder what must have happened to her…perhaps she was attacked by wolves…"

Link looked at the child. Those wounds weren't caused by a wolf…or for that matter a beast…someone had murdered her. All and all, he remained quiet. "I led you out here because I thought you might be able to calm her spirit."

Miroku nodded. "Yes, I was thinking the same thoughts…but first we must bury her…" Unfortunately, they were without the proper tools to dig a grave.

"Here," Link handed him a used shovel, one of which perplexed the monk. On account of his stare, Link went on to clarify. "I found them outside an abandoned hut not far from here." He held the other shovel in his hand.

"I see…well then, let's make this quick."

OOO

Sitting against Kagome's backpack, Shippo absentmindedly messed with the small doll, twisting and turning it over every once in a while. His thoughts remained on Charlene and the fact that Link and Miroku left a short while ago. His tail twitched anxiously; he had wanted to tag along…but Link didn't want him to…

As Kagome sauntered by, she couldn't help but bend down beside Shippo. Her eyes landed on the doll. "She's a bit dirty, huh?" she asked. "Here, let me see it," Taking the doll from his offered hand; Kagome reached in to her bag and retrieved a small piece of cloth. Ever so gently, she rubbed away the dirt from the toy. When she managed to remove the stains in the dress and from the face, she set about fixing the little red bow in its hair. Eventually, she handed it back to the child. "There, she's good as new!"

Shippo held the pretty doll and couldn't help but smile. "Thanks," Next time he saw Charlene, he could return it in better condition.

"You're welcome," Picking herself up, Kagome ran a hand through her hair and grimaced. The priestess wanted so badly to take bath, and she knew that Sango probably felt the same. She decided to pull her hair up in to a ponytail for the time being, that way it was out of her face. "Sure hope the guys get back soon."

OOO

Flowers were placed upon the small mound of dirt where the monk knelt. With his palms clasped together in prayer, Miroku offered a few words to the poor soul before him. "May you finally be at rest…" Although he didn't know the child personally, he did feel some regret. He wondered if she lived in that hut Link found not long ago…but her questionable death did spark some interest, if only for a moment.

Absentmindedly, the young lad leaned his chin upon the handle of the shovel, and for a while, he could do nothing but stare at the small grave. His thoughts lingered previously to last night's short encounter with the ghost girl, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness for her. Although she was quite taken to Shippo, considering he too was a child, she seemed quite fearful when Link revealed himself; it was as if she was frightened of him…or perhaps shy…he didn't know which…maybe both. Not only did his thoughts linger on her, but also on Shippo, whom he left back at the camp; he didn't know how to tell the kit of this…Link felt that he should keep quiet about this, at least until later, but he had a feeling Shippo might bring up the subject of the little girl to either him or Miroku later on.

"That should be about it. I sense that her soul is at peace," Miroku stated suddenly and turned to Link. "By chance, how far is the hut?"

"Not far," Link replied.

Miroku pondered to himself. He wanted to look around the place, especially since it was abandoned, but he knew it would no doubt hinder their travels. He shook his head. "Well, let's head back before we are missed."

As they headed back, Miroku couldn't help but regard Link. "Judging how you came to fetch me this morning, I'd have to say that you must have also sensed her restless spirit. Am I right?" He asked.

The young warrior, with his eyes staring straight ahead, shrugged. "Perhaps,"

Miroku inwardly chuckled. Link, the boy of few words, was indeed interesting, but he was thankful the boy was coming around to talking to them more. Actually, now that he thought about it, this was the first time he and Link spoke by themselves. "I think we ought to keep this between us…I'm not sure how well the others will take this, especially Kagome and Shippo."

Link nodded. "Agreed."

OOO

Stretching her wings, Serena yawned and searched the small camp in which they spent the night. Both Sango and Kagome were conversing directly across the camp and from what she gathered, they seemed energetic. Kirara was busy munching on some fruits near the extinguished fire, while Shippo pilfered through Kagome's strange yellow bag filled with strange devices that Serena found questioning.

The fairy recalled last night's sudden 'almost' mishap regarding the imposter that tried to impersonate her dear companion, Link. Although she knew something was wrong when Inuyasha pointed out her companion's location with Kagome, she couldn't help but grow curious, especially since she left Link some time before. The imposter's voice was the same as Link, and he resembled the youthful boy a great deal, but its manner of speaking through her off greatly; Link, no matter if it were a stranger or an acquaintance of his, he would never admit his true feelings to anyone, not even to the group they were traveling with. Link didn't know them enough to confess such things as death or suddenly blurt that he could take responsibility on his own and that the gang was just an inconvenience. Link would never say that.

"Oh, you're awake," Kagome commented suddenly. "Good morning!"

Serena examined her. "Morning…where's the monk, and where is Link?"

Fixated on Kirara's injury from last night, she turned to look at the fairy. "They went in to the forest a while ago; they should be back any moment." She couldn't quite understand their reasons for leaving, but it must have been important. A sudden thought aroused the priestess's interest. "Serena, how long have you been with Link?"

"Huh?" That certainly surprised her. "Well, I've been with him for about…three years," she replied. Now that she thought about it, she felt that she'd been with him longer than that.

"I see, so, do you have any powers?"

"Um…not really. That power is only reserved for the Great Fairy herself. I'm still too young for that. Why do you ask, Kagome?" The priestess seemed talkative so early in the morning.

She merely smiled. "Well, we haven't really had the time to talk much, and I guess that since you and Link are accompanying us, we could get to know each other better."

Hearing this, the slayer nodded. The brunette, geared up in her regular attire, a simple pink kimono, sauntered over to the two with a question weighing on her mind as well. "I've been meaning to ask. Where are his parents?"

Serena merely stared at them, and even Kagome seemed to wonder the same question. "Uh…"

Kagome placed a finger to her lip thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, Link did tell me he grew up in Hyrule…uh…Kokiri…forest…I think. He wasn't really specific about his parents though…"

"I can't really answer that…if you want answers, you should ask Link yourself," Serena replied. It really wasn't any of her business to reveal anything personal without the boy's permission, besides, they hadn't even established a friendship with these people yet…as of now, they were merely acquaintances voyaging with them on this task to apparently stop the land from experiencing a fateful end. Serena wasn't going to just tell them they weren't friends; she wasn't so cruel. She did, however acknowledge their strength and courage. There was a small connection, maybe even a slight attachment she had with the fox child though, since he and Link did seem to get along quite well and the fact that he had somewhat grown on her these past few days together.

Kagome sighed. "Yeah, you're right." The only thing was she didn't know how to directly approach Link and ask him such questions. Before, when they had conversed in the Laundry Pool in Clock Town, she was very comfortable speaking her mind and telling her story of her time traveling and he in turn revealed things she never thought possible, but she believed him. Still, now that they were on this quest, she wanted to learn more from the boy; she was equally puzzled by his quietness. Not only were thoughts of his personal life nagging at her, but so were the events that took place last night regarding that imposter.

Curious of his friend, Shippo looked up in to the tree in which a certain half demon sat with his arms behind his head and his eyes closed in a bored fashion. "Hey, Inuyasha, aren't you curious about Link too?"

"Why would I be?" He asked, though he did not acknowledge the child below staring up at him. "I could care less."

He turned his head away with a pout. "Figures…I don't get why you're so angry at him."

Inuyasha opened a single eye and glowered at the child, whose back was now turned to him. "Who says I'm angry? He just gets on my nerves."

Shippo canted his head slightly. "Why? What did he do? From what I've seen, he's been nothing but help to all of us…" A thought clicked suddenly, and the child couldn't help but allow a small smirk to grace his lips. "Wait a minute…you're jealous…aren't you?"

A twitched developed suddenly, and sitting up straight, Inuyasha fisted his hands. "What the hell are you talking about? As if! Why would I be jealous of that brat?"

Shippo giggled and covered his mouth. From the half demon's reaction, it was clearly obvious. "Oh you know…he's been rescuing Kagome a lot lately…and on top of that, he's helped us out more than you have."

Overhearing this, Kagome couldn't help but sweat drop. Although she had to agree with the kit, she knew that Inuyasha would flip if he continued on. "Now Shippo…" She laughed lightly.

Pulling himself together, he reclined back in to the tree and crossed his arms indignantly. "So the kid is pulling his weight around the group…" He muttered. "I could care less…"

No matter what he said, Shippo knew the truth; Inuyasha was jealous. "That's not what you said before…"

"Shut it, Shippo! It's none of your business!"

"See? You're upset!" The child pointedly declared. "Why don't you just admit that you're jealous and stop acting so stubborn?"

Annoyed, the half demon jumped from the tree and before Shippo could run away, he hit the child across the head. "Watch yourself Shippo! There's no way in hell I'd be jealous of him!" Just for good measure, Inuyasha latched onto the boy's cheeks and started pinching them to the point that it hurt Shippo.

"Owe! Owe! Owe! Kagome help!"

Inuyasha snickered. "Cry baby…can't take a little pain."

Aggravated, the priestess planted her hands firmly on her hips. She had just about enough of this. "Sit!"

By this point, Link and Miroku returned to the campsite, where they found a cloud of dirt in view and an onslaught of curses that followed. They looked upon the small crater that held the abrasive half demon and then to the child sporting a visible lump upon his head and reddened cheeks, and Kagome was by far no means a happy camper.

"Would you stop picking on him?!" She yelled.

Before Link could comment, a bundle of red and blue propelled itself in to his chest, and Link realized it was a teary eyed Shippo. The very sight of his tears was enough to baffle the boy. "What happened?" he asked. Somehow, he had a feeling Inuyasha was the cause, after all, Kagome and Sango didn't seem like the type to make children cry.

"Inuyasha hit me!" the child cried defensively, and this urged a small frown from Link.

With a shake of his head, Miroku looked at the now irate half demon. "He just can't control that anger of his…"

"Damn it! What did I do?! The runt had it coming!"

"Sit! That still doesn't give you the right to hit him!" She retorted. "How many times are you going to torment him? He's a child, so be more gentle!"

"You're always defending him!"

"Shouldn't I?" She questioned sternly. "Don't forget that he's part of this family. What kind of example are you setting treating him like that, especially that language you use?"

"What about you?! He doesn't need you hovering over his shoulder day in and day out! He isn't going to mature, if you keep butting in and babying him!"

Serena, along with the others simply backed away. Not again. This was certainly a fight they wished no part of.

Red in the face, she clenched her fists, but she kept her mouth shut. Why couldn't he just listen and leave the boy alone? Now he was accusing her of babying him too much. It wasn't like she was going to be there for him the rest of his life. "Just leave him alone…alright?" Right now, it was too early for an argument.

Taking this as a win, Inuyasha smugly crossed his arms. "Fine."

With that taken care of, Kagome turned to stare at the kit, resting in Link's arms still upset. With a worried frown, she walked over and took him from the youth's grasp. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he replied.

She placed a hand on his forehead. "You're fever is gone so that's good," Looking over her shoulder, she narrowed her eyes at the scowling half demon and turned her head haughtily away. "Well I think we're ready, so let's get going." With that said, she walked on ahead.

Perched on her shoulder, Shippo placed on index finger under his eye and pulled down with his tongue sticking out at Inuyasha ignorantly. It served him right for picking on him, and he was only telling the truth. Inuyasha seemed a little too sensitive on the topic of Link and that was because deep down, he was jealous, he just wouldn't admit it.

Looking at one another, Miroku and Link followed after, along with both Sango and Kirara with Inuyasha behind them. They didn't bother speaking a word to him, and didn't feel the need to interrogate him further on the mistreatment of their little friend Shippo because they knew Inuyasha's temper would get the better of him yet again.

Noticing the dirt stains covering Miroku and Link, Sango couldn't help but wonder what happened after their stroll in the forest. "What happened to you two?"

Miroku waved it off. "It's nothing to worry about."

From Sango's questioning, Shippo couldn't help but look from the monk to Link. They hadn't said anything about where they had gone to, and he wondered if the little girl was alright. Maybe they didn't find her. He wanted to ask but instead he kept his mouth shut. He'd ask Link about it later.

Half way between their destination, the group ventured away from the outskirts of Great Bay and traveled across the monster infested plains of Termina. The town sat innocently ahead, yet it was ignored as the group sauntered past it and towards the giant canyons ahead. Strange beasts roamed about the field, attacking frequently and at times, Inuyasha would jump in to action as well as Sango and Kirara. Link, however insisted that they not waste their energy on meaningless encounters, given that the beasts were quite sluggish in speed and less worrisome in physical damage to one's person; he thought it was best to continue on and avoid them all until they reach their destination. Neither teammate disagreed with the youth.

Eventually, they arrived before late midafternoon, standing before eight massive pillars of cracked stone that lined the entrance in to Ikana. From their place of stand, they couldn't help but peer up at the pillars and from the looks of the erosion and etched symbols drawn in the stone, the columns seemed ancient, as if they could fall apart any second.

Straight ahead of them, they took notice of the demolished gate lying upon the ground in smashed pieces, as if something quite large had run through it. Only recently was it intact, but now it seemed as if something had opened the path between the living and the dead. What had it been?

Looking back at the priestess, Inuyasha couldn't help but notice the worry in her eyes. "You sure you want to come along?"

She nodded. Although she'd never actually seen Ikana during her kidnap, she didn't want to stay behind, even if that man might be prowling around. She wondered if Kafei had located the thief, but they hadn't been in town for a while to find out. If Inuyasha's nose could pinpoint his scent, then he'd have been found quite earlier. For some reason, after arriving in Termina, Inuyasha's sense of smell altered; he could only smell scents close by.

Before they could continue forward, Shippo, who stood beside Link, questionably looked at the warrior. "Hey Link, there's something I've been meaning to ask you…"

Baffled, he looked at the child at his feet. "What is it?"

Shifting from one foot to the other, he scratched his head awkwardly. "Well, last night…when that illusion took your form, it started saying a bunch of strange stuff…"

Link's eyes narrowed in recollection. He knew exactly where this was going, and he knew sooner or later it would be brought up.

Inuyasha's ears twitched at this, and he curiously looked from Link to Shippo. He remembered, as well as everyone else. That 'thing' started shouting all kinds of nonsense such as suicide and not appreciating his companions.

Before Shippo could question further, Link politely interrupted. "I wouldn't give it much thought…"

Serena landed on the tyke's shoulder, switching his attention from Link to herself. "Well whatever that thing was, it wasn't Link; that's what's important, not what it was saying."

"Yeah…but…" Shippo couldn't help but notice Link's evasiveness.

"That's enough Shippo. You'll talk his ears off," Inuyasha commented, easily displeasing the child.

"But out Inuyasha! I know that you're curious too!" He looked at his traveling companions. "Even you guys!"

As much as she didn't want to pry, Kagome agreed with him there. She didn't know much about the boy, and the fact that last night's occurrence had frightened her, she felt that Link was keeping a lot bottled up inside and from the way he was currently ignoring them, it didn't seem, like he wanted to share anything. "Well…it really isn't the time and place for this right now…"

Sango nodded. "We can ask questions later, but for now we should move on before nightfall."

"She's right," Miroku agreed as he allowed himself to edge closer to his female companion. "If Link doesn't want to tell us, then he doesn't have to. Whether it's true or not, besides, for all we know that illusion was probably telling lies in order to put a wedge between all of us, and we can't afford that…"

With a raised hand, Sango smacked the monk hard against the cheek and removed his hand from her thigh. "Keep your hands to yourself!" Now seriously wasn't the time for Miroku's perversions, and she was still unnerved by yesterday's occurrence.

Shaking her head at Miroku, Kagome bent down patted Shippo on the head. "Let's not think too much in to what happened last night, okay? Whatever that was, it wasn't Link, was it?"

"No…" Shippo still didn't seem convinced, but he did find it odd that the illusion spoke such personal feelings and tried to steal the pendant, but Shippo knew better than to accuse Link as a thief. Perhaps it was as Miroku said. Maybe someone was trying to force a wedge between them? He looked to Link and lowered his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Link."

Link nodded his head. "It's alright…"

Gazing ahead, Miroku couldn't help but let his eyes linger on the rubble ahead. "I wonder what happened here…"

Climbing over the debris, the gang couldn't help but notice there were no signs of foot prints or any clues as to hint to such damage. As they crossed through the broken gate, they entered in to the canyon of Ikana when an eerie fog suddenly crept over them, followed by a strange weight pressing down upon each of them…