Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Author's Notes- Ah, my most –personally- anticipated chapter. I don't really have anything to say… Just be prepared for another long flashback! (Cue innocent grin)

xXx

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?" He breathed, still not removing his forehead from the wall. The person behind him shuffled a bit, until he could see her sneakers behind him.

"Um…" she started, "I just wanted to see what was going on. Miroku and I heard you storm past the room, but we just… kind of… want to know why."

Inuyasha grunted as he pushed himself from the drywall, and looked Sango square in the face. There's no way in hell he would even think about telling her what he had woken up to, and no way she would understand. Hell, he didn't even understand why he awoke from his blackout locked in a rather compromising embrace with the girl they had just met. (Whom he currently tried- with all his power- to loathe but just couldn't for some god awful unknown reason.)

"Why?" He repeated. Sango nodded and eyed him expectantly. "It's complicated." He stated simply as his gaze dropped to the carpet.

She arched an eyebrow at his recluse-ness. Usually, he was the last person to bottle up, not his emotions, but something that pissed him off. All of his agitations were always out in the open. Most of the time advertised on the scowl marring his face, and his furrowed brows. Somehow, he seemed extremely irritated but the almost serene expression across his face made it look like he didn't want to be provoked. "What do you mean 'complicated'?" she asked, making Inuyasha frown.

"It's nothing." He spat. "Don't worry about it." Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared at the empty hallway. He wanted to be infuriated at Kagome, but something in his subconscious wouldn't let him. There was a mental block on being beyond angry with her for some reason. It was bothering him to no end why he just couldn't be mad at her!

So why not compensate by lashing out at everything else?

"Inuyasha-" Sango started, reaching a completely friendly hand towards his shoulder. He was taken aback and shot her a death glare. She simply stood there with her hand still hanging in the air, a dumbfounded look across her face.

"Why won't you just drop it already!?!" He barked. Sango was still lost. What did she do to him? "I said it was nothing. There's nothing to worry about! Just leave it alone! Why don't you go and console that Kagome girl and get off my back!" His shouts rattled Sango's brain, and he stormed off yet again. She blinked a few times and let her hand tumble to her side. That stunned expression was still plastered on her countenance.

"What…?" she mumbled. "What the heck just happened?" Her golden honey eyes flickered a few more times before she shook her head and shrugged.

She knew it had to have something to do with Kagome. She was like some kind of omen on the group. The missing puzzle piece to a maze of clear blue sky. Ever since they ran into her, what, ten minutes ago, the entire universe crumbled. Everything around them was warped, and the artificial feel of the world seemed so much more obvious… to Sango, anyway.

It was like she was living in a faux-reality. Like she wasn't even supposed to be there, walking that hallway, taking those classes, breathing that air, wearing those clothes… She wasn't supposed to be taking up space in this simulation… she wasn't supposed to fathom these kinds of things. All she ever did was live… from what she knew. Her past life was creeping up on her…

Whatever- whoever or whenever- her past life was, she had no clues to stand on.

XxX

Flashback… (No cliffy anymore!!)

"Sango! Answer me, please!" Miroku pleaded. She let out a strangled yelp as the pain finally started to wash over her. Her eyes clenched shut and both of her hands flew to her abdomen, holding it tight. Dark red blood started purging from between her fingers and dripping down her taijiya uniform.

Sango roughly swiveled her head to glance at her comrade "M- Miroku…" she mumbled feebly.

He sighed in relief and held her shoulders closer to him. "Sango, it's okay. Everything's going to be alright." She groaned in discomfort and pressed her palms deeper into her wound to make the bleeding cease. With eyes ridden with distain, Miroku plucked her off the grass and attempted to sprint into cover. Sango's repetitive cries of pain finally got to him and he stopped, about ten yards from where he started.

Demons were swirling manically overhead. The sky was darkening to a deep violet, and the wind had certainly picked up. Sango looked up at the cackling demons above her and grimaced. It was hopeless… they weren't going to win this fight… they didn't have a prayer… not without Inuyasha. Her eyes drifted downward to where she saw the jewel shards go. They had tumbled towards Inuyasha's lifeless, battered corpse…

As soon as she recalled that fact, her eyes widened to their extremities at an incredibly luminous light coming from another part of the clearing. Miroku seemed to notice too and he stood up with a good grip on his staff and a stern look about his features. When the light disappeared, a deep, and powerful aura dominated the area. Sango looked up at Miroku with confused eyes and his fist tightened on the staff.

A swarm of wicked demons suddenly swooped down towards the source of the light, but as soon as they drew close huge yellow bolts flew from their target. All the attacking entities were obliterated at an instant, and the two fighters gaped at the phenomenon. Before the other demons could even think of retaliating a blur darted into the air and sliced clean through the horde, showing the sky.

After a second, an enormous white streak split through the center of the crowd. Since the demons were flying in a circle, it looked like a band of light going around the inside of a ring. In, literally, a flash, every last demon was extinguished. Sango and Miroku were still at a loss for the cause. Although the demons were gone, the aura remained. It was still choking them, clogging their lungs.

"Miroku…" Sango strained, mumbling again. "What… was that…?" She gave the monk a worried look and he returned a baffled one. Just what was going on?

He spoke flatly, telling the honest truth. "I'm not sure." Before he could say much else, the blur that bulldozed through the demons dashed back to earth. Miroku took a step back in absolute shock and Sango looked expectantly at him. From her angle, she couldn't see.

The figure landed in a crouched position on the grass. Its hand gripped the hilt of a katana, and the other was spread out on the ground for support. Threatening crimson spilt from behind bloodstained bangs, and two jagged purple slashes infiltrated the, also bloodstained, face.

(Three guesses, folks!)

A dreadfully irksome growl rumbled from its throat as it dug its claws into the soil. Miroku swallowed hard at the sight of him. Still clad in his torn, blood and tear-soaked haroi, Inuyasha leaped from his place on the ground and got right in the monk's face. Sango gasped but then cringed in pain from her disposition. Miroku only bit his lip and squared himself on the grass.

Inuyasha's fangs clearly poked over his lip as he grabbed Miroku's collar in an unbreakable clasp. His growl deepened at the monk's uncomfortable expression.

"Inuyasha…" Miroku breathed, "What happened… to you?"

A sick smirk pulled on the demon's lips and he shook his former friend once. "Miss me?" he spat sarcastically. The monk fidgeted to reclaim his collar but Inuyasha had other plans… Raising his arm a few inches, Miroku found himself airborne, and Inuyasha's look flattened. "Where is she?"

During this whole ordeal, Sango scrambled to her feet and uneasily inched closer to the two. "Inuyasha stop! You don't want to hurt him!" she screamed. This caused Miroku to send her an alarmed look and Inuyasha just gave her a ridiculing glance.

"Who says I don't?" He raised an elongated talon to the monk's neck- making him flinch- just to stress his point.

"Sango no!" Miroku commanded, "Where is who, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha lowered his hand and brought his captive closer to eyelevel. "Kagome. What happened to her?" his voice was serious and his expression wasn't wavered.

"She's… She's gone." Sango stated, clutching her injury in distress and reaching a bloody hand towards him. "We think she went back home… we hope…"

"You hope?" He shouted unbelievingly. Dropping Miroku to the ground, he attempted to corner the wounded Sango. "What do you mean 'You hope'? You didn't let anything happen to her did you!"

She threw up her free hand defensively. "Please, Inuyasha, calm down. She was hysterical!"

His brows furrowed as he moved a step closer. "I don't care!"

When Miroku caught Inuyasha raising a clawed hand to the taijiya, he immediately grabbed his staff and whacked him in the back of the head with it. He knew that his former friend would glare death at him for doing it, but then again, he also knew that there was no way to knock him out of his possessed state. The shards had obviously landed on him, healing his wounds, and the impurity of said shards caused this transformation. The only way to reverse the effects was to have Kagome touch him. That was pretty impossible with her gone, now wasn't it?

"You…" Inuyasha muttered, glowering at the monk. He threw his claws at him several times but whenever he did that damn metal staff would always block him. He wasn't completely inadequate, so a few cuts marred Miroku's face, hands, and the like, but there was no lethal blow like he wanted.

The twang of string perked Inuyasha's ears and a whizzing noise flew past Miroku's head. Inuyasha's eyes widened and his jaw hung open. A clean wooden arrow stuck out of his torso, with a few droplets of fresh blood seeping through. He glanced down at the white feathers and tried to reach up and grab it's shaft to rip it out. A strangled cough racked his body as he fell to his knees, his eyes never leaving the end of the arrow. Funny how simplicity can strike down the most formidable…

Miroku whipped his head around to Kaede, holding a bow atop a horse. A serious look was stuck on her aged face. Sango stumbled towards Miroku and he caught her from plummeting to the ground. Inuyasha had since collapsed on his side. A stunned look was forever on his countenance and the arrow showed itself proudly in his chest.

"Miroku…" Sango breathed desperately. "I… I've lost too much blood…" Her eyes shut in disappointment of her own fate.

The monk looked at her in utter dismay. "No Sango. You'll get through this. I promise." He smiled half-heartedly, like he was trying to convince himself more than her.

She shook her head sadly, "No I won't, Miroku…I'm already feeling light headed…"

"Sango…"

Kaede strode up to the two with a concerned look. "Child, are ye injuries fatal?" she spoke towards Sango. (Obviously) All the taijiya could manage was a nod. The elder miko responded with one as well before turning to Miroku. "Miroku, I am afraid she won't make it."

The monk smiled in spite of this entire situation. "No, Kaede, don't tell me that…"

"I am sorry, but these things happen." She solemnly stated. "I have a plan… for what we should to with Inuyasha."

Miroku glanced up at her with a barely-holding-on Sango in his embrace. "What do you mean?"

"It's an old miko concoction of burial soil. You bury the corpse in this soil, and mark the top and the grave with a date or time until resurrection. The corpse does not rise from the grave, but the fates are toyed with, and the person is just as they were when the time comes." Kaede explained, getting an interested look from the monk. "Inuyasha will be his normal self in Kagome's world if we time it right, as well as Sango. However, neither of them will know how they died. Sango may remember Inuyasha's fate, but not her own. The mixture takes a while to prepare, but the result should be worth it."

Miroku nodded and rested his gaze on Sango. Her breathing was soft and her eyelids were hardly open at all. The slower her heartbeat became, the more the contemplated the idea.

"Do it." He stated. "Kaede, prepare the soil, please. Anything… to make this right again."

End of Flashback… (Gasp!)

xXx

Kagome blinked twice at Miroku. He looked her square in the eyes with his serious expression never flitting. "What do you mean they don't remember?" she whispered, "They- they remembered my name, didn't they? And if you can remember how come they can't? They should be able to, right?"

Miroku only shook his head. "I'm not sure of the details, Kagome." He gently placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her. "I am aware of how Sango and Inuyasha ended up here, and can only suspect that Kaede sent me here as well. What I don't know is why I remember and they seem to have amnesia."

She gulped while resting her gaze on her feet. "So… they just have a block? Can they ever remember? Or will Sango never be my best friend again… and Inuyasha…"

Miroku noticed the tears brimming her eyelashes. She was clearly trying to not let them spill over, but she wasn't doing a very good job of it. "No, no! I'm sure they'll remember eventually." He quickly sputtered, gaining her attention from the floor. "Knowing your name without either me or you telling them is enough proof that they have the memories somewhere in their subconscious. It's just up to us to break through the barrier in their minds so all the thoughts can come flooding back! And if I may say so…" he smirked perversely, "… it's rather obvious that Inuyasha feels a strange connection between the two of you." Kagome's face discoloured a bit as she looked away. Leaning back in his chair, Miroku re-crossed his arms smiled. "I take it you've already noticed?"

She shifted uneasily on the bed and her face darkened. "I don't know… I was kind of passed out for most of the time he was acting normally… But, Miroku?" Her voice lowered to a whisper again, and both his eyebrows rose so she'd elaborate. "If he doesn't remember what happened… why did he when he… changed?"

Miroku hummed in thought and tapped his chin a bit. "That's is odd… I did find it strange as well when I met him and he was human. Perhaps his demon blood is also withheld along with his memories of the past. The fact that the human element is clearly dominant in him would explain the blockade on his thoughts." He paused for a moment before continuing. "However… this doesn't explain Sango's disposition."

Kagome nodded. "I know…" There was some reason that kept Sango from realizing what had happened. The problem Kagome and Miroku were having was figuring out how to help her along. Maybe telling her the truth would open up the doors… but if it didn't work Sango would just think that her and Miroku were completely mental.

She needed to remember. Kagome needed her to remember… She just wanted her best friend back. Even though she had tried to dive into a normal life again, she'd give anything to have her bizarre life back. If she weren't already past the blaming herself stage, penance would be cursing her thoughts right now.

The door quietly clicked open and Kagome and Miroku's eyes darted upward. Sango smiled softly and fully entered the room, shutting the door behind her. Leaning back on the wood, she sighed in frustration. "I don't know what we're going to do with him." She spoke dejectedly.

Miroku quirked an eyebrow, "With who?"

"Inuyasha." She breathed, receiving an understanding nod from Miroku, and an inquisitive look from Kagome. "I just tried talking to him and he blows up in my face! Sheesh, what a hard-ass… I didn't do anything to him! All I said was: 'Why did you stomp past our door?' -or something like that- and he flips out on me! Kami, that guy's thrown me for a loop! I just don't get it!" She threw her hands in the air as she raved.

Kagome gave a shocked expression, but – in actuality, she wasn't that surprised. Inuyasha was infamous for his impulsive attitude.

Miroku cocked his head to the side confusedly. "So he just had a hissy-fit? That's… really not that strange… but for something so trivial as that… it doesn't make much sense."

Sango nodded feverishly and held her palms towards Miroku with her arms extended. "I know! Then he storms off in a huff again! Like I somehow offended him! Ha!" Her eyes rolled as she plopped onto her own bed.

"Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it right now…" Kagome mumbled, causing both Miroku and Sango whip their heads around.

Miroku had his mouth open to say something, but paused for a moment before clicking it shut. A hardly noticeable grin pulled on the corners of his lips.

Sango, however, didn't have the information that he did. "What do you mean?"

Kagome fidgeted awkwardly again and wouldn't look Sango in the eyes. "Well, maybe he didn't want to talk about it… and you started to ask him about it so he showed the only emotion he could think of…"

"Pissed off?" Sango questioned, a bit angrily. The other girl nodded slightly. She raised a curious brow, "Are you going to be a shrink like 'Roku?" Kagome almost laughed and shook her head back and forth. Sango's lips formed a straight line and her voice lowered a bit. "You really do know us somehow, don't you?"

A little surprised at her realization, Kagome turned her head to look at her roommate. A tiny smile showed on her face as she shrugged her shoulders. Sango kept giving her a perplexed look, still wondering what the hell was going on. She kept contemplating how fake her entire world had started to feel and how conspicuous Kagome was to her. How everything turned so artificial when she- so suddenly- showed up… Especially how the only people that seemed real were Kagome, Miroku, Inuyasha, and herself.

Sango stayed silent for a few minutes, starring off into space. Miroku eyed her carefully every now and then, and noted that her eyes steadily widened to their limits. A gasp suddenly pulled on her lungs and her mouth hung ajar. Kagome glanced at the gaping girl with a lost expression. Sango's eyes- no longer wandering- landed on Kagome and all the color seemed to fall from her features.

She leaped from her spot on the bed and tackled Kagome in a giant friendly embrace. "Oh my god, Kagome…" she breathed, "This world… is a sham…"

XxX

Author's Notes- Aha! Weren't expecting that, now were ya?

Eh, truth be told, I didn't either. Ha… thought of it at the last minute. Jeez, the flashback is the majority of the chapter. Oh, well. Just one more flashback to go! Then everything should be explained… as far as I'm going to, anyway.

By the way, the only thing I've got to say about Inuyasha is: Kami, it's impossible to kill him. He's like a frickin' cockroach!

Like I didn't just give anything away… or did I,

-Destiny