All InuKag fans…please, please don't kill me. But read anyway. Please? I won't say any more for fear of spoiling it, but I believe this to be one of my best plots yet.

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own InuYasha, but I own the drawings I did of him and Sesshomaru, and that makes me feel better!

Change In Position

Kagome stood on the hillside just past the outskirts of the village. She sighed unhappily, beginning her ascent. InuYasha was sulking again, and she needed to talk to him before she went home.

A chill crept down her spine, and she rubbed her arms. Suddenly, an arrow flew past her face from behind, and she froze. That was Kikyo's arrow. Soul collectors wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides.

"What do you want, Kikyo," she asked as the priestess came into sight.

"I want this." She took the piece of the Shikon Jewel from around Kagome's neck. Calmly, she walked away up the hill. When she was gone, the soul collectors released Kagome, and disappeared.

"Not again," she sighed. "This isn't going to make InuYasha feel any better." She continued on her way to find him, not at all looking forward to the encounter. It didn't take her long; he always went to the same place when he was upset. But…Kikyo was with him. Not daring to breathe, she listened to them talk.

"I have her portion of the jewel," Kikyo said.

"You didn't hurt her?" InuYasha asked, as if he already knew her answer.

"Of course not. I need her to leave, if we are to go after the rest of the jewel ourselves. Once we have it completed, I can reclaim the rest of my soul, so that I will not need the souls of the dead to keep me alive." But InuYasha seemed worried…almost, reluctant. "You will help me, won't you InuYasha?"

"Of course," he replied softly. "I'd do anything for you, Kikyo." She embraced him happily, and he leaned down to kiss her.

Crying silently, Kagome slipped away. This couldn't be happening. InuYasha couldn't be plotting against her. It had to be a lie. She ran blindly, not thinking or caring about where she was going. All she wanted was to get as far away as possible. It resulted in finding herself lost and alone as night closed in around her.

She sat against a tree, unable to cry anymore. Her tears had dried up, leaving her numb. She couldn't believe InuYasha would betray her like that, after he promised to protect her. But…it had been a lie.

She was devastated by what she had witnessed, and did not hear the demon approach.

"I've been waiting to find you alone," a cold, feminine voice said.

Kagome looked up fearfully, and saw a tall, slender demon woman with long, curly red hair. She was wearing a flowing dark green gown with blood red ribbons woven through it, their ends hanging loosely. She was stunningly beautiful, her features perfect, but the look in her light grey eyes chilled Kagome to the bone.

"Who are you?" she whispered, frightened and awed.

"I am known as Yuri," she answered, icy wrath in her words. "I believe you have met my sister, Yura." (A/N: While Yura was really there, I made up Yuri…I know, not too creative with the name…)

Kagome remembered Yura. She had tried to kill InuYasha for his hair, back when their adventures had just begun. Her recognition of the name must have shown, for Yuri spoke again, this time with even more malice.

"You are responsible for the death of my beloved sister," she hissed. "And now you shall pay for it with your life!"

The next thing Kagome knew, thorned vines had sprung from the ground and wrapped around her. They grew steadily tighter, the thorns slowly breaking through her skin. She cried out in pain, making Yuri laugh. "There's poison in those vines," she said cruelly. "It will enter your blood a little at a time, as the thorns penetrate your flesh. You will die slowly and painfully."

Kagome quickly gave up trying to get free from the vines. She bowed her head in defeat, bitter thoughts filling her mind. Why should she bother? She had lost InuYasha to Kikyo, and had nothing left. And she would die soon enough anyway. Why give Kikyo the pleasure of being the one to do her in? And maybe, InuYasha would discover what had happened to her, and just maybe, he would regret his decisions. May his actions plague him with guilt for the rest of his life!

The quiet of the night was broken when Yuri screamed. The vines fell away from Kagome, and she looked up, startled. Sesshomaru stood there, looking at her. "Come," he commanded, walking away into the surrounding woodland. She obeyed without question, her mind blank. Only one thought got through to her. Why had he come to her rescue?

Sesshomaru led her to a small camp where a warm fire burned. Rin and Jaken sat beside it, roasting lizards. The little girl smiled when she saw Kagome. She couldn't bring herself to smile in return.

"Are you hungry?" Rin asked.

She shook her head, moving to sit against a tree within the circle of firelight. She hurt terribly, and was exhausted from running, and from her emotion turmoil. It wasn't long before she had fallen into a deep sleep.

She dreamed of InuYasha. Of all those times he'd seemed so worried about her, jealous because of Koga, and just happy to be with her. It was all so real, so filled with a warmth she couldn't describe. But then she saw him with Kikyo. She heard their words. She saw them coming after her, Kikyo intent on stealing away her soul. InuYasha supporting her actions wholeheartedly. Then Yuri was there, laughing at her demise. And then, everything was red as blood.

When Kagome awoke in the morning, she was in agony. Her entire body ached, from her pounding head to her over-exerted muscles. And when she opened her eyes, her vision was blurred. She moaned, trying to remember what had happened.

"Yuri's poison is still in your blood," she heard Sesshomaru say. "You will live. I am sure InuYasha will find you shortly."

InuYasha. The previous day's events came rushing back to her, filling her with mixed feelings of anger, betrayal, and grief. "I never want to see backstabbing jerk again!" she said furiously, though her voice was weak.

After a moment of silence, Rin asked, "Lord Sesshomaru, can Kagome come with us?"

He hesitated. He didn't really want to have her tagging along as well, but it wasn't as if he could just leave her there after he'd saved her last night. A demon would surely find her while she was still weakened. Perhaps he could allow her to come until she was well enough to defend herself. Finally, he answered stiffly, "If she so wishes."

Before Kagome knew what was happening, Rin had somehow hauled her to her feet, and was guiding her to Sesshomaru's twin-headed dragon. "You can ride on Ah-Un with me, Kagome!"

Throughout the day, Kagome passed in and out of consciousness. When she was awake, she was in a daze, unable to make out what was going on around her. She heard bits and pieces of conversation between Rin and Jaken, but could not distinguish their words. But by the time the sun was low in the sky, her head had cleared, and she was able to stay awake. She said nothing, however, and remained silent even after they had stopped for the night.

She sat by the fire, staring into it and ignoring everyone, with one question repeating itself over and over in her mind. She needed to know the answer, but could not summon the courage to ask until well after Jaken and Rin had gone to sleep.

"Why did you save me?"

Sesshomaru glanced sideways at her before answering. "It is of no concern."

Kagome turned away, staring blankly at the ground. "You should have just let Yuri kill me," she said with sad resignation. "I'm going to die soon anyway…I'd prefer not to sit around and wait."

"What do you mean?" he asked, with something between concern, surprise, and curiosity in his voice.

"Kikyo is going to use the sacred jewel to get her soul back. And without a soul, my life will end."

I know, it's short. But the next chapter will be longer, I promise! So…what do you think Sess's motives were for saving Kagome? If you give a guess. I'll tell you what I've come up with! Oh, what to do, what to do…how will Kagome ever get out of this predicament?