Yeah, I actually posted this one on time! (I set a goal for myself of no more than one week in between chapters.) Woo hoo! Anyways… thanks for reading (again)!

Disclaimer: (once more…) I DO NOT own Inuyasha. (This just gets ANNOYING after a while!)

Key:

"Speaking"

"Thinking"

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RECAP:

He only wished that this would last forever. He wished that Kouga would never come back, and that Kagome would never leave him. He wished that he could tell her how he felt. Sure, he did get a little embarrassed around her sometimes, but he was really starting to change because of her. He felt more confident when she was at his side, and he felt stronger because of the fact that she needed him. He felt like a better person all around when they were together. It was at that exact moment that he realized… he would do anything for her.

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Sango woke up early the next morning to the sound of birds chirping and Miroku snoring. She realized –much to her surprise- that she was the first one awake. Even Inuyasha was still sleeping in! It wasn't often that Inuyasha let himself rest like that, especially not when Kagome was gone or in danger. "He must have finally realized that he does need rest in order to help her." She thought to herself, slightly impressed with the way Inuyasha has matured. "Or maybe he is just so confident in the fact that he is going to find her, he doesn't feel the need to change anything." She sighed to herself, and got up to get some water. Since she had the extra time, she was going to make everyone some breakfast before they headed out.

By the time she got back, the other members of the group were beginning to stir. Sango started to boil the water, thankful that they still had Kagome's backpack. She could make some of the ramen that Kagome always brought with her. That stuff really was convenient.

"Good morning Sango." Miroku said as he began stretching. Unfortunately for him, he stretched a little too much, and his hand brushed right across Sango's backside. She quickly gave him a sharp blow to the head.

"Ow- Sango! It was an accident!"

"Sorry, reflex." She replied, giggling a little.

"Are you two at it again already?" Inuyasha said irritated as he jumped down from his perch in the tree.

"Finally awake Inuyasha?" Shippou teased, just having awoken a few minutes ago himself.

"Shut up!" He yelled bopping him on the head.

Sango rolled her eyes, and handed both of them a cup of ramen. To everyone's astonishment, Inuyasha barely touched his. He took a few bites, but he ended up giving the rest of his to Shippou. Sango looked over at Miroku as he did this, but Miroku just shrugged, and returned the same confused look she had given him.

Inuyasha noticed this, but ignored it. He didn't care. He just couldn't bring himself to eat the ramen. It only served to remind him of Kagome. She always used to be the one to make ramen for him. She had always been there to care for him and now she was gone. He had taken everything for granted. She was the only one who had ever seen him for who he was: Inuyasha. Just Inuyasha, not hanyou. She never judged him, not once. After all that she had done for him, he let he get kidnapped. He felt a newly restored sense of guilt wash over him, and he stood up. "Here we have been relaxing, and who knows what she is going through right now? I have been so selfish. Maybe she is okay, and there is nothing to worry about. But I can't take that chance."

"Let's get going guys. We still have at least a day ahead of us." Inuyasha announced as he turned his back, and began bounding off towards the direction of the wolf's den.

The rest of the group rolled their eyes, and hopped on the fire cat's back.

"Is it just me, or has Inuyasha been exceptionally moody lately?" Sango asked.

"Trust me, we've all noticed it." Miroku confirmed.

They set off after Inuyasha, wondering just what had gotten into him.

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Kagome rolled over and groaned. "Morning again?" she questioned herself. Even through Kouga's primitive 'door' of fur, she could see the suns rays peeking through and scattering across the cold stone floor. Outside she heard some faint movement, meaning that some of the tribe's members were already up. However it nearly as loud as it was when all of the wolves got together. "Most of them must still be sleeping in. Hmm… so they're not morning people either…" She laughed at the thought. "Good. At least there is something that we have in common!"

She rose from Kouga's bed, feeling stiff and a little sore. She had never really slept on furs before. "I suppose it is something that I will have to get used to." She thought, sighing.

She then walked through the door, and looked out across the cave. She could see the area where the rest of the wolves slept, and a few small nooks where other beds of fur were placed. They weren't unlike Kouga's, but they weren't layered quite as thick, and they looked to be a bit more worn. "I guess Kouga gets special treatment because he is their leader." She slumped down against the wall outside Kouga's door, and thought about him for a minute. "Is that why he thinks its okay for him to act the way he does? Because he is some kind of prince?" Kagome thought angrily.Deep down she knew that she could never be happy with him. She simply had no respect for him, or the way that he thinks. "Maybe the fact that I am a modern girl has changed the way that I perceive things; but if he thinks it's okay to tell me that I have to be his 'mate' then he has another thing coming!" She knew that things in feudal times were different, but that still was unacceptable in her mind.

The guards were just now changing shifts, as the night guards came in, and the day guards left to take their post. Kagome had buried her head in her hands, troubled over the thought of Kouga trying to make her stay here and be his mate. She didn't even notice when Kenji walked up and took a seat next to her.

"So you never came to visit me last night." Kenji said, trying to get her attention.

"I must have forgotten." She said sarcastically.

"Oh Kagome, be nice now. You really hurt my feelings." He said, putting a frown on his face.

She laughed, and gave him a sarcastic "yeah, I bet!" before getting up to leave. She wasn't buying it. However, he noticed that she was trying to walk away, and reached out and grabbed her hand. This only caused her to fall back down, right into his lap.

"Kenji, let me go please." She said as she wrenched her hand out of his grasp.

"I'm sorry Kagome, that was truly unintentional. Not that I dislike having you in my lap in any way though..." He said, smirking at her and showing off the tips of his fangs.

Kagome rolled her eyes and pulled herself out of his lap. "What do you want?" She asked, hoping that there was something that she could do that would get him to leave her alone.

"I just want to talk with you. Alone. Maybe sometime later tonight?" He asked with a hopeful gleam in his eye.

"Come on, you know I can't do that. They keep me more heavily guarded than the hope diamond. There's no way that they are going to leave me alone with you at night." She said.

"Hm… I don't know what the 'Hope diamond' is… but I do think I can find a way to get her to agree to talk with me tonight." Kenji thought.

"Don't worry about that. Just meet me here after everyone else goes to sleep. The guards at the front of the cave will let you out if you are with me. I am a guard too you know."

"Why do you want to speak with me anyways? What could be so urgent?" Kagome questioned. She couldn't help but wonder if there was a reason that he wanted to get her alone so badly. It was a bit unnerving, but she couldn't subdue her curiosity.

"Let's just say I might have some useful information for you…. Regarding your traveling companions." He tried to hide his smile after he said this. He knew that she was interested.

"What? Do you know something about them? What is it?" She asked frantically.

"Now is not the time. We'll discuss it later. Meet me here- tonight." He said as he got up and dusted himself off.

"Well…Ok." She said finally. Deep down something really felt wrong about this, but she couldn't say no. He had information about her friends. "You know- the others aren't going to like this. I am supposed to be 'Kouga's woman,' remember?"

"It's just a little harmless talking. We never even have to tell them. Now I must leave and trade shifts with another guard, but I will see you tonight, correct?" He beamed as she hesitantly nodded, signaling that she did agree. "Good. Until then!" He said as he kissed her hand once again. Before she even had the chance to snatch her hand away, he was gone.

"Hopefully that wasn't a mistake…" She thought as she took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes.

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Ginta stretched and rolled over, then sat up once he realized just how late he had slept in. It was nice when Kouga wasn't there, they could take long breaks and sleep in longer than they would normally be allowed. He looked over and saw Kagome already awake, standing outside of Kouga's door.

"Hmm, that's strange. She looks… troubled…" He thought, starting to worry a little. He pulled himself off of his bed and trudged over, still weighed down from sleep. There was a decent sized gap in between area where Kouga's room was and the area where the rest of the wolves slept, but it was still within his line of sight. When he finally began to approach her, he gave her a cheery "Good morning Kagome!" She jumped as she was pulled out of her thoughts, and he chuckled when she jumped and took a sharp intake of breath. When she saw it was only him, she laughed along with him and rolled her eyes.

"I guess I can consider that payback?" She laughed.

"Yeah, it looked like you needed a wake-up call this time." He replied. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind right now." Her thoughts drifted back to her home, and her family for a minute. She was supposed to have gone home by now. They would probably be worrying about her. She never stayed longer than she was supposed to without letting them know. "Oh no, I forgot about my exams! They're tomorrow! Well, I guess that doesn't really matter anymore- not if I am going to be forced to stay here forever. I have other things to be worrying about right now anyways." She sighed, trying to think her way out of this, but came up with nothing.

"I know exactly how you feel. I have had a lot on my mind lately too." He thought to himself. "Is it anything that I can help you with?" He asked. He knew that he probably couldn't be of much help, not in this case anyways. "I have to follow Kouga's orders of keeping her here, and she probably wants nothing more than to leave."

"No, but thanks for the offer. It's nice to have someone who cares that much."

"If only you knew how much I care, Kagome." He said to himself.

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"Inuyasha, how close are we now?" Miroku decided to ask. He knew that Inuyasha already had a rough estimate in his mind, judging by the scent trail that he was following.

"About a day. Maybe less, maybe more. Who knows? It really depends on how quickly we move." He replied. He was anxious to see Kagome, he just wondered what would happen when they got there. Hopefully she was perfectly fine, and those wimpy wolves would stay out of his way. He however, could only hope. He knew that Kouga most likely ordered his wolves to be on alert for them, and he knew that they probably wouldn't give her up without a fight. That was okay with him. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the ones keeping Kagome from him. But most of all, he wanted to make it up to Kagome that this happened to her. In his mind, he felt that he failed her. "If I had been able to protect her better, none of this would have happened in the first place."

The group continued on in silence for a while; they could sense that Inuyasha was depressed. Hell, they were all depressed. They missed Kagome, and they had no idea of knowing whether or not she was safe and happy, or completely miserable.

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"Ginta, what is this place?" Kagome asked as Ginta led her into a field far away from the den.

"It's a place that I always used to come to when I was a kid. It is a good place to think, and sort things out. I would always come here when something was on my mind, or when I was having a difficult time. I know that you have been under a lot of stress lately, so I thought that I should share it with you. Do you like it?"

Kagome surveyed the surroundings, and her eyes lit up. She was standing in a field full of beautiful wild flowers. There was a small stream that trickled through, and ran across the edge of a small bluff. "Wow, this place is amazing!" She gasped.

"And here's the best part." He said, grabbing her hand, and leading her over to the bluff. They followed a trail up to the top, and walked over to the edge. About 50 feet down was a lake that flowed out from the stream, and across the valley below. "This is a great place to watch the sun set in the evenings."

"Wow, thanks for sharing this with me. I sure could use a place like this right now."

"It really is beautiful out here." She added. She sat down on the edge of the bluff, her feet dangling over the side. Ginta followed her example, then looked over to the place where Kagome was sitting.

"Yeah, beautiful." He whispered. However, he wasn't looking at the surroundings. He was staring lovingly at Kagome. She looked up just in time to catch his gaze. They both quickly looked away, blushing.

"Was he… talking about me when he said that?" Kagome thought to herself. "Nah, I must be imagining things…." She cleared her thoughts and looked back at Ginta. He had been so nice to her, but she really felt that she didn't deserve it. He must have better things to be doing. "He's been so nice to me, and he hasn't even asked for anything in return."

"Kagome… I hope you don't mind me asking, but how do you feel about Kouga?" Ginta ventured out, dreading the response. Either way it would be painful for him to hear. He wanted to know whether or not she would be happy as Kouga's mate, if she was forced to be with him. If she did have feelings for him, things would certainly be much easier on Kagome in the long run; even though it would practically crush Ginta's heart. If she didn't have feelings for him however... Kagome would be miserable. Kouga would probably force her, and Ginta would –again- have a broken heart.

"I have always considered him a friend, but in light of recent events- I don't know if I can even call him that anymore. I don't have feelings for him in that way though, if that's what you are getting at. I never have." She sighed, after being reminded of Kouga. "Honestly though, I really don't know much about wolves, and this whole 'wolf mating thing.' I could be blowing this all out of proportion, but I just don't think that I will ever be okay with his behavior. Why do you ask?" There was a tension building in the air, and they could both sense it.

"I just… wanted you to be prepared." He replied.

"Prepared for what?" She looked up at him, her eyes questioning his.

"Well, you know that Kouga isn't the type of guy who will take no for an answer. He is set on you, Kagome. He wants you to be his mate."

"Yeah, he told me that when I got here. He said that it didn't matter what I wanted anymore, that I didn't have a choice." Kagome informed him. Hearing that coming from her practically tore him apart, but he continued on.

"So… you know that if you refuse him, he will force himself on you…" He said. His heart felt like it was going to drop out of his chest.

"He made that pretty clear." She said with disdain. "He literally leapt on top of me to prove his point." She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, and she couldn't stop the one that began to slide down her cheek. "Is this really what I have been reduced to? How could I have let this happen to myself?" She glanced over at Ginta, who took notice of her tears. Another shimmering droplet fell from the corner of her eye, and slid down her rosy cheek. "He must think that I am so pathetic." She thought. However, Ginta proved her wrong as he enveloped her in a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him as well, thankful for the comforting gesture.

"I'm sorry for crying all over you, Ginta." She sobbed, she was crying even harder now. (She did have a lot to be upset about.)

"Shh, you don't have anything to apologize for." He whispered as he rocked her gently.

"Yes I do! You shouldn't have to put up with this…. And I am sorry. I just- never thought that I would ever actually…. Be raped. But I guess it's going to happen whether I like it or not." She sniffled, and tried to pull herself together, but actually hearing herself say that she was going to be raped made it too difficult. That was the first time she had ever really thought of it in that way, and it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh my god, he is actually going to rape me."

Apparently her words had the same effect on Ginta, because his tight hug suddenly changed to bone crushing, and he almost looked as if he was going to cry. "Kagome…" He tried to get out a sentence, but failed. It's not as if he didn't know, but hearing it put in that way made it difficult to bear. And seeing Kagome tearing up over it, was heartbreaking. All he could do was hug her closer, and relish in her warmth, hoping to bring some comfort to her and himself. "Holding her like this feels so right. I wish I never had to let go."

"It's ok. I just have to accept it." She murmured. "You're right. He'll never change his mind."

"No. Kagome- I won't let that happen to you."

Kagome was astonished. "Did he really just say that? But I thought-"

"You deserve better." He said aloud, interrupting her thoughts

"But… how can you promise that? What can you do?" She asked.

"I don't know. But trust me, I will think of something." He assured her, and rested his chin on top of her head.

She couldn't figure out why, but she felt so safe in his arms.

"How can he promise something like that? Is he just saying that to make me feel better? I don't know what it is, but I really believe that he meant what he said." She snuggled closer into his chest, and stopped her tears. She wasn't sure why, but she felt secure in the fact that he was going to protect her.

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It was mid afternoon by now, and the Inuyasha gang was getting closer and closer to their destination.

"Will we get to see Kagome soon?" Shippou said, his voice full of hope.

"Maybe Shippou. Be patient." Sango replied. They were all anxious to see her, but she didn't want to get his hopes up. She still wasn't exactly sure what to expect when they got there.

They continued walking in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. They were all secretly hoping that they would be able to reach Kagome soon. They still had quite a bit of distance left to travel, but they weren't going to let that bring them down. They were making excellent time after all. If they continue on at this pace, they should be able to make it in sometime after nightfall.

"We are getting closer. Will you need to stop, or do you want to keep traveling until we reach the wolf den?" Inuyasha asked. He didn't want to push them too far, but he for one was ready to get Kagome back.

"We don't need to stop!" They all said simultaneously.

"Good. It shouldn't be much longer then." Inuyasha finished as he bounded off ahead of the group, wondering just what lay ahead for their group.

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Ginta and Kagome had spent the rest of the afternoon out, and had decided to head back to the wolf den. On the way back, Kagome had decided to stop and play with a few of the wolf cubs. Ginta went to the den, making sure that there was nothing else to take care of.

"They're so cute!" Kagome thought as one of the cubs jumped up and licked her nose. She giggled and pushed him off.

She thought about what Ginta said to her earlier that day, and wondered what was going to happen to her. They only had 5 days left until Kouga's return. And what was the news that Kenji had to give her? She still had an uneasy feeling about that. She was confused as to whether or not she could really trust him. "It should be okay, he is a guard after all, right?" Either way, she was not going to pass up information on her friends. She just hoped that everything would work out for the best.

After a few more minutes of playing with the wolf cubs, she went back into the den. They had their same meal ritual as the night before, and again, Ginta cooked her meat for her. She smiled up at him from her spot on the ground. "I don't know what I would do without him." She thought to herself as they finished their meal. Time seemed to move in fast forward mode, which is not something that Kagome was very happy about. She wasn't looking forward to her meeting with Kenji tonight, although for her, it would come all too soon.

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Kenji walked across the wolf den, and out the main entrance, preparing to take his post as guard for the night. Usually he would not have had to go on duty for two nights in a row, but Kouga had stepped up security all around the wolf territory ever since Kagome's arrival. He had to pick up some extra shifts just to meet Kouga's demands.

"I wonder if Kagome is going to keep her word." He thought as he finally arrived at his post and sat down. He did have news for her, but for the most part he just wanted to get her alone. He was hoping that she couldn't see through his plan, although he was exactly doing a good job at hiding it. "I already know that Ginta doesn't like me, so I had to ask her sometime when he wasn't around. I really hope that she didn't tell him about this. If he did, then Kouga will banish me from the territory when he gets back." He wasn't too worried about it though, he didn't think that Kagome would go out of her way to get him into trouble. He looked up at the stars, shining across the night sky. He knew that shortly, Kagome would be out here with him.

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It was now past midnight, and there was silence throughout the wolf den. They had spent the rest of their night just talking, and when it started getting late, Ginta escorted Kagome to 'her' room.

Everyone was asleep now, and Kagome knew that it was time. If she was going to hold up her end of the deal, she would have to sneak out and meet up with Kenji. She was still a little uneasy, but passed it off. "What do I have to worry about? He is just going to give me information about my friends… that's all." She assured herself. "This is no time to chicken out." She said to herself as she pulled up out of bed and slowly made her way to the door. She lightly pushed the door flap aside and quietly stepped out of the room. She looked around, making sure that no one was awake. She turned to her right and was shocked to see that Kenji was already there smiling at her.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Whatever it is that you have to tell me, why don't you just say it here?" Kagome asked, she was starting to doubt whether or not this was a good idea (again.)

"Let's say I gave you the informationright now, and someone in here was to overhear it. You know that Kouga warned everyone about them." Kenji whispered. He was really getting himself in deep now. She was going to be expecting some big news.

"Could this really be so important? Maybe they are going to come and save me!" She thought to herself. There was no backing down now. She had to find out what was so important.

"Are you ready to go now?" Kenji asked again, emphasizing the word 'now.'

"Okay." She finally agreed. He smiled at her as he grabbed her hand and walked out of the cave. To her surprise, the guards at the cave's entrance only nodded towards Kenji; and they continued walking farther off into the darkness.

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Ginta was having trouble sleeping that night, and lay there watching the scene before him. He saw Kagome leaving her room, and it looked as if something was bothering her. She looked uneasy, and nervous. It wasn't until Kenji stepped out of the shadows that he realized why. "What does he want with her?" He thought, angry. They were too far away for him to hear most that they were saying, but he did hear Kagome say something like 'say whatever you have to say here' and Kenji refused the idea. He could make out the words 'information,' 'Kouga,' and 'them.' "What is going on with those two?" He thought as he watched them exit the cave.

"The guards seem to know something about this." He noticed as the guards at the front of the cave nodded the two off. He decided that they would be his best source for now.

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Inuyasha stopped and sniffed the air, noticing that the smell of wolves was getting much, much stronger.

"We should be there soon. Judging by the smell we are getting very close."

A wave of excitement washed over the group as they heard the good news. They had decided not to stop for the night, and continue to travel instead, in hopes that they would be able to get to Kagome tonight. And from the looks of it, they made a good decision.

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Sorry! I had to end it here. I wanted to put this up for you now, rather than wait until later when I can write more. Don't worry though! I will try to put up the next chapter soon. Within a week, tops. But… if I can get at least 5 reviews, I will shoot for 3, maybe 4 days. I know that I can do it, I just have to have the right motivation (aka- your reviews!). Thanks for reading!