Chapter 10

False Alarms

"Gah! What did you do to me?!"

Kagome stared at the mass of half demon struggling in a small crater before her and stifled a gasp of surprise. What had she done to him? One second, he was getting ready to tear Jaken into a million pieces, probably to eat him after that, and the next he was face first in the ground, the force of his downward motion embedding him further and creating the crater he now twitched in.

"I…I…" Shaking her head, Kagome backed away carefully, unsure of what his reaction would be when whatever had over come him was released again. "I just didn't know how else to stop you, so I said the first thing that came to my mind. You're a dog demon, right? So I just…I thought that telling you to sit would-I'm so sorry!!!!!"

Inuyasha had just been able to force himself upwards when she'd let the word slip for a second time and he was forced to resume his previous helpless position.

"Evil wench! What kind of magic is this? You're not a demon!" Inuyasha howled, his mouth full of dirt. Jaken was staring at it in surprise for only a moment before he realized that Inuyasha had a weakness.

"Smart girl!" He cheered, dancing around happily. "You've found his weakness! Lord Sesshoumaru will be most pleased! Oh, yes, he can be subdued! Not so tough now, are you, Inuyasha? Half demon twit! Take that!"

"Owe! WHY YOU!" Thee magic released and Inuyasha leapt at the icky green creature, claws sharp and ready for the kill.

"You cannot harm me, for I command you to sit boy!" Jaken smiled triumphantly as he chanted the words and Inuyasha tensed in anticipation of the gravitational force that would send him into the ground again, but it didn't come. "I said sit boy!"

"Feh, guess that means it doesn't work for you," Inuyasha smirked hungrily. "Which means I'm gonna get my meal after all…"

"But the Lord Sesshoumaru will punish you for eating one of his minions!"

"I doubt you're anything to be missed," Kagome muttered from the corner, stopping herself from further encouraging what she'd just tried, and had succeeded in, stopping.

"See?" Inuyasha grinned, his pearly white canines reflected in the lamp light as he turned back to Jaken.

"B-but if you kill me…how will you get free of this prison?" Cowering now, Jaken held his hands up before his face in a vain attempt to protect himself.

"He's right, Inuyasha," Kagome murmured as she scooted around the imprint of his body to get closer to the two. "At least wait until he leads us out of here to eat him,"

"Yes, yes! Wait until-WHAT!?" Horrified, Jaken lashed out with his staff to try and strike Kagome, but Inuyasha threw his right arm out and grasped the staff, growling low in his throat.

"Don't do that…"

Frozen in fear, Jaken just stared at him. Kagome stared at him, too, surprised that he'd saved her from another bruising hit from that funny looking staff.

"Show us the way out," Inuyasha demanded as he yanked the staff from Jaken's hands and tossed it away. "Or I'll eat you now and find a way myself,"

"You're just going to eat me anyway!"

"If you don't do as I say, I'll just kill you more slowly than I would if you had done what I'd said! Now get going before I change my mind!"

"Just you wait!" Jaken shook his fist as he scrambled across the chamber to snatch up his staff and show them the way out. "Lord Sesshoumaru will show you what happens when you harm his most valued minions!"

"I dare him," Inuyasha hissed angrily from his position crouched in front of Kagome. It looked almost protective to Jaken, which made him twitch.

"Damned daft woman! You'd better be careful or he'll eat you, too!"

"You're running out of time, you ugly toad," Inuyasha commented as he crept a few feet towards Jaken. "Don't you remember? I'm starving…."

Fear renewed, Jaken jumped and immediately began setting up their means of escape. Buried in the dirt near an oddly shaped crevice in the rock wall, Jaken found a wooden plank with the same shape, only with a doorknob that stood out like a spotlight. The metal glowed with its magic and Inuyasha's sensitive nose picked up his half brother's essence in that magic. He growled again in warning and Jaken took it seriously this time, throwing the door open and howling in surprise as Inuyasha pounced on him.

"BUT I HAVE NOT SHOWN YOU THE WAY OUT!" Jaken protested loudly as he struggled beneath Inuyasha, who motioned for Kagome to pass through the doorway.

"Don't eat him," She said as she passed him. "We may need his help to solve this thing,"

"We?" Inuyasha questioned as he looked up at her and started chuckling. "I don't remember saying that I was going to help you,"

"And I didn't ask for your help, but I hardly think you'd let your brother get away with what he did to you. Besides, Sesshoumaru has my little brother cooped up with him in that castle, and I fully intend on taking him back. I'm suggesting we work together,"

"Fine," Inuyasha looked back down at his frightened prey and grinned again. "Looks like you've been saved again, toad. You're gonna be our tour guide,"

"But the great Lord Sesshoumaru-"

"I'm not afraid of him," Inuyasha snarled and snatched the ugly goblin up by the back of his neck. "Now get going, and I'm watching you! No funny stuff!"

Kagome stepped out first and found that she could stand up straight again. She popped her back as she did so, groaning as the stiffness left her joints and muscles. "Thank goodness," She turned to Jaken as Inuyasha shoved him from the Oubliette, following very closely behind.

"Which way, Toad?" Inuyasha growled as he stood up straight and glared down at him. Now in better light, Kagome was able to take in the complete picture of the half demon, Inuyasha. He wore deep red robes, had long silver hair, the two white dog ears she'd found herself tweaking earlier, and deep amber eyes. His feet, she noticed, were bare and calloused, suggesting he'd never gone a day in his life with shoes of any sort.

"What the hell are you looking at, wench?!"

"Nothing," She murmured, a spark of anger at the insulting name causing her jaw to twitch. "And don't call me wench. My name is Kagome,"

"Wench," Inuyasha snarled, glaring at her and flashing his brilliantly white canines to further intimidate her. "And where the hell do you think you're sneaking off to?!"

He reached out and swiftly snatched the struggling goblin off the ground, glaring as hard as he could.

"S-sneaking? No, not sneaking! I was just merely showing you the way!"

"I doubt that," Kagome grumbled under her breath. "Just get us out of here, Jaken,"

"We don't need him," Inuyasha dropped the mass of green onto the ground and kicked him down the corridor a good distance. "I'll just sniff out the exit,"

"Where would the fun be in that? After what that little creep has put me through? Oh no, I plan on torturing the pest to the fullest extent,"

"So, not so innocent, are you?"

"Never said I was. Let's go. We're wasting time,"

"No! You're going the wrong way! Turn back now!"

"Oh, be quiet!" Jaken roared at the stone faces poking out of huge columns along the walls.

"We're just doing our jobs!!" One of them protested loudly, rolling his large stone eyes to the back of his head. The only show of annoyance it could produce towards the familiar goblin.

"What are these things?" Kagome questioned as they walked further down a corridor and turned a corner, only to see several more ahead of them.

"False alarms," Inuyasha muttered unhappily at her side. "I can't stand them, but they generally mean you're going in the right direction. If you get to a point where they tell you that you're going the right way, you've made a wrong turn. Pretty helpful if you know the secret, really,"

"As if you know anything about this Labyrinth! You learned that from me!"

"I did not, you twit!" Inuyasha roared, taking a predatory step forward.

"What's that?" Kagome gasped as a crystal orb glided between her feet. "Oh no…"

Jaken turned a corner and froze, trembling. "L-Lord Sesshoumaru!"

"You!" Kagome growled, leaping for the King. "Give me back my brother!"

"Now, now, Kagome. You know the bargain. You must solve my Labyrinth first." Sesshoumaru looked up at Inuyasha and smirked a little. "Ah, little brother, I see fifty years in the Oubliette has not changed you, although I would question the sharpness of your mind after that long in solitude and darkness,"

"Want to test that theory?"

Sesshoumaru held his gaze for a few long moments before he unblinkingly turned his attention back to Kagome. "And how are you enjoying my Labyrinth so far, Kagome?"

She hesitated for a moment and decided that she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her intimidated. "It's a breeze,"

"Oh, is it?" A crooked smile formed on Sesshoumaru's lips as he leaned close and brushed his lips against her. "How about we up the stakes then?" He brushed past her and extended his hand towards the wall where a thirteen hour clock was hung. He stopped before it and turned his finger in a clockwise motion three times, subtracting three hours from the clock.

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Kagome protested loudly, leaping at him, only to be stopped by Inuyasha.

"Nothing to you is fair my dear."

"I will beat you!" Kagome shouted, relaxing her arm in Inuyasha's grip. "You filthy bastard! I will beat you!"

"We shall see," He took a step backwards and faded out completely, which only infuriated Kagome even more.

"WRETCH!" She cursed, whipping around to turn her anger onto Jaken since he believed that then was a convenient time to run off again. "WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!"

Inuyasha chuckled as he watched Jaken dashing away and crouched down low, launching himself at the cowardly creature in one swift, ferocious motion. Again, Jaken was pinned below the half demon, wailing like a frightened child and begging for his life.

"You had better lead us Outta here," Inuyasha threatened, curling his fingers around the Goblin's neck, piercing the scaly skin with his sharp claws to draw just tiniest hint of blood. Jaken screeched loudly in protest and then totally went still, though he still trembled and whimpered, until Inuyasha's grip loosened again. "Any questions?"

"N-no!" Jaken said shakily as Inuyasha allowed him to get up again.

"Get us out of here!" Kagome demanded as soon as he had finished dusting himself off. Jaken gave both of his traveling companions assessing looks before turning on his heel and marching defiantly towards another corridor. They walked for several long minutes before Jaken came to a stop before two large double doors. He paused, gaping in horror, at the thick padlock around the handles.

"Oh no! It's locked!"

"For your sake, it had better not be," Inuyasha growled as they caught up to him and stood before the doors, both Kagome and Inuyasha scowling in displeasure. "You just made your death that much slower, toad!"

"Great. Now what?" Kagome asked, sighing heavily. "I lost three hours because of you!" She pointed to Jaken. "Figure out how to open that door!"

"I can't!" Jaken protested, squealing in horror when Inuyasha growled at him. "I cannot counter the magic of the King! I'm telling the truth! NO! DON'T EAT ME!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted in protest. "Come on! We'll figure a way around this, but leave him alive! We need him to get us out,"

"Feh!" Inuyasha tossed the toad aside, shaking his head. "Why go around when we can just go through?" He grinned and flexed his very sharp claws at her. "You may not be able to counter my brother's so called magic, but I can! IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!"

Kagome cried out in surprise and jumped backwards as Inuyasha's claws sliced through Sesshoumaru's magical lock and blew the two doors completely off their hinges. Any thought of running away while Inuyasha was distracted fled Jaken's mind at the sight of Inuyasha effortlessly breaking through the barrier. He couldn't believe it! Lord Sesshoumaru's magic destroyed in hardly any time at all! It looked as if he was going to be stuck with this group for far longer than he wished.

"So much for magic," Inuyasha grumbled, grinning. "Looks like it was just another false alarm. You!" He pointed at Jaken then at the latter inside of the newly opened chamber. "Get climbing. You," He turned to Kagome. "Get on my back,"

"Do what?"

"Fine. Climb up the latter and break your neck. I don't care,"

"I…WAIT!" She ran after him and relaxed a little when he paused, waiting. "What about him?"

"This is the way out," Inuyasha muttered. "If he falls and breaks his neck, oh well."

End Chapter

Sorry it took so long to get this out to everyone!!!! Work is keeping me on my toes, man! Hope you all enjoy, and I tried to make this chapter more enjoyable and a bit longer than most of the chapters so far! Trying to keep to the main plot as much as possible, while not completely copying everything. ENJOY! And I'm a review whore, remember this??