A/N: Here I am you guys! I decided to write one more chapter after this, which might include an epilogue. Emphasis on the might. But aren't you glad that I updated?

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or anyone else.

Chapter 11: Not on my life

Fixing the car that had been deprogrammed had taken the whole day. The group debated whether they should hit the road afterward and both Sango and Inuyasha agreed. It was dark as Inuyasha drove down the lonely roads towards where they heading. He couldn't stop thinking about how close Kagome was becoming with each foot crossed. He glanced in the mirror and saw that Sango was fast asleep on Miroku's shoulder in the backseat. Miroku was asleep as well and his head was tilted towards Sango's.

He sighed. He envied them, because they had each other. He glanced at the empty seat next to him, feeling the same way he had when he had glanced at the empty bed. He had never noticed how much Kagome made up his life; it was scary to think she might never call him any names or bother him about how stupid he was.

His mind wandered and he suddenly thought about how they would be like when Kagome was back. Inuyasha could never see her the same way as before; everything had changed. He was resolved to tell her how he felt but he was afraid that she wouldn't feel that way. He had never given her any reason to fall in love with him. On the contrary, he had given her every reason not to.

Inuyasha fixed his eyes on the road and the darkness that only the headlights could penetrate. It didn't matter how Kagome felt at the moment. All that mattered was that Inuyasha needed her back, whether as a friend or a lover, and that his feelings for her would never change. Just to see her smiling face would be enough for him.

He stepped on the gas pedal, determined to find the girl he loved alive.

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Kagome cracked open her eyes when she realized how dark it was. She sighed as she sat up from the hard floor. Her arms ached even more now, since somehow she had fallen asleep in a bad position. She was surprised that she had fallen asleep and she mentally reprieved herself; anything could have happened to her while she had been in dreamland.

It still wasn't time for her plan, but the time was getting close. Kagome couldn't tell what time of day it was but she knew that every few hours a tray of food was given to her. She glanced at the two trays that sat waiting for her. Again, her stomach wrenched for the want of food and her mouth went dry just as she looked at the water. She gulped and kept cheering for herself in her mind so that she could get out.

She hadn't found an alternative yet, so she had to go with the plan she had. Kagome glanced around the room, her eyes already adjusted to the darkness of it. Nothing usable was in sight and she sighed. She desperately wanted to get out, to see the light, to feel the sun's warm rays hit her skin. Most of all, she wanted to see Inuyasha again.

She backed herself into a corner like she had done the whole time she as down here. She wondered how many days passed but she couldn't tell anymore. All the concussions on her head made it hard to think clearly and remember if it had been only a couple of hours, or days since she had been taken. She thought of the present and of her plan so that she wouldn't get disoriented.

Her first objective was to escape this cell. Once she did that, she needed to find the chip and deprogram it. She had thought about destroying it, but then she remembered that she had made it of the strongest material they had at the S.S; it was practically impossible to break it. After that, she would escape the manor and find Inuyasha and apologize to him, that is, if she even wanted to see her again.

Kagome desperately wished to see Inuyasha one last time.

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"Are we there yet?" Sango asked in a whiny voice.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and said, for the umpteenth time, "No, we're not."

"Then step on it!" Sango, like a little kid, kicked the back of his seat. Inuyasha gripped the steering wheel in effort to not tell Sango how stupid she was being. One glance at Miroku through the mirror was enough.

"Sango, dear," He grabbed her hand to get her attention. "You should refrain from acting like a child; professionalism is key on missions like these."

Sango yanked her hand away and crossed her arms, pouting. "I know, but I can't wait! Kagome could be in danger as we speak and it's all Inu—"

"Sango!" Miroku's stern voice cut off Sango's statement. Inuyasha was shaking in the front seat. Out of anger, he stepped on the gas pedal and changed lanes on the road. A lot of cars honked at him, but he didn't care. He pulled off the side of the road where a small lake could be seen. He got out and shut the door hard, hard enough to scare the two passengers in the backseat.

Miroku sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Sango, that was pushing it."

Sango, finally realizing her mistake, mimicked Miroku's sigh. "Damn." She said. "I wasn't thinking."

"I know you want Kagome back," Miroku grabbed her hand. "But who do you think wants her back more than the both of us?"

Sango turned away, embarrassed at how childish she had been acting. "Yeah, I know." She conceded. "But what can I say now?"

Miroku shrugged. "You could always apologize."

Sango groaned and opened her door. "Fine."

Inuyasha threw pieces of rock into the lake, the loud plunking sound being the only thing he could concentrate on. He was pissed, beyond pissed. He already knew that it was his fault that Kagome wasn't with him, but Sango didn't have to say it the way she did. She had already told him off about it. How much worse could she make Inuyasha feel?

He turned around when he heard the car door open and footsteps come near. "What now?" he asked as Sango stopped in front of him. "Come to make me feel more like an asshole?"

Sango looked down and rubbed her arm in embarrassment. She glanced up and said, "I'm sorry."

Inuyasha sighed and turned away. "Whatever."

"Hey," Sango yelled, a little miffed that her apology had been brushed aside. "I apologized! At least say something."

"Something."

Sango turned away, angry. "Fine then! Miroku and I will leave you behind."

Inuyasha yelled back. "If you leave without me, both of you will regret it."

"Oh yeah? You think I'm scared?" Sango yelled. "At least I have the balls to move my ass and get Kagome back. Don't you care about her at all?"

"Of course I do!" Inuyasha yelled, getting mad at Sango again and wondering why she had referred male genitals to herself. "Don't you think that the idea that she might not be here hasn't plagued me?"

"Then why do you keep sulking around here for? Just because I slipped, does that really mean you have free reign to act like a baby? That's rich!"

Inuyasha shook his head. "You don't know what it's like."

Sango crossed her arms. "And why's that?"

"Because I love her, okay?" Inuyasha shouted, the truth finally out. "Ever since she's been gone it's like someone wrenched my heart from my chest!" His shouts seems to get louder. "It's not easy to know that it's your fault that the person who is most dear to you is in danger of losing their life!"

Sango was silent for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was low but firm. "Then get back in that car and don't look back."

Inuyasha couldn't say anything to that. Instead, he walked past her and made it to the car. Sango followed after him and gave Miroku a wink.

"Let's go kick some butt!" Sango yelled from the backseat. Inuyasha only shook his head and rolled his eyes.

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It was time. Kagome glanced at the two trays of food. It was hard to eat without her hands, but hunger could make you do anything. She ate the bread and drank the water, her stomach pleased, but she knew that wouldn't last long. She glanced out through the bars of the the door at the guard who was there, wondering if he would even care when she did what she had to do.

Kagome had also been working on the ropes that were tight around her wrists. She had been able to loosen them somewhat, so her wrist were slowly feeling the sting of the blood flowing through her hands again. The prickly, painful feeling didn't help Kagome's nerves.

She pulled the ropes again and was delighted to find that one of them tore. She quickly pulled one of her hand free. She glanced at the door, seeing the shadow of the guard that was supposed to make sure she didn't anything stupid, like she was about to do now. Her only way out was through that door and the only reason someone would come to check her was to either let her go to the restroom (heavily monitored, of course)or, if that person was Naraku, beat her until he had his fill. Kagome took a deep breath and prepared herself mentally. She promised herself she would never do this again if she got out alive.

Kagome closed her eyes and shoved a finger down her throat.

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Inuyasha sat up from the reclined front seat of the car suddenly, a chill running down his spine. They had stopped for the night, just to get some hours of sleep, but Inuyasha had only just dozed off. He wondered why he had been startled all of sudden. Having a bad feeling, he turned on the car. He had gotten, maybe two hours of sleep? It didn't matter to him, since he didn't need a lot of sleep anyway. He started up the car, thanking the genius who was Sango that the car's purr was as quiet as a mouse.

Accelerating quickly, he glanced outside. The moon was low, as if it was only about to turn in and let the sun come out. Inuyasha glanced at the map given to him by Miroku and realized that they had only 10 miles to cover before they reached the place they needed to get to.

"Inuyasha?"

The half-demon glanced in the rear-view mirror, noticing the sleepy look on Miroku. "Yes?"

Miroku rubbed his eyes. "Are you okay? I mean, after what happened with Sango?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's peachy." Inuyasha sighed. "We have ten more miles to go."

His friend smiled. "Great. Now the real fun will begin."

Inuyasha glanced at the road and caught a glimpse of the manor that held the villain Naraku and the captured Kagome over the rolling hills of the country they had entered just earlier that morning. He stepped on the gas pedal, going way over the speed limit.

They parked in some remote part of the country, far enough that no one would be able to spot the car. Inuyasha knew they only had about two hours to get Kagome out of there with the darkness to protect them. Miroku roused Sango from her sleep, explained the situation and started getting ready.

Soon, clad in black body suits and masks, they stealthily made their way to a window that belonged to the manor, nearly colliding with the guards doing their usual rounds.

"What do we do?" Miroku asked, when Inuyasha had pulled them behind a bush after a near discovery of them.

"We need to take those guys out," Inuyasha whispered, taking some little bottle out and pulling the little pin with his teeth. "This will knock them out for sure."

He threw the little bottle over the bush, near the guards. They came to investigate, but once they got a whiff of the air surrounding the bottle, both fell unconscious on the grass, sprawled in awkward positions.

"What is that?" Sango asked, eying the guards carefully as she stepped over them. She realized, by the marks on their faces, that they were demons from the wolf clan.

Inuyasha didn't breathe as he passed the bottle. "It's a knock out gas that only affects demons. Humans will only smell the stink, but demons and half-demons can feel the effects of the gas more prominently."

Sango nodded, wrinkling at the smell Inuyasha was referring to as they passed the open bottle. Glancing up at the window, she put a hand on each of her companion's shoulder and said, "Boost me up, boys."

Miroku and Inuyasha promptly lifted her up enough so that she could take a small red laser from her small pouch of gadgets. Aiming at the sealant that kept the windows shut tight, she burned it right off. She pushed up the window, pulled herself through and took a glance around the room. She signaled to Inuyasha and Miroku that all was clear. Miroku was the first through the window, and Inuyasha easily jumped through.

"I could have done it," Inuyasha whispered to Sango. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right. Who's the one who carries the only portable laser that looks like lipstick?"

Inuyasha glared at Miroku as he chuckled. Shaking his head, he led the small group down the hall. The coast was clear so they stopped for a moment and took out the map of the manor. Inuyasha sighed almost in relief as he found the exact spot Kagome would be in.

He only had a little more to go to be reunited with the person he couldn't live without.

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Kagome did not feel well. Scratch that, she felt disgusted. The taste in her mouth made her want to hurl again, but she refrained herself from doing so. The guard had heard the retching sounds and had rushed over. He groaned loudly when he saw the vomit and Kagome panting heavily.

"What the hell?" he yelled, throwing the bar door open. "This is great!" The keys jingled on his belt as he neared and grabbed Kagome by the hair. "Who the hell do you think has to clean this rubbish up?" He yelled. Kagome, taking advantage of the couple of seconds he spoke, remembered a move that she had seen Inuyasha use once. She couldn't exactly use it the same way, but a quick variation could do the trick. She just hoped that it wouldn't hurt for her as much as the guard.

She brought her tied wrist up, hitting the man in the chin and making him shout in pain as he grabbed his face. As he did so, Kagome did a somersault past him, grabbing his keys stealthily and getting up to run out the door. All those physical training hours she had been required to go through had finally come through.

But just as she was about to get out, the guard grabbed her shirt, bringing her back. He turned her to him and the first thing Kagome thought to do was to punch his face. Her fist went flying straight to the guard's nose. She heard a crack and saw that he started bleeding as he fell backwards from the force of her blow. She quickly ran out the cell door, used the key to lock it and ran down the corridor to her freedom.

Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku had all made it down to the main corridor of the manor. Contrary to what they had first thought, the manor was confusing. Hallways came to dead ends at odd places, looped around, and overall made weird patterns. Once you got lost, it was going to take a lot to find your way out.

"Okay, we're lost," Sango admitted, throwing up her hands. No guard had been seen since they had entered so she spoke freely. "This place is too damn confusing."

Inuyasha sighed. She was right. The place was too complex of a building for them. If Kagome had been there, she would have been able to figure out.

His ears perked up at the thought. What would Kagome do if she was there? Inuyasha thought about the time they had made their way through that maze. He hadn't followed her, so he had no idea what to start with, but maybe he could figure it out. If she was here, what would she say to him?

"I wonder . . ." He glanced around at himself, trying to see what he could see in the hall. He focused on the wall, concentrating on it. He sniffed the air and smelt slight traces of unknown scents and their direction seemed to be towards the wall.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" Miroku asked as he watched Inuyasha start patting the wall.

"Ah," Inuyasha felt a part of the wall sink and in a second, the wall slid open to reveal the the real interior of the manor.

Sango and Miroku's mouths hung open in obvious astonishment. Inuyasha frowned.

"Why do you guys looks so surprised?"

"How'd you know that there was a false wall?" Sango asked, the tone of incredulity heavily lining it.

"I just noticed that there were other scents that moved towards the wall," he admitted, "So I figured that there had to be something behind it. What do you guys take me as? Stupid?" He laughed at the last part, but Sango and Miroku nodded vigorously. He rolled his eyes and led them into the main corridor. Now here were all the guards. Inuyasha could smell more demon scents around and he knew that they were strong. Stronger than himself? Yeah right.

He moved ahead and motioned from behind him, so that Miroku and Sango could follow. He didn't hear anything behind him, not even the gentle breathing that he would usually hear in the silence. He turned around, finding his partners bound and about three other demons ready to take him on. What he didn't realize though, was that the real threat had just appeared behind him and it wasn't until Inuyasha felt the sting that he realized that he'd been shot with another tranquilizer.

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Kagome cursed her physical condition. She was hurting everywhere, inside and outside. The adrenaline rush that she had experienced back at the cell was gone and now she was seriously crashing down. She was dizzy and she started to slow down because she couldn't run anymore. She stopped and hid herself in a crevice in effort to catch her breath. After a few minutes, she started to run again. She had to find the chip. Now that she was out, she had to follow her second goal; to get the chip and deprogram it.

Kagome passed different rooms, and she checked them all, until she was exhausted again. This time the dizziness was worse and her vision was getting blurry. There was blood trickling down from her unbound wounds. She remembered reading somewhere that if she lost a quart of blood, she would die. First off, she had to take care of herself or else the S.S wouldn't have a top intelligence spy anymore.

Spotting another room, she glanced inside and realized that this room looked like more of a room. She rushed to the bathroom inside and open the cupboards, relieved to find a first aid kit in there. She quickly applied some antibiotic on her scratchings and her slightly bigger wounds. She then took the gauze and wrapped her bigger wounds, like the gash that she had gotten from Naraku on her left leg.

Kagome quickly exited the room, hoping that the slight first aid she had applied to herself would keep her stable for at least an hour. She turned left and kept walking, running at times. Finally, she came to a crossroads of sorts. There were three hallways she could possibly take. Which would lead her to the chip? She glanced around, her eyes searching for any type of evidence that could guide her. Kagome saw something glint in the light on the ground. She moved towards it, bending down to see what it was.

It was a silver hair.

Kagome almost did a double-take. It couldn't be, could it? Could Inuyasha actually be here? She glanced around, but found no other trace of anyone having gone down the same hallway. Standing up, she decided to take that path. If Inuyasha was here, he was most likely looking for the chip, not her. This thought made her sigh. Who could want someone who concealed the most important thing about themselves? She ran down the hallway and opened the door that was at the end.

The door creaked open, and Kagome saw that it was pitch dark inside. Having none of her usual gadgets, she had to dive into the waters without any parameters. She slipped in quietly, hoping that she wasn't going to set off any alarms. It was a foolish wish.

The minute she reached more than a foot inside the room, the lights turned on, blinding her for an instant. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized that there was someone standing in the middle of the room, a man she would have loved to throw under a bus.

Naraku.

His cruel smile was as smug as Kagome had ever seen it. It was if he had been waiting here, knowing that she would eventually find her way down the very hall that led to this room. Kagome spotted the chip, the one she hadn't seen in years, in his fingers. She realized that she had been lured here, and that probably Inuyasha was nowhere to be found. What could she do now?

"It took you long enough," Naraku spoke, crossing his arms. "They don't teach spies good anymore." He sighed and acted as if it was a tragedy, but then started to laugh.

Kagome couldn't help but frown at Naraku. She wanted to move but her feet kept her tooted down to the ground. She knew that there was nothing standing in Naraku's way in killing her, except for the fact that she still had the information she wanted.

"I don't think it should matter to you," She bit after a moment of contemplation. "All you are is a evil, ferocious criminal." She glared with a passion, knowing that her words were the only weapon at the moment. "You aren't half of the person than any of the people there."

"Oh please," Naraku smiled and chuckled. "Don't flatter me! It won't help."

"You're not getting anything out of me, Naraku."

"You don't have a choice, girl." He smirked.

"I'd rather die than let the likes of you know anything concerning the chip," Kagome boldly declared, her hands fisting at her sides.

Naraku grinned maliciously, "Oh, on the contrary." He snapped his fingers. "I think I might have something you'd like to get back."

Kagome's eyes widened as a curtain she hadn't noticed before drew back, revealing the person most important to her, bound by chains melted to the floor.

Inuyasha.

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He couldn't see where he was. All he could tell was that the darkness had left and that he was somewhere where it was bright. His eyes adjusted slowly because of the drugs they had put in the stupid tranquilizer that they had injected in him. They had stuck him about five times to make him knock out! He was pissed as hell and was planning to lash out at the first person he saw.

Until he saw Kagome's face.

His heart almost jumped out of his chest when he saw her. She was there, alive. He could smell her somewhat, since the tranquilizers had messed with his senses, but she still had that lovely scent about her. He sniffed the air a little bit more and smelt something that he had never wanted to associate with Kagome's scent.

Blood.

His first instinct was to try to rip away from the chains that kept him bound, but his strength had not yet returned. He heard a laugh rebound the dome-like room and he snarled.

"By the look on your face, my dear Kagome, I would say this half-breed is important to you." Inuyasha heard footsteps and felt his hair get yanked. The bastard was going to die when he was able to stand up again.

"Reprogram the chip or he won't live."

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Kagome choked on air. She couldn't let Inuyasha get hurt, no, she'd rather die. He looked so hurt so worn. She had never seen the strong Inuyasha vulnerable like this. She hated seeing him used this way. How dare Naraku use her feelings for him against her! If there was only a way to not give in . . . but how couldn't she? Inuyasha was in trouble and for once, she wanted to save him.

The idea that came to her made her gulp. She had hoped to reconcile with Inuyasha after this, but if it really meant his life, she would do this. Her feelings didn't matter anyway; he didn't return them right? Kagome hoped that one day Inuyasha could forgive her for everything.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kagome gave Naraku a smirk that even she felt disgusted by it. "Why would I care for someone like him? You are so mistaken, Naraku." I laughed. "It would actually be better if you killed him; then I could take my place as top spy."

Inuyasha's struggle suddenly stopped and he lifted up his head, his eyes locking with Kagome's. She was amazed at the hurt and devastation she saw in them. In that moment, she realized that Inuyasha did in fact return her feelings; she desperately wanted to retract her statement, but she stopped herself. If she loved Inuyasha, she would do anything for him.

Including destroying her own happiness.

Naraku narrowed his eyes, as if he didn't believe Kagome. "So you don't care about him?"

"Not at all."

"Then you won't reprogram the chip."

"Not on my life."

"Fine," He let go of Inuyasha. "If you really feel that way," He held out a knife to Kagome. "Kill him." He then smiled. "If you do, I'll give you the chip."

Kagome's heart almost stopped at the sight of the knife. Did Naraku really want her to prove her pretended hatred towards Inuyasha by killing him? Her eyes sought Inuyasha, but he had his head cast down, as if prepared for the worst. Did he really expect her to do it for the chip? Kagome didn't know and she didn't want to.

Okay . . . what do I do now? She thought. I know Naraku won't give me the chip but how can I prevent him from using it?

She would have to die. There was no other way to ensure Inuyasha's life and the one's of the rest of the world. She knew too much. There was no other person on this earth who could possibly help Naraku reprogram the chip if she herself didn't do it. With her just , she posed a threat to the world. Besides, she could never kill Inuyasha. She loved him too much.

The irony of the situation was palpable. A know it all dying because of what she knew. Was there a way she could avoid it? Kagome assessed her situation and couldn't find a better alternative. Kagome couldn't believe how calm she was behaving. Facing death . . . it wasn't a bad as she had once thought. Dying for someone you love was a noble thing to die for; she was glad that was the reason she was kicking bucket for. Sucking up all her courage, she walked to Naraku, head held high and a smile of her face.

This if for what you're doing to me, she thought as she grabbed the knife from Naraku. This is for destroying my chance of living and for trying to take Inuyasha's and the world's. "You know, I meant what I said before, Naraku."

Naraku cocked an eyebrow. "About you hating Inuyasha?"

"No," I said. "I was talking about the chip's secret. Don't you remember what I said?"

Naraku shook his head, his expression becoming alarmed. "What did you say?"

She smiled at her victory. "Not on my life."

Kagome then thrust the knife into her own body.

In your face, Naraku.

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A/N: Mwahahaha! I left off on purpose because this is a full seven pages, AND because I want an even number of chapters (talk about OCD) so look out for the next chapter! It may or may not include a small epilogue, depending of what I think is good for the story.

Please REVIEW!

~Daichi