Actually, for those of you who are reading this, I added a whole other section to the chapter before this one. So you might want to go back and re-read if you haven't already. Thanks!

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Chapter 13: Cave-In

InuYasha groaned, and placed a hand to his head.

"Are you alright?" InuYasha turned his head to the side, and saw Kagome come to his side and kneel.

"Yeah. A bit bruised, but fine. Where's that light coming from?"

"It was something Karamina gave me to use in an emergency. And I think this might qualify." InuYasha looked towards the source, and saw a sphere about the size of his fist, bobbing gently in the air, and had a blue and white flame burning on the inside.

"Is that…?"

"Yes. It's foxfire. That means it will last a long time. What do you remember last?"

"I heard the roof cracking, and knew you were safe in the crevasse, but I had to find somewhere else to gain cover. Then I heard you call out, and knew I was in real trouble. So I took a dive, and that's the last thing I remember."

"You stupid stupid male. Why couldn't you have stayed near the crevice? You wouldn't have gotten hurt as badly!"

"What, do you think I'm some weakling, who can't take pain or something?"

"No, but your damned male pride and being the 'protector', and trying to 'protect' me nearly got you killed!"

"Stupid bitch. I wasn't trying to protect you at all! I just wanted to find the fastest way out of here!"

"Damn you InuYasha!" And with that, Kagome stalked off and sat just a few paces away, her back turned to him. InuYasha growled at her, and started to take an assessment of himself.

His shirt was gone this time. There was no repairing it. He was guessing a sleeve of it covered his nose and mouth so that he didn't inhale too much dust, and another part of his shirt made the sling his arms was in. Looking at the upper part of the arm in the foxfire, he saw that he was missing some flesh, and was probably sporting a broken bone. Well, that wasn't good. Now, if they needed to climb, he couldn't do it unless it was one-handed. He also had to take very tentative breaths. 'Great,' he thought, feeling a grinding sensation as he tried to breath in a deeper breath. 'I'm the king of broken ribs. I should get a medal, or a plaque, or something for it. Heaven knows, I probably have a world record of how many chest-crushing's a man can live through.' Cursing silently under his breath, he heard a peculiar noise come from the direction of Kagome. It sounded like a sniffle.

"Oi, wench!" he called, trying to get her attention.

"Bug off!"

"Hey! Now you're starting to sound like me!"

"And?" There was much said in that one word, and he didn't like the inflictions that came as well. Time for her to get her to face him.

"Are you going to sit there are mope all day bitch?" That got the desired effect.

Kagome sharply turned to face InuYasha, anger blazing in her eyes, turning them a hue of amber.

"Me? Moping! What would I have to Mope for? We're stranded in a cave with no food or water, No one will know where to look for us, and I have a stupid ungrateful ass for a companion. No, I have nothing to mope over at all!" And she promptly sat back down with her back facing him, and sniffled louder this time.

In the time it took for Kagome to rant, InuYasha blinked a few times to clear his eyes of some of the dust that had collected in them, and noticed two clear paths running through the encrusted dirt on Kagome's face; and they were glistening with fresh tears. He didn't remember seeing her cry before, but he didn't want to see her do it again.

"Where's my nap-sack?"

"By your right hand you idiot." InuYasha felt with his hand, and encountered it. Hoping everything was well, he reached in and encountered the water skins, and the leather-wrapped packages of jerky. Grunting a bit at the effort, he removed a sack of water, and one of the satchels of food.

"Kagome, come here," he said softly and gently.

"Not doing."

"I said come here," he had a bit of annoyance in his voice now.

"No."

"Fine. I guess I'll eat this all by myself then."

That got the girls attention. She quickly turned on the rock she was sitting on, and looked intensely at InuYasha, with ears perked. InuYasha saw her interest, and with one hand, untied the cord holding the wrapping closed. In a slow movement, the leather wrap fell from around its prize. Kagome sat staring intensely now at InuYasha's chest, where the food was resting. Her eyes traveled with it as it rose and fell with every breath he took. He would have chuckled, if the situation wasn't so dire.

"See? I told you I brought supplies. Now, come over here and eat some. You look like you could use some food." Kagome left her perch in an instant, and was beside him, already stuffing a piece inside her mouth, and reaching for another one.

InuYasha watched her with a certain amount of glee and satisfaction; glee to see the mighty Kagome, daughter of the lord InuTaisho, was stuffing her face like a two-year-old; and satisfaction that he had actually gotten her to his side. He continued to watch Kagome working on the stack of jerky, when she suddenly stopped and turned to him.

"Aren't you going to eat?" InuYasha shook his head.

"You're having much more fun at it then I could. Go on and eat it. There's some more in my pack for later."

"You should eat you know." There was still a bit of anger in her voice, but not as much as there could have been. He was pleased about that.

"I know. But I just want some water for the time being." Kagome saw the water skin near his hand, and reached over and picked it up. Unfastening the top, she carefully slipped a hand under InuYasha's head, and lifted it up a bit. "Here."

InuYasha drank greedily at the water; washing the dirt and grime from his throat and quenching the thirst those elements had created in him. When Kagome removed the water skin from his mouth, he nodded in thanks.

"Warm, and tastes like leather, but it still works." Kagome then herself, drank from the water skin.

"Tastes wonderful to me." She drank a few good mouthfuls, and then sealed the water-skin. "How many of these do you have?"

"Four. I wanted to make sure we had enough to last for the time we were in here. I guess we'll be in here longer then I wanted to be."

"Yes. I guess." She sat for a moment, looking away from InuYasha, while he was watching her. "InuYasha?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I got you into this again." He shrugged with his good shoulder, and closed his eyes.

"Eh. It's no big deal. You couldn't have known that the earthquake was going to hit."

"But if we hadn't left again, you wouldn't have gotten hurt…Again."

"Listen close, 'cause I ain't gonna repeat this. I chose to come here. It has nothing to do with you getting me into any imaginary trouble. Now pipe down. I'm trying to sleep." Kagome turned to face him, watching in fascination and silence. He had deep lines of pain on his face, but other then that, he looked nonchalant, and almost bored. 'Imaginary trouble my butt' she thought, seeing those lines of pain. 'He won't be able to climb with that arm, and I'm pretty sure he won't be walking long or short distances without having to take a breather, which will hurt him. He's doing it for me. He doesn't want me to feel bad.' A smile tugged at the side of Kagome's lips as she watched InuYasha's breath steady, and he drifted off into sleep.

"Thank you, InuYasha."

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"Hey, watch it!" InuYasha yelled as Kagome once more ran into him as he paused. They had been walking for several hours now; the little foxfire globe bobbing gently before them, and illuminating their path with its brilliant radiance. She sighed and sat down, allowing her companion another breather. He was getting weaker; they had to stop more and more as the day progressed. However, he had refused to let her carry him countless times; stating that the ceiling was too low in several places, and he would be brushed right off her back. She hated to admit that as well. Unless, she shrunk her size as Karamina had taught. It used a bit of energy, but she wasn't tired. And if she tired out, it would be a good time to rest for both of them.

"If I scaled my size down, you wouldn't get brushed off," Kagome replied from her sitting position.

"Gods above! How many times do I have to repeat myself? No, you're not carrying me. Now, are you done resting yet, or do you plan to stay here all day?" Kagome let out a long sigh. He had been like that every time he had to stop, blaming it on her wishing to rest rather then himself. But she just shrugged it off. She was used to this from him now. Whenever he started to appear a bit weak, it was her fault that they were resting. Nope, never his idea.

"Alright. Let's get going."

They were looking for another way out of the cavern. At first, they had tried to shift some of the rock fall away from the entrance to the room they were in. When they got there though, they saw that that passage had also shifted and fallen. Deciding on plan B, they headed in search of a second opening to the caverns. They had seen some spectacular formations on their way through the darkness. Columns tall enough to rival many palaces, and many as thick around as her fathers neck, and some more much larger then that. In fact, they came across one that she swore was as wide around as her dad in his true form when he sat on his back haunches. Large daggers hung from the ceiling, menacing the poor lost creatures below by only showing their sharp tips in the light that led the two travelers. Ponds of water so pure, it was indescribable, and the taste even more so. And the network of little underwater caverns they saw under the very floor they walked upon. Well, mostly small caverns. They happened to look down one that was particularly dark hole, and Kagome used her influence on the sphere, and sent the encapsulated foxfire into the depths. They were surprised to see an entire large cavern underneath them; one that would become like those they walked in now if the water table should ever drop again, and they be exposed to air. It was breathtaking.

The farther they went into the cavern, the darker (though she didn't know how she could tell), and wetter it become. They had been near a dryer part of the cavern, hence all the dirt that was kicked up when the ceiling fell. There had been some great formations, but few were active anymore. Here, though, there was dripping sounds coming from every direction, and the ground was wet as well. They constantly had to go around larger formations now, but there was now more to see. Some formations looked like lace, covering the ceiling from one end to the other, and one the sides when they got near the walls, there seemed to be entire formations that looked like frozen waterfalls. And here, there were little tube-like things that looked very delicate, and there, puffy little cylinders with little scraggly attachments on their sides rising from the floor. Kagome couldn't help it. She was enjoying herself. For several long minutes, she forgot all about them being stuck, and gazed around her in wonder. Frankly, InuYasha didn't mind slowing down the pace so that she could get a really good look. And besides, everything was starting to hurt pretty badly, so the slower pace would be good for him.

Kagome looked up at his grunt of pain.

"We can stop for a bit if you want."

"Feh. I ain't some weak human. I can manage." Kagome couldn't help but smirk at him.

"But you are still human. And I don't know many of those that can survive being crushed like that."

"Shut up. I said I'm fine." She rolled her eyes and shook her head at his back, then gently reached a hand forward, and pushed. InuYasha stumbled, and caught himself with his good arm.

"What the hell was that all about?"

"I barely touched you InuYasha. If you fall over from a tap, you need to take a rest. So just sit there, shut up, and rest." She removed his knap-sack from her shoulders, which she had insisted she carry from the beginning of this hike, and brought out the first waterskin. It was nearly empty, but she wasn't concerned. She'd fill it with the water from one of those clear ponds. He silently took it, and drank the rest of the water inside, grimacing a bit at it.

"You know, after drinking from that one stop, this stuff tastes absolutely vile."

"Probably does. Here." He handed him some jerky from the newly opened pouch. He gave it a strange look, and then took it from her hand and started to chew on it. "So, how long do you think this cave goes?"

"If it's anything like home," he said, trying to tear off a strip of jerky with his teeth. "they can go hundreds, if not thousands of miles. I'm not sure. But they can go a long way, that I know."

"Do you think there can actually be another way out of here?" InuYasha sighed, and gave up on the jerky piece.

"Hell, I don't know." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "There could be another entrance, there may not. There could have been one and the earthquake made it collapse; or there could not have been one, and the ceiling collapsed with the earthquake and created one. Or the one we came in could be collapsed as well, and we're stuck buried alive." Kagome shivered at the thought.

"Hey. Aren't you going to eat that?" she motioned to the jerky in his hand. He shook his head and offered it to her.

"It's too tough. I can't even take a bite off of it." She watched as he worked his jaw, and wondered if he might not have hurt that as well. But they sat in silence for a while, each not speaking, and listening to the water dripping around them.

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"I used to love to go exploring with my mother," Kagome said suddenly, startling InuYasha out of a doze. It was the next day, and they had once more been stumbling around the caverns. The third time he had stumbled, Kagome had called for a break. 'Where the hell did that come from?' he wondered, looking at her. She didn't face him though. "She always took me out to show me the sights, and all the hidden places of this land. Because if I was going to live here, I had to know them, and I could pass them on to my own daughter some day. She said that it made you truly part of the land. A lot of others wondered why Father ever mated mother. They always used to tell him that she was too wild to have the honor of being his mate. He told me he would just growl at them, and say it wasn't their business. She was his, and that's all that mattered. I think it nearly killed him when she died."

"Feh. You had a father. Mine abandoned my mother when he found out she was pregnant with me. And then she died."

Kagome turned to face him. She hadn't figured out why she had suddenly told InuYasha about her mother, and had been waiting for him to comment on her being a wimp or something. But his confession had been totally unexpected.

"InuYasha?" she asked in surprise.

"What?" he asked a bit sharply, cursing that he had just blurted that out.

"I'm glad you told me." He snapped his head around to face her. Her eyes were a brighter silver then normal, and held a tinge of sadness.

"Eh. It's no big deal." Then, he sighed and his shoulders slumped, and he added softly enough that she had to strain to hear it. "It was a long time ago anyway."

'Hmm,' thought Kagome, hearing the last words he said. So, she decided to try her luck with a stubborn human boy, and see if she could get anymore information out of him.

"My mother had long beautiful ebony hair," Kagome continued, wrapping her arms around her knees and looking upwards, past the fox-fire orb to the hidden ceiling above. "that came down to her thighs. Most of the time, she would have it braided and have the braid curl along the top of her head. Or she would wear it in a ponytail, where the loose long ends would flow around her like water. She was very beautiful. Silver eyes, elegant shape. She was a true and proper lady, save for one thing."

"What was that?" InuYasha found that he couldn't help but ask, a bit of curiosity seeping into his voice.

"She was wild." InuYasha turned to his companion, whose gaze had not left the ceiling, and gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean she was wild?"

"Well, her bloodlines were some of the best, and her family did hold power, but she had never liked the youkai courts and society. She would rather be out in the wild, exploring, traveling; everything a proper lady should not be doing on her own. But mother would not change, and they decided to banish her as a 'stain' to the family name. They didn't like their decision later on though, when the Lord of the Western Lands, InuTaisho himself, started to show interest in her. They tried to reclaim her, so that they could have the lords favor, but she would not return, and father would not listen. And she became his mate."

"Is your brother of the same mother as you are?" asked InuYasha; his curiosity getting the better of him.

"I'm not sure. Brother has always just been 'there'. I don't remember a time when he wasn't, and father has never said anything about it. I don't really think it matters. He's my brother, and I am proud to have him."

"Doesn't he always pick on you?" Kagome looked away from the ceiling at him, and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I used to watch families with many children, and the oldest always seemed to pick on the youngest."

"There are only two of us. We protect each other," she replied, still confused. She didn't understand what he was asking.

"Doesn't Sesshomaru ever play a mean joke on you, or push you so you step into a mud puddle or something?"

"Oh, yes! He does occasionally, when he's feeling quite snobbish and haughty. I just return the favor though, and father usually roles his eyes at us and tells us we're both still pups to be playing such games. When Sesshomaru isn't being snobbish or haughty, he enjoys playing with me. He might do the same things, but he will willingly join in doing whatever I am if I ask him too. I love my brother, and I'm pretty sure he loves me too."

"Feh," InuYasha remarked, turning from her. "I think siblings are just a waste of time. I didn't have any, and I don't seem to be the worse for it." Kagome turned to face him and wrinkled her nose at him.

"Okay Mr. Don't-Need-Siblings, what was your mom like?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"I just told you what mine was like!"

"And that means something?"

"Fair's fair!"

"Feh!" They sat there for several moments, until finally InuYasha too gazed up at the ceiling.

"She always made sure I had something to do, and was never lonely or bored. Mother was always active; running around and doing something all the time. But she always made sure I was well taken care of. She had hair down to her waist, and usually kept it up in a pony-tail, or left it hanging around her shoulders in an ebony curtain. I remember she used to let me brush her hair. It was always so smooth and silky, and it was never tangled." He fingered the necklace around his neck. "She would often wear this, and said it was very important, but would never tell me the reason. When she though I was old enough to not lose it, she would place it around my neck and tell me that one day it would be mine. And I don't know if she had any family. Or if she did, I never met them." They sat quietly for a few moments, until InuYasha's stomach gave an unpleasant growl.

InuYasha placed his hand onto his stomach, and Kagome looked down at his stomach and quirked an eyebrow at it.

"InuYasha, when particularly was the last time you ate?" He flushed a bit, but then straightened his back.

"It doesn't matter. We better get moving to try and find a way out of this cavern." As me moved to get up, Kagome quickly reached out a hand, and pulled him back down to his seat harder then intended.

"No. You've been surviving off water for long enough. You're never going to recover unless you eat something." InuYasha was still stunned from being sat down hard, and didn't resist when Kagome swung his legs up so that he was laying with his feet where Kagome had been, and his back propped against the stone. As he was still recovering, she leaned over to the pack, and pulled out a wrapped packet of jerky. Pulling off the tie-cord, she removed a piece and started chewing on it. InuYasha finally started to regain his senses, when Kagome came over and knelt beside him, and leaned inward. With a hand placed gently on his chest, she touched her lips gently to his.

InuYasha was shocked out of his mind when he felt her lips touch his, and parted them a bit in surprise. In a moment, he felt something enter his mouth, and as she pulled away, he realized that it was the jerky she had been chewing. He was about to remark on it, when she placed a finger to his mouth to silence him.

"Listen, we're never going to get out of this cavern if you weaken from not eating. As I see it, you can't chew it right from the bag. This way, it's soft enough for you to chew. Now just lay there, shut up, and eat." InuYasha shut his mouth, and did what he was told. They repeated this procedure several times, until InuYasha had finally waved her off because he couldn't eat anymore. As she was packing the nap-sack though, Kagome saw that he was sleeping, and decided that for a little while, she would let him rest.

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"InuYasha! Look! Sunlight!"

InuYasha looked up at the slight hole half-way up the wall, which had sunlight streaming through it. It had been two days after she had let InuYasha sleep, and they had both been excited about arriving at another dryer part of the cavern. That meant that at some point, there had been an entrance nearby, and they could use that to finally get out. This little ray of sunlight was a good sign. They were nearly out. Kagome quickly raced to the small hole, scrambled halfway up the cavern, and put her hand through it. It was only big enough for her upper arm to slip through. She didn't care.

Kagome turned to her companion, with elation lightening her silver eyes, and a wild grin on her face. InuYasha couldn't help but smirk back at her. He was glad to see some other light besides that of the foxfire globe. This meant they could be out of this mess and back to sneaking away from Guthrow and Karamina in no time. Though from now on, they would probably avoid caves. Kagome pulled her hand out of the hole, and placed her hands on her hips in a satisfied and smug gesture.

"See? Didn't I tell you we would get out of here?" Before InuYasha could reply though, they heard a noise outside of the hole.

"Is somebody there?" came a muffled voice from outside of the cavern wall. InuYasha scrambled up the cavern side, while Kagome faced the hole.

"Yes! We're trapped in here! Can you please help us?" There was some murmuring outside.

"Yes. Stand away from the hole. We'll have you out in no time." Kagome pulled InuYasha away, and blocked his body with her own. She was glad she did it when moment later, debris started flying inwards as the hole was attacked and widened. Finally, the entrance was big enough to crawl through.

"Give me your hand," said a distinctly feminine voice, as a hand was lowered down into the hole.

"My companion is hurt, and only has one good arm and some broken ribs. I'm sending him up first."

"Fine by us," came a distinctly male voice from somewhere near the female. So Kagome lead InuYasha over to the extended hand, and he gratefully gave it his own. He was surprised by the strength in that slim hand as he was bodily pulled from the hole, and another set of hands came to help haul him into the sunlight. It took him a few moments to adjust his eyes to the bright light of day, but when he did, and he looked up, his eyes widened and he gasped. Sitting there before him, holding his arm tightly, was a person he though he would never see again.

"Sango?"

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See Linwe? You got to see Sango again. You just had to wait another chapter. :grins:

Actually, Carrie, I'm not sure if Rin is going to show up. Then again, I might put her in. But it might not be until much later. There are going to be a few more pairings though, but a few of the characters, you haven't met yet.

Alright, I know this isn't as good as the others, and I'm sorry I haven't updated for at time. I was traveling, and the hotels only had wireless access, and my wireless card is broken. :pouts: But I'll try to make it up to you all. Promise.

I might split this into two chapters later. I don't know. I'll have to think on it. It is rather long.

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS! I LOVE THEM!

Sky