Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Fourteen: Then There Were Two

Episode 18

"Wow! What a twist folks! Who would have thought that two people who were so close to one another would turn on each other like that? Did you see how the bigger one turned on the smaller one and shoved 'em at the oncoming demons? Talk about cold blooded! Guess the prize of freedom was worth more than their friendship. Oh wait! The smaller guy bounced back up and ran! Look at those little legs go! And the sheep demon gives chase! He's right on his buddy's heels! Is he going to trip him? Knock him down?" The cheery announcer was nearly giddy with anticipation. She nearly jumped to her feet as she exclaimed, "No! Ha! Well look at that... all he did was outrun him. Just in time too, the sheep demon caught up at last. And there goes an arm. Funny how something so cute and cuddly looking can be such a bloodthirsty monster."

"You said it," came an off camera voice with a snort.

The announcer glared at the cameraman before apparently remembering she was still being filmed. Then she pasted on practically patented cheerful smile. "Well, as I always say, you don't have to run faster than the demon, you just have to run faster than your friend!"

She shuffled papers without looking at them then smiled into the camera as two pictures went up into the corner of the screen as the sheep demon continued to eat the fallen man. "Looks like we are down to just two competitors. Who will be the last one standing? Our speedy little man or the elusive delinquent? The only way to find out is to stay tuned!"

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Kagome sighed as Miroku turned down the volume. Sango had refused to take another step, regardless of what the flowers said, until Kagome's wounds had been seen too. But Kagome wasn't thinking about the sting of her wounds or man eating sheep or the even the race to stay alive. Her cheeks turned red as she glanced at Inuyasha. He was steadfastedly not looking directly at her. Though she did catch him stealing looks once in awhile. Yes, her thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

"I think she has a fever," Sango said worriedly as she felt Kagome's head.

Out the many many (hooo boy, oh so MANY) scenarios Kagome had dreamed up about her first kiss, down in the dank underground caverns while fighting for her life covered in blood and bruises was certainly NOT on the list. She melted a little on the inside. Oh but it had been unforgettable.

There had been a faint scent of flowers still hanging in the air when they had been left alone by the flower demons. A soft glow came from somewhere in the cavern, letting her just see the gold in his eyes. They had stood close together, before both leaning towards each other at the same time. His hands moved slowly from her arms to her shoulders. And his lips...

"Maybe we should rest here a bit," suggested Sango as she continued checking for a fever, "Or maybe I could stay with her while you guys scout up ahead."

I'd rather Inuyasha stay, Kagome thought to herself. She was a bit irritated that Sango kept interrupting her lovely memories. She could still feel his lips on hers... she hadn't expected them to be so soft. So gentle... Kagome sighed. At least their descent had been slow down into the cavern. She hummed to herself. Yes, nice and slow and wow... She still felt tingles from where they had touched.

"Kagome?"

"I'm fine," she told Sango in a tone more grumpy than she would have liked. She only barely kept from batting away her friend's hands. "Let's just go." She wanted the attention away from her so she could immerse herself in her memories.

Inuyasha shyly smiled at her as he not so subtly moved Sango out of the way and helped Kagome up. His back was to their friends, so she knew the smile was just for her. They hadn't talked about it, they had been too... um... busy really, to even think about it. But they knew that they just weren't ready for their friends to know. Maybe when they escaped the island. Or after she graduates. Or maybe a few years from now... Miroku was bound to tease them mercilessly, and neither one of them was looking forward to that. Maybe after they were safely married with a few kids running around.

Wait...

Would Inuyasha want to still be together once they escaped? He abandoned her (sort of) for such a long time because of how people would react to them together. And that was when they were just friends. Would he be willing to make such a huge step? Would he want to be in a romantic relationship with her once they were home?

Kagome was still caught up in her worries when she ran straight into Inuyasha's back. He turned to steady her, and gave her a concerned look.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, voice slightly husky.

She shook her head. She didn't want to voice her worries, scared that they'd have to talk about it. And that she might not like the answers. Instead she gave him a smile. He only frowned in return, so perhaps it wasn't as convincing as she thought it was. He opened his mouth to say something when Shippo spoke up loudly.

"You two sure are taking all this in stride. You'd think you'd be a little more excited."

Kagome blushed to the roots of her hair. Inuyasha turned to snap at the kit and scold him, but froze. Curious now, Kagome peeked from behind her friend.

Oh.

Wow.

In front of them was a pool of water surrounded by lights. But it wasn't the pool of water the flowers were crawling around that was so interesting. It was the giant submarine sitting in the water that caused her to gasp.

They were SAVED!

She didn't even bother to try and not jump up and squeal in excitement. Not to mention a happy dance. She was finally really going home. Before she could think better of it, she hugged Inuyasha. The hug he gave her back was quick, but it was a hug.

"This must be the control room," came Miroku's voice over a loudspeaker, before he said 'oof' and the speaker was shut down. Kagome looked around to see Sango and Miroku in a small little room with a wall of glass that was surrounded by equipment. Miroku was rubbing his ribs and his head. In an odd sort of way he looked a bit like he was trying to do that trick where you pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time. Maybe it was the giddiness of getting to go home, but the sight made Kagome laugh.

Kirara was already bounding down the ramp and hopping up onto the water craft.

"Does anyone know how to drive a submarine?" asked Kagome, once the laughter died down. She wondered how in the world she couldn't have noticed a submarine.

Everyone stopped what they were doing. They looked at each other. Then as one they all slumped to the ground.

"So close," sighed Miroku. "We were so close."

"How hard could it be?" asked Sango.

"We can wing it."

"Wing driving a submarine, Inuyasha?" asked Kagome skeptically, feeling more defeated than ever before. Escape had been soooo close! "Does anyone know if you even have to have a key for it? Aren't there supposed to be coordinates or something?" Her eyes widened in horror as she remembered movies she had seen with her brother, "Don't you explode if you come up too fast?"

"I don't want to explode," cried Shippo, clinging to Kagome for comfort.

"Well, we need to make a decision soon before they wake up."

Kagome and Inuyasha turned in unison in the direction Sango was pointing. "They?"

Together they walked over to the control booth and peeked in the window. Lying on a heap on the floor were two men in security uniforms. Kagome wondered how she didn't notice that her friends had not only found a huge submarine in the middle of the cavern (in a lit area no less), but they also somehow subdued two security guards. How was it possible that just thinking about a kiss would melt her brain so completely?

Oh but what a kiss it was...

Her knees went a little weak as she glanced over at Inuyasha and remembered their kiss. He looked a little confused for a moment, but when he looked in her eyes his own began to warm up. He began to reach for her when he obviously remembered they had an audience now. Oh yeah, and a chance of either escape or eminent capture and possibly death. What a mood killer.

"Maybe there's a driver's manual around here somewhere," Kagome said nervously as she kept as far away from the guards as possible as she entered the little room.

"I bet there are instructions on the internet," Miroku said cheerfully as he sat down at one of the two computers in the room. Luckily the guards had been using the computers before they were surprised, so passwords and logins were not required. "Oh look, there's a Wikipedia page for it."

Sango snorted, "You're going to trust our lives based on Wikipedia? Don't you know that anyone can edit those pages? My little brother might have gone in and edited those pages for all we know."

"Your brother probably WOULD know how to drive one," said Kagome with a smile as she continued to search the little room.

"Okay... Inuyasha might have gone in and edited those pages."

"HEY! I'm standing RIGHT here!"

Kagome stood up and frowned. "I don't see manuals of any sort here. Maybe we can find someone who knows how to drive one of those things and see if we can convince them to help us."

"By 'convince' do you mean 'kidnap' or 'threaten'?" asked Miroku from the computer, "And I believe the term you are looking for is 'piloting a submarine', not drive."

Sango began undressing one of the unconscious men. Kagome spun around and screeched, hands flying up to cover her eyes. Inuyasha jumped in front of her to block the view and screamed at the slayer. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"We can't just sit here waiting for Miroku to Google how to pilot a submarine. We will split up. He can research while I go see if I can find us a volunteer." The way she said 'volunteer' filled Kagome's head with visions of some battered and bruised soul being dragged behind her.

"Um... maybe you should stay here and keep Miroku safe in case these two wake up. I'll go search around upstairs for someone who can help us."

"No," snarled Inuyasha. "It's too dangerous."

The group bickered back and forth about who should go and who should stay. Sango continued to undress the guard (leaving him with his underclothes). Kagome dropped down to her knees and started unbuttoning the other guard's shirt, sending Inuyasha into a roaring frenzy. The noise ended up waking the guards, who had to be, well... put back to sleep.

In the end, it was decided that Shippo would stay and watch Miroku's back, with the help of the flower demons. Kagome, Sango, and Inuyasha were still arguing about who would wear the disguises and go searching for help when they heard a chuckle. Everyone froze, but the laughter continued.

"Welcome, Kagome Higurashi."

The man at the top of the spiral metal stairs was pretty, a little disturbingly pretty actually. Was that eye shadow? He was looking at her as if he knew her, but she was fairly certain she had never seen him before in her life. Then again, she had been on television for who knows how many days now. With as popular as the show was, it was entirely possible that millions of people knew who she was. Now THAT was a disturbing thought.

"Um... thanks?"

He smiled at her in a way that had her stepping back until she felt Inuyasha behind her. He was growling and his muscles were tensed. Quickly he placed himself between her and the man who was slowly descending the stairs. Sango and Miroku were both standing up and ready for a fight. Shippo had jumped up to her shoulder and was baring his tiny teeth. About a million flower demons were making their way to the base of the stairs. Whoever this guy was, he didn't have a chance.

"You do so look like Kikyo," the man said, not seeming to notice anyone except Kagome.

"Kikyo?"

"You may not be the woman I love," the stranger said with a shake of his head. "But you'll do."

Author's Note:

Thank you all for your support and your wonderful reviews. Y'all are great.

Just a reminder, though, swearing at me does not make me write faster. In fact, it generally sloooooooows me down.