Okay, first off I'd just like to point out that if you're curious as to why I have not updated in a while or want to check out the progress of my fics, I strongly suggest and encourage you to look at my author's\profile page. I update it every few weeks or so, stating if I had updated my fics or not, or if I'm having trouble with my computer, or another reason as to why I haven't updated. Usually if I haven't updated in quite some time, the reason will be in my author\profile page, so don't be afraid to check it out from time to time, kay? n.n; Kay. Thanks for reading this short but semi-significant note.

Note: If you happen to find any errors concerning switching back and forth between the present and past tense, I ask you to please disregard them. I never could really stay with one, and I'll admit that it's one of my flaws that I find positively annoying. I'd appreciate it if you could point them out to me so I can go back and fix them. Thanks in advance.

Okay, now that we got out of the way, I would like to apologize for the long update. The reason this time it's so long is because the battery for my computer is shot and I need a new one. Really, after all the trouble that my computer puts me through, you'd think it's out to get me, or something…Yeesh.

Anyhow, I ain't gonna do my little role-play this chapter 'cause I don't feel like it. I'll just go straight to the trivia's answer.

Last chapter's Trivia question: Identify the English term for these Evil Demons: Kotatsu, Mukadejoro, Nikutsuginomen, Shibugarasu, and Tsukumo no Gama. Answer: Kotatsu: Hell's Painter; Mukadejoro: Mistress Centipede; Nikutsuginomen: Flesh-eating Mask; Shibugarasu: Corpse Dancing Crow; Tsukumo no Gama: Demon Toad.

Strange how no one seemed to put much effort into answering it…oh well. Just for fun anyway; I really don't give a damn.

Sadly, this is the last Trivia question for this story. But I am still going to do something; another poll. It will be at the end of this chapter, so it won't stop you from enjoying this wonderful chapter.

So without any further delay, chapter twenty-six of Dangerous Dancing.

Dangerous Dancing
Chapter twenty-six – Escape

The ice was melting slowly but surely and Inuyasha renewed the wounds on his hands, slicing open the flesh on different places on his hands for better blood flow. And every time his hands made contact with the cold ice, it stung just as it had the first time. He knew he was at a great risk of suffering from blood loss from all the blood he was using to escape, but it had to be done. He had to get to Kagome.

Hold on Kagome, Inuyasha thought feverously, gritting his teeth together from the stinging in his hands, the pain steadily crawling up his arms to give him the beginnings of a splitting headache. Just hold on a bit longer…I'm coming for you…

The damned hanyou had figured out how to escape his icy prison, and even worse, the current object of his desires was scrapping away at the thick frost directly over the door that led outside of the meat locker. This was not good.

Scowling, Kyosuke released a frustrated roar and shattered the image sketched into the ice with a pale hand, several shards of sharp ice slicing his cold flesh and producing thin lines of red. He glared darkly at the blood that contrasted sharply against the pastel tone of his skin as it slowly seeped back into his hand, the thin lines vanishing as though they were never there in the first place.

Blood.

Out of all the things that were able to completely destroy him, why in the seven hells did it have to be blood?

Kyosuke scowled again and paced the frozen, secluded room. What the hell was he going to do? In just a matter of time, the girl would most likely find the steel door hidden beneath the thick layer of frost and that damned half-breed was literally melting away his frosty cage. And if he didn't do something, they would eventually find their way out and reunite once more, thus further planning his untimely demise since the hanyou obviously knew what to do to take him down.

Goddamn it. Well, didn't this just take the shit?

Heaving a frustrated groan, the ice-demon sighed and sank back into an ice chair that had suddenly built up behind him, the ice not affecting him at all as it made contact with his pastel flesh. Coal black eyes closed as Kyosuke leaned back, resting his arms on the armrests at his sides and letting the wintry atmosphere calm him down. Who knew that the girl had such potential? The girl possessed such ambition and spark within her that it had him admiring her all the more.

He suddenly grinned, a vicious curl of the lips that would have had the most strongest and bravest of men crawling for cover. Yes. He would have her. And that filthy excuse for a half-dog would not get in his way.

Her body had long ago gone numb once more by the time she had the latch completely thawed out and the gray steel slightly warm from her attempts to yank it down and free herself from this room that was starting to become quite annoying. Kagome was beyond caring if she caught some sort of illness or not as she continued to yank and pull at the latch protruding from the door that she knew was hidden behind the heavily caked on rime.

She also knew that if she didn't get out of here fast, she would most likely die of dehydration before the full brunt of hypothermia could even take a toll on her tired and cold body. Her throat was sore and dry, her lips cracked and coated with a dry layer or her own blood. Her jet-black hair seemed white from all of the frost covering it and her clothes were stiff and rough against her sensitive flesh. Kagome was surprised that her legs hadn't fallen off of her yet since she was only wearing a short skirt that did nothing to provide her warmth of protection from the frigid atmosphere.

Weak and drowsy, Kagome sucked in a breath sharply and immediately regretted the action when she broke off into a harsh coughing fit, blood spurting from her lips to splatter onto the frost in front of her and coat her lips with a new layer of scarlet. She winced and raised a shaky hand to her throat, swallowing carefully and wincing as her raw throat constricted, the taste of blood leaving a metallic flavor in her throat. She couldn't take his much more. It was just too much for her, the pain, the numbness…the feeling of dread slowly overtaking the rational part of her mind.

She was so weak. Why couldn't she be strong? That's what Inuyasha would have wanted. He doesn't want a weak little human who couldn't even stand a little coldness. He deserved someone so much better, someone who was equal in strength as him and someone who would protect him as much as he protected her.

Kagome had tired to be strong, she really did. But in the end, it was just too much for her weak human body to take. Inuyasha does not deserve the likes of her. What could she have possibly done to grasp his undivided attention?

Sure, she had loved him before she had even met him, but that kind of love was way different from what she was feeling now. The previous love she had for him was wholesome admiration; a teenage infatuation that she refused to let go of. A crush of a little girl just beginning to show the signs of womanhood.

But now… The love she harbored for him was beyond any childish infatuation. The love she held for him now was pure, unrequited adoration and respect for his being. She wanted to be with him, share his feelings, and take away any kind of pain that may have been hurting him. The love she felt was strong and sure, steadily growing with every strong and sure beat of her heart.

The doubt clouding Kagome's mind slowly cleared and she frowned, half-heartedly jerking at the steel latch separating her from the one she undoubtedly loved and cherished.

But if Inuyasha didn't want a weak little human like herself, then when would he go to such lengths to prove to her that he did want and love her? Why would he even consider proving it to her when she already knew he loved her so much that words couldn't even begin to explain his feelings, as he had said when he'd stated she could visit Kurama any time she pleased. (That's in chapter twenty-one, in case any of you are wondering.)

It was too much for her muddled mind to process and she swooned, blinking several times as her vision slightly blurred and it felt like the room was spinning, the floor jumping under her feet and causing her to lose her balance and stumble awkwardly for a few seconds. She swung her numb arms out in an attempt to regain her balance and continued to stumble and sway for several more seconds before the room finally stilled and the floor lay unmoving beneath her feet.

Kagome closed her eyes and carefully drew in a breath, willing her racing heart to calm as she placed a shaking hand upon her chest. What was that? She thought bemusedly, slowly exhaling and allowing her eyes to flutter back open. Maybe all this puzzled thinking is affecting my body since I'm really in no condition to ponder the meaning of life right now. Kagome surmised, licking her dry lips and tasting blood. She grimaced and swallowed convulsively, instantly regretting it when the familiar burning sensation assaulted her raw throat, her stomach lurching painfully.

Ugh…I need to get outta here, Kagome mused and stumbled back to the latch protruding from the wall, grasping it with new determination and jerking it as hard as she could.

It didn't budge. No surprise there.

Mentally growling in frustration, the frozen dancer glared at the silver handle through narrowed brown eyes and clenched her teeth, ignoring the fleeting sensation of pain from the pressure she was ensuing her dry mouth. I'm…gonna…get…out…of…here…no…matter…what Each word was punctuated with a rough jerk of the silver latch and a grunt, the heels of her boots digging into the frozen ground for better leverage. Her arms were aching from the hard straining she was putting her muscles through but she determinedly ignored it, her face scrunching in hard concentration and strain.

I can do this…I can do this…I can—

It moved an inch!

…Or centimeter…or whatever… Who the hell cares, it moved!

Kagome smiled so widely she was afraid it was surely split her face in half as her dry flesh stretched painfully. Yes! It moved, it moved, it—! …Just moved back into its original position… Goddamn it all! Stupid latch! Glaring heatedly at the offending handle, Kagome screeched loudly and kicked up her foot, all senses of gravity nonexistent in her mind as her boot connected with the frozen latch with a metallic clang.

Shortly afterward though, Kagome was reacquainted with gravity as her foot still connected with the ground began sliding forward while her other leg still floated in the air and she automatically flung out her arms, eyes wide and expression horrified as she began to tumble backward, her arms flailing about as she sought to regain the balance she had a few seconds prior.

A sound akin a shriek and a grunt escaped her mouth as she finally lost the battle with gravity and her foot slipped out from under her, another metallic ring echoing throughout the room as her foot struck the handle again as she fought to steady herself, her legs positioning themselves to make it look like she was doing a split in mid-air and then her back connected with the cold ground with a rather painful sounding thud.

"…Ow…" The word was low and hoarse and Kagome's dry throat protested the action. Wincing, she slowly forced her sore muscles to move her into a sitting position, her butt muscles now throbbing along with everything else. Great…the only thing on my body that didn't hurt is now sore with everything else…typical.

Scowling, Kagome forced herself to stand, wanting nothing more than to just lie down and sleep. But she knew she couldn't do that. For if she did, she might never wake up again. She yawned suddenly, the thought of sleep getting very tempting by the minute.

No! I can't sleep! I can't! I have to get out of here unless I wanna freeze to death. And that wasn't exactly the way I thought of dying. She shook her head slightly to rid of such thoughts and finally turned her attention to the wall before her, the scowl slowly melting away and her eyes widening once she got a good look at it.

The latch was down.

Goddamn, this is draining. I'm losing too much blood. I can't keep doing this for much longer. Biting his lip, Inuyasha renewed the slice on his hand with a claw and quickly pressed the bloody flesh to the ice before him, hissing when the ice make contact with his raw hand. It sizzled for a few seconds, the ice slowly melting away as the blood did its job by eating away his frosty cage.

To his right, Inuyasha was oblivious to the handle attached to the frosted door as it began to shake every second as he continued to concentrate on his escape that he knew was drawing near. Just a few more inches to go as far as he could see and he was out of there…

"Holy sh—! What was that?" Inuyasha questioned aloud to himself, pausing in his ministrations to melt the ice surrounding him to seek out what had caused the shattering noise to his right. Peering through the gaps the icy stalagmite provided, a frown marred the hanyou's brow when his sharp sight noticed the broken pieces of ice just before the frosted over door that led to the room that imprisoned his girlfriend.

"What the…that wasn't there before," he mused softly, amber eyes slowly traveling north to find the source of the shattered ice lying innocently on the ground. His eyes scanned upward, over the silver latch, passing the frosted over window, up over the—

The latch!

Snapping his gaze back to the steel latch connected to the door, Inuyasha's golden eyes widened once he realized that there was no longer any ice covering it as it was before and that it was currently pointing skyward. That meant…

"Kagome… Kagome moved it!" Relief flooded his senses and he slumped against the ice that surrounded him, eyes closed as he wallowed in the thought that his Kagome was still okay and fighting to get out. No other cause could have randomly shattered the thick ice covering the handle to the door so the source must have come from the other side of the steel barrier. Kagome must have somehow gotten the latch to move downward so the door would open, thus explaining why the handle was currently pointing up instead of its previous downward position.

Thank the Gods you're still okay… I don't know what I'd do if you were… Refusing to finish that dark thought, Inuyasha released a shaky breath and pushed himself away from the stalagmite, determined now more than ever to get out of his icy cage and get to the one thing that mattered more to him than anything else.

Jaw set and face resolute, Inuyasha raised his bloodied hand and grunted in pain as his claw deftly sliced through his shirt and pierced his right shoulder, drawing it downward to his elbow where he withdrew his bloody claw then quickly smashed his wounded shoulder against the ice without preamble, the sizzling louder than before and causing him to wince in pain, ears pinning back against his skull.

"Fuck…that stings…" he said breathlessly, gnashing his teeth together and fisting his hands tightly, drawing even more blood. He put his scarlet hands to good use and pressed them against the ice, the added pain making Inuyasha's head spin. His vision was turning red and he blinked rapidly, willing it to return to normal. After several more tries, his eyes finally began to focus and he stared down at his shoulder, heart skipping a beat when he realized that his shoulder had done the job of melting away most of the ice that was left.

"Finally… I don't think I'd be able to withstand anymore blood loss." Swallowing the lump in his throat, the hanyou peeled his shoulder away from the ice with a hiss, thankful for his demon healing abilities. Though he could tell right now that his shoulder was going to take some time in healing fully. He had cut himself pretty deep to get out more blood that would help with his escape.

Feeling dizzy, the slightly light-headed half-demon took a moment to regain his strength before ruthlessly pounding into the melted ice with his fists and claws, a feral snarl etched onto his pale features. Bits of ice flew every which way as he clawed at it, some of them hitting his face and leaving miniscule lines of crimson as it pierced his sensitized flesh. He ignored the familiar stinging sensation and focused all of his attention instead on the task before him of eliminating the rest of the weak ice that confined him. He had to get to Kagome. He had to. It just wasn't an option.

He could feel the ice cracking beneath his ministrations and he knew that it wouldn't be long before the weakened stalagmite gave way under his fists. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and he kept going even when his knuckles became torn and bloody, further helping eliminate the annoyance called ice. Pain crawled up his arms and seared his already throbbing shoulder something fierce but he forced himself to ignore it.

"Just…a little…more…" he grunted, and rearing back his bloodied fist, Inuyasha gave a guttural battle cry then slammed his hand hard into the weakened hoarfrost with all his might.

C-r-r-r-r-ack.

A scarlet fist dove straight through the broken ice and Inuyasha gasped, stumbling forward until he was out of the icy cage in which that bastard Kyosuke had imprisoned him. Catching himself on the opposite wall, Inuyasha blinked and looked over his shoulder at the damned confines that held him captive, a rather large gap now located where an icy spike sticking up from the ground used to be.

He stared. Then…

"Fuck yes!"

Not wanting to waste any more precious time than necessary, Inuyasha bolted from the wall and to the steel door, grabbing the latch and yanking it for all he was worth. "Kagome!" he called, pounding on the door with a hand while still jerking on the silver handle with the other. "Kagome!" He drew out her name this time, getting a bit desperate. What if he was too late? What if she was—

"In…asha…?"

He stilled. Was that…?

Several soft thuds issued from the other side of the door and the muffled voice was a bit louder and panicky this time. "Inu…sha! Is 'at…'ou?" The pounding became more desperate and the last call broke him out of his stupor.

"Inuyasha!"

"Kagome!" Growling low, Inuyasha clawed at the rectangular window just above his eye level, scraping away the caked rime with a ferociousness that he didn't even know he possessed. Slowly but surely the glass began to appear as more and more of the frost was scraped away and his heart skipped a beat when he caught a glimpse of his girlfriend's hand as she wiped away the remaining frost on the window on the other side.

Jesus… Just seeing her hand is making me happy… Just how hard did I fall for you, Kagome…? Scratching the last away, amber eyes widened once they locked with those of rich chocolate brown through the thick layer of glass. Her eyes… Her eyes held so many emotions. Relief, fear, joy, love, elation. Inuyasha willed her to read his eyes, see what he was feeling at that moment, show her what she meant to him.

Kagome watched the myriad of emotions play across his face; relief, elation, anger, determination, strength…love. Some of them were similar to her own, though she could not understand why he would be feeling anger. Anger toward Kyosuke, perhaps? That was the only logical reason she could think of that would make him so livid.

Whatever the reason, though, Kagome did not want to dwell on it when she was so close to freedom. Inuyasha was just on the other side of his damnable door, and if she could only open it…

"Kagome! Kagome, can you hear me?" she heard him call and she instantly snapped back to reality, focusing all of her attention instead on the hanyou that was just on the other side of the steel barrier. His voice was distant, muffled by the thick door that separated them.

"I can hear you, Inuyasha!" Kagome replied hoarsely, slamming a numb hand on the door for emphasis. She saw him nod once then avert his eyes briefly downward, probably studying the steel latch then locking gazes with her once more.

"All right Kagome," he began and she strained to hear him. "Here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna pull on the handle as hard as I can to get it open, and I need you to push on it as hard as you can as well so it'll budge easier. You think you can do that?" he asked, obviously knowing how weak she must feel from staying in a meat locker for God knows how long.

It was simple, and she would definitely go along with it if it meant getting out of here. Kagome nodded vigorously, wanting him to know that she heard him and that she understood despite the pounding headache she now had from the movement.

They stared at each other for a moment through the glass that was beginning to frost over once more before taking their plan into action. Instead of speaking, Inuyasha held up a clawed hand and, staring into her eyes, counted down from five with his fingers, mouthing each number as a finger went down.

Kagome braced herself, setting her legs apart and digging her heels into the frosted ground, bracing her shoulder against the cold door.

Three…

Tightening his hold on the steel handle, Inuyasha set his jaw and braced himself, flexing his clawed fingers around the cold steel of the latch.

Two…

Kagome…

Inuyasha…

One.

"Now!"

Inuyasha pulled and Kagome shoved, gritting their teeth and screwing their eyes shut as they tried to open the hindrance that was the door, the ice that had grown over the entire door cracking and slowly giving way under the pressure, moving a centimeter…and inch…another centimeter…

"C'mon, Kagome!" His voice was rough, face scrunched up in exertion. "Push a little…harder…!"

"I'm…trying! It won't…budge!" Kagome's voice was on similar conditions, already hoarse from lack of use and dry from the frigid atmosphere. Her legs were becoming tired from the strain she was issuing on them, but she refused to give up. If she could just have a little more strength in her…

Inuyasha stroked her ebony hair with a clawed hand. "Ssshhh. It's ok now, Kagome. I'm here. I'm not ever going to leave you again. I promise. Not after what we just shared. I know that you have the same feelings for me that I have for you. Even though I've doubted those feelings. But, now I know…they're true."

He cupped her cheek with his hand. "No. I'll never leave you. I promise you, Kagome. I won't ever leave you again."

"I've fallen in love with you, Kagome."

"It's true, Kagome. You've somehow managed to make me fall, and I fell hard and fast. I don't know what you did to have made me done it, but I do. And I want you to go to Kyoto with me so I can be near you, hear your voice and see your smile. And like I said before, I'm not going to leave you."

"Inuyasha told me to tell you that this is from him." Shippo elaborated, still smiling as he leaned up and gave her a wet kiss on the cheek. He pulled back and grinned at her. "Love you, Kagome."

"I can think of lots of innocent ways for me to prove my love to you, koi."

His eyes lit up and his smile grew, giving her hand a loving squeeze. "Kagome, I love you…so much that words couldn't even begin to explain my feelings."

Kagome's eyes widened as images from days past flew through her mind, some old, some fairly new, some in between.

And then something warm and powerful began flowing through her veins and a sudden rush of adrenaline had Kagome feeling like she was on some kind of high. The pain was suddenly gone and every beat of her heat pumped fresh, rejuvenated blood through her veins.

She had found her hidden strength. All this time…Inuyasha was my strength…and I didn't even know it.

With new resolve, Kagome braced her legs and shoved with all her might, clenching her teeth together tightly and digging her feet into the frosty ground, the material of her boots gaining her better traction against the icy floor. Frost began raining down upon her from the pressure the door was being put through and it slowly began to move centimeter-by-centimeter, inch-by-inch until finally, it budged.

The steel door flung open, pieces of ice dropping from the ceiling onto the two individuals now sprawled out on the floor, the male personage quickly recovering and sitting up, shaking the ice and frost from his long hair. Standing up, he rushed over to the other occupant of the room and crouched down, sliding an arm under her shoulders and wincing at how cold her flesh was.

"Kagome…Kagome," he said in concern, placing a clawed hand upon her pale cheek and swallowing the lump in his throat. "C'mon, Kagome. Open your eyes, damn it. Open your eyes!" He shook her a little, worried at how deathly pale she was. He needed to get her warmed up, and fast.

He continued to stroke her cheek with his thumb for several more seconds until finally Kagome's eyes fluttered slightly before slowly opening to reveal two rich brown pools of innocence, her chest heaving as she sucked in a big breath of air. Several bouts of coughing followed shortly after this and Inuyasha rocked her back and forth, rubbing soothing patterns on her quivering stomach to calm her down.

"Inu…yasha." She said roughly, wincing as her sore throat constricted.

"Shh…" Inuyasha soothed, smoothing back her hair and pressing her face his chest and wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to warm her up some. "It's okay, love. I'm here. Everything's gonna be okay now. I promise." He closed his eyes, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling her scent. "Thank God you're okay." His voice cracked, and he didn't care. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you…"

Weakly Kagome swathed her arms around his neck, taking in shuddering breaths and exhaling slowly. The contact of another human being was making her lightheaded and she swam in the warmth he provided, even if they were currently in this wintry hell.

"Inuyasha…I…"

"Well now, what do we have here? A filthy hanyou mutt with his ever so faithful human wench. How disgusting."

Inuyasha's back stiffened and he growled, standing up with Kagome in his arms and snarling at the demon that stood not too far away from them. "You," he growled, ears pinning back in obvious anger. "How dare you do that to Kagome! How fucking dare you!" He pushed said girlfriend behind his back, hackles rising when the ice demon released a sinister laugh.

"Ha! How very amusing. A mere half-demon protecting his property? Oh, this is priceless. If only I had a camera." Kyosuke smirked nastily; showing pristine teeth that would have been mistaken as false had the half-demon known any better.

"Shut up, you son of a bitch! I'll fucking kill you!" And with that last threat, Inuyasha lunged for him, ignoring Kagome's cry or protest as he slashed his claws at the demon, snarling viciously when Kyosuke dodged with another dark laugh.

"You fool! You think you can defeat me?" Raising a pale hand, Kyosuke the ice demon crooked his fingers and Inuyasha instantly recognized the gesture.

"Oh no! I'm not falling for that tick again, you bastard!" Quite literally rolling away, Inuyasha barely managed to escape before six thick stalagmite shot forth from the ground right where Inuyasha had been standing.

Scowling, Kyosuke raised his other hand and criss-crossed his arms, his claws elongating before he swept his arms outward and sharp icicles materialized in the air in front of him before diving toward the shocked half-demon.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, her voice becoming stronger with each word she said. She watched, horrified as an endless swarm of sharp icicles plummeted toward her boyfriend, flinching every time a sharp point managed to slice his flesh, leaving thin lines of crimson behind. "Inuyasha…"

Then, much to her astonishment, Inuyasha snatched a flying icicle out of mid-air and quite abruptly stabbed himself in the thigh with it, coating it thick with his blood before launching toward the ice demon, wielding the bloody icicle in his hand.

"Take this, Frosty!" Twisting in the air to dodge another attack, the hanyou dug the sharp icicle into the ice youkai's arm, smirking when Kyosuke gasped and released a wail of agony.

"Damn you!" he cried, groping for the protruding stick of ice with his other hand and managing to yank it out, tossing it aside. The icicle shattered upon contact with the ground and the frost beneath it sizzled and melted away.

Inuyasha smirked in smug victory, pressing a hand to the fresh wound on his thigh. "Hah! Didn't think I knew, did ya, bastard? I never thought that blood of all things would be a demon's weak point!"

Kagome stared in stunned silence, her mouth slightly agape as the two demons glared at each other. Blood? Kyosuke's vulnerable to…blood? She thought bemusedly, brow furrowing in confusion. But…how can that be? Kyosuke's a full-fledged demon. If that were the case, then wouldn't his own blood eat him from the inside out? She cringed at the mental picture and shook her head. So it can't be demon blood. And since Inuyasha is only half demon, that only leaves…

Chocolate eyes widened as realization dawned on her. "Inuyasha! Stop! I know how to—" Kagome began but Inuyasha cut her off.

"Not now, Kagome! Shut up and stay where you are so I can kill this son of a bitch!" Inuyasha growled, coating his claws in a new layer of blood and slashing at the threat before him.

"But Inuyasha—!"

"You'd do well to listen to your hanyou, girl! Unless you want me to kill you too?" Kyosuke interjected, smirking at Kagome while ducking below the bloody claws aimed his way.

Kagome blinked. "Wait a minute! I thought you wanted me to stay alive so I can become your 'ice princess' or whatever it was!" she remarked with a frown, placing her hands on her hips in a typical female stance.

Oh boy… "Kagome…shut up!" Inuyasha yelled irately, sparing the girl in question a brief glare before turning his attention back to the ice demon.

Kagome ignored him as Kyosuke laughed darkly. "Foolish woman, you are right in assuming that I did want you. But now I can plainly see that the half-breed has probably already tainted you with his foulness and I no not want a woman that has been contaminated by such a filthy creature." The ice demon explained, momentarily halting any further attacks from said hanyou by thrusting a hand toward him and knocking Inuyasha off his feet with a strong gust of arctic wind.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed when he slammed against the wall with a painful grunt, sliding to the floor and slumping over. "Inuyasha!" Kagome made to rush over to the dazed hanyou, but Kyosuke was suddenly there, blocking her way to him and the dancer abruptly changed her attitude. Flames practically danced in her eyes as she glared at the demon, her hands fisted at her sides to tightly her knuckles were white.

The ice demon glared at her through narrowed black eyes, the flesh on his right arm seeming to disintegrate from the blood cresting the wound.

"You…you ingrate." Her voice was deathly low, the shadow of her bangs over her eyes making them seem truly ominous. "How dare you say that and still have the pleasure of living? I won't allow you to say such things about him. Not while I'm alive." Kagome matched his glare with one of her own, her body radiating her anger in waves. "Inuyasha is not a filthy half-breed and he never was one to begin with. I can't believe you even have the gall to say that when you're standing there with your arm all bloody from the wound that the 'filthy creature' blessed you with only five minutes ago."

Kyosuke scowled at the reminder and automatically pressed his hand to his injured arm, as if trying to hide it from view.

Kagome's aura crackled around her and Inuyasha finally came to, shaking his head and blinking his vision back into focus. His gaze settled on the seething Kagome and his honey orbs widened when he got a good look at her. What the…? "Kagome?"

Either she didn't hear it or chose to ignore it as Kagome continued to glare at the threat separating her hanyou from her. Not a very wise decision at the moment on Kyosuke's part.

The dancer's form began to tremble slightly and she bowed her head, her raven bangs shielding her eyes from view. "I…I love Inuyasha. I love him with all that I am, and if you're going to k-kill him…" She raised her head again and Inuyasha gasped at the stark sincerity her features were set in. "…Then you have to kill me too." Kagome stated and a fleeting look of surprise crossed Kyosuke's pale countenance.

"Kagome, no!" Inuyasha yelled, shooting to his feet and brandishing his claws.

Kagome shook her head. "If…if Inuyasha were to ever leave this earth, then my existence would have no purpose anymore. Without Inuyasha alive and here with me…my life is meaningless. I just can't live without him. I love him with all my heart and soul and if you were to take me away from me…then a part of me dies as well." She suddenly smiled and the action softened her face. "Sure, he can be rash and…reckless at times, but…that's one of the many things that I love about him. He's not afraid to speak his mind about things that people would rather keep secret, and he's not afraid to…to show that he loves me." She finished in a whisper then glanced over her at him and said hanyou gazed back with a look of shock plastered on his face, mouth hanging open and golden orbs wide.

"Kagome…"

Casting him a small, but loving smile, Kagome turned back to the demon before them, a look of determination crossing her features. Lifting her chin in defiance, the dancer stood up straight and fisted her hands at her sides, refusing to back down at the ice demon's glare of death.

"Imprudent human wench. Do you realize what you've just said? Not only am I going to kill your precious little hanyou, but I now have a reason to kill you as well! At first I wasn't going to kill you but merely keep you as a play thing, something to keep me entertained when I grew bored." The demon exclaimed, twisting his mouth into a menacing snarl.

"I'd rather die than be your toy." Kagome replied back defiantly, her resolve unwavering.

"Then die!" Kyosuke bellowed then dove toward her without preamble, claws brandished in front of him but he never made it to her when Inuyasha slammed into him from the side, knocking them to the ground where they then proceeded to punch and snarl at one another, fresh blood rapidly coating the frosty ground.

Kagome watched in horror as they fought and barely managed to jump to the side and onto the ground before Kyosuke was thrown against the wall where she had been standing previously, a trail of blood decorating the wall where he slid down to the floor. He growled and jumped back up and threw himself at Inuyasha, biting and clawing and shredding anything he could get his claws on.

I gotta do something! Kagome thought desperately from her spot on the ground, not knowing for the life of her whether all the blood was originating from either the ice demon or her boyfriend. She desperately hoped it wasn't the latter. Judging from all of the dry blood crusting his clothes and skin, Kagome could safely surmise that he'd lost enough blood as it is before all of this had started.

Think girl, think. Improvise. Is there anything around here that I can use to distract him somehow? Biting her lip, Kagome scanned around the frosty room, trying to ignore the brawl that was taking place just a few feet away from her. After what seemed like a short eternity, her eyes settled on an unblemished item on the other side of the room and her heart skipped a beat. That's it!

Stumbling to her feet hastily, Kagome glanced at the two demons briefly before dashing to the other side of the room, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible, thought it wouldn't have mattered anyway since the other two occupants of the room were too preoccupied with spilling the other's life blood everywhere.

Grasping the object in her hand, Kagome ignored the icy sting and turned toward the two fighting demons and thought about how she should go on about doing this.

Meanwhile, said demons were still going at it, clawing and biting and ripping and tearing at one another, each individual refusing to give up until the other one either died or cried uncle. Obviously that wasn't going to happen any time soon, much to both of their distastes.

Growling, Inuyasha slashed his claws over his chest and successfully tearing the clothing but missing flesh just barely. Getting frustrated, he ducked under the arm that was aiming for his head and rammed his shoulder into Kyosuke's gut, efficiently knocking the wind out of the ice demon and knocking him down to the ground in an ungraceful heap. The half-demon towered over him, chest heaving from exertion and blood covering him from head to toe. He flexed his hands, knuckles cracking and a smirk curled his lips as the ice demon glared up at him while trying to stand on shaky knees.

"Well? I don't have all day, you know. Stand up already so I can end your pathetic life." Inuyasha spat, baring his fangs and ears pinning back. A deep growl rumbled in his chest and his muscles bunched up, preparing to pounce.

Standing straight, Kyosuke spat out blood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing the dark liquid over his already dirtied face. "Have at me, hanyou. I have yet to witness your true strength so quit holding back." A smug smirk curled his bloody lips.

With an enraged howl, Inuyasha lunged for him but Kyosuke was ready and ducked in time to shove a shoulder against his stomach and heave him backward and over his head, grabbing his legs as he toppled over then abruptly twisting him so he could get a handful of his shirt, thrusting him against the red wall behind him and pinning him there with his forearm braced on his chest.

Inuyasha seemed surprise at the sudden turn of the tables but started struggling to be released. This struggle didn't last long, though when he felt something sharp poke into his stomach and he gasped, looking down to see a rather large and sharp looking icicle ready to plunge into his gut if he made a wrong move.

Pulling back his lips in a feral snarl, Inuyasha growled low in his throat and raised his head to glare heatedly at the demon before him, flinching when the coldness of the icicle made contact with his bare flesh.

Kyosuke looked rather pleased with himself and he grinned, flexing the hand that held the sharp object to the hanyou's abdomen. "Well now, isn't this an interesting turn of the tables?" he asked, unknowingly echoing Inuyasha's earlier thoughts. "One wrong move, half-breed, and I'll spill out your organs and use your intestines to strangle you. Quite creative if I do say so myself."

"You bastard," Inuyasha growled, the loathing he felt for the demon deeper than any ocean and darker than any black hole.

"Yes, you've said so several times now," the ice demon remarked with a nod, seemingly relaxed now that he had the upper hand. He smiled suddenly, twisting the sharp icicle in his hand and causing it to drive deeper into his flesh, but not too deep as to pierce the flesh. Yet. "Now, any last words, hanyou? Perhaps a few endearments to you beloved human wench?" he suggested, looking like the cat that ate the canary.

Kagome… As if suddenly remembering that his girlfriend was indeed still near them, Inuyasha frantically looked around and he found her only but a few feet away from them, her eyes wide and pleading as she locked gazes with them. He frowned when she made a cutting motion across her neck, signaling for him to keep quite about her presence. When he still continued to look confused, she held up the object in her hand and lifted an eyebrow as if that explained everything.

And in a way it did. Realization dawning on him, Inuyasha's mouth made an "o" but he quickly drew his lips in a thin line before he could see it and averted his gaze back to the pale face inches from his own. Thankfully, the son of a bitch was too preoccupied with looking bored as he absently twisted the icicle in his gut left and right but being careful to not do it too firmly.

"Well, half-breed? This is the last chance I'm giving you so think wisely before you say anything. You have ten seconds."

Inuyasha continued to just stare at his face, being careful to keep his expression devoid of all emotion. Be careful, Kagome…

"Eight…seven…"

Behind him, Kagome sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, making sure she wasn't being too loud so she wouldn't be detected. Tightening her hold on the item in her hand, she placed the tip of it against the palm of her other hand, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

"…Five…four…"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Inuyasha took a deep breath…and grinned.

"Three…two…" Why is he grinning like that?

"Hey, Kyosuke," Inuyasha blurted.

Kyosuke frowned. "What?"

The hanyou's grin grew wider. "Too bad you're an ice demon because you're gonna positively melt where you're goin'."

Aforementioned ice demon looked puzzled. "What the hell are you talking about, hanyou?"

The silver haired half-demon didn't say anything, but instead looked over his shoulder at something else behind him. See you in hell, bastard.

Suddenly becoming wary, Kyosuke released Inuyasha and spun around just in time to see Kagome slice her palm with a sharp icicle in her hand and thrust the stick of ice coated thick with her human blood deep into his chest, precisely over the area in which his heart resided.

Kyosuke threw his head back and screamed, has hands clawing at his chest and his fingers refusing to get anywhere near the icicle protruding from his chest. "You…wretch!" he wailed, falling to his knees and Kagome skirted around him to throw herself against Inuyasha, who in turn wrapped his arms around her and crushed her to him.

The ice demon continued to scream in agonized pain as the flesh on his chest began to disintegrate, starting from the skin around the bloody icicle and spreading over his chest and up his neck to his face, wrapping around his head to crawl down his back and rip away the flesh on his arms and legs. His clothing had long ago dissipated along with the flesh as it was agonizingly ate away until there was nothing left expect for a small puddle of red liquid where the ice demon Kyosuke Rivera had knelt.

Kagome and Inuyasha stared at the puddle of blood in shock, neither saying a word as the liquid slowly seeped into the ground as the room around them began to melt away, the melted frost from the ceiling dripping onto them and waking them from the stunned stupor.

The first to regain her bearings, Kagome swallowed and looked up at her boyfriend, her form trembling as she swathed her arms around his neck. "…Inuyasha?" she whispered, her voice rough.

Inuyasha averted his gaze to the woman in his arms, her large doe eyes swimming with love and relief. Releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Inuyasha closed his eyes and tightened his arms around her, burying his face in her hair and inhaling shakily.

"Kagome…" he whispered, a shudder coursing through his body as she pressed her small frame close to the shelter of his body, seeking the warmth and strength she knew he provided.

Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, the drowsiness coming back and clouding her brain once more. She sagged in his arms and she was grateful when he bent down and swept her off her feet, cradling her tired body to his hard and bloody chest gently.

"C'mon. We need to get out of here and get you someplace warm before you get any sicker than you already are." That said, the popstar hugged his girlfriend close to his chest and strode across the melting room to the other side where he knew the exit to this wintry hell was located.

They didn't look back after they passed the threshold.

Pretty damn creative way to die, am I right? Haha.

So, aside from the epilogue, this is the last chapter of Dangerous Dancing. Pretty sad, right? Oh well. It's not over yet. I still have the lemon to do, which will be in the next chapter. I've decided to not edit out the lemon on FFnet, but instead, I'm asking for those of you who do not want to read the lemon, to please send me your email address and in turn I'll send you the edited version of the lemon chapter. Sound fair? I'll remind you again in the beginning of the next chapter, so don't worry about forgetting.

I hope you enjoyed this action-pact chapter to the fullest, even though action is still not my cup of tea. I'd much rather prefer romance any day, but I'll get my taste of that come next chapter. Oh, will I ever. Lol. ;)

I'll probably be starting the epilogue here pretty soon before I start the next chapter for Wanted, so hopefully it'll be up some time in the near future.

Poll: I have three ideas for a brand spankin' new story in mind: one that's based on romance and humor, the other based and pure humor with a tad bit of fluff on the side, and the third is if I should just stick with my other new story, Switch and not create a new one. It's up to you guys depending on what you would like to see, so tell me in a review and I'll post the results in the epilogue. Choose carefully.

Summaries for said plots in a nutshell -
Romance\humor: Kagome is a second grade teacher, Inuyasha has a young daughter, they meet up at the park, and Kagome ends up home schooling Yasha's daughter.
Humor with a bit o' fluff: Inuyasha turns into a dog, Kagome turns into a cat. Need I say more?
Switch: Inuyasha and Miroku "swap" personalities and Yasha's target is Kagome while Miroku's is obviously Sango.

So, yeah…any more questions or concerns, feel free to message me and I'll be sure to respond back to my best ability. Cheers, everyone!

Until Next Time,
Keiko