Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

Chapter 10

As soon as Inuyasha left, Kagome cleaned herself up, grabbed the translator, had the sozo box make her a duplicate key for his room in case she needed to get back in, and snuck out of his room. If she was destined to die, then she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

Not that she believed the bullshit he was dishing out.

Sure, she had dealt with pain in her life before...but not enough to create this pearl of despair in her heart.

She didn't know how stupid he thought she was, but it was complete and utter bullshit and she didn't believe a word of it. She also didn't know what he hoped to gain by lying to her like that.

Get into her pants, perhaps?

Please.

Never gonna happen.

Forget changing her inner dialogue about him - if he was going to pull this shit, she didn't care if he was presenting himself as this knight in shining armor figure. It was all crap!

However...she wasn't going to clear her head if she kept dwelling on this.

She shook her head and began walking down the corridor in search of something to help her escape the ship.

It reminded her of a very modern hotel hallway - gray walls with numerous doors that had a glowing light around it. There were characters on the front of each door which she couldn't read, but she assumed that they were identifiers of some sort. Perhaps numbers? Or names? It was hard to say.

At the end of the long hallway, she found what appeared to be an elevator and pushed a button that seemed to indicate "down". Once she got on, she pushed another random button as the doors slowly closed. She felt the small box jerk down, and she began her descent. This continued until it came to a stop, and she exited the box after the doors had opened again.

She must have found a mess hall of sorts. It was teaming with people sitting down at tables with trays of food, and the walls were covered with sozo boxes. Everyone wore similarly styled clothing to Inuyasha's, but no one else wore red.

Interesting.

She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps that was because he was "royal" - he seemed to be more important than most, at least.

She also noticed that no one else had anything like his silver hair and golden eyes...and he was certainly the only person with the ears. Everyone else had facial markings, too - be it stripes or moons or oddly placed triangles on their cheeks. They either had a weird way of expressing themselves through makeup, or they were actually a part of their bodies.

A small group of people walked by her, completely oblivious to her presence. She proceeded to followed them, trying to blend in as they made their way across the mess hall and out the door on the other side and into another hallway. She had almost cleared the door when a claw-tipped hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

Shit.

Inuyasha was about to ream her for leaving.

"Well...I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name?" a cool voice greeted.

Definitely not Inuyasha.

She turned around and greeted the man with a warm smile. He was attractive. Admittedly, not as attractive as Inuyasha was...but he was still enjoyable to look at. Besides, what did that matter? And why was comparing him to Inuyasha her first instinct?

He had short, brown hair and green eyes, and he wore a matching green inverted triangle that was plastered in the middle of his forehead. She couldn't help but passively wonder what the markings meant.

"Who's asking?" she purred, and he smirked.

"Now...that doesn't feel very fair. I asked you first."

"Yes...but my mother raised me to not talk to strangers," she replied, and his smile widened.

"Well...maybe we can fix that."

"Yes. I think we can."

The man, she soon learned, was Haruto. He was the fourth son of Hinata, and he was an absolute delight. Yes...he was distracting her from her current plan to find a pod, but she also thought that if she could gain his trust, then maybe he would take her to one willingly - maybe to go on a little space cruise. When he took her to the pod, she'd just have to knock him out and she would be on her way.

It was a hazy plan, but it was all she had to work with.

Besides...he was an absolute delight. He brought her to the arboretum and explained that it was used not just for research, but for recreation as well. It's hard to spend months on end in space - sometimes even years - and some people needed the arboretum to help mentally reset themselves.

He, on the other hand, simply thought that it was a good place to become better acquainted with "a lovely woman".

As his current lovely woman, she wasn't really all that interested in getting acquainted. She was only half listening to him while still desperately trying to plot her escape and take her mind off of Inuyasha. However, it was harder to forget him than she would have liked...even with Haruto to distract her.

Sure, she was enjoying herself...the man was smooth and charming and funny and attractive…

Yet, she still found herself thinking about Inuyasha.

What game was he trying to play with her? She just couldn't figure it out...but he had to be playing a game with her. He just had to be.

It didn't matter though, did it? Not if she wasn't planning on sticking around.

Kagome watched as Haruto picked a flower and stuck it in her hair behind her ear.

"Beautiful," he smiled warmly.

"It is," she agreed, and he shook his head with a laugh.

"I wasn't talking about that flower," he teased, making her blush. "Tell me," he whispered, taking her hand and pulling her closer, "why is it I've never seen such a lovely flower before?"

"I don't know - you make it sound like you come here quite a bit," she smirked, pulling away from him and trying to ignore the voice inside telling her that she really shouldn't be here with him. What would Inuyasha say? What would he think, if he knew? Why did she feel like she was betraying him?

She pushed those thoughts aside and continued to lead Haruto down the path and through a door into another biosphere. This newest one was very reminiscent of a rainforest, whereas the last one reminded her of a beautiful garden.

She needed to get those thoughts out of her head. She needed Haruto to show her where the pods were. Inuyasha wasn't a part of this equation.

"Perhaps...but never with someone as lovely as you. Where have you been staying?" he pressed, and she laughed.

"Are you trying to get invited back to my place already?" she teased, and he gave her a very hungry look as they found the waterfall.

"I don't need to be invited back," he replied, catching up to her. "The foliage is quite thick here…"

"Mmm...but I prefer to be wooed before running off into the trees."

"Then woo you, I shall. Come and have dinner with me tonight?" he asked hopefully, and she bit her lip nervously.

Inuyasha wouldn't like that...but why did she care?

Besides, this worked with her plan.

"Tonight," she agreed, and Haruto broke out into a brilliant smile.

Suddenly, a loud beep sounded throughout the arboretum and caused her to jump.

"Are you alright?" he laughed, placing a hand on her lower back.

"Yeah...what was that?"

"The top of the hour," he replied with a tilt of his head.

"I need to go," she sighed. "Care to walk me back to my quarters?"

"Happily."

"Thank you for the tour of the arboretum," she smiled.

"You're most welcome," he murmured, lifting her hand to his lips. "I'll come by at 6?"

"I look forward to it," she confirmed, pushing her hair behind her ear as she bid him farewell. She then tried the key she had made to open the door.

The light around the door flashed red and made an error-like beep.

Hmm...not a good sign.

She tried again and received the same result.

Shit.

She tried one more time and was denied again before the door opened...and a very sweaty, very angry Inuyasha was standing on the other side.

"Welcome back," he smiled tightly, his arms crossed over his chest.

"She came back?" a voice from inside called, and Inuyasha nodded his head.

"Yeah," he replied, regarding her with a hard eye before stepping out of the doorway.

"See? I told you not to worry…" the man chided, and Inuyasha shot him a warning look as Kagome entered.

She recognized that man - he was the same one who had stopped by the day before.

"Where did you go?" Inuyasha asked, his voice strained with the effort of trying not to yell at her.

"Not sure," she shrugged. "Out? Around? I decided that if I'm going to die anyway, I'm going to roll the dice and live a little."

A low, rumbling growl emitted from Inuyasha at that comment. His friend stood up from the table and came to stand beside him. He placed a hand onto his shoulder and squeezed, trying to get him to calm down.

"She's fine," he soothed. "Isn't that what's important?"

Inuyasha only glared at him and clenched his fists at his sides.

"This time," he hissed. "Next time, she might not be! Damnit, Kagome...I told you to stay here!" he snarled, rounding on her.

"I don't want to stay here! I don't want to be imprisoned for the last few months of my life!"

"You aren't being imprisoned! I'm keeping you safe!"

"Of course you see it that way...you're the one wanting to keep me locked up in here!"

"To keep you safe!"

"From what?"

"Inuyasha…" the man beside him cautioned, squeezing his shoulder again. "Why don't you listen to what she's trying to tell you instead of berating her. You might discover that you actually have some common ground."

Kagome watched him clench and unclench his hands again a few times as he took a deep breath. His lips set into a thin line, and he rolled his shoulders back as he seemed to mull over his friend's words.

"Why did you leave?" he finally asked. His tone was softer than it had been, but she could still hear the restraint in his voice.

"I didn't want to stay here," she sighed, explaining it to him again.

"Yes, but why? Are you just curious about the ship? I can show you around—"

"—I don't want to spend all of my time with just you," she replied, and his eyes widened in pain before he closed them and took a deep breath.

"Alright - so you want some space from me, and you don't want to stay in here...is that it?"

"I'd like that, yeah."

"Then Koga can show you around—"

"—Why can't I go on my own?"

"We're trying to find a compromise, remember?" he asked stiffly. "I want to keep you safe. You want freedom. Koga," he continued, nodding his head towards his friend, "is our compromise."

"I don't like it."

"Good - neither do I."

"It's not going to work," she insisted, shaking her head. "I met someone," she smiled softly, and she saw Inuyasha's mouth open slightly in shock.

"You...you what?" he whispered. He sounded positively crushed.

"I met someone. We're going out tonight," she proclaimed, and he closed his eyes.

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean you aren't courting this random person!" he snapped, and she took a step back.

"Excuse me? What gives you the right to tell me not to see him?!"

"Because I'm your—"

"—What he means to say," Koga interrupted, digging his claws into Inuyasha's shoulder so hard that he sucked in his breath from the pain, "is that he would perhaps feel more comfortable if he knew who you were seeing."

"Why does he need to feel comfortable about this at all?" she demanded.

"Because I—"

"—he simply cares about your well-being, is all." Koga interrupted again, and Inuyasha shot him a warning growl.

"I can speak for myself," he hissed.

"You aren't doing a very good job of it right now," Koga scowled. "I understand why you're angry," he whispered just loud enough for her translator to pick up, pacifying Inuyasha. "I know I would be livid, too. But try to see this from her side. She doesn't know, Inuyasha. Give her this...it will make her happy. Isn't that what you told me you wanted?"

She watched him turn and stare at her for a long, hard minute as he pursed his lips in thought. "Fine…" he finally sighed, casting his gaze downwards. "Then what would you suggest?"

Koga glanced back and forth between the pair.

"Kagome...who did you say this man was?"

"I didn't," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "His name is Haruto."

"Haruto..." Koga replied with a head tilt. "Brown hair? Green triangle on his forehead? That Haruto?"

"Yes."

"Absolutely not!" Inuyasha nearly screamed.

Koga stomped on Inuyasha's toes, making him yelp and pick up his foot as he rubbed his toes in pain.

"How wonderful...I'm sure you'll have a lovely time tonight. Just be aware that he has a reputation for being a bit...handsy."

"I'm aware," she smirked, staring into Inuyasha's eyes as his ire continued to rise.

"Well...I'm sure you know everything you need to, then," he replied with a strained smile. "For Inuyasha's peace of mind, would you consent to taking something with you? It's a small device. If things get to be too much or you find yourself in a concerning situation, all you have to do is press a button and we will know where you are. We will come and get you immediately."

"Fine," she relented. This wasn't a major ask. She could do this...and if it gave her more freedom to explore the ship and look for the pod...

"Wonderful!" Koga beamed. "Isn't that wonderful, Inuyasha?" Koga asked through gritted teeth.

"Wonderful," he growled, and Koga went to the sozo box to get her the tracker. She couldn't take her eyes off of Inuyasha...the hurt and anger and betrayal he felt was absolutely palpable. What surprised her, however, was that she found it upsetting. It was like her gut was telling her to call off her date with Haruto and soothe Inuyasha...which made absolutely no sense.

Why did she care how he felt?

Why did seeing him so hurt...well...hurt?

Whatever.

It didn't matter.

His feelings weren't important when her life was on the line. She needed to get out of here...and that meant going on this date.

Koga returned with the tracker and showed her how to use it...and even though she was paying attention to him, she found herself paying more attention to Inuyasha.

Really.

It was just a date.

Why was he reacting so strongly to this?

He needed to get over himself.

"Why don't you give it a try?" Koga asked, and Kagome sighed. She pushed the button he had showed her to press. It wasn't hard. It's not like she had to type in a code or anything.

"Good," Koga nodded. "Inuyasha, why don't we get out of Kagome's hair?"

She looked back up at him, and he nodded.

"Great idea. I think I need to go back to the arena with you," he replied, and Koga winced.

"Fine...just take it easy on me…" he grumbled.

This time, he didn't bother asking her to stay put...and she didn't know how she felt about that.

A/N:

Sorry for the delayed update – crazy day! Thanks as always to Saucy for the edits!

House keeping: If you like the work that Saucy and I do, I would encourage you to take a second to head over to Feudal Connection on Tumblr, and vote for us! It's the second post on their page (AND YOU DON'T NEED A TUMBLR TO PARTICIPATE!) Saucy and I are up for Best AU/AR, and there are SO MANY other amazing stories that you should vote for / read that are up for awards too! You can also do:

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Quick reminder about the "Ask Me Anything" I'm doing. It's tomorrow, Saturday 2/8, from 12pm EST until Sunday 12 pm EST. Feel free to submit questions about this story, and I'll answer them! YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE A TUMBLR TO PARTICIPATE!

I AM going to respond to all of your wonderful reviews, I promise, but I'm gonna have to do it tomorrow. Guest reviews will be up before the AMA tomorrow! Just poor time management this week. I'M SORRY! They do mean the world to me though, and I squeal like a toddler whenever I get an email about them, so don't think I don't appreciate it!

Next chapter goes live Tuesday 2/11! See you then (or at the AMA!)

-Lemon Lush