A/N: Writers block is a bitch. I'm back!... for now =D

Chapter 9: a lover's pain

The night was cold without Kuronue to keep her warm. Kagome must've woken up six times before the sun rose above the mountain pass. She kept dreaming of the man she loved, only to wake up heartbroken. Youko came in the cave around three in the morning and sat beside her to offer her some comfort. Finally, she gave up on sleeping.

"We should go back." She said, gathering her things and Kirara.

"It's too dangerous." Youko replied. "We can send Yomi to search for Kuronue and see if the snake is still alive. This is his specialty."

"I am to trust my mate's life to someone I was able to subdue in one hit?" Kagome scoffed.

"He is much more capable than you realize." Youko said on his way out to door to gather Yomi and his men for their mission.

Kagome loaded her things into her backpack and climbed onto Kirara's back. "Let's go find Inuyasha and the others. They'll help me find him."

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"I told you going back was an awful idea Kagome." Inuyasha sighed apologetically when Kagome arrived and told her friends what happened. "I hate to say it, but he's most likely already dead. What if we show up and you find him mangled. I don't want to do that to you."

Kagome shook her head with fresh tears falling from her eyes. "Even if we do find him dead already, he deserves to be brought back to his homeland and buried near his family. I can at least give him that!"

"Kagome we'll help you find him too." Sango added as she put her weapon over her shoulder.

"yes, Not one pebble shall be left unturned!" Miroku said as he hugged his friend.

Kagome thanked her friends before they set off on the path to the demon lord's castle ruins.

The dust hadn't fully settled by the time they reached the ruins. The castle still half stood from where the snake burst through the roof. Bits of rubble still crumbled from the sides of the wreckage, landing hard in the dirt below and sending new clouds or it into the air. Kagome had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach and a flash back of the awful demon that tried to take advantage of her. Fighting back tears, she continued forward with her friends close behind her.

"The scent is faint, but I can smell Kuronue here Kagome." Inuyasha said as they approached the ruins. "He was here recently, but unfortunately I can't tell if he was alive or dead."

"What is this sick bastard doing to him?!" Kagome sobbed. "He couldn't have left his remains at least?"

Sango ran up to Kagome and put her arm around her to comfort her. "This means there's some hope Kagome, Kuronue could still be alive and we will find him."

Kagome nodded "That's true. Inuyasha please see if the scent continues on passed the ruins."

They made their way around the wreckage and into the rice field behind it where Inuyasha confirmed the scent was still there. They followed him into the distant hills where they found the scent stopped completely.

"This is it Kagome. It stops here." Inuyasha said regrettably before Kagome fell to the ground sobbing. "We will enlist the help of the wolves again and find Youko. One of them will find at least some clues as to where he could be." Miroku mused.

"Until then, lets return to Kaede's there we can…" Sango was interrupted by Kagome.

"No! you turn back if you want to. I'm going on ahead." She yelled, grabbed her arrows and continuing on into the woods surrounding the hills ahead of them.

"Kagome wait!" Inuyasha yelled before following her.

The forest was so thick that they could barely see the sun coming through the trees. There was an ominous feel to the air all around them, enough to make the hair on your arms stand on end. Green miasma swirled around the forest floor and enveloped their feet as they walked through the makeshift path.

"Kagome!" They heard from the distance.

"Who's there?" She yelled back, nocking an arrow as Inuyasha drew his sword.

"Relax, It's us." Youko said as he and Yomi appeared through the mist.

They lowered their weapons at the sight of Kagome's ally. "Where's Kuronue?" Kagome asked.

"We haven't found him yet either." Yomi replied.

"We have reason to believe that the demon lord left him alive to toy with us." Youko grimaced.

"At least we have another couple sets of eyes and another strong nose to help us now." Inuyasha said, putting his sword back into its sheath. "Let's get out of here and find a place to set up camp. We're no use to the guy if we get killed by whatever is in this forest."

Youko scoffed at him but agreed as they trekked through the rest of the forest to the bottom of the vast hills before them.

After camp was made Yomi pulled a map from his satchel to share with Inuyasha and Kagome.

"This is a map of the surrounding areas around the castle ruins. These X marks are where we've already looked for the bastards and the circles are areas; we've picked up clues or Kuronue's scent. If my hunch is correct, which it usually is, he's going to be in an encampment either in these hills, or just outside of the city behind them. Alive or dead, we will get him back."

For the first time since she was abducted, Kagome appreciated having Yomi around.

"I told you this was his specialty." Youko said, patting Yomi on the back.

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After what seemed like an eternity, they had stumbled upon a small encampment near the gates of the city. There were cages of screaming demons and guards laughing and throwing rocks at them as if they were rabid animals. There were dozens of tents set up around a large fire and a small anvil. Kagome nocked an arrow and aimed for the cruel men, letting it fly and hit the ground between them with a crackle of reiki.

"Hey wench watch where you're aiming that thing, or I'll have your head." One of the guards spat.

"Do you serve that snake demon lord from the castle beyond these hills?" Kagome demanded.

"What's it to a bitch like you?" The other guard laughed as he drew his sword.

"I think my friend asked you a question." Youko hissed, snapping his whip toward the first guard and taking his hand clean off.

"Now I'm angry!" The second guard yelled as he lunged for them.

Inuyasha drew his blade and effortlessly cut him in half. "These lower-class demons are useless. I'll ask you again fool, who's your boss and where can we find him? Better yet, we're also looking for a friend of ours. Have you seen a bat demon around here? Tall, long black ponytail, big wings. couldn't miss him."

"Aye." The guard replied and he tried to wrap the stump that was his hand. "The boss sold him to the leader of this city as a slave. He's known for his love of pretty demons. He wasn't in good shape though, wouldn't be surprised if he died by the time he got to the palace. Now fuck off, I need to deal with this."

Kagome aimed another sacred arrow carefully before letting it fly right through the demon guard's head. He fell dead where he stood. "There will be no mercy for any of you." She said coldly before continuing to the city gates and leaving the camp behind.