A/N: I just had to do some character development in this chapter. Sorry, couldn't help it. ^_^''' Also had to ponder Inuyasha with Kikyou vs. Inuyasha with Kagome for a while. I know it's been done to death and beyond, but I just had to clear that up. Perhaps it gives the chapter some clarity. Anyway, I'm at a absolutely frantic loss. I have _NO_ idea as to what the ending will be. .............heh. I don't plan when I write, I just... write. Eechh.
Ah, this is where the PG-13 comes from. Slight cussing from Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. Apologize in advance if this offends you.
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Emmi-chan~ *grins* About the frequent updates, I try to write when the inspiration strikes, or else it'll drain out and I'm stuck grinding out a dry, torturous chapter that no one'll enjoy. Control peoples' lives? Hm.. are there any Inuyasha look alikes? ~_^

SRSilverhawk~ I not quite sure that 'nice' will be the word to describe Sesshy while he's trying to do away with Inuyasha, but it paints a lovely picture. ^_^

Jezunya~Hilarious review... Sesshomaru is currently whining to me about how hard newspapers are nowadays and Inuyasha is saying that only Kagome is allowed to call him Inu-chan.. like anyone listens to him. ^_^ Isn't it sweet though? I love your reviews.. don't stop 'em!

Naru~I guess this chapter is sort of a turning point. It becomes less of a SesshomaruxKagome one and leans more towards InuyashaxKagome. Hope you'll enjoy this anyway! ^_^

vernal equinox~Have I ever mentioned what a cool username you have? Anyway, some guys are better (and cuter) off evil, ne? Thanks!

Voldersnort~ Thank you for your encouragement! I'm am totally enjoying my vacation, thanks to all you guys' reviews, and I'm glad you like this chapter. There will probably be a lot less SessxKagome once Inuyasha shows up, but there's still the big confrontation scene..

Incurable Romantic~ Thanks very much for the constructive criticism, it really helped me decide on how to improve on the story. I hope this chapter is a little more to your liking, and I have to admit that I'm at a loss for Kagome's confusion. Perhaps I got a better idea of Inuyasha's worry? If this chapter is still .. wrong, please tell me how to improve? Thanks!
P.S. What did you mean by it being low? ^_^;;;

Ashlee~ Here comes Inuyasha to the rescue! ^_^

nisse~ I hope I can come up with a suitable climax to the suspense. ... Don't want to disappoint people.. ;_;

Goddes of Death~ *giggles* Heh.. didn't know I left it off at a cliff hanger. As for who Kagome will choose... dumdumdumdumdumdumdum dumdumdumdumDUMdumdumdumdumdum (Jeopardy theme song) *sniff* I want a boyfriend with doggie ears too.. *pauses* Actually, I'd settle for any hot looking anime guy! Have you noticed that the "good" guys are practically always the perfect specimen of the PERFECT boyfriend? *sigh*

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Disclaimer: I forgot to put one in my last chapter.. oops. Anyway, Inuyasha and gang does not belong to me. ;_; However, Inuyasha is currently relieved that I've stopped chasing him in little circles in order to chase Legolas, who is an extremely bishounen elf-archer from Lord of the Rings. Also Josh Hartnett. They're both going to be in "Black Hawk Down" in January. *faints from happiness*

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~~CHAPTER 6~~
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Inuyasha squinted at the gray stone castle in the distance. It was misty and hard to see in the rain. He sighed, impatient. After much complaints and arguments, the group had elected to stay in their impromptu campsite for the rest of the night. Inuyasha switched his gaze to the moon. It would be full in just a week or so, and he knew, just _knew_, that they had to reach Kagome by then. He didn't even want to think of the consequences if they didn't..
Inuyasha shifted in his tree. The attitudes of the rest of the group disturbed him greatly. Assured that they were near their destination, Miroku, Sango and Shippo were almost giddy with ecstasy. Inuyasha snorted. They were excited at the prospect of seeing Kagome again, as if they didn't have to fight Sesshomaru and his scores of minions once they got there. Inuyasha hated his brother; there was no reason to deny it. Always had, and no doubt always will. But not even his loathing could blind him to Sesshomaru's power. Sure, Inuyash could beat him, but he truly had to work at it. For other demons, especially minor ones who were drunk off the power of a shard of the Jewel, Inuyasha barely had to break into a sweat. The only close calls occured because of the ones he had to protect. Like Kagome. Especially Kagome.
Inuyasha sighed again, but this one was quiet and full of despair. He missed her. Very much. And that feeling of utter loneliness was magnified because there was no one he could go to to discuss it. Inuyasha was not a talkative person at the best of times, and during the worst of times the most a person could hope to get out of him was brief eye contact. But even someone like him needed to let out his problems _somehow_. And unfortunately for Inuyasha, there was not one person alive who knew of his feelings for Kagome. Well, perhaps with the exception of Kaede-sama. No matter how much Inuyasha would like to dispute it, no matter how much he hated even the thought of it, Inuyasha had a nagging feeling that Kaede knew exactly what he felt for Kagome, and she also knew that it wasn't the same as what he felt for Kikyou, which, like many, including Kagome herself, thought it was. Kikyou.. Kikyou had been like a distant princess, utterly beautiful and unattainable. Kagome, on the other hand, was full of emotion and humor, things that made her so _alive_. Sometimes she was so full of light and happiness that Inuyasha had to get away from her for a while. Even when she was angry.. she was still full of vivacity. Not once did she ever completely shut him out of her life. What he wouldn't give to be with her now. Even for just one moment.


Sesshomaru sat absolutely still on a balcony chair right outside his room. He had spent the better part of the evening planning the demise of Inuyasha and his pathetic little group of humans. And wasn't there another demon among them, also? It was definitely not a powerful one.. Sesshomaru frowned in thought. He would have to do some more research before he could think of an effective way to stage the group-death. He wouldn't want Kagome suspecting anything.

"Kagome?" Kagome looked up from an ancient book she was studying and spotted Sesshomaru at the door. "Yes, Sesshomaru-sama?"
"I know this must be difficult for you, Kagome. But the truth is, I didn't know my brother and his companions very well. Perhaps you could help me? I was gathering information to make a statue of sorts, somewhat like a tribute to them. I was hoping you could give me some comments on them."
Kagome felt tears well up for the hundredth time that day, but she managed to blink them back. "So," she whispered. "So it's definite that the others are lost too?" Sesshomaru nodded grimly. "Kagome," he said gently. "I'm sorry to say this, but there is no way they could have survived for so long in this land. It's riddled with demons ranging from the weakest to the most deadly. We still haven't heard from them, so that must mean that they have also come to a unfortunate death. I'm very sorry."
Kagome buried her face in her hands. There was nothing she could do for her friends now but make sure they would be properly honored in this world. "I'll tell you everything I remember about them." she promised. Sesshomaru smiled down at her. "That would help me immensely." he said smoothly.

Inuyasha blinked at the rising sun. Somehow he'd managed to get some sleep last night, but he could barely wait for the others to get ready to leave. They were late as it was. Suddenly, in the distance, a large blanket of black covered a generous portion of the sky.
"What the hell?!"
Shippo scrambled up to Miroku's shoulder. "What's that?"
Inuyasha cursed and Sango turned toward him. "Inuyasha? What is it?"
The dog demon was much too busy describing, vividly, the awful things that he would like to put Sesshomaru through to answer the question. Shippo's eyes grew wider and wider at each vulgar word until Miroku smacked Inuyasha on the shoulder. "Stop cussing and tell us! NOW."
"Okay, okay." Inuyasha grumbled. "Well, houshi, you'd better say your prayers or whatever now. 'Cause this is one fight we might not make it through."

Sesshomaru favored Ginta with a sweet smile. Ginta was a low ranking demon, much too scared of Sesshomaru's wrath to do anything but obey questionlessly. She was also infatuated with the powerful demon, and that made her so much easier to control. "So, give me all the details, Ginta. Do not leave one thing out."
Ginta gulped. As much as she was obsessed with getting Sesshomaru's every approval, as much as she thought he was the vision of perfection, she had experienced, first hand, what Sesshomaru was capable of when he was disgusted. And he rarely showed any emotion _but_ disgust to his many servants. And so Ginta had to tread carefully. She had managed to avoid mishap so far by staying quiet and meek. The flawless picture of obedience. "Well," she began. "I let out the vulture demons like you asked me too. And Synt gave the birds the coordinates for the target. They are a mile or so from this castle, my Lord. The vultures should be done with them by noon time. There will be no evidence left, as I've instructed the demons to devour every piece of flesh they could find."
Sesshomaru smiled absently. "Very well." He caught sight of Ginta bowing at the base of his chair. "You may leave." he dismissed. "And I'd advise you to make very sure that the vultures did their job. If I find even a hint of something wrong, you will be very sorry." He flashed her that beautiful smile again, and Ginta left, trembling helplessly and cursing her heartless master.

Shippo was on the verge of tears as the large flock of darkness neared them. "Inuyasha!" he wailed. "What do we do? Why are you standing there?" Inuyasha unsheathed his trusty sword. "Shippo," he said wearily. "These are f**king vulture-demons, personally trained by Sesshomaru. As long as they've spotted their target, there is no way to escape. The only way to avoid being killed is to kill them. So you can hide if you want to, but hurry up before they realize you're gone." Shippo looked at Inuyasha, who had always treated him rather like a bothersome little brother, who had bullied him to no end, and he realized just how brave the dog demon was. He was facing a flock of at least 20 vulture-demons, each who were at least the size of him. And he was just _standing_ there, in battle stance, waiting for them to get close enough so that he could strike. Then Shippo looked over his shoulder and Miroku and Sango, who were unwittingy clutching each others' hands. They were just as brave as Inuyasha. A couple of humans were barely an obstacle for demons like the approaching vultures, yet they were willing to fight to get to their friend. Shippo gulped. "I'm not going anywhere," he declared. "I'm fighting too!"

Kagome sat in a field of flowers, deep in thought. Rin had caught a cold and was spending the day recuperating in her room, amused by Sesshomaru's numerous surprises. There was not a cloud in the sky, and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. Nevertheless, Kagome felt soft tears dripping down her face. Hugging her knees, she made no move to wipe them from her face. To put it bluntly, Kagome was truly and completely confused. Her head was swimming with the information her visions had given her, and she barely had time to process them all. But there was a deep, deep ache inside of her that she couldn't make go away. She rocked back and forth, willing the tears to stop, the pain to go away, and for a flash of a moment she wished, with all her heart, that she could be with Inuyasha, where ever he was. And even after a minute or so, when she'd had time to think it all through, she still wished she was with him. Kagome closed her eyes, and saw the familiar set of golden eyes in her mind. And as always when she saw them, the eyes were filled with a immense, heart-rending sadness. And at that moment, Kagome would give anything to be with Inuyasha. Even for just one moment.

Three things happened just as the flock was about to descend and, ultimately, attack.
First, Miroku grabbed Sango around the waist and kissed her. Hard. Sango looked back breathlessly, and Miroku said quickly and quietly, "I'm not being a hentai again. I just wanted to do this before.. it's too late." Sango thought about slapping him, but the thought was quickly replaced by an urge to kiss him. She cupped his face in her hands and whispered, "Please, be careful. If you don't die, I might let you kiss me again. After it's all over." Miroku flashed her a smile and squeezed her wrists. "Promise?"
Second, Shippo felt, suddenly, an immense approval and satisfaction from somewhere distant. He was being brave, just like his father had been. And he would fight with his friends until they won, or he couldn't fight anymore. He would become a true kitsune and finally uphold his parents' honor.
Third, Inuyasha bowed his head slightly and whispered. "Kagome, please keep yourself safe until we can get there. And I'll always love you, no matter what." And somehow, somehow, he felt that she heard him and that her heart was with him.
And thus, all four minds were at peace as they were about the battle that would determine the course of their destinies.

Kagome had a blinding headache. She was seeing flashes of _something_, but she couldn't quite make it out. There were large, grotesque birds swooping down, and so much pain and suffering. And blood.. so much of it. Like a sea of redness, surrounding and drowning her, smothering her. But it wasn't enough to drown out the shrieks, the cries and the horrible, screeching laughter. The blasts of vivid battle pictures hit her over and over, until she could only stagger toward the castle. 'Sesshomaru-sama will help me, Sesshomaru-sama will help me.' she chanted over and over in her mind, until her wavering legs brought her to the main hall. Using the last of her strength to propel herself onto the plush carpet, Kagome collapsed on the floor, panting and crying. And that was when she started screaming.
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Ending Notes: REVIEW! PLEASE! I broke 50 reviews! *starry eyes* Wow... I'm very very grateful to you guys for you reviewing and reading ... I'm so happy. ^_^ Please please please continue to review, it makes me write faster. How many times have I said that? Well, doesn't matter. Go ahead and REVIEW!! By the way, I couldn't help but stick that bit of SangoxMiroku in there. Hope it's not too abrupt. ^_^
December 3oth, 2001
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