*********** The Game ***********

"Dam it. I can't find a trace of them." Exclaimed a very distraught Inu- Yasha as he searched around the base of the mountain that he thought he saw them go up. "It's been hours now." 'I hope she's okay.' Just then there was a crack. Very faint, but still there. Then a rustle of dried dead leaves, up the side of the mountain. Inu-Yasha dove for the source of the sound and ended up catching a mouth full of leaves.

"Ye think ye can catch us, half-breed?"

Inu-Yasha jumped up. "Who are you? And where did you take Kagome?!"

"Kagome?" Came a second voice.

"Yes, Rah, he must mean the pretty girly we captured earlier."

"She was a pretty girly. Wonder what he'll do with her, Obi?"

"Oh, I have no doubt in me mind Lord Iyo."

"Show your selves cowards!" Inu-Yasha was even more worried for Kagome now after hearing these buffoons talk.

"Oh, how rude we have been. Talking to ye though the darkness. But no longer. I be Obi." He proclaimed as he stepped out of the mist of trees right in front of Inu-Yasha.

"Me be Rah." The other added as he too revealed him self from behind the boulders to Inu-Yasha's left.

"My question still remains. Where did you take Kagome?"

"Do ye think we should tell him?" Obi asked Rah.

"May be. But he'll have to catch us first." Both laughing, jumped up into the air and started running across the tree tops. All the while screaming, "Ye'll have to catch us! Ye'll have to catch us! He-he heeeeee!"

But Inu-Yasha was not one to be toyed with today. They stole Kagome and the jewel shard. "Bastards! I don't have time for this! Where is she!"

They crossed thousands of trees, rivers, and deep ravines, but all the while steadily climbing the mountain. The air became more crisp and cold. Inu-Yasha didn't mind the cold so much, but hell, even if he did find Kagome she might as well be frozen to death. Especially since she was still wearing that short dress she called a, "uniform".

With out any warning the ground shot out from underneath him and Inu-Yasha fell strait down onto a bunch of cliffs where right in front of him stood a- a human? No he couldn't be human. Just look at those eyes, they're glowing green.

"Obi, Rah would you please come out here? It's time to play our little game." He said coolly as if he'd been waiting for him. Then out from the dark cave behind him came Obi, Rah and. and.

"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha yelled but Kagome was still unconscious. There was dried blood on the left side of her face and her shirt was ripped some in the front. "What have you done to her?" He growled.

"I just made her take a little nap. Don't worry, I think I'll wake her up now." With that he turned, picked up Kagome by the side of her arm and shook her violently. Once conscious again he threw her back to his henchmen who just nearly caught her. Then motioned for them to hold her right next to him and as they brought her forward he uncovered a small dagger. "I have a proposition for you Inu-Yasha and be grateful I give it you."

"You must be Iyo. Bastard! Now give me back Kagome and I may not kill you." Krck, when Inu-Yasha's fist as he was getting ready to jump after him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Iyo warned by waving the knife. "Just a scratch from this dagger and she won't ever wake up from the sleep it will put on her. Although you may have days time with her, but the slow. painful death. " Kagome's eyes widened as she realized what was going on. Iyo was threatening to poison her. She watched him twirl the knife in front of her. "Now here's my proposition, Inu-Yasha. In one hand you can have this little jewel (he pulled the Shikon jewel shard from his pants pocket) and I'll keep this ravishing young woman or. You can have the wench and I get to keep the all powerful Shikon Jewel shard. The choice, I am so graciously giving to you."

Inu-Yasha's eyes shook back and forth. He could see Kagome beginning to cry in fear (although she'd never admit to it) as he began to press the dagger up against her arm. Iyo with his little smirk on his face. The sick bastard! How could he like teasing people like this?

For sometime he just stared at Kagome, covered in dirt and blood. Her clothes were torn and by the looks of things she couldn't even stand. He could see her breath on the air in front of her. 'She must be freezing.' He thought. Inu-Yasha thought he had made up his mind, until he remembered that the jewel would just give Iyo more strength and he didn't know if he would be able to stand it. Tomorrow night was a new moon and he'd be helpless if he attacked then, even if Kagome was safe and alive she wouldn't be for long.

"I am getting impatient. You know, thinking about it, maybe I should just take. Now what did you call her? Ah, yes Kagome. And leave the jewel. She is very beautiful." Kagome began to whimper as he stroked her neck between her ear and shoulder.

"Get your hands off of her!" Inu-Yasha screamed. Kagome looked up at him. Her cheeks damp with tears; nose red from the cold.

"Oh, so have you made up your mind then?"

Finally Kagome found her voice. "No." She started to shake her head back and forth. "No. Take the."

"Shut up Bi.!" He raised a hand to slap her again.

"I said don't touch her!" Inu-Yasha yelled more franticly. "Leave Kagome alone! You can have the stupid jewel!"

"So is that your final decision then?" Iyo said looking at him with a sort of awe.

"Yes." Replied Inu-Yasha with a slight nod.

"Ok then, if that's really what you want. Then you can have her." Iyo grabbed Kagome by the arm and ripped her from the grasp of his two henchmen and threw her at Inu-Yasha. Then jumped up and vanished over another set of dead trees, while Inu-Yasha caught the flying Kagome.

"Are you ok, Kagome?" He asked uniting her hands. Kagome tried to stand up.

"Ya, I'm fine. But will you stop moving around?" She said and fell into Inu- Yasha. Then he noticed it, a small cut on the side of her arm as if it was made by a knife.

"But I'm not moving." He replied. Kagome fell, shivering right into his chest.

"It's s-so cold." She sputtered in clouds of white smoke.

Inu-Yasha pulled off the jacket of his kimono and rapped it around Kagome. Then he rapped his arms around her and began running down the side of the mountain. Scaling over cliffs, jumping over streams of ice, and skimming over the lifeless trees as he raced to Kaede's village. But her breathing kept getting louder and faster.

Kagome looked up at his face, so determined to get back in time to save her. However she also knew he was thinking about how to get the shard back too. She would have stared to cry if it wasn't so cold.

"I'm sorry.Inu-Yasha." She said finally.

He almost lost his balance from shear surprise that one. She was able to speak and two. She was sorry?

"Why should you be sorry?" He replied as he got his balance back.

"I lost, the jewel."

'How can she say that? I was the one that gave it up.' Thought Inu-Yasha.

"And I-I don't know, if. if."

"Don't say it. 'Cause you're not going to die. We'll make it back in time. And that old witch will get that poison out of you."

"I wish [gasp] that you could be right." She was breathing really heavily and chill air piercing her lung every time she took a breath; as if she were swallowing needles.

"Don't talk like that!" He was running as fast as demonly possible now. Every thing around them was all a blur, but Inu-Yasha seemed to know where they were going. "We're going to make it!"

They were silent for a while and with every passing minute Kagome's condition got worse. Her breathing was heavy and she couldn't stop shivering. Snow was beginning to fall. He needed to find someplace warm other wise she'd freeze. Some how she would just have to try and keep living until the snow stopped. He searched for a dry place to build a fire and just as luck would have it there was an old abandoned shack just a few yards away.