A/N: Sorry about the wait, but my Microsoft Word just wasn't working right. I finally figure out what was wrong with it, and it's a long story *sighs* but that's all in the past. I'm also looking for an editor, of anyone wants to volunteer. I'll have to make sure you can live up to what I want though, so in a way, you'll have to try out. I'll provide a paragraph for you and you will have to edit it. Add stuff, if necessary, and you have to be able to change words that I use often, like 'widened' and 'explained' and other words like that. If anyone's interested, e-mail me at

kawaiianime88@hotmail.com

Thank you for all the reviews so far! You're all great! I know this isn't fair to all of you guys, but because it seems to be working for other people, I'm going to say this:

**I NEED AT LEAST 10 REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER BEFORE I POST THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!**

I'm sorry to do that, but I haven't got many in the past couple of chapters, and I'm sorta dying…(remember? I live, eat AND sleep on reviews ^_^;;) Sorry for those who keep reviewing! I'm going to restate this at the bottom and end of the chapter. Here's a small warning…BIG cliffy ^_^



CHAPTER 6: The Castle from Hell

A young, teenaged girl coughed and shivered violently as she turned over onto her back, awaking only to the sound of a hooting owl.

"Wha..." She rubbed her dry, itchy throat and swallowed, yawning afterwards. "Where am I?" Her eyes widened tremendously as she remembered where she was and who she was with.

It was pitch-black out, and the moon and stars were hidden by a canopy of trees leaving almost no light. And the forest was an eerie quiet, the only sound was the rustling branches from a strong gust of wind.

Kagome sat up and a red windbreaker jacket slid off of her onto the cold ground. She let out a confused breath of air and stared down at it with little emotion for awhile, thinking.

It was cold out, almost cold enough to snow, she realized, as another gust of wind caused goose bumps to rise on her forearm. Wrapping the jacket around her, not bothering to second-guess where it had come from, she tried to adjust her eyes to a forms lying next to her.

"Sango! Shippo!" Kagome exclaimed when she saw who it was. She worriedly crawled over to her friends' side to shake them awake gently. "Sango, wake up! Please Sango!! Don't leave me alone...please..." Tears started falling down her warm cheeks as she laid her head down on her best friend's stomach, starting to sob.

'Wait...they're breathing. I can feel her stomach rising and falling."

"Kagome?" a groggy voice asked as a silhouette came into view. "What's wrong? Is something out there?" the question sounded more like a statement than a question. Bright golden eyes walked hastily over to her, making her unconsciously sink back a bit.

"Inuyasha..." She inhaled and held her breath. She recognized who those golden orbs belonged to. She had never seen anything like them before, so there was no way she could be mistaken. The color was uncommon, for one, and she wondered how anyone could have their strong will show brilliantly in their eyes and yet still have the confusion of his soul and spirit hidden deep beneath it, as if it was hiding from her.

"What's going on? Is Sango alright???" another person came into the one-sided conversation.

"Everything's fine, Miroku," said Inuyasha, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. Kagome peered down through the darkness and bit her lip to refrain from weeping again. Grief took over her once calm features as she spoke.

"Sango and Shippo's not waking up, but they're still breathing." Kagome clenched the jacket with her nails digging nervously into it. She looked over at the boys and noticed Miroku rubbing the back of his neck as he fidgeted. Inuyasha snorted and folded his arms across his muscular chest.

"You can thank my buddy Miroku for that," he explained, ignoring the betrayed glare he received from him.

"Inuyasha, you could have warned me about that rather large tree root that was sticking out of the ground..." Miroku retorted. Kagome's eyes widened again as a thought struck her, aiming deep in for her already frightened heart.

"I didn't see any tree root first of all! Before OR after you tripped, so I say you're just trying to make up an excuse for your own blindness." Miroku gasped and his mouth hung open slightly, a playful hurt in his eyes.

"Well aren't we a little hypercritical tonight," he pouted and Inuyasha sighed as he slapped his friend upside the head.

"You idiot."

"It's starting again..." Kagome whimpered as they turned to her with a puzzled face, waiting for an explanation. When receiving none, they carefully approached her in a slow manner. They took a seat beside her, Shippo and Sango.

"Are you alright Kagome?" Miroku asked as he waved a hand in front of her face. She sat there with a very distant look in her dark, brown eyes. She didn't react.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha mumbled softly. She show any sign of having heard. "Kagome, now's not the time to be daydreaming." A darkened, scared look replaced her serious one, and Inuyasha cringed and leaned back. He couldn't tell if it was aimed at him and what he said. "Wake up you stupid bitch! We should get going now! The sun will rise soon, and I don't want to be out her with YOU for another minute more than I have to! Kikyo's probably worried sick about me and I don't like to see her that way!" He growled, and grabbed onto her shoulders, shaking her hard to snap her out of the daze.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!" Kagome pushed Inuyasha backwards and took off back the way they came, deeper and deeper into the forest. Inuyasha gasped and fell backwards onto his back. He looked over at the jacket that laid by his side, the one he had given to her, even though he was freezing the whole night.

"Get back her Kagome!" he bellowed after her, but she ignored him.

"Inuyasha, something's wrong. Kagome didn't seem to even acknowledge our presence at all. It's as if she's seeing something that's not there. We need to follow her." Inuyasha just folded his arms and scowled.

"I've done enough for that bitch and I refuse to go after her. She's nothing but trouble! Let's go back. Take Sango, it's up to you," he said bitterly. "I've got Kikyo, and she's all I need-" he glanced at Miroku and saw a disapproving look on his face "-and WANT!" he added before Miroku could say anything.

Miroku bent down and picked up the unconscious Sango, holding her bridal style, then placed Shippo comfortably in her lap. He noted that the sun was just rising, but the forest did not seem to loose its creepy feel or its darkness.

"You really are a bastard," he spoke in a calm, solemn way as he witnessed his friend's muscles tense up. "I can tell you care for her, you ALWAYS have," he stressed 'always', "Ever since she had walked out of the cafeteria, leaving you with a taste of your own medicine. Inuyasha, whether you come or not, I'm going after her. You don't know what's out there. Shippo's a demon, after all, and he said something killed his father. What if that something came after Kagome? How would you feel if she was killed? Hung, slaughtered, RAPED!" his voice rose immensely as he went on, emphasizing how she could die.

"Feh," he grumbled, but winced at Miroku's words.

"Inuyasha, if you have one ounce of dignity in your cold heart, then you will come with me. If you care for her-"

"MIROKU! I've had it up to here with that damn bitch!! She can rot in hell as far as I'm concerned!!!" He punched a small tree, snapping it in half. He let out an heated growl. "Miroku," he continued with a deadly tone. "I would rather be with Kikyo right now, and not Kagome. I LOVE Kikyo, and HATE Kagome!! Why won't you understand that?" He finished softly with a pained look. Miroku tilted his head in confusion, but then gave a small grin to Inuyasha.

"You're afraid of being rejected. You know they say that love and hate go hand in hand."

"Miroku, please, no more," begged Inuyasha. He felt as though he would collapse at any moment. "I don't need this." He suddenly darted away, the exact opposite way Kagome had gone.

'There's no way that I could love...her…'

He bounded up into the tallest tree he could find climbing to the very top of it. He needed time to think, and he couldn't do so with Miroku around. He felt irritated that Miroku was trying to figure him out…before even he could figure out what was going on with himself first.

What he saw then traumatized him and made him tremble in fear down to his very core…

"That wasn't there before…I would have seen it…Oh no, she must be headed there…KAGOME!!!"


*******


A/N: Well I COULD just leave it here… *grins evilly*…but then again, I did promise that I would make this chapter a long one…besides, I have a better ending spot in mind…


*******



There was a foul smell in the air, one that wreaked of blood…all coming from that mansion-like castle that was in the direction Kagome had run off.

"Kagome…" he held her name on the tip of his tongue as he leaped down from branch to branch till he reached the ground.

'This must be what Kagome and Sango was talking about…they said something about a 'thing' calling them back to the forest.'

Inuyasha wasn't one to believe in magic or anything, but something was nagging at the back of his mind. He was going to find Miroku, and ask about it. Miroku had always seemed to sense things and was a little interested in talking about magic.

"Miroku!" he called, searching for him. "Miroku! Where are you, pal? I think-" he was suddenly hushed and dragged down into a thick bush. "Miroku?"

"SHH!! Kagome went inside there," he announced. "I don't remember anything like that when we passed. Look at it, it's huge!" he finished with amazement.

"Look, Miroku, I've come back to tell you something. Before we got on the bus-"

"I know, I heard them talking too. That's ONE of many reasons why I followed her," Miroku cut in. "Now come on, let's go get her before something does happen to her. She's been in there for almost a quarter of an hour, and I'm worried-" now it was Inuyasha who interrupted him.

"Why? Why do you care so much about her?" he questioned sincerely. "I want to know why."

"Because I have respect for her, and whether you like it or not, she's now our friend." He looked down at the girl of his dreams when she stirred. "Besides, Sango would need our help if there IS something because as soon as she wakes, she's heading straight for Kagome, no matter what we do to try and stop her. Last but not least…" he added as an afterthought, "I'm doing this for you." Inuyasha was about to protest, but Miroku was already gone.

"Come on Inuyasha! Grab Shippo and Kagome's pack she left behind. Her bows and arrow's are in it!" He darted into the shadows of the stoned building with Sango held protective in his arms. Inuyasha was about to ask him how he knew what she had in her pack, but already knew the answer.

"Miroku you pervert…" he sighed as he quickly grabbed the rather large pack and the Fox demon and followed his best friend. Kikyo wouldn't be pleased at all if she found out that he was trying to help her greatly despised nemesis.

He dashed inside, as if someone was watching him, and came to a stop beside Miroku. He had a red hand mark on his sinful face. He was grinning sheepishly.

"Hey Sango, glad you're awake." He grinned and she narrowed her eyes.

"Not nearly as glad as I am…" she grumbled to herself. Miroku had tried to slip his hand up her shirt 'accidentally' while she was still asleep. Lucky for her, she had woken up before he got too far. "You perverted asshole."

Inuyasha sighed, glancing down at the still unconscious demon in his arms.

'Miroku's never going to change…'

"Where's Kagome??" Sango gasped when she realized everyone BUT Kagome was there. "TELL ME WHERE KAGOME IS!!!" She grabbed the front of Miroku's shirt and shook him like there was no tomorrow.

'I promised her that I wouldn't let her be alone…not here…'

"SANGO YOU'RE GOING TO STRANGLE ME!!! HELP ME INUYASHA!!!!" Miroku pleaded for his life.

"Feh," Inuyasha said again, leaning against a wall. "Serves you right." But he sighed and began to pry her fingers off of his throat, having somehow made it there early.

Sango reluctantly let go. Miroku slid to the floor gasping for breath.

"You can be so violent sometimes," he coughed as she snorted.

"And you can be so tainted you inconsiderate jerk!" She turned to Inuyasha. "Now where's Kagome? You guys better not have done anything to her or I'll-" she said in a deadly low tone.

"Take it easy, girl, we didn't do anything to her. She just up and went." Inuyasha said defending him and Miroku. Sango glared suspiciously at him.

"She would NEVER go off alone in this…forest…?" She stared wide-eyed around her as if it were the first time she noticed where she was, taking in everything she saw…she let out a small, frightened gasp. "Oh my god…it can't be the same place…"

"She just left and ran into here, as if she didn't see anything but something that wasn't there," Miroku explained carefully, trying to make sense of it. He stared at Sango for awhile, watching her every action to see if she might give something away about where 'here' was. She stared off into space.

"No more secrets, Sango. Something's wrong with Kagome, and we can't help if you don't tell us EVERYTHING. We overheard you two talking about some 'thing' calling you back to the forest. What happened here? Tell us now, because I get the feeling that there's something SERIOUSLY wrong here. Even I can sense it. No use trying to hide it anymore." Inuyasha spoke seriously, and in a caring voice. Sango stared up at him.

"Sango, we're here to HELP," Miroku coaxed. He knelt down beside her and offered a comforting hand. Surprisingly, she didn't smack it away.

"I…I can't because…I promised her…" she began.

"If you don't tell us now, we're leaving!" Inuyasha said.

"Speak for yourself," Miroku told him, and Inuyasha turned away and grunted. He turned back to Sango who shook her head.

"I can't tell you guys. You don't even care about her, and she wouldn't want me to tell anyon-"

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME I DON'T CARE! I WOULDN'T BE HERE IF I DIDN'T!!!" Inuyasha fumed. He had it with people trying to tell him how he felt. "GOD DAMN IT! TELL US NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!!"

Sango looked taken aback, while Miroku understood his words a bit better and grinned.

"I-I…" Sango began to explain everything with little protesting. The two guys listen intently to her story, taking in every little detail she gave.



~~~FLASHBACK~~~



Two little girls about four years old laughed in unison. They giggled as they flew through the trees of the large forest.

"Come on, Sango," one of the small girls said. "Let's go over there! I tink I saw somethin' move! It might even be a wittle squirrely!" The one who was called Sango was about to protest, but stopped when her curiousness got the better of her as well.

"Alright Kagome, but we hafta get back after this. Our mummies said not to wander too far from the camp." Kagome nodded in agreement.

"Okies! Now let's go!" She grabbed her friends hand and began chasing after what she saw. It was strange, because it was very fast, and its form was darkened and large. Kagome could have sworn it was another human, but she wasn't sure.

They ran for many more minutes, and after what felt like forever to Sango, she stopped and pulled Kagome to a stop as well.

"Kagome, it's getting' late and our mummies are probably worryin' about us now. Can pwease we go back?"

"But I'm curious!" Kagome used her 'big' word of the day, smiling proudly at her accomplishment. Sango's frowned only deepened as she remembered something her parents had told her.

"Curiosity killed the cat…" she repeated it out loud from her mind.

"Huh? Poor kitty…" Kagome pouted, totally missing the point of the phrase.

"I don't think that's what my daddy meant," Sango whispered.

"But I want to go see what it is! It's over there! It went into that castle! Can't you see it? PWEASE Sango??" whined Kagome as she pointed to a castle-like house. "We can even act like little pwincesses in our castle!" Sango's worries seemed to disappear without a trace at the mention of playing 'princess' with her friend.

"YEAH!" The two scurried towards the palace. Since it was getting dark out, Kagome accidentally tripped over a large root sticking out of the ground.

"OW!" She glowered at the scrape on her knee.

"You should watch where you're going more often, Kagome," Sango said. Kagome ignored her and got up.

"It wasn't there before, I pwromise!" They raced to the place, the root forgotten. Sango and Kagome entered it and stared in awe at the vastness of it. In front of them stood a humongous stair case that split into two at the middle. It led up to a dark hall way that the light from the giant chandelier seemed to be kept at bay with some sort of magic.

"WOW!" They both chorused.

Sango and Kagome ran up the carpeted staircase, and into the dark hallway, when they saw something disappear into its gloom. Continuing to laugh carelessly, they went into the long corridor and gasped in wonder at all the rooms. There were at least fifty doors, all leading to who-knows-where, and only a single, dim lamp lit the whole hall up. It resided on a small, furnished end table with a single draw.

A door shut and snapped the girls out of there stupor. The sound drew there eyes to the end of the walkway to the very last door. It stood out from the rest by a small window at the top of the door and the red and clear jewels that stayed in embedded in the middle of it.

"What's that…" Kagome asked as the crept forward slowly towards it. They remained silent through the entire walk, both staring at the jewels.

When they had finally reached the entrance or the room, Kagome reached up to touch the red jewel. She didn't realize it then, but it was a ruby the color of blood. Sango stretch to grasp the clear, diamond. She accidentally leaned forward and ended up pushing it in. A loud rumbling filled their ears as they continued forward, opening the door.

"Kagome, look," Sango quietly whispered, pointing to another passageway. This one had no light what-so-ever down it and was skinny.

Suddenly they heard a muffled cry down it, and Kagome thought it sounded like someone was in pain.

"We hafta to go down there. Someone may need our help…" she suggested softly and reached for a single candle that laid beside a king-sized bed. Sango could only nod. Together, hand in hand, the braved the darkness and followed one behind the other down the slim walkway. After many more minutes, at least ten, they concluded, the came to another large door.

"Should we knock…?" Kagome asked, and Sango pushed the door open as if to answer her…

Kagome dropped the candle and the light faded as soon as it hit the ground, their legs trembling, and they both let out an ear-piercing shrieked. Their eyes widened in horror at what they saw before them...





A/N: Don't forget to REVIEW! I worked hard on this chapter. Have more written, but I don't feel like typing it all right now. As promised, this is longer than all my other chapters, but not twice as long…unless you count my shortest chapy..

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I took the LONG time to type, I NEED feedback, positive or negative (if needed). Anyways, comment, questions