A/N: This chap is very sad ;_; well to me it is. To answer some questions, yes Shippo and Miroku will be coming in. Yes, they do get older, but that's a little later.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or anything related to it, besides the charactors I put in.

Review Replies!

Mr. Mean: I'm glad you like it! ^_^ I'm not sure if there's gonna be heartbreak or not. It depends on where the story goes.

Cyber1: Doesn't it!? It's SOO cool! ^_^ I love that castle!

Dragonstar03: Thanks!

Guardian Angel of ALL Anime: Me too! ^____^ I can't get enough fluffyness! So be sure for major fluff in the future!

Anti [.] Poptarts: Yep! And yep!

kistsune_magic: Thanks! ^_^

Fluffy #1: Thankies! ^___^

LanaticPandors #1: Thank you! ^_____^

Angel-chan3: Thanks! I'll read you're story if I have the time (Which I probably will -.-;;) No problem! ^_^

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Chapter IV

I'll Be Back

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*~^~One Year Later~^~*

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Inuyasha and Kagome had become very close friends in the past year. They shared secrets, books, folklor and were all in all the best friends anyone could see in the village. Sango was just as close to them, and a great fighter as well. This year her training was getting more intense, and she was rarely allowed to do anything other than hone her skills. So, if she couldn't go to Sango, Kagome would go to Inuyasha's tree and sit with him. They'ed talk for hours, loosing track of time and all other things besides themselves. Inuyasha would pay visits to the castle whenever he pleased. He was now seen so often in his disguise that the gaurds would just smile and wave when he came by.

But today was different. It started out as a normal day for the three friends, but seemed ominous in some way to Inuyasha. He had woken up in a cold sweat and could't shake the bad feeling he'd had, so he did the only thing he could think to do at the moment: talk to Kagome. He jumped out of his tree and walked the familier pathway to the castle with his human guise.

Once inside the castle he climbed the stairs and followed the pathway on the right. He passed the many doors that lined the corridor and looked at each one. He knew by heart which one was Kagome's room, so he went strait to it. He stood in front of the door and knocked three times. Kagome had told him to do that if it was him or Sango. They had a special knock and it wasn't used by anyone else.

After a moment Kagome opened the door and smiled up at him. "Come in Inuyasha." She said cheerfully stepping side. He nodded and walked in, sitting down on Kagome's feather bed sighing. She sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. Something was bothering him. He always came to the castle eirlier than usual if something was wrong, as he did this morning.

"What's wrong Inuyasha?" She asked gently. He looked at her worriedly.

"I don't know Kagome....I have this really bad feeling. Like....I don't know something bads gonna happen today. I'm a little nervous." He confessed sighing again and laying back on her soft bed. Kagome looked at him, concerned. Whenever Inuyasha had bad feeling, it usually always turned out as a bad day. His demon instincts were never wrong.

She sighed and layed down as well, staring at the cieling. She didn't like it when something was bothering him. He always looked as if he was spacing out, and didn't talk much. His aura radiated nervousness whenever he was like this, and it made her somewhat uncomfortable. She and Sango usually tried their best to cheer him up; sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. But Sango was training today, and they couldn't cheer him up together like they usually did.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Kagome sat up and cocked her head a bit before walking over. Before standing at the door, she smoothed out her kimono and stood regaly. That made Inuyasha smile a bit. She looked so funny like that.

"Who is it?" She called in a royal tone. A voice came from behind the door, a little muffled.

"The king has requested the young man Inuyasha to meet at the council." A guard replied. Kgome froze and turned to Inuyasha with a horrified expression, her pace paling a bit. He sat bolt upright and was pale as well. 'Have they figured it out?' She thought nevously. When she replied she didn't give any hint of emotion.

"He will be there in a few minutes." She told the person. She heard his footsteps down the hall. Once he was gone she turned to Inuyasha, who had gotten off the bed and was making his way to the door. He stopped beside her and looked at her worriedly.

"D-do you think he knows?" He asked nervously. Kagome shrugged slightly.

"Let's go and find out." She said and opened the door. They walked side by side down the corridor to the throne room. Both pale and nervous. When they reached the door a guard, supposedly the one who had requested them, stopped Kagome and shook his head.

"Sorry princess but this is a private meeting." He told her. She looked over to Inuyasha and nodded her head. He gulped visibly and walked into the wooden doors. Kagome stood anxiously awaiting his return. She bit her lip and stared at the door. She couldn't hear anything through the wood but wished she could. 'Please don't let him know, please don't let him know.' She chanted over and over in her head. After what seemed like hours the door finally opened and Inuyasha came out with his head downcast. After him was a strange looking woman with red eyes. Kagome gasped. 'She's a youkai!'

The woman looked at her narrowing her eyes, then bent down and wispered something in Inuyasha's ear. He looked at her before slowly walking over to Kagome. She looked at him but couldn't catch his eye.

"Inuyasha? What's wrong?" She asked gently.

"Kagome....come with me..." He said quietly. His voice was broken and sad. She nodded concerned, and followed him as he led her outside of the castle. He led her through the village, and down the pathway to the plains where there were a few trees scattered, including Inuyasha's tree. He stopped before it and looked at her with sad, pained eyes. She looked at him concerned.

"Inuyasha....what's wrong?" She asked again in a nervous voice. He sighed sadly and looked into her eyes.

"The king....has sent me away for a while." He said. "He's sending me to the lord of the North to keep peace. Their sending me as a peace treaty." He told her closing his eyes trightly with an angry expression. She looked at him confused.

"But I can see you again can't I." She asked him. He turned away from her face and said in a slightly broken voice.

"You might if you go to the North." He said quietly. She looked confused again.

"I don't understand." She told him. He sighed and looked at her once more.

"Kagome....I'm leaving.....forever." He wispered. She gasped as tears filled her eyes.

"They can't do that! You're not their property! My father would never do anything like this! He can't send you away!" She shouted, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. He looked pained again.

"Kagome....something happened last night as well....you're father....he was killed last night Kagome." He told her sadly. "The adviser's the new king now." She stared at him for a moment. He couldn't be lieing. Inuyasha never lied to her about anything. After a moment she shook her head in disbelief.

"He...he can't be..." She wispered. It was getting harder and harder for her to hold back her tears. He nodded grimly. "H-he's...dead." She squeaked a bit on the last word. She could no longer hold her tears back, and the dam broke as tears poured down her cheeks. She lifted her hands and whiped at them feroshiosly, trieing futily to stop them. Finnaly giving up, she covered her face and leaned on the tree they stood next to and began sobbing. Inuyasha panicked slightly. He'd never seen Kagome cry at all in the year that they'd spent. She was usualy too strong for that; but this news was too much, even for her. Her father had just died and he was going away. He did the only thing he could think of an the moment: he grabbed her and held her close.

As soon as his arms encircled her waist she threw herself against him, balling her fists into his haori and sobbing into it. He rubbed her back and whispered in her ear quietly.

"Shhh...It'll be alright. I'm sorry." It was all he could think of. She only began to sob harder, so it didn't do much. "Kagome....I won't leave you forever. I'll come back, no matter what anyone says." He told her, making a plan in his head. Her sobs got softer after a moment, and she pulled back slightly. Rubbing one of her eyes, she looked up at him through her tears.

"R-realy? You won't l-leave me forever?" She asked, her eyes pleading. He smiled sadly and nodded, pulling her close and putting his chin on her head. He inhaled a bit, ingraving her scent in his memory forever.

"I promise, no matter what. I'll come back to you. Even if I'm half-dead, I'll come back." He told her. He felt her arms hold him tighter, before she pulled back.

"You'd never break a promise." She said, smiling at him through her tears. He nodded.

"Inuyasha! Come over here we don't have all day!" The woman had come down the path from the castle and was standing on the road that led to the Northern lands. He turned and glared at her briefly before turning back to Kagome.

"I'll be back." He told her looking deep into her eyes before turning and following the woman down the road. Kagome hugged herself, suddenly feeling empty, before wispering one thing.

"I'll be waiting."

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Inuyasha glared ahead of them as they walked down the road. He was angry, and depressed. He'd never felt this bad before. He'd just left his best friend to keep away from some stupid war. At least she was safe. If she was ok, then nothing else mattered. He WOULD keep his promise, even if he had to crawl back to her with a broken back and one leg.

Suddenly, the woman who was walking beside him stopped. He walked ahead a few paces before turning around to glare at her. He didn't get the chance to even see her face before he felt an immense pain shoot through his stomach; then his world turned black.

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Kagura threw the half-demon brat at her lords feet. She'd been sent the year before to the Eastern lands to search for a half-demon by the name of Inuyasha, and found this boy at the ball. She came back with the news to tell her lord, and he sent her to go fetch him; after waiting quite a while. She looked up at her lord and bowed.

"I have brought him my lord. Lord Inutaisho's son." She told him. The room she stood in was made of a disgusting brown stone, and the throne her lord sat on was made of rusted gold. It was surrounded with a blood red viel, in some places it was more red than others. Her lord stood, walking gracefully down the steps that led to the throne. As he walked into the light, his face was shown. He was deathly pale, with blood red eyes. His hair was long, slightly wavy, and a greasy black. He was wearing what a king would wear, but his cape was a white baboon pelt.

He looked at the unconsious boy laying on the floor and smirked.

The half-demon brat was bleeding from his stomace, where he suspected Kagura had impaled him. His eyes were open slightly, a pale glassed over gold shone, the catlike pupils he had inherited from his father, gone due to his unconsious state. He prodded his body with a boot clad foot, and the boy twicthed a bit; but other wise did nothing.

Naraku looked up from the mess on the floor and smirked at Kagura.

"For once, you've actually found the right person." He said coldly. Kagura tried hard not to glare at him. Naraku looked down a the would-be prince. "Did you find him with anyone?" He asked. Kaguya set her jaw and nodded.

"He was with princess Kagome my lord. He seemed extreamly close to her." She told him, staring straight ahead. Naraku smiled evily.

"Good. In four years, betroth her to me." He told her. She didn't dare go against his voice.

"Yes sir."

He nodded approvingly. "Now, take him out with the rest of those humans and half-breeds. Stay with him until he wakes up, then tell him what he is here for. Go into detail about our punishments, and make sure he is watched hourly. I don't want one of Inutaisho's sons rampaging my kingdom freely. Give him the hardest jobs we have." With that, he turned on his heel and headed toward the door.

Once he was gone Kagura scowled.

"Yes master..." She muttered sarchasticaly, before grbbing the boy roughly by the scruff of his haori and carring him out of the room.

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He awoke to his stomach screaming at him, and an immense headache. He opened his eyes slowly before shuting them quickly as the light flooded in, along with the strong sense of nausea. He was on something slightly soft, but nothing like Kagome's feather bed ,and could hear some noise outside, like hammers hitting rock, but thought nothing of it.

He balled his fists and tried to sit up, but his stomach protested painfully and another wave of nausea slammed into his senses. He realized, to his horror that he couldn't move without feeling sick. He groaned a bit in pain, and slumped against what he was laying on.

"Good. You're awake." A voice said behind him. He tensed and growled warningly. He was helpless, didn't know where he was, and someone was in here with him. "I'm not going to hurt you half-breed." The voice said quietly. He relaxed a bit before growling angrily.

"W-where am I?" He winced at his own voice. It was painfilled and hourse. The voice snorted.

"You're in the Northern lands. You're here to work for the lord Naraku. I'm here to tell you what you are to be doing." The voice told him. He grunted and opened his eyes, ignoring the horrible waves of nausea.

"I'm not working for someone like Naraku." He snarled as best he could. He recignized the voice now, having seen her face. It didn't surprise him to notice it was the woman who took him away from Kagome. But she looked slightly surprised at his answer.

"You know Lord Naraku?" She asked. He snarled again.

"He's the one who killed my Mom and Dad! I'd never work for that bastard!" His voice was catching and breaking but her didn't care. Kagura smirked at his antcis.

"You look half-dead already. You shouldn't be accusing anything. I'm only here to tell you the punishments." She said breezily, clapping the fan he'd just noticed she held in her right hand. "Our first rule, is no talking about any of the other lands in a good way. The punishment if you're caught is no food for three days." She began. "Two, never put down our lord behind his back. Punishment, no water for two days. Three, no one is to run away from this place. If you manage to get passed the gates, our guards will hunt you down. Punishment, death. And last is no helping another worker in need. You do you're work, they do theirs. Punishment, you get beaten as the guards see fit." She finished with a yawn. "Now I expect you to be up by tommorrow morning and ready to work." She smirked at him again, and left the small hut.

Inuyasha glared after her before looking around the room, forcing the bile that was rising in his throat down from the light. It wasn't much to look at. He was laying on a blanket that covered the floor, which was dirt. There was probably enough room for a kitsune and himself. A window was above him, stained but still let a bit of light in. The door was a mat that hung from the cieling, motheaten. He sighed and closed his eyes. It was probably near mid-noon from the positions of the shadows. He felt sick, he was hurting badly, and he couldn't get rid of the bile rising in his throat. He forced it down once more and caughed in his hand. Pulling it back a bit he stared at the red, sticky substance covering it.

He stared at his hand for a few moments before drifting off into unconciousness once more.

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Kagome walked back to her room after saying goodbye to one of the best friends she'd ever had. Still sobbing quietly, she climbed the starcase that led up to her room from the first floor. Sango wouldn't be finished training until evening, and there was nothing for her to do other than stare at her brother all day. As she walked up the stairs rubbing her eyes, the new king walked by. She recognized him as the kings advisor, Kinori. He was a weak man, bony and skiny, and very ugly. His face was pale, and his eyes were black. He was balding slightly and wore the crown over his bald head. To her horror, he stopped right next to her and smiled, showing teeth that hadn't been cleaned in decades.

"My princess," He said in a sweet voice, "Don't be devistated about you're father. You'll see his funeral soon." He croaked. His voice was sweet and croaky. She winced just at that.

"I-it's not just m-my father." She said, glaring through her tears. "You s-sent away my best f-friend." She glared harder as more tears poured down her cheeks.

"But it was a way to keep peace between our countries." He replied sweetly, "You're friend wouldn't want you getting into a war. We gave him a choice princess. Either stay here and risk war, or go there and protect everyone." He smiled at her before walking down the corridor. Kagome shivered. That guy had something planed for the years he would be king; and something horrible.

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