Chapter Twenty: The Captives

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own InuYasha-tachi, etc. They all belong to Rumiku Takahashi. Although I have fantasies of owning them!

::At the hut::

"Jeez, what's takin' Kagome and Sango so long?" InuYasha whined, pacing the floor back and forth.

"A little nervous about their koi, eh, Inu-chan?"

"NANI?? And only Kagome can call me Inu-chan,"

Nezumi smiled to herself as InuYasha crossed his arms, pityingly, and said nothing more.

"Nezumi-kun, will ya brush my tail? I can't reach it today, my arm hurts. . ." The little kitsune whimpered, a solemn look on his face.

"YAY!" Nezumi exclaimed, grabbing Shippou by the tail, and placing him in her lap, proceeding to brush the appendage on his lower back. Shippou sighed with contentment, a purr equivalent to a neko's, although it was more like a kitsune's, knowing as he is one.

::At the spider-youkais' cave::

I groaned, regaining consciousness, as I sat upright. Head lolling back, I mumbled to myself, "Where the hell am I?"

"Ugh. . .Kagome? Miroku? Where are you? Nani? Who's this," Mumbling through the thong strip, I rubbed the back of my head gingerly, noticing an extra captive, who looked like she was in her early twenties. She had sandy blonde hair, and amber eyes. She wore a very short, very tight, red kimono that rode up her thighs. I figured it was too small for her, or that was all she had. I was about to crawl over to her, but stopped, noticing the head spider arousing from his resting place on a large rock jutting out from the earth.

As soon as it was safe, I rolled on my side, and crawled over to the now sleeping and bound girl. I realized my hands were bound also, so I tried my best to tap her. She awoke with a startle. She tried to speak, but couldn't. Her eyes suddenly widened and she closed them, pretending to be asleep.

'What is she doing. . . ?' I thought to myself curiously, my body hovering close to the ground. A sharp blow to my head, and my short breaths escaped from me thickly. One of the spider minions had stricken me with a dull leg; luckily, the pincer on it had broken off. Otherwise, I would've died of poisoning. I gasped as I remembered the same spider that struck me, had pinched the back of my neck. Without having to touch the new scar with my hands, I already knew there really was, in fact, a new scar added in my collection.

"Get up, teme." The savage beast growled with a low voice. It then turned to the head spider, which was the largest of them all, and started to speak to it in their own language, which were clicking noises. All the other spiders seemed to be cheering, knowing that, as they were jumping on their back legs, like a horse, and were waving their front legs, clicking simultaneously with excitement. The head spider moved its head up and down as if in approval of something, and silence. [Teme-Bitch]

I gathered it wasn't something good, and I crawled to a corner, and almost died of a heart attack. Miroku must've gotten loose of his bindings and crawled over here in this crevice, because he was hiding here, free of his silky cocoon bindings. He held a finger up to his mouth, because the spiders hadn't obviously discovered this spot. Or perhaps they had. . .

I started whining because I still had the strip inside my mouth.

"Oh, right. Gomen nasai, Sango. Here, let me help you with that. . .There, that should do it,"

With that, he ripped it off.

"Domo arigatou gosaimazu, Miroku!" [Domo arigatou gosaimazu-Thank you very much!]

"Listen, they must be having a council of some sort. Like a death penalty, perhaps," Miroku pointed out, wrapping his arm around me protectively. I tried to move my hands to situate them on my lap, as I normally do, but they were tied behind my back. I just left it like that. I liked the closeness between Miroku and I. Wait, what am I thinking? I can't allow myself to love him! Or can I? Oh, I'm confusing myself! But I love him! Or at least. . .don't I. . . ? I'm sure of it, I am.

"A. . .death penalty? For what?" I questioned.

"Well, you do know, of course, humans are the main diet of a spider-youkai, right?"

"Hai,"

"Well, that's probably the reason,"

"Miroku! That—that girl out there! What if it's her they're putting the death penalty on? Miroku, onegai, go out there and bring her in here! Onegai!" [Onegai-Please]

"I'll be back," Miroku whispered as he crawled over me, and crouched down to the ground, making his way to the girl, very slowly. He tapped her, and she looked over at him, a relieved look. He pulled her over to our crevice, and was back inside as quickly when he left.

Miroku pulled off the strip from her mouth and she gasped for air.

"Arigatou! I appreciate your help. My name is Ailsa; I've been a captive of these horrid creatures for three days!"

"Oh, we were just brought in today," I mumbled, "Hey, Miroku. What were you doing around outside to be caught by the youkais?"

"Oh, just to make sure no bandits or thieves were around you when you were bathing in the hot springs. . ."

I made a sarcastic face at him. (¬.¬)

"Hai, sure. . ."

"Ano. . .can we please leave this place before the sacrifice?" Ailsa reproved.

"Hai, but how can we get past them without them noticing?"

"Well, we need a distraction," Miroku suggested.

"So you're offering to be the distraction?" I asked.

"Iie."

". . .Well, I'm not. . ."

"Onegai, nobody will be the distraction. We just all need to be cautious and alert so they won't spot us," Ailsa pleaded.

"Yoshi." Miroku and I answered.

"On the count of three. . ."

"THREE!" I exclaimed in a low voice, rolling from the crevice, and, out into daylight? Did I really make it outside? The next person out was Ailsa, dragging Kagome outside by the leg. I untied her, and we waited for Miroku to come out, but it was a while. Then a roar. All the spider-youkais screeched, and Miroku's growl and the tiny bells on his shakoujo could be heard.

"Miroku. . ." I whispered, trembling hands clutching my chest. I walked over to a rock and started rubbing the strip binding my wrists against it. The leather material became looser and looser, until it finally ripped. I pulled off Ailsa's and ran inside to retrieve what was rightfully mine. Miroku.

"Stay here, Ailsa-sama. Miroku!" I cried. Luckily, I had been wearing my demon exterminator (cat) suit. Thrusting out my katana, I ran over to where Miroku was held in the air by a pincered leg. I sliced it off, and Miroku fell on his back, pulling himself up with his shakoujo.

"Arigatou, Sango-sama," he groaned.

"C'mon, let's get outta here!"

I pulled Miroku by the arm, and raced outside with him. I could hear several stomps and clicking screeches. Ailsa, Miroku, Kagome, and I ran out from the cavern, into a tall grass field. Nothing but tall grass. As we heard a spider coming upon us, we ducked under the grass, and rolled away from a heavy leg that almost crushed us. Fortunately, it didn't suspect us hiding there.

As soon as the whole herd of spider-youkais trampled a few feet from us, down a hill, we made a dash for it. As we came to a valley nearby our camp, we had to depart from Ailsa.

"Ja ne! Arigatou! You've been a big help, helping me to escape! I'll never forget you!"

"Ja ne, Ailsa-sama!" I shouted back, waving at the appreciative young woman.

It was getting a little late, but it was only late afternoon. Kagome journeyed a little ahead of me, and my feet dragged me alongside the edge of the wood. I was startled when Miroku scooped me up in his arms.

"You're tired, Sango. Don't worry about my "naughty" hand. I'll only keep them in the appropriate place,"

Was Miroku trying to butter me up? Trying to use me? Or more likely, my body? I just played along with him, and allowed him to.

"We're back!" Miroku said, as we approached.

Kagome skipped inside the hut, and we saw Nezumi cuddled up with Areala and Shippou, and InuYasha, Tahallan, Kirara slept in the corner, Haru on his futon. She nestled herself down in his lap, and dozed off right away. [Futon-Bed]

"Well, I'm bushed, too. I'm going to settle down for the afternoon. Ano. . ." There was a long, awkward pause, ". . . . .would you care to. . .join me. . .Miro. . .ku?" I blushed a deep crimson as he sat down beside me. He held his hands up as if showing I could trust him. I fell asleep right then, comfortable with my pillow, Miroku. I'm sure he liked me as his blanket as well.

Okey-dokey, finished with this chapter. Phew. Me tired. Just got back from my tennis practice, and boy, was it HOT out! I almost died out there. Groan. Don't wanna do that again, no, no, no, no, no!

InuYashaBishi334