Author's Note: Inuyasha kissed Kagome because he feels desperation and thinks if he kisses her then it snap her out of it like the fairy tales. Hope that clears up the OOC action by him. Thanks, for the reviews I have. Love you guys! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I say I own them, I believe I own them, so that should be enough for y'all.

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Ato Famiria Men (A Familiar Face)

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Last time…

Inuyasha closed the screen slowly, looking longingly at Kagome for a moment. He sighed and went to find the hentai so they could all get some rest. He would feel better with the monk beside him than wandering outside, outside where he might find a way to creep into the girl's and, as far as the hanyou was concerned, off-limits room.

While he was searching for Miroku, he thought wonderingly Where's the brat?

The rest of the night passed by uneventfully. Kaede had stayed in the healer's hut, leaving Inuyasha to curtail any further nighttime visits between the various inhabitants. He had slept by the girl's door to stand guard. Miroku and Kagome seemed content to meet only in their blissful dreams but Sango had to be coaxed back to her room more than a few times.

"You don't need to go find Sesshoumaru again. He wasn't happy to see you earlier today and he won't be happy to see you tonight. Just, go back to bed. Please."

Shippo was still no where to be seen.

I'll have to search for him once everyone is up. I'll take that pestering monk along to make sure he's far from Kagome and deposit the two girls with Kaede Inuyasha had decided during the hours he lay awake.

xxxxx

The next morning the lack of sleep had taken its toll on him, who had dark circles under his eyes and a crick in his back from sitting up.

The demon huntress was the first to rise, exiting through the screen and jarring the hanyou from his light slumber.

As she headed to cut some meat form the deer he had caught the previous day, she commented, "You look horrible."

Shooting her a glance from beneath his thick lashes, he commented, "Someone kept forgetting where her bed was."

Her features were stained a rich red color and she coughed uncomfortably. She studied the man beside her and searched for a way to voice her innermost fears, those same fears that had kept her awake most of the night and had propelled her to seek out Sesshoumaru.

Well, one of the reasons I was seeking out Sesshoumaru.

Inuyasha noticed her silence and asked gruffly, "Oi, something on your mind?" as he stretched and moved to the outside door. It's going to rain later today he thought, sniffing the air cautiously.

It was just the opening she needed. "Am I unattractive?"

Inuyasha stopped his musings and turned to her.

"Oi, seriously?" He could tell by the look on her face that she was.

"What am I supposed to think, Inuyasha? I'm throwing myself at your brother and he can't wait to be rid of me." She started gathering the pots needed to prepare breakfast.

He said, "And as far as Sesshoumaru is concerned, you're a human-a demon hunter at that, and he's cold to everyone."

With infinite sadness Sango whispered, "Humph-"

Inuyasha said, "Don't take it personally. You're…strong and smart and…attractive," the last adjective came out a whisper because of his embarrassment. Now I'M acting odd.

Still uncertain yet endeared by his shot at geniality, she gave him a watery smile and went to wake everybody.

He called out after her, "Do me a favor Sango."

"Anything," she replied as she looked back over her shoulder.

"Promise me you'll make Miroku suffer when everyone's back to normal," he said with a mischievous grin.

xxxxx

Despite the heat of the day, Inuyasha was relieved to be out of the village. He had been searching for the fox demon and tracking Balinda for hours and slowly the knots that had formed in every muscle of his body started to relax. A slight change of plans had occurred, though, from what he had worked out the night before.

Miroku did not wish to leave Kagome for the day and she felt the same. He couldn't leave the two of them together so they both had to come with him. Sango was thrilled to death about being left alone with just Kaede to guard her, certain she could slip out while the woman was preoccupied.

Kaede hadn't helped the situation when she insisted she accompany the group on their outing, stating "I can help with the reversal of the plant. I won't slow you down-I'm not that old." After a bit of arguing she joined the expedition as well. Inuyasha ruined Sango's excitement at being completely alone, though, when he insisted she come along to lend her "tracking expertise" in finding the gypsy and the brat. In reality, he could see no other option but to take them all along for the search so he personally could keep an eye on his lovesick companions.

He had taken the lead and Sango brought up the rear. Miroku seemed to constantly find a reason to have his hands on Kagome, but other than that annoying occurrence, everyone was more focused on staying alive than building romantic attachments. Kaede played mediator when she could, hoping to keep the hanyou's irritation to a minimum.

The past twenty-four hours were beginning to catch up to Inuyasha. It hadn't been easy watching one of his best friends and the woman he lo-cared for deeply being so affectionate, even if it wasn't real. The ease with which Miroku and Sango were acting on their feelings made him wonder what was holding them back from behaving the same way with each other. And for the life of him he couldn't figure out why the drug-induced romances had developed between Sango and Sesshoumaru instead of the exterminator and Miroku. But what bothered him most of all was Kagome's simple acceptance of Miroku's amorous advances.

He had asked himself several times over the course of the day Why not me? Why is she enthralled with Miroku? Is the cursed plant bringing hidden desires to the surface?

He mentally shook himself out of those painful reflections. He had been playing referee for the rest of the group and it was taking its toll. Although Kaede did not have any of the spiked water, he wasn't much help in the situation beyond explaining the origin of the illness. She was also slowing them down a considerable amount and he had taken to carrying the woman.

"Won't slow us down my butt," he grumbled.

He abruptly halted and motioned for silence, hearing voices coming from a short distance ahead of them. He smelled something familiar, but wasn't certain if it was Balinda or Shippo or no one. Putting Kaede down, he motioned that they should circle the people in front of them.

Several minutes later, Miroku exchanged a look with Kagome and nodded towards some nearby bushes. She smiled but didn't change her course.

He's going to get us killed she thought. The man is insatiable!

Trying to avoid his intent gaze, her willpower already weak where he was concerned, she scanned the trees to her left. A flash of white moved behind the leaves and she frowned. Kaede had joined her to see what was keeping her. Kagome saw the familiar dark waves cascading down a slim back and barely kept herself from crying out. Miroku saw Balinda at the same moment and took off in pursuit before the others could stop him.

In a frustrated whisper Kaede asked, "What is he doing?"

Kagome grabbed her arm and they hurried to catch up with their wayward friend. The miko was near tears when they couldn't find him.

If anything happens to him…she cut off that thought before it ran to its inevitable conclusion.

"Over here," Kaede announced softly. Kagome ran to her side and fell to her knees next to Miroku's prone form. He was conscious but just barely. She cradled his head lovingly in her lap as she tenderly caressed his hair.

He looked up at them through half-open eyes and forced out, "Ambush!"

The words had hardly escaped his mouth when they were surrounded by a large and extremely aggressive looking band of snake demons.

"Perfect," Kagome muttered. "Could this day get any better?"

Kaede held up her hands in a peaceful gesture and said, "We mean you no harm. We just want to collect our friend and leave." The only reaction to the calming words was a cackle of laughter and some slither conversation while some snapped at the humans.

Kagome shouted, "We are just passing through and have many great friends. Harm us and you will be sorry." At this, the snakes backed off.

Kagome smiled at Kaede. "Gotta think on your feet."

She noticed Kaede's eyes widen in shock right before she felt something hard connect with the back of her head and she collapsed to the ground without a sound.

xxxxx

By the time Inuyasha and Sango reached the clearing it was empty. She looked for tracks while he tried to smell them out for several minutes before finally deciding to join their friends.

With an inward groan Sango muttered, "Where are they?"

"That way," Inuyasha said as he picked up their scent. Seconds later, Kaede hurried through that exact spot and practically tumbled over Sango as she rushed to be at her side.

"They took Kagome," she said in a breathless voice.

In a voice sounding eerily like his brother's, Inuyasha asked, "Who did?" His insides were twisted with fear and anger.

Kaede related the events of the last few minutes, up to when the demons had carried Kagome off.

She finished, "Miroku is injured but he insisted he follow the natives while I came back to find you."

"We don't have time for this," Inuyasha said impatiently as he rushed in the direction Kaede had come from. He was in this on his own…Sango and Miroku were still under the influence of the drug and Kaede was too old to really be of help.

Don't worry Kagome, he said silently, 'I'm on my way. Just hold out until I can get to you!

xxxxx

Kagome woke up in a small hut and a hand was immediately placed over her mouth. She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a cocky smirk and brown hair. Anger surged through her and she dug her teeth into the soft flesh of the woman's palm.

"That was totally unnecessary," Balinda said, temper causing her eyes to flash warningly. "I just saved your life."

"Right, since it's your fault I'm here in the first place," Kagome retorted.

"Ah, but you have what they want," she said. Standing up, she reached for the string around Kagome's neck, the string that held a vile containing the most recent shards the group collected. Or should have held. The string came from the miko's neck easily, void of the normal charm. Balinda's face went white.

"Where is it? Where did you put them?" The panicked brunette starting tearing through the backpack that was still attached to Kagome's back.

"Hey! Get off me!" she ripped herself away from Balinda's prying hands and looked inquisitively at her. "What do you want?"

"The shards! Where did you put the Shikon shards?" Her eyes held fear like nothing the girl had seen from her.

"I…I must have left them at the village."

Balinda paled further, then threw herself at Kagome. "You fool! You'll get us killed! Why don't you have them!"

The miko shoved the crazed girl away from her and scurried to a corner, prepared to defend herself need-be. Balinda seemed to have calmed down though, and just stood breathing heavily.

"I'll be killed. I told him you had it…"

"That is your problem. You fix it," Kagome said uncharacteristically unsympathetic, feeling mean. "Wait, who 'him'?"

A snake entered their prison before a response was formed and forced both women towards a big door, a door Kagome assumed housed the main demon.

The room smelled of death and looked like a slimy cave. A few skeletons lay to either side of the entering girls and a big hole was in front of them, its entrance decorated with leaves and rocks.

Kagome looked around and wondered So where's the chief?

No sooner had she thought it than he sprang from the gap, gliding around the two and hissing at them.

"Ahhh, sssuch a prettyyyy sssspecimen. I'll have to ssssave you for laterrrr," he leered at the miko, who tired to shy away from his breath that reeked of rotting flesh. He turned to Balinda. "Ssso, where are thessse ssshardsss you ssspoke of?"

Warily eyeing him, the redhead slithered, for lack of a better word, up to the demon and purring, "I have them in a safe place. Let's celebrate their capture and discuss trading matters." The girl didn't think she had been more disgusted in her life, and the same went for Kagome.

Judging her intentions for a moment, the snake said, "Alright. Letssss have sssome food and dissscusss termsss." He turned toward a table with bowls holding things Kagome didn't want to imagine. "But don't forget," he warned, turning back, "I hold your life in my handsss, and it isss only by my gracccce that you are ssstill alive, essspecially you, Balinda."

The miko wanted to know what he was referring to but decided now was not the time. Instead, she was shoved violently to the table with the foods and sat down on the hard ground. She looked at the demon before her, worried about his powers. Kagome had sensed three shards within the creature when he popped out of the ground, and now she saw them clearly: one in his forehead and two in his body. She cleared her throat.

"So, she failed to tell me who you are…sir," Kagome added the last part to appease the dangerous look in his eyes.

"Kobura-kun, but you can call me Kei," he then started to eat a rat demon that had been housed in a bowl.

Kagome cringed at his display. Oh Miroku, my love, come save me quickly!

Hey that's the next part. I have absolutely no intention of stopping until I'm finished, no worries. I finish what I start, I just meant that the story isn't going to be as long as my other one so don't expect a 50,000 word tale to come out of this. The updating is my fault and I'm trying to get better at it, but school hurts (no excuse, I know). Review please.

Rebecca Ashley