Chapter 11: The Escape

Kagome gripped tightly onto the tiny pink jewel enclosed in her hand and stared fearlessly up into the golden orbs of her predator. "You were not meant to use its power Sesshomaru." She muttered with an infuriated look. Holding the jewel to her chest she struggled to pull herself up onto her knees. The force of the separation between Sesshomaru and the Shikon no Tama had engulfed her body with weakness and pain to move around. "It was to be used only for good. Not for a despicable, self-righteous and revolting demon such as yourself!" She spat through raged pants for air.

Sesshomaru snarled his fangs at the girl and wrapped his clawed hand around her tiny neck. Lifting her into the air he met her eye to eye and chuckled menisly as he watched her body squirm and try to free herself from this choking. "Now my dear, its my turn to play." Squeezing his hand tighter, her muffled screams and pleads for him to stop were like music to his demonic ears.

"Inu…Inu…" She whispered as Sesshomaru attempted to close her throat and kill her on the spot. Pulling at his arm, kicking and moving violently around she tried to get free so to breathe again.

Inuyasha lifted his nose into the air and sniffed frantically around for Kagome's scent. "Something's wrong!" He panicked, jumping up onto his bare feet and running to the door that behind held Kagome. "It's Kagome! Her scent is fading!" He heaved his body weight into the wood in an attempt to get through but only remained in the same room. 'She's dying!' His mind screamed with worry.

"How can that be Inuyasha? She's right in there." Miroku stated calmly, folding his arms across his chest and stepping beside the troubled hanyou.

Sango stood on the other side of Inuyasha and nodded. "I have to agree with Miroku. You just need to calm down Inuyasha. Kagome will be just fine." She smiled and lightly patted his shoulder.

Inuyasha glared at the doorway ahead of him and roughly pushed back both Miroku and Sango. "You don't understand! Kagome's in trouble!" Taking a step backwards he cracked his knuckles and prepared himself to take down the door that blocked his entrance. Kagome was in need of his help and no one would stand in his way. "If you don't want to get chopped into pieces then stand back! It's your own fault if I hit you! I will bare you no remorse!" With that in mind said, he leapt into the air and clawed at the door. "Iron Revere Soul Stealer!"

"What?" Sesshomaru gasped, losing his attention from Kagome and now onto his furious younger hanyou half brother. Releasing his grip around Kagome's neck he let her drop to the ground then turned to face the intruder. "Why do you disturb me Inuyasha? Is it that you are ready for another hunt?" He smirked and dragged his clawed finger across his chin.

Inuyasha watched in fear as Kagome's body lay still on the ground, not having moved at all from when she was dropped. Glaring at Sesshomaru he growled and cracked his knuckles once again as a threat to the youkai. "Like hell I do you bastard. I ain't playing any more of your fucking games!" Pouncing at the demon he screamed and slashed at his face only to be caught around the wrists.

Sesshomaru grinned at his brother's sad attempt to rid him of the earth and he stared deep into his angered golden eyes. "Just because I am weaker than before doesn't mean that you can defeat me so easily Inuyasha. I am after all a demon…unlike yourself." He spat and threw the hanyou back again to where he had barged in.

Starring cluelessly at his older brother, Inuyasha couldn't figure out just what he had meant about being weaker. What did Kagome do to him that took away his former strength? "The Shikon Jewel." He whispered to himself, gazing over Kagome's lifeless body. She was a miko but could she have really had the ability to return the jewel back into her possession? There was no way. It wasn't possible.

Sesshomaru stared down at the young girl who held the key to unleashing his demonic powers. His younger brother couldn't stop him and so there was no absolute danger in retrieving the sacred jewel. Hovering over her fallen body he grinned down on her. He still loved her, yes, but he didn't have any intentions of treating her so gently anymore. Not after what she had just done to him. Her bangs hid her faded eyes that if seen, would melt away his evilness but it was her hand that enclosed the jewel that angered him. "Soon though, I'll be back."

Inuyasha growled as Sesshomaru inched closer to Kagome. 'She must have it!' Running at the demon, he clawed across his left shoulder, knocking him to the ground. He obviously wasn't expecting his little brother to do something so bold and dangerous in a situation like this. Inuyasha knelt down to Kagome's side and scooped her up into his arms. Her head rolled into his chest and he pulled her closer into his body. Gazing fearfully into her empty eyes, he hoped to the heavens that she had not left him for good. Sesshomaru's loud growl brought his attention back to the situation he was in and he immediately made a run for the door.

"Kagome!" Sango screamed in horror as her friend's body came carried out in Inuyasha's arms. 'She can't be dead! Not her, please not her!' Hot tears burned her eyes and she couldn't hold them in at the sight of her friend. Kagome's face was a ghostly white and her eyes showed no signs of life.

Inuyasha pushed past the crying girl and shouted, "We have to leave now! Don't fall behind!" He ran down the hall and disappeared around the dark corner.

Miroku frowned and snatched onto Sango's hand. "Lets go!" Pulling her forward he led them both after the sprinting hanyou.

"Please Miroku, tell me she's going to be ok." Sango pleaded over the shoulder of the man. She couldn't bare seeing Kagome like this. Even after they had shut her eyes, it still hurt her to look at her.

Miroku sighed lightly and ran his hand through his hair. "She'll be fine. She's just been knocked out." He looked up at the crescent moon in the blackened sky and was very thankful that their companion had survived.

Sango smiled brightly and whipped away at her tear soaked eyes and cheeks. "Thank goodness." She watched the sleeping girl and felt relieved that soon she would awake.

Standing to his feet, Miroku looked down at Inuyasha who still held Kagome in his arms having refused to let her go. He smiled and brushed his robe free of dirt. "Don't worry Inuyasha, I said she'll be ok."

Inuyasha scowled at the monk. "You just don't understand do you?" He lowered his head into his chest to hide his emotions from his friends and forced back the tears that threatened to fall for Kagome's sake.

Miroku was caught off guard by Inuyasha's sudden mood swing and he stared down at the hanyou. "What do you mean Inuyasha?"

"Are you that stupid monk!" Snapped back Inuyasha. "Kagome could have died in there and neither I nor you could have been able to do a thing!" A tiny droplet of salted water slipped from the corner of his eye and dropped onto Kagome's cheek.

"Inu…yasha…" Whispered the soft voice of Kagome. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open and she gazed up at Inuyasha's saddened face. Her body ached but she managed to shift herself up in his lap. Placing her hand on his cheek she gently lifted his face to look at hers. "Inuyasha? What's wrong?"

"Ka-Kagome?" He stammered, instantly opening his eyes to see only hers shimmering in the moonlight that seeped through the tree branches above them. His mouth curved into a smile and he immediately embraced her tightly into his body. "I'm so glad you're alive." Her beautiful scent filled his senses again like before and he never wanted to let her go.

Kagome laughed at his actions and rested her head against his neck. "I got something Inuyasha." She looked down at her hand and rubbed her fingers over the surface of the object she had stolen from the demon lord.

Inuyasha let her loose and peered down at her closed hand. He knew what she had and dreaded the thought of what Sesshomaru would do to them to get it back. Putting his hand over hers, he peeled back her fingers and gazed at the tiny pink jewel that before he had wanted so badly.

"The Shikon no Tama." Gasped Sango, holding her fingers to her lip. She was astonished and yet confused by how Kagome now had it.

Miroku's eyes widened at Sango's mention of the sacred jewel and he stared down at Kagome to see if it was true. And there it sat, in the hand of the reincarnated priestess. "But…how?" He asked full of curiosity.

Kagome smiled up at her friends and was very willing to tell them the story. "I got it back with the help of Midoriko and-" She quickly turned to Inuyasha and was afraid to finish her sentence. He said that he loved her but had he totally forgotten about his lost love Kikyo? In a way it could be used to test his feelings for her but she was scared to be hurt once again.

"And who?" Miroku pushed for answers. Having the jewel back in their possession gave him a new hope for survival.

Inuyasha stared into her eyes and knew exactly who she was going to say helped her. Sighing lightly he smiled and wrapped his arm around Kagome's waist. "It was Kikyo wasn't it?" He asked rubbing his hand on her side. He had a feeling it was Kikyo just by the way Kagome had looked at him. Of course, he now had no more feelings for Kikyo, he was totally committed to Kagome.

Kagome nodded slowly, relieved that he already knew who she was trying to talk about. "Yes…Kikyo. She and Midoriko helped me get the jewel back. They somehow knew this was going to happen…that we would get it back again." She smiled and closed her hand again over the jewel.

Sango sighed and stepped beside Miroku. "Well I'm glad we have it back Kagome, and you of course too. It's-"

"You are all going to wish for your death you vermin!" Crows took off from the trees above their heads at the shrill of Sesshomaru's angered voice. The dark forest silenced, only faded echoes of his voice remained.

Kagome instantly jumped into Inuyasha's chest and gripped tightly onto his haori above his shoulders. She bit down on her bottom lip and buried her face into his chest. Sesshomaru's threats to her life were terrifying her and she wasn't too positive about their survival anymore. "He's coming." She whispered nervously.

Inuyasha frowned and looked back in the direction from whence they escaped, holding Kagome protectively against his body. He swore to himself that no more harm would come to her. "That son of a bitch." Reaching down to his left hip, panic struck him like a lightning bolt as his second most important possession to him was no longer there. "Shit!" How could he save his friends and his lover from Sesshomaru's death grip without his Tetseiga?