No One's There

You and me
We have no faces
Soon our lives they'll be erased
Do you think they will remember?
Or will we just be replaced?
Oh I wish that I could see,
How I wish that I could fly
All the things that hang above me
To a place where I can cry

KoRn

He stifled a low growl as he felt raindrops splashing against his flesh. Opening his eye a crack he saw thunderclouds gathering outside the window. The breeze was carrying in the icy rain. Sesshoumaru shifted, and then froze when he felt the heavy mass on top of him fidget. Tilting his head he saw thick, raven hair spilled out over him. 'The girl...what is she doing?'he asked himself. He tried to lift himself up and toss the human onto the floor, but his chest pained him too much. He was stuck.

"Five more minutes…" she muttered sleepily. Kagome shifted on top of him, burying her face in his neck. She was teetering on that annoying edge between sleep and awareness. Sesshoumaru let out a low sigh and place a hand on either of her arms, giving her a light shake. She jumped off of him, her dark eyes shooting open. They were glazed over in sleep and now pain. Sesshoumaru saw that she had dark and nasty bruises on her arms where he had attacked her the previous day. He sat up and stayed quiet, almost annoyed with the feeling in his gut that told him to tell her he was sorry. Instead he settled for asking her why she was wearing the sheet again.

"I used the kimono to press against your wound, you know, to stop the bleeding. You must not remember. You lost a lot of blood." she replied, crawling over to him. She began to peel off the fabric that his blood had crusted to the skin. She felt nausea wash over her when she heard the ripping of the skin in some of the harder to detach areas. "I'm sorry if I'm hurting you." she muttered. He put a hand on hers and gently moved her away before ripping off the cloth hastily. She grunted in disapproval and placed her hand on his chest and began to check the area for more bleeding or infections. Sesshoumaru was glad she wasn't looking at his face, glad she couldn't see that his eyes widened whenever her fingertips caressed his skin. She stopped her inspection and sat back on her knees, letting the rain spatter on her mostly bare body. Silence fell between them, this time being very awkward.

"You didn't have to help me." he broke the stillness, careful not to look directly at her. He didn't like how his brother's pet human was affecting him.

"Yes I did. We're partners now, and you don't let partners die. It's rule number one." she replied lightly, trying to brighten his mood. He seemed defeated almost, though his voice and expression would betray nothing. 'Something's wrong…he won't even look at me menacingly anymore.'

A sudden burst of boldness hit Kagome with force. She reached out and took his hand, almost gasping in surprise at how soft and delicate it was. She could feel every bone in it. A growl broke her out of her reverie.

"What are you doing?" he asked, eyeing her with suspicion.

"Trying to show you that having a friend is alright sometimes. Even if it is human. Now we can either argue about it, or you can shut up and help me try to figure all of this out. And I think you owe me one since I just saved your life." She replied, with each word getting bolder and bolder. Sesshoumaru snatched his hand back and looked at her, trying to understand her motives. 'Why is she acting so nice? No one would willingly pair with me.' he thought, a dim, unfamiliar pang of emotion hitting him.

"Fine. What did you have in mind?"

XoXoXoX

The palace itself was not what made their mouths drop open. The intricate hedge maze was what made their lips drop down in amazement. They were standing on marble steps that led down into the maze. From their elevation they could see a great fountain in the centre. Two huge rose trellises guarded the entrance to the maze. It looked like he hadn't been traversed in years.

"Enough gawking, let's go inside." came Inuyasha's gruff voice. Miroku could hear the pure anger hidden behind those words. It was going to be tough to keep him from rushing inside and killing Sesshoumaru the moment they laid eyes on him.

"Alright, but let me go first." the monk responded, walking in front of the group. He walked up the stairs leading to the grand entrance and pushed open the door.

The first thing any of them noticed was the smell of blood. It hung heavy and thick in the air.

"Look at it all…" Sango said as they stepped into the main room. She felt light-headed for a second. Dark blood was scattered all over the floor, some even dried onto the walls.

"It's mostly his…but not all of it. There was a battle here." Sango looked over to Inuyasha, who had his nose to the ground. Behind him, on the floor, something gleaming caught her eye.

"If that's what I think it is, then this can't be good…" she said, pointing to the object. Inuyasha looked in the direction and walked over to it. He shook his head as he picked up the bloody Tenseiga. Miroku was about to say something to Inuyasha, to utter any words of encouragement he could find, but he stopped when he saw his friend's ears twitching.

"What is it?"

"I hear someone crying." was all he said before he stormed off up a flight of stairs.

"I really wish he would stop doing that!" Sango yelled as she ran to catch up with him. When the finally found him he had his nose at the bottom of a door. As Miroku walked towards it he felt his skin prickling, as if telling him that to enter there was forbidden. 'Sesshoumaru's room…' he thought, part of him curious to see what was inside, the other part hesitant.

"It's locked." Inuyasha grunted, "But someone's in there."

"Well then let's just pick-" Sango's words of advice were cut off as Inuyasha used all his might to kick the heavy door open. A little girl screamed. Sango's maternal instincts caused her to run in front of Inuyasha into the room. She gasped. Sesshoumaru's room was white, pure white, down to the floor and the walls. There was a white desk sitting in the corner, oddly bare. The only other furnishing in the room was a high-backed white chair with gold inlay. The only thing out of place was the bed. It was a canopy bed, with scarlet silk strung from the ceiling and twirling around the ebony bedposts. The sheets were burgundy and looked like silk as well, and in the middle of the bed, huddling amongst the red and black pillows, was a little girl, her face pale from crying. Sango walked over to the girl and sat on the bed, sinking into its soft material.

"Wow. Not a lot of people have real beds, let alone nice ones like this." she heard Miroku say. Apparently the men had left her to deal with the girl.

"Hi. What's your name?" she asked, her voice dripping with sincerity. The girl looked at her, childlike curiosity blatant on her face. Her only reply was to bury her face in one of the lavish pillows. Sango tried again, "My name is Sango. Are you alright?" The girl looked up at her, torn between fear and wanting companionship. She frowned, a ridge forming between her eyebrows. Further urging from Sango caused the frown to deepen and the lines to wrinkle even more.

"Keep frowning like that, kid, and you'll end up looking like Jaken." Inuyasha said, suddenly behind Sango. Rin looked up at him, saw his long white hair and his gold eyes, and instantly liked him. She let out a long laugh.

"You look like Sesshoumaru!" she squealed.

"I'm his brother. Where is he? Do you know?" Sango shot him a look, trying to tell him he forgot something. "Oh and what's your name, kid?" The girl crawled over to him.

"Rin's my name! I don't know where he is, but I know he'll come back. He always does. Jaken went to search for him." she said, then confided in him about how Jaken had gone to look for some person called 'Inuyasha.'

"Well, looks like we must have passed him. It must be serious if Jaken actually wants to help." he contemplated.

"Who wants to bet that Naraku had something to do with this?" Miroku said, walking over to the group.

"Problem is we have no clue where he is…" Sango whispered, the odd feeling of defeat creeping into her. She looked into Inuyasha's face and found that his eyes were blank. She could only begin to understand just what he was feeling.

"Maybe if you had the right connections, you could easily find him." a voice, sickeningly sweet, came out of nowhere. The group turned to see Kagura, her red eyes blazing. Inuyasha quickly grabbed the hilt of the Tetsusaiga.

"What do you want?" he asked her. Sango grabbed Rin and clutched her tight, checking to make sure that Miroku had Shippo.

"I'm here to give you information about Naraku's whereabouts, that's all." she said sweetly, stalking into the room.

"And why would you want to help us?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well where is he then?" Inuyasha growled, almost aching to take a swing at her. Miroku glanced over at him, almost sure that this was a trap, but just as sure that Inuyasha knew but didn't care.

"Here. I'd get there soon, if I were you." she said, a laugh suppressed behind the words. She handed a piece of paper to Inuyasha and almost as quick as she had appeared, she was gone.

"Inuyasha this is foolish, you know that this is a trap." Miroku began, but he was quickly stopped by Inuyasha.

"I know. But we're going. If it's a trap then we'll fight our way out. Simple as that." he said before walking out of the room.

"What about Rin? We can't just leave her!" Sango said, trying to pull Rin's arms off from around her neck. Miroku said they'd take her and give her back to Sesshoumaru when they found him.

"I don't know about you, Sango, but I feel that we may be walking knowingly towards our death…"

XoXoXoX

When Naraku paid his second visit to the pair, they were ready. As soon as they heard his footsteps Kagome took her place in the corner, as Sesshoumaru stood by the bars, just as before. 'Please let this work!' Kagome chanted in her head. It was risky, but thinking that it wasn't going to work wasn't going to get them anywhere. Naraku turned the corner, his dark eyes instantly searching out Sesshoumaru. She smiled when she saw a key hanging loosely on a chain on his neck. A smile played on his lips.

"No embrace today?" he asked mockingly, standing as close as he could get to Sesshoumaru. Kagome, though angered, let the comment slide. She had a script rehearsed, and after all the planning they put into it, she was not going to blow it by some stupid comment. She rushed to the bars and grabbed them, looking Naraku in the eyes.

"Please let me out, please. I'll do anything. What do you need me for anyway?" she asked, genuinely curious. He regarded her for an icy second before returning his gaze to the silent demon lord.

"It's true, the girl is expendable. All I needed was to lure Inuyasha here and as long as he believes she is here, he will come." he said, turning to look at Kagome. "But that certainly doesn't mean I can just let you go." 'Go figure. He wants to kill Inuyasha. What's new?' she thought, almost smiling. The list of people who had a grudge against Inuyasha was growing a lot faster than he was killing them. She waited for Sesshoumaru to speak his lines.

"Then why am I here?" he said, making his voice sound as bored as he could manage. Kagome acted annoyed at his question.

"Because you've beaten me before. I'm stronger now and I don't see why I shouldn't add you to the mix." Kagome glanced at Sesshoumaru, saw his brows knit a little. He was confused.

"So you want to kill two birds with one stone?" She said icily. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had beaten Naraku before, no doubt it bruised he ego and he wanted to take them out in a dramatic fight. Sesshoumaru glared at her. She wasn't following the plan. She cleared her throat and began again.

"So kill him, let me go. Please! What do you want me to do? I'll do whatever you want…" she said, letting her voice trail and leaving the question open. She raised her eyebrow suggestively, knowing that she wasn't the one that he wanted. And of course, he voiced her thoughts.

"I'm sorry Kagome, but you're not…my type." He said. Sesshoumaru wished vehemently that he wasn't so weak. He only agreed to the stupid plan because he felt the need to get Kagome out of the cell, a need that had become a goal after she declared herself his friend. Even so, he was against it until she played viciously on his sense of practicality.

"Fine, then take him. Let me out. I'm clearly not needed." she said, nodding in Sesshoumaru's direction. Naraku let out a low chuckle.

"Once again, I'm sorry Kagome, but I don't think you're companion here would agree to your plan."

"Why don't you ask me?" Sesshoumaru asked him. The question caught Naraku by surprise, but he quickly covered it by sneering at him. He didn't say anything. "If it will get her out of here, I can't see the harm in humouring you."

"Then humour me." he said, his voice daring Sesshoumaru. Kagome moved slightly closer to them, hoping Sesshoumaru would keep up his part of the deal. He walked forward, placing a hand on either side of the bar, and only Kagome could see the slight hesitation. She remembered what she said to him earlier 'Remember. It's practical. If it gets us out, who cares what measures need to be taken? Don't you want to see Rin again?' She knew it was cruel, but she needed to get out. She watched as he leaned forward and laid his lips on Naraku's. She jumped when the dark-haired demon placed his hand on Sesshoumaru's neck, pulling him closer. She felt heat rush up to her face as she stood there, frozen, watching them kiss. Sesshoumaru ran his hand over Naraku's chest, up to his neck, up to the key. She watched him deftly use a sharp nail to slice through the thread that held the key to the chain, grabbing it before it could fall. Naraku didn't notice anything. Now she needed to save Sesshoumaru.

"Enough!" she yelled, pretending to be horrified. Naraku looked at her, his lips red, and thin rivulet of blood running from the top one. 'I always knew Sesshoumaru was rough…' she caught herself thinking, feeling another wave of heat course through her. "Now let me go." she said, knowing that he wouldn't.

"No. It's more fun to have you watch. I'll be back later." he said maliciously, turning the corner, never once checking to see if the key was still there. Kagome felt joy burst through her, making her want to jump up and down like she had never jumped before. Even the dank cell seemed liveable. She almost laughed when she looked over to Sesshoumaru. His face betrayed nothing but she could sense that he was severely pissed. She tried to stifle her laugh but it didn't help. Her body was racked with giggles.

"It's not funny."

"Oh yes it is. Cheer up! You just took one for the team." she reassured him. In a rush of 'going with the flow' she bounded over to him and did the last thing she ever thought she would do in her life, she stood on tiptoe and gave him a light peck on the lips. She froze and felt his body tense. She looked up at him, almost scared.

"I'm sorry…I…" she couldn't come up with a rational thought. Truth was she didn't have one.

"Let's go." he said, brushing past her and unlocking the door. She was almost annoyed by how he didn't seem to care that she just kissed him. 'What, like I want him to care?' she scolded herself. And then it dawned on her. How was she going to get back to Inuyasha?

"Where will we be going?" she asked him, refusing to look him in the eyes.

"I am going home. You can go wherever you please." he said, starting to walk away.

"Wait! You're not going to help me?"

"No."

"I have no clue where to find Inuyasha. Help me. I can't just go searching in the wilderness by myself." she pleaded, hating the sound of panic in her voice. Sesshoumaru hated to admit it to himself, but the panic caused him to hurt. He wanted to help her, but he couldn't openly say it.

"Fine. Come with me. When we reach my palace, Ah and Un will help you in your search. If I am correct, my home can't be more than a few days west of here." he replied, hoping she could understand his bitterness. She looked at him for a long few moments. 'I know I should be worried, but I'm not. That can't be good.' "Well, do you want my help or not? I suggest you answer quickly as it is not offered very often. And Naraku will find out about our escape any minute. Time is against us." She stayed quiet, taking in the impact of his words, and then smiled, and though he hated to admit it, he was pleased.

"I'd like that; I'd like that very much."

XoXoXoX

A/N - Wow, so many reviewers! That makes me uber happy. I know, I know, there isn't much Inuyasha and company, but there will be in the next chapter, I swear! Review please!