Hey, guys! From the reveiws I got, I see you guys really 'LOVED' mu little cliffie... (hehe) Anyway, I'm sure you guys don't want to listen to me ramble on, so here's the chapter! Enjoy! Oh yeah, I'm only one reveiw away from 150! Go reveiw!

This chapter is dedicated to my buddy, Hanyou Vixen, who was also my first reveiwer! You rock!

12 - Race Against Murder

The group looked at the large building being engulfed by the flames. It had been almost fifteen minutes since the bomb exploded, yet the firemen had found no one in the building- alive or dead. Sango was clingling to Miroku, crying her magenta eyes out. Miroku was silent. It was all he could do not to get up and throw himself in the flames. 'It's all my fault...' was all that ran through him mind continuous.

Suddenly Sesshomaru, who haden't taken his eyes off the intense flames for a second, called out. "Look!" he hollered in an uncharacteristic voice full of surprise. All the heads turned as a shadow crept toward them in the flames. From what they could see, it was a man, carrying something, with distinguishable little triangles on his head...

"Inuyasha!" the group called as the figure emerged from the flames. It was indeed Inuyasha, covered in small burn marks, carrying an unconscious Kagome bridal style in his arms. He staggered over to the group, being bombarded with hugs from everyone, even an emotional Sesshomaru.

He plopped down on the ground, not letting go of Kagome. Kagura called over the ambluence, noticing that Kagome wasn't waking up. "Kagome... Kagome..." Inuyasha called to her lifeless body in a hoarse voie as his mind also started to cloud over with unconsciouness. Finally, after a struggle with the medics when they tried to take Kagome away from him, Inuyasha submitted to the comfort of darkness that now blanketed his mind.

Sesshomaru pulled some strings in the hospital to get the most exclusive room for the two burnt and tattered teens. Miroku and Sango stayed by Kagome and Inuyasha's side at all times, seeing that they were in the same room with their beds next to eachother. Miroku still blamed himself for what happened, no matter what Sango said. Kagura and the kids came everyday to check up on them, and Sesshomaru dropped by every couple of days to see if they had woken up yet.

It had been a week since the fire when Inuyasha first opened his eyes. He sqinted at the hospital lighting, his mind racing. But the first thing that came to mind was 'Where's Kagome?' He quickly sat up, regretting it as a sharp pain on his chest caused him to collapse on the bed again.

Sango and Miroku saw this and sprinted over to his bedside immediately. "Inuyasha!" Sango said as he carefully hugged her cousin. His body had multiple small burns all over it, causing great pain even to the ever-tough Inuyasha.

His eyes darted around him, examining his foreign surroundings. Even with over half of the room covered by a large white curtain, he could tell where they were. A hospital. The many machines made various noises and the white walls made his amber eyes burn. His nose picked up the sweet scent of Kagome, mixed with blood. He ran his eyes to the bed next to his, and there was his Kagome.

And what a sight she was. Her pale face was mostly covered with an oxygen mask, enabling her to breathe easier. The raven black locks that had once been shiny and full were now dull and flat, plastered across the linen pillowcase. Cloth bandages covered various points of her body where burns had been inflicted by the ravenous flames that compleately destroyed his brother's hotel. He couldn't even see her bright brown eyes underneath their lids in her sleeping state.

"Has she woken up yet?" were the first words that came out of his mouth. Miroku and Sango exchanged worried glances, confirming his thoughts. He slipped his clawed hand into her small, clammy one and held it tightly. 'Please, Kagome. Wake up. I need you with me.'

"So Inuyasha... What exactly happened in the hotel?" Sango asked slowly. She felt Miroku tense up behind her, and she slipped her hand in his.

"Well, it's mainly a blur, but I can remember most of it..." he said as he dug into his memory to find what took place before he trudged out of the flames.

- flash back

Inuyasha looked at Kagome's sleeping face. 'Such a serene look... that's how I always want her to look. Happy.' Suddenly he heard the door of the apartment slam. Worried that something might have happened, he carefully picked Kagome up bridal style. 'Like hell I'm gonna leave her in here' he thought.

As he approached the livingroom, his silver ears were hit with a small ticking noise. At first it annoyed him, that constant clicking. When he found that nothing was wrong, except for the fact that the place was compleately empty, he decided to investigate that aggrivating ticking noise. He approached where he thought it came from. 'The fire?' he thought as he took a closer look. Then it hit him. 'A bomb!?!'

He sprinted for the nearest escape - a window. "Inuyasha, what's going on?" a sleepy Kagome said from his arms.

"Theres a bomb in the appartment."

She was stunned as he sat her down so he could unlatch the window. His ears were sensitive to the increasing speed of the ticking as he fumbled with the lock that had been placed there for their safety. "Damn it to hell!" he said as his fist connected with the glass, shattering it to millions of little pieces.

As soon as the glass shattered, he heard the final click. 'We're out of time!' he thought furiously as he dived at Kagome, who was sitting on the floor crying.

"Inu-" That's all he heard before the explosion. After a moment he shook his head. Over all, he was okay, beside quite a few burns on his body. Suddenly he looked down at Kagome. She was unconsious in his strong arms, small burns all over her body as well. Just as quickly as the bomb exploded, smoke filled the room. Inuyasha couldn't see, breathe, or smell anything besides smoke. He coughed loudly, trying to wave some of the smoke away. Kagome was coughing even in her uncoicious state. 'I've got to get her out of here, now!' he thought as he got up. 'But how in the hell can I get her out of here if I can't even tell where the window is, damn it!!'

He closed his eyes in concentration. On one side of his body he felt extreme heat, most likely where the bomb exploded. The other side felt a breeze hit his arm, even through the smoke. 'There! There's the window!' He picked Kagome up and went in the direction of the cool air. Reaching out a hand he felt to wall, and after a bit of searching found the window as well. By the time he did, the flames were licking at his heels, threatening to consume both of the love-struck teens. Holding Kagome with one hand, he punched more glass out of the window, making a hole big enough for himself and Kagome to slip out. He peeked cautiously out the window. A grim smirk crossed his face. 'Straight down from the top floor. Nice.'

The inu-hanyou hopped to the windowsill, and stepped out of the window. He flipped his body around, grabbing the side of the building with the arm that wasn't cradling Kagome. Unfortunately, he lost his grip, and the couple went plumeting to earth.

- end flash back

"That's the last thing I remember. How did we get here?"

"You came walking out of the fire, holding Kagome. Then you fought with the paramedics..." Sango started to say. "Wait. You don't remember any of that?"

"... No." he said after a struggle. "I don't remember anything except for what I told you."

He looked over at Kagome again. She looked so peaceful, yet he knew that she was lost in her own mind.

At that instant, Sesshomaru and Kagura walked in. "Inuyasha!" both said at the same time and ran to his bedside. After a small fuss, they sat down and listened to his story once again.

Sesshomaru looked worriedly over to Kagome. "She's not awake yet."

"No..." the three teens replied in unison.

Sesshomaru seemed to be thinking long and hard about something. "Umm... Sessh?" Sango said as she tapped him on the shoulder. Then he stood up and walked to Inuyasha's side and looked his brother straight in the eyes.

"They know the four of you are here."

Instantly Inuyasha shot out of the bed. "How?"

"I'm not sure, but they know. You need to get out of here now."

"But what about Kagome?" Inuyasha said as his eyes wandered back over to his girlfriend.

"I have an idea, but I don't think you'll like it."

"Who cares as long as we're safe? Now, spill it!"

"If you gave her some of your half-demon blood, then she would heal quicker."

Inuyasha looked to Kagome yet again. "Do you really think so?"

"I know so."

"... Okay, how do I do this?"

Sesshomaru looked at him. "You know there will be some minor side effects."

"Minor side effects?"

He nodded. "Her senses will be heightened and her apperance might change slightly."

"... I don't care, we need to leave." Inuyasha decided with a swift nod of his head. "How do I do it?" he asked again.

"Inuyasha, are you sure? I mean, what if Kagome doesn't-" Samgo started before Inuyasha interrupted.

"It won't matter what she thinks if she's dead!" he shot back to the wide-eyed girl. Miroku brought her to his side and kissed her cheek, calming her.

Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru expectantly. Then he did something that cause Inuyasha to lunge at him, claws outstreched. He had created a good sized gash in Kagome's arm.

"You bastard! Why'd you do that?" Inuyasha said as he struggled with his brother, who easily held him back.

"How else do we get your blood into her system? Since she's not awake, she can't swallow it. So if you have any better suggestions, go for it." he said with his usual monotone voice.

He was quite for a moment. "... Fine. Now do I just put some blood into the cut, or what?"

Sesshomaru walked over and made another slice, this time in Inuyasha's arm. "Hey!"

"Shut up, puppy."

"Feh!" Sesshomaru put Inuyasha's arm over Kagome's, having the blood drip in her system.

After ten minutes of wrapping up each of the teen's new wounds, they all sat down. "Well?" Inuyasha asked Sesshomaru.

"Wait."

Another couple minutes went by in silence. Suddenly, Kagome's eyes shot open and she sprung up from the hospital bed. Inuyasha ran to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Inuyasha... I feel funny..." He stepped back to look at her. He couldn't see must a first, but then he noticed the small changes. Her visible muscles were toned, but not bulging. The raven locks that drapped over her shoulders were now shiny and healthy. To Inuaysha, the biggest change was her eyes. They were still brown, yet they now had minature flecks of gold that glimmered with the lighting in the bright room. Her pupils were slightly smaller, almost looking like Inuyasha's. But none of that mattered to him.

"I'll explain everything later. Right now we need to leave."

"Why?" she said with a sleepy expression as she tilted her head cutely.

"Just... we've got to go."

"They know were here, don't they?"

He looked to her eyes. It would take time to adjust, but he kind of like the new look to her eyes. They were almost wild, yet they still held her kindness. "... Yeah."

"Then let's go!" she proclaimed. "Now, where's my shoes..." she said as she scanned the room.

"You mean you don't hurt at all?" Miroku questioned.

"No..." she said thoughtfully as she slipped on her newly found shoes. "Not at all. Lucky, huh?"

"Yeah, really lucky..." Sango said with a glance to Inuyasha.

They raced out of the hospital to the car garage. When they arrived to their destination, all four teens stared in awe.

"That is the coolest car I've ever seen!" Miroku said, being the first to regain his voice.

"Take it," Sesshomaru said as he threw the keys to Inuyasha.

"Seriously?" Kagome asked, now fully awake from her week-long nap.

"Yes. It's the fastest car on the road. Inuyasha, the hag it expecting you."

"Got it," Inuyasha said, amused at the looks on his friends faces.

"But what about you guys..." Sango asked.

Kagura went to her husband's side. "We'll be fine. You guys get going, we'll see you later."

They all called good bye as they climbed in and Inuyasha turned on the ignition. He grinned as he listened to the mechanical purring noise, then pulled out onto the street, leaving skid marks in his wake.

It had been nearly fifteen minutes, and all had been calm. And quiet. No one spoke out of pure adrenaline and fear. It was Miroku who broke the ice. "Well, maybe Sesshomaru was wrong, and they aren't coming for us after all."

As if to answer his statement, a bullet shattered the back windshield and whizzed through the car, exiting through the front windshield. Inuyasha swerved slightly, but maintained control of the sports car. He put his foot down, putting the car to a speed of 90, now slowly rising to 100. Another shot cut the air as everyone besides Inuyasha ducked down in their seat.

"Hey, guess what I found!" Miroku called.

"This isn't the time for guessing games!" Kagome yelled from the front seat.

She gasped when he held up a gun. "Guess Sesshomaru thought ahead..." Sango mused. She was cut short by the sound of another shot ringing out from the quickly approaching car behind them.

"Inuyasha, there are other people around!" Kagome said suddenly as she saw the blur of a car as they passed.

"Got it." He made a jerky turn to the right, heading to a side road that no one used anymore. Of coarse, the black car followed behind them. Miroku sat up in the seat and turned around, attempting to hit the car with the gun he found. Instead, he hit a bird flying a good twenty feet above it.

"Hey, I hit a bird!" he said excitedly.

Sango sighed and grabbed the gun. "Let me show you how it's done." She aimed the gun at the car, and pulled the trigger.

A loud pop was heard and the black car swerved off the road into a ditch. "Yeah! Go Sango!" Kagome called, giving Sango a high five.

"That's what they get for screwing with us. Hope they have a spare tire..." Sango laughed.

As he shook his head, Inuaysha pulled onto another road, heading again for their new hiding spot. He didn't slow until he reached the main road. Twenty minutes later they found themselves infront on a large Victorian style house in the middle of nowhere.

As they got out, Kagome asked, "Is this where we're hiding?"

"Yep," he said with a grin as the large double doors creaked open, revealing a gleaming eye through the crack.

To my friends and Reveiwers -

Hanyou Vixen - Ahh! Not the hammer! (hides in corner) Hehe... TTYL!

Suaru - Well, hope this was okay! Sorry for being so evil... (sighs)

crypticgoddess - No, not this time. Try again, though! Thanks!

bby x dorii - Yeah, I guess I was slightly evil... but actually, it was knida fun... :P

Anime-Devil-101 - Yeah, I wouldn't have much of a story if I killed off the main characters, now would I? Hehe...

Mori'quessir - NO!!!!!! (hides under covers) I've had to do a lot of hiding this chapter... Anyway, I'm sorry! It was just a cliffie... no need for elvish... like I would kill the cutest couple on the face of the anime earth! (cries) No more elvish! Ahh!

ranmayuusuke930 - Aww, come on. Don't hate Miroku. He was just trying to give them some 'alone time'... (What a pervert...) But I think he feels bad enough, so don't bash him! Anyway, hope your legs aren't numb anymore. TTYL, jay!

xox.:Mandie:.xox - Hey! Don't have a foul mouth! J/K! Anyway, I have a good feeling it will last a little while at least. I haven't ran out of inspiration yet, anyway! Thanks so much!

fluffyearedinulvr - Well, I didn't update until now... Hope you're not in a straight jacket by now! ;P

Lost-in-Dark - Thanks! I wanted to make it kinda exciting, so I'm glad you thought it was! Nice to know some of my goals are being accomplished!

Inuyashasonly1 - Well, they're okay now... Yes, I'm so cruel to my characters! Hehe... (laughs evily)

maria - I never thought of being an author... hmmm... interesting idea. Anyway, Thanks! It's nice to know that you check everyday for a new chappie! (I usually update on weekends, cause during the week I'm fairly busy. Just thought Id tell you! :P)

Inugirl540 - So, was my lovely cliffie 'off da heesy'? I tried talking like that to my friends, and they looked at me like this - Oo - and said never to do that again... (sighs) Oh well! Thanks!

animebaby08060 - Hope this was quick enough... I am a busy girl! :)

kougamustdie - Thanks so much! :D

Okay, guys! What did you think? Good, Bad, Awesome, Crappy? Tell me! REVEIW! Let's see... the next chapter will be dedicate to , my first reveiwer of coarse, and the person who can guess who the gang it staying with in the house at the end of the chapter! YAY! Until next time, Adios, my amigos and amigas! (gotta love foreign language class!)

p.s. - Go read my other fic 'Summer of a Lifetime'! I'd really appreciate it!

Ash