Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long. First I had to debate whether or not I was going to add a new chapter here, and once I had decided that I was going to, I had to decide what to write. So what happens to Inuyasha in this chapter differs from the older version. In the first version he falls into a river, climbs out, and is reunited with Kagome all in the same chapter. But that's way to easy. So I threw in some stuff to confuse you guys! Hehehe. We meet a new character in this chapter that won't become important until the sequal I'm planning. But some things she talks about will make sense in later chapters of this fic. Anyway, I'm glad you guys are enjoying it so far! I hope you like this chapter just as much, if not more!

And now, to my wonderful reviewers... I love you guys! (sniff)

To Sukuri 99: AHH! (cowers) Well... I'm not sure you could call it safe... but he's not dead!

To Anonymous: Hehehe, don't worry, he's not dead. Thanks for the review!

To Nevaeh: Glad you like it! Hehehe, me too! Where would my story go if I killed him? I wonder...

To Inuyasha Fan: (looks suspicious) Hey... have you read the first version? Or are you phsycic or something? Weird... Anyway, glad you enjoy it!

To Inume88: That's a really cool idea! You should try making that into a story! I'd love to incorporate that into my fic somehow but I couldn't figure out how to make it fit. Glad you like it so far!

To Inubaby2: Alright! Geez! Hehehe, I know, I am slow.

To Angel-from-hell321: More good ideas! Well, alright... I kinda lied about the soft thing... but what atleast what he lands on isn't pointy... eh heh... Thanks for the review!

To Branch of tree la: I like to think what he lands on has the best of both those worlds... well, kind of... Anyway, glad you like it!

To FreakTurd151: (snort) I'm sorry, I just saw your name and burst out laughing. That's great! hehehe, anyway, thanks for the review!

To Orlandoroxmysox: You know, no one's ever noticed that before... I never even noticed that! That's awesome! Hahaha, thanks for the review!

To Orangepencils: Ooooohh, you're pretty close in a way. There's a reason that won't work just yet. Hopefully you'll pick up on it later. But they will indeed use fire eventually! Thanks for the review!

Phew! Thanks again to all of you! I hope you like this chapter!

Chapter 5: Bridging the Gap

The darkness was so absolute that it was overwhelming, suffocating. But even as endless as it appeared, it felt fake. That coupled with the utter silence made the air feel even heavier with tension. The complete lack of sound also seemed false, as if the whole scene was staged.

"Where the hell am I?" When he spoke, Inuyasha stepped backwards in alarm. His voice hadn't carried like it would in an open area... it had sounded like he had been talking straight into a wall. He lifted a hand to explore the area in front of him, but found nothing.

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha whirled around at the sound of Kagome's voice, searching frantically. As his gaze fell upon her, the distance between them gave the space dimension and depth. She held out her hand in an invitation. "Kagome!" Relieved, he reached out for her, only to watch her disappear. "Kagome?"

She reappeared farther away, standing and smiling widely at him. She waved and took an eager step towards him. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha watched, paralyzed, as her face lost all color; contorting in pain as a labored gasp broke from her lips. She slumped forward, supported only by the gnarled hand clutching a fistful of her hair. Her eyes were blank and empty, unseeing as he called desperately for her. "Kagome!" Finally able to move, he found himself moving farther away from her with each passing stride. He stopped, his confusion giving way to driving anger as Kagome's captor made himself known.

Midori emerged from the darkness; a sinister grin on his lips. He pulled Kagome's lifeless form against him, taking one motionless hand in his own and tipping her back slightly. His eyes locked with Inuyasha's before he dipped his head.

"No! Kagome!"

The plant-like man sneered, his tongue snaking out to brush across the girl's cheek. Giving a cold, satisfied laugh, he leaned in, pressing his lips firmly against Kagome's. He withdrew for a moment, just enough to send Inuyasha a cryptic message. "She is mine."


"Nnn... Kagome..." Inuyasha mumbled, thrashing slightly as he began to regain consciousness. "No... Ka... Kagome!"

"Kagome?" Came the quiet, curious response.

"I... Huh?" He spoke drowsily, blinking up at a ceiling he had never seen before.

"Ah, so you're already awake, are you?" A childlike giggle followed the statement.

"What the hell?" Bolting upright, Inuyasha searched for the source of the voice. A moment later he groaned regretfully, curling in on himself as a dull, pulsing ache shot through his entire body. He collapsed back onto the thin mattress beneath him, panting from the exertion. His vision wavered, but he could make out a small form kneeling beside him. "What the hell happened?" He wondered aloud. "Where the hell am I?"

"You're in my house, silly!" Girlish laughter filled the small room again, the sound strangely disarming.

"Your house, huh?" Inuyasha propped himself up on an elbow. Finally being able to see again, his eyes fell upon what appeared to be a young girl. "And who are you, exactly?"

The girl tilted her head and smiled warmly. She had deep blue eyes that reminded him a lot of Kagome's, and thick dark hair that was full of what looked like little flowers and leaves. In fact, it would have looked like she had been rolling around in a bush had the little blossoms not been so intricately woven. "My name is Kurenai!" She scooted closer, leaning uncomfortably close to his face. "And who might you be?"

The hanyou blinked uneasily. "Uh... Inuyasha." He eyed the child, trying to estimate her age. Judging from her appearance, she could not have been much older than Kagome's brother Souta. "Now, how did I get here?" He gestured vaguely around the small hut.

Kurenai shrugged. "I dunno... One minute I was outside tending to my flowers, and then the next you came crashing right through my roof!" She glanced upwards.

Following her gaze, Inuyasha caught sight of a gaping hole in the roof. Noting the pile of rubble that lay on the floor under it, he flinched. "No wonder I'm so sore..."

"I was surprised to find you still alive, let alone with no broken bones at all." Kurenai reached over and, before he could react, started tugging at his ears. "But you are a half demon, after all."

Jerking away, Inuyasha growled. He didn't care who this little kid thought she was, nobody touched his ears. "Hey, stop that!" He sat up, feeling his body healing quickly, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Awww..." The girl whined, beating her small fists on her legs. The immature behavior making her seem even younger than she probably was. "But they're so cute, doggie-poo!"

He scowled, his face twitching in annoyance. "Doggie... poo?" He muttered quietly, his tone dangerous.

"Aw, don't be so grumpy Doggie-poo! If anyone should be mad, it's me!" She pouted, sniffing as if offended. "You fell through my roof, after all!"

He cringed at the nickname, but restrained himself. He didn't want to snap at this young girl. He stood up and turned to look down at her. "Yeah... and I'm real sorry about that and all, but I gotta get going." He moved to the door, but halted in his tracks when something clung to his sleeve.

"Go? You can't leave!" She hung heavily on him, her tiny fingers gripping his robe like a vice. "What about my roof?" Kurenai pleaded, looking up into his face with the saddest expression she could manage.

Inuyasha quirked a brow as he looked at the girl. Kagome had used that expression on him before, and it never failed to weaken him. This young child's eyes were so similar to hers that Inuyasha found himself caving already. That coupled with her childish pout and the pitiful trembling of her lower lip... Inuyasha knew he was doomed.


Kagome remained crouched on the edge of the cliff; her head low as she wept quietly. Hugging herself, she leaned forward to look over the edge; only to jerk back as she felt another wave of overwhelming grief. She collapsed, her body wracked by stronger sobs, until someone touched her shoulder. Turning slightly, she sniffed as Sango knelt beside her.

"I'm sure he's alright, Kagome." Sango removed her hand to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "You know he can survive anything."

Shippou appeared at Kagome's side and scrambled quickly into her lap. Squirming under her crossed arms he snuggled against her stomach, his tiny arms making their best attempt at a comforting hug. "Please don't cry anymore, Kagome. Inuyasha's okay."

"But how can you be so sure?" Kagome wondered aloud, wiping her tears on her sleeve.

"Because, child." Kaede approached and placed a hand on Kagome's arm. "You and Inuyasha share something that makes both of your wills stronger than most anyone else's. There is something that both of you need to see through to the end, regardless of whether you realize it yet or not." She straightened slowly, a knowing smile on her face. But then she turned with a slightly exasperated expression. "Beyond that, Inuyasha is far too stubborn to die just yet."

Sango laughed, giving Kagome's shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "That's for sure."

That comment rang true, earning a small smile even from Kagome. "I know you're right."

"Then let us go and find him." Kaede said with a small smile. She turned as Kirara approached, favoring one of her legs.

Miroku smiled kindly as he slid down from his place upon Kirara's back. "Are you alright, Kagome?"

"I should be asking you that." She spoke, folding her legs beneath her as she composed herself. "How are you holding up?" Kagome asked, watching idly as Sango tended to the cat-like creature's injured paw.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a bump really." Miroku waved it off casually. Sensing that she needed to be alone for a moment, he patted her shoulder, offering her what comfort he could in a time like this. That is, what comfort he could offer without inciting Sango's wrath. He gave her one last smile before he moved off to Kaede's side.

Smiling gratefully up at the monk, she silent thanked him for understanding. She bowed her head, willing her breathing to calm and drying her tears. She moved to pick herself up, but felt something small and hard beneath her palm. She picked up what looked like a seed of some sort, rolling it between her fingertips. It was a beautiful effervescent color, changing from green to gold as it turned. 'I wonder what it-'

"Kagome?"

She jumped slightly and tucked the seed into her pocket. Getting quickly to her feet she turned to Miroku. "Oh, sorry! I guess I kind of spaced out there." She gave an unenthusiastic laugh and reached out to take the hand he offered. Allowing him to boost her up onto Kirara's back, she kept an eye on where he kept his hands. "Thanks, Miroku."

He nodded absently as she settled behind Sango, and then climbed on himself. "No problem." Turning, he held his hand out for Kaede.

The elderly woman shook her head and took a step back.

"I'll remain here and find somewhere suitable to set up camp for the night. Something tells me we won't be going far." She extended a hand to catch the back of the Kitsune's shirt as Shippou bounded over to join them. "Shippou, you will remain here with me."

"But I wanna g-"

Kaede shook her head firmly; causing the little fox to pout.

Kagome gave the fox demon an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Shippou. But don't worry, we'll be back soon."

After a few more 'good-byes' and 'be carefuls' were exchanged, they slowly began making their way along the cliff's edge.

"Now, where to?" Sango asked, twisting in her seat to face her companions.

Kagome frowned slightly in thought. "Ummm... Well, since we can't see much, I don't want to risk going straight down to the bottom of the cliff. So I guess we should look for a path that leads down. But, which direction should we go in?"

"Well," Started Miroku, "Since the air pressure will probably be higher down inside the canyon, all we need to do is..." He reached out and pull a handful of leaves off of a nearby tree. "Kirara, closer to the edge, please." They moved over to the ridge, and the monk dropped the leaves into the rift.

The leaves floated down for a while until they seemed to be caught in a strong gust of air, where they fluttered for a moment before veering off to the right.

"Now that," Miroku extended a finger to accentuate his point, "should mean that the closest end of the canyon is in that direction." He pointed off to the right, looking very pleased with himself.

Sango raised an eyebrow, staring at him with a skeptical expression on her face.

"I don't believe that for a second. But, unfortunately, it's all we have to go on. So let's get going. C'mon Kirara."

The cat-like creature turned and lunged in the chosen direction, lengthening her stride with a renewed energy.

The wind stung Kagome's face and caused her eyes to water. After her attempts to wipe the tears away were futile, she sank lower, shielding herself behind Sango. 'Don't worry Inuyasha, we're on our way.' The tears continued to fall as she hunched lower, but she knew now that they were no longer a result of the wind.

--------------------------------

"There. Done." Inuyasha grumbled irritably as he sat back on his heels, surveying his patchwork on the roof of Kurenai's home. He took a quick glimpse around, wondering once again how this two-room hut (or the girl for that matter) had found its way down to this small outcropping. Moving to the edge of the roof he paused, gazing down at the river some thirty feet below. 'Ten more feet that way and I would have missed this place altogether.' He thought idly, dropping onto the ground beside the girl.

Kurenai jumped, startled from where she was tending to some strange plants. Vines emerged from the fog a good distance up, stretching to where they settled in a tangled mess beside the door of the shack. "All done, Doggie-poo?" She smiled when he gave her an angry, curt nod and turned to hug his arm. "Thank you sooo much! You're such a good boy."

Inuyasha shook her off at that last comment, that was going a little overboard as far as he was concerned. "Yeah, whatever. Now how do I get out of this place?"

The girl stopped a look of concentration on her face. "Wait, there's something I wanted to tell you." She lowered her head, her face hidden from sight.

Inuyasha growled impatiently. "Well, get on with it already. I've got places to be." She didn't look up, but what she said next struck him cold, holding him where he stood.

"It's about Midori."

"How the hell do you know about him?" Inuyasha snapped, immediately on the defensive. "Tell me!" He demanded. "What else do you know?"

Kurenai lifted her eyes to meet his, her face having lost all of its childlike spirit. "He wants the girl... He's doing it for our master." Her expression was solemn, and her voice held both a warning and what sounded like remorse.

"Your master?" Inuyasha repeated angrily. "What's that supposed to mean? Who is this master of yours? I'll take him on too! No problem!"

But the girl shook her head firmly. "There is no reason to be so hostile. Not yet anyway. If all goes well, it will never come to that." She stepped closer, her tone now begging. "You must stop my brother. He is doing horrible, unspeakable things. Things beyond those he was ordered to accomplish."

Inuyasha's anger faltered. "Wait, your brother?"

"You are the only one who can stop him. If not for you and Kagome... then for those girls, and their poor babies."

Ignoring that last statement, Inuyasha snarled, realizing now what he should have known far earlier. "So, you're a demon too?"

Kurenai smiled now, pulling at her thick hair to reveal one pointed ear. "That I am." She backed away, towards the mass of tangled branches.

"And you're working with Midori, that bastard." He muttered in disgust, clenching his fists. He took a threatening step towards the girl. "So you must also know where he's hiding!"

The demon smiled, but let the question go unanswered. "I hope we will meet again, Inuyasha. But preferably under less dire pretenses." That said, she made a jerking motion with her wrist.

Inuyasha watched warily as one vine moved, untangling itself and pulling away from the wall. It stretched, snaking around Kurenai's wrist.

The girl's face tilted, breaking into the same youthful smile he had first seen upon waking. "Goodbye, doggie-poo!" She forced her wrist at him, and the vine shot towards Inuyasha, hitting him squarely in the chest.

Too shocked to even react, he was knocked backwards off the ledge. Inuyasha fell silently, plunging into the churning waters of the river below.

There you go! Hope you liked it! And please review! I'm hoping to get up to between 30 and 35 total reviews with this chapter. So spread the word!

Oh yeah! I hate to self-advertise or anything, but if any of you are Fruits Basket fans, and don't mind the idea of a tame ShigurexTohru fic, please check out my story; Through His Stomach... I'd love some more feedback on that before I put up the next chapter. And if I see someone who reviews both this story and that one, I'll... I dunno... dedicate a chapter to you!Or something...Well, anyway, we'll see!

Thanks again!