I feel horrible. Really horrible. I haven't updated in two months. GOMEN!

:Review Responses:

FEH: Too true!
ngan: Been workin' on it.
ohiowriter: Glad you think so!
hermonine: Thanks!
w1cked angel: Of course he is! As said before, no one can resist the rameny goodness!
SubaruWings: lol! Yes, tragic, tragic... 'cries' Why would she pick Inuyasha when there's Sesshy right there? Er... Anyway... Thanks for the review!
Silver Ferret: lol! I know where he is! ... CHASING ME! Come get him! 'cries'
fluffywuffers: Ansem is hot, isn't he? And don't worry, li'l Ansem, I won't tell! ;P
KagomePriestess-15: You're welcome! And actually, I had a bowl of noodles next to me while writing this, so no, I wasn't hungry! ;P
AnitaThePaperMaster: Your name reminds me of a friend of mine at school... You wouldn't happen to be named Sara B, would you? 'eyes you suspiciously' Just kidding! I know you're not. She doesn't have an account on here. And hai, they are alike! And I won't tell, don't worry. Thanks for the review

:End Review Responses:

:Disclaimer:

Leiko: Sesshoumaru-sama wasn't our spell checker this time! Inuyasha was!
Akana: So don't blame us if there are any mistakes! Blame Inuyasha's bad grammar and spelling and stuff!
Inuyasha: Oi! I heard that!
Leiko: We know. And we also know that Kagome is our friend.
Akana: Kagome! Li'l help here, please!
Kagome: Inuyasha, sit boy!
Leiko: That's gotta hurt... Well, we don't own you, so we don't care. :P

:End Disclaimer:

Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Hurray! -- The Day (Note: I wasn't feeling too creative with the title, so... Bleh.)

Today.

Without question, when Kagome woke up, she knew something exciting was going to happen. No doubts on what it was, either. It was the day she'd escape from Sesshoumaru, Lord of Hotness, once and for all. She could just feel it.

Perhaps it was when she first awoke and saw that the cup of ramen that had previously occupied a spot next to Sesshoumaru was gone. Perhaps it was when Sesshoumaru actually opened an eye slightly to see what she was cooking as she made ommelettes for breakfast(she has everything else in that bag, so why not eggs?). Perhaps it was the subtle vibe she was getting that he actually trusted her a little more.

She smiled inwardly. All around, everything was silent. It was as though the animals, the plants, the sky -- everything! -- were waiting for something to happen, and Kagome knew what.

They were waiting for her to escape.

Inuyasha cursed under his breath. They were getting absolutely nowhere! Since after Sesshoumaru left that last time, things had been going much too slow for his liking. First off, the others had to basically force him to stay in one place long enough for them to bandage him up using the medical supplies Kagome had somehow given to Shippou without Sesshoumaru noticing(yeah... I forgot to put that in chapter 10... my bad...). Once that was done, they kept him from going anywhere for the rest of that day as well as the night. Finally, when morning came, he was once again made to ride Kilala. He was beginning to loath being treated like a helpless child.

I'm beginning to loath being treated like a helpless child! Inuyasha thought angrily. (Nailed that one!) They're acting like I can't do anything just because I'm hurt! I've gotten worse injuries than this before and lived!

His eyes angrily scoured the surrounding forest, searching for any sign of his brother or Kagome. He wanted to be on the ground, running, sniffing out her trail. He wanted to show no weakness in the face of anyone, especially not Sesshoumaru. Things were definitely not going according to his wishes, of course. If they were, he'd have Kagome, Sesshoumaru would be beaten, and they would've been home in time for ramen.

Today was not a good day.

Kagome stretched after eating her breakfast, feeling refreshed and good about life. Humming, she brought her brush out of her back pack and proceeded to brush her hair. There were a few very stubborn tangles, but she was too light-hearted to be worried about them. After all, today was the day she'd escape.

After a while of being awake, Kagome decided to push her luck a little. "Lord Sesshoumaru," she began politely, "where's the cup of ramen that was by you last night?"

"I threw it away," he responded after a moment's consideration. "The smell was disgusting."

"I see." The smile never left her face. In other words, she thought, you took it to another clearing somewhere and ate it while we were asleep! I knew no one could resist the power of ramen!

All was right with the world again. Everyone loved ramen and Kagome was going to escape. How cool was that?

"Kagome-chan!" Rin called, bringing a circlet of flowers she'd made. "Rin made this for you! Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful," Kagome said, letting the child place it on her head. She fingered lightly the yellow daisies, thinking of how she'd really miss Rin and how much she missed Shippou at the moment. "Thank you, Rin."

"You're welcome!" Rin beamed, then went off to collect more flowers. Kids and flowers just seemed to be a very common thing...

Kagome leaned back against a tree, picking up a small purple flower that was next to her. She held it by the stem, twirling it around first one way, then the other with her forefinger and her thumb. She had only to wait now. Soon it would be time.

And soon it was. Not long after, perhaps an hour, she got thirsty. She instinctively reached for her bag and looked through it for her water bottles, but realized they were empty. She was depressed that she'd have to walk to wherever the nearest river was until she realized that it would provide the perfect excuse to get away.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she said as politely as before, "I'm really thirsy. Do you know where the nearest river is?"

After a few moments, he nodded his head slightly to the north. Kagome smiled a thanks, then started heading into the trees on the side of the clearing but stopped and turned to look at Rin. "Are you thirsty?" she asked, hoping desperately that the child said no. She'd only asked to make it seem less suspicious to Sesshoumaru.

Her luck was in today. "No, Kagome-chan!" Rin replied with an adorable smile. "Would you like some company, though?"

"No thanks, I'll be okay," Kagome said, walking off into the trees. YES! her mind screamed. It was perfect, absolutely prefect! Who knew that Sesshoumaru would actually trust her so much? Not I! (actually, being the authoress, I kind of had to know, huh?)

There was only one thing that she remembered when it was too late. My bag! She thought about going back to get it. She even stopped in the middle of the forest and looked back towards the direction she'd come. Of course, when she actually, really thought about it, she realized that getting the heck out of there without causing suspicion was more important than getting her back pack back. She continued along her way, feeling as if a small part of her was leftback there with her bag. She didn't mind it, though. While she was leaving a small piece behind, she was heading towards a larger piece.

Sesshoumaru's previously closed eyes flew open. He knew that the wench had been trying to get away. Of course he did. This, however, wasn't what caused his sudden interest in looking at something other than the backs of his eyelids. He arose quickly yet elegantly, commanding Jaken and Rin to stay where they were. They, of course, obeyed without question as Sesshoumaru simply walked from the quickly. Once he was out of sight, he took to the trees.

Kagome was at the river now. He could smell that. She'd apparently stop to rest and to get a quick drink of water. He could also smell an unwanted prescence lingering around, getting closer to the oblivious girl at each passing moment.

Kagome stood up, wiping her mouth off with her sleeve after taking a nice long drink from the river. She stretched, feeling great about everything. After all, why wouldn't she feel great? She was heading back towards Inuyasha and the others!

She heard the bushes rustle near her, and her heart stopped for a moment. A single, fleeting thought went through her mind: Did Sesshoumaru follow me? When the bushes stopped rustling and a little squirrel appeared, she let out a sigh of relief. Of course he didn't! Why would he? He thinks I'm only going to the river, and that's where I am right now. Past this is when I'll have to be quick and careful... It will be worth it, though!

She started as if she were walking back to the camp at first, but then she suddenly dashed off to the right and started running. She ran through the trees, dodging roots and thorns and other such things. She pushed aside the low hanging branches that had lost all their leaves and moved around the trunks of large trees. Only when she stopped after a few minutes to catch her breath did she feel the eery and familiar prickling of her skin. A chill went down her spine, but she knew that it was not from the cold. Something was out there; someone was watching her.

She turned slowly, searching for the unknown menace. Her instincts told her to run, but her body was frozen. Something told her that it wasn't Sesshoumaru. Something told her that it wasn't safe to be there. Something told her she should get out of there. Something else told her that she should at least stay and see what it was.

A rustle in the bushes on the left. There! No, wait; a twig snapping on the right. There! No, behind you! Now it's at the right again! In front! No --

Kagome gasped as sudden realization hit her. Slowly, very slowly, she lifted her eyes towards the bare limbs of the tree she was leaning against. It was there. Whatever was following her was waiting above her. She dreaded seeing it, but she knew she must. She must see what was following her. She must see the reason she was going to run.

She saw it.

She screamed.

Sesshoumaru quickened his pace. The girl had obviously seen the demon, and so the demon would stop its hiding and come after her openly. This would shorten Kagome's life span considerably -- unless he, of course, stopped the demon. He intended to do just that. He wanted Tetsusaiga, and he needed a hostage to get it. What good's a dead hostage?

He wouldn't admit it to anyone, including himself, but there was indeed another reason. He actually started to care for Kagome. He felt that he had to protect her. Indeed, she was becoming... a friend?

Absurd. Sesshoumaru had no friends.

RUN! her instinctsyelled ather. They need not have worried, for her legs were already pumping fast to escape the terror at her back. She was cold, alone, hungry, but she didn't care. Her adrenaline was the fear and repulsion running through her at the thought of the demon.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Her situation... It was so familiar! But when had it ever happened before? She couldn't remember. She went through her mind, searching for some kind of hint, some kind of clue, but she couldn't -- for the life of her -- remember when it'd happened.

Suddenly, she felt her ankle give way under her. She felt it collapse, and, on instinct, she rolled with it. The next thing she knew she was laying on her side on the freezing ground, clutching her ankle tightly in pain. That lump of fear came back to her throat, bigger than before. She somehow managed to get back to her feet, but all thoughts of fleeing were far from her mind. She knew she couldn't even make it another inch without completely collapsing and perhaps even crying.

Some parts were different, true, but it all had happened before at some point in time. When, she did not know. Was it a dream? A dream? she thought slowly. Her mind was a jumbled mess and she couldn't sort out her thoughts completely enough to discern whether or not this could be a possibilty.

She closed her eyes as she heard twigs snap somewhere in front of her. She knew that the demon was there now, but she couldn't bear to look at it. She knew, though, that she was being weak; taking the coward's way out. She would have to open her eyes and face her death, be strong like all she knew in her life were.

"A dream?" she whispered. It came out more as a gasp.

She had to do something, she knew. Even if it was the last time she ever saw anything, she could at least go out with a bang and inflict damage on that demon. She opened her eyes slowly, determination and resolve showing fiercely in them. She would fight the demon with everything she had, and if she died in the battle, then so be it. At least no one could say she was a coward then.

"A dream?" she repeated uncertainly as she saw something shocking. In front of her stood a powerful figure. He'd slain the demon; he'd come to her rescue. He was familiar. Very familiar. He was -- "Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru turned and faced her. "Fool," he said simply.

She laughed. It was a small laugh of relief and of sudden realization. "A dream," she confirmed. Someone came to my rescue; that someone was Sesshoumaru!

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. What was she going on about? Oh well, not that it really mattered to him. If she wanted to ramble nonsense about some sort of dream she had, let her; that was her mental problem, not his.

Kagome beamed. "Arigat -- "

It happened so fast. She didn't even realize that it'd happened until after the fact. One moment she was facing Sesshoumaru, ready to say her thanks, and the next, she was travelling away from him at a very fast speed. She caught a brief glimpse of confusion on Sesshoumaru's face before he disappeared. Actually, it was she who disappeared. She didn't know why, but she was being carried away from the one who'd saved her life -- twice, now.

From Sesshoumaru's point of view, a blur of a figure snatched Kagome up as she was speaking. He was at first confused as to who it was, but then he caught a familiar scent he very much hated.

Naraku.

The unknown figure was another of his incarnations. It was a new one, and it had captured Kagome. It was fast -- faster than he, even. That wasn't good. It carried Kagome away, back to Naraku's castle most likely.

Sesshoumaru growled and set off in a run. The new incarnation was faster, that was true enough, but he could still track it and get Kagome back. He felt that he had to. Not only because she was a hostage, but because she was...

Nonsense. She wasn't a friend. Sesshoumaru had no friends.

NOTE: It's official. This story will end ineither one or twomore chapters. Most likely two. Kagome is now being taken to Naraku -- what will happen when she gets there? Will Sesshoumaru make it in time to save her, or will it be too late to do anything? What will Inuyasha do when he finds out that Naraku has Kagome in his clutches? When will you review this chapter? When will I update next? When will I stop asking questions!

Er... Please review, and I'll try to have the chapter up soon! Seriously! Let's make the deadline... Two weeks. What? I have school, for Sesshoumaru's sake! I'll try my best to have it up by then. Sayoonara, and take care all!