A/N: Hi! Wow, 18 reviews in two days! GREAT JOB GUYS! Ok, here's the next chappie, much earlier than it should be posted, but I'm feeling very happy about the reviews. So, enjoy!

PS: I do not own inuyasha. Sorry.

All's Fair In Love And War

Part 7

Kagome munched on her food happily. Although demons were cruel, unusual creatures, they did have good taste in food. She glanced out the window at the setting sun, and her mind flew to her family back at the castle.

They must be panicking… She thought, frowning. No, I can't think like that. Everything will be ok, I just have to keep a cool head. She nodded and took another drink of water. Just as she was about to take another bite, a knock was heard at the door. Kagome frowned, remembering what Inuyasha said.

"Who is it?" Kagome hated the way her voice shook slightly.

There was no reply, but the doorknob jiggled. Kagome bit back a scream and looked around the room for something, anything, that she could use as a weapon. The door jiggled again just as she picked up a painting. At the very least it would stun the demon long enough for her to make a run for it.

The door jiggled one more time, and Kagome put the painting down. What was she afraid of? She had miko powers, and that would protect her! She cautiously walked to the door and slowly turned the knob, ready to put up a shield. Just as the door opened, Kagome braced herself and peeked around the wooden slab.

A little girl in a kimono stood there, beaming. Kagome opened the door fully and blinked.

"Who're you?" She asked, allowing the girl to come in her room. Quickly she shut the door and locked it again.

The small child turned around and grinned. "I'm Rin!" She exclaimed happily. "Lord Sesshoumaru told me you'd be here, and he was right! But Lord Sesshoumaru is always right!"

"Lord… Wait, Inuyasha's brother Sesshoumaru?" Kagome sat on the bed, watching as the girl climbed up as well.

"Yes! He took me here for a trip, and told me you were here too!"

"Wait, he took you from the human's castle?" Kagome was getting confused. Sesshoumaru didn't seem like the type to kidnap a human and just keep her here without a purpose.

"Uh huh!" Rin nodded fiercely. "He took me when he took you, Lady Kagome!"

"Just Kagome, no 'Lady'." Kagome corrected, lying on the comfy bed.

"Ok! Hey, Kagome, how do you like this place?" Rin blinked curiously at the miko.

"It's well enough. What about you, Rin?"

"I like it! Lord Sesshoumaru is nice to me, and he gave me a bedroom, and a nice bed, and even a little toad to watch me and play with me!" Rin clapped her hands.

"A little toad? Like, a demon?"

"Yeah, ok." Rin didn't know what a demon was yet. Kagome sighed.

"What about your parents? Won't they be worried?"

Rin frowned slightly. "My mommy and daddy died in a wolf raid in our village. No one wanted me, so I came to live at the palace." Rin explained.

"I'm so sorry, Rin. You know, my dad died when I was just a little girl. My brother hardly knew him, and—"

"Kagome!" A voice rang out and the door burst open. Kagome jumped at least a foot in the air, and when she got her heart at a normal rate again she saw Inuyasha holding Rin by the neck, threatening to strangle the girl. Kagome winced at the situation and thought quickly. Without a moment to lose she conjured up some prayer beads and put a simple spell on it. Then she threw it onto Inuyasha's neck and shouted, "Sit!"

Inuyasha fell to the ground instantly, letting Rin go. Kagome ignored his reaction and crawled across the bed to where the girl was gasping for breath. She engulfed the girl in a strong hug, glaring at the hanyou on the floor.

"Idiot! What was that for?" Kagome demanded, cuddling the small child.

Inuyasha slowly got up off the floor and shot daggers at the girl, "What the hell did you do to me?" He shouted, trying to pull off the prayer beads that circled his neck. Kagome shook her head.

"I put a simple subduing spell on you so that you wouldn't be able to kill an innocent girl." She said venomously. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that someone was trying to hurt you—"

"So you just strangled the person responsible? Do you honestly think that I'd just let some demon come in here and try to hurt me? Do you think I'm that helpless?" Kagome questioned. Inuyasha stopped, and slowly shook his head.

"No…"

"No. So why would you try to kill Rin?" Kagome glared. "She's your brothers friend, and I have a feeling Sesshoumaru wouldn't take to kindly to it if you hurt her!" Kagome squeezed the little girl in her grasp, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

Inuyasha blinked. "Sesshoumaru? That's the girl Sesshoumaru took when he got you?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, and she is keeping me company. At least, she was until you tried to kill her." Inuyasha scowled.

"Sorry, all right? Just give me a break, would ya?"

Kagome sighed. "Fine. If Rin forgives you, we'll forget this ever happened. Ok?"

Inuyasha folded his arms. "Fine." He stated. Rin popped her head up out of Kagome's arms and stared with big eyes at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, say you're sorry." Kagome ordered. Inuyasha glanced at the girl before turning to stare at the ceiling.

"Sorry." He mumbled. Kagome was about to ask him to speak up when Rin beamed.

"It's ok, doggy-man!" She stated, just as bubbly as before. Kagome stared in disbelief at her before smirking.

"Fine, we'll forget this whole incident. Doggy-man." Kagome finished mockingly. Inuyasha shot daggers at her and frowned. Kagome stood up and set Rin down on the floor. "Go back to your little toad friend, ok? Inuyasha and I need to talk."

Rin nodded fiercely. "Ok!" She waved at the two people and skipped out of the room. Kagome smiled and closed the open door before turning towards the hanyou.

"It's great how young, pure kids can forgive and forget, huh?" She glared at him and walked to the window.

"Hey, I thought you were going to forgive and forget as well, hmm?" He walked over behind her.

"Forgive and forget what?" Kagome grinned and rested her arms on the windowsill. Inuyasha thought for a moment, trying to figure out the girl in front of him. He shook his head.

"You know, there was a reason I came in here!" He exclaimed suddenly.

"Oh really? And what might that be?" Kagome turned around.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, paused, and closed it again. "I don't remember anymore…" He said hesitantly. Kagome laughed.

"Well, then it must not have been important." She went back to gazing out the window. Inuyasha glanced at her, realizing how longingly she looked at the ground below. As always, it was littered with demons.

"How have you been fairing, Kags?" Inuyasha peered at her.

"Kags? Is that my new nickname now?" She sighed and turned to face the demon. "I've been alright, Inu."

He chuckled and sat on the bed. "Ok, Kagome then."

"Well, I don't really care. I've had people call me worse things." She shuddered at the thought of the nickname her uncle gave her. "Call me Kags if you want."

"Hmm. Hey, would you like to go outside?" He asked. Kagome's eyes lit up.

"Really?" Then her eyes darkened a bit. "I thought you said I wasn't allowed to leave the room."

"Well, I'll be with you. Come on, I know you want to get out." He stood up. Kagome jumped up as well, even beat him to the door.

"Great! Let's go!"

Kagome watched in awe as Inuyasha showed her around the demon territory. She noted how many different kinds of demons were there, and how most of them glanced at her when she walked by. None of them seemed to be a threat though.

"Hey, Kagome, don't wander off. If a demon finds you alone out here, it's not going to be easy to fend him off." Inuyasha said after noticing Kagome wandering off in fascination. She came back to him instantly, then frowned.

"Do… Do you think we could go to the human castle?" She asked, almost timidly. Inuyasha blinked, taken aback.

"Uh…" He knew Kagome must be terribly homesick, and that she was very depressed right now because of the demon attack about to take place. Still, if he took her there, there was the chance that she would get taken away from him, and he would be captured and killed. However, when he looked in her eyes, so full of hope, he couldn't resist.

"Alright. Let's go." He allowed her to mount his back and he easily jumped the tall wall into the surrounding forest.

"Thank you, Inuyasha!" Kagome squeezed his neck tightly, happy to at least be able to see her home.

"You're welcome." He said gruffly.

"My daughter is missing, Rei!" Yumiko cried, pounding the table in the war room. Several of the other officers glanced warily at her as she began to glow a dull pink. Rei sighed.

"Yes, Yumiko. I know. We're doing everything in out power to get her back." He said in a tired voice.

It had been about two days since Kagome had been captured, and the whole castle was on alert. Sentries surrounded the castle, while everyone inside was preparing for another battle. Miroku was training the mikos extra hard, because they were key to winning the war. Sango and Kohaku were frantic, trying to think of any reason Kagome would run away, or anyone who might kidnap her. They came up with nothing. Sota was just as worried as everyone else, but he took it out by practicing every waking hour so he would be in top shape when the next fight rolled around.

Yumiko was in the worst shape, near the point of insanity. Everyone was pitching in so she wouldn't have such a big workload, but it hardly helped. She kept insisting that it was the demons who took her, but the king argued that there was no evidence that they took her. "Even if they did," He had said, "It would be foolish to risk the soldiers lives to ambush the demon fortress when there's the possibility that she won't be there." Yumiko had been furious, refusing to speak to the king unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, it was necessary today.

King Rei sighed again. "We're looking for her, Yumiko. I'm doing everything in my power to locate her." He restated.

Yumiko frowned. "Until she's back home, I still think you could be doing more."

"Didn't another girl get kidnapped too?" A lower rank officer asked.

"Yeah, a little girl by the name of Rin disappeared. She had no family, and she just wandered around the castle aimlessly. I don't think many people even realized she was gone." Miroku spoke up for the first time. Rei nodded.

"Kagome's not the only one gone, so it proves that she couldn't have run away. She wouldn't have taken a little girl with her as well."

"Kagome wouldn't have run away at all!" Yumiko yelled, enraged. Rei looked at her sympathetically.

"All right, people. This meeting's drug out long enough. Let's meet again tomorrow at this time." King Rei stood up, signalizing the meetings end. Everybody sighed in relief and stood up, shuffling to the door. Miroku sighed, walking over to Yumiko.

"Lady Yumiko, I'm going onto sentry duty right now. If I see any head or tails of Kagome, I'll be sure to inform you." He winked at her and walked out. Yumiko gave him a grateful smile and turned to King Rei, who was the last person in the room.

"Rei, I'm disappointed in you. I'd think that you of all people would want to find your daughter." She scowled.

"Daughter… Are you accepting my marriage proposal?" He grinned. Yumiko shook her head.

"I won't do anything with you until Kagome is found. Is that clear?" She glared at him. He nodded quickly.

"We'll find her as soon as possible, Yumiko dear." He moved to kiss her, but she walked out of the room angrily. Rei sighed and walked out as well.

Miroku shook his head, walking beside Sango. For once, he didn't try to grope her, for she was distressed about Kagome and he didn't want to push her in the wrong direction. Sango sighed.

"I wish Kagome was here. Then we would be a lot better off…" She looked longingly at the trees.

"I believe we all wish that, Sango." Miroku answered.

Off in the distance, Inuyasha's ears twitched. "Kagome, we should go." He left out the bit that someone a little ways away had mentioned her name.

"Why?" Kagome stared sadly at the castle that used to be her temporary home. "Can't we stay just a little longer?"

Inuyasha hesitated. If sentries were searching the perimeter, it wasn't a good idea to allow them to come right up to Kagome. But, her voice sounded so depressed, he just couldn't bear the thought of ripping her away from the only thing that gave her hope. Even if he wanted to return her to the castle, he knew he couldn't because she had seen the whole demon fortress. If she spilled about their weaknesses or something he would be in huge trouble, not to mention the war would take a turn for the worst.

"All right, just a little longer." He said, looking around nervously.

Sango blinked. "Shh. Miroku, did you hear that?" She whispered.

"What?" Miroku muttered back.

"It sounded like a twig snapping. Let's check it out." She led him towards where she had heard the sound. Miroku frowned and followed.

Inuyasha growled. "Kagome, we have to leave now." He tugged her arm. Kagome reluctantly tore her gaze away from the castle.

"Huh? Why?" She asked.

"No reason, just get on." He bent down, but Kagome took her sweet time getting on. However, just as Inuyasha was about to shoot off, Miroku and Sango burst through the brush.

"Kagome!" Sango ran up and snatched her friend off Inuyasha's back. Miroku stood in front of the two girls protectively.

"Sango! Miroku!" Kagome said, tears streaming down her face as she hugged her best friend happily.

"Stay where you are, Inuyasha, unless you want me to suck you into a void you'll never get out of." Miroku fingered the prayer beads around his wrist. Inuyasha bit his lip and glanced at Kagome.

"Miroku, stop it!" Kagome ran up to the monk. Miroku never took his eyes off Inuyasha.

"Kagome, don't interfere. I'll take care of this for you." He said. Kagome frowned and ran to Inuyasha.

"Put your hand down, Miroku." She said seriously. Miroku hesitated, then obeyed. "Listen, guys. I know this is stupid, but just hear me out."

"Inuyasha was the one that kidnapped you!" Sango cried. Kagome nodded.

"Yes, but hold on, all right! Inuyasha kidnapped me, but he also protected me when the demons thought of killing me. He's taken great care of me, and he was nice enough to take me back here to see the castle. Don't tell anyone about this, please!"

"Kagome, you've been the main discussion point since you were kidnapped! Your mother's frantic, no one knows where you are, and Sota and Kohaku are really worried!" Sango objected, "You have to come back with us!"

Inuyasha stepped forward. "She can't." He said.

"You have no say in the matter, Inuyasha!" Sango snarled before turning back to Kagome. "Come back with us, Kagome! It'll make everything better!"

"I … I can't." Kagome said sadly. "I'd love to, but I've seen too much. Listen, guys, the –" Inuyasha put a hand over her mouth to muffle her voice.

"Just forget you even saw us." He said, letting her mouth go. "It'll be for the best."

Tears welled up in Kagome's eyes again. "Inuyasha, can't I tell them, so they can at least warn my mother and Sota?"

"I'm sorry, Kagome, but there's the chance that they'll tell your King, and if they do that it'll be all over." Inuyasha explained. Miroku and Sango glanced gravely at each other.

"I know, but I want my mother and brother to know, at least!" Kagome sobbed. Inuyasha wiped a tear away from her cheek.

"I'm sorry."

Miroku scowled. "Look at how unhappy Kagome is, Inuyasha! It's obvious you care for her, but did you even think of the consequences of being torn away from her family?"

Inuyasha frowned, "Be quiet, monk! You don't know her well enough to make judgement."

"But I do! We've been friends since I was a little kid, and I know her better then anyone!" Sango objected, crossing her arms. "It's obvious she is not happy."

"Inuyasha's right, guys." Kagome sniffed. "I know I can't tell you why, but I can't go back. I'm sorry. Too much is at risk…"

Inuyasha took pity on her just then. Here was the strongest girl he had ever known, and she was breaking down in front of two of her friends. It just wasn't what she deserved.

"Kagome, what about if we meet them later, ok? When we can be sure no one's listening. Maybe we'll tell them then, all right?" He asked gently. Kagome smiled slightly.

"Ok. Thanks, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha turned back to Miroku and Sango. "Kagome's coming back with me right now, but if you meet me out here at midnight tonight, we'll talk, ok?"

Miroku nodded. "All right."

"However, if I catch a whiff of trouble, I won't even bring Kagome, so don't tell anyone about it. Not even her mother, got it?" Inuyasha glared at them. Sango nodded.

"We won't tell a soul."

"Ok, then. We'll see you here at midnight." Kagome grinned and hugged Sango one last time. She smiled gratefully at Miroku, then mounted Inuyasha's back. "Good bye!" She called as the two of them took off into the forest.

A/N: Again, great job guys! I love all the reviews, it really pushes me to write more! So, let's set the limits a bit higher this time! How about... 90 reviews? Ok, 90 reviews! I won't post again until I get 90! Keep up the great work!