A Tempting Fate

Chapter 5: The Hunt

By Kaguya's Chaos

Miroku frowned as he stared at the papers before him. By some freak accident, he was actually paying attention to the words printed before him. It wasn't as surprising though, considering the report was on the search for Kagome. He reread the words on the report and felt like jumping up and down in anger.

"That bastard." he whispered heatedly to himself as he stared at the four letter name that cause such ire. Hojo. "So, the two-faced asshole put out his own search, eh? He also joined with Taisho Industries." Miroku threw the paper back on his paper strewn desk and frowned. He leaned back in his chair and tilted his head to glare at the ceiling. It was at this point that Sango walked in.

"What's with the serious face? What's wrong?" Sango asked as she stood in front of his desk. Miroku pointed to the paper, indicating that she should read it.

Giving him a wondering look, Sango picked up the paper and read over the report. 'I have the unfortunate task to report that Miss. Higurashi is no where to be found upon the immediate area of our search. However, there was a piece of flotsam found in the bay area. It is speculated it was from the crash. Blood was found on the 'craft' and was immediately tested for who's it was. Results concluded that it was, indeed, Miss. Higurashi's.' Sango gasped at this and prayed her friend and sister was ok.

"Oh, keep reading." Miroku said, with light sarcasm. "It gets better."

'The search for Miss. Higurashi is progressing slower then previously thought. A My. Onigumo Price has interfered more then once. As well as two annoying detectives searching for their "brother" Kouga Wolf and an older detective looking for the missing Taisho brothers. It is to be expected that the Mr. Onigumo is as well in search of Miss. Higurashi and is employed under a Mr. Hojo Masaru.' Sango stopped reading and looked up at Miroku with a horrified expression.

"Miroku…" Sango trailed off and Miroku nodded. "I already have Miss. Ayame Timbre on her way." He said and Sango nodded. She sat down in one of the chairs and reread the report over. "Miroku. We have to find Kagome before that bastard." Miroku nodded and combed a hand through his already disheveled hair. "We have to." Sango repeated just as she heard Hachi buzz through to Miroku's intercom.

"Mr. Higurashi? A Miss. Ayame Timbre is here to see you."

"Let her in."

:with Myoga:

Myoga Myojin stood in a lab where the young Miss. Higurashi's blood was determined. A frown marred his brow as he picked up on the scent of Lord Sesshoumaru's saliva intermixed with it. After all, he was a flea demon. He could pick out the different scents contained in blood from a mile away, and Lord Sesshoumaru's saliva was definitely mixed in.

'What would Lord Sesshoumaru be do-' He cut off the thought as he remembered that the Great Taiyoukai had a healing substance in his saliva. 'He healed Higurashi's wound? By licking it! I wonder how that passed off for the young woman?'

Myoga snapped out of his thoughts when two suspicious looking people in trench-coats sauntered into the room. The lab techs didn't seem to notice and were busy taking off bits and pieces of the now broken down flotsam and placing them in various liquids for testing. Myoga frowned and slowly approached the two characters. He walked up behind them and allowed his hands to drop down onto their shoulders. The two males whirled around and Myoga realized they were wolves.

"May I ask to what you are doing back here?" he asked staring into the startled brown eyes of both boys. They looked at each other then back to Myoga and gave him extremely cheesy grins. "Uh…nothing?" Was the first tentative answer and Myoga frowned even more.

"Is that so?" He asked as two security guards approached and grabbed a hold of the two boys. "Sorry sir. We've been looking for them everywhere." One of the guards said as the other began to drag the second suspicious guy away. Myoga nodded and the boys were escorted out the doors and into the alley it lead to.

:With Ginta and Hakkaku:

"And stay out!" The guards yelled as both of them were thrown out of the lab and on their asses. Ginta jumped back up to his feet. Shaking a fist in the air he yelled at them. "We're detectives too! We should be allowed to enter!" Hakkaku shook his head and stood up too. He sighed as he thought over all he and his brother had been through the whole week since their other 'brother' had disappeared.

'First we were told that a search party wasn't going to be sent in search of Kouga, then me and Ginta decided to look for ourselves and wound up fired. We lost our apartment because we couldn't pay rent. My girlfriend dumped me cause I started neglecting her. We were attacked by muggers on the street and they took our clothes! We're only left with these damn trench-coats and these weird old movie hats. I haven't eaten in days and we're reduced to stealing and sneaking around!'

He broke himself off as he stood up and placed a hand on the still fuming Ginta's shoulder. "C'mon Ginta. Lets just go. There might be another back door."

With that, both trudged off to find another way to get in to the lab that could possibly tell them where their friend was.

:back with Myoga:

Myoga stared after the two boys and shook his head. 'Were they naked under those coats?' He wondered absently to himself as he turned around to stare at the only person in the room who disturbed him more then that thought. Onigumo Price. The man was despicable in every way possible. His glinting eyes showed a homicidal tendency and his too wide grin showed his insanity.

But, no matter how he loathed the man, he had to admit, he was a genius when it came to uncovering evidence and piecing together other things in the crash. 'He's a great detective but a horrible man.' He said in his head as he watched as Onigumo stalked around the room staring at certain pieces of the flotsam.

Myoga felt his ears twitch and turned around as a red headed, pig-tailed woman entered the lab. 'Another wolf?' He watched as she approached one of the lab techs and flashed out her badge. The technician paled and began sputtering out an answer. This caught both Onigumo's and Myoga's attention. That particular lab tech worked in the back and didn't tell either of the detectives anything about what it was he was doing.

Both approached the woman as she frowned and answered back. "So you haven't gotten as far as you had promised? You do realize you are getting paid for this, do you not?" The lab tech sputtered again.

"B-but, Miss. Timbre! I am almost done with my analysis! I just have to run the pieces through the scanned again and I can tell you where the-" he cut off abruptly as the female smashed a hand over his mouth. She flashed her eyes over at Myoga and Onigumo, who now stood behind the tech.

"Right. Keep up the work. I will be back within the hour for the results." Se said and sent the relieved tech on his way. "Good evening, boys. How may I help you?" She asked in a cool voice as she looked over the two male detectives before her. Onigumo scowled and sauntered away and both Myoga and Ayame watched as he did so.

"You are Ayame Timbre are you not? The lead detective from Shikon Inc?" Myoga inquired and Ayame nodded smiling. "Yes indeed. And you are Myoga Myojin form Taisho Industries? May I ask, why are you working with that creep?" Myoga grinned and looked over at Onigumo.

"Wasn't my decision. Jaken, the company advisor decided to join forces and resources with Mr. Masaru." Myoga said as he turned to stare at Ayame again. Ayame nodded and frowned. She leaned closer and spoke in a whisper. "Mr. Myojin, may I speak with you somewhere with less…" She trailed off and Myoga nodded his head.

"Of course. Shall we?" He asked as he held up his arm and lead the way out the door and into the hall. It was eerily quiet, but not a soul was around. "What would you like to speak of, Miss Timbre?"

"How would you like to drop your association with Mr. Price and join with our search party?" Myoga's eyes widened and he turned to stare at the young woman before him. Her eyes were turned from his and she was watching through the window the way the techs swarmed all over the metal junk that had brought evidence of the survivors.

"Are you suggesting I break a contract?" he asked as he watched the woman before him with narrowed eyes. Ayame grinned and turned around. "Normally, yes I would be. But you didn't sign a contract with Mr. Masaru. Or rather, he never signed that contract, did he?" Myoga felt his eyes widen again and smiled slightly in bemusement. "Yes, I guess that is true. Isn't it?" Ayame again grinned at the old man and turned to the window again.

Myoga scratched at his whiskers and thought it over. "What have you to offer to this search that we do not already have?" He asked after a while and Ayame turned back to him with a serious look on her face.

"I can tell you what brought down the plane, and let me tell you it had nothing to do with bad weather or any internal damage."

:Miroku and Sango after the meeting:

Miroku stared after Ayame as she left and noticed Sango doing the same. Disbelief and shock still raged within their minds as they tried to take in all that was said during the meeting.

:Flashback:

Ayame Timbre walked in with an air of confidence and dominance. Her head was held high and her shoulders were squared, as if anticipating a battle. Sango raised an eyebrow and looked over to Miroku. He, unfortunately for him, had a lecherous gleam in his eye. Sango felt her eyebrow twitch and her hand begin its remembered journey to the back of his head.

BAM

Miroku fell over onto his desk and let out a sigh. Ayame sat down in the chair in front of the desk. She smirked slightly and looked over at Sango. "I see you have him well trained!" She said as she laughed at the CEO's expense. Sango giggled along with her and Miroku grumbled into his desk.

Sitting up straight, Miroku donned a serious expression. "Ayame. We received your first report today-" Ayame's eyebrows drew together. "You just got today! So you didn't get the newest one?" She asked near hysterical. Sango and Miroku both frowned and shook their heads.

Ayame sighed and put her head down. "I was wondering why you hadn't given me any orders concerning Myojin and Price." Miroku leaned forward and frowned. "What did your latest report say?" He asked, anticipation and anxiety lancing through his system. Sango also felt anxiety and leaned forward as well.

"I found out what it was that brought down the plane…but I don't know if you'll believe me." She trailed off as she looked at her superiors. Miroku scowled and stood up. "Enough of this delay and continuation of this drama! Our sister, friend, and least important, employer, is out there somewhere and it's your job to report what you find! Now what did you find!"

Ayame held up her hands to placate the man radiating holy energy and thought to herself, 'Am I trying to find one person…or three?' "I'm sorry! Please calm down!" She said trying not to wince at the burn the man's aura was putting on her. 'Damn holy man!'

Miroku let out a breath and sat down. Contrary to what the woman believed he knew what his holy aura did to her. He also knew about youkai. That was the reason he wanted to become a houshi in his younger years. Though, he couldn't tell his favorite cousin about youkai. No…not innocent Kagome.

Ayame sighed as the holy energy receded and she sat up straight. Sango watched this all with confusion. She knew something else had happened between them then what was in front of her. Ayame closed her eyes and tried to regain her bearings again. "Anyway, the thing that took the plane down was a youkai. A demon." Sango's eyes widened beyond possibility and Miroku frowned.

"Are you sure?" He asked with a small whisper and Ayame nodded. Sango shot a look to her husband and raised an eyebrow. "You believe this? Just like that? No questioning about it?" Sango nearly shrieked then calmed when she realized her emotions were so near the surface. "How do you know it wasn't some freak wind? Or…or a flock of birds or something?" She asked Ayame and the wolf sighed.

"Because there is a subtle smell about the craft…or what's left of it. Normally, I wouldn't have picked up the scent, or I wouldn't have known what it was. But, I've smelled the same scent somewhere else. On a wind youkai that I used to be in acquaintance with." Ayame paused and Sango stared at her incredulously. "What do you mean by smelled? How could you smell…"

Ayame grimaced at the question and sighed once again. "Because I'm a wolf youkai." She said simply and allowed her concealment spell to drop. Sango gasped and jumped off the desk. Miroku looked bored and leaned forward once again. "Yes, but what kind of demon do you think attacked the craft?" He asked and tried to ignore the fact that Sango was gaping at the wolf demon.

"It wasn't the wind witch, if that's what you are implying. No, this one smelled slightly different. Not the same person, but maybe a relative." Ayame finished and glanced at her watch. A frown marred her brow. "I am afraid I cannot continue with this. I am late for a meeting with one of the lab tech's testing the flotsam for the origin of the moss on the side. We might find out what part of the ocean the survivors landed." She stood and started toward the door when Miroku stopped her.

"I want you to stop Mr. Price's investigation and join with Mr. Myojin." He stated and Ayame smirked back at him. "Sure thing, boss!" She chirped as she waltz out of the door and out of the building. Sango looked to Miroku and frowned. "Youkai? You've got a lot of explaining to do."

:End Flashback:

Kagura sat on her terrace and glared at the night sky. It was happening again and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She could feel her master calling to her, sending stabbing waves of pain at her occasionally. 'Alright! I'll come tomorrow! I need to conserve as much energy to reach you as possible!' She shouted telepathically to her summoner and cut off the link. Another brief stab of pain pervaded her being, warning her of her tone.

Kagura grimaced and lay down on the patio lounge she sat on. 'The only reason I delay this is cause I do not want to go back.' She thought, remembering the horror she had lived through with the humans that had last landed on the horrific island. Well, they hadn't chosen the island, instead they were guided by a freak storm. The one she created because of her master's wishes. 'I wonder who he got to crash the plane for new play toys?' She asked herself as she thought about the people that went missing. 'The top business people were included. He made a mistake with them. Why did he pick that particular plane? What was so special about the one's on it? Why did he allow those one's to live?'

Her thought's trailed off as she closed her eyes. As sleep crowded her mind, so did the old screams of pain and rage and the stench of blood that covered her for days. The sound of heavy breathing and a panicked heartbeat pounded in her ears and her feet ached, remembering the running she had to do when it was all over.

'You can't escape me, Kagura. Not then and certainly not now.' Was the last thing she heard in her head before they were all swept away into the back recesses of her mind.

:The scene you've all been waiting for:

Sesshoumaru caught Kagome just as she fainted and frowned down at her pale complexion. He raised his hand to her forehead and felt the fever building there once again. Rin and Shippo had rushed over the minute they had come through the trees and tried to see Kagome's face. Kouga and Inuyasha stood back, shadowed by the fire and the moon combined.

Before anything could be said a low deep voice from above stopped all of their voices. "Well, it seems the poison is worse then we previously thought." All heads snapped up to see a winged youkai floating above them frowning down at the unconscious girl. Sesshoumaru clutched the girl closer to him.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha yelled out at the youkai and growled. Kouga let out his own threatening growl and scowled at the youkai. Said youkai floated down out of the shadows and into the middle of the clearing. He folded his jet black wings into his body and brushed his black satin hair behind him. His silver eyes glinted over the group and Rin and Shippo hid farther behind the Taiyoukai.

"My name is Michael." He said and looked at something behind Sesshoumaru. "And that is my brother, Gabriel." Sesshoumaru turned his head to stare at the second winged youkai behind him. He quickly moved to where he could keep both youkai in his sight.

The second youkai had long silver-blonde hair and white wings. His eyes were an unsettling black color. Gabriel, as the youkai was called, had not taken his eyes off of Kagome the entire time they had noticed him. Kouga growled and leapt I front of Sesshoumaru, hiding Kagome from his view.

Gabriel frowned and looked up at the youkai that would dare to hide the beauty from him. His dark eyes flashed and his eyebrows lowered. "It's a shame such a beauty would have been put into such a severe state of danger." He stated before moving to stand beside Michael.

"What do you want?" Sesshoumaru said in a dangerous voice and the two youkai grinned. "Why, we are the first assassins to be sent after you, of course." Michael claimed and rose into the air. Gabriel took another look at Kagome and flew into the air as well. Both hovered above them for a while then smirked. "We just decided to introduce ourselves before the hunt actually begins. We give you the rest of the night to strategize. Good luck." Gabriel said and disappeared into the dark.

"And a happy hunting to us, no?" Michael finished as he too disappeared. Kouga and Inuyasha both swore and made to go after them, but Sesshoumaru stopped them. "We do not need you to going off to die prematurely. We need to find a good place to hide Kagome for a while. At least until we find the damn hanyou, Naraku."

Rin and Shippo frowned at the words the Taiyoukai said and shook their head looking to each other. 'This is not a good idea.' Shippo said into Rin's head and the girl nodded. Both turned to the rest of their small group and decided at that moment that they would stay with Kagome, no matter where she was.

"We're staying with Kagome." Shippo stated and Sesshoumaru nodded. Kouga and Inuyasha seemed to disagree with this plan but let it go. It would not do to argue with the stubborn youkai before them. 'We'll just make it work.' Both thought at the same time.

Sesshoumaru placed Kagome back on the ground and looked about their makeshift camp. "Lets take down camp and start our search." He decreed and everyone set about doing what needed to be done.

:In Kagome's head:

Kagome sat in the dark room and watched the same scene once again. Her dying mother making her swear to not forget and to take care of something she couldn't remember anything about. 'What was I supposed to protect!' She asked herself for the millionth time as the scene dissolved. She closed her eyes and waited for the process to repeat. When she opened her eyes again, it was to a small flower filled meadow.

"What the hell? Where am I now?" She asked herself as she stood on shaky legs to survey her surroundings better. Clear blue skies stretched above her and a grassy meadow before her. Trees surrounded the meadow on all sides and the chirp of birds sang sweetly in her ears. Yellow, blue and purple flowers dotted the meadow making Kagome smile and sit back down. It was a beautiful spot. The perfect place for a picnic. Kagome frowned as she realized this place couldn't be real.

There were no places like this in the world anymore.

"I knew this place would calm you down." A soft voice said from behind her and Kagome shot to her feet. Whirling around, with slight fear, Kagome gazed upon a beautiful woman with long dark brown hair and soft chocolate eyes. A smile lit the woman's face and her head tilted to the side in a curious pose.

"Do not worry. I am simply here to speak to you." Kagome didn't respond and instead moved back a step when the woman took a step forward. The woman frowned and tried again. "I picked this spot, because I knew you would find it relaxing." She trailed off as she noticed Kagome had stopped moving away from her advances.

The woman smiled and sat down, patting the grassy spot next to her. Kagome hesitated and then shrugged. 'What could it hurt?' She asked to herself and sat down next to the woman. They sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying the nature. "My name is Midoriko." The woman said suddenly and turned her gaze to Kagome's face.

Kagome jumped slightly from the sound of the woman's voice and turned to her herself. "Oh, um, I'm Kagome." She said back and Midoriko smiled. "I know." She said softly and then frowned. "As much as I would have liked this to be a peaceful talk, I'm afraid I have something important to tell you." She said and Kagome looked to her in confusion.

"You are on an island and surrounded by youkai." Midoriko said and nearly smacked herself at the blunt way she had said it. She had been told to tell the unknowing miko about youkai gently. Not make it sound like, 'Oh, you are surrounded by demons with no way of getting any human help! Have fun!' She nearly groaned at the blank look on the girls face. 'Great! I'm not a great speaker! Why did they pick me for this?'

Kagome stared at Midoriko in confusion and then shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly." The young business woman said as she watched the other woman's face. Midoriko sighed and tried again.

"Kagome, do you believe in youkai?" She asked waiting for the negative answer. What she got however, shocked her. "Yes, but I don't think any of the guys I'm with are youkai…they don't give me that creepy feeling I sometimes get from youkai." Kagome said haltingly as she stared down at the flower she was twirling in her fingers.

Midoriko stared at the young woman in disbelief. 'It appears the girl has knowledge on youkai but not knowledge on the fact that her aura is being held in chains. This will be a lot easier then I had previously thought.' Kagome shifted slightly and looked at the woman in uncertainty. Midoriko smiled and shook her head.

"My dear, let me tell you a story. About five hundred years ago, there was another ship that landed on the island you and your fellow survivors are now on. They didn't land on the island of their volition, however. A sudden tropical storm blew them off course and to the rocks on shore." Midoriko paused in her story and Kagome looked at the woman in an expectant manner.

"The island was, at the time, shrouded in clouds and dark fog. Still, the rain pounded on the small land formation with no mercy…" Midoriko's voice faded as she seemed to be sucked into a memory. Kagome's eyes widened as she realized that Midoriko wasn't telling this story from third person like she had tried to make it seem. She was telling it from first person.

Midoriko had lived this.

"Everyone that had lived through the crash of the ship sat below decks, huddling for warmth."

:500 years ago:

Midoriko watched as the captain of the ship paced back and forth on the small space allotted to him in their dry quarters. His name was Davis…a strange European that had agreed to provide transportation across the ocean to the America's. To her left, Midoriko felt her sister Subaki shift in her sleep. The girl was two years younger then Midoriko's own twenty-eight years. Not really a girl anymore, but still a girl to Midoriko.

Outside, Midoriko tried not to focus on the crash of tides against the side of the boat and the roar of the thunder and the shriek of lightning hitting not to far away. The gentle pitter patter of the rain that most enjoyed was warped into a threatening sound of arrows pelting the sides and top of the ship.

Midoriko looked over to the group of men that had remained loyal to her, even though she carried the burden she now has. Although whether this loyalty was trickery or not remained to be seen. Subaki shifted again and Midoriko glanced down at her. A sigh fought through her lips and drifted over the ears of those in the room.

Damien, a crew member, one of the few remaining, stood and made his way to Midoriko's side. Sitting to her right. "Don't worry. The storm will stop and then we'll be able to repair the damages to the ship." He said, trying to cheer her up. Midoriko smiled slightly and shook her head. "I am sorry for the men you lost." She whispered back and tried to ignore the shadow that passed over his eyes.

"Yeah." He answered and stood back up. Midoriko felt the dregs of exhaustion swamp over her and slowly closed her eyes, falling into a dreamless sleep.

:morning:

Midoriko woke to the unsettling sound, or lack there of, of the rain. It had stopped and an eerie silence had fallen over the ship. Many who had followed her into sleep, woke up immediately and those already awake froze in what they had been doing.

Subaki yawned and stretched. Her young face stretched into a large smile as she stood up. "The rain's stopped!" She exclaimed breaking the tense silence. The rest of the ships crew and Midoriko's small entourage breathed a sigh of relief and allowed small smiles to grace their faces.

Midoriko smiled slightly and stood herself. Captain Davis reached the stairs leading up before her and slowly opened the door. Water that had accumulated during the storm rushed down the stairs and soaked their boots and hems of their clothes. Subaki let out a shrill yelp as the cold water touched her skin and soaked her clothes.

"Aw! Do you know how much these cost!" She yelled and everyone rolled their eyes. It was well known that Subaki was extremely vain when it came to her clothes and appearance. Midoriko, herself resisted the urge to roll her eyes and continued her ascent to the top of the stairs.

Bright white light filled their vision as they tried to focus on their surroundings. The minute Midoriko saw the island they had crashed on, her breath was stolen from her lungs and her eyes glittered with appreciation. It was a gorgeous island.

Vegetation screamed in green awareness and the soft white sand practically tugged at her in invitation. The exotic sounds coming from the veritable jungle before her both enticed her and frightened her in their strangeness. The peaceful awe was broken by a squeal coming from the ever vain Subaki. "Oh My Kami!" She shrieked and Midoriko sighed.

Captain Davis frowned and looked down at the Japanese miko he was attracted to. He had been inching toward Midoriko since she had been captivated by the sight and was raising his hand to place on her shoulder when her annoying sister ruined the moment. 'Damn brat!' He thought to himself as he turned to address his remaining crew.

Damien had seen the captains advance's and didn't like it at all. His eyes flashed with malice as he watched the man's hand inch up and settle right above the miko's shoulder. His face split into a grin as the annoying sister of the enchantress interrupted the Captain's movements. Obviously the girl knew what she had interrupted as well, because she grinned in mischievous malice at the back of the turned Captain Davis.

Subaki watched as the Captain withdrew his hand and grinned. 'Heh. How dare that low-level European try to touch my high ranking sister. No one is good enough for her, and so she shall remain untouched by any male! She only needs me.' Subaki thought as she skipped over to said sister.

"Midoriko! Lets go explore the island while the others fix the ship!" Subaki suggested grinning and ignored the glares this statement received. Midoriko smiled gently at her sister and turned to look at the Captain in askance. Not able to turn away the smile, Davis nodded and sighed. "Do not go too far, milady." he warned and Subaki cheered and dragged Midoriko to a spot that could easily be accessible from the shore.

Midoriko entered the tree-line of the forest and froze. There was something on this island. Something that was extremely hostile. And it knew they were there.

:End of Midoriko story for now:

:With Sesshoumaru and the rest:

Sesshoumaru set Kagome down on the floor of the hidden cave they had found behind a waterfall. Naraku's scent was nowhere around the place which means he either doesn't know about it or hadn't been here in years…

Rin sat beside Kagome's pliant body and Shippo stood at her feet. They both looked to the older males and smiled slightly. "We'll take care of her." Shippo said quietly and Rin nodded. Kouga and Sesshoumaru cast them wary glances but nodded. Inuyasha, however snorted and said something under his breath.

Without saying anything, the three males left the cave and made sure it was undetectable to any other youkai. They needn't have done much, it already avoided all of their senses, and if it hadn't been for Shippo falling into the small pond below the waterfall, they wouldn't have noticed it themselves.

None of them saw the ghostly figure of a man with torn sailors garb and messy short black hair. They didn't see the small smile on the figures face or the way the figures eyes flashed.

Inuyasha and Kouga grumbled threats to each other as they trudged behind a cross Sesshoumaru. "Yeah? Well, you're a shit eating-"

"Inuyasha. Shut that trap you call a mouth and think of something for once in your pathetic life." Sesshoumaru said, cutting off the half finished insult and Kouga grinned. "Wolf. Try not to act as stupidly as you really are and think of something useful." Sesshoumaru continued and made Kouga scowl at his back and Inuyasha smirk at him.

"Well, Mr. High-and-Mighty, what the hell are we supposed to think about!" Kouga growled out, still stung by the taiyoukai's comments. Inuyasha silently agreed with Kouga's heated question. What were they supposed to think about?

Sesshoumaru stopped and prayed the two behind him weren't as stupid as he thought they were. He turned around and looked into the angry eyes of the wolf and half-breed. "There are assassins out for our blood we have to find and destroy, not to mention a hanyou that has a death wish." he stated and watched as the anger in their eyes melted to be replaced with understanding and determination. 'Well, at least they're determined, beyond all else.'

:With the kids:

Rin and Shippo looked down at the girl before them and tried not to cry. Her face was flushed and her body would convulse sporadically. Rin turned to Shippo and sniffed back her tears. "I-is Kagome-nee-chan going to die?" She asked as she again looked at the girl she loved so much in such a short time.

Shippo shook his head and his own tears were stifled. "No. We're going to get that antidote and save her!" he declared and determination filled his eyes. Rin, seeing his look smiled slightly and slipped her small hand into his equally small one. "Right!"

Kagome shifted slightly in her sleep and let out a small sigh. Rin placed a hand on her forehead and Shippo let go of her other hand to stand up. He picked up a piece of torn cloth that had been saved for just in case and walked over to the waterfall. Rin scooted down the side of Kagome and took off the makeshift bandage to look over her wound.

Dried blood made it hard for Rin to peel off the cloth and the sight of the angry red wound made her gasp. It was worse then it had been. It looked like the wound had gotten even bigger and torn flesh around the tear was raw. "S-shippo!" Rin cried out and Shippo was there in a flash.

Looking down on the wound as well, he let out a dispirited moan. 'Guys…come back soon.' He thought as he ordered Rin to make new bandages out of Sesshoumaru's shirt, as the Taiyoukai had ordered to do, just in case. Rin nodded and began her duties. Shippo placed the cooled cloth on the girls head and inspected the wound.

'Momma only taught me what herbs to use for certain wounds…lets hope this island has some…' He thought as he stood up and told Rin he would be right back. "Shippo! Don't go out there! The bad guy might be there!" She squealed and Shippo shook his head. "I have to Rin…it's to help Kagome."

Rin stopped her protests at Kagome's name and nodded. "Ok. Be careful, Ni-san." With her last statement Shippo nodded and went on his way. His heartbeat picked up as he stepped out of the waterfall and started his search for the plants he needed.

:Dawn:

Sesshoumaru watched as the sun rose over the tops of the tropical trees and reflected off of his silver hair and silver tail. He and the other two had let down their concealing spells and had started the hunt for the other youkai.

Their scents were everywhere and, needless to say, they were all frustrated. This of course, caused them to act recklessly. Inuyasha had suggested they split up and Kouga had agreed. Both had immediately sprung in opposite directions. Sesshoumaru, who had silently disagreed with their plan, was left watching after them in irritation.

'Idiots. If one of them gets caught by the other youkai, they will not last long. This Sesshoumaru will be fine-' He cut the thought off as he realized he had referred to himself in the third person. 'Haven't done that since demons were excepted in the past and I was the ruler of the western lands…' He narrowed his eyes and began his own search. 'Something about this place brings out the more primitive side in me…' he thought as he fought the urge to let out a loud howl.

:with Inuyasha:

Inuyasha groaned for the eighth time in the last five minutes. He was really starting to regret the stupid plan of his. Growling slightly at the thought of how his brother or Kouga would react at seeing him in this position, Inuyasha shifted once again and immediately stilled as he felt his surroundings react.

'Aw, shit.' He thought as he tried not to freak. 'Ok, slowly shift toward the boulder…good…now slowly grab a hold of the- NO! Shit!' He nearly screamed in frustration as he missed the stick he was aiming for and a sick sucking sound filled his ears. 'Ugh… don't think about it…don't think about it…'

Inuyasha again tried to reach the stick and let out a cry of triumph as he felt it in his grasp. Getting a firmer grasp and hoisting himself out of his sticky trap he let out a smirk. 'Ha! Take that!' He started to walk away and became instantly aware of the fact that his footsteps made a squishing noise as he walked. He looked down at the goo on his clothes and scowled.

'Who ever heard of quicksand on a tropical island anyway!'

:with Kouga:

'Damn mutt! It's all his fault I'm in this mess!' Kouga thought as he again ran as fast as he could to escape it. Its hands gripping his arms and shoulders as it tried to throw him to the ground. He let out a shriek as he was tackled to the ground. 'EEE!' he screamed in his head as a pair of rubbery lips met his. 'NOOOOO!' he mentally bellowed as he thrust the offender away, only to be tackled by another one.

"Gah! LEAVE ME ALONE!" He screamed and sprinted away as the would be rapists were left behind.

'I HATE MONKEYS!'

:with Naraku:

Naraku stared into the mirror that allowed him to view the outside world. His face showed no emotion as he watched the silent youkai lord search for his assassins. 'How dull.' he thought as he commanded his faithful servant to switch to someone else. His eyes lit up in malicious glee at the sight of the dog hanyou struggling in a pit of quicksand. 'Who ever heard of a youkai getting stuck in quicksand?'

Deciding that the hanyou was boring when he got out of the quicksand, Naraku watched as the wolf was chased by a pack of enamored monkeys. 'Oh, the poor boy.' He thought remembering his own experiences when he first got to this island. 'Now for the girl.'

"Kanna. Find me the girl." He commanded and waited patiently. His thoughts were disrupted when Kanna's barely heard voice reached his twitching ears. "I cannot find her." She stated and Naraku felt his eye twitch.

"WHAT!"

:XD:

KC: Well folks…I think I have written enough for you…today… Heh. SO SORRY IT'S LATE! I had extreme writers block. Personally I thought this chapter was a little boring…sorry…I'm leading up to the fun stuff! All of my other stories will be update this weekend…I swear it! Read and Review please!