A/N: Well, I said it would be a little while until I updated, right? I found time today, though. It took me a while to get started, but I'm doing better.

Alright, here's the scoop. I'm thinking there are about eight chapters left in this story, definately no more than ten. That's depressing, ne?

While I was writing this, I tried to keep it a little bit lighter than the last chapter. That one was really dark for this story. I'll try to follow that pattern for the rest of the story, keeping it light, I mean.

Okay, so I think that's all I wanted to say, really. Don't want to keep you from this story for long. So, on with your reading.

Kagome sat on the couch, her head in her hands. She couldn't believe what had happened. Yuuki was trying to comfort her, having seen the video about his friend. Sunset had occured hours before. Kagome hadn't been able to even think about sleeping.

She really didn't know what to do. She didn't want anyone to be hurt by her decisions, yet she would be forced to make one that effected countless people. Everyone Shippo knew, everyone she knew...Hell, even everyone Yuuki knows will be effected, she thought.

Sighing, Kagome began speaking her thoughts aloud to Yuuki. "If I don't go to that warehouse tonight, Shippo will get hurt. He's completely innocent in this, it's only because of associating with me that he was taken. If I go to the police, he still gets hurt. If I try to tell Souta, Sango, or any of my other friends, he's still screwed."

"On the other hand, if I go, that's no garuntee that they'll let him go. They can just be saying that until they get me, and then can still turn around and break their oath. I wouldn't put it past Naraku, and whoever he's working with has got to be at least as bad if not worse. If I go, I'm stuck there. I most likely won't be able to get out. Again, if I go, I'm screwed."

"So, if I go, I'm done for. If I don't, Shippo's as good as dead. My hands appear to be completely tied in this situation." Kagome lifted her head and stared at Yuuki (who was sitting with his head on her lap). "What should I do? I won't say I'm not afraid. I'm terrified of what can happen. But if I don't go, I'll always feel guilty knowing that I let an innocent boy get hurt."

Yuuki whined and pulled his ears against his head. Kagome lifted a hand and began to pet him. Her thoughts kept revolving around the decision she had to make; did she go or did she find help?

"And why can't I do both?" she mused. "If I call one of my friends and ask them to come over, say, half an hour or so after I'm supposed to meet them, I can leave a not for them explaining things. They didn't say I couldn't write everything, I just can't tell anyone." Kagome smiled sadly. "If I do that, we may both have a chance."

Yuuki's eyes stared up at her. Kagome's smile faded. "Of course, it could also be bad if they got wind of it. I'm sure I could talk them out of it, but they might end up really hurting people." She didn't mention it would probably be herself that got hurt the most. Yuuki already seemed to know that. "And that would be very bad for some people I know." She also didn't mention the two guys that she knew, if she survived this, she would have to choose between.

She didn't normally believe in love at first sight, yet it appeared her heart was against her on that idea.

Kagome knew she had to make up her mind and stop procrastinating. Her pose took on a determined look. "Alright, I've decided."

She shifted and Yuuki lifted his head. He watched Kagome walk over to the phone and dial a number.

Kagome waited for the reciever to pick up. She was hailed by her little brother and smiled. "Hey, Souta. Guess what? Yuuki misses you. Would you mind coming over tonight and seeing him again?" She paused. "Yeah, I was thinking around ten thirty. That way, you have time to eat after your classes." Another, longer pause. "Alright, see you then. Bye."

She hung up and her smile faded again. "You know, I really can't believe this is happening still." She turned around and shook her head. "That just goes to show you should never expect your life to be calm and quiet. Something always comes around and messes things up."

Kagome walked into the kitchen and pulled out a piece of paper. Rummaging through a drawer for a pen, she began to compose her letter.

Souta pulled into the driveway to his sister's house. He was a little early, and he hoped Kagome wouldn't mind. He didn't think she would; after all, he was her baby brother.

Getting out of the vehicle, Souta wondered why he had accepted the invite to visit that damned fox again. He had caused so much trouble...Souta shook his head. He filed the urge to accept the invitation away as a crazed impulse.

Approaching the door, Souta knocked vigerously. He hadn't had a lot of time to see his sister lately, and he really looked forward to this. Now, if only his darling sibling would open the door...

Souta frowned and knocked louder. Nobody answered, but Souta could hear movement in the house. Trying the knob, he wasn't surprised to find the door open. Typical Kagome, forgetting to lock the door after she gets back, he thought.

He stepped into the townhome and closed the door behind him. Taking off his shoes, he called for his sister. "Kagome, I'm here. Where are you, sis? You call me all the way over just to fall asleep on the couch?"

The offending apparel finally came off his feet and he strode into the room. He frowned again as he noticed that there was nobody in the living room, nor the kitchen when he checked. Deciding that maybe his sister was up in her bedroom, he went up the stairs.

He could still hear the noise, and as he approached the bedroom door, it faded slightly. Kagome's door was open, and the absense of life in the room was increasingly disturbing.

Alarms began going off in Souta's head. Of all the times Kagome had invited him over, not once had she not been there. He didn't think she would do something like this as a prank, either.

Walking down to the living room, he noticed the closet. All of the other doors had been open in the house. It was very out of place to have a single door closed in the entire area, and Souta figured someone was trying to tell him something.

He strode over to the enclosure and put a hand on the doorknob. Something was definately trapped in there, the noise had grown louder as he had drawn near. Taking a breath, Souta wrenched the door open (nearly taking it off its hinges in the process).

Souta had been expecting multitudes of things to be in there. A half dead body of his sister. A skeleton. A large amount of contraband or duffle bags of stolen bank money. He certainly didn't expect to be mauled by a panicked Yuuki.

"What the- settle down, you rat!" Souta called. Yuuki had immediately attacked his leg, but had let go and ran to the door moments after. Now, the young fox looked back at Souta expectantly, worry written through his entire body.

Souta looked sideways at him before approaching cautiously. There was something attatched to the door, and Souta's stomach began to knot as he drew near it.

It was a letter, with his name on the front. Written in Kagome's hand, Souta was skeptical about taking it. After being prompted by Yuuki that someone was in a rush, combined with his bad feeling that was growing into anxiety, Souta pulled the letter off the door.

Turning it over in his hand, he opened it and began to read it.

Souta, it read,

If you're reading this, then I'm already gone. Don't panic (and Souta's breathing had certainly quickened at the implications of that sentence), I'm not dead. Yet.

I don't have a lot of time or paper to spare with long explainations, so I'll be quick about this. Earlier today, I got a disk from one of my co-workers, Naraku. He told me that him and one of his associates wished to meet me at the warehouse across from the hospital I work at. The meeting was to be at ten tonight, which I am leaving for as soon as I finish this.

You know I would never go without reason. Here's why I'm doing this.

He has a little boy with him, injured and probably sick. Remember me telling you about one of my patients, Shippo? He was kidnapped by Naraku, and it's my fault that he's in the situation he is. So I'm going to get him out of it, and prevent it from happening to other people I care about.

I was forbidden to tell anyone about the meeting or Shippo would die. I couldn't let that happen, so I arranged for you to come over and wrote this letter for you. I need you to do something for me, baby brother.

I need you to go to the police and show them this. You can also use the disk for evidence, and it's in the DVD player. I also need you to not let Yuuki out. I'm sure that he'll get himself in trouble otherwise. I had to throw him in the closet before leaving because he was ready to follow me. I don't want him hurt. I've grown attatched to him.

I'm running out of paper now, and I'm just about out of time. Please do this for me, Souta. If not, then this really is goodbye.

Kagome

Souta's hand fell and he let the letter drop to the floor. "Oh, shit."

End Chapter
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