Disclaimer: No, I don't own it. I wish I did though. Heh, oh yeah! Somebody asked what the little mistake was in the last chapter. Well, it's more of a game technicality, but it's there all the same. I will give a hint though: It's at the beginning of the chapter and it's got something to do with someone's weapon.

Chapter Ten: Down the Rabbit Hole

I

Shippou bolted out of bed, emerald eyes glazed over in fright as he struggled to calm his quick breaths. He clinched his chest to stop his racing heart, his claws lightly digging into the unprotected flesh underneath. He glanced down at the blood that dribbled down his naked chest and sighed, extracted his claws and allowed the little half moons to heal as he pondered over the night past.

He didn't normally dream, so it was a real surprise when this one surfaced in his mind. He couldn't see anything except pitch black darkness but he felt a wide range of emotions. The first was pride and triumph, something he hadn't felt since he and Kagome started kickboxing so many years before. Those feelings faded to bashfulness and anxiety, again something he recognized as being a feeling he normally experienced around the outspoken and affectionate human. He thought he was dreaming of her and it was quite a pleasant one until fear and adrenaline shot through his system. His heartbeat quickened and he cried out when a sharp pain shot up his right leg before the chirping of birds and the brightness of the sunlight streaming through his window broke through his dream. Shippou ran a shaking hand through his shoulder length auburn locks and sighed.

'What the hell was that?' he asked himself as he stood up and allowed the bedclothes to fall from his frame. He righted the blue Garden issue boxers that were severely twisted around his waist and made his bed. 'It's like the dream wasn't mine, but someone else's. And my arm...' He frowned down at the long scar on his right arm. 'It's itching like crazy. Something might be wrong with Ka-'

"Shippou!" Sango called as she banged on his door. "Hey Shippou! Wake up already!"

"I'm up!" Shippou shouted back. "Jeez, don't kick down my door Sango!"

"Then open it! Miroku and I are waiting for you!"

"Waiting for me..." Shippou repeated to himself while he scurried around for something quick to put on. He grasped a pair of light gray sweat pants and a hooded sweat shirt to match before sliding his feet into a pair of sandals and throwing the door open. He groaned at the lump in the door and frowned at Sango, who gave him her most innocent smile and batted her lashes. "What are you guys doing here so early?" Shippou demanded irritably.

"Oooooo," Sango teased as she and Miroku came inside. "Someone woke on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Please forgive Sango," Miroku said as he guided her to a nearby chair. "She had something incredibly sweet this morning, in spite of my objections."

"Oh, well she'll be like that for a while," Shippou joked with his first smile for the day. He moved to shut the door behind them when Sango stood up and shoved him and Miroku out of the room and down the hallway.

"We can't stay, remember?" Sango said as the other two protested. "The SAD is coming online today!"

"The wh-oh," Shippou groaned. 'How could I have forgotten? I practically helped the SeeD committee build it.'

SAD stood for SeeD Activation Display, three large holographic screens that were mounted high above the directory in the commons circle. It'd taken Shippou and thirteen other technicians from all three Gardens four months to piece it together, program it and the internet link-up that would keep the display current without constant manual data entry. It was Shippou's pride and joy, and he'd forgotten it all because of some stupid dream.

"Look, there it is!" Sango gasped as they stopped in front of the screens. One screen faced the right side of the commons, one side faced the left while the one in the middle faced toward the directory itself and the front gate. Students and SeeDs from all three Gardens waited as the Garden staff turned it on. The symbols for the three Gardens lit up in the middle of the screens, then faded before the first list of names began to scroll up the screen.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" Inuyasha called as he walked up, Kikyou coming from the opposite side of the commons circle. "Woah, they got this thing runnin' huh? Nice..."

"Yeah," Kikyou huffed, a Cinna-bun still in her hand as she gasped to catch her breath. "Great job Shippou. Kagome's gonna freak when she gets back."

"Ah, it's nothin'," Shippou blushed. He stuffed his hands in his jacket pocket and glanced to the side when the others laughed. "Seriously though guys, it wasn't just me. There were a lot of other guys involved in this."

"Yeah well we don't know them," Sango laughed. "So great going -"

"Hey Shipp," Inuyasha interrupted as he pointed toward the screens. "Looks like you've got a glitch already."

"Huh?" Shippou grunted angrily. He should have known Inuyasha would have something to say. "What now Inuyasha?"

"I'm just saying, you've got a glitch in the system. See, right there?" Inuyasha pointed again. "They've misspelled somebody's name. Sesshoumaru and I are the only Endo's in the Gardens."

"I don't think that's a spelling error Inuyasha," Miroku said before walking toward the directory. "Shippou, how do you work this thing?"

"I'll do it." Miroku stepped aside and the others gathered around him as Shippou brought up a new screen on the directory. "Don't worry Miroku. I'm sure it's some kind of mistake." He typed Inuyasha's last name, stepped back

and waited for the 'ERROR!' message to flash on the screens overhead. The screen in the middle rewound itself instead, highlighted a single name and magnified it.

Captain Sesshoumaru Kenshii Endo: G. Class D Spe. Rnk 29 AP Rnk 13 En Tec 5-MIA

"No," Shippou whispered as the others gaped in disbelief. "It can't be. If Sesshoumaru's missing, then Kagome..."

"Then Kagome's missing too right?" Sango shrieked as she and Kikyou hugged each other. "But that's not possible..is it?"

"No, it's not," Inuyasha growled. "It's bullshit. It's some mistake! Shippou? Shippou!" Inuyasha called as Shippou returned to the keyboard. "What are you doing?"

"It's not possible," Shippou whispered to himself, completely ignorant of Inuyasha's presence as he furiously banged on the keys. "No, Kagome's fine, she's safe. There's another Endo or a spelling error or something. It's just not-"

Private First Class Kagome Aurora Higurashi: G. Class A Spe. Rnk 19 Neg/CR-MIA

"We gotta go find the headmaster," Inuyasha breathed before storming toward the elevator. Everyone but Shippou got on, leaving the shell-shocked kitsune to stare helplessly at the screen and the name in front of him. "No," he whispered when he finally turned away from the SAD. "No, it's wrong. It's wrong!" He fled from the commons area toward the infirmary, his instincts guiding him through the crowd of students and SeeDs. He burst into the infirmary, his heavy breaths and wild appearance startling Dr. Kadowaki and Squall as they studied something on the doctor's desk..

"Shippou, what is it?" Dr. Kadowaki asked as Shippou's heavy pants filled the room. "What's wrong child? You don't look we-"

"Is it true?" Shippou demanded, his eyes locking with Squall's the moment he looked up. Dr. Kadowaki looked confused. "Dear, is what true? What's the matter?"

"Is it true Headmaster?" Shippou pleaded. "Please, I have to know. What happened to Kagome and Sesshoumaru?"

"I don't think I should discuss this with you without Kagome's family's permission," Squall told him, only to have Shippou's scarred forearm shoved in his face.

"Kagome and I are family. We performed a Blood Bond four years after coming to the Garden."

Squall sighed heavily, the weight of what he was about to tell him heavy on his shoulders. "I suppose so then. Shippou...We received two transmissions from the Ragnarok on Tuesday afternoon. One was at 1600 hours, and it was a notification about Kagome's new rank as Gunner." He waited as Inuyasha and the others filed into the room, Inuyasha having followed Shippou's scent to the infirmary. Dr. Kadowaki closed the door behind Sango, who was the last to enter, before sitting down.

"The second," Squall continued. "Was at 1645. It was the Ragnarok's distress and self destruct signal. We haven't received anything else. I don't know what to say but...I'm sorry."

"Can't you guys just call her?" Kikyou asked. "I mean, you've got comphones right? Just call her and see where she is."

"Good idea Kik," Inuyasha said as he and the others flipped out their phones and pushed eight. The phone rang for what felt like forever before her answering machine came on. "See?" Shippou said after leaving a message and hanging up. "Kagome's fine."

"Or Kagome's phone is still on the Ragnaork ruins," Miroku said with a frown. "I'm sorry Shippou, but you know Kagome doesn't step three feet away from that thing unless it's an emergency."

"What are you planning to do sir?" Sango asked, her eyes already red and raw from holding back tears. "You are going to look for them, right?'

Squall nodded solemnly. "Orders and SeeDs have already been dispatched. The search party leaves in the morning."

"I want to go," Shippou told him and growled when Squall shook his head. "Why not? I can help find them! I should go!"

"We have youkai on the team already, so tracking them isn't going to be a problem. However...you must understand Shippou. If you, or any of you go, you'll be a liability. You're too close to the people that we're looking for. If we don't find them, or if we find them and they're dea-"

"NO!" Shippou bellowed suddenly. "Kagome's NOT dead! I won't hear it!" He bolted from the room before anyone could stop him, leaving the humans and hanyou behind to stare after him in shock.

"That's why," Squall said after a few minutes of silence. "That kind of violent behavior won't help them. You must understand, I know exactly what you're feeling right now and I'm not blaming you. You just-"

"We understand sir," Miroku replied. "We know you'll do everything to find them."

"I'm glad." Squall watched as they filed out, the girls already crying as the males with them struggled to calm them down. He and Dr. Kadowaki exchanged glances before he left her to her duties, a small file clasped tightly in his hands as he made his way toward the elevator. 'It's not that I don't sympathize with them,' he said as he boarded the elevator. 'But I can't spare them. I'm already stretched as it is with the recent requests for SeeDs. I just...I can't let them go when I know there are others out there that need them more and that the two they're willing to look for may already be lost.'

II

'Mmmmmm...'

Kagome sniffed and sneezed, then rubbed away the slight tickling at her nose. She grumbled something and rolled on her back as she rose from a deep sleep. 'Hot,' she griped slightly. 'What's going on? Why is it so hot?' She focused on the songs of birds around her and noticed that they were a lot closer than what she was used to. She opened her eyes slowly, then blinked as she stared into blue skies.

Kagome looked around, teal eyes blurry and confused as she tried to gather her bearings. A warm stiff wind blew behind her, lifting her hair and silky strands of white fur over her shoulder to flutter at her peripheral vision. She gently prodded the furry white mountain behind her, her fingers combing through the softness that encircled her from both sides and her back before noticing the thick white blanket draped over her legs. 'I wonder where Sesshoumaru found this from,' she thought as she snuggled back into the mountain. 'Hey, wait a sec.' She sat up finally and looked around, a slight panic rising in her chest. 'Where is he? He made it off the plane, didn't he?'

Kagome gently slapped her forehead. 'Duh Kagome, of course he made it. How do you think you got down here? Argh! Then where is he-' She glanced up at a rustling in a bush near her, her body falling still as the bush continued to shake and shiver violently. She reached for Junsei's handle and realized that the blanket over her was too heavy to quickly unsheath and wield the weapon before the danger arrived. Kagome released it and readied her magic supply, then relaxed as a little deer burst through the thicket and into the clearing.

'Oh, how cute,' Kagome thought with a smile as the deer walked closer to her. Despite the many deer at Balamb, this would be the first time Kagome had ever seen a deer so closely. The shy creature's fur was a caramel brown, with snowy bits speckled along it's left flank and forehead. Kagome rested her hands on top of the blanket and steadied her breathing while allowing her aura and demeanor to elude gentleness as the deer came closer to her. She reached up to touch it's forehead when it finally reached her and allowed it to sniff her hands. It stiffened at first, then relaxed as she softly petted the wild creature.

The bush behind it shook again, this time noiselessly while Kagome spoke softly to the deer. It's ears flicked toward her, the longer soft pale hairs that sprouted from the tips swaying in the passing breeze. The bush shuddered again, this time with Kagome's notice as she glanced over the deer's head. Once again she prepared herself, only to stop as a bright red line flared around her. The light faded just as a creature jumped out of the bush and attacked. Kagome gasped and the deer attempted to flee, but couldn't get over the glowing red line that still surrounded them. She glanced from the deer to the monster and noticed that it couldn't get over the line either. It beat on the invisible wall surrounding them with its tentacles, then would flip over and try to assault the barrier with magic spells. "What on Spira is that?" she asked aloud and jumped when the answer she received came from an unlikely place.

'It's a Jellyeye,' a voice in her mind whispered as the monster continued it's attempt to break through. 'They're common on the Centra Plains.'

"Huh?" Kagome mumbled and quickly glanced around. "Sesshoumaru?"

'Yes?'

"Where...are you?"

'I'm...close.'

"Oh, um...ok then." Kagome shrugged and began to take off her coat. "It's so hot here. Where are we?"

'I'm not entirely sure,' was his answer. 'Keep your jacket close by.'

"Why?" Kagome asked. "It's not like I'm going to need it. I have no real intentions of losing it anyway."

'No, you don't need it now,' Sesshoumaru agreed with what felt like a mental sigh to Kagome. 'Have you studied the temperatures in the Centra continents?'

"Um...no-"

'It's 1 o' clock now. The temperature will continue to rise until 4, where it will stay at a constant 100 degrees before falling as the sun sets. Once that happens, the temperature will fall to at least 30 or 40 degrees. So keep your jacket close by.'

"What about you?" Kagome asked as she balled her jacket at her side. "Don't you need a coat or something?"

'I have ways of keeping warm.'

"Where are you?" Kagome asked again. "Why are you hiding?"

'I'm not hiding,' Sesshoumaru growled, instantly affronted by such a suggestion.

"Then why can't I see you?" She heard him sigh then, and the mountain behind her moved. She glanced back at it, but paid it no attention as Sesshoumaru relented.

'Fine,' he growled. 'But do not scream.'

"Now why would I s-" She stopped when the mountain moved again, this time with the blanket over her shifting as well. She glanced to her left and realized that her bedding and mountain was actually the side of a giant dog as it's great head appeared. Large crimson eyes stared down at her as it nudged her with it's nose, the sage green irises in the middle watching her as she gaped. "Se...Sesshoumaru?"

The dog nodded, growled lightly and lowered its head back to it's right paw.

"OK," Kagome mumbled, then grinned. "Hey, you're kinda cute like this!" She grabbed the nearest ear and petted what she could of it. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes at her but held still, her gentle scratching almost soothing. "How long have you been like this?" Kagome asked and grumbled at his dubious look. "No, I know you were born this way. What I meant was how long have you been in this form?"

'For two days, counting today,' Sesshoumaru told her. 'You have been unconscious for 24 hours.'

"Woah, seriously?" Kagome whispered as she continued to scratch his ear. "Man, what happened? Did the Ragnarok blow up?"

'No, not exactly. Esthar deems its technology too important to allow detonation. Instead, the self destruct wipes the computer's motherboard clean.'

"And without the motherboard the ship wouldn't fly, right?" Kagome asked. He nodded and closed his eyes. 'How is your leg?' he asked next. His eyes snapped open at her gasp and glanced into her abnormally pale face. 'What is it?' he asked.

"I wish you hadn't said anything," Kagome breathed. "Cause now it hurts. I didn't notice it before."

'If that isn't just like a human,' he grumbled in mild disgust. 'Or maybe it's just like you.'

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Kagome nearly shouted. "I didn't mean to trip up on the door you melted!"

'Then I suppose you would have liked to remain on the ship then?' Sesshoumaru countered and growled when she blushed. 'How bad is it? Allow me to see.' He moved her 'blanket', which turned out to be a bit of his tail, off of her lap so she could take off her right shoe. She grimaced at the thigh-height rip in her skirt, bemoaning the ruining of her only skirt before struggling with her shoe. She bit back tears as she tugged it off, plopped it onto her jacket and winced at her puffed and swollen ankle. "Oh, that's just great," she mumbled and flopped back against Sesshoumaru's side.

'It will need to be wrapped,' Sesshoumaru told her as he returned his tail to her lap. 'Do you have any gauze inside that train case of yours?'

"Nope," Kagome shook her head. "I can't ever get a first aid kit and my ammo inside. We're stuck. My comphone was inside my other bag too. Oh well..."

'We will have to use my shirt then,' he told her. 'You will have to wait until tomorrow. It can't be helped.'

"Why until tomorrow?" Kagome wondered. "Can't you just change back into your other form?"

'No, not right now.'

"Why not?"

Sesshoumaru sight aloud this time, his irritation at her constant questions plain even in his inu form. 'Because you are not the only one injured,' he growled testily. 'I am in this form so I can heal faster.'

"You're hurt?" Kagome gasped, having latched on to that one fact and ignoring the rest. "Where? What happened?"

'My left arm is healing,' he told her, deciding to leave out the gory details for another time. 'I shall be fine by this time tomorrow.'

"Are you sure?" Kagome asked as she rose to her knees and dug inside a little pack attached to her holster. "Because I have three Mega-potions if you want one."

'Where did you find Mega-potions?' he asked as she pulled something free. 'Besides, you know that potions don't heal the injuries.'

"Yeah, but it'll help with the pain. Come on Sesshoumaru." She held up a pair of vials and waved them in front of him, the mint green liquid inside sloshing against the plastic sides and cork top. "Please? We both should take it."

'Fine,' he relented once again. He opened his mouth and allowed her to pour the liquid inside, his tongue numbing slightly as he fought back a grimace. 'We will remain here until tomorrow. Is that understood?'

"Yeah, whatever," Kagome yawned. She closed her eyes and laid back against his side. "I don't want to move anyway. Potions always make me (yaaawwwnnn) sleepy." She closed her eyes, green orbs secreted away from the rest of the world as her breathing slowed and she slipped into darkness. Sesshoumaru soon followed her lead, the red barrier ring he erected firmly in place as he dreamed and planned a way back to civilization.

III

Sesshoumaru walked ahead of her, his back constantly to the frustrated human behind him as he struggled to sniff out a land mark that could help them. They were three days into their search, five days since the crash and Sesshoumaru's graceless trip back to the ground. He remembered waking up hours after that unfortunate fall, his eyes bleary as he struggled toward consciousness. An agony in his arm brought him back to awareness quickly and crimson eyes stared down at his injured left arm. He was still in his youkai form, which was no surprise since the bones in his arm were shattered in four different places. Bloody white spikes piercing his fur moved when he attempted to walk, so he honestly had no choice but to sit and wait for it to heal.

Sesshoumaru rotated it absently, the joint and certain parts still tender as he remained focused on his goal-

"Hey, where are we huh? You haven't said a word all day."

Or would have been, if it weren't for asinine questions of his companion.

"For the third time since this morning," Sesshoumaru growled, a single clawed digit pressed against the middle of his forehead where a splintering headache was beginning. "I don't know. Stop asking the same question and be quiet."

"I'm sorry," Kagome snapped back as she stumbled along behind him. "But you haven't said anything in like, five hours! I'm starting to go crazy back here!"

"Starting," her companion quipped snidely as continued on. Kagome sighed in frustration, balled her fists and stopped right where she stood. She waited, her arms folded tightly against her chest, for him to notice her then cleared her throat when he seemed to ignore her.

"Fine," Sesshoumaru relented when he turned around at her fifth 'a-hem!'. "What is it? What could you possibly want to talk about now?"

"For one-"

"Oh goody," Sesshoumaru interrupted sarcastically. "There's more than one. What joy."

"Do you know where we are?" Kagome half growled, her irritation plain despite her attempts to ignore him. Sesshoumaru huffed, actually rolled his eyes and replied, "Of course I know where we are. I just enjoy walking around in circles for the fun of it. Gods, you are infuriating."

"I take it that means no," Kagome replied thoughtfully, this attempt to ignore him successful as she tried to think of another solution. "OK, what about that cloud-thingy?"

"What cloud-thingy?" Sesshoumaru asked, though he inwardly wondered why he bothered. She was distracting him from the task at hand...but if he had to be honest with himself, he found her a distraction even when she was quiet, which were rare incidents indeed. She refused his help when he offered to carry her, walking right past him when he kneeled and waited for her to climb onto his back. She limped along behind him and after a few minutes of trying to convince her otherwise he finally shrugged and allowed her to do as she wished. She was constantly humming something, or fiddling around with the flora around them so carelessly to the point where he wondered if she suffered some sort of head injury. She didn't seem worried about their situation and if he had a link to her innermost thoughts he would have found that, in spite of his rude behavior and aloofness, she believed without a doubt that he would be able to get them home.

After all, nothing was to hard for the great Captain Sesshoumaru Endo, now was it?

"That cloud-thingy," Kagome said as she gestured toward his feet. "You know, that little white cloud that you use to fly on. What about that?"

"That would work..." Sesshoumaru pondered the idea a moment, then shook his head. "No. That would be a possibility had I not been injured. Most of my youki was spent healing myself. I don't have enough for my nimbus and it will take quite some time to replenish it."

"Oh. Oh crud." She snapped her fingers and frowned. "Well, at least I tried."

"Yes, you did now can we please move on?" Sesshoumaru replied before turning on his heel and going to opposite way. "We have a lot of ground to cover and-"

"What makes you so sure you're going the right way?" Kagome interrupted. Sesshoumaru froze in place and growled, his frustration and aggravation clear on the afternoon air. "I mean," Kagome continued when he finally turned to face her. "We've been going this way for days. What makes you think this is the right way?"

"Woman, why must you question me?" Sesshoumaru demanded calmly. "Is it too much for your little mind to simply follow me and keep your lips sealed?"

"Hey, you can't talk to me like that!" Kagome shouted in outrage. "I'm not some simple woman and yes, I do have a problem with following you without knowing what's going on! What makes you so sure it's that way anyway?"

"Because there is nothing north of us," Sesshoumaru told her. "And the west harbors a deserted ruin."

"How do you know that?" Kagome asked. "You never said anything about a ruin."

"We're on one of the Northern Centra continents," Sesshoumaru replied. "We are on the one with the Centra Crater. I am following the scent of sea water. There is a beach ahead that will give us easy access to the Southern Centra continent and our prime mission objective."

"You're still worried about the mission?" Kagome gaped. "But-but-"

"No matter what has befallen us Kagome, we will carry out our mission," Sesshoumaru told her. "You now know everything I do. Now come on because I will not hesitate to leave you."

"But Sesshoumaru!" Kagome shouted as she hobbled to catch up with him. "What about the-eek!"

Sesshoumaru sighed and lightly slapped his forehead, an action he immediately regretted when a piercing white light and a flash of pain sizzled behind his eyes. 'I swear, does that woman not know how to keep herself out of trouble?' He turned and found her gone, no sign of her anywhere near himself or the various patches of green surrounding him.

"Kagome?" he called as he retraced his steps. "Kagome, where are you? I'm in no mood for games."

"Hey! Right here!" Sesshoumaru glanced to his left and right then wondered if he imagined it when she called for him again. "Hey, down here! Look down!" Sesshoumaru did as he was asked and stared before a smirk began to grow on his features. Kagome peered up at him, her bottle green eyes frightened as she hung on to the edges of the hole she managed to fall through. "Hey, do you think you could get me out of here?"

Kagome scowled when, instead of offering her his hand or just lifting her out, Sesshoumaru sat down in front of her on the edge of the hole, the wind breezing through the remains of his white button up shirt as he stared down at her with humored eyes. "What's so funny?" she demanded when he smirked.

"Oh, not a thing," he assured her before touching one of her fingers. "So, do you need help?"

"Look, this isn't funny," Kagome growled as he continued to sit there. "I'm slipping and I can't see the bottom. This hole is really dark and I don't think it'll be a good thing for me to fall into it."

"I'm sure it wouldn't be," Sesshoumaru agreed before propping himself up on his arms to lean back and gaze up into the clear blue sky. Kagome waited as he stared into the heavens above them. "Hey! What're you doing? I said I was slipping?"

"But you didn't say you needed any help," Sesshoumaru responded with a fake yawn. He found himself enjoying the childish game he was playing, figuring to have a little more fun with his companion before lifting her to safety. "And if I remember correctly, you've told me more than once that you don't need any help."

"Oh come ON!" Kagome shouted, her echo scattering across the empty desert. "Can't you give me a break? I'm seriously slipping!"

"I doubt that," he replied with another yawn. He laid down and stretched himself out on the ground beside her, his face coming parallel to hers as she glared at him. "I think this would be the perfect opportunity to rest, wouldn't you?"

"Sesshoumaru, I'm serious," Kagome said as she floundered on the unstable ledge. "I'm going to fall!"

"No, you won't," Sesshoumaru told her, his eyes closed and his hands clasped behind his head. "You're holding on perfectly fine from what I can s-" He opened his eyes to stare at her and found nothing, her fingertips gone from the edge and the eyes that had glared at him so angrily had disappeared. He jumped up and into the hole without a second thought, completely unaware of the earthen colored piece of metal that slid back into place at his descent.

(End chapter)

SF: Heh. That's it for today people. I know, this chapter was relatively shorter than the others. I'm not sure why.

Inu-chan: Because she's lazy! Believe me people, this chick hasn't done shi-

ZAP!

SF: Ahhhh, I feel better. Anyway, that's it for that chapter. No worries, because the next chapter starts off right where this one ended. Hey, who's doing the soliloquy today?

Shippou: Can I do it? Huh, can I? Please...!

SF: No, sorry little man. I think I'm going to get...Sesshou to do it this time!

Sesshou: No (gapes when SF's fingers start to glow) Alright, alright. Where's the script? Ah, here it is. (Clears throat) We've been stuck here for days, not that that's a problem for me. I can always hunt for my food and survive off what little water we find. My human companion...Kagome is not so fortunate. From what I've heard, humans cannot survive for long stints without food and water. This hole presents us with no answers and, with no way back to the surface, there may just be a chance that we've buried ourselves alive down here.

Next-Chapter Eleven: Exploring their Quarters

(Responses)

Fanfiction

Okibi Usagi, Thesta, inudemoness247, kitt90, ChIbI rIn, Toko Inori, XxDarkFirexX, Gothic girl21, Duzzie, Ashika, Dragon Rae,Skitzoflame, sakurakitsune14, Wake-Robin, Kaichai, Kaoru4 and BlueMonkey89: Thanks for the reviews! Another chapter's on the way as soon as possible!

busoshwe: Believe it or not, I've beaten the game already. (FX-2) I'm replaying it because I managed to find a better stradegy than the first one I used, so I thought to go ahead and try for the good ending that I didn't get. Who what's the blah game ending anyway? Shame on them. Oh, Kagome and Sesshou are in for a lot of fun. There's lots planned for those two.

loseing-hope: Kagome was hurt trying to get through that door Sesshoumaru melted to get to the catwalk. A little piece of it was still intact, so when that last missle hit them she hit it and injured her ankle. Inuyasha isn't jealous per say, it's more like a brotherly thing. He's trying to look after her and he thinks that she's got a thing for his brother. He knows how Sesshoumaru is, but he doesn't know that Sesshou's not trying to mess with her, nor is Kagome interested in her in that way. He also has no idea how to relay his worry for her in a way other than violent and barberic. Don't worry. Inuyasha's due for some sensetivy classes shortly.

Kurama's Foxylady: Oh yeah. Dark Neko-chan's picures. Well, you could do one of two things. You could look on the A Single Spark website, (which has a lot of great fan art by the way) and search for it under my name. Or, you could go to Mediaminer. org and search for it under my fanart listing. Be sure to leave a review! She breaks her neck for these great drawing!

yasha the wolf lover: Ummmm...ok! A gunblade is kinda like a sword/ gun hybrid. It has a blade like a sword, with a gun wielded into the handle. Ok, that was a pretty bad description. I know! Dark Neko-chan actually drew Kagome's gunblade! If you want to see it (which might be a good idea since my des. sucked so badly) then go to Mediaminer. org and check underneath my penname for her picture.

baka-onna2003: lol Yes, ammo is present with them. They'll be fine, but they won't be in action for a while. As for them hooking up, you must give it time grasshopper. Good things don't come in one chapter you know? lol.

Strawberrylover Um, ok. I can see how you were confused. I'm not entirely sure about the target thing (I'm going to have to read the chapter over) but I think I can help with the crush and the mate. See, Inuyasha and Kikyou were mated without telling the others. That's what Kagome's so pissed off about and it's not that they mated, it's that they acted like it was some sort of huge secret that they didn't want the others to know about. No, Kikyou and Inuyasha being mated isn't really important to the story, but Kikyou herself is (gasp! snicker). And as for the crush, Kagome's crush on Inuyasha is over, but Inuyasha thinks that she might be crushing on Sesshoumaru. He knows how Sesshou's treated girls in the past and just doesn't want to see his little sister (that's what he thinks of her as) get hurt. Ok, so he was an ass about expressing that worry, but that's what it was. Hope that helped.

Shir Row: Ah, Shippou and Kagome's scars. (remember, Kagome had a similar scar in chapter five). A GF is a Guardian Force, and it's kinda like a youkai that implants it's essence into your mind so that you can call it to help you in battle. Do you really think Kagome's not human? I don't know. I think she is. You never can tell though.

Kagome: Hey, where have you been? I thought I would have to send a search party after you or something. Anyway, no Sesshou keeps his arm. I like him with them both, don't you? Thanks for the tail sympathy. (glares at stupid dog imprint on the moon) Oh, but good luck with catching up! There's a couple of new ones that are great!

LtSonya: Oh man, you're telling me. Shoo...Sometimes, to prepare to write a scene, I watch a really good action movie like Cradle 2 the Grave or something like that. I'm a HUGE Gary Daniels fan (Just ask my beta). Yeah, Sesshou's fight with that demon will be explained. I'm sorry to see it go too, but I have a secret. (leans in close) I plan on replacing it. NOT IMMEDIATELY mind you, but I do have an idea that I can't exactly go into details on. Though it hasn't been written (a part that's lacking on my end) Inuyasha has noticed what he believes is evidence of the two becoming closer. Sesshoumaru says her name now, where he once called her by her last or by her station. There was the Trabia incident when she helped him with his hair, and the last straw was her volunteering to go to Centra with him. It's not that he's mad at her about anything, it's just that he doesn't want to see her hurt by him. It's a big brother thing where he REALLY didn't explain himself well. That secrets part is the whole 'you like Sesshou' thing. Sorry about the confusion. Yeah, Kagome's temper is getting worse, but it's not what you think. See, the thing she's mad about is Kikyou and Inuyasha mating without telling Kagome or any of the others about it. Her feelings are hurt and instead of asking them (or Inuyasha) about it, she kinda takes her frustration out on the wall.

Dark Neko-chan: Hey, that reminded you of that movie too? lol! That's great! That's EXACTLY what I thought of! Oh, that bitch will be explained later on in the story.

sessywuver: I wish I could send them to you, but I can't. I don't keep them on my computer. They are posted on two different sites though. One is Winter's A Single Spark site and the others are posted on Mediaminer. org. Both are under my penname.

ReginaLucifer: Heh. I did forget to explain that didn't I? Oh wellz. Hopefully I'll remember the next time I post. (blush) Thanks so much for the love.

KyouFan: Nope, Sesshou keeps his arm. Trust me, he'll be fine. You'll see.

Elexies: I'm so glad you like it. I've been patiently waiting for you to resume your progress with Silver Angel and it's really cool to know that you enjoy something of mine (hopefully as much as I enjoy your stories). As for Kagome walking on her toes (blush) I'm glad you said that. See, I walk on my toes. My mother's fussed at me for years about it and I've never understood why. Thanks so much for telling me. As for Kagome...let's just say that normal human conditions don't exactly apply to her.

OOF: Ah, now that's something I can't tell you. Trust me, she's not anything you think she is. lol. You're going to be surprised. Thanks for the review!

Mistress Fluffy: I'm no NewGame Plus right now. I didn't get a few of the dresspheres (and still managed to miss the Mascot) but I've got everything else. No probs about the Fluffy pic. We all need a little Fluffy in our lives...or is that a fabric softener commercial? Oh well. (shrugs) Hey, the fluff starts in the next chapter so be ready with the pillow shams and stuff!

JoWashington: Oh, Kagome didn't do that. Kagome's main GF at the time was a black dragon/bat thing called Diablos. When whatever happened to Kagome happened, Diablos was summoned and he's the one that pretty much reaped on the Galbadia dudes. Nope, I don't think she's going to do it again, so she won't need his help to stop it.

Diodesa Yuy: (wince) Trust me, it was a wise decision. You'll see in a few chapters how good of an idea it was, ok?

Yume no Zencho: Nope. Believe it or not, Inuyasha's not even mad. He's a little frustrated cause he thought she was smarter than that, but he's just trying to protect her from his older brother and the way he treats the women he's been with. Kikyou is going to have an unfortunate time in this fic. The reason why they targeted her will be explained soon, but that's not all she has to worry about.

beautifulsilentdeath: It's not that Kagome hit a wall once...she KEEPS hitting it. She's upset, mad and frustrated and that's how she's handling it. Hey, I never said that it's the smartest thing for her to do. Her hand is what's injured in the first place, and she's not letting anyone do anything to it to help it heal.

aznchicki: You did? Then you're probably doing what I did when I got him (which was lay across the couch and stare at the ceiling in a traumatized state for a few moments) Have you tried to get Eden yet? It's in the same place and oh boy. That's a fight right there! Just GETTING to it is gonna be brutal. Hey, here's a hint: Get AS MANY Hi-Potions as you possibly can. Oh, Bahamut is Sesshou's GF, one of three that you get to see in this fic!