A/N: It is 2006! I stayed up last night, but it is the same thing every year. The ball drops, people say 'Happy New Year' and then we go to bed. I must say that 2000's New Year was quite good.

So the sound of hooves… what or who is coming will be answered. Hope ya'll like it!

Chapter Eleven

Kidnapped

Inuyasha faced the forest. He gripped his sword with all his might; his knuckles were turning white. When he had been dancing with Kagome, he had heard a soft sound of hooves from within. Now the noise was growing louder and louder towards them.

Both Sango and Miroku were standing tentatively beside Inuyasha. Kagome, just behind Inuyasha, held on to his robe slightly.

"Sango and Miroku, be prepared to fight. I don't know what is going to happened, so be alert." They nodded in understanding.

Right then, in front of them, small balls of light appeared. Next, men on horse charged forward towards them. Each of them were on horseback, carrying a torch. Long swords hung from their sides in sheaths. More appeared from the forest in the same manner. The first few men halted as they came within a few feet away from Inuyasha.

There were about ten men that lined themselves across. Inuyasha lifted his sword up ready to strike. He scanned the men with a worried expression. If they were to fight head on, there was no doubt that they would lose.

"What do you want?" Inuyasha asked with a dangerous tone.

The man in the center responded, but not answering the question. "So we meet the great Inuyasha tonight." The men to his sides smiled.

Miroku gave Inuyasha a look. He knew what the men were talking about. Inuyasha was the prince, but how did these men know that?

Inuyasha noticed Miroku's glance, but didn't return it. "You came looking for me?" He didn't even know these men. This was the first time in his life that he had met them. He wondered what the man had meant by 'the great Inuyasha'…

"Yes we did. You are one hard person to find, Inuyasha. We have spent months looking for you and now finally… you are standing right before us- unprotected."

Kagome was growing more and more worried. She didn't know what they could possibly want of Inuyasha.

"What do you want?" he asked again, this time there was less vigor in his voice.

The man that had been doing the talking laughed. He had stern features and sat tallest amongst the men.

"You don't know already?"

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. He didn't know.

Seeing that Inuyasha was not going to respond, the man answered. "We came to get you." When these words had left his mouth, the other men jumped down from their horse and pulled out their swords.

A fight erupted. Four men encircled Inuyasha immediately. He eyed them each as he turned to face each. Then one man took a step forward to attack him. Inuyasha slit his throat instantly.

The man fell to the ground. Kagome flinched and clenched Inuyasha's robe even tighter. Seeing their fellow comrade dead, the other three men took on Inuyasha together.

On the right of Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku each had three men on them. Sango was swing fiercely in every direction. These men seemed to be attacking her in every direction. She had managed to wound only one seriously in the leg in which he was unable to stand any longer.

Miroku, on the other hand, was in better shape than Sango and Inuyasha. He had successfully killed one of the men with a stab in the stomach and wounded another terribly.

After fighting for a short while, Sango and Miroku had been pushed back to back and were surrounded with three of the remaining men. Inuyasha, during this time, had gotten himself wounded in the arm. The cut was deep and holding his sword pained him. Kagome had been trying to keep up with Inuyasha's quick movements and at the same time not get sliced herself.

The man that had been talking to them had fought with Inuyasha. Suddenly, Inuyasha noticed that he wasn't there anymore. Only two men remained fighting him. "Where could he have gone?" he thought in frustration.

Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha continued to fight their hearts out. "What do you want from us?" Miroku breathed.

The men snickered. "We don't want you, you're just in our way. And you better get out of our way before you pay the deadly price for it." There was no mercy in his eyes. Each and everyone one of them were willing to die to get whatever they came to get.

A man tried to attack Inuyasha from his back side. Kagome let out of cry. She hadn't seen him strike. There was a long cut down her back.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled. He wanted to see if she was all right, but the men keep on coming.

A moment later, all of them retreated quickly back on their horse and galloped quickly away just as they had come. Inuyasha looked around him in bewilderment. Why had they all just left?

He spun around to check on Kagome… but he didn't see her.

"KAGOME!"

His scream echoed though the forest.

&

Someone and snatched Kagome up at the waist. She was caught by surprise again. A hand covered her mouth just as she was about to call out for Inuyasha. Her screams were too muffled to be heard over the hooves.

Kagome was placed on her stomach in front of the person riding. She looked back at Inuyasha, trying desperately to get his attention. He was still fighting; blood slid down his arm. She saw the men running back to their horses and taking after her rider.

"He must be one of the men," she thought," But what do they want with me? Where are they going to take me?" Kagome was scared. She shivered and pain shot through her. Her back was still bleeding.

Her captor had taken her into the forest. It was dark and she couldn't see where they were going at all. Then she heard her name being called. It was Inuyasha. He was looking for her.

Kagome bit into the person's hand. She tried to pull her self up and off of the horse. "Inu…" she started to scream out.

The man hit her on the neck before she could've gone anywhere.

She fell limply back down on the horse.

&

"Where's Kagome?" Sango demanded from Inuyasha.

His heart was racing. How could he have let them take Kagome like that? He was supposed to be protecting her, but now she was in even more danger. He still had no clue what the men wanted. They probably are using Kagome as bait to lure him to their hide out. And he could not figure out what they wanted with him. Because he was the one and only heir? How could they have known that he was here though, in the forest? But this wasn't the time to ponder over these questions. He had to find her.

"I don't know…" he didn't dare look into Sango's eyes.

"Kagome!" tears filled Sango's eyes. "She doesn't know how to fight. How is she going to survive?"

"We're going to find her." Determination blazed in his eyes. "Sango, Miroku- you two stick together. They headed into the forest. They couldn't have gone far. We can still catch up to them."

Inuyasha leap on his horse and headed for the forest with Sango and Miroku right behind him.

&

The man threw Kagome on the floor. She slid across before hitting her head on the wall and woke. Kagome rubbed her head. She had a dreadful headache and her neck was sore from where he had hit her.

There was a dim light on the other side of the room. Kagome lay on the floor in the darken corner of what seemed like a small room. Murmuring voices, hardly audible, came from the opposite side of the room.

"Master Naraku, what are we going to do with this girl?" A man was kneeling beside the man that had spoken in Inuyasha.

The master laughed. "She's going to be our key to get Inuyasha. When we do kill him, everything will be ours."

The man kneeled smiled. "You are wise, master, for doing so."

Naraku sensed motion from the corner. Kagome noticed his gaze and quickly closed her eyes pretending that she was still unconscious.

He walked over to her. Kagome's pulse rose. Naraku touched her cheek gently. She tried with all her might from not flinching. "Such a common girl… can capture the heart of Inuyasha…" he whispered in her ear, thinking that she was still unconscious.

He stood up abruptly. "Gather wood, start a fire. And then stand outside armed and prepared to fight. We will meet him again once more, but this time he won't survive." Naraku's eyes gleamed, even though where he stood it was completely dark.

&

Inuyasha rode deeper and deeper into the forest. He could barely make out what was ahead of him. In the beginning he had called out Kagome's name. Now he stayed silent for fear of them hearing him.

His plan was to find where Kagome was to get her to safety. There was no need for a fight. Only one of his arms held on to the reins. His other arm rested by his side, crusted with dry blood.

Up ahead, there was smoke coming out of a small cabin. Men stood around it, all armed.

"Why had they made their hideout so… open?" Inuyasha couldn't believe that they were sort of holding a large flag over their place. He slowed his horse to a slow trot.

He got down and took his sword. He hoped he would not use it any more tonight, but brought it along for protection.

Inuyasha hid behind some trees to see how he could possibly get in the cabin without being detected.

On the backside of the cabin was a tiny window. If only he could get there, however, he was facing the side of the cabin- guarded.

Inuyasha whipped his horse hard and it went charging back out of the forest. Hearing the noise, the men took after the horse, thinking Inuyasha was on it.

This was his chance. He ran up to the window and peered though. In the corner he saw Kagome… her eyes were closed. He tapped gently on the window trying to get her attention- if she was even conscious.

Kagome looked up. Her eyes met Inuyasha's. He broke open the window and heard her scream.

"NO INUYASHA!"

But it was too late.

A/N: Short chapter, I know. Deepest apologies. You should know what is coming, kind of have an idea… Naraku is in the room… (hint, hint!)