Hiei felt himself moving before he'd fully stopped thinking, his body taking over before his mind could issue its orders, reacting to it before he'd even consciously realized what it was. He refused to believe that it was relief that was washing over him as he ran, it wasn't. It had been welcome, that now familiar energy flare that sent a tingle through his consciousness, and had it been from anyone but her, would have warranted defensive action. This didn't though. It came from her, a spike of the energy he'd learned to recognize so well so quickly. And even as it vanished he couldn't help smirking to himself. That energy would lead him directly to her, just as it had not long ago when he'd found her in that clearing.

It wasn't panic that had him hurrying; it was anger Hiei assured himself, anger at whatever had been concealing her from him for the last several hours. Anger at the thing he would be killing for the crime once he found her. And he would find her, even as her energy signature faded. She had broken through whatever had been hiding her, she had broken through that barrier just long enough to tell him where she was, and now that he knew nothing was going to keep Hiei from that place, and killing the thing that had dared to think it could defy and out do him. It would pay.

XXXXX

"We've been wandering around for hours and she's still nowhere!" Yusuke glared at the ground near him feet, "This is… this is bullshit." He growled, trying to ignore the continuing guilt welling up inside of him. He'd done this, it was his fault she was in danger, and he wasn't even going to be able to save her from that danger, "And where the hell is Hiei when we need him? With that stupid eye of his he'd be able to tell us right where she is."

"Yusuke," Kurama sighed, hating what he was about to say even before he said it, "Becoming irrational isn't going to help us in the least. We will have to keep our wits about us and come up with a better plan if we wish to discover where Kagome is." It was the truth, but at this point even he wanted to yell at something, somewhere in the recesses of his mind and soul that was, not that he would give in the urge. It was merely concern and stress from following around an irate Yusuke and Kuwabara, both of whom were using anger to cover their guilt. That accompanied with Keiko's jumping and worry on top of his own concern for her was enough to fray even his nerves. "Perhaps one of us should be waiting back at the apartment, in case she makes her way home while we are searching for her."

"You know Kurama; I bet she's already there!" Yusuke smiled, but he could see the fragile hope in those brown eyes, the desperation, "Let's go check it out, and then if she's not Keiko can wait there while we go look for her." Yusuke tucked the plastic looking spy glass into his pocket before he turned and began running toward the apartment building, Kuwabara rushing ahead with him shouting for him to wait up and leaving him and Keiko to follow more slowly.

He lagged behind a few steps, eyes still searching from under his bangs as he walked even though he knew it was likely a pointless pursuit. If she was standing around on a street somewhere they surely would have found her earlier, and with ease. However that hadn't been the case, which only fueled the dread building in the back of his mind, but it wasn't a feeling of dread that had him stopping.

Invisible hands closed around him, a presence he could nearly feel as fingers caught his arms and turned him, a voice he couldn't hear calling to him as a strange sensation curled through him, one that he knew he should have recognized, but simply was unable to. The phantom hands caught him, almost seemed to sink into him to pull at his blood, a subtle yank that wasn't physical. For a moment he considered going a long, but he had more important things to do than follow unfounded and likely imagined sensations tonight. He had to find Kagome before anything happened to her… if nothing had happened to her already the pessimistic realist in him snapped, and listening to its call for action he attempted to shake away the feeling and followed Yusuke toward the home he and Kagome shared, hoping that she would be there against his own knowledge that she wouldn't be.

XXXXX

She fell back as he stepped forward, her knees refusing to hold her as the shock spread, stealing her strength and making her muscles tremble. This time she barely noticed the impact of her body on the floor, just scooted back from him until her back hit the bed again, her head colliding with the side of the mattress as she pressed herself backward, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible, her eyes glued to his now slightly narrowed golden ones.

He took another long stride into the room, his gaze pinning her to the floor as he considered her almost coldly, his calculating thoughts barely hidden behind the emotionless mask he'd had perfected even when she'd seen him in the past. Silently he held her in place with only a gaze, almost as if waiting for something.

"My… my lord I wasn't expecting you so soon," The young man, likely in his early or mid twenties, smiled softly, "She's only just awoken. I haven't had a chance to really check on her yet…"

"She's fine as she is, leave us." His eyes still didn't move away from her, and both seemed oblivious to the confused and questioning look the male set of brown eyes was sending them.

"My lord, she seems very upset, perhaps I should try calming her before you…"

"Leave us." His voice was no louder than before, it was the icy tone that made the young man cringe. For another moment he seemed frozen in place, then bowed his head slightly and inched away toward the door.

Kagome threw him an almost pleading look as he neared the door, wanting desperately to ask the other human to stay with her, although she knew it would do no good. Even if the man had stayed she would have been in the same situation, even if she wasn't alone she would still only be able to hope that he meant her no harm. She couldn't control her energy as if it were a weapon on command, and she had no real weapons, not that it would have mattered, her arrows had proven ineffective against him in the past she doubted they would fare any better now. He'd had five hundred years to attain more strength after all. But still, it would have been nice to not be alone with a demon who had attempted to kill her. Sure she'd seen him since then, but each time he'd been preoccupied with Inuyasha, and here there was no half demon to draw his attention. That attention was fixed squarely on her, and the last time that had happened she should have been melted by his poison like the rib bone she's ended up under. Kagome swallowed at the memory, her eyes gluing on the human she'd yelled at earlier, who was currently abandoning her, and she couldn't help thinking that she should have been nicer to him.

"As you wish my lord." He paused at the door to turn back, taking in the pitiful look on the girl's face and not for the first time that night wondered how she knew the demon standing in the room with her. The latter really wasn't all that fond of humans after all, he himself was an exception, though there were times that he thought Lord Sesshomaru wasn't all that fond of him either, still he understood the girl's fear, and he felt bad for leaving her alone, but it didn't mean he had a choice. So he stopped in the doorway, turned back and gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile, sure that she wouldn't be hurt. They had saved her life after all.

There was something familiar about that smile, even though Kagome was certain she'd never seen the man before this, but there was something about the just a little too bright smile he flashed her, and the way his eyelids slid down when he gave it, the kindness in them when they opened again. Kagome knew that she should have known those eyes for some reason. But she didn't have time to focus on it.

The lights blared into being, startling and blinding her for a moment. She cringed away from the flash, her eyes closing reflexively against the pain as she turned away from the light source. A whimper left her abused throat, that pain not lessening any with extended use. Slowly she forced her eyelids up, her vision blurred once again by the brightness, though that did lessen if not vanish completely after a few blinks. It was then that she jumped again at hearing the door close with a soft click that might as well have been a gunshot to her ears, and her frightened eyes found a still very tall white clad figure staring down at her.

"What are you?"

XXXXX

"The lights are still out Yusuke, it's very unlikely that she's returned."

"We still have to go check."

"If she were to have come home don't you think she'd have been worried about your absence and stayed up waiting for you?" This was a useless argument and he was beginning to lose his patience with it. The longer they stood around fighting about wasting the time to go up the stairs and find the place empty again the longer Kagome was lost and possibly in great danger. While he wanted to believe that she had somehow escaped the demon's clutches and was wandering around in shock or something Kurama was not foolish enough to place all of his hopes on that scenario. He just didn't want to think of the others for the moment. So all he could do currently was continue looking, and looking in the one place he knew she wasn't didn't make sense, however Yusuke might have yelled.

"Not if she was mad! She might already be in bed or something if she didn't want to talk to or see us." Kuwabara, of course, had joined Yusuke's side of the argument with a purpose. They were both clinging to the idea that Kagome was simply scared, and just avoiding them in an effort to avoid their own guilt. Both had decided that it was firmly their fault, and Kurama was of a similar opinion. If he'd only been quicker in arriving himself he was certain that Kagome would have never gone missing.

"Very well then," He took a deep breath to halt the spark of temper that had been preparing to come out, "You go and see if Kagome has come home, I will continue looking elsewhere and we will meet back here in a few hours."

"You're going to feel like an idiot wasting all that time when you come back and the party's over." Yusuke shouted over his shoulder as he headed for the door, that fragile hope that Kurama knew would be broken soon still lingering there.

"I hope you are right Yusuke." He murmured as he turned away from them and made his way into the darkness.

XXXXX

She wouldn't have to wait much longer now. He leapt easily over the edge of a building to land on the other and rush across its roof to the next. She was in this area, he knew that, though he hadn't pinpointed her exact location yet, but it wouldn't take long. He'd nearly found her, and whatever it was that his sword would soon be going through. Or perhaps he would pummel it senseless before he killed it, just to take some aggression out. He still had a few moments to decide after all.

There had been no more flares of her energy, which would mean that she was at least temporarily out of danger. Hiei refused to even entertain the notion that she had died, though he would have normally admitted that it was a distinct possibility, perhaps even the most likely of them all. But he would not fail, and if she was dead it would have meant that he'd failed, just like the detective, and he was better than that oaf. After all, his sister had been kidnapped before he'd known of her, and since he'd learned of her she'd been safe. Yusuke had allowed his sister to be taken under his very nose. Another of the facts that Hiei refused to entertain was the one that she'd been taken under his nose as well. He had an excellent excuse after all; he hadn't even been near her. And he refused to feel guilt about not going to that ridiculous party she'd been planning.

It didn't matter anyway, he reminded himself as he slowed slightly to search for lingering traces of her energy. He would find her soon enough.

XXXXX

It wasn't helping that his feet were trying to pull him away from his plotted search pattern. It seemed with each step he took that something was yanking at him, pulling at every cell of him in a different direction. More than once he had to stop and search for what was causing this, though with each look he found nothing, could sense nothing else. It was maddening, almost had him jumpy. But he was one to trust his instincts after all. So it was with a sigh that Kurama gave up on his planned route and allowed his feet to carry him. Hoping that this was the best course of action, or at the very least not a stupid one.

XXXXX

She wanted to be angry over the question. She wanted to jump up and yell at him, demand what he meant by that. She was human, which he should have easily been able to tell by just smelling her, not that she enjoyed the idea of Sesshomaru sniffing her in any way. Oh she wanted to put him in his place, but Kagome settled for struggling to her feet under the weight of his stare so her neck wouldn't hurt from looking up at him.

"Answer."

"I'm not your slave or something you know Sesshomaru." She grumbled before she'd meant to and noticed the miniscule narrowing of his eyes as they hardened another fraction. She hadn't thought that would be possible.

"How do you know that name?" He was moving toward her, stopped less than a foot away to consider her closely, his eyes demanding an answer even as they moved over her. She swallowed again, trying to ignore the way her stomach twisted around itself and her heart ran for her ears.

"I… um…" How could she explain this? It wasn't like he would believe her.

"Stop your stammering and answer human." The order was spoken softly, but she'd learned long before that he didn't have to shout to be intimidating, just being this close, whispering with that icy tone was enough to have her wanting to run.

"I… I don't even know where to start…" She cringed as she said it, not wanting to feel the wrath of his claws that she had so narrowly avoided just a few years ago.

"With the answer to the question you were asked."

"I'm human." She murmured, looking down because she knew he would be glaring, "Just human."

"Then is this how you've extended your life?"

"Is what…?" Kagome froze as her eyes dropped to his hand, to the keychain dangling from his fingertips and the orb glittering at her from under it. She moved without thinking, rushed forward with her hand extended, "Give that back!"

A large hand closed around her neck, nearly curling all the way around as it dragged her from her feet. Kagome attempted to scream, but the pressure wouldn't even let her breath. She knew that she should have been afraid, but more than anything she was just annoyed that she was being strangled again. And now that she thought about it rushing at him like that probably hadn't been the best of ideas. She gave up struggling against the hold almost instantly, knowing that it would only make him angrier. Instead she focused on keeping one eye open as he held her up, his fingers biting cruelly into her already bruised skin as he considered her. "You will answer my questions." He nearly growled.

"If… you'll… put me… down." She choked out, her hands coming up to pull at his as the grip tightened fractionally on her. Then she was unceremoniously released and found herself on the ground at his feet again. Absently she rubbed at her throat again, wondering what about the poor abused body part screamed squeeze me mercilessly. After a few deep gulps of air she looked back up at him, trying to gather what remained of her courage as she forced herself to climb to her feet, managing it slowly, shakily, but getting there all the same. "Can… can I at least have the jewel back? It isn't like you ever wanted it… anyway…?" She cringed away from the severity of his eyes, knowing that she was really pushing her luck here, but the jewel was what she had to worry about first, then she could consider an escape plan, but only once she had the jewel and could take it with her.

"You will tell me where you acquired it first."

"You know where I got it, you were there too. I mean it's been a while for you, but I doubt your memory ha…" She gulped as he growled and looked down, "I've had it since… we killed Naraku…"

"No human can exist that long."

"Well, it's sort of complicated…"

"My mind is not as feeble as yours human, you will explain."

"All right, but don't say I didn't warn you." She smiled, but it dropped as he continued to glare at her, "I was grabbed by a demon and pulled down a well into the past."

There was a long moment of silence before Kagome dared to glance back up at him. "Human, you are trying my patience."

"It's the truth I swear!" She held her hands up in front of her as if they were a shield, "It was my fifteenth birthday, and I went down into the well house to get my cat because my little brother was scared to go, and the jewel's power revived this centipede demon, and it grabbed me and… pulled me through the well." She cringed back a little, certain he was deciding the best way to kill her. She could just hear his thoughts. Poison claws or throw her out the window? Maybe I should transform and just eat her, but then I'd be stuck with the taste of human in my mouth, and of course there would be the damage to the room… however humorous they might have sounded later right now her take on what his thoughts might have been only served to terrify her further.

"In this scenario of yours where did you acquire this jewel to revive the centipede demon?"

Well at least his claws weren't glowing yet, but she couldn't tell if he believed her or was merely toying with her while he decided which way was best to destroy her, "Well, you see… being Kikyo's reincarnation… and since the jewel was burned with her body… or for whatever reason… destiny and all…"

"Cease your ramblings and answer." He almost seemed to be fighting the urge to roll his eyes or sigh at her.

"I was… it was in my body, I was born with it. I didn't even know I had it until she ripped it out of me." She stared at the ground, certain that any moment the ominous green light of prepared poison would glow around him, that she would barely hear a whisper of motion before she was dead, if even that much. "I… have the scar if you don't believe me… and how else could I be here and have been five hundred years in the past if I'm only human… and if I was going to lie I'd come up with a way better story…" The jewel hitting her in the stomach silenced her, sent her scrambling to catch it before looking up at him, confused as he turned away and strolled toward the far side of the room.

"You will keep your answers to the point human, should you continue to annoy me I will not see fit to spare your life again."

XXXXX

It was unlikely that she would have come this far, but Kurama didn't stop walking. If anything he was speeding up, whatever force was leading him had become a bit more urgent it seemed, or perhaps he was merely losing his patience with the silence. When he'd been with the others he'd been able to focus at least partially on his companions and their behavior, but now that he was looking alone the search was grating on his nerves and the part of his brain that wasn't occupied was free to search through his concerns and concoct horrible scenarios of what might have been happening to her while he and the others were wasting their time wandering the streets with no real idea of where, or plan of how to find her. He couldn't help wondering why a demon would have attacked her in the first place, had she simply been in the wrong place at the time, was it all that coincidental? Or did this have to do with the items he'd discovered in her room when she'd first arrived? They had appeared unchanged when he'd checked in the moments he'd been alone during one of their study sessions, but perhaps this was the reason she'd had them. After all, most demons were smart enough to keep from randomly attacking humans, it wasn't worth possibly calling down the wrath of the spirit detective and spirit world after all. And they didn't know why Kagome had come here really. Yusuke's mother had said something about her needing a change of scenery, and he'd known that Kagome had missed school due to an illness, or so she claimed. Was it possible she'd somehow become entangled with a demon of some kind and had attempted to run? Was it possible that whatever trouble had befallen her had caused her to come here in the first place?

Kurama shook his head and looked up. This was not the time to be puzzling through what might have been behind her sudden move. Just because there had been a demon didn't mean he should start drawing unfounded connections and conclusions. For now he needed to focus on Kagome. And again hoping that his instincts were leading him in the proper direction Kurama increased his speed.

XXXXX

She stared at the demon still considering her with his cold eyes, wondering what the next question would be. They had come rapidly at first, she'd barely finish her answer before he'd toss the next question at her. Now though he seemed to be thinking through the information and making his decision. Kagome sat as still as she possibly could, nearly holding her breath as she waited, hoping for some reason that he would believe her, or at the very least decide not to kill her. She hadn't volunteered any extra information, she really hadn't had time and it had seemed far wiser to just answer the questions he asked since stepping beyond that seemed to serve only to annoy him. She hadn't dared to ask any questions of her own, not yet since Kagome wasn't certain how far she would be able to push his patience in her search for information, and she didn't want to deal with the consequences of angering him.

A soft knock and the scrape of a door opening made her jump and nearly spin to face the door, but she forced herself to keep Sesshomaru at least partially in view, she wasn't certain that she could trust him enough to turn her back for even an instant, not that she could have stopped him if he was to try something she reminded herself.

"My lord, forgive the interruption, but I brought some water for your guest…" The young man smiled at her again, holding out a tall glass of clear liquid.

Kagome nearly scoffed. Guest? Well it probably sounded a lot better than hostage. If this was how Sesshomaru treated his guests she imagined that he never had much company. But instead of arguing her mental point any longer Kagome gladly accepted the offered glass, and much to the delight and anguish of her still sore throat began gulping to chilled water down. When she held out the empty glass the other human smiled at her, that too brilliant smile once again, and it finally struck her. She couldn't help staring at his back as he turned and left the room. Then slowly her eyes flashed back to those carefully guarded golden ones. "Is he… um… is he a descendant of Rin's?" She tipped her head away, almost not wanting to see what his reaction would be to the name of the child he'd cared for who would most certainly have passed by now. But she saw how his eyes narrowed slightly before returning to normal. They hadn't mentioned the girl earlier, Kagome hadn't even thought about her for a very long time, but she still wondered how she hadn't caught it right away, Sesshomaru's current companion looked so much like the girl she was certain was his ancestor.

For a long moment Sesshomaru only watched her coldly, then he tipped his head down slightly, "He is." He answered simply before turning slightly away, "Your tale makes no sense."

"Trust me I've been thinking that for a long time." She sighed and looked down as silence fell over them, it's weight crushing her toward the thickly carpeted floor, slowly seeping into her to make her squirm inside with discomfort. "Does that mean… you believe me?" She whispered finally, staring at the floor rather than him.

"I…"

His words were cut off by the sudden crash of shattering glass that made Kagome turn and cringe away from the splinters coming for her. She'd been closer to the window than he was, close enough that many of those sharp shards would easily reach her. She closed her eyes and threw her arms up to cover her face instinctively, nearly screamed when an arm closed around her waist and she was jerked violently to the side, her feet abandoning their hold on the floor. By the time she'd opened her eyes again she was standing on the opposite side of the room. Her wide eyes swept around her almost frantically for any evidence of what might have happened. She froze when they landed on a glinting blade, then on the black haired person holding the sword. "Hiei?"

I just wanted to say Thank you to Pinkbismuth for all your help with this chapter, I don't know that it would have gotten posted without you. Oh, and happy birthday to lovingo0Kawaii0oGirl, as well as thanks to everyone who has reviewed and told me what you think, I love to hear your opinions.