A/N: This one will be shorter than the last one, but there is a method to my madness! Anyways, on with the story! Please review and let me know what you think!

Summary: A Place Where I Belong: AU. Kagome accidentally discovers a secret that her abusive family has hidden from her. She was adopted. Desperate to find her birth mother, Kagome enlists the help of Inuyasha, a private detective who always finds what he's looking for. But what happens when she finally finds the truth? Will Inuyasha be able to help her find where she truly belongs?

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A Place Where I Belong
Chapter Nine: I Choose You

"Sango! Miroku!" The two looked up to see none other than the great dog demon himself above them. Kirara had brought everyone back…but it was too late for on of them.

"Shippo is…" Sango began, but her voice broke and she could only manage to cry into Miroku's robes again. "We can't…get in there to help them…" she gasped for breath. "And he's going to kill them. No matter what Kagome does…" she whispered.

Inutaisho shook his head and removed his sword from its sheath, slashing at the barrier in front of him. Nothing happened. Again, he attacked the barrier…but none of his attacks seemed to do any good.

"He has gotten stronger since our last encounter with him," Miroku commented. "Before, a barrier like this would have been little work. Of course…we always had Inuyasha on our side of them to break it for us."

Sesshoumaru sighed deeply. "Father, Aiko is not responding to me anymore…" he told him.

Inutaisho looked up sadly. "Sesshoumaru, Shippo has been killed. His death severed the mating link…"

Sesshoumaru's eyes darkened. "I will not accept this."

---

"Kagome, what will it be? You've already caused the death of three people. Are you really willing to make it four?" Naraku teased.

"Three?" Kagome repeated, her breath catching in her throat.

Naraku nodded, squeezing her tightly within his grip as he did so. "Of course, dear. In killing Shippo, you also killed his mate…and their unborn pup…"

Kagome's eyes widened in horror, and she choked back a lump that was caught in her throat. "No…I didn't…" she cried. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen…"

"Kagome, don't listen to him, damn it! You're better than that! Don't let him get to you! He's a damn liar, Kagome! You didn't do anything, he did! None of this is your fault!" Inuyasha assured her. "Don't give up! Don't give him the jewel! Do what you have to do!"

"That's settled then…" Aiko nodded, rubbing a small circle on her belly, which wasn't even showing yet.

Rin smiled. "It will be a beautiful child, Aiko. You can stay here with me and help me keep Jacken in line." She volunteered. "That would definitely keep you out of danger."

Aiko smiled.

"Shippo…I'm sorry…" Kagome said, her voice barely above a whisper.

---

"What the hell is going on? I can't break through! Where the hell is Shimane?" Inuyasha's father demanded.

Sesshoumaru sighed. "She isn't supposed to be back until later." He reminded them. "But the battle may very well be over by then…"

"It's not a battle!" Sango argued. "How is this a fair fight? He drugged them and took away their weapons! Inuyasha is basically a sitting duck, and Kagome can't even defend herself right now!"

"I know, Sango…" Miroku agreed.

Sango shook her head. "I can't do this. I can't watch…"

---

"What was that, Kagome?" Naraku pressured her. "What did you say?"

Inuyasha's left ear twitched slightly as he studied the scene in front of him. "Kagome…you know what you have to do…" he told her. "Please do it. You have to. You can't let him win…"

"Inuyasha, I…I…" Kagome stammered.

"Make your decision, Kagome, or someone else will die!" Naraku threatened.

"Kagome…"

"I…I can't do it…" Kagome stammered.

Naraku blinked. "Kagome, make your decision!" he commanded.

"Inuyasha…I can't let him do this to anyone else…" she whispered. "I can't. Look what he did to Shippo. I can't handle it anymore…"

"Yes you can, Kagome! Yes you can! Do not give him what he wants. Understand? Don't do it. Don't let him win again. Take a stand for yourself, damn it!" he pleaded with her. "I know you can do it. Don't worry about me…"

"I can't, Inuyasha…" Kagome sobbed.

"Decide!" Naraku growled, squeezing her so tightly that she lost her breath.

She shook her head. "I can't…" she coughed. "I won't choose. You can't make me…"

"Want to bet?" Naraku snarled. "Inuyasha…" he called. "Did Kagome ever tell you about before? Did she give you all the details?"

Kagome stared in horror at him and tried to struggle, but she couldn't move.

A look of confusion registered itself on Inuyasha's face. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he shook his head. "Don't touch her, you son of a bitch! If you're pissed off, you deal with me! Got it? Deal with me! You don't need to hurt her!"

Naraku stopped, amused. "Hmm…interesting," he grinned. "Could it be that this time around, you actually reciprocate the girl's feelings?"

"No, he doesn't…" Kagome shook her head. "Don't hurt him…"

"Oh, but I think he does. I think this could get a lot more interesting…"

"No he doesn't!" Kagome protested. "Please don't hurt him. Leave him out of this…"

Naraku shook his head. "No. Can't do that. This is far too interesting an opportunity to pass up." He paused for a moment, as though he was considering his next move. He smiled. "I might have to act upon it…unless you tell me where the jewel is…"

Kagome's face paled, but she swallowed and shook her head. "No."

"Kagura…" Naraku began in a singsong voice.

Kagome gasped. "Don't!"

"One of you will make this decision," Naraku decided. "Let's see who cracks first, shall we?"

Kagura looked confused for a moment. Naraku took a deep breath, preparing to explain himself. "I give you both five minutes. Only five. Here's the deal. The first one of you to tell me where the jewel is does not have to watch the other one die."

Kagome flinched slightly.

Naraku continued. "I'll give you the opportunity to save each other. Starting…now." He smirked.

Kagome and Inuyasha both kept their gazes toward the ground. Once, Kagome looked up. She studied the hanyou for a moment, her eyes glassing over with tears.

"Don't, Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered.

"Hmm…a whole minute of reflection time and still nothing?" Naraku mused. "I think I'm going to up the stakes a little more…"

"What?" yelped Inuyasha.

Naraku did not reply. Instead, he let his actions speak louder than his words. He jerked the tentacle holding Kagome suddenly, and she yelped in pain. Snaking the tentacle farther up her body, he smiled toward Inuyasha.

"What the hell are you doing?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Four minutes, Inuyasha. That's plenty of time to suffocate…or worse…" he answered curtly, covering Kagome's face and nose with the tip of his large tentacle as he did so. Several tears streaked down Kagome's face as she tried not to panic.

"No!" Inuyasha screamed.

---

"Kagome!" Sango sobbed, drawing her sword and charging at the barrier that kept her from her friends. "Why can't we get through? Damn it! Kagome!" she cried. The barrier shocked her and threw her backwards, but she only got up to try again.

Miroku grabbed her shoulder. "Sango, stop it! You'll kill yourself if you keep doing that!"

"I can't watch Naraku do this!"

"I'm not going to watch this for much longer, either." Inutaisho swore.

Sesshoumaru turned. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to break through this barrier…one way or another. Since traditional methods won't work, we will need to find some non-traditional ones."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "What do you mean?"

---

"Only a minute…and you're already going to lose consciousness?" Naraku taunted the young miko in his vice. "It shouldn't take too much longer now, Inuyasha. Are you sure that you are willing to watch her die like this? You could end it all now. All you have to do is give me what I want, Inuyasha…and Kagome will go free…" He squeezed even tighter, and Kagome wreathed in pain. "If not…"

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered.

Naraku nodded. "That's it, Inuyasha…"

Kagura glanced curiously at the young hanyou. Would he honestly give up the jewel just to save this puny human girl? Would Naraku's theory for once prove true?

"Spit it out, Inuyasha!"

Just a little longer…I'm so sorry, Kagome…

Kagome's eyes rolled into the back of her head. Finally, she had lost consciousness. She hung limply in Naraku's grip.

Inuyasha scowled. "Put her down, Naraku. Stop squeezing and put her down. Now." He commanded. "Only Kagome knows where the jewel is. If you kill her, you'll never know." It was a lie, but Inuyasha prayed he bought it.

"Liar!" he accused.

"Are you really willing to take that chance?" Inuyasha challenged.

Naraku glared at the unconscious girl in his arms, and let her drop. She hit the ground, and her leg made a sickening crack sound. Kagome was jolted awake, and she screamed in pain. Whatever color that was left in her face drained from it, and she looked as though she would lose consciousness again soon.

Naraku nodded to Kagura, who moved the blade even closer to Inuyasha's neck.

"Kagome, thanks to Inuyasha here, you have two minutes to answer my question. You better make up your mind quick, because Inuyasha will die if you don't think fast enough…" he threatened again.

Kagome swallowed hard. The pain was terrible, but she tried to ignore the throbbing and concentrate on Inuyasha. "Inu…" she began.

"Kagome, no. Don't tell him where it is. He can't hurt you if you don't tell him where it is. He needs you. It will be all right…"

"Inuyasha, I can't let him hurt…"

"The jewel is more important than me, Kagome."

"How do you know that?" she cried. "What if you're more important to me?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter, Kagome. You can't let him get the jewel. He's just using me. He thinks you'll give in…"

"What if he's right?" Kagome whimpered, twitching slightly in pain.

"Time's up!" Naraku announced, poison in his tone. "Goodbye, Inuyasha…" he nodded to Kagura.

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A/N: Sorry guys, but I had to do it. After all, the conclusion is next! Please review and let me know what you think! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Next, on 'A Place Where I Belong': Time is up for Inuyasha, and Inutaisho finally thinks he knows a way to get to Kagome. But who is the new face on the scene? Can the mysterious Shimane lend a hand in the battle? What will become of Shippo, Aiko, Inuyasha, and Kagome? Find out next on the exciting conclusion!

Upcoming Story Info:

'Far Away': Something happens, and Inuyasha fears he may lose Kagome forever. Can he finally admit what's in his heart and save her…and himself? A multi-chapter songfic based on the Nickelback song 'Far Away'. Release scheduled for 30 Oct.

'Somewhere, Sometime': Kagome and her best friend Sango find a photo in the Higurashi shrine's well house. They've found strange things in the well house, and even the well before, but this is different. Kagome finds herself falling in love with the man in the photo...a hanyou. Even stranger is the writing on the back of the photo...in Kagome's own handwriting! Will Kagome be able to unlock the mystery of this man...a man she will never get to meet...? Or will she...?

COMING VERY SOON!