AN: Yay new chapter! (It's all mine by the way)

Disclaimer: We don't own Inuyasha and we are not making any money off this.

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Sango bucked hard against the wood, feeling the door give a little more. Her back ached from the abuse she was putting it through, so she gave herself a break as she worked on the ropes around her wrist.

Goddamn that bastard for tying her up so well. As soon as she out of here and had killed that white-haired freak, she was going after Miroku next and breaking every bone in his hands.

Her feet took over kicking the door, feeling the frame soften some more. She felt bad for damaging the Higurashi's house, but she could repay them later. After she had saved Kag.

Her steel-toed boots slammed into the door, taking all her frustration and fear out on the innocent wood. She had seen that look in that beast's eyes as Miroku had dragged her away from the two and into the house. She knew he wanted her best friend, her sister. But there was no way in hell she would let that happen. Even if it hadn't been for him knocking her on her ass, there was no way anyone could confuse him for a nice, meek guy. The ripped muscles, long, rebel hair and that feral swagger spoke well enough. He was dangerous.

Sango held back a triumphant cry as the ropes holding her arms behind her back began to loosen. She would kill this loser fast and get right back to work finding Kagome a nice, safe, normal guy to look out for her. She didn't want a warrior for her, just an accountant.

The ropes slackened and Sango shook them off, quietness overtaking her for a moment as she rubbed her wrists. She knew there wasn't much time left for her, despite Kagome's protests about what was real and what was trickery. All that mattered was making sure her sister would be safe and happy when she was gone, by any means necessary.

And there was no way Kagome could be safe hanging around men who nearly begged for trouble to come knocking on their doors.

Shoving her melancholy away, she plucked the dagger out she had hidden away in her ponytail. She might be a dead woman walking, but she had enough time left to drag that mutt down with her.

Kagome's hand didn't leave the jewel as Inuyasha studied it, his eyes examining her slender fingers as well as the gem's purple surface.

"That jewel isn't safe to carry around like some kind of trinket Mate." Inuyasha said absently as he followed the little circles Kagome rubbed into the gem hungrily.

"What do you mean by 'bull's eye' though?" Kagome asked. "What is this stone anyway?"

They both jumped when a sudden squeal of laughter from the festival broke through the quiet and Inuyasha quickly tucked Kagome under his arm and moved them further away.

She flinched and jerked away, "Be careful! You had a sword going through your shoulder-" Kagome trailed off as Inuyasha rolled up his sleeve to show off his shoulder, nearly white and smooth expect for a pink scar.

Inuyasha fought to keep the male amusement off his face at Kagome's shock despite how cute it was. "I heal fast." he informed her, wrapping his arm back around as he begin to walk.

"And that bull's eye is called the Sacred Jewel. You have no freakin' idea how many demons are after it." he told her, his hand spread out over her hip as if he wanted to touch as much of her as possible.

Kagome really wanted to hate it, but the way he was holding her, while possessive, was still really nice. "So why's it so important?" she tried to distract herself.

"...er, well. It's very rare..."

Kagome frowned, "That's all?"

"...well..." Inuyasha struggled to say, trying to decide best how to tell her he had no fucking idea what the jewel did.

Kagome's cell phone suddenly rang, interrupting Inuyasha's stutter. "Sorry." she murmured as she flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Kagome! Where have you been? It's been ages since I sent you out. Are you alright? Was there really a prowler near by?" her mother asked fearfully.

Kagome blushed guiltily, remembering her duties at the festival for the first time since Inuyasha had shown up. "I'm sorry mom, but don't worry, there wasn't anyone there. I'll go back to the festival now."

"Thanks hon, by the way, have you seen Sango anywhere?"

Inuyasha smirked as Kagome mumbled something and snapped her phone shut, using his superior vision to see how red the tips of her ears were.

"Ok, I have to go back to the festival. Do you just want to give me your number and I'll get back to you?"

Inuyasha's smirk abruptly turned into a frown. "You're coming with me. There's no fucking way in hell I'm leaving you again."

Kagome stiffened, a strange look going over her face. "No I'm not. Look, I semi-appreciate all the things you said about mates and me, but it's soon to go anywhere with you considering we've only been in each others company a full hour." Kagome explained, trying to back out of his arms only to find they kept her pressed to him like steel bands.

Inuyasha's face only turned darker as she began to push at his arms, trying not to get worried. "One hour, a thousand hours, it doesn't matter." he leaned down until his nose was barely brushing the tip of hers. "Don't you feel it to?"

Kagome bit her lip as she stopped struggling and gently laid her hands on his chest. "I feel...something." she admitted. "But I just...I don't think I should trust it yet."

Inuyasha's hand's relaxed enough for him to cup the back of her neck with one palm. "Then trust me. Nothing will ever hurt you as long as I live." he swore.

Kagome felt her heart break and her resolve weaken just a little bit.

But not enough to give in. She wouldn't be that stupid twice.

"I'm not saying I don't want to see you again." Kagome assured. "I want to make sure."

Inuyasha studied her face intently before his lip curled. "Someone hurt you once. Tell me who and I'll rip out his heart."

Kagome sighed, wishing it was that easy. "Don't worry about it. But here." she reached between them to get her phone. "Give me your number and I'll call tomorrow for...coffee?"

She looked so hopeful Inuyasha didn't want to tell her he preferred Ramen to just about anything else. His demon roared up, demanding he toss her over his shoulder and run, damn the consequences, at least she would be with them, where she belonged.

He wrestled it down though, sensing something his mate wasn't being forthcoming about. So he would 'leave' but only long enough to grab a change of clothes from home. Then he would find a tree nearby and just crash. That way, he could watch out for her and still respect her wishes.

And he could 'drop in' if she failed to call him after all.

Snatching the phone out of her hand and trying to ignore the warmth that burst in his chest at her happy face, he punched in his info, one arm still tight around her waist.

He slipped the phone into the pocket of her miko outfit, relishing the contact even if several layers blocked her skin. He couldn't wait till he could peel her out of all those clothes and lay her out and...

He shook his head, wanting to wait until later to pursue those thoughts. His attention returned to the jewel wrapped around her neck, knowing that was definitely something he would not negotiate over.

His hand slid to the back of her neck while he dragged her close, wanting her lips along with the jewel. As his mouth touched her, his fingers groped along the back of her neck, trying to find the lock to the chain.

He nearly groaned, she tasted so damn good. She better get over her hang-ups fast. Not that he would ever force her, but he could see himself taking a lot of cold showers in the future.

While his lips were busy devouring hers, his fingers were busy finding the lock right...there.

"Fuck!" Inuyasha cursed as heat met his fingers, so hot it felt like his flesh would melt away.

Kagome's eyes went wide. "What? What's wrong?"

Inuyasha hurriedly shoved his hand into his pocket, unwilling to let her see the damage. "I just realized how late it is. I had other things to do beside track you down." he lied, wrapping his good arm around her and leading her back to the party.

Kagome looked suspicious but let it go and they both fell into silence, Inuyasha glancing down every other second to stare at the jewel and wonder why the hell it had burned him.

Maybe he should rethink his decision to leave her even for the short time it would take to get clothes...But he couldn't. He left his weapons at home as well and he would need them for sure.

He halted just outside the major crowds, making her stop as well. "Promise me you'll be careful." he said suddenly.

Kagome nodded, blushing slightly when he leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers. "And one more thing...what's your name Beloved?"

"Kagome." she whispered, before shyly touching her lips to his.

Inuyasha memorized the feel of her lips under his before reluctantly pulling away. "I'll be seeing you...tomorrow." he stopped himself from saying 'soon'.

"Good night." she waved before walking away, not looking back.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth as his demon went into a frenzy, demanding he go after her. Instead he turned around and ran, determined to make his errand as quick as possible.

"You know, it's really not necessary to carry me around like luggage." Shippo pointed out crossly.

Hiten hitched him up higher to get a better grip on his little body, his free hand pressing the intercom button. "How else are you going to leave your creepy mini bat-cave unless I drag you out?"

Shippo huffed, "Hey, I leave all the time on my own!"

Hiten rolled his eyes, tapping his foot as he waited for Jaken to get the door. Shippo squirmed under his arm, but he just tightened his grip, not wanting to let go just yet. He would never admit it, even under pain of death, but he liked tormenting Shippo, for reasons more then just to torture the smart little brat. It made him miss his own siblings a little less.

"This better be important!" Jaken snapped as the door swung open, leaving the green little toad-frog-thing glaring up at them. "The Great Lord Sesshomaru was not expecting visitors!"

Hiten held up his free hand defensively as he stepped inside, barely avoiding trampling over Jaken. "Hey, I tried to grab Yash but the bastard's not picking up his cell. And Shippo seems to think this is important, so I figure we might as well go straight to the top."

"You can go straight to the dungeons if this isn't important." Jaken grumbled as he led to the way to Sesshomaru's office, as if they hadn't been there a million times before.

Hiten rolled his red eyes again, deciding it would only be a waste of his time to point out Sess didn't have dungeons anymore.

...to his knowledge anyway.

Jaken tapped smartly on a ornately carved door at the end of the hallway, but stepping in. "Hiten and Shippo are here to seek an audience with you, my lord. I would be more then happy to get rid of them if you wish my lord-" Jaken offered eagerly.

His face fell when Sesshomaru lazily waved a hand to beckon the two in while Jaken slunk off to do whatever it was he did when he wasn't worshiping at Sesshomaru's feet.

Sesshomaru didn't even glance up from his laptop as Hiten pushed the door closed behind them. "Is this jewel-related?"

Shippo squirmed and Hiten was finally forced to set him down. "I think so."

Sesshormaru tapped a few more keys before shutting down the screen and spinning around in his chair to face them. "Well?"

Shippo cleared his throat, slightly unnerved by Sesshomaru's sudden attention. "I took a look at the videos you...er, asked me to look at once I was done studying for my math test." Shippo brightened suddenly. "I got a ninety-six by the way."

He swallowed when Sesshomaru did nothing else but arch a eyebrow cooly. "But anyway, I was looking at the tapes and put them through this heat-seeking process and I noticed something interesting." he held out his hand for the bag Hiten had been carrying for him, digging through it for the pictures he had printed off.

Sesshomaru accepted the glossy photo's Shippo held out, examining the bright colors carefully. Two red colored people were intertwined closely, sitting on a sheet of blue.

"Now, do you see that bright red dot near their feet? I think that's the jewel." Shippo pointed out excitedly.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed just the tiniest bit. "And this helps us how?"

"Well, the bright red means the object is giving off heat. Not in any of the other shots was there any heat coming off the jewel, until Inuyasha did all that weird stuff with that woman." Shippo explained as Sesshomaru flipped through the pictures and found no bright red dots before Inuyasha met up with this woman.

"Are you saying this woman has come into contact with the jewel?" Sesshomaru asked slowly, his claw tapping on the red figures face. "And it reacted in her presence?"

Shippo nodded. "I've already started to run scans on the woman's face and I should have the results in less then an hour." Shippo fidgeted under Sesshomaru's stare. "I have other homework, there's only so much the computer can do!" He said defensively.

Sesshomaru settled back in his seat, please with Shippo despite the lack of available answers. "Is there anything else?"

"Just one more thing. I hacked into the subways security cameras, just to make sure I had every single tape and I noticed signs of another hacker. I think someone else has seen the footage..."

Kagura moved silently through the crowds, her bodyguards a comfortable distance behind and in front of her, surrounding her even with the press of people. Her long kimono hardly made a whisper as it brushed along the dry grass, and even with her beauty, she went unnoticed as well.

She had learned early in life when it was best to disappear.

She wrinkled her nose at the human stench, her fan hardly much protection against the reek. The smell would probably linger in her skin and hair for days after this...But no matter, it would be worth it once she had the jewel safely in her keeping.

Her eyes quickly scanned the revelers's faces, searching for the one whose features she had burned onto her brain until she knew it as well as her own. Kagome Higurashi. The woman who was unlucky enough to find the jewel, though she probably had no idea what she truly possessed.

She felt a little regret at what she was about to do to Kagome Higurashi, but she was her father's daughter. She could only hope she could make her death painless, something her merciless father would never allow.

Kagura let herself wander the fair grounds as she searched, absently wishing she could be here for pleasure, not business. Her weapon of choice was her fan, but she didn't mind a good old-fashioned bow every now and then, and she could totally kick ass at that archery demo-

Kagura nearly stopped when her eyes flashed across Kagome's face, taunt with concentration as she lined her arrow up with the target and let it fly.

There she was, Kagura thought with little satisfaction as she subtlety circled the air with her finger, giving the signal to her guards to herd her away from the crowd. The arrow struck the target as one of the bodyguards stepped up to Kagome, asking her for help finding his money, his child, or whatever story he made up to get her alone.

Kagome nodded, her face concerned as she followed the man, not realizing she was walking towards her own death.

Fingering her fan, Kagura sighed as she walked behind Kagome, knowing this all would be worth it in the end.

"...and I just can't find her anywhere!" the man explained, nearly tearing at his hair in his worry for his daughter.

Kagome laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder as he led her to the woods where he had last seen his daughter. "Please don't worry, I'm sure we'll find her. She couldn't have gotten far, and the woods really aren't very large." she said soothingly, worried for the man and his daughter. While the forest surrounding the temple was on the small side, it could be rather terrifying at night.

Kagome readjusted the bow hanging over her shoulder, deciding to bring it with her. She wanted to be careful, even though it was unlikely anyone more would sneak up on her tonight. After all, she had already had two in a single hour, it was doubtful there would be anymore.

Kagome frowned as the man led her further away from where the children were normally allowed. "Are you sure she was here? Most kids stay clear of this section." Kagome explained, scanning the scary looking trees and darkness.

The man shrugged as she he pushed her further along, three others melting out of the crowd towards them. "She's adventurous." he said causally, as the first trickles of unease slid down Kagome's spine.

Kagome gestured back at the three men following them. "They friends of yours?"

"Brothers." he answered shortly, his gentle pushing turning into shoving.

With one final thrust that nearly tripped her, Kagome spun around to face the four men, suddenly realizing it might have been really stupid to go off on her own.

She lifted her chin as her hands went for her bow. "What do you want?"

The one man shifted, his face hidden in the shadow. "It's nothing personal, but we're getting paid a lot of money to take care of you. You must have pissed off some pretty important people." he tsked slightly. In unison, all four men took out their guns and pointed it at her, stopping her in her tracks before she could even attempt to ready her bow. "Lucky for you though, we have orders not to make it painful." he said as if that was supposed to be comforting.

Kagome's stared in dumb shock at the four guns aimed in direction, absently regretting the decision to lock Sango in the closet again.

She wished she had kissed Inuyasha one more time.

Without warning, the assassins pulled their triggers while Kagome was still trying to figure out who would want to kill her, the guns barely making a pop as the bullets sped towards her.

And then stopped in midair, surrounded by a bright pink glowing light.

Kagome and the men gaped as the little bits of metal hovered in the air for a moment, before abruptly hitting the ground.

"What the hell..." one of the men gasped before shooting rapidly, emptying his clip.

But like before, a pink light engulfed the bullet before it dropped harmlessly to the ground.

"Damn it. We're gonna have to do this the hard way." one of the men mumbled, rolling up his sleeves.

"Let me help you with that." Sango said sweetly from behind him, before grabbing his head and twisting sharply.

She let the man fall, his neck broken as his three 'brothers' sprang towards her. Grinning, Sango unsheathed her sword rammed the hilt into a temple, used the scabbard to knock one on his ass, while she buried the tip of the blade into the man who took the first shot at her.

Her fingers shaking slightly, Kagome reached up for her bow and readied an arrow, sending one whistling through the air and into one of the men's shoulders.

Sango glanced over at her, slightly disapproving. "Damn it Kag, how many times do I have to tell you that if someone's trying to kill you, you go for the kill shot to." she complained before planting her sword into the man's chest.

Kagome gasped. "But Sango! How are we supposed to explain this to-"

Sango shrugged as she stomped down hard on one of the men's heads, Kagome gasped again when the body turned into dust underneath her foot. "Don't worry about it, they weren't live humans." she assured, disposing the rest of the bodies in a similar way.

Sango dusted off her hands, "Are you alright Kagome? They didn't hurt you did they?" she asked before her face hardened at Kagome's shook head. "Good. Because we have a few things we need to talk about. What the HELL were you thinking locking me in that closet?"

Kagome flushed guilty, feeling oddly cold. She was probably about to go into shock..."I'm sorry Sango, but I didn't want you to hurt Inuyasha."

Sango scowled, her hands on her hips. "And why shouldn't I? He's not right for you."

Kagome slid her bow back over her shoulder, wondering if she should point out the bullets lying on the ground. "You don't know that."

"Of course I do. Trust me Kag, he's not the one. He's probably the reason you got attacked tonight." she cracked her knuckles, her expression turning dark. "Just wait till I see the bastard again..."

"Sango! Besides the fact you shouldn't be judging him before you know him, and I have no idea if I'm even interested in him that way, I'm still old enough to choose my own dates!" Kagome shouted in frustration, nearly stomping the ground with her foot.

"You're being naive, none of this weird stuff happened to you before he came into the picture." Sango shot back, her arm sweeping out to encompass the piles of dirt. "He's dangerous. You either need to stay away or let me kill him."

"Sango, I'm not a child anymore!" Kagome snapped in frustration.

"Then stop acting like one!" Sango shot back. "You're behaving just like you did in high school! Big bad boy comes sauntering through, and you go running towards him without a thought!"

Kagome jerked, taken back. "Sango, you know that's not fair."

A guilty red flush covered her cheeks but she didn't back down. "You need to think more before getting involved with these people Kagome. They're not good for you."

"That's not your choice to make Sango."

"Well maybe it should be. Besides, what's this loser got that's so important anyway?"

Kagome growled as her fear of nearly dying was quickly replaced by anger at Sango's stubbornness. "Sango, he says I'm a 'Mate'."

Sango jerked, her face going snow white. "...that's impossible." she gasped, looking terrified.

Kagome frowned, studying her friend carefully, not expecting this reaction. "It is? Why?"

"...because it is, that's why. Now come on, we need to go back. You're done for the night. You can play with Kiara and the other kittens, that sounds safer then staying out here any longer." she decided stepping forward.

She froze as her foot brushed a bullet on the ground, the little metal pieces rolling against each other gently. "Kagome...do I want to know what's on the ground?" she asked slowly.

Kagome winced. "Wait till tomorrow?" she suggested.

Sango ignored her to crouch down. "Kagome these are bullets. Were they shot at you?" she asked slowly, dangerously.

Her fingers finding their way automatically to the jewel around her neck, Kagome fidgeted. "Yeah but what's weird is...they stopped."

Sango blinked. "What?"

Kagome sighed in relief, glad she had gotten Sango off the topic of Inuyasha which meant hopefully she wouldn't have to lie about calling him tomorrow. "Come on, you're right, the festival is dying down for tonight anyway. I'll explain inside."

"You better." Sango muttered, following Kagome.

Kagura watched the two women leave from her spot hidden safely in the shadows. She tapped her chin with her fan thoughtfully.

So Kagome was a Mate, hmm...?

A small smile curved her lips. And it appeared Inuyasha wanted her for his own.

There must be some way she could use this to her advantage. Her grin brightened when she thought of how proud her father would be.

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