Disclaimer: I do not, did not, and will not ever own InuYasha and his gang of merry men… Oh wait that's Robin Hood…

Chapter Five Perdido Street Station

"What happened to you?" With one eye on the door waiting for a returning guard to silence them Kagome worked quickly at the ropes binding her wrists.

"I should ask you the same. Although you were running around stealing hearts it's no wonder you've grown up to be a crim." His voice was thick with disgust but she couldn't care less about what he thought.

"You aren't so nice anymore, what changed that?" Cautiously she pulled her hands under her butt and fought with the length of her dress before slipping them over her feet and resting them in her lap.

"I've grown up, and I don't play dress up anymore. Why are you wearing that ridiculous outfit? And that hat, it's so hideous." Hojo knew more than one way to a lady's fist.

"This is the Duchess Rin's hat. She and I have become close friends in recent days. I'm working on stealing something from her brother, or perhaps it's her husband who has it. Either way I only look hideous because a woman wearing breeches isn't something one can get away with in today's fashion." She grumbled rubbing her wrists raw as she worked the knot free.

"The Shinkon? Is that what you're after sweetheart? Because you are looking in all the wrong places." His words made her snap to attention.

How did he know about the jewel? He knew so intricately that he knew it by name. "What are you playing at?"

"I see you're almost out there. A few more seconds and that knot will be freed. Help me escape and I'll tell you where the jewel is." His offer was a one-time thing, but Kagome had a tightening in her gut that told her trusting him wasn't on the agenda.

"You could escape yourself, you don't need me." She wasn't going to mention the small shard of glass shaped like a weapon she'd seen in his boot as she'd been led in.

"Quite right you are, but you need me." Now wasn't this a pickle. Hojo knew he had her in a hard place and she didn't have much time to make a decision.

"Okay, we get out of here together. You tell me how to find the jewel. What is it you want again?" She slipped her first hand free at last and then undid the last knot to free her other.

"InuYasha. That's all I want." This was strange, and the look on Hojo's face was anything but comforting.

"Why him?" She wasn't going to be able to promise that. There was no way InuYasha was going to go willingly with Hojo just because she told him to.

"I have my reasons, as do you. I'm sure our master has a reason for each of us to be getting these things he needs." Hojo smirked as her face lit up in realization.

"You work for Naraku too." Now she really couldn't trust him. "Why does he want InuYasha?"

"His reasons are his own. Do we have a deal?" He quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head waiting for me to make my decision.

"Fine, I get the jewel and then you get InuYasha." Kagome grumbled knowing she was going to have to find a way of warning InuYasha before something bad happened.

"Very well." Hojo leaned down and sliced his restrains on the glass she'd seen in his boot. Stupid guards knew nothing about crims.

Kagome quelled her noisy brain wanting it to pause for a moment so they could escape before she let it run rampant with thoughts until it connected the dots to figure out Naraku's plan. Hojo went over to the small receptionist desk that was empty and pushed around papers looking for something while Kagome went to the door to check the coast. "Let's go." She looked back and Hojo was just tossing down a pen before following her.

Kagome knew this wasn't the Boneshaker itself, but it held crims. It was almost as if they wanted them to get out. This brought another theory to her head that wouldn't be quelled. Was this a set up? Had Hojo put this together to get her help? Or was it higher up the chain, had Naraku set this up? She was so confused, it made no sense.

"This is too easy." Hojo muttered behind her and she knew instantly he hadn't done this. His hands were shaking in anticipation and a sheen of sweat made his face look glossy.

"Is your boss by chance helping us out?" Kagome whispered back stopping in her tracks as footsteps approached. They were two hundred feet from the exit.

"He's our boss technically, and I never think of him as that. He's more of a parasite that I can't live without." This made Kagome laugh despite their situation but then the approaching person—whoever it had been—returned, their footsteps retreating.

"Let's just get out of here. We can debate who helped us once we're free." Although Kagome had no intention of spending any more time with her old acquaintance once they were safely outside. They ran hard for the door, waiting any longer would only be suicide.

Once they were outside Kagome almost cried. It had been InuYasha who had distracted all of the guards. She wanted to tell him to leave, to get away from her while he could. But Sango stepped around the corner and saved the day. "Thank you." Kagome heaved the running hadn't been good on her leg and now as her adrenaline dissipated she could feel it burn.

"Who are you?" InuYasha growled at Hojo's proximity to Kagome.

He only smiled quite evilly before turning to Kagome and ignoring the question. "I believe I owe you my life Kagome, thank you again." He winked with his right eye so that InuYasha and Sango wouldn't catch it. Then he lifted her hand for a kiss leaving behind a small slip of paper that she did well to keep concealed.

"Kagome, do you have any idea how dead you are right now?" Sango seethed ignoring Hojo as he turned his back and disappeared into the dark alleyway.

"Let's take this somewhere else." Kagome advised, after all they were still standing in the shadow of the Boneshaker.

Sango huffed and then went to her mount showing no pity on her or her beat up leg. InuYasha however was still in the mood for trouble. He helped her to his horse, mounted and then lifted her to sit cradled in his arms before him. Another grumble from Sango only increased the smirk on his face. "What happened to my horse?" She kept her voice low not wanting to enrage Sango further.

"Shippo took her." InuYasha replied following Sango as she led the way to Koga's townhouse. "Who was the man you escaped with?"

"I knew him as a child. We grew up living next door to each other. He's changed a lot." Kagome retreated into her head trying to work every angle she could come up with to figure out Naraku's plan. What would he want InuYasha for? It was time she asked Miroku what his modifications were for, she needed to know why he had them. What made him special?

He was talking to her but she hardly caught a word as her brain overflowed with information that wasn't adding up. It had to be the modifications. Maybe she should just ask him. She looked up at his amber eyes that were kind when they looked at her. And there was his smile with its fangs didn't seem vicious when he smiled at her. And the ears on his head, how were they dangerous? "InuYasha, how come you have-" she was cut off from her question though as they had just made it through the gates. Koga and Miroku were both there simmering with fury. The hate in their eyes was enough to make her want to protect InuYasha.

"Calm down will you?" But it seemed her tone only infuriated them more. "Gentlemen, I believe you will both need a reality check. This goes beyond no one but myself, if you have anger you will extended it to me only." She didn't let InuYasha interfere, just had him help her to her feet before making him leave.

"Are you insane? Leaving Shippo and Sango behind to prance off with a man who tried to kill you? And on top of that getting arrested! He knows you're a crim now. You can no longer trust him." Miroku hadn't even held back details that Koga wasn't privy too. He was so angry he didn't seem to care.

"Kagome how could you do that? Do you want to be dead?" Koga couldn't look at her, which was harder to accept than she realized.

"Look, if InuYasha wanted me dead he would have left me to the Boneshaker. I think him risking his life to help me escape was enough for me to tell he's on our side." Kagome loved the way both men couldn't come up with a response. Neither knew how to dispute this bit of truth. "He knew I was a crim and he helped me, that is enough for me. You can be mad at me all you want, but don't be angry with him."

"Fine, he's off the hook this time. Shippo come with me, you're getting an upgrade." Miroku took Shippo and headed back up the driveway.

"How is it you got arrested?" Koga held her eyes now wanting the exact truth of the matter.

Sango held her silence but yet again this was something she couldn't lie about. "He took me to see some fireworks. One of mine was faulty, or so we thought. We were returning it when it misfired and it hit a man." Shame reddened her face as she remembered the flaming tree and then the fallen man. Her panic returned to her momentarily at the memory but she banished it remembering the man still lived.

Koga didn't hear another word, nor did he want to. He turned his horse and left her standing there. "Sango, I'm sorry." Reaching for her best friend's hand she was expecting at least one person to take pity on her. Sango was not going to be that person this time.

"Maybe it's best if we leave now." Sango murmured before leaving her there too. She would have to walk up the driveway with only her aching leg for company. It was what she deserved after all. The late afternoon sun was neither harsh nor lenient and it made the walk all the more dreadful.

(^.^)

Sango hated the state she was leaving her friend in, but there was something deeper inside of her that was aching. Kagome was going to decide they had to leave, and leaving meant no more Miroku. Sure he was disorderly and he couldn't keep his hands to himself. He was an obnoxious flirt and a never ending know-it-all. Those where the qualities that made him different, they made him special.

She went to her rooms to pace. She couldn't keep going like this. They needed to escape for good. They needed to destroy Naraku. It must have been hours that she walked back and forth across the single carpet in her room because her stomach was starting to protest the lack of food and her legs were sensitive. There was a knock at her door but she ignored it keeping her back to the door while she ran ideas through her mind. Whoever it had been left her uninterrupted.

Good she didn't need someone else picking apart her thoughts. Finally her stomach would wait no longer and the setting sun signaled it was after supper time so the kitchen should be empty and the rest of the house settled into idleness. She could sneak down for something to eat and be back in her room before the sun set completely. However she didn't make it to the kitchen. She didn't even make it out her door.

Miroku sat against the wall across from her room. There was an untouched plate of food next to him and he seemed like he was napping. "Miroku? Wake up." She leaned down and nudged him with her finger.

He roused and frowned up at her. "What's wrong Sango? This isn't about Kagome is it?"

"It's not about what she's done. It's about what it means for us." Sango dropped her head not wanting to explain to him that they were going to abandon him.

"We're going to run away aren't we? Do you think we can escape him?" Miroku pushed up her chin with his finger.

"Not we, just us." Her words were enough for him to figure it out.

"You're leaving me behind." He didn't sound upset just stunned, like this was the one thing he hadn't expected.

"It is her choice. I made that promise long before I met you and long before I fell in love with you." Sango let the words out as they were the only thing she had left to say to him.

"Stay with me. She'll be fine on her own, I can even send Shippo. You stay." He took her arm and pulled her closer.

"I can't do that." Shock ran through her as tears fell down her cheek.

"Yes you can, it's your life Sango." He was inches from her now, about to kiss her she suspected.

"I owe her my life, and I always will. She gave up everything she had to save me. I wasn't even worth it back then." His lips found hers silencing her with his passion.

The salt from her tears mixed in with his sweet lips turning the taste bittersweet. "Sango please. Don't suffer through this. If she won't let you stay, then I will follow you."

She nodded knowing she wouldn't be able to speak without blubbering. "Would you eat now?" Miroku asked offering the cold food on the untouched plate.

"Come with me." She rose taking the plate and then his hand and leading him into her room.

(.)

"Shippo, must you stand so close? I'm not going anywhere?" Miroku's upgrade on the robotic boy was just a smidge too much for Kagome. He'd followed her everywhere keeping on her tail no further than a few feet behind her at all times. He was driving her mad with his silence and his dead eyes hinted that he didn't understand what she was telling him.

She'd made it up to the house alone and had the butler send her food to her room. It took her what felt like hours to climb the stairs and once she'd reached her room her bandages needed changing. The white linen that had covered her leg was now sopped in red. "Just perfect." She had muttered removing her dress so as not to get the blood on her skirts. Her bloomers were a lost cause and so she had kept them on even after she was bandaged. The maid brought up some steaming water and she had cleaned out the linen and then her bloomers before changing into the men's pants she owned and a loose blouse.

About that time Shippo had arrived being freshly upgraded into a no talk, no fun, no space mindset. She couldn't even pace her own room without him trailing her. She found that lying in her bed was the only thing he didn't follow her lead on. He stood off to the side keeping her in his sight. Grumbling she slipped from the bed and went to the dress she had stripped from. In the small hidden pocket she pulled the slip of paper Hojo had given her. Based on her clock she had three hours. The note read:

Kagome,

Midnight. Perdido Street Station. Bring InuYasha and I'll tell you where the jewel can be found.

Hojo

She had her reservations about going. However, she had a plan. The maid brought up her food and she ate till she was full. She offered the rest to Shippo who took what he was offered with no hesitation. "Would you like some water?" He nodded and she went to the water basin behind her changing shade. She slipped a few drops of Morlock Night—a simple sedative that she'd found very useful in years past—into his cup to put him to sleep.

He took the cup with no inhibitions. The plate was empty and he was quickly sucking down the water. Kagome didn't have to wait long for the effects to kick in. His eyes stopped tracking her movements and she knew it was her chance. Snatching him up was the easy part getting him into her wardrobe and then racing to her vanity to get the chair before he escaped was the hard part. Once he was secured behind the door she sighed her relief. Now it was time for the hardest part.

She didn't waste time. Strapping on her weapons as quickly as she could she knew going out the door wasn't going to fly. The servant's stair was her plan. It led down to the green sitting room and from there she would go straight for the door. Two things got in her way. Koga who was sitting in his study reading something and the butler who insisted on having the stable boy bring her around her horse—he also promised to keep this run in just between the two of them.

Out the door the stable boy handed her lead over and then helped her to mount. Even at a gallop it seemed to take her forever to arrive at InuYasha's townhouse. This time there was no sneaking in. She left her mount with the stable master who greeted her at the door. He was another addition the Marquis had added to his home in order to fortify it against her. She presented herself to the steward inside the door who pursed his lips at her before seeking her approval in to see his master. He returned and graciously led her to InuYasha's study where he stood by a burning fire with a glass of port in his hand. Wasn't that the cliché.

She refused any refreshments offered to her and remained silent till the steward was out of the room. "Kagome what's going on? What are you wearing? Why are you here at this hour?" His questions were more than just those three but he paused to let her answer.

"I don't have time to explain, not fully, I need your help." Her pleading eyes must have led him to the wrong conclusion because a growl escaped him.

"Did he hurt you?" For a moment Kagome thought the glass in his hand was going to crack under the pressure but then he tossed back the remaining liquid and set the glass above the fireplace very precisely.

"No, this has nothing to do with Koga." She couldn't find the words to tell him the truth. She hadn't even told Koga the truth and here she was prepared to tell a man she'd known for only a few days exactly who she was.

"What is it then Kagome? Spit it out." He was searching her eyes for the answer that she was so hesitant to give him.

"You shot me two nights ago in your front lawn." Her head had dropped but the words were clear.

'I shot you? Are you sure you're feeling alright?" He moved closer and placed his hand to her cheek feeling for a fever.

"I was the one who broke in. I put that thing around your neck. You can't get it off can you?" She reached under his collar and pulled out the red beaded necklace that would send him crashing to the floor at her command.

"It couldn't have been you. That bullet would have killed you." He was frustrated trying to put the pieces together and come up with some other answer.

"Your aim isn't as good as you thought." She shrugged trying to make it easier on him.

He turned from her seeming to be having a battle with his better judgment. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm in trouble. I need something from you." Her admission made him turn back around.

"What do you need?" He was going to help her, she could already tell by the look on his face.

"So you aren't mad? Not even a little? I mean I did break into your home. And you shot me, so maybe that makes us kind of even." She was rambling, but she felt a bit distanced from him now. If he would just be mad at her and yell at her she would feel a lot better.

"Did you want me to be mad? Or perhaps I could shoot you again?" He offered a small smile to let her know he was joking.

"I would feel better if you were angry at least." She explained with a shrug.

"Well you're just going to have to suffer." He decided not seeming the least bit upset which was really torturing her. "Now what is it you need from me?"

"The jewel." She assumed he would just know what she was talking about but maybe that was a bad idea.

"Which jewel? I am in possession of half my family heirlooms most of them jewels." Turning from her he went to a box on a shelf and opened it showing her a large collection of jewels that were most likely not even half of his holdings. The jewel she was looking for was not among the riches.

"It's called the Shinkon. I've been searching for it and I know your family must have it." Her fingers brushed over the precious stones hoping the round one she was searching for was among the throng.

"That name doesn't sound familiar. I could ask my brother, he might know it." Amber eyes met gray ones and he frowned at the tear breaching her waterline. "Why do you need it?"

"If I don't get that jewel I'll never see my brother again." She whispered swallowing back her tears.

"Miroku? Did something happen to him after I left?" But that didn't make sense. She'd tried to steal the jewel two nights ago.

"Miroku isn't my brother. A woman can't travel with a male companion if he isn't her brother or husband." It was the truth. She didn't need the extra rumors floating around and drawing attention to herself.

"I see." This time he stayed silent longer mulling his thoughts over in his head while keeping his emotions masked.

Kagome lifted her hand to his neck and pulled the red beaded necklace forward. "Miroku makes a lot of gadjets. Most of them are harmless, but he made one for Naraku. It was incomplete it needed a power source. A jewel with supposed magical powers would do the trick. Naraku has had my brother for years, as a slave. I worked a deal with him. I told him I'd get him the jewel if he'd give me my brother back. I've spent two years searching for it, my brother is dying. I need that jewel."

"I must be crazy listening to you." He murmured taking her hand in his. "Alright I'll make you a deal."

Her eyes snapped up to his face at those words. "What? Don't keep me waiting."

"I'll help you get that jewel, if you take this thing off of me." He meant the necklace that would knock him to the ground face first. That was all he wanted.

She couldn't help her relief. "That I can do. Miroku said it would disintegrate when it was no longer useful."

"So what does that mean?" The necklace twirled around his neck as her hands looked for a clasp.

"I'm not sure. You tried taking it off didn't you?" She stopped not finding what she was searching for.

"Of course I did. I even took a knife to it, almost slit my own throat by accident." He grumbled remembering the accident and the way his housekeeper had shouted at him for being an imbecile.

"Maybe I have to take it off, since I put it on." She lifted the beads up over his head and it came off just like a necklace should. "Sit." InuYasha flinched at the word but her final command shuddered through the gadjet and then it was just ash in her palms.

"That's neat. I'm going to have to ask him about that one. Now how much time do we have?" He was all business again as she brushed off her hands over the fire.

"We have four more days, but there's something else." How was she going to tell him this? It still didn't make sense to her.

"What now?" A hand through his hair showed her his aggression. Even if it was pent up she was starting to unload too much on him.

"Naraku wants you now too." His disbelief was more than obvious as he laughed at her words. "I'm serious! I'm meeting Hojo tonight. That's why I came to see you. If you knew where the jewel was then I wouldn't have to go see him and offer you as exchange for the information I need."

"So you really came here to convince me to come with you and then stab me in the back for the know-how on finding the jewel?" His chest rumbled as he finally showed signs of his anger.

"No. I couldn't do it. That's why I had to tell you. I want you to come with me. We can get the information and then get out. Hojo doesn't have any tricks up his sleeve, and I can take him on my own. All you have to do is show up so he'll tell me what I need to know." No amount of begging was going to remove his anger. She'd only succeeded in pissing him off.

"Why does he want me?" He refused to look at her anyway so it didn't matter.

"I don't know. It doesn't make any sense." Her eyes were threatening a waterfall as she was losing all hope of saving her brother.

"Bloody hell, I am crazy." His curse didn't bother her but the way his body loosened up confused her. "I'm going to help you. I don't know why. Hell I do know why. What time were you supposed to meet Hojo? And where?"

Her heart soared with elation she was going to explode at his words but his reverberating growl brought her back to reality. "Perdido Street Station, midnight."

"No time to consult my brother about the jewel then." He muttered. "Let me go get geared up. I take it you have more than one weapon on you?"

She only nodded and he left her standing there waiting for him to return. Her brain kept asking why. She didn't understand why he agreed to help her after everything she'd told him. It sure as heck wasn't her persuasive words or her personality.

"Take these." Upon his return he pushed two more weapons into her hands which she started to refuse. "I don't care how many of your own you have on. I'm not leaving here without you carrying these."

"Let's go then." Kagome took the guns that were no doubt loaded with the same bullets that had hit her leg and hid them in her coat. The black fabric weighed her down but she was more than ready.

"How is your leg? Are you going to be up for a fight?" It was obvious he believed in who she was and wasn't going to treat her like a doll that needed protecting.

"I'll survive." Out the door and on their mounts it only took ten minutes to arrive at Perdido Street Station that was vacant at this hour. "I'm going in first."

Not waiting for his approval she took the stairs down to the station. "Hojo? I have what you want."

"How did you get him here? That must have taken some of your more exceptional talents." His sneering face accompanied his suggestive words and both had InuYasha bristling.

"Can it. I'm ready for my information. I've held up my end now where it is." Her arms crossed over her chest and her hip locked at a sharp angle. She was all business. She couldn't afford to slip up with InuYasha at stake and her brother.

"Not so fast sweetheart. Don't think for one second you might be smarter than me." A quick wave of his arm that sent InuYasha into a crouch revealed two men moving from the shadows. "InuYasha leaves with them and then I give you your information."

Kagome caught InuYasha's signaling nod from the corner of her eye. "Okay, but he doesn't go out of my sight until you tell me."

The two shadows took InuYasha to the exit but stopped at the bottom of the stairs to wait for a final signal. "The clockwork heart has the jewel."

Digesting the words only led to more confusion. They made no sense and as Hojo moved away from her and the two shadows started pulling away InuYasha her body kicked into action. Her foot found the left side of Hojo's face sending him sprawling to the ground. She heard the commotion over by InuYasha and two seconds later she had his weapons pulled and two triggers pulled. She hit the right one in the chest and the left at his hip. They both dropped and InuYasha grinned up at her. "Nice shooting."

"Nice weaponry." She returned pocketing the guns in her jacket.

"Nice knife too wouldn't you say Kagome?" Underestimating him had been the only flaw in her plan and now he stood behind her with a knife at her side. InuYasha backed up a few steps his hands raised.

"Don't be stupid. I'll go with you." InuYasha looked like a deer in the headlights of a steamroller. Clearly he didn't know what he was saying.

"No, you will go with them. I'm staying here with her." This time four shadows appeared. Hojo had been underestimated greatly, but then he was being backed by Naraku.

A raging beast was unleashed in InuYasha as he shredded through his opponents but then more shadows came and they kept coming. It was a device, Kagome realized, that's why they had no shape, no apparent solidity. Naraku had created life. Or something that looked like it. "Hojo stop, they're going to kill him!"

"He would be no use to me dead, and beside we need him good and pumped. He won't be any use to us if he can't fight." His hold on her loosened and she quickly disarmed him and jabbed a finger into his eye. This time she wasn't going to underestimate him. She pulled a knife from her belt and struck out. Her blow landed deep in his thigh, the blade was buried to the hilt.

From there she sliced him with another blade across the cheek before landing another kick that hit squarely in his chest. She was on an unstoppable warpath but then a strangled cry from InuYasha behind her caught her attention. Wasting no time she flung herself into the fray surrounding him. Punches landed hard hitting her face, ribs, arms, legs and once over a shoulder blade. Elbows landed blows in the more sensitive areas like her stomach and neck. Not to mention the feet that were stomping her own and hitting her shins. She was in the fight until she dropped to the floor. Her vision was blurry from her own blood but the crowd of shadows was thinning. Maybe they could get out of this. InuYasha was still fighting and still landing kicks, shots and even the occasional punch.

She dragged herself from the pack of shadows needing a moment to recalculate her plan. Her injured leg wasn't working right. Her arms felt numb. Her stomach was heaving which lead to her heavy breathing that expanded her ribs that possibly had cracked in a few places. Her face was damaged for sure. Her nose got lucky, being small it wasn't much of a target, but she'd have a black eye for sure. Something was bleeding perhaps above her right eyebrow.

She waited for the spinning to stop and then quickly found InuYasha's weapons again and was about to let them fly when a hand knotted into her hair and pulled her off the ground ripping a scream from her throat. "Terminate." Hojo's command dispersed the shadow men and left InuYasha sagging for a second. "You come with me now, or she's as good as dead and you get to watch."

Kagome closed her eyes not wanting to give InuYasha a chance to risk his own life again. "Go." She whispered through cracked lips. "Take him and leave."

InuYasha must have done the right thing because Hojo dropped her. Trying to sit up wasn't going to fly. She couldn't even get her elbows under her. Her body was numb from the pain and her one good eye watched from the wet cement floor of the train station as Hojo bound his wrists and pushed him to the stairs. "Wait, don't leave her here. She's bleeding; she's hurt. Don't leave here like that. Take her to a doctor, please!" His pleading voice was the last thing she heard as her body shut down. There would be no more thinking tonight.

She woke not long after. It wasn't safe for her to stay here, wherever here was. She couldn't quite remember what all had happened. The fog in her brain was enough to make her dread having to stand. She needed to get up. She had to get up. The blood on her face was starting to get crusty and her mouth was dry as a bone. Water and a rag would be her best friends right now.

The Grandville, she remembered that part of the plan. She would go there and wait for Miroku and Sango to find her. Getting there was going to be tricky but if she remembered correctly her mare was close by. Her first obstacle was the stairs, but thank god for the man who invented the hand rail because without him and his invention she never would have made it to the top. Getting on her horse was her second. It was a miracle Hojo had left her behind. "Okay. Just like riding a bike with a broken leg. Sounds easy enough." She muttered encouragement to herself as she lifted a sore leg and placed her foot in the stirrup. One quick hop and she'd be up. If she didn't manage it the first time it wasn't going to happen at all. She gave it all of her strength and managed to pull herself into the saddle.

From there it was as simple as letting the animal do the walking and her do the driving. She wondered if their next stop on their grand adventure would be a place with cars that were more easily accessible. The Grandville was two blocks closer than InuYasha's townhouse and she didn't think going back there without InuYasha would be a good idea. His servants would want to know where he was. As for returning to Koga's townhouse she couldn't do that either. It was too far away and she wouldn't stay aloft for the ride. She would have to wait it out for Miroku and Sango to find her. The chill of the night air was the only thing she was thankful for as it numbed her pain and allowed her to pass out undisturbed right inside the door of the Grandville.

(T.T)

Sango woke up feeling wonderfully warm and content. She snuggled further into her duvet and the man next to her. There were no regrets in her head, and it didn't matter how many times Miroku had told her she could stay, she wasn't going to. Her vow to protect Kagome for the rest of her life outweighed her love. Even if she was happier in this moment than she'd ever be again. Her ears picked up the sound of a light thud. Something similar to the sound she and Miroku had been making. Repetitive and exact Sango shot up in bed realizing the sound was generating from Kagome's room.

What was her friend up to? She wouldn't think that Koga was in there. That only meant that Kagome might be trying to escape. Where she would run off to at this hour Sango was unsure. It was nearing dawn however so maybe her friend was getting hungry or antsy. Sango pulled on a layer of clothes and then headed next door. Miroku had jammed up her door with one of his gadjets that would set off an alarm if she tried to break through it. It wasn't this door she was banging on though. She disengaged the gadjet and left it hanging from the handle before entering the room.

She sighed her relief when she found the bed empty. The covers were a bit ruffled but didn't look slept in. The banging was coming from the wardrobe, from whatever was in the wardrobe. Sango approached it and pulled the chair from in front of it. Shippo fell out into a lump on the floor. "Shippo? What happened? Where's Kagome?"

"Something in the water." He was hoarse and looked exhausted as he crumpled.

"Kagome poisoned you? How long has she been gone?" Sango didn't wait for an answer she rushed back to her room to tell Miroku. "She's gone."

"Kagome? How long?" Miroku was grumbling as he got up and dressed. "Where do you think she'd go?"

"InuYasha maybe? Or Lady Rin, either of them would have taken her in." Sango strapped on her weapons running through a mental list of places to check. "We'll check InuYasha's townhouse first. Lady Rin will no doubt come calling here later."

"Should we tell Koga?" It wasn't a bad idea, but Sango couldn't see how it would help.

"Leave him here. If Kagome comes back someone will have to rein her in. We'll send Shippo to some of the easier places on my list and we'll take the harder ones." Sango left to go give Shippo his orders.

But as they went down the stairs together after the sun had risen Koga was announced out of the house. "Should one of us stay here?" Miroku waited for Sango's order.

"No, we all go looking." Sango headed for the door and then they were off searching. InuYasha's townhouse was a waste of time. His butler informed them that he'd left the previous evening and never returned. He said nothing about Kagome being with him.

The same went for Lady Rin. Her distraught at finding out that Kagome was missing sent her into a panic. She intended to send out the guard looking for her. It took everything Sango could say to stop her tailspin and calm her down. Finally she agreed to wait it out. Sango promised to find Kagome and then they left.

"I'm running out of ideas." Sango admitted as they rode through the park searching all the stores along the way.

"Lady Sango!" It was Lady Kikyo who rode up in a carriage next to them. "Such a pleasure to run into you."

"Hello Lady Kikyo. Have you seen Lady Kagome today? She seems to have run off." Sango smiled at the lady candidly admiring the gold around her neck. Then she had to pause. She didn't hear a word of Lady Kikyo's response. Around the lady's neck hanging from the gold chain was the jewel. It was what they'd been searching for and it had been right under their noses.

As soon as the lady nodded a goodbye Sango turned to Miroku. "She has the jewel. You saw it right?"

"Yes." His eyes held her hope but they were still missing their friend. "What can we do?"

"I'll follow her, you keep searching for Kagome." Sango decided turning her horse to trail after Lady Kikyo. "Just meet me back at Koga's townhouse in a few hours."

They split up and Miroku continued on their current trajectory. Mainspring was the next stop but like he assumed she wasn't there. Where would she be? He didn't even know why she'd left in the first place. Had she found out about him and Sango? Had she overheard him trying to talk Sango into staying with him? Did she think they would have left her alone? Or did she disappear to make it easier on them?

He decided she wouldn't have left without her real brother and so she had to be out searching for the jewel. The only problem was they'd checked the places she would have searched for it. Only what if something had happened to her? What if something went wrong? The Grandville.

"Miroku!" Shippo's voice behind him pulled him out of his thoughts.

"We know where she is." He finished for the boy and they took off at a gallop. Miroku could only hope that Sango would be as productive in her task.

"Oh God, Kagome." Her body was stiff as a board as he rolled her onto her back. Her mare had been the welcome sign they had hoped for and the blood trail from there had been what they feared.

She was battered and bruised but she came awake as his hand found her face under the dirt, blood and saliva. "Kagome, you're going to be okay." He soothed her turning to Shippo he commanded the boy to hurry to find Koga and have Doctor Steel meet them at his townhouse.

"Miroku, what does it do?" Her words cracked and withered and he didn't understand what she was asking.

"Shh, just relax. I've got you. You're going to be alright." He pushed back her matted hair wishing he had some water to rinse her off.

"His mods, what are they for?" Her voice was urgent like she had to know.

"You mean InuYasha? Did he do this to you?" His fury ignited but she shook her head.

"What does it do Miroku?" Her eyes were focusing and tracking his movements which was a good sign.

"What does what do Kagome?" He wasn't understanding a word that she was saying. What had she figured out?

"The machine, the one you built for Naraku. What does it do?" She coughed and convulsed and he held her steady.

Miroku frowned unsure of why she wanted this information. Then his brain shot off on an electrical vibration and he knew exactly what she was getting at. It had been Naraku's plan all along. "It allows the operator to switch bodies with any person."

End Chapter.