Disclaimer: Must I do this every time? I do not own InuYasha, yada yada yada. Only the plot and characters I design myself to fit my story are mine.

[Authors Note] Last chapter was something to keep you going, although I know I've been away for a year. I know the content in my last chapter was some deep stuff and I'm not sure what came over me. I just felt the need to make you understand where Kagome is coming from. How can she possibly let go of Inuyasha, knowing what he means to her, even if she can come out unscathed in the process? Enjoy this new installment of Left for Dead!

P.S. The last chapter's song title was 'Stay with Me' by Danity Kane. It's a great song.

P.P.S. I've been watching the Inuyasha episodes to catch up with the facts of all the characters. As much as I hate to admit I was wrong, I've spelled so many names wrong just because I thought it was the right way. According to the episodes, my names now corrected are: Koga (formally spelled Kouga) and Sesshomaru (formally spelled Sesshoumaru). I apologize everyone!

P.P.P.S. ONE LAST THING! While I've been watching those episodes, I've also been reading fanfictions by other authors and I'm seriously considering pairing Kagome with Koga. They just seem to fit. I may keep her with Sesshy. It's gonna be hard untethering Koga from Kagome though. I DON'T KNOW. ;_;

Baby this pain is worse than it ever was

I know that you can't hear me but I need you to save me tonight

Tonight your memory burns like a fire

With every morning grows higher and higher

I can't get over it

I just can't put out this love

I just sit in these flames and just pray that you'll come back

Close my eyes tightly, go on and hope that I'm dreaming

Come wake me up

Oh I'm dreaming, come wake me up.

-Rascal Flatts

Chapter 6: Of Talking and Fighting

The morning brought no peace, nor had the night before. Things were as they always were; a tangled mess of confusion. Where was she? Kagome had been away for too long. She had always come back, always.

Inuyasha stared down into the well's depths, hoping to see his little raven-haired beauty at the bottom.

It was empty, just as it had been for many years now. Kagome hadn't gone home in a long time. What was waiting for her there? Family, sure, but nothing as important as what she had here. He let out a sigh of disappointment and slapped the top of the well with his hand.

"Inuyasha, she hasn't been in that well the last fifty times you looked, why would she be in it now?" an exasperated voice said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Because, Sango," he said through clenched teeth without turning around, "I'm trying to find her."

"Staying around here won't help," she murmured soothingly, "I know you miss her but-"

"Miss her? I'm scared as hell Sango!" Inuyasha spun around and his eyes, filled with so much sadness and masked with anger, desperately searched her face for answers. "I can't smell her anymore! I can't find her! I don't know what to do." His voice trailed down to a whisper.

"Have you thought of searching with Koga?" Sango suggested. "If she's there, you know she's safe."

His eyes lit up. "Of course! Stupid me, why didn't I think of that? I bet he kidnapped her and he's holding her against her will!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" a wide-eyed Sango interrupted him, putting her hands up. "You can't seriously think he'd do that, do you? If she's staying with him, it's because she wants to."

Inuyasha's brows furrowed. "And why in the hell would she want to stay with him and not me?"

Sango stared at him like she had never seen him before. "Inuyasha, why would she want to come back?" Inuyasha's mouth parted, as if he was about to stop her but she snapped, "Be quiet. It's time someone brought you back to reality. You've done nothing but hurt her. You go back and forth between her and Kikyo. Inuyasha, you abandoned her! She needed you out on that battlefield to have her back like you always have but you weren't there! She nearly died because of you. And you know what? She's better off without you. Do you realize how many nights she's stayed awake, waiting for you, when you go out on your little escapades with your dead clay pot? She has no self-esteem, no confidence, nothing! She's waited for you to turn around and realize that, 'Hey! I have someone who truly loves me and will never hurt me standing right here!' "

"She loves me?" he whispered, his eyes widening. "How could I not have seen it?"

Sango's fist balled up and before she knew what she was doing, she threw it at the man who had hurt her best friend for so long with all the fury and force she could muster. Her fist made contact with the hanyou's face and he fell back against the well. Standing over him, her trembling voice became a scream.

"Yes, you idiot! She loves you! God, how could you have ignored it? I know how: Kikyo! While she's leading you around by your nose, you haven't stopped to notice she doesn't love you! She's using you! But Kagome, poor sweet Kagome, loves you. That love is pure! If you ever find her, I hope she kills you! Just like you nearly killed her! And I hope she's letting someone else love her! Someone who will never do what you did to her!"

With one final glare, she turned on her heel and stalked off.

Inuyasha stared after her.

Kagome loves me?

For the fifteenth time that day, she asked 'Where am I?' Kagome had been walking for hours. Tempted to call out, she stopped herself and realized the trees and birds may not be the only ones listening.

"Okay Kagome, let's figure this out," she muttered to herself. "Surely, after all you've survived you're not going to die because of starvation."

Coming to a halt, she surveyed her surroundings. This wood looked familiar. Yes, that branch lying across her path was there yesterday. But, of course, how many other thousands of branches are lying all over?

To hell with caution; "Koga!" she yelled, "Koga!"

No reply. The birds had stopped their chirping. The forest seemed to hold its breath.

Desperation was beginning to creep in. "Koga!" she screamed, "Koga! Help me!"

Her Practical-Sensible side suddenly snapped, "Shut up, you fool. Do you want to alert every demon for miles that there's a buffet waiting on whatever gets here first? Think! Retrace your steps!"

Last night, she ran blindly. Hopefully, she had gone straight, so maybe it wouldn't be hard to find her way back to the cliff. Dodging brambles here and there, she once again ran through the forest she believed she ran through the previous night. Nothing looked like it did yesterday. The deadened forest around her was deathly quiet, making her more nervous. Taking about twenty more steps, she noticed a slight change in the atmosphere, a difference in the wind. Kagome readied her bow and arrow.

"Miko," a voice rumbled behind her.

Squealing she spun as she brought her bow up and pulled the string and arrow back, preparing to fire.

The Lord of the Western Territory stood around ten feet away from her, perched on a fallen tree. A perfectly arched eyebrow arched upward at the sight of her bow and arrow, aimed straight at him. "Planning on using that?" he said coldly.

Glaring at him, she brought her bow down. "I might have. You scared me. What are you doing here?"

He smiled, ice shining in his eyes and pointed smile. "You are on my lands, miko. I should be asking the same of you."

"It's none of your-"she started defiantly. In a blink of an eye, Sesshomaru was standing on a tree and in the next blink, his clawed hand was wrapped around her throat, pushing her to a tree and leaving her feet dangling. Oxygen cut off, she dropped her bow and clutched at his hand.

"Miko," he snarled, "you would do well to learn your place. I am Lord of these lands and your attitude is starting to really anger this Sesshomaru. I will ask this one more time before I kill you and return your remains to my brother; why are you here?"

Kagome's eyes widened and her hands dug at Sesshomaru's hand. Just as she began to see stars, he let her go. She collapsed at the base, clutching her throat and wheezing. Looking up at Sesshomaru with hatred in her eyes, she said, "I'm lost."

This did not surprise Sesshomaru. "Where is my pathetic brother? Where is your wolf?"

Kagome shrugged indifferently, "As for Inuyasha, I don't know, nor do I care." Massaging her throat, she grabbed her bow and stood up. She began to walk away, back the way she came. Turning back to look one last time at Sesshomaru, she said, "Hopefully, he thinks I'm dead because I don't ever want to see him again. You saw how he was that day in the woods. He's uncontrollable… and I'm not going to stick around until he takes me down with him. As for Koga, I'm trying to find him." Staring at Sesshomaru for just a second more, she continued her hunt for more recognizable ground.

He watched her go, his eyes following her every step and a plan formulating in his mind. His domain was his roaming grounds. He knew it better than he knew himself. If there was anywhere to fight, it would be there and he was sure wherever the miko went, his half-brother would follow. It could be a good chance to kill him and finally rid himself of the nuisance. Then again, if the wolf followed her too, he could take the shards from his legs once he killed him.

So many possibilities.

Nimbly, he began to follow her, closing in the faster he sped over trees and bushes.

She would be his captive.

'Fitting for a warlord,' he thought snidely to himself.

She had no idea of what she was about to become. Had she known, she may have run, although it wouldn't have done her any good. Just as he reached her, Kagome heard his light footfalls and turned, her eyes wide with alarm. Her mouth opened in a scream before it was covered with his clawed hand. Grabbing her none too lightly around the waist, he hauled her over his shoulder and began the trek back to his castle.

"What- Sesshomaru- what are you doing?!" she screamed, tiny fists pounding on his back.

She continued to scream obscenities at him until he allowed a low hanging branch to slap her on the back of her bare thighs, "Ow!", and effectively quieting her.

Every now and again, the Ice King enjoyed stretching his limbs and darting through the forest. Sesshoumaru continued his run, smiling slightly to himself as she muted for a while. His smile turned quickly into a scowl as she wiggled fiercely, trying to escape his grasp. He tightened his grip, his claws digging into her thighs, and finally, arrived on to his home's grounds.

Throwing her off his shoulder, she fell with a high-pitched cry in front of him. It was abruptly cut off when, as she was landing, her head hit a small boulder, effectively knocking her unconscious. Sesshomaru sighed, something foreign to him, and picked the miko back up and tossed her, once again, over his shoulder.

When Kagome awoke, her surroundings were dark and hazy. She had no idea of the time, where she was, nothing. What was she lying on? It was hard, not at all like her bed at home.

"Ugh…" she moaned, reaching up a hand to feel her head. She cringed when the knot on the back of her sent a surge of pain throughout her head. "Ow!" she screwed her eyes up and felt the tears well up in them.

"Miko, this Sesshomaru may be ruthless and he may have murdered thousands, but he still remembers his father's teachings of courtesy. He will not tie you to the wall of the dungeon to be tortured and die of starvation, like he is tempted to do, but he will not grant you the luxury of one of his rooms." The low voice of the warlord drifted over her.

With her vision beginning to clear up, Kagome realized she was in a dungeon. Not like dungeons featured on television, this particular dungeon was neither cold nor warm. It was a sort of desolate medium. It wasn't dripping with water and there wasn't mold all over the walls. There weren't rats crawling all around either.

It had a kind of desperation attached to it. It had the feeling of if you stayed there long enough it would be your undoing. You could go crazy there.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked, gingerly sitting up.

Sesshomaru looked at her a minute before answering, "Miko, you are the answer to my problems." Then he turned away and shut the door with a CLANG.

Making a move to stand and fight the chains binding her, she winced as her head began to throb and she collapsed back into her sitting position.

This was going to be a long day.

Several days passed before Koga began the return to his cave, satisfied with his territory. Usually, Koga stayed gone slightly longer, whether it is to hunt or to just to catch up with his people, but this time was different because she was waiting for him. When he returned, he would formally ask her to become his mate. Koga smiled. She would say yes. She would see how much he loved her and how he could take care of her better than that half-breed ever could.

On the edge of his personal territory, on a sheer cliff overlooking the pristine yet dangerous waters of the ocean, he smelled her. Kagome's jasmine infused scent caused him to stop and smile. She had been on the edge of this cliff and watched the waters, just as he himself had often done in his troubled times when it seemed she would never come to him. Then the salt of her tears washed over him.

A troubled frown replaced his content smile. His mate, crying?

Koga followed her scent as it zigzagged through the forest, noticing how the sweet smell of rain marred her scent oh-so-slightly. Rain had come and she had run to take cover. He remembered the only storm strong enough to make her run; it lit up the sky most of the night and threw limbs around as if they were leaves. It must have found her sitting on the cliff. She should have seen it coming though. Weren't Ginta and Hakkaku supposed to be watching her? Never trust them to handle his precious cargo.

There weren't any shoe tracks to follow because the rain made sure to wash them all away. It was of no importance; as long as he could keep her scent he could find her.

From across the forest, Koga spotted a small sliver of green fabric, the same color as the teeny tiny skirt Kagome wore attached to a briar bush that was wrapped around the base of a tree. In the blink of an eye, he was to it, ripping the fabric and half of the vines up. Ignoring the pain in his hand, he shook the fabric loose from the briars and inhaling the smell from the green material. It was laced with her scent, the smell of rain, and her fear.

Koga cursed silently at his absence in her time of need and followed along further until he reached a cave. He easily traversed the small boulders leading up to the mouth of it and stepped inside the dark cave. Her smell led him to a corner where she seemed to sit. She could have hid here.

"Was she chased?" he wondered aloud. She had her bow and arrows though. He had managed to make her promise to never leave the safety of his den without them. Had she been chased into seeking sanctuary in a cave that housed who knows what?

He clutched the green piece of fabric in his hand and followed her along further. She was beginning to cross out of his territory, into a territory of a formidable foe: Inuyasha's half-brother Sesshomaru. Here, he would have a much harder time protecting her.

Suddenly, her scent clashed with that of the one he feared it would.

Kagome had met the Lord of the Western Territory.

The dog demon's scent began to fade as she began to move away. The Lord let her walk away, did he? Bemused, Koga followed until, at a certain point, the scents joined again. Sesshomaru hadn't let her walk away. He had either let her think he was letting her go and took her or he decided he wanted to take her and snatched her up.

"Wolf," a baritone voice coldly drawled.

"Sesshomaru," Koga returned, turning to face the speaker. In his tracking, Koga had failed to notice the demon lord approaching the intruder to his lands.

Skipping pretenses, Koga said, "What have you done with Kagome?"

A smirk formed on Sesshomaru's face, "The human wench? Why is it both you and my brother have formed some disgraceful feelings towards her? She is nothing but a human. A weak, frail, disgusting human."

Anger boiled in the pit of Koga's stomach. How dare he insult her! "You aristocratic asshole, she is mine. I will not have someone like you insult her."

The smirk on Sesshomaru's face grew. "Oh? Someone like me? And what do you plan to do about it?"

"I'll kill you if that's what it takes." Koga snarled, tensing up for a fight.

Sesshomaru cocked a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Kill me, shall you? Before you do that, you should see your wench one last time. You can kiss her filthy lips goodbye before I kill you both." He snapped his clawed fingers and in a flash, Kagome was before Koga, blood smearing her face.

Koga caught her before she fell to the ground. She groaned at being moved and opened her eyes. When she saw him, her cracked lips formed a smile. "Koga… You came."

Ellos everyone! I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of 'Left for Dead'. I would have gone a lot further but I needed to have a fight or escape or whatever in another chapter. ;) keep you sticking around! Reviews are most definitely welcome! POSITIVE CRITICISM is always welcome, but be nice people or I shall be forced to sick my ninja on you. :)