To those I couldn't reply to:

KagomeInuyasha: Yeah, Inuyasha is taking it pretty hard concerning Kikyo's death, but he has to keep hope right? And if you don't like her now, don't read Speak because than you'll despise her. lol. Anyways, I promise that there will be much more Kagome/Inuyasha scenes later on. You'll just have to read to find out.

Inu4ever: Uh, sorry, but I'm updating as fast as I can. Believe me, if I updated any faster I would get no sleep and have to skip days of work, not to mention ignore all of my friends. lol. As soon as I'm happy with a chapter I post it. Not much else I can do. There's no possible way for me to update every day or anything. *sigh* Such an ideal world. Glad you liked it though.

Somewhere Beyond This

Chapter 12: Survival

The sun beat mercilessly down upon us as the minutes passed, and there was no relief in sight. I swiped the back of my hand over my forehead to rid myself of the sweat. Sarah and I roamed the length of the beach for sometime, glancing over the junk that had piled up from the crash. Most of it wasn't salvageable, but whatever might come in handy later was being dragged back to our campsite by Ayumi and Yuka.

I sighed and turned my gaze away from the depressing sight. Those objects once belonged to people who were now dead and we were taking advantage of them. It seemed so wrong, but at the same time, survival was our first instinct. "Why don't we look elsewhere?" I asked my companion, giving her a small smile.

She nodded in return. With a wave to Sango and a shout telling her where we were headed, Sarah and I disappeared into the forest. The shade of the trees felt much nicer and I suddenly felt a bit calmer.

"So," I started, wanting to make conversation. Maybe I could put her mind at ease, as she seemed rather jittery being in my presence. "Whats your story?"

She looked at me and blinked. "What?" she asked.

I giggled. "I mean, why were you on the plane?"

Her expression lost all confusion as she turned her face forward once more. "Oh, uh, I was on a business trip with a friend."

"You worked together?" I inquired hesitantly, taking a moment to listen to the sounds around me. Was that a stream?

She nodded, her eyes trained on the ground as she watched her steps. "Yeah, we worked at a Human Studies Facility on the west coast of the United States."

My eyes widened. "That's where my group was going for a field trip." She appeared just as surprised. As the time passed, we slowly divulged our life stories to one another. She was almost a decade older than me and had a husband and child at home in the States. Her best friend, Jamie, hadn't made it to the shore, but Sarah still held hope that she was okay.

After a while, we lost track of time, although we continued to mark our path by breaking branches so we'd be able to find our way back. I heard the sound of running water and stopped to listen. "Sh," I hushed my new friend, telling her to listen as well.

We stayed still for a few minutes, trying to pinpoint the direction it was coming from. "I think its over that way," Sarah mumbled, pointing a little to the left of us. I immediately changed direction and began heading toward the sound, making sure to break branches on the way.

The sound, however faint, became louder as we walked. I pulled a final tree branch away to reveal a glistening stream. The water sparkled in the sunlight peeking through the treetops. Although it was no waterfall, I almost cried out in joy at the sight. We immediately dove our heads into the water, careful of how shallow it was, and drank until our bellies were full.

A few minutes later, we sat up and leaned against a nearby tree. "That was refreshing," I said, still able to taste the purity of the water as it trickled down my throat.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed with me. She closed her eyes and allowed her breathing to slow.

I shook my head quickly and stood up. "Hey, we can't fall asleep now." My words jolted her awake and I held out a hand to help her out. "We have to get some water back to the group."

She groaned at my request, but complied nonetheless. Taking out a used water bottle, an empty flask, and container of what used to be liquid soap, we began collecting the clear liquid to take back to the others. With one last gulp of water, I stood up and turned toward the direction we had come from. "Shall we?" I asked, waving my hand out in front of me. I was in a much better mood now that I had quenched my thirst, although my stomach still begged for some solid food.

Sarah nodded with a small giggle and led the way back to camp, following our trail of broken branches. However, I did not expect the sight before me when we cleared the forest and came upon the campsite once more.

A strangled cry rocketed through the sky, causing me to seek out the source. A young girl, who was one of the survivors apart from our group, had her hands over her mouth, staring at something on the beach. Everyone, excluding Miroku and Sesshomaru, ran to where she stood, each desiring to see what had caused her such fear.

"What's going on?" I heard Sarah mumble beside me.

I shook my head at her question and took a few steps in front of her. "Stay here," I commanded, waiting for an affirmative nod before striding along the beach. My thoughts raced as to what it could be, but with everyone huddled around so close, I couldn't catch a glimpse of what the object was.

"Oh my gosh," Sango whispered, turning her back to the scene.

I was immediately at her side, placing my hand on her shoulder. "What is it?" I asked, desperation in my voice. "What happened?"

She shook her head, unable to speak. I nudged her toward Miroku before pushing my way through the crowd. I shoved Inuyasha out of the way, who must have come back from hunting only minutes ago, for he still had a small animal in his hand.

The scene I came upon was not what I expected. Terror rose within me as well as an unexplainable feeling. I glimpsed my brother and his friends out of the corner of my eye. "Souta!" He whipped his head up at my voice, fear in his eyes. "Get Rin and the girl away from here."

He nodded and grasped the young girl by the wrist. I watched Kohaku and Shippo take Rin's hands, although she struggled somewhat. Thankfully his words of optimism caused her to follow without much of a hassle. I waited until the children (Rin is sort of like a child now) were away from the scene before taking a closer look.

A woman was laying in the sand, her dark hair and clothes matted and drenched with salt water. Her lifeless eyes gazed at us and her mouth was open in permanent fear. "What happened?" I asked in a hoarse whisper, trying to keep my mind focused.

"She washed up on shore," Kouga replied, his tone short and to the point. For once, there was no cockiness in his attitude.

"Keh," Inuyasha mumbled, slinging the unidentifiable animal over his shoulder and turning away. "There were at least a hundred people on that plane. The bodies had to go somewhere."

I felt anger bubble up inside of me, but Yuka beat me to the punch. "So what are you saying?" she screeched, taking a step forward. Ayumi refused to release her grip on her arm. "That they're going to continue washing up on the beach?"

He shrugged. "No way to tell." Without another word, he stalked of to where we made the campfire the night before. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering slightly against the breeze. I hadn't noticed it earlier, but the sky had changed to a warm sunset glow, warning us that night would fall soon.

"Head back," I mumbled to Ayumi, motioning for her to take Yuka along. They were pretty shaken up, considering the circumstances. "I'll take care of this." She gave me a sad smile before dragging our friend along, mumbling promises that she didn't know if she'd be able to keep.

A breath shuddered from my lips as I tried to calm my nerves. "Too bad," I heard Mr. Wantanabe grumble as he stuffed his hands into his pant pockets. "She was a damn good secretary."

My gaze swung to him, noting the slight pity in his eyes. "You knew her?" I asked quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah, she's worked for me for years. Guess I'll have to start interviewing other people when we get off this island."

For the second time in the past few minutes, I felt like tearing someones head off. "Why you -"

A hand rested gently on my shoulder, stopping me from getting myself into a needless fight. I turned my heated glare upon the person, only to see Kouga standing there. His fierce blue eyes were staring at Kentaro, flickering with the desire to kill. "You're disgusting," he stated, his voice low and dangerous.

Mr. Wantanabe blinked, a bit confused as to what my boyfriend meant. "What are you blabberin' about now?"

Kouga stepped in front of me, his fists clenched in rage. "A woman is dead and all you care about is who is going to fill her spot? How self-centered can you be?"

The business man seemed taken aback by the sudden accusatory outburst, thus rendering him speechless. After taking a few seconds to regain his composure, him merely grunted and spun around, stalking off to where he had slept the night before.

As he disappeared down the beach aways, I laid a gentle hand on Kouga's arm, hoping to calm his fury. His muscles immediately relaxed and he turned to me, anger no longer sparked in his eyes. "You okay, Kags?" he asked.

I inwardly cringed at the nickname he called me and fought down the desire to yell at him. Of course I'm not okay! We're stranded on an island with no positive hope of being rescued. "Yeah," I finally replied in a whisper. I glanced down at the body and took a deep breath, preparing myself to figure out what to do with it.

Suddenly, I felt hands around my arms and I looked up to see my boyfriend eyeing me with concern. "Why don't you head back? I'll take care of this."

I could only nod at his request and pulled free from his grasp. I began the treck back to the camp, trying to keep my mind off the image of the dead woman. Taking a look around, I pinpointed where everyone was, making sure they were all still present. Inuyasha was beginning to make the fire, laying the small animal we would eat next to him.

The rest of our classmates were centered around the small glow, cuddling together for comfort. Except for my brother and his friends. They were grouped together in a tight circle just on the outskirts of were we would sleep tonight. "Hey, Souta," I called quietly, catching his attention. He spoke a few words to Kohaku and Shippo, along with the girl, and made his way over to me.

"What is it, sis?" he asked, his concerned eyes glancing over my shivering form.

I shook my head, indicating that there was nothing physically wrong with me. "Who is that girl?" I nodded in her direction.

Souta looked over at her before turning back to me. "Her name is Hitomi. Apparently she lost both of her parents and her baby sister in the crash." His eyes held sympathy and pity, but I saw an underlying layer of protectiveness. He obviously felt for the girl and didn't want any more harm to come to her.

"I see," I mumbled, glancing over at her. The poor child had lost everyone she knew and was thrust in the middle of strangers. "Souta, I want you, Kohaku, and Shippo to watch over her. She needs a few friends right now."

He smiled sadly at me and gave an affirmative nod. "Sure thing, Kagome." He turned to run back to his friends, but I stopped him.

"One more thing," I added. Souta glanced over at me. "What happened with the shelter?"

He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Kouga told us to lay everything we could find over there." I looked behind him to see a few tree logs piled up.

I bit my lip in response. "Uh, Souta, that's not gonna be enough for all of us."

"I know," he said with a shrug. "But its all we could find before we heard Hitomi screaming."

"Right," I grumbled, suddenly deflated. "Never mind, then. Go on back to your friends." He paused and glanced at me before running over to the group once more.

Since we were unable to really do much about a shelter, I suppose we would have to figure it out tomorrow. The sun was already setting and it seemed as though everyone was too shaken up to do much else for the night. However, an idea struck me. "Ayumi, Yuka!" I called, striding to where they sat near the fire.

They looked up at me, startled at my sudden approach. "What is it, Kagome?" Ayumi asked.

"Where is all that stuff you collected earlier?" She pointed to a growing pile near the forest. "Thanks." Without so much as another word, I jogged over to where the material sat, eager to find something valuable among them. Unfortunately, there didn't appear to be anything we could use for a shelter. The waning light didn't help matters either.

With a sigh, I hung my head and wrapped my arms around my body once more. Finding shelter would have to wait until the morning. Now that the girl was taken care of and everyone else seemed generally okay, I moved to sit under a nearby tree. I was completely exhausted. All day Sarah and I had foraged for water, only to come back with enough for a few sips for each person. Not to mention the fright with the body and the little girl's predicament.

I closed my eyes against the setting sun and listened to the sounds around me. The fire crackled nearby and I heard Rin humming a song from where she sat next to Sesshomaru. A mumbled conversation reached my ears as Miroku told Inuyasha how to skin the small animal he found so we could eat within the hour. Besides the forest nightlife, everything else was pretty quiet.

I must have fallen asleep, for when I opened my eyes, stars shined overhead and half of my classmates were dozing. I yawned and rubbed my eyes. "Hey," someone spoke from beside me.

Startled, I glanced over to see Kouga looking at me, his bright blue eyes searching mine. "Hey," I replied quietly. "How long have I been out?"

"About an hour." We sat in silence for a few minutes. It appeared as though almost everyone had eaten. Only a few morsels were left over and my growling stomach demanded them. "Listen Kags," my boyfriend spoke, causing me to stiffen. "I wanted to apologize for earlier."

My gaze sought his quickly, a bit shocked to hear him apologize. "For what?" I asked.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "For the way I acted. I was out of line, especially when trying to pick stupid fights."

I was in awe. In all the years I've known him, I don't think I've ever heard Kouga take the blame. "It's alright," I replied with a small smile. "No big deal." He opened his mouth, as if he was going to argue with me, but thought better of it. Instead, he moved to put his arm around me. I allowed him to pull me in an embrace, but I made no motion that I desired the action. "What did you do with the body?" I asked in a whisper, not wanting to alert the others to our conversation.

"I hid her in the forest where the others can't see."

I nodded against his chest. "That's good," I said with a yawn. At least the children wouldn't have to look at the face of a dead woman anymore. I felt him pull me closer. "I'm starving."

Before he had a chance to make a move, I slipped from his grasp and proceeded toward the small bundle of meat. I couldn't stand being with him longer than necessary. Already I was convinced I no longer held feelings for the guy, but I wanted to let him down gently. Perhaps he would get the hints. However, breaking up with my long-term boyfriend while we're stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

A sigh escaped my lips as I stole a glimpse of the food. It didn't look very appetizing, but as my stomach growled at me for the millionth time, I decided it was better than nothing. "Did everyone eat?" I whispered to Sango quietly, who had just left Miroku's side. It seemed as though he fell asleep moments ago.

"Yeah," she said, taking a seat next to the fire and gesturing for me to do the same. I grabbed some of the meat, trying to ignore the strange scent and began gnawing at the cooked animal. It wasn't the best I've tasted, but it would have to do. "Kagome?"

"Hm?" I mumbled while I was chewing.

Her auburn eyes never left the dancing flames. "What do you think happened to cause the plane to nosedive?" I stared at her, a little curious as to why she asked. She glanced at me. "I mean, why would the plane suddenly crash like that?"

I swallowed. "Sango, I don't think we'll ever know. I mean, it could have been any number of technical glitches concerning the plane itself."

"I suppose you're right," she replied with a sigh.

I placed a comforting hand on her knee and gave her a small smile. "We're going to make it out of this, Sango. Don't think about why things happen. They just do and you have to deal with them as they come. Instead of thinking about the past, I need you to help us figure things out in the present. Can you do that?"

Her eyes, swimming with unshed tears, looked up at me. "Thank you, Kagome. It seems as though you're the only one with the level head around here."

I shrugged. "Its not a big deal. We just have to keep working together and everything will be fine, alright?"

She nodded and leaned against my shoulder. I continued eating, but set my sights on the tree I had been sitting under moments ago. Kouga's blue eyes looked back at me, hurt evident in his gaze.

We may come out of this alright, but I knew that nothing would ever be the same.

A/N: First off, I'd like to apologize for the very long delay in updates. I had no intention of not updating for over a month. Believe me, I would have uploaded this chapter much sooner if time permitted. Not to mention I had a bit of writers' block that I pushed through last night. Some good news is that I finished up ACOH, giving me more time to work on this story. And it seems as though I have quite a few days to write that won't be taken over by vacations or friends. At least, not until August. Again, sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoyed.

About this chapter, it was a bit hard to write, so I'm sorry if its more of a filler. I promise things will really speed up next chapter, which I'm going to start working on soon, so hang in there. The ride has only just begun.