To those I couldn't respond to:

KagomeInuyasha: I'm so glad you liked the InuKag moments. I hoped it would go over well. As for Kouga's reaction, I guess we'll just have to see. Who said InuKag were going to end up together?

erica: Yay! You're back again for more! That makes me so happy, I think you just made my day! Anyways ... coughcough ... I'm sorry I didn't update sooner for you, but here is the latest installment. Just don't hate me! I'm really glad that you're enjoying it so far and I hope you stick through it until the end. I'll be uploading a new story by the end of the month (hopefully!) so keep your eyes open. Thanks for reviewing (as always).

Somewhere Beyond This

Chapter 16: Crimson Sand

The storm had lessened to a light drizzle when Inuyasha and I headed back to camp. We walked in a comfortable silence, one we had been without for many years. It felt so strange, being with my ex-boyfriend. After all the time spent arguing and fighting, to finally be able to be at peace with each other ... It was going to take some getting used to.

I'm not sure how long we walked around aimlessley, for the forest looked the same in all directions, but considering we were on an island, finding the ocean was inevitable. It felt like an hour before the trees began to break apart, revealing the white sand and blue waters. "We made it," I announced with a smile, letting go of his hand and rushing toward the clearing.

"Kagome," I heard him call from behind me. "Wait up."

I paid him no mind and continued running, jumping over tree logs and swatting away low-hung branches. The sun was shining and I squinted my eyes against the bright reflection off the sand. I was only away from the other survivors for one night, but I was glad to see them again. Not only were we all in this predicament together, but I wanted to make sure everyone was alright.

With one final burst of energy, I flew through the remaining brush and ended up at the edge of the ocean. Waves crashed onto the shore and the smell of seawater seemed to engulf me as I breathed deeply, relishing every moment of it. I looked around, searching for my friends.

I wasn't sure which side of the beach we ended up on, but I was almost positive we were headed in the right direction. "There's the campsite," I shouted happily, glancing over the remains of our fire and debris we had recovered from the crash. "Good job, Inuyasha."

He merely shrugged and walked behind me. "Keh, it wasn't a big deal." I could hear the pride in his voice though. Somehow, he had managed to lead us right back to where we started. Who knew he was so in tune with his survival skills?

Pushing those thoughts aside, I concentrated on finding the other survivors. It seemed as though no one was here yet, for there wasn't a soul in sight. I tried to recall the directions everyone had taken off in. The closest ones I could remember would be Sarah and Mr. Wantanabe. They had taken refuge behind a large rock, unable to go much further with Kentaro's injuries.

I started off in their general direction. But what I saw had my stomach clenching in knots and I felt bile rise in my throat. A deep red color stained the small particles of sand surrounding their hiding place. My thoughts immediately went to the worst case scenario. "Inuyasha," I called in a hoarse whisper, my breaths coming in quick, shallow gasps. "Inuyasha."

"What is it?" he asked, coming to stand beside me. I felt him stiffen when his eyes landed on the crimson substance. He took a step in front of me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Stay here." I didn't need to be told twice.

Dread continued to build within me as I watched Inuyasha slowly circle the forming puddle and ease his way around. His amber eyes glazed over with mourning as he set his gaze on where Sarah and Kentaro had been last night. "Inuyasha?" I mumbled hesitantly, needing him to tell me that the two had made it away safely.

He shook his head and clenched his hands into fists. "I guess that cat gave up on chasing us and came back to finish the job."

A strangled cry tore itself from my lips as I placed a hand over my mouth. The sting of tears formed in my eyes and I shook my head in disbelief. I wanted to look, to make sure for myself, but I couldn't bring myself to take a step closer. The red liquid, the blood, stained the sand as it slowly crept to where I stood. "No," I mumbled. They had been innocent people. Sarah's smiling face came to mind and I found myself on my hands and knees, puking up anything that had remained in my stomach.

Inuyasha's arms were immediately around me, holding my hair away from my face as the bile splattered across the ground. My stomach lurched, spouting clear water as I had no more to give. When I was finished, he wrapped me in his arms and held me to his chest. It took me a minute to realize that tears we're running down my face. I didn't want to believe that two more lives had been taken. It just couldn't be real.

"We have to make sure they're okay," I whispered into his shirt, denying the truth I already knew. "We need to find Miroku. He can save them."

He only held me tighter. "They're gone, Kagome." His words were tender and soft.

I shook my head and pulled away from him. "No, they're okay. They have to be okay." I glanced over at the rock, barely catching a glimpse of a human hand.

Inuyasha's fingers dug into my shoulder as his other hand grasped my wrist, forcing me to look at him. "They're dead. We can't do anything to help them." I didn't want to believe it was true, but I had always been able to trust those amber eyes. Well, except for when he cheated on me. But this matter was so much bigger than our petty arguments. People had just lost their lives. He wouldn't lie to me about that. "We need to find the others." I could only manage to nod my head as we stood, prepared to begin our search.

He pulled me to my feet and we began walking toward the forest. Inuyasha never released my hand, and I was glad. I was sure to fall apart the moment I lost contact with him. We struggled along the beach and he made sure I was never in view of the gory scene. I tried not to think about anything. If I did, my thoughts would begin to wander to my other friends and fear would set in. Were they alive? Were they hurt? Were they bleeding out all alone in the middle of the jungle?

A rustling of trees brought me out of my thoughts and Inuyasha immediately took a protective stance in front of me, as if he was sure the cat would return any moment. But what emerged was not a predator of any kind. Sango appeared with Miroku's arm slung over her shoulder for support. "Sango!" I called the moment I saw my friend. I ran over to her, joyful tears streaming down my face. "You're alright!" Mr. Wantanbe had been so vulnerable with the poison in his veins that I was sure the same fate had befallen Miroku, and in turn Sango.

"Yeah, we're fine," she assured through tired eyes. Inuyasha came up and took Miroku off her hands, slowly leading him toward a cluster of trees so he could rest his wounded leg. "We managed to make it pretty deep into the forest. Didn't see anyone else all night."

"Us either," I whispered half-heartily, only now realizing the mistake I made the night before.

She seemed to sense my grief. "Kagome, what's wrong?"

I bit my lip, hoping to hold back another wave of tears. "Sarah and Kentaro," I began, averting my eyes. "They didn't make it."

Her gaze swung to the rock they had been hiding behind the night before and her face visibly paled. "Are you sure?" Her voice came out in a small whisper.

Inuyasha grimly nodded his head. "Positive."

We all stood in silence for a few moments, respectfully praying for the loss. With a sigh, I took a few paces toward the forest. "Okay," I said with determination. "Let's go find the others."

Miroku shifted from his spot in the sand. "Sango and I will stay here in case anyone else shows up."

"Be careful," I warned. Although the four of us had made it out of last night's escapade unharmed, we had yet to find the panther's corpse, meaning the beast was still at large.

Glancing over the ground for any sign of a struggle, Inuyasha and I hesitantly walked into the cool coverage of the trees, following the direction our friends had emerged from moments earlier. I tried not to think about the fate of Sarah and Kentaro, or what deadly injuries could have been inflicted on the rest of the survivors. They were alive and well, I just knew it. I refused to accept any other truth.

The sounds of chirping birds and small forest animals caused the scenery to come to life, the trees swaying in the humid breeze as we continued into the foliage. Leaves and branches had been trampled under our feet, making a clear path where the panther had taken route after having a small meal. I shuddered at the thought and forced my mind to concentrate on finding my brother safe and sound, along with everyone else. "Kagome," Inuyasha mumbled behind me, and I paused to glance back.

"What is it?" I asked, my brow furrowing in confusion. His eyes were locked on one of the trees just to our left, and I followed his gaze. A small red spec could barely be seen amongst the leaves and my stomach dropped. "Is that ... ?"

He didn't have to say anything, as I already knew the answer to my question. We peered around the area, looking for some sort of blood trail to lead us in the right direction. I knew that what we would find at the end of the path would most likely be gruesome or horrifying, perhaps even bring me to my knees with grief, but I had to know who was injured. Inuyasha pulled a branch aside to let me pass as we carefully walked over the ruffled foliage. I tried to ignore the fast pace beating of my heart, trying to focus on the positives. After all, it could merely be a scratch from swiping at a branch, right?

Before long, we came upon a clearing. Red liquid dampened the forest floor and I froze in place. Four people knelt in a huddle and I found I couldn't speak. "Kouga." I glanced behind me to see it was Inuyasha who had spoken. His voice was grave with concern and his eyes flashed with caution.

The man in the middle of the huddle looked back, his bright blue eyes had dulled to nearly grey. He was unable to meet our gazes, instead bowing his head and clenching his fists in anger. Blood covered his hands and stained his clothing and I prayed against all odds that he wasn't injured. "Its all my fault," he said in a soft whisper to the point where I had to strain to hear him. "Damn it all!" He slammed his fist against the ground continuously, letting grunts emit from his throat for each time he made contact.

I swallowed and finally willed my legs to move forward. "Kouga," I said softly, eyeing the other people. Souta was clutching Hitomi in an embrace, tears spilling out of their eyes. Kohaku merely stood still, looking into the cluster of trees, away from everyone. For the second time that day I felt nauseous and weak in the knees. "What happened?"

He shook his head angrily and refused to stand, instead clutching dirt into his palms. "We weren't fast enough," he said harshly. "I couldn't get him away in time."

"Who couldn't you get away in time?" I asked, feeling the threat of tears at the back of my eyes. I didn't want to ask such questions, as my mind already knew what he was going to say, but it didn't seem real. I needed his word.

A single tear ran down his cheek as he closed his eyes and looked away. "Shippo," was his whispered response.

I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think, and I couldn't speak. I only stared at him for a full minute before letting my gaze travel to the pool of blood in the middle of them. I felt Inuyasha's hand on my shoulder, wordlessly telling me to stay back, but this time, I couldn't comply. Slowly, I took a few steps forward as Souta and Kohaku inched away, leaving the gruesome scene in plain sight.

There, curled up on the dirt covered floor, Shippo lay. He peered up at me weakly with green eyes, although they were no longer sparked with his prankster personality. His hands were clutched around his stomach and his red hair was matted and dirtied with blood and grime. He smiled slightly, trying to make it seem better than it really was, and his breaths came in short, shallow gasps. "Hey, K'gome," he wheezed, trying to turn his head so he could be situated more comfortably.

"Hey, kiddo," I managed to say, kneeling beside him and smiling. "How you doin'?" I held off the foreboding tears, not wanting to frighten him. There was so much blood ...

He coughed and spit up liquid, managing to turn his head to the side so he didn't choke on anything. "It hurts," he whispered, his eyes shining with tears. "I want it to stop."

"Shh," I cooed, running my hand through his hair in an attempt to calm his fears. "Everythings going to be alright. I'm going to make everything better." Even as the words left my mouth, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to keep that promise.

Inuyasha knelt beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder, giving it a slight pull. "We need to get him back to camp," he said quietly.

I could only nod and stood up, watching as my ex took off his shirt and wrapped it around the small boy, keeping him warm and close to his chest. I swiped my hand over my eyes as I turned around, pulling aside a branch so he could begin the trek back. I allowed Souta, Hitomi, and Kohaku to follow him before turning my attention to Kouga. He still stood in the middle of the clearing, staring at the blood stain with hatred.

"Kouga," I mumbled softly, coming to stand beside him. "Its not your fault."

He turned away. "I was supposed to protect them, Kagome," he growled. "I failed everyone. I failed Shippo. I even failed you."

I furrowed my brows with concern. "What's that supposed to mean?"

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and shook his head. "Never mind. Just forget it."

"Kouga," I began again, watching as he walked passed me. I turned around and followed, taking my place beside him. "You can't blame yourself. These things just happen." My heart clenched at the thought of poor, little Shippo, but I had to console my boyfriend. I could never let a person feel guilty about something that wasn't in their control.

He scoffed. "Right. Things just happen and there's nothing you can fucking do to stop it." His voice was low and he kept his gaze forward, refusing to look at me. I had a feeling his anger was from more than just Shippo's injuries. There was something bothering him.

"If you need to talk, you know I'm here for you, right?"

A grimace formed on his lips, almost in a smile. "Yeah, sure," was his reply.

The remainder of our walk was in silence and before long, we emerged from the forest and the campsite came into view once more. Everyone appeared to be freaking out about Shippo. Miroku was looking him over as Inuyasha and Sango stood close by. I noticed that Yuka and Ayumi had found their way back and were huddled off to the side, undoubtedly weeping about the losses. Sesshomaru stood against a tree, watching the scene closely, as Rin hugged herself to his side. I would never understand why she immediately found a liking to him with her memory loss. Shouldn't she find comfort in friends instead of an arrogant stranger?

Solemnly, I shuffled over to where Shippo lay, listening to the hushed whispers my friends exchanged. "Its pretty deep," Miroku said, his voice grave. "He's already lost so much blood."

"What do we have to do?" Inuyasha had spoken up, his amber eyes flitting between his best friend and the injured boy.

A sigh escaped his lips. "I don't know, Yash. The bleeding has relatively slowed, which is a good sign, but without proper medical care ... "

They were silent for a moment. "Is he going to make it?" Sango asked in a whispered tone. It was the question everyone was wondering. I held my breath, praying for a good response.

Miroku wore a grim smile. "He'll be lucky to make it through the night. If he does, there's a good chance he'll live."

"Damn it," Inuyasha mumbled, standing up and distancing himself from us. But I paid him no heed. My eyes stung with tears and I slowly sank to my knees. I pressed my hands into the sand and looked at the ground, watching it blur as I silently cried. Why was I able to cry out my heartache so freely, so much, within the past few days than I have ever been able to in my life? I didn't know, nor understood. Probably stress: over Inuyasha and Kouga, fighting for survival, worrying about everyone else, Kentaro, and now Shippo. It had all come so fast, I felt as if I was getting whiplash.

Sango and Miroku sat quietly and I noticed their eyes were glazed over as well. I glanced over to where Shippo lay, still curled up in Inuyasha's shirt. His eyes were pinched shut, his skin was pale, sweat glistened under the afternoon sun, and his breaths came in shuddered gasps. I knew he was a fighter. He had managed to deal with his father's death only a few months prior, bullying was no longer a problem, and he always put the other kids in their places. So why was I so scared?

Because no matter how much I denied the truth, he wasn't going to make it.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The fire burned softly in the night as everyone began to bed down. Warmth protruded to those around it. The air had gotten much colder when the sun wasn't out, most likely because of the previous rainfall. I wrapped my arms around myself, keeping tired eyes on my companions. Although the events of the day had affected everyone, I knew we were all dealing with it in different ways.

Kouga was sitting on the edge of the beach, letting the waves touch his feet before they rolled back into the ocean. I wanted to console him, give him some sort of comfort, but I couldn't. How do you tell a man it wasn't his fault that the child in his care had been brutally slaughtered? I sighed and turned my eyes away from his lone figure. I was just so tired of giving out condolences and trying to figure out what everyone needed. I wanted to take a break, at least for tonight.

"Hey," Inuyasha greeted quietly as he sat down beside me.

I glanced over in greeting before turning my eyes to where Miroku, Sango, and Shippo sat. "How is he?"

He laid his forearms on his bended knees. "Not good," he replied honestly. That's the thing I love about him, he didn't lie. Well, at least when it didn't concern him.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a minute, letting our minds wander. I stole a glance at his bare skin. Lifting my hand, I pressed my fingers gently against the injuries he had received from the panther the day before. He flinched at my touch, but otherwise did not object. The jagged edges of the scratch marks made it appear worse and although he had bled, I realized the wounds weren't as deep as I first thought. "With everything going on, I forgot to ask how you were feeling," I said quietly.

"Keh," was his response. "Its just a scratch, no big deal."

I sighed and leaned my head against his shoulder. "You were bleeding, Inuyasha. Of course its a big deal. I was worried."

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine." His tone said otherwise and I knew that he was hurting from something else than his physical wounds. He was thinking about Kikyo.

Not wanting to press the matter or intrude on his thoughts, I stood up and brushed the sand from my shorts. He glanced up at me with confusion. "I'm going to check on Shippo," I stated simply. I didn't snap or yell. I was already tired of battling with him over his girlfriend. Him and I ... we had a relationship a long time ago. It wasn't right of me to get jealous. Even if I did love him, there was no way I could force feelings on him. It wouldn't be right.

With a small, reassuring smile, I turned around and began my way to where Shippo lay. I felt Miroku's eyes on me, as Sango had already fallen asleep, but I was a bit surprised when he spoke. "You know," he began in a whisper, so no one could overhear. "He still loves you."

I glanced at him with a weary gaze. "Who are you talking about?" I asked, although I already knew the answer.

"Inuyasha. He may seem happy with Kikyo, but I've managed to get him to talk a few times." His gaze was steady on mine and I had to look away. I knelt down next to Shippo's body, making sure he was warm.

"Yeah, sure," I mumbled. I sent him a hardened glare. "Don't lie to me, Miroku. Now is not the time or the place to try to make me feel better with false words and stories from fairy-tales."

I laid down next to the boy, noting the way his symptoms hadn't changed besides his breathing. "I only speak the truth, Kags," was his mournful reply. "It is up to you to believe it."

Snuggling into my arm and I pressed my body close to Shippo's in an attempt to keep him warm, I ignored Miroku's words and allowed my mind to concentrate on the boy's status. His face was so ghostly pale and his eyes were pinched shut in unending pain. His body trembled with each intake of oxygen. A cold sweat covered every part of his body, causing his hair to stick to his forehead and the nape of his neck. He was shivering under the shirt Inuyasha laid upon him and I shifted closer, trying not to harm him while giving him my body heat for warmth.

I never slept that night. I didn't notice when the warmth of the fire died and was replaced by a bitter chill. My mind could only focus on the rhythms of Shippo's breaths. One, two, three ... breathe in ... One, two, three ... breathe out. I counted the seconds in my head between each breath, watching as his chest rose and fell. I could recall how he had always been apart of my life, ever since him and Souta befriended one another over a bully incident. Being on the short side, he was always under foot, but his childish laughter constantly filled the air. He'd act innocent when he played a prank, and smirk triumphantly when it was pulled off with success.

One, two ... breathe in. One, two ... breathe out.

His brows furrowed more as he fought through sleep. I almost woke him, wanting to rid him of this nightmare. Nuzzling farther into my arm, I felt exhaustion begin to creep up on me. But I stayed awake, keeping an eye on the little boy who had played such an important role in my brother's life. He shifted under the shirt. I watched as he opened his eyes, glancing around him in confusion. "Shippo?" I called quietly, concerned for the boy.

A smile touched his lips. It wasn't fake or filled with pain. It seemed peaceful, almost grateful. He closed his eyes and slept peacefully once more. I returned to counting in my head, but soon I could no longer keep up with the rythmatic pacing in fear I would fall asleep. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the sky begin to lighten as the sun rose, signaling the start to a new day.

My eyes found his chest once more, lazily watching as it rose and fell with each shuddered breath. When it lowered once more, I waited for it to rise again. But it never did.

A scream of anguish tore through the day.

He was gone.

A/N: Alrighty, how was that one? Long enough for you? Hope everyone has had a great start to the new year. I'll be uploading a new story within the month (hopefully!), so look forward to that. Till next time.