To those I couldn't respond to:

Casiosiris294: Okay, phew! You had me worried there. I'm sorry I had to kill such a lovable character. But I'll try to make it up to him. I have at least two stories I want to upload that has one chapter dedicated to him, so you'll probably enjoy those better. Although, I have no idea when I'll get around to them, so don't hold your breath. And quite a few people seem to despise Kohaku, although I have no idea why. Oh well, he's an okay character for me. Sorry I couldn't make you happy this with one. Lol

Stardust: Thanks so much for taking the time to review. Glad you thought it was interesting. Sorry this update was kind of on the late side. My muse was not cooperating. Hopefully you enjoy it all the same.

erica: 'eh. I don't know' is all you have to say? Usually you're the one telling me the good parts and bad parts of each chapter. Kind of disappointing to simply get an 'I don't know.' Oh well, I'm hoping you at least liked some parts of it. If not, hope this chapter makes up for it.

MsikGirl: For some reason, I wasn't able to message you, but I just wanted to thank you for adding this story to your favorite's list. Glad you're enjoying it so far.

Somewhere Beyond This

Chapter 18: Standstill

A cool wind swept over the island as gray clouds obscured the sunlight. It was going to be another dreary day. The cold weather had persisted since the rainfall, leaving little hope left in us. The hours seemed to bleed together, and without the sun or the sky giving guidance for the time, we were left in a stand still.

I curled my knees tighter to my chest and wrapped my arms around them more firmly. I allowed my gaze to travel over those who were left. There were no more cheerful smiles or words of comfort. No one even bothered to hide their distress anymore. It seemed tears were shed every night and anguished wails filled the air. It made my heart ache.

I sighed and rested my chin on my knees, letting my thoughts drift elsewhere. Rin and Sesshomaru had been gone for a long time. I couldn't even count the days or hours since they abandoned us in search of something better. A part of me wished we had gone with them. But with Miroku's leg, Rin's memory loss, and the turmoil of emotions from everyone else … It was just a disaster waiting to happen. At least when we're together in one secluded area, we had a better chance.

"Hey," someone called from beside me. I glanced up to see Inuyasha standing there, peering out at our dwindling numbers.

I gave him a sad smile. "Hey," I greeted in return, watching as he took a seat beside me. His hands were empty as he folded them and I raised a brow in question. "I thought you went to find food."

He shot me a sideways glance. "It's not good, Kagome," he stated solemnly. "I can't seem to find any animals. They know we're here."

"I was afraid of this." We both glanced over to see Miroku staring at us with a steady gaze. "Our food supply will eventually run out if we continue in this manner. Seems as though we're at the end."

"No food?" I repeated, making sure I understood what he was saying. "But there has to be something left."

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nothin'."

"We'll just have to expand our search," Sango piped up from her place beside Miroku. "There's bound to be something."

"Yes, but the farther we travel in search of it, the more time it will take to gather," Miroku reasoned grimly. "Already it takes a few hours."

"Then what do we do?" I asked, nibbling on my bottom lip. I couldn't fathom our deaths so soon. We had survived a plane crash and a panther. Would starvation be the slow and painful end?

"We'll start out now, then," Kouga said, walking up to us with an armful of filled water bottles. He dropped them carelessly on the sand and crossed his arms, his piercing blue gaze penetrating my heart. "Me and dog-breath'll go. Save us some time."

Miroku nodded. "I suppose that's all we can do for now."

I sighed and closed my eyes, resting my chin on my knees once more. It seemed that it was just one thing after another. I shivered involuntarily against the breeze that brushed against the beach, chilling me to the bone. I missed the warmth of the sun beating down upon my back. I missed the shade of the trees and laughter of my friends.

But mostly, I missed home.

Not the college dorms that I had taken up residence in. Instead, I deeply desired to return to my childhood home. The shrine I had grown up in always held a peaceful setting. It was on the outskirts of the city, warding off traffic noises and chattering city folk. A quiet breeze blew through the leaves of the Sacred Tree as my grandfather hummed a tune while doing chores.

Tears pricked the corner of my eyes and an overwhelming feeling of loneliness suddenly crept up on me, even as my fellow companions spoke softly about our current problem. I quickly shook my head, disbanding the dark train of thought I had taken. It would do us no good to wallow in misery, wishing for things that would never come true. Shippo's smiling face came to mind and I shuddered.

"Kagome," someone called, and I glanced up, half-expecting to see Sango looking at me with worry. I found her doing that quite often lately.

Instead, everyone had turned to find Yuka staring at me with wide, concern-filled eyes. I immediately stood up, dread pooling in my stomach. "What is it?" I asked, taking a few steps toward her.

"It's Ayumi," she whispered, her voice choked with tears.

I quickly dashed over to where she stood, glancing down at our friend. Ayumi was curled up in a fettle-like position, her skin a deathly pale. Her bangs clung to her forehead with sweat as her eyes clenched shut with either nausea or pain. I couldn't tell.

"What happened?" I asked, kneeling beside our sickly friend and placing my hand against her forehead, almost pulling away from the burn of her skin. "She's burning up!"

"I-I don't know," Yuka cried, her arms wrapped firmly around her torso to try and keep herself together. "We went to get firewood a while ago and she was fine then."

Miroku's lips set in a firm line as he motioned for Sango to help him hobble over to where we knelt. With trouble, and a few shuddered breaths, he managed to take a seat beside Ayumi, taking a closer inspection. His brows furrowed with concern. "Yuka, do you know if she is allergic to anything or on any special medication?"

The girl in question shook her head, her eyes wide with fright as a couple lazy tears rolled down her flushed cheeks. "She never mentioned anything to me."

I racked my brain for an answer, trying to recall long ago memories from high school days. Each summer, I was shipped off to camp, having to spend two months with Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi. During those times, we became rather close, although we never hung out regularly during the school year. There had to be something that would give light to Ayumi's strange condition.

Suddenly, I felt as if a light bulb went off. "Yuka," I asked quickly, turning my gaze toward her. "Remember summer camp after junior year?"

She nodded slowly, looking like a deer caught in headlights as she tried to comprehend what I was saying. "That was the year the food fight broke out in the cafeteria."

I hid a smile at the memory, instead shaking my head to concentrate on the dire situation at hand. "Yeah, but something else happened that year, too. Remember when we had our nature walk and Ayumi got stung by a bee?"

Yuka's eyes lit up, finally catching up with me. "She was puffy and swollen for a couple of days because she was allergic."

Realization dawned on the group as we all turned to the distraught girl. Miroku placed his hand to her forehead and eyed her body cautiously. "What's wrong with her, Miroku?" I finally asked in a whisper. "She's never been like this before."

His expression was grim. "Look closely. Watery eyes, wheezing, flushing … They're all signs of a major allergic reaction. Most likely anaphylaxis." He turned dark eyes to Yuka, who seemed to wither under his gaze. "Is there any chance that she may have been stung multiple times?"

She bit her lip as she pondered his words for a moment. "She was complaining about some pain earlier," she mumbled, recalling their trek back from gather firewood. "But I just waved it off, thinking it was joint pain or something."

"Idiot," I heard Kouga mumble behind me, although it was too low for Yuka to hear, thank goodness. I shot him a look that clearly said to shut it. He merely shrugged and for once, I was grateful for his attitude. Our relationship may never be the same again, but I was thankful that although Shippo's death affected him greatly, at least he was still the same old Kouga.

"What can we do?" Sango asked, drawing my attention back to Ayumi's crumpled form.

"There's not much we cando," Miroku replied with a sigh, shaking his head sternly. "Unless we can miraculously find medication to treat her symptoms, Ayumi is in need of a hospital."

Inuyasha growled. "Just fucking great. What else could go wrong?" With that, he shoved his hands into his pockets and stalked off toward the forest, obviously in need of a cool down.

I had to admit, things were not going well. After everything that happened in the short span of days we had been stranded, I was surprised to see that there were still some survivors. It seemed that everything that could possibly go wrong did, and most times there was nothing we could do about it. With no doctor and no medical supplies, I had a feeling things could get much worse than they already were. And that was saying something.

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

I was awoken by a soft nudge to my side and I cracked an eye open to see Sango standing over me with a soft smile. "Morning already?" I grumbled, feeling the crick in my neck as I sat up and rolled my shoulders to free the tension. I yawned and looked around, rubbing my eyes blearily, as I tried to focus on the small brewing campfire and the few people sitting around it. The purple hue in the sky meant the sun had just set, turning the air colder with it.

"No, Inuyasha and Kouga managed to find food before nightfall," she explained, holding out her hand for me to take.

I hesitated, peering over my shoulder at Ayumi, who had fallen into a restless sleep as her body desperately tried to fight off the toxins. Every hour she succumbed to her allergies, death became more likely. Miroku stated he would be surprised if she lasted until nightfall. So far, she had held out, but I wasn't sure how much fight she had left in her.

"She'll be fine," Sango mumbled, noticing what I was hesitating about. "Yuka is with her."

I nodded slightly and took her hand, allowing her to help me stand. Stealing a glance at Yuka, who was slumped against a nearby tree, I knew she was keeping vigil over her friend. Losing Eri was hard enough; I wasn't sure what would become of her if she lost Ayumi, too. The three of them had always been a close-knit group. You wouldn't find one without the other two.

With a sigh, I followed Sango to the campfire and smiled at the various faces that accompanied it. I hadn't noticed it before, but everyone seemed much skinner than they had at the airport. Or perhaps it was just my imagination. Being around them constantly these past few days, I wouldn't be able to tell.

"Thanks," I mumbled as Kouga handed me what looked like a small cooked animal. I tried not to grimace, even though I was fairly sure the smell alone would make me lose my appetite. I glanced up at the other survivors, gazing at their distraught expressions.

Sitting next to me, Souta appeared to have handed his food to Hitomi, who at first refused his offer, but after his persistence, she took it with a grateful smile. I felt a warmth bubble in my chest after seeing my brother so caring of others. I wondered where he got such quality from, as he never showed this side of himself at home.

"Here you go," I whispered, handing my food to him.

He looked up at me with a quizzical expression. "But Kags, what are you going to eat?"

I waved his comment aside. "Don't worry about it. I'm not that hungry. Besides-" I nudged him with my shoulder "-What are you going to eat?"

He blushed at my comment before flashing me a knowing smile, digging into his food to take the edge off his hunger.

As everyone had their full and began to bed down for the night, I decided to walk along the edge of the beach. I wrapped my arms around me to hold in warmth, allowing the cool night breeze to brush through my hair. I felt my shoes sink into the sand as the water lapped just out of reach, the ocean waves calming my dark thoughts.

I smiled slightly in spite of everything, just letting my mind go blank as I listened to the sounds around me and smelled the balmy scent in the wind. It smelled like spring after a rainfall. Back home in Japan, we didn't have beaches like this or quiet moments without the bustle of city traffic. Even if I was stranded on an island for who knows how long, at least I could enjoy the peaceful nights. Think positive, right?

I closed my eyes, entranced with the serenity, and I almost missed the soft pad of footsteps that had followed me. I felt a presence beside me, but didn't need to open my eyes to know who it was.

"It's quiet," I mumbled, slowly peering out into the endless dark ocean.

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed beside me.

I looked over at him with a smile. "You alright?"

His amber eyes sent me a wayward glance. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

I quirked my head. "Why wouldn't I be?" I asked, a bit confused why he was approaching me now. Every time I tried to talk to him, he shut the conversation down or retaliated with harsh words. If it didn't concern our survival, he didn't have anything to say to me.

He shrugged. "You didn't eat," he replied. I wasn't sure if he was blushing or not. It was too dark to tell.

"I wasn't hungry," I answered simply, following his gaze out toward the ocean once more. "Besides, Souta needs it more than I do."

I practically felt him roll his eyes beside me. "Don't be stupid," he growled. "You're human too, you know."

I frowned. "What are you getting at, Inuyasha?"

"Don't be a saint and forget about your own health, idiot," he said harshly, turning to face me. "You need to keep up your strength."

"I'm fine," I bit out, a little confused by his concern. Last time he had acted like this was when he pulled me out of the ocean, and even now I'm not sure if what I saw in his expression was concern.

He narrowed his eyes. "You were always a horrible liar, Kagome," he stated, leaving no room for argument.

I turned a heated glare upon him, irritated by his concern and angry with his choice of words. "Need I remind you what caused our relationship to fall apart?"

Inuyasha scoffed and crossed his arms. "Not that shit again. I thought we were over that."

Easier said than done, I wanted to tell him. After the night in the cave, of course I appeared okay with the way things had turned out between us. To him, I was completely over my broken heart and countless tears. They were a figment of the past and didn't matter in the present.

Oh, how wrong he was.

But I wasn't about to point that out. With everyone else looking to me for some sort of guidance, I had to play the strong one. Really, all I wanted to do was curl up into a little ball, shut out the world, and cry. However, there wasn't really much of an option for me. Not now, anyways.

"Whatever," I finally mumbled after a moment of silence. His eyes flashed with unreadable emotion before returning to their usual indifference. "Besides, why do you care?"

He didn't answer for a long time. I almost thought he was going to walk away without a word. Instead, what he spoke of next surprised me. "I never stopped caring, you know." His words were soft whispers in the wind that I had to strain to hear him.

My eyes widened at his declaration and I turned to face him. He kept his eyes on the slow and steady tide of the ocean, refusing to look at me. My heart began pounding furiously in my chest as I replayed every encounter we had since the break-up. His constant harsh words and aggravated expressions were the first thing that came to mind.

However, if I dug deeper, I could recall a few sparse moment in which he surprised me – a smile here, a soft touch there. He helped me without question at Yura's party, he saved my life from the burning plane, and managed to get us both safely out of the panther's claws. Thinking back on it now, I could see the slight differences in his actions around me. Was his attitude just a front, to hide his real feelings for me?

"Inuyasha …" I mumbled, tentively reaching out a hand toward him. I wasn't sure what I was going to say or do, but I suddenly felt the urge to be in his arms, to feel his heart beating in tune with my own.

He smirked at me, but I didn't miss the faint blush on his cheeks. "Even though you're a scrawny pipsqueak."

And just like that, the tender moment was broken by his sarcastic comment. I watched as he shoved his hands into his pockets, glanced at me one more time, and walked back to the campfire, leaving me alone on the edge of the beach.

I retracted my hand and curled it to my chest, having half the mind to stomp over to him and yell at him for calling me such names. But I just didn't have the heart to. Somehow, I knew he didn't mean it, that it was just his way of saying how much he cared. Maybe I had been reading him wrong all these years. Perhaps he had tried to make amends, but I just never gave him the time of day.

I smiled tenderly, watching as he sat down beside Miroku. An argument started up once Sango stood with a fury in her eyes, her hands clenched into fists at her side. By the way Inuyasha was yelling and Miroku was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, I could only guess that he was up to his old lecherous tricks again. I was a bit surprised, actually, that he had been able to go so long without a perverted comment or gesture.

I wrapped my arms around myself and turned toward the ocean once more. I wasn't sure what was to become of us, or how many days we would have to survive on the island until rescue arrived. When it came down to it, I wasn't sure of anything anymore. But I knew one thing.

No matter what happened or where we ended up, my friends would always be by my side.

A/N: Ouch, long update, right? Yeah, my muse wasn't cooperating. On a good note, the rest of the chapters should come out rather quickly depending on my time frame. I have the rest of the story mapped out. It looks like its going to be about 23 or 24 chapters long. So we're winding down to the end here. Let me know what you think of this chapter and I'll try to update again soon.