To those I couldn't respond to:

erica: Hm … I don't quite understand what you mean, but at the same time I do. It was fluid within the scenes, but when the scenes are linked together, it gets a bit choppy. I'm glad you brought that up, and I'm also glad to know that you're still reading and not dropping this story. You had me a bit freaked out there. But seeing you go crazy over the IKK love triangle has me giddy again. I know what's going to happen between them, although I'm not sure if everyone will like it. We'll see, huh? Anyways, hope this chapter is a bit better, as I'm hoping it'll satisfy the crave you're searching for.

PrincessDay12: Thanks for your kind words. And I know, killing off Shippo was a hard decision for me as well. It was either him or Souta, so it was a battle I had to face. Besides, keeping all the Inuyasha characters alive and well isn't exactly realistic. Hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think.

Somewhere Beyond This

Chapter 19: Intensities of the Heart

I wasn't exactly sure how it happened. One minute I was talking with Yuka and Sango, and the next I was trudging through dense foliage, trying to keep my sights on the silver-haired boy in front of me. I mean, how did I end up going with Inuyasha to get food and water? I don't even like eating the damn rodents, let alone killing them.

But somehow I managed to get dragged into it all and began to severely regret my too-nice attitude as I swatted another tree branch out of my way. Seriously, I was not the nature kind of girl. I would endure it if I absolutely had to, but this was so not funny.

"Inuyasha," I groaned for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Can you slow down?"

"Keh," was his response over his shoulder and I scrambled to keep him in my sights. "Not my fault you're slow, wench."

I frowned and narrowed my eyes, having half the mind to smack him upside the head. Like, what the hell? Where did his nice attitude from last night go? It's not my fault I'm so tired. I don't understand how his stamina seemed so much greater compared to mine. Ever since Ayame and I took a run around the campus, I had gotten into the routine of doing it at least four times a week. And where did that get me?

Lagging behind to the point where I was sure Inuyasha was just going to leave me.

I was about to collapse right then and there, but I suddenly heard the stream from up ahead and with sheer will I managed to make it to the clearing. I immediately found my place in the mud along the bank, not caring about my dirty knees. I greedily drank in the pure water, as if I was going through dehydration.

When my thirst was quenched, I wiped the back of my hand over my mouth and looked up, only to see Inuyasha staring at me with crossed arms and a raised brow.

"What?" I asked defensively. "I was thirsty."

"Whatever," he replied as he dug out the water bottles we had carried in an over-sized dirty tee-shirt. He dumped them down beside me and, when he only stood there, I assumed that since I was already covered in dirt, it was my job to fill them.

Begrudgingly, I did what needed to be done.

It was silent for a few minutes, minus the sounds of nature around us. Sunlight filtered through the treetops and birds chirped as they flew by overhead. Without much to distract me, my mind began to wander.

"Inuyasha, do you think we'll ever get off this island?" I asked quietly. It was the same question we were all asking ourselves, but never spoke aloud.

"'Course we will," was his response as he leaned up against a tree behind me. I could feel his eyes on me.

I watched as the water flowed into one of the bottles before closing the lid and proceeding onto the next one. "But what if we don't?" I mumbled, furrowing my brows. "It's been days since the crash and there hasn't been any sign of help."

"Would you stop babbling?" he snapped, pushing off of the tree and coming to stand beside me. "We're getting out of here no matter what."

I sighed and stood up with a weary gaze. "How can you believe that?" I glanced up into his amber eyes. "How can you be so certain that rescue is coming for us? What if they think we're all dead?"

Suddenly, I felt his hands grip my shoulders tightly and pulled me forward, causing the water bottle to fall from my hand. I was thrown into his chest in an embrace as his arms circled around me. My breath caught in my throat.

"Don't you dare even think for one minute we're all going to die in this fucking place," he growled low in my ear, a wave of determination covering his tone. "I'm not letting anything happen to you. We'll find a way home, I promise."

"Inuyasha," I whispered, feeling tears in my eyes. I clutched the front of his shirt in my hands, listening to the steady beat of his heart and realized how good it felt to be in his arms.

I felt as if nothing could harm me, that even if the entire world would come to an end, I would be okay, as long as Inuyasha was with me. Funny, at one point, that was the same way I felt about Kouga.

But a startling thought pulled me away from my fantasy dreams. Inuyasha, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, was still pining after Kikyo. We had yet to figure out if she was dead or alive, and until we knew, I couldn't be with him.

Reluctantly, I pulled back from him and stepped out of his reach, ignoring the hurt expression that crossed his eyes.

"We need to, um, figure out what we're going to do," I said quickly in a professional tone. I swiped at a tear that rolled down my cheek and stooped down to continue filling the water bottles. "We should talk to the others. Maybe we can start building a signal fire or a raft."

I couldn't see Inuyasha from my view point, but I had a feeling he was a bit embarrassed by his show of affection. Even when we were dating all those years ago, he never was one to display his love for me openly. It was always in private quarters under strange circumstances. He was always hesitant and had to be coaxed into a simple cuddle.

Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm going to hunt for dinner. Wait here for a minute."

I nodded and listened as he slowly left through the trees, the crackling of leaves his only goodbye.

I couldn't deny that my heart ached, that the overwhelming stress of our situation was beginning to sap me of my strength. I didn't know how much longer any of us could last on the island. Ayumi was still in desperate need of medical attention, starvation was drawing near, and there was no sign of help. Not to mention Rin and Sesshomaru were still missing, and four of our friends were dead.

And then there was Inuyasha – ex-boyfriend and currently the man I was in love with. It was cruel enough for the fates to strand me on an island in the middle of nowhere, but they had to throw him into the mix as well? What was next – Kikyo suddenly popping up and making everything just a little less bearable?

I shook my head and pushed all thoughts of Inuyasha and me being in a relationship out of my head. I couldn't think such things at a time like this. There was no time for romance. We were barely surviving as it was, we didn't need more distractions.

Finishing my task, I went to stand up, but a sudden wave of dizziness encompassed me and I pressed my hand onto my forehead. A groan escaped my lips, and I felt as if the ground was rushing up to meet me. The treetops above me spun in circles as I fell to the dirt floor, and everything went black.

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

"What the hell, Kagome?" I heard Inuyasha's voice call through the darkness.

My head pounded with pain as I blearily opened my eyes and blinked against the sunlight, meeting the amber gaze of my ex. It took a moment to remember where I was and what had occurred. My mind was hazy and I felt terribly weak, as if I didn't even have the strength to stand.

"Inuyasha," I mumbled, trying to voice my concerns to him. My breaths came in shallow gasps and I could hear my heart beating irregularly fast.

"Kagome."

He spoke my name in such a tone that I forced myself to look at him. His hand cupped my cheek as my vision split so I was seeing double. The only thing I could tell was that his eyes held a look of concern and his brows furrowed with worry.

Inuyasha glanced over me, most likely checking for any sort of injury or bite mark that could cause such a dilemma. When he found none, he returned my gaze and shook my body gently to keep my attention.

"Kagome, look at me. You have to tell me what's wrong."

I didn't really hear what he asked me. I was so tired and the dark void that awaited me seemed too comforting and warm. Perhaps if I could sleep a little longer I'd feel better. And I may be able to dream of my life back home, where we weren't all stranded on an island.

Inuyasha didn't seem to accept my lack of an answer. I faintly heard him growl and mutter a few words as he set me onto his back.

"Damn woman," he grumbled as he picked up the make-shift bag of water bottles. "Always causin' trouble."

Knowing I was safe with him, I closed my eyes and listened to the steady thump of his weight as it crashed into the dirt floor beneath us and the noises of forest animals when they skittered out of our path. I had a feeling I must have fallen asleep during some portion of the trip back to camp, because it seemed like only seconds had passed before Inuyasha stopped walking.

"Kagome?" I heard someone call, followed by a flurry of footsteps against sand.

My eyes felt heavy as I tried to force them open using will alone. I briefly caught a glance of Sango and Kouga as they looked at me with alarm.

"She's okay," Inuyasha replied to their concerned expressions.

I slid off his back and grasped onto Kouga's arm for support. "I'm just a little dizzy is all," I said, hoping to keep away their worry.

"Keh," my savior grunted. "If you stayed out of the sun and ate somethin' you wouldn't be dizzy."

Sango looked at me with furrowed brows. "Kagome, you haven't eaten anything?"

I peered up at her with a smile. "Of course I did, Sango," I lied, ignoring the glare Inuyasha was shooting my way. "I just didn't sleep well and being out in the sun all the time can't be good."

"Oh, Kagome," Yuka groaned as she walked up to us, placing a hand against her cheek.

"What'd you do to her, mutt?" Kouga growled, setting his sights on Inuyasha. "She was fine when she left with you."

"Me? I didn't do nothin'!" Inuyasha shouted in return, clenching his hands into fists. "Why do you always blame me?"

"'Cause you're usually the one to blame!" Kouga retaliate.

"Stop it you two," I reprimanded, glaring at the both of them. "I'm fine." To prove my point, I let go of Kouga and stood on my own, ignoring the slight wave of nausea in my stomach.

They seemed skeptical to accept it. "If you say so," Sango finally relented with a sigh. "Just take better care of yourself. We don't need you getting seriously sick."

I rolled my eyes and began walking back to where Miroku and the children were sitting around the campfire. I was greeted with small smiles as I took a spot next to Souta.

"Here's dinner," Inuyasha said, dropping his catch of rodents next to Miroku. He deposited our water onto the beach as well. "Me and the flea-bag are going to get some firewood and be back before night fall."

"Why am I gettin' pulled into this again?" Kouga demanded from where he sat across from me.

"'Cause, you mangy wolf," Inuyasha replied. "It's not like anyone else can do it. Stop complainin' and help out."

I only heard a growl from Kouga before he reluctantly stood.

"Hold up," Sango called. "We still have plenty of firewood from yesterday. Why do we need more?"

Miroku furrowed his brows. "I have to agree with Sango on this one. Why bother if we're not in need of it?"

"Well," I started, drawing everyone's attention. "I was thinking that since rescue doesn't seem to be coming for us, we could either make a signal fire or a raft of some sort."

"Do you think that would work?" Yuka asked. "We would need a lot of wood."

"Hm ... We have enough wood to sustain us for another night," Miroku said, cupping his chin in his hand. "However, if we were to try either of those, we would need an exceeding amount. The chance of finding enough before nightfall is slim."

"It wouldn't hurt, though," Sango reasoned. "Even if we can't find enough for tonight, we can always go back out early tomorrow morning."

"Keh," Inuyasha grunted, folding his arms. "You don't give us enough credit. We'll have a signal fire raging by tonight."

Yuka bit her lip. "What if it doesn't work though?" The question rang through our small group as we each thought it over. The possibilities of the outcome could go either way. If it didn't work, our options would slim dramatically.

"If it doesn't work, then we'll just make a raft." Kouga shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"Yes, of course," Miroku reasoned. "But the procedure to create a workable raft, and a large enough one at that, is much more difficult than it seems. It could take days, perhaps weeks, to gather all the material. Not to mention the outlines we would need to draw and the tests we would need to perform. We can't simply create an unstable raft and send ourselves out into the ocean with no chance of survival."

Inuyasha sighed. "Fine, we'll get the wood for the signal fire tonight. Then we'll go looking for some more all day tomorrow for the raft."

"In any case, it's all we can do right now." Sango clenched her hands into fists in her lap. "I just hope it'll all be worth it."

Yuka placed her hand on her shoulder and looked down at the brunette. "We just can't give up faith or else we're already beaten."

Sango smiled and watched as Yuka sat down next to Ayumi a few feet away, once again checking her condition.

"We'll be back before nightfall," Kouga reminded us before heading toward the forest, Inuyasha in tow.

"Yeah, and don't eat all the food," my ex-boyfriend called over his shoulder.

I shook my head at his words and watched as Miroku picked up a dead rodent.

"Wait," a small voice called.

Everyone glanced to my right to see Kohaku standing and taking a few steps toward Inuyasha. "I want to go with you."

"No, Kohaku," Sango stated. "You're not going anywhere."

"Why not?" her brother asked in return, his brown eyes flickering in her direction. "I can run fast and carry plenty. Besides, we would be able to gather more wood this way."

My best friend shook her head and opened her mouth to protest again, but Miroku interrupted.

"I have to side with Kohaku on this one," he said solemnly. "Although I do not like the idea of a young boy his age in the forest, he'll have Inuyasha and Kouga with him, and he'll be able to help with the gathering."

"Miroku," Sango mumbled. "I can't let him out there! He's my brother, and I refuse to lose him."

"We'll look after the kid," Inuyasha said before motioning with his head for Kohaku to follow. "We'll bring him back safe and sound before nightfall. I can promise you that."

Sango still seemed hesitant, but her eyes told a different story. She could not deny the fact that Kohaku's plan would favor our fight for survival, and that he would be safe with Inuyasha and Kouga.

"Alright," she finally relented. "But come back safe."

Kohaku nodded with a look of determination. "I will." Without another word, the trio vanished into the forest and out of sight.

"He'll be okay," Miroku assured with a kind gaze.

Sango sighed and moved to grab a second animal. "I can only pray."

The two fell into silence as Sango followed Miroku's lead and they skinned the animals for dinner. Souta led Hitomi toward the edge of the beach near the ocean, not wanting her to see the horrid scene. I left the campfire as well and kneeled down next to Yuka and Ayumi.

"How's she doing?" I asked, ignoring my nausea.

Yuka shook her head. "Not well. Her symptoms have only worsened and she's developed a bad fever." She looked at me then with a pleading gaze, and my heart broke. "What do we do, Kagome?"

I bit my lip, hearing the desperation and pure anguish in her voice. "I don't know," was my reply.

It wasn't some pop quiz or exam question. I couldn't look up the answers or pull something from thin air. No matter how many times I ran through all my course studies and reading material, it didn't do me any good here. All the information I had gathered over the years did nothing to help Ayumi.

I was useless to help my friends when they needed me most, and it killed me to admit it.

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

Inuyasha had been right. They managed to make it back before nightfall with enough firewood to sustain a signal fire for several hours. I heard them as they trudged through the final line of trees and across the sand.

I was so exhausted. I no longer felt hungry, even after giving my share of dinner to Hitomi, and my eyelids felt as heavy as lead. I struggled to open them, catching a glimpse of the three boys.

"We need to gather small twigs to start the fire," Miroku called from his place by the fire. His voice was faint, and sounded as if coming from underwater.

I rested my head against the tree I was sitting under and tried to listen intently to the conversation.

A loud thump indicated someone dropping their load of firewood in the sand. "Keh," Inuyasha grumbled. "Got it covered. You just need to start the fire."

I could almost feel Sango's glare on that one. "Inuyasha, be more considerate, will ya?"

They began whispering then, I think, because I couldn't really hear them anymore. The only indication that they were still awake was their steady footsteps as they moved around, building a large fire and trying to start it.

I don't know how long it took them to complete the task. I'm guessing I must have been drifting in and out of consciousness. The next time I opened my eyes, the sun had begun to set, sending a hue of purple across the sky.

A spark caught my eye, and I glanced over to see the fire already beginning to burn. It was small at first, growing slowly, as everyone sat around and watched its progress.

The last thing I saw before I slipped into dreamland was the fire eating away at the midnight sky, and my ex-boyfriend looking over his shoulder at me. His eyes were as intense as the fire, making my heart warm, and my lips smile.

A/N: I know, I know. Another long update. But my muse wasn't cooperating. I have a general idea of where the story is going to go from here. I think we only have about three - five chapters left, so enjoy while you can. I think the next chapter should be fairly easy to write. It all depends on what life throws my way.