I don't own Inuyasha!

The Long Awaited: Chapter 16

"I'm standing there, Kagome, and she walks by me arm in arm with......with that Shinoba! He had the nerve to tell me to stay away from her. I think I'm just going to kill him." Fire lit Miroku's eyes as he gazed through Kagome. "Yes! That's what Ill do." A small grin edged up the side of his face as his eyes roamed the campsite. Looking for Sango's new Shinoba.

"Ummm.... I dont think that would make her fall back in love with you." Actually you sound like a babbling pyscho path, Miroku! Kagome screamed in her mind. She couldnt believe Seshoumaru actually gave Miroku love advice. I guess that could make anybody crazy.

"I don't care," Miroku slammed his staff against the ground and frowned as pieces of dirt dusted his cloak. "This has gone too far. I plan on correcting this situation."

Kagome rolled her eyes and nervously scanned the area hoping that Shinoba didnt turn the corner in their direction anytime soon. This really was going too far. What could she do to help him? Sango was her friend too and she had to respect her wishes and her boundaries.

Kagome lightly touched Miroku's shoulder. "Stop. If you do something stupid you will never get her back. Period. The end." He probably wouldnt get her back anyway. Sango had been acting very girly lately; twirling her hair in her fingers and Kagome had noticed her smiling more than normal lately. Maybe this was for the best. Miroku had plenty of women he could pinch and chase around a tent. Why should he continue to ruin Sango's happiness? Men just dont care about what women want!

Kagome's eyebrows drew together as she sunk further into frustration with the opposite sex.

Miroku's fire died down as Kagom'es words washed through him. "I saw that expression. And it wasnt good. You dont think I have a chance." He sighed. I will show her! She will wish she had never looked at another man. I will show everybody!

A female soldier swayed by Miroku, lightly brushing against his side. Her hips swiveled with her walk and long braided hair lightly bounced down her back. An overwhelming urge to follow her swept through Miroku so fast it almost knocked him to his knees. Dammit! Shaking her image from his head, he regained his composure. That's the kind of shit that gets me in trouble! Im cursed....

Kagome watched Miroku's gaze on the newest woman to catch his breath. "Hey, snap out of it! How are you going to win Sango back when you go dreamy eyed at every female who gets within five feet of you!" Kagome snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hey! Are you listening!"

Miroku scowled and shifted his eyes to Kagome's fingers. She was right, Miroku needed to get a hold on himself; especially his emotions. He may like to look at women, but Sango was different. She was his rock, the only certainty he had ever had in his life and now it seems like it was all a dream. Sango was a fierce women from growing up a life as a demon slayer, which made Miroku shiver at the thought of her cold eyes ever turning their direction to him. But to see her when her eyes are soft and her touch is tender is so overwhelmingly powerful that Miroku trembled as he pictured himself beside her once again.

He had to have her back. Period. Or life was not worth living.

"Have you come back to the real world, Miroku?" Kagome shifted her feet back and forth trying to keep busy. "You used to be the sensible one, you know."

Miroku's head snapped up and a half-hearted smile flashed to his face and was gone as soon as it had come. "I have never been sensible about women, Kagome."

"Kagome!! Hey Kagome! Over here........."

Kagome glanced over her shoulder and Sango was waving in the distance.

Miroku flinched, grabbed his chest and quickly looked away. Kagome could see the frown overwhelm Sango's face, even with the distance.

"I'll be back in a little while to check on you, Miroku. I better see what she needs. Maybe I'll find out whats going on with her. Ok?" Kagome nudged Miroku with her knuckle until he nodded and walked away.

Sango was beside her quickly. "Geez, what was that all about Kagome?" Sango whispered. "Miroku will not even look at me. You would think we could at least stay friends or even some what civil."

Kagome searched Sango's worried face and found sadness in her eyes. "Sango, I don't think he likes you with Shinoba. In fact, I don't think he would like you with anybody besides him. This is all very hard for him. You should hear the nonsense he comes up with."

Sango growled and stomped her foot, while waving her arms through the air. "Ahhhh! That worm! He can have any woman in the camp, but as soon as I fid someone who makes me a little happy........ohhhhhh buuutt nooooo! He has to try and ruin everything."

Kagome flinched and stepped back a few paces during her tantrum and desperately searched for Inuyasha to come save her and carry her away.

"Calm down Sango!" Kagome shrieked and slapped her hands against her thigh. "Both of you! Right now we need to worry about the battle that's soon to come. We can sort all of this out after.....if we are still all here."

Sango lowered her eyes to the ground and let her shoulders droop. Her eyes gleamed from the tears that tried to escape from her eyes and run down her cheeks. "Your right. I have been acting very foolish, when I should be thinking about others. I'm sorry, Kagome."

Kagome wrapped her arms around Sango and squeezed her tightly against her body. "Don't worry and don't be sad. We will figure all of this out. I promise." Kagome hoped that she wasn't telling Sango a lie. She hoped and prayed that more people would make it through this battle than would perish. But war was never a pretty sight and she knew that she would lose more people she cared about than she wanted to think about right now. She would willingly give up her own life to save all of the others. There was just no way.

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Leaves were tangled in her hair and blood dripped down the cuts gouged into her face and body. Her shoulder ached from using it as a cushion to a hard fall and her legs were covered in bruises.

"Shit! Quit dragging me! I can walk!" Rin screamed as she gingerly plucked rock shards from her bare feet.

Bruises in the shape of hands marred her neck, wrists, and arms. Rin feared that her olive skin would never return to its original shade.

She was asked to scout with Tan and Sakura earlier that morning. They fell across a bit of bad luck when they stumbled into a group of the undead roaming the outskirts of Naraku's camp.

Seshoumaru had continued to deny her her rikosoma. Rin fought with all of her might with her katana, however, she quickly found that the undead just wouldn't fucking die! Tan and Sakura barely escaped while Rin was tangled between too many of the ugly bastards to get away. It was for the best though. Although she was terrified of her ending, she was glad that they didn't get caught up in the same dreadful fate.

Who knows what they will do. Rin was surprised they hadn't killed her yet. Maybe they had worse plans a little later in their journey.

Rin's nose crinkled and her eyes watered when she looked upon her captors. Five of them surrounded her and all five were decomposing before her eyes. Bones pertruded through flesh and ligaments hung loosely from the bones. Rin's stomach churned at their smell and she wished they would have just ended her misery.

"You are a pretty little thing." Baka rasped into her face. "Naraku will be pleased with you." A malicious grin exposed missing teeth and a half rotten tongue.

"Yuck!" Rin squealed as she tried to get the image of his tongue from her mind.

Baka roared with laughter and pulled her close to his petrid form. He wrapped his hands in her hair and pulled her face close to his as she squirmed in his grasp. His mouth creaked as it opened and Rin watched in horror as he stuck his tongue out, pressed it against her face and slid it from her chin to her forehead.

"Aaghhh." She screeched as she felt the roughness of his decaying tongue prickle her cheek. Yup. It doesn't get worse than this, she thought dejectedly as her knees buckled and she was only held up by her hair.

Blackness crept across her eyes and all she could feel was the slight throb of her hair being pulled from her scalp as she drifted into unconsiousness.

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"They have her," Sakura sobbed into Kagome's shoulder. "We couldn't stop them. There were just too many."

Tan paced back in forth a short distance from Sakura. Wounds bubbled with blood with every step he took. HIs mind was far away from his physical pain. Tan worried about how Rin would end. He actually liked that little ball of attitude. Any human who could tame a demon lord was okay in his book.

Sakura took it much harder than he did. Tears dripped from her chin and her eyes were laced with red. A bruise covered her right cheek with colors of purple and sick green. She lightly rubbed her ankle that was sure to be broken.

That's the last thing she needed was to have a broken ankle before what was sure to be the battle to determine who ruled earth, the dead or the living.

Rin being dragged off by her hair was the only thing that played constantly in her mind. Over and over she heard her screams. But there was nothing she or Tan could do. No matter how hard they fought..... They just couldn't save her.

A sob escaped her cracked throat and sad, pleading eyes fell on a tall white figure who walked briskly towards her.

Seshoumaru looked ten feet tall and long white hair cascaded down his back and glittered in the sun. His face was stone, but is eyes were fierce. "Where is she?" His tone was flat and emotionless, but his eyes turned to fire.

Tan appeared beside Sakura and protectively wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We did all we could Seshoumaru. We barely escaped with our lives. She was brave and when they took her she was still alive." Tan's face drooped as Rin's face drifted back into his mind.

"I could care less about your miserable lives! I ordered her to stay in camp and you let her follow you blindly into an ambush! You stupid mongrel. I would expect more from you, youkai!" Seshoumaru clenched his fists so tight that his claws dug into his palms. Blood trickled from his hands and dripped to the ground.

" We will get Rin back, Seshoumaru. I promise. I refuse to let Naraku have another one of our friends. We will leave today." Kagome pushed herself to her knees and patted Sakura on the shoulder. "This was not your fault. You didn't know she wasn't supposed to leave camp."

Seshoumaru growled at the group and floated into the distance. Kagome knew he would not wait for the camp to gather. He would go to her now.

Kagome's heart throbbed at the thought of Rin being hurt. She was too young to be here. She was still innocent in Kagome's eyes. Bad things always seemed to happen to the people around her.

"Inuyasha! You said we could leave soon. We must head that way today before we lose any more people to torture." Kagome reached for his cheek and ran a finger over his baby smooth skin. "I wish there was something we could do."

Inuyasha bent his head low and kissed her on her forehead before he turned toward the center of camp. It was time to get on with this battle. In the past, before Kagome, he thirsted for blood and a battle such as this would thrill him, but too many people had become too important to lose. He would turn around and take everyone with him if the world wasn't on their shoulders. Sometimes he wished he still didn't care.

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In the shadows a panther's ears twitched in and out of the conversation. His muscles flexed as he ran head first in the direction where Rin was lost.

It's been awhile.....I'm sorry! But here ya go.