Wary of Sesshomaru and his fervent attempts to disarm her defenses, Kagome stayed as far from his imposing form as he would allow. She slunk around the cave, attempting to lose herself in the beauty of the decorations and the way the silk hung from the walls in such interesting tapestries.

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was busy keeping himself occupied by hunting, sure that she would be fine in the cave by herself. She was not so foolish to try to escape, because nothing short of an avalanche would break down his barrier, and he knew not of any being stronger than he. She would be safe, that at least, he was sure of.

Kagome knelt, looking down at the ground below her, her freedom so close yet so far away from her grasp. She sighed sadly, glaring at the offending barrier. Suddenly, a thought struck her.

"I bet I can get the barrier down! I'd just have to zap it with my holy energy!" She clapped her hands, excited that escape may be closer than she had originally expected. She sat before the mouth of the cave, her hands clasped before her almost as if in prayer. That was one good thing Kikyo had taught her, at the very least.

She concentrated her energy, forcing it into her hands.

Xxx

"Everyone! Be careful at the controls! We only have one chance and if we screw this up, dog boy will come running, so we can't afford any mistakes. Take your time! Be sure you're ready before we do this-"

"Jeez! We know, we know! We aren't stupid here, Bossy. Now shut the hell up so I can concentrate!" Angry growled, clamping her hands murderously over the console that she was currently in charge of. She leveled off her rage, took a calming breath and attempted to manifest the energy as calmly as she could.

Xxx

Kagome held the energy she had collected from the earth around her in her hands carefully, standing shakily and slowly making her way across the twenty or so feet that separated her from the only exit. Biting her lip, she charged, holding the energy tightly in her outstretched hands, intending to use the energy to create a small hole that she would wedge herself through. She figured that Sesshomaru wouldn't think of her actually successfully getting past his "Oh-so-much-stronger-than-thou" demonic energy.

Lunging toward the barrier, Kagome wiggled her way out of the small hole in the silken energies that surrounded her. She allowed herself a moment of congratulations, before a loud noise behind her caused her to turn around. Eyes widening, Kagome was met with the cave collapsing, and had only a second to throw up a barrier of holy energy around herself, before she tumbled down the mountain. Her barrier took some of the shock of the impact away, but it still hurt like all hell.

Half conscious, Kagome crawled away from the rubble that she assumed was most of Sesshomaru's super decked out Cave.

He's gonna be pissed…

With a groan of pain, Kagome rolled down a grassy slope, before coming to a stop at the base of a tree, knocking herself out.

-;-

Sesshomaru heard the crash, and a cold pang of dread spread through his chest. He dropped his kill carelessly to the ground and raced toward the sound. A panic started at the base of his skull and traveled through the rest of his body, making his legs stiffen and his heart hammer in his chest.

Mistress! Is she okay!

She has to be.

There was no consoling the keening of his beast, pushing against the mental barriers that had held it at bay for centuries. One small woman could rile up his beast so? Perhaps his beast had the right idea.

He came upon the base of the mountain, searching fervently through the rubble for her slight form. If she was dead, he could revive her. He had to. He prayed that if that was the case, that his blasted sword would not deny him this small wish. He needed her more than he knew.

A small pang of pain resounded through his head. He grit his teeth, looking away from the pile of rubble.

She wasn't there.

Not even her aura remained. He couldn't sense her presence anywhere. Not even a flicker of her energy.

He was too late.

NO! She must be alright. She has to be. She has to be. Maybe… maybe she just hid her aura and presence and energy. She is a powerful miko. It is not beyond her realm of power.

Sesshomaru followed the thought and surrounded himself with the hope that perhaps his beast was right. If the cave collapsed, she may have paid enough attention to throw up a barrier around herself and that should have protected her. She could be hiding herself to keep away predators.

Please, Let me be right.

For our sake, I hope you are.

Sesshomaru took in several deep breaths, attempting to pinpoint her scent. He could smell her in the rubble, but then her scent disappeared. He growled, pinpointed the direction of the wind, and went down wind, hoping that he might come across her.