A/N: I do not own Inuyasha or Goblin: the Lonely and Great God

Chapter Sixteen

"Hey, Kagome, are you and that Sesshomaru guy dating?" Eri asked, her doe-like eyes blinking curiously as the miko turned several shades of red.

Shaking her head furiously she cast a quick glance to said-Goblin, he paid no mind to the conversation that was going on. He sat on the opposite side of the booth, his eyes staring outside the window with something that almost seemed like starry eyed wistfulness. It had never occurred to her how much enjoyed being outside rather than inside. But he had carried all of his activities as a "youth" roaming the countryside of Edo with nothing by a imp vassal, a human child for a ward, and a speechless dragon youkai. Despite all the commodities that should have been offered to him as Lord of the West, he had preferred his time underneath the open sky in the fresh air of the world. The stuffiness of a coffee cafe probably made him feel hindered, not to mention the insistent squawking of her friends.

"No we're not," she laughed nervously, grateful he had not heard her or them.

"Pity, he's cute," Ayume added, nudging her friend in the side. "He's a hunk, even."

Yuka gave a mischief look, before laughing at the embarrassment that seemed to be showing more and more on the miko's face. All of her friends wiggled and giggled at her expense and it was definitely not funny anymore. She pouted.

"Yet," Sesshomaru said curtly, his eyelashes coyly fluttering as he turned to look at them, his face completely void of emotion except for the small upturns at the corners of his lips.

Stiffening, Kagome could not believe her ears. Was he actually enjoying this? The jerk was amused that her friends were making such a big deal out of this.

"Yet?" She protested, her eyes inviting him to say something more.

"Indeed. This one and yourself are not dating yet," he repeated, his chin inclining just a bit in a manner that was so like the old Inudaiyoukai. He was challenging her to dare saying more on the matter.

"Us dating?" She continued, "you and me?"

"Why not?" He wondered out loud. There was something hidden in the depths of his eyes, the gilded color flooded with something she could not discern or tell. But it was like a beautiful storm. His features were dark and steeled, but his eyes were bright, giving light around the edges of his bangs that fell slightly over his brow. It was beautiful. For once in her life she was taken aback looking at him; she had never been one for ogling. Especially checking out Sesshomaru. This was different. Something was different. "Is not the point of all this for yourself and this Sesshomaru to become more acquainted? That is the definition of dating, is it not?"

"Yes but...but…" she was spluttering now, staring down at her knees for anything more interesting than the bizarre expression in the Goblin's eyes.

Suddenly, her friends melted away and the tables and people around them—they faded and washed away like watercolor on wet canvas. They all disappeared until it was just her and Sesshomaru. When she looked up at him, he stood there in all his Inu might. His long hair draped down to the floor, and his kimono seemed as pristine as ever. His mokomoko and his armor pressed against as he pulled her up to him, wrapping his arms around her waist as he held her close. She couldn't protest; her voice had died in her throat long ago.

"Are you not this Goblin's bride?"His nose brushed against her ear and there was a soft sigh in his tone. "You saw the sword in my chest."

The miko had never been speechless before, nothing had ever stunned her like this. He was being affectionate. Towards her! Sesshomaru was being affectionate!

"This one told you, ridiculous miko," he hugged her to him, protective and endearing. "Only the Goblin's bride can see his curse."

The first thing Kagome noticed was that when she tried to open her eye, stick grime prevented her eyelids from blinking. It took her a few times to crack her eyelashes from her skin, the lashes feeling heavy as she did so. Her head hurt, and there was pain from her temples to her forehead to the areas surrounding to the bridge of her nose.

When she became fully aware of her surroundings, she realized she was in the car, with a angry looking man sitting beside her in the back seat while another thug-like man drove the vehicle. Understanding the situation, she remained still, making sure not to alert them that she had woke. It would be better for her to try and assess what was going on. She had been kidnapped enough during the feudal era to know that would be better than trying to go in guns blazing and demanding that she be released before her hanyou friend would come and rescue her. A pit in her stomach dropped at that. Hanyou friend. There would be no Inuyasha to rescue her this time. She would have to rescue herself.

Closing her eyes, she tried to think about the situation. Her hands had been shoved behind her back and tied together with what felt like a coarse leather belt. Her ankles had been similarly shackled. That was about it. It felt as though her coat had been searched, but other than that intrusion, she had not been violated in a sense that she had been afraid of. Likewise, observing other things, she came to notice that her mouth had not been gagged. That more than likely meant that her kidnappers wanted information from her the moment they knew she was conscious. She did not know the extent of her injuries, all she could recall was being hit upside the head with something hard. Perhaps a bat or a pipe? Whatever it was, with the force they used, it was a miracle they hadn't killed her. It may have caused a concussion being that she blacked out, but that was something at the current moment which was the last of her worries.

"Smart broad," the man next to her said, lifting his eyebrows slightly without looking at her. "You're faking unconsciousness at this point."

Kagome's blood froze and she felt her face grow hot. How could they tell?

"Look we'll be nice to you if you comply," the drive stated, his eyes focused solely on the road. "To be honest we're not all that interested in you. So whether or not you come out alive, it's not a concern. Hence you help us, we don't do a thing."

She decided to continue pretending. Nothing worse could happen.

The kidnapper next to her took her silence as affirmation. "We're looking to get at Taisho, you see. He's a very powerful man with many, many enemies."

Snorting, the driver turned on his signal to make a right.

"Being that you're his lil' gal or whatever," the man sniffed, she could feel his eyes looking her up and down, "although I don't blame him. You're a real cutie. Anyways, being that you're his little gal, why don't you do what's good for you and answer our questions?"

I really don't know that much about him, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut tighter. I honestly haven't known him that long to begin with.

"Hey," he poked her side, a sharp sting shooting above her ribs. "I know you're not asleep."

"You never know," she finally answered, keeping her sights hidden behind shut eyelids. "Maybe the both of you are just bad dreams and I am just asleep."

"Hey, sister listen, if you don't answer our questions, we'll find some other way to get at Taisho," the driver warned, his eyes scanned the area before nodding.

The car came to a stop with screeching brakes. Putting the car in park, the driver unbuckled his seat and turned around. He had bright blue eyes and dark hair, seemingly prettier than her other captor. Not that would help her at the current moment.

"Sister, if you know what's good for you, you'll answer things about Taisho." He ran his thumb along his neck, "Or else."

She rolled her eyes, even though her heart sunk. It had never occurred to her how serious this was. But given how wealthy he always seemed, it didn't surprise her that he had enemies just like in the old days.

"Look you caught the wrong girl," she sighed, shrugging. "I'm just a normal high school student."

The two men exchanged looks before sighing tiredly.

"This was not how the night was supposed to go," the driver said before getting out of the car; he tugged on a pair of gloves before opening the back door.

The second man also pulled on a pair of utility gloves before climbing out of the car. Kagome watched them wiggling in her seat, trying to pull at her restraints before the man grabbed her hair and yanked her out of the car. She cried out, tears pricking at her eyes as pain laced through her scalp. Together the two men held her bringing her around front of the vehicle. She realized that they were at one of the few places where the Meguro river was not surrounded by houses or populace. It was dark out and the few people in the area probably weren't aware that they were even there.

Her thoughts went immediately to her mother, Souta and Jii-jii. Even Buyo. In just one moment, as they brought her over the guard railing that blocked the incline from the road down into the shallow river, she realized this may very well be the last time she could think about them. She would never see her family again, but this time she wouldn't be stuck on the opposite side of a well, she would be stuck at the end of eternity.

Opening her mouth, the miko tried to scream, but the driver covered her mouth. "It's nothing personal, miss. We just can't have you blabbing about this to anyone else. You know what happens to useless hostages."

Someone, please help me, she begged, squeezing her eyes shut. Inuyasha…

A growl forced her to open her eyes. The streetlamps lining the streets began to flicker before a surge passed through all of them, forcing them to go out. Leaving complete darkness around her two captors save for the two beams of headlights from the car.

A set of two gold eyes appeared in the haze just in front of the headlamps before they broke into the light. The one man was the one she had mistaken for Inuyasha the other day, she was sure of it. It was the same red leather jacket he wore, and the same torn jeans and dirty black shoes. But this time his ponytailed hair was white and his eyes gold, making him seem even more like the hanyou boy. However, behind this man, was a trail of bright blue fire. For some reason it appeared horribly cold and frigid.

Beside him though, was a furious, raging Sesshomaru. Behind him were swirls of his lilac smoke and a sparks of violet fire. In his hand, a manifestation Bakusaiga was gripped tightly while he walked forward. His long military coat trailed in the breeze along with the short strands of his silvery hair. He raised his sword to show the men he meant business, the blade glowing bright green.

a/n: ANOTHER cliffhanger. bwah bwah bwah. Sorry guys, i felt like cutting this chapter in half to save the big chapter for chapter twenty! No hard feelings *sends hugs* Thank you to everyone who has been reading! It's truly starting to get fun for me again, something that I had lost with writing fanfic. So thanks guys!

Leave a review let me know what you thought about this chapter! Arigato mina.^^