Author's note: Thanks for reading everyone and I appreciate the reviews. At first I was going to call this the sequel, but I guess it's really the same story so...here's chappie 2!XD

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine...sad but true! If it were I'd be making big money now wouldn't I.

The battles have been long and arduous for the last couple of days. But it was nothing new to them, for it had always been that way. Naraku reviving the Shichinintai was the worse possible thing he probably could have done. Inuyasha had been going through a lot lately, but due to his stubbornness, he refused to show it. He was extremely pissed about the outcome of his last few battles with the Shichinintai leader, Bankotsu. To everyone's mild shock, the wind scar had failed against Bankotsu's Banryuu. It seemed that the braided warrior had become stronger in the last few weeks. A simple strike from his Banryuu would send Inuyasha flying back and crashing to the ground.

Now Inuyasha was upset about his battle that took place not too long ago, but it wasn't with the Shichinintai leader. Inuyasha and Miroku were walking through the forest, on their way back to the campsite. Sango and Kagome requested some girl time and forced them to locate a hot spring for them. On their way back they had encountered the scantily clad mercenary and his Jakotsutou. Jakotsu, as always, said some pretty weird things to Inuyasha during the battle, angering him to the point where he couldn't fight properly. Jakotsu had then caught Inuyasha in his slinging blades, cutting him up pretty badly. But as always, Jakotsu fled, promising that he'd return to do battle again. Miroku had explained all of the happenings to the girls.

Inuyasha was propped on a tree branch, isolating himself from everyone else. He had a few wounds that needed to heal, not all of them physical. A few days ago, he and Kagome were fighting again, all because of her worry for him. Inuyasha wanted to apologize, but he didn't know how to word it to the point where she would accept it as an apology. He was definitely in a rut. Bankotsu had shown him up in their previous battles, Jakotsu said such sickening things to him that he rather not even think about it, and Kagome was becoming more distant from him since he hadn't given her and apology yet. Inuyasha closed his eyes slightly. 'I'm sorry, Kagome.' he thought, but he couldn't say it to her face, not yet.

Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kagome were sitting around the crackling fire, laughing every now and then. Miroku had been telling them a few naughty things Jakotsu had been saying to Inuyasha. "So then Inuyasha charges at him with his sword but he did a quick sidestep and avoided his attack." he explained.

There were no laughs. "Well, that's it?" Sango asked, blinking in confusion.

Kagome was equally unamused. "Yeah, so?" she added.

Miroku took a sip of his tea and whispered, "Jakotsu had given Inuyasha a quick squeeze on the butt in the process. After that it was downhill for the battle." he laughed.

Kagome and Sango burst out into a fit of laughter. Too bad Shippo had fallen asleep before the punch line. Inuyasha glared down at his chuckling group. Some friends they were, laughing at his...misfortunes. He made a mental note to avoid battle with the effeminate man in the future. He was tired of the mock battles he used as an excuse to feel him up. Inuyasha jumped down from the branch and landed in front of the laughing trio with his arms crossed. "Yo, Miroku, I'm sure if you talk any louder the freaking moon will hear ya'!" he yelled. The trio stopped laughing abruptly. He then glared at Kagome and Sango. "And I thought you two wanted to take a bath!" he yelled.

Kagome stood and gathered her toiletries. "Come on, Sango." she said before walking off. Sango stood up and followed Kagome.

Inuyasha plopped down on the ground next to Miroku with a huff. Miroku shook his head and leaned over to his friend and whispered, "So, you haven't apologized to her yet?" he said. He and Sango had noticed how distant the two seemed in the last few days. Kagome had asked Inuyasha to rest, but he ignored her and went after one of the Shichinintai instead. He had come back with such horrible injuries and everyone noted the 'I told you so' expression on Kagome's face.

Inuyasha turned his head to the side. "Nope, not yet. I've been trying to, but I can't get my words straight." he said.

Miroku sighed. "Well, I know it will come to you sooner or later, Inuyasha. Just tell her how you feel." he advised. "Then hold her in your arms and-..." he was interrupted.

Inuyasha stood up and stared down at the monk. "The day I take advice from a lecher!" he shouted. He didn't want to end up with a red hand-print on his face. Unlike Miroku, he wasn't immune to slaps yet, hell, he wasn't even immune to Kagome's 'sit' spells.

Miroku laughed. "It will be a good day indeed." With that he laid down, resting on one elbow.

Kagome relaxed into the soothing water of the hot spring and closed her eyes. "This is heaven." she said to herself. She sank down deeper into the water and submerged her entire head under water and quickly popped back up.

Sango let her hair down and plunked her head down into the water as well. "Yeah, they found a really good one this time." she said. After a few minutes of silence, Sango worked up the nerve to ask Kagome a question. "Kagome?" Sango said to capture the young girl's attention.

Kagome opened her eyes. "Hm?" she responded.

"Is there anything else bothering you, besides the Inuyasha incident? I know that he's a real jerk at times, but I feel that there's something else bothering you." she said. She couldn't help but to let her big sister persona take over from time to time.

Kagome looked down into the steamy water and wondered if she should lie as always or tell her friend the truth. She and Sango were like sisters, but she really didn't want anyone to know what was really wrong with her. It had almost been too perfect that she and Inuyasha had gotten into an argument a few days ago, so everyone assumed that she was upset about that. Kagome didn't want to lie, at least not to Sango. Kagome looked up into Sango's eyes and sighed. "Well, I guess you can say that. I-I...well, when I was taken by the band of seven, I saw some pretty horrible things." she started off into a lie. 'Come on, it's Sango, you can trust her.' she pleaded with herself. "I..." she trailed off.

Sango began to worry. She had never seen Kagome like this. She knew that Kagome was a strong girl and could handle almost anything. What happened to her when she was with the band of seven? "Kagome, you can trust me" Sango reassured.

Kagome smiled slightly. Sango was right, she was the only one she could trust with the information she was going to tell her. "All right, but you have to promise not to tell anyone." She started. Sango nodded. "I was alone with the leader of the band of seven...and one thing led to another and then...you know." she said as she looked away from her friend with shame, yet with a faint blush on her cheeks.

Sango's mouth formed a perfect 'o'. She couldn't believe it, Kagome and a ruthless killer. Her friend and the enemy. Though it was a strange coincidence, she was somewhat intrigued by all of this. "Well, was he good?" Sango asked with a sly smile.

Kagome stared at Sango with shock for a brief moment before she turned beet red. Kagome nodded her head and looked down. "I'm just so confused about my emotions at the moment." she confessed. "What should I do?"

Sango understood her completely. Inuyasha had feelings for Kagome, yet there was still Kikyo lingering in his heart. Now, Kagome still has feelings for Inuyasha, but there was the Shichinintai leader on her mind. "This has to be the best gossip yet. Why don't you just try to forget about it, Kagome?" she suggested. Truthfully, she had no idea what Kagome should do.

Kagome sighed. "But, I just can't forget about him, he was my first after all." she paused. "I think you're right, I should just leave it alone for now." she said. 'But, I notice the way he looks at me every now and then when we encounter him...he still remembers...and so do I.' she thought as she stared down into the water. After a few more minutes of bathing they both gathered their belongings and headed back to the campsite.

It was half past midnight, and the rest of his comrades were either sleep or minding their own business. It was quite cool for a spring night, but the weather was really enjoyable. He filled his bowl with more sake and sipped it quietly. Bushes rustled from the left and his eyes quickly shot to the sound. He didn't feel the need to be threatened since his trusty Banryuu was lying by his side.

Jakotsu stumbled out of the bushes with a sheepish smile. He waved as he headed over to him. "Hey, Bankotsu, I'm back!" he announced.

Bankotsu took one last sip of sake before setting it down. "Yo, Jakotsu, you did some Inuyasha hunting? From the look on your face I know you didn't kill him." he stated.

Jakotsu folded his arms and plopped down next to Bankotsu. "Of course I didn't, though I wanted to. I know that you want to chop off his head, but he's mine." Jakotsu said. "Hey, pour me some of that sake."

Bankotsu dipped a small bowl in the barrel of sake and handed it to him. "Here you go." he said. He watched as Jakotsu quickly drank from it. "Hey, slow down." he said with a laugh.

Jakotsu set the bowl down and looked at Bankotsu. "So, what are our plans for tomorrow? Do we kill Kouga, Sesshoumaru, or Inuyasha? I know you've got something planned." he said. They had been lazing around lately, but it wasn't like he was complaining or anything. It was Naraku he was worried about.

Bankotsu crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Hm, nope! We'll just wait until some action comes to us. I'm sure dog boy will come sniffing around sooner or later." he said with a smirk. He was anticipating his next battle with Inuyasha. He couldn't wait to send him home with his tail between his legs.

Unbeknownst to the two, a pair of eyes were watching them. Renkotsu couldn't believe that Bankotsu still hadn't devised a new plan to defeat Inuyasha and his friends. It was useless to try to persuade Bankotsu into something he didn't want to do. He was like a child that needed to be lured with candy. He knew what the perfect treat would be to lure him out.

The sun was shining brightly, signaling that it was early in the morning. Inuyasha was resting on the tree branch with his arms folded across his chest. The gentle summer breeze played with his silver tresses as he stared off into the sky. He had a lot of things weighing on his conscience. 'Damn, how am I going to get rid of the band of seven? Those bastards have at least seven shards of the jewel. And that damn Bankotsu...' he thought. He ears tweaked at the sound of Kagome yawning from below.

Kagome rolled over in her sleeping bag and opened her eyes slowly. She found herself staring up into a sky of endless colors of orange and blue, with the sun peering through the retreating night clouds. 'Morning already?' she thought. She gasped when Inuyasha's face suddenly entered her field of vision. She gave him a sheepish smile. "Um...good morning Inuyasha" she said.

Inuyasha stared down at her with a blank expression. "Yo, Kagome, we need to talk." he said in a serious tone.

Kagome's heart skipped a beat. Inuyasha needed to talk to her, early in the morning. She slowly sat up and looked around. Everyone else was still sleeping, after all, it was still dawn. She stood up and looked at Inuyasha nervously. "O-okay." she said in a low voice.

Inuyasha began walking into the forest with his arms folded and Kagome walked behind him nervously. He wanted to get out of the earshot from the others, he didn't want anyone to hear his conversation. 'Okay, just get this over with. Just blurt it out and leave.' he told himself.

She was visibly shaking. Her mouth was getting dry and her palms were sweating. Did Inuyasha find out? Perhaps he over heard her and Sango while they were in the hot spring last night. Maybe Miroku was spying on them and overheard. Maybe Bankotsu himself told Inuyasha. She knew how men loved to tell others about their 'encounters' with women. She snapped out of her reverie when she collided into Inuyasha's back. He had stopped.

Inuyasha turned around and looked down at Kagome. "You all right?" he asked. She nodded nervously. "You look a little pale, are you sure?" he asked again. She nodded again. Inuyasha stared deep into Kagome's eyes and grabbed her hand. "Kagome, I know." he simply said. "Quit fool'in around will ya!" Inuyasha said as he quickly caught Kagome.

Kagome's knees had given out and she fell into Inuyasha's chest. She felt his hand grip her shoulder to help her stand straight once more. She felt like she was going puke, but despite that she regained her composure. "Sorry." she said in a whisper of a voice. "What were you saying?" she asked sheepishly. 'He knows!!! I can't believe this!!!' her mind screamed.

Inuyasha continued, despite Kagome's abnormal behavior. "Kagome, I know that you've been feeling down lately because of me, and I'm...sorry." he apologized sincerely for the first time ever. He turned away from her, he knew that she was going to start with the 'oh, how sweet, Inuyasha' and all that other mushy garbage.

Kagome stared at him with wide eyes. She was relieved and shocked all at once. Apparently those to emotions didn't sit well within her. Kagome closed her eyes and fell backwards as a result of her bad emotional mix. Inuyasha whipped around when he had heard a thud hit the ground. He was surprised to see Kagome resting on the forest floor, out cold.

"K-Kagome?!" he said with wide eyes. He guessed that she was overwhelmed with joy and happiness. He knelt down and scooped the unconscious girl into his arms and walked back to the others. 'She better had heard me apologize cuz I ain't doing it again.' he thought.

It was another day that would probably go to waste without killing someone. So far his afterlife had sucked, with the exception of the ray of sunshine in his life by the name of Inuyasha. Jakotsu threw his fists into the air as he yawned. His eyes were droopy with boredom and his once happy smile turned upside down.

"Oh, I'm so bored! I wanna see my Inuyasha. I haven't seen him since yesterday, it's just not fair!" he whined to himself. He looked up as he heard the door slide open. His eyes lit up immediately. Jakotsu quickly stood up with a smile. "Big brother, what do you have planned for us today?" he asked.

The man with the braided hair stared up at the over zealous man. Bankotsu put a finger to his chin and thought for a minute. "Well, I was thinking that we needed some more sake since Renkotsu and Suikotsu finished it off last night. Then I said no because I don't want us to become drunkards because we do have business to handle. Then again we could raid a village to get some food, but I'm not in the mood right now." he said.

Jakotsu plopped down on the porch once more with a heavy sigh. "It figures." he said.

Renkotsu stepped onto the porch and stared down at Bankotsu. "Big brother, this inactivity is causing all of us to get restless. Besides Naraku..." he was interrupted.

Bankotsu waved him off. "What about him? I don't wanna waste my time on a monkey man right now, we need to regain our strength." he said.

"But, I'm bored! I need to see Inuyasha, hell I'll even settle for Kouga." he whined.

"We need to do something besides sitting around." Renkotsu added.

Bankotsu jumped down from the porch and began walking off into the direction of the forest. "Wah, Wah, Wah! You sound like a bunch of babies. I'm going for a walk and when I come back I don't wanna hear anything about Naraku or Inuyasha!" he stated as he continued walking.

Renkotsu narrowed his eyes at their thick-headed leader. It seemed like he was the only one concerned about Naraku's plans for them. If he were leader, Inuyasha and everyone else on their list would be dead by now. Renkotsu sighed and turned to go back in. "If he didn't have his mind on that damn wench, we could take care of business." he said to himself as he walked back inside.

Jakotsu watched as he went back inside the abandoned castle. What did he mean by that? 'Hm, what wench? Could it be...no way!' he thought. The Bankotsu he knew would never let a woman get in the way of their business. Jakotsu stood up from the porch and casually walked off into the forest that was not too far from them. He could finally figure some things out and maybe even see Inuyasha again.

Kagome smiled as she once again placed down a winning card. She threw her arms into air and declared, "I won!" She and Inuyasha were playing a game of blackjack and so far she had won every game.

Inuyasha folded his arms and turned his head to the side. "Feh! This is a stupid game!" he said, obviously being a sore loser.

Sango laughed. "You're just upset because you can't play. It's very simple, Inuyasha." she said with a smile.

Miroku nodded. "If you spent more time with us you know how to play all of Kagome's future card games." he added.

Shippo jumped onto Miroku's shoulder. "Inuyasha's too stupid to learn." he laughed.

Inuyasha stood up with a grunt. "What is this, 'team up on Inuyasha day'? Well , I ain't going!" he said as he hopped back into the tree above them in one leap. "You can play your stupid blackmack or whatever it's called." he said.

Kagome sighed and gathered the cards up into one pile before straightening them up. Like she always said to herself, 'you can't teach an old dog a new trick'. She stood up from her kneeling position and stretched. "I'm going to stretch my legs for a bit. Anyone wanna come with me?" she asked.

"Feh." was all Inuyasha said, still resting in the tree above.

Miroku and Sango shook their heads. "I'm going to play a game of blackjack with Miroku." Sango said.

"Me too!" Shippo declared, excited to learn another one of Kagome's games.

Kagome nodded and did a 180-degree turn and walked off into the forest. "Don't go too far, Kagome!" Inuyasha called from the tree.

"I won't!" she called back as she continued walking forward. Inuyasha understood everyone's request for some alone time once in a while. But in her case he was afraid to let her run off anywhere ever since she was abducted by the Shichinintai a few weeks ago. When she thought about it, this would be the first time she would have been able to go off by herself ever since that day. 'Maybe I can finally get some thinking done. I haven't been home in awhile...I probably have like a million tests to take...not to mention make-ups...' her mind trailed off immediately.

The weather was warm and breezy, which was quite decent for the early spring. The sounds of birds chirping and other nature calls could be heard all around. This part of the forest was so serene and calm that it could lull anyone to sleep. Too bad he didn't come here for sleeping, it would have been the perfect place though. He just came there to get away from the constant nagging from his comrades. He didn't like keeping things from them, but it was an order from Naraku himself. Though he wasn't used to following orders, he would if it depended on his life.

'Naraku, who is he really? What is he really after?' he thought. He sat down Indian style and leaned against a nearby tree. He looked up and noticed that the trees almost formed a tent over the area since only a few rays of sunshine peered through the thick leaves of the trees. He had been driven away from the abandoned castle so fast that he completely forgot to bring his Banryuu. He sighed. "I really slipping...how could I forget my baby? I'm sorry, as soon as I get back I'll take you out for a killing spree." he said to himself with a laugh. He closed his beautiful cerulean eyes for a moment and listened to the sounds of nature, the chirping birds, the squirrels running up the trees, the sound of someone sneaking up on him. He snapped his eyes open in an instant and quickly scanned the area. His eyes laid upon his intruder and he gawked.

"It's you..." he said in a low voice. He shook his head looked back in the direction where she was standing, she was still there.

Kagome stood there with an awed look upon her face. She was simply walking around in a daze thinking about her troubles and then she stumbled across him. She had seen a figure of a man from afar, but hadn't realized who it was until she came closer. It was definitely Bankostu, the leader of the Shichinitai. He looked so peaceful and lost in thought before she arrived, she almost felt guilty for disturbing him.

"I-I'm...sorry." she said as she quickly turned away from him. She was getting ready to leave until...

"Kagome." he said her name. He watched as she slowly turned around, staring down at the ground. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Inuyasha?" he said, trying to keep calm. The thought of the hanyou entering his mind was enough to get his blood boiling.

He noticed that she was wearing the same clothes as she always did, except they were crisp and clean this time. Where did she get such strange garments?

Kagome looked at him. "I was just taking a walk." she explained.

There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other for several minutes without saying a word. They hadn't really been around each other ever since that day the band of seven had her in their custody. It was extremely awkward. "So..." he paused for a moment. "It's been a while, huh?" he said with a smirk.

Kagome nodded and tried her best not to blush. She had butterflies dancing around in her stomach. Though he was the enemy, she found him to be irresistible. "Yeah, I guess you can say that." she replied in a low voice. "Um, I hope I'm not disturbing you, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here." she apologized again.

Bankotsu looked over at Kagome again from the tree he was sitting under. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he couldn't get her out of his mind since that fateful day. Of course he had been with previous women, but she was different. He was often the one to gather up women to bring home to his friends to celebrate a victory. "What are you standing around for? Sit down, will ya!" he said. He watched as she took a few steps toward him and proceeded to sit down almost six feet from him. "What's the matter? I don't have cooties." he joked.

Kagome laughed nervously as she moved closer to him and sat down next to him. She was so tense and nervous, but she refused to let him sense her fear. She had heard that he had killed over a thousand people, he was a ruthless killer, but how come she saw a different side to him? "Bankotsu?" she said.

He looked over at her out the corner of his eye. "Yeah?" That was the first time she said his name, he liked it.

She looked down into her lap. "Aren't you going to kill me? I mean, I'm an easy target for you, right?" she asked strangely. He could easily kill her without a second thought, but he didn't, he was even being nice to her.

Bankotsu stood up and walked a few feet away from her with his arms folded. "What kind of dumb ass question is that? Do you want me to kill you, because all you have to do is say the word." he threatened.

Kagome stared up at him with shock. She hadn't meant to upset him, but he didn't have to threaten her like that. She then noticed that he didn't have his Banryuu with him, which was a surprise. She stood up as well. "I'm sorry okay! But this is weird, I mean, you're the enemy and you're not even trying to kill me. Then we...we..." she trailed off with a blush.

Bankotsu turned around with a smirk. "Oh yeah, that was fun. That's what happens when you get me worked up like that." he said.

Kagome gave him a wry smile. "For a second I thought you were...raping me." she admitted.

"Ha! Why would I have to rape a woman?" he said with a charming smile.

He was right. There probably wasn't one woman in feudal Japan who wouldn't be attracted to him. "I guess you're right." she said while looking down. She looked up once more and she was surprised to see Bankotsu standing right in front of her. She gasped lightly when she found herself staring into his blue eyes. She could feel his warm, sweet breath against her lips and she closed her eyes. She tensed when she felt his soft lips press against hers, kissing her in the sweetest way possible.

He couldn't contain himself any longer. He thought that if he kept talking he could fight the urge to kiss her, but watching her lips move only tempted him to kiss her even more. He wrapped his arms around her small form and she returned the embrace. He slowly slipped his tongue into her mouth and explored her. Their tongues mingled together in a seductive dance.

Where the hell did he go? He had seen him walk into the forest but he was nowhere to be found. Jakotsu sighed and continued walking around the forest. The weather was really beautiful, a wonderful day to visit Inuyasha. Since it didn't look like he was going to find Bankotsu he might as well pay Inuyasha a visit. He continued exploring around the forest. He stopped and looked around when he had heard voices from up ahead. "Huh? Who was that?" he asked himself. Jakotsu gripped his Jakotsutou and walked toward the voice. He quietly hid behind a large tree. His eyes widened in shock. 'It's big brother...and Inuyasha's wench!' he thought. So Renkotsu had been right all along, his mind was on that girl. He should've known from the last time when he had ran off with that wench. He scratched his cheek. 'Geez, am I really that stupid?' It seemed like they had been kissing for a long time, even before he had arrived. It was absolutely repulsive.

For what seemed like an eternity and a day, they finally parted from each other. Kagome rested her head against his shoulder. Her heart was fluttering in her chest and her mind was filled with unwanted thoughts. Strangely, she didn't want to stop kissing him at all, actually she wanted much more. She remained silent. Kagome inhaled his scent and it was nothing like the smell of graveyard soil to her, he was just human.

It was strange. He had never felt these type of emotions in his life, or afterlife. This was all a new sensation for him, but should he indulge in it? He didn't have time for this, he had a mission to carry out. Worst of all, the very girl he was holding in his arms was the enemy. Even so, he felt like he could hold her forever. There was a long, comfortable silence between them until...

"Kagome!" a woman's voice called out. "Kagome where are you?"

Kagome moved away from Bankotsu in an instant. "It's Sango." she said to herself. She then turned back to Bankotsu, who still had a calm look on his face.

Bankotsu didn't care if her friend was coming, she was no threat to him. Kagome on the other hand looked a little pale. "Well, I guess this is good bye, huh?" he said. He didn't want her to leave...not so soon.

Kagome shook her head. "Not good bye. Maybe more like a 'see you later'." she said as she ran off into the direction of her friend's voice.

Bankotsu smirked. "Yeah, see you later!" he said. 'That sounds way better than goodbye.' he thought. He then heard the bushes rustling behind him and turned around. His eyes widened. "Jakotsu, what are you doing! Were you spying on me?!" he yelled.

Jakotsu crossed his arms. "Hmph! Don't yell at me because you got caught! How could you go off with Inuyasha's wench? I can't believe you, Bankotsu!" he yelled back. "I can't believe you would do something so disgusting!"

Bankotsu looked up at his friend. He really must've done something wrong if he upset Jakotsu. It wasn't his fault if he liked Kagome. "Hey, calm down! I'm sorry, but not everyone is obsessed with men like you." He retorted, as he crossed he arms.

Jakotsu gasped. "Oh yeah! Well, at least I'm not canoodling with some scrawny, half-witted girl!" he shot back.

Bankotsu stepped closer to him and they were glaring at each other. A few seconds later they burst out into laughter while falling down to the forest floor. "Ha, ha! What the hell is canoodling!?" he laughed.

Jakotsu laughed as well. "I don't know, it just sounds funny." he continued to laugh. After a few minutes they stopped.

Bankotsu stood up and looked down at Jakotsu. He held out his hand to help him up and he took it. Jakotsu brushed off his light pink kimono and straightened it out. "Look Jakotsu, try not to leak any of this out to the others." he said.

Jakotsu nodded. "Alright. I still don't see why you're interested in her though. You know you don't have time for a relationship." he said truthfully. "Women can be so complicated." he added with a frown.

Bankotsu nodded slightly. "Yeah, I know. Let's just get back to the others." he said as he began to walk off.

"Um, actually, I was going to go see Inuyasha. I can't bear another minute without seeing him." he said with a creepy smile.

Bankotsu looked back at him. "Uh, yeah, okay." he said as he continued walking.

Jakotsu turned around and gripped his hand on his sword. He had every mind to find that wench and slice her into tiny chunks of meat and then feed her to the demons. She was getting in the way of his Inuyasha and now the Shichinintai's plans. He knew that it would hurt Bankotsu, but it was best for them all. If he ran fast enough, he could probably catch up to her.

Kagome ran around mindlessly trying to find Sango, or the campsite. She had heard Sango's voice, but she probably went back to the campsite instead. She was definitely lost now, she definitely took a wrong turn. Kagome sighed heavily and leaned against a tree. At least it was still daylight, but demons lurked around no matter what time of day it was. "I can't believe this! How could I get lost so easily? I'll hear it from Inuyasha for sure." she said. It was best if she stayed in one place. Sango probably went back and told Inuyasha she couldn't find her. He was probably on his way right now.

She turned her head to the sound of bushes rustling. It was probably Inuyasha. Before she saw anyone she saw an array of slinging blades headed her way. She screamed and quickly dove to the side. The blades hit the tree she was leaning against and carved it up. She then looked up and saw the Shichinintai mercenary, Jakotsu, holding the hilt of his sword while the blades retracted.

"Wow, I can't believe you actually dodged that. You were lucky, but let's see if you can keep it up!" he yelled as he flung his sword toward her again.

Kagome didn't know which way the blades were coming from, but she kept running and dodging them miraculously. She landed on the ground, breathing heavily. She glared back at Jakotsu. "Ah, are you insane?! Are you trying to kill me!?" she yelled.

Jakotsu smirked. "Of course!" he said and he lifted his sword up once more. He stopped and his eyes widened slightly. What was he thinking? He couldn't kill her, especially since Bankotsu took a liking to her. He watched as Kagome closed her eyes as he lifted his sword, but he then lowered it. He let out a frustrated sigh. Kagome opened her eyes and looked at him. "What are you looking at, wench!?" he narrowed his eyes. "Don't you have sense enough to run?" he said.

Kagome grunted and stood up with her fists balled at her sides. "Hey, pal, what's your problem?!" she yelled.

Jakotsu pointed his sword in her direction and watched as she flinched. "I don't like you." he seethed. "You're lucky that I don't kill you." he said.

"Oh yeah!" she said with a glare. Though her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest, she stood her ground. She hadn't forgotten about the time that he backslapped her, but she was still afraid of him.

Jakotsu shook his head and sighed again. "I don't see how some men put up with you women." he said.

"Kagome!!!" a loud voice yelled.

Kagome sighed in relief. It was Inuyasha. She couldn't stand to talk to the psycho in front of her. "Inuyasha!" she called back.

Jakotsu smirked. "Well, it's about time." he said.

Inuyasha jumped down from a tree and landed in front of Kagome with his Tetsusaiga drawn. He glared at the strange man before him with a mixture of anger and disgust. He almost let out a low growl. "Kagome, stay back." he said. "It's about time that we end this, eh, Jakotsu?" he said with an angry glare.

Jakotsu still smirked. "Oh, Inuyasha, don't look at me that way, you know that it turns me on!" he said as he licked his ruby red lips.

Inuyasha cringed for second. He was going to pay. "Die you sick bastard!" he yelled as he jumped into the air with his sword.

Jakotsu jumped out of the way at the last minute. He quickly swung his sword toward him and watched as Inuyasha avoided his confusion of blades. Inuyasha landed on the ground once more and his sword began to swirl with wind. Jakotsu knew about his wind scar technique and he wasn't going to get caught up in it. He looked up and noticed a large branch above them sprouting out from a tree. Jakotsu quickly flung his sword toward it and it sliced the large branch from the tree. He quickly jumped out of the way as it crashed to the ground and fled the scene yelling, "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. But I really have to run, I'll be back soon!" he promised.

Inuyasha cursed as he cut himself out of the large tree branch that had fallen on him. "That bastard, I'll get him!" he swore. He turned back to Kagome. "Hey, are you all right!" he asked.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, I got lost, I'm sorry Inuyasha." she apologized.

Inuyasha sheathed his sword. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get back to the campsite. We're going to leave soon and try to find out where those bastards are hiding." he said as he walked along.

Kagome followed behind him. She then had a bad feeling settling in her stomach, almost as if she felt guilty. She couldn't help but to feel guilty. Inuyasha was her friend, maybe even more, and she had betrayed him. She had to stop herself before it was too late, she couldn't see him anymore.

Author's note: Phew I didn't realize the story was this long. Okay chapter three will be up soon...I hope.