InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forbidden To Love ❯ Captured ( Chapter 1 )

Author's Innocent Ramblings:

Okay, this is definitely going to be a different fic. It is definitely a strange idea, and I have no idea where I came up with it, but I like the scheme. Instead of doing my usual AU fic, this is going to be WAY out there… Inukag, of course. Well, not necessarily a Inukag romance, but conflict between them. I may add romance here and there... of course, you all know me... ^_~ All right, this is just the prelude, so I won't tell you the core plot of the story, just background, okay?

**words in italics are important names (people, places, or objects)

Main Summary So Far:

Kagomeis one of the last of her race, the Mikos, the other race that lives on the cursed remnants of the planet Earth along with the Youkai. They live in a the sacred city of Dimetoria (in coexistence with a small group of Humans andYoukai who protect them), an ancient and secret underwater village in a secluded area of Earth's largest ocean, Huria. (Remember, this is in the far off future, so everything has changed) It is the last standing village of their race, and has remained a secret for 2000 years, until one of the Miko prisoners of war gave away the village location.

A famous prophet of the Miko race uttered an unfinished prophecy 3000 years ago that began the quarrel:

"When all is lost and hope has died within the hearts of men, a union of darkness and light shall recreate the world. They shall rectify your sins and live to-" (off with the head! Tee-hee…)

…before he was killed (and advanced form of the Guillotine… ouch >.<). The Youkai and the Mikos hate each other and are constantly battling with one another. The rest of the plot will unfold as the story goes on.

Extra Note:

The Mikos have developed into an underwater race, after the many millennia of seclusion in the depths of the ocean, meaning that they can live underwater. Their true forms are like that of true humans, but have developed the ability to transform into a mermaid-like state; basically-from the waist down is a fin (think Ariel from "The Little Mermaid", people) They can easily transform into a back and forth, and use this ability to sneak around the Youkai cities. Their shape-shifting abilities and sea colored hair and eyes when transformed have caused the Youkai to believe they were a genetic defect from long ago. The base reason of the quarrel between the two races is that the Youkai believe that the Miko are the lesser, weaker race, and don't want second best living on their planet, Earth. The real reason is they are scared of the prophecy from 3000 years ago. They essentially want to wipe out the other race, and the Mikos are just fighting for their lives, but, if necessary, will kill as many Youkai as needed. The Mikos have the same abilities as the Humans once had, except they can't stay out of the salty waters of Huria for more than three days.

More Stuff That You Need To Know:

The Mikos live inside "domes" where they walk around like Humans, and take a salt-water shower every day to keep them in top health. The reason they live in these domes is because it makes it easier to hide the city with a force field on a dome then in the water. You'll understand more about it later on. The race of the Humans have not died out; they live as slave for the Youkai and have promised to kill off the Miko in return for peace between the weaker race and the powerful race.

Major Characters (more to be added):

Kagome: 19, black hair, blue-grey eyes, freedom fighter for her people, the head general for the last of the Miko army, hates the Youkai for what they did to her family, fights with a staff she created from a collection of her powers, father was killed by a Youkai when she was an infant

Inuyasha: 20, silver hair, gold eyes, general of the 2nd Youkai army, heir to the throne of the reining Youkai Kingdom, taught to despise the Miko because they "aren't suited to live on the planet of the Youkai", fights with a sword (this is NOT the Tetsusaiga), mother is dead, father is dead, left in the care of Naraku when he was young, the head advisor to the Youkai Council.

Naraku: black hair, red eyes, conqueror of the Humans, head of all operations concerning the conquest of the Mikos, head advisor to the Youkai Council

Kouga: 24, Second in Command next to Kagome, good friend, has a "thing" for Kagome ^^, black hair and blue eyes, Youkai, freedom fighter like Kagome

Sango: 22, also Second in Command next to Kagome and Kouga, good friend, black hair brown eyes, Human, freedom fighter as well, fights with her boomerang, orphaned by Youkai

Miroku: 23, Kagome's cousin, father was killed by a Youkai when he was 14, has a "thing" for Sango *wink wink*, Human, has a LOT of jobs around the city…

Kikyou will come in later… she's only mentioned here.

More Important Ramblings:

Shippou will pop up, but isn't going to be a major character. I'm still thinking about Sesshoumaru's role… other than Inuyasha's brother, of course. What happened to Kagome, and her family will be revealed later. Okay, now that you know all this info, I'm going to get along with the story. Hope you like it!

~***~***~

"Hime-sama."

The princess's head turned slightly, looking towards the small intercom. The metal device was attached to her wall but a few feet away from where she resided on her bed, but she did not get up, nor did she answer. She closed her eyes irately, turning her head from the box to face her window, her expression a clutter of dull emotions.

"Hime-sama."

She opened her eyes slowly, watching a school of fish swim by her line of vision, their sliver skin catching a stray ray of florescent light from her room and glittering happily. Her lips turned upwards in a small smile.

"Hime-sama!"

Her hands slammed down on her bedside table, stiffly standing and strutting over towards the intercom in swift, rigid strides. "Yes?" she answered, her smooth, well-practiced tone covering the irritation threatening to burst forth from her voice.

"Hime-sama, our radars have confirmed that a small fleet is approaching the city, just as you had predicted. They appear to be not-heavily armed, and seem to only be scouting the area."

The princess was silent. Of course they were approaching the city. Of course they were only scouting the area. Of course it was what she had predicted.

"Hime-sama?"

"Yes, continue," she replied, her tone of voice even, sweet, and flawless. It had to be.

"What shall we do?"

She paused, her attention distracted by a soft flutter outside her window. She turned, her long gown swishing lightly against the carpet of her room, her grey-blue eyes softening at the stunning colors of the schools of fish fluttering in the waters on the other side of the circular glass. So beautiful, so elegant… so simple.

"Please, Hime-sama."

"Just as I had planned. Call out a troop of about thirty. I will be there momentarily," she replied, her eyes falling back to focus on the iridescent that was freely glistening outside of her room.

"Of course, Kagome-hime. We will-"

Kagome's finger flicked up and cut the connection before the officer at the other end had a chance to complete his sentence. She stood there, her eyes still trained on the fish outside of her window, watching with a slight glimmer of playfulness in her eyes, until they swam from view.

Her eyes fell sad as she watched their colors blend in with the murky depths of the ocean, her joy fading with their glimmering scales. Sighing softly, she turned from the glass and walked towards her wardrobe. Was this how she would spend the rest of her life? Locked here, in her room?

Her eyes narrowed. No. This was why she was princess, so she could change it. Her children would not have to be caged as she was, not have to fear attacks on the city day by day, would not have to see their friends and relatives one day and hear of their death or capture the next. She was going to change it.

Kagome's slender fingers brushed over the familiar surface of the wardrobe's engraved handles, grasping them firmly and pulling open the double doors to reveal her royal armor.

The princess flipped her long, dark hair up in a bun and secured it with a few pieces of long, sharp coral while humming a forlorn tune of the past. The young woman grabbed her amour and pulled it over her almost bare chest, smoothing down the thin, transparent shirt underneath. Her nimble fingers glided over the smooth protection of the silver material, and she snapped the armor shell firmly into place over her breasts.

Kagome drifted over to the pool in the center of the garden and sat down on the edge of her salt-water pond, frowning at her image in the watery mirror. Her amour didn't really protect that much of her bare skin, considering that it was just a little larger than her bra, but was designed that way strictly for better maneuverability. The only thing covering her arms and belly was the tight, silvery shirt that she wore underneath it, slippery and smooth but tough as any armor. She snapped the clasp of her belt, which held a small dagger securely in a small scabbard around her waist. Satisfied with the position of her small blade, she sat down on the edge of the pool.

Her blue-grey eyes stared down at her reflection in the water, frowning softly. How many more years would this battle go on? Ten? One Hundred? One Thousand? It could even end tomorrow, as it was impossible to tell. A strand of obsidian fell forward from her bun, obscuring her line of sight. Kagome sighed and tucked it back behind her ear, looking down into the pond mournfully.

Was this her role in life? To follow in the footsteps of her ancestors? To battle? It couldn't be. She wouldn't let it be.

With another sigh, she flicked the water with her finger, watching the wrinkles of water ripple outwards from the disturbance she had created. Her reflection wavered. Why was it, though she could see glimpses of the future, that she could not predict or see any of her own future? Perhaps she would not let herself see, in fear of seeing the failure of her race. In fear of seeing the failure of her own life.

Snorting at the image in the water, she swatted it away with her hand, the ripples undulating outwards and breaking against the lilies floating on the top of the clear pool. She shouldn't be crying over herself. Reaching down and plucking her seashell weapons from the bottom of the pool, she stood up. Hanging a collection of sharpened shells from the bottom of her teal and silver breastplate, she grabbed her staff and walked out towards her small party of militia awaiting her outside.

Kagome walked out of the thin, liquid-like layer of the dome and immediately began to transform, a warm sensation flowing through her body. Closing her eyes, she felt her legs melt together and the scales prickle her senses as their rapid growth swept up her legs. As soon as felt the last scale develop and her fingernails grow longer and sharper, she dove gracefully to the bottom of the cliff with practiced ease and shot out of the cave with renewed speed.

Noticing one of her generals to her left, she took a sharp turn and swam towards the browned-haired woman who was securing her hair in a high ponytail. "Is the small party of thirty assembled for the sneak attack?" she asked as soon as she reached the military officer.

The human nodded, pulling the strings of her hair tie tight and her expression turning serious. "Hai, Kagome-hime."

Kagome smiled at her friend. Even if they were as close as Siamese twins, Sango still had to refer to her as the princess when they were in battle or around other soldiers. Sango brushed her dark auburn hair over her shoulder and continued, her chocolate brown eyes focused on the deeper murky waters ahead of her. "I can't wait to see the look on their faces when we sneak up behind them. This is definitely going to change the flow of the tide. Of course, a brilliant plan, Hime-sama."

Kagome couldn't contain her smirk. "Thank you." She paused a moment before leaning towards her friend and whispering, "Where's Miroku? He couldn't come?"

Sango stiffened at the mention of the princess's cousin; her expression falling from her previously resolute expression into a scowl. "The letch will be missing out on this one, I'm afraid," she replied, her tone closed and uptight.

Kagome couldn't help but chuckle at her friend's bad-tempered air. No matter what the warrior said, her warm relationship with Kagome's perverted relative was impossible to ignore, even though their sweeter moments tended to end abruptly with a slap. 'When will that idiot of a cousin every learn?' Kagome thought, sweating a bit. "Where is General Kouga?" she asked suddenly, blinking and looking around for her other second in command.

"Here," came a voice from behind.

Kagome swerved around to smile at two happily twinkling sapphire eyes. "Kouga-sama," she said, smiling softly at his arrival.

Kagome and Sango nodded upon his arrival. "Hime-sama," he regarded her respectfully, "Looking as beautiful as ever." Kouga containing a smirk as she bowed her head slightly and blushed. Her armor was as stylish and cleavage showing as ever, he noted with a raise of the eyebrow. The silver, enchanted wristbands she wore around her wrists could deflect any amount of concentrated youki thrown at her, making them a powerful ally in her melee combat.

There was no doubt in his mind as to why he was in love with the Miko princess, with her spunk, outwardness, and obvious beauty. His hands itched to touch her smooth, flawless skin and wrap her gentle figure in a familiar embrace. However, because they were in the presence of lower subordinates, he was unable to address her with the usual kiss to the cheek and less formal greeting. "Are we ready to go?" he asked promptly.

Kagome nodded with a short, "Of course," and twirled her staff, smiling as her fingers expertly spun her weapon. Turning to Sango, she added, "Gather the men so that I can talk to them."

Sango nodded curtly and ushered the men over to their head in command, crossing her arms and watching them with a critical eye. In the beginning, each one of them had disapproved of Kagome's position as general, believing that no woman could hold such an important fighting position, but their minds quickly changed as soon as they saw her in the heat of battle. Now all of them would proudly follow her into any combat, confident that they would arise victorious, for none had ever seen a miko with such powerful abilities as she.

"Make sure not to disturb the water too much, and keep your power suppressed. They might not have the best hearing underwater, but they can still sense fluctuations in your presence, so suppress it well or it might mean your life." Kagome waited for everyone to nod in acknowledgment. "These are our waters, so use it to your advantage." Finishing her quick pep talk, she nodded brusquely and they all quickly saluted her.

Kagome turned to her two colonels and smiled encouragingly, gripping her staff tightly. They nodded, both returning the gesture with smiles of their own, their anticipation for battle showing on their faces. With a brief jerk of the head, their small band of thirty set out into the darkness.

The group of allies raced through the water, their highly developed, sensitive ears attuned for any noises in the water. Kagome looked at the small radar she held in her hand and her expression fell serious. "There they are, over there," she whispered to her generals, pointing east. They, in turn, looked at their radars and nodded in agreement, preparing their battle plan.

~*~

Inuyasha and his small band of twenty were swimming through the depths of the Huria Ocean with their new diving technology. It was a pill they took which allowed them to breathe underwater for about 12 hours, allowing them more time to look around and the freedom of their usual bulky equipment. They were searching for the Miko's underwater city, the one they found out only weeks ago that they were secretly living in. Inuyasha was definitely certain that there was one, because they couldn't keep coming back at him and his army unless they had a base of some sort. It was just common sense.

The only damned problem was that they just didn't know where the hell it was.

He noticed a dim light not too far ahead, noting that it was probably from the city, or some kind of underwater civilization. He silently pointed towards it, motioning to his men to follow him. His brows furrowed as they drew ever more closer. Something was wrong. They had never come this far and gone unnoticed before.

As they progressed through the sea, Inuyasha heard the soft rustle of something rushing through the water from behind him. His hands itched to touch the hilt of his sword. Something was out there.

He turned and looked around, but saw nothing but a school of fish. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he proceeded forward, his ears perked for any sure sign of a Miko, shrugging of the previous noise.

Within seconds, a spear came slicing through the water, piercing the Youkai swimming next to Inuyasha, his blood oozing out of his back and obscuring the water with a dark red haze. His eyes narrowed and he hissed, "Shit."

Inuyasha didn't need to alert the other Youkai as more spears and underwater arrows barraged the search party. "Everyone look out, they're attacking from all sides!" The water began to cloud with red, and the clarity of his vision slowly decreased until all he could see in the murky waters were shadows.

It wasn't more than two minutes before half of his men were already out of the fight. He continued to shout encouragement to his men as they tried to move out of the way of the objects that they couldn't see. With about six men left, Inuyasha was about to sign the retreat when the arrows and spears suddenly stopped shooting toward the Youkai. Inuyasha's brow furrowed uncertainly. Where were they coming from? If only he could find their source of attacks, he might be able to escape with the few Youkai he had left.

Inuyasha motioned upwards for the few who could see, and they cleared out of the blurry haze of crimson into clearer water. He pressed a button on his belt that sent a silent alarm to his troops stationed on the boats above him. Realizing how far underwater they had traveled, Inuyasha only hoped they would arrive in time to save the last of their troops.

Before he could shout out an order, they were swarmed by a small band of thirty allies. "Put your hands up and drop your weapons!" shouted one of the soldiers, aiming a bow at Inuyasha, who flexed his claws with a smirk.

He didn't even have to blink before he slashed his claws at the vulnerable human, vaporizing him in seconds. Urging on the rest of his party, he rushed at a second one, his claws ripping relentlessly through flesh, clouding the water once again with red. He continued to attack, backed up by the last Youkai left in his party, the attack party of allies slowly dwindling.

Inuyasha continued to fight them off with his claws, slashing through one and rushing to the next. He felt victory at his fingertips until the unsuspecting arms of an unnamed figure grabbed Inuyasha by the neck and pulled his arms up painfully behind his back. Inuyasha snarled, his lips curling over his fangs as he pulled at the small arms wrapped around his arms and neck, but they surprisingly held tight and strong. "Quit struggling, Youkai, unless you want to get yourself killed," an icy, high-pitched voice hissed into his ear. "You wouldn't want that to happen, now would you?"

A growl reverberated in Inuyasha's throat as he broke forcefully out of the tight hold and sharply turned around to face his attacker. "Where the hell…?" he hissed, finding nothing but the absence of the warrior. He looked around to find no one, clenching his fists in annoyance. The other allies snickered, holding all of his men in enchanted cuffs. Inuyasha sneered at the weak Youkai. Dammit.

He pulled back his claws to attack again, when a searing pain shot up his spine, causing his muscles to go rigid in shock. He felt himself fall forward, his nerves stunned as he looked over his shoulder.

The figure twirled her staff expertly, wearing a confident smirk. Now he could see who it was by their slender, finely shaped figure. The finely shaped figure of a woman. Inuyasha growled. "Kouga," she said, "Escort the prisoners to the Dungeons. Make sure they're blind folded." The water was too clouded to make out the details of her face. "I'll take care of this one."

The one named Kouga nodded. "Yes, Kagome-hime."

Inuyasha gaped at the woman who had attacked him with suppressed astonishment. This woman was the princess of the Mikos? He expected her to be tucked away at the city, far from harm. She looked like she was in her late teens. Then again, she could have been in all of the previous attacks on his search parties. After all, none of them lived to tell the tale. "You're the princess, eh?" he mocked, enjoying the surprised look on her face.

Inuyasha's lips quirked upwards into a smirk. "I would have never guessed that the Mikos were so pathetic that they would send out their own princess to fight their battles for them," he scoffed, watching her frown. His scowl transformed into a smirk as he continued. "Of course, you are idiots, I suppose..." he spat at the woman, disrespect and spite coursing through his words. He watched as she frowned distastefully, angered by his words.

The princess whipped her staff around; hitting him across his face so hard the impact split his lip. He hissed as the salty waters touched his cracked lip, a small trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. "I don't know why they sent such a weakling like you to look for Dimetoria," she spat back at him, mimicking his mocking tone.

Inuyasha snarled. "I'm not the weak one, bitch. I could kill you in an instant if I wanted to," He retaliated, furious that he was getting this kind of shit from a woman. It didn't matter though. They weren't far now.

She glared at him spitefully. "You'd better watch who you are talking to, you-" she was cut off when she heard the rustling of the water, the sudden impact of the youki hitting her full-force. "What?! More of them? Our radar didn't detect them!" she exclaimed, a shocked look overtaking her facial features. She quickly turned to Kouga. "Knock out the Youkai and leave them! Swim as fast as you can to the city! You and Sango make sure to cover your tracks on your trip back, because more are approaching this way! Be quick and don't be seen!"

She gripped her staff in preparation for combat. This was it. This was her chance to make a difference. "Don't worry about me," she added, her expression turning serious.

"But we want to help you!" Sango shouted.

"If you want to help me, then go where it's safe!" she yelled, her severe expression shocking her two colonels. "I can take care of this! I want you to protect the city if anything happens, now go!" Kagome faced the oncoming enemy.

When her friends didn't move, she yelled with more force, "If you are caught, that will only cause more pain!" Kagome turned to Sango, who was shocked. "Please! Go! I don't want to loose my friends!"

Kouga's expression hardened in defiance. "Kagome, now is not the time to play heroine, dammit!" He had already lost his sister in battle, he wasn't about to loose her.

Kagome's face softened at his concerned tone, but she couldn't allow it. "As Hime of Dimentoria, I order you to do your duty!" Both Sango and Kouga's expression were reluctant, but they nodded and began to swim off.

A huge party of about sixty Youkai approached Kagome. The Youkai she had previously been fighting smirked as his comrades appeared behind him, his confidence renewed. "There's no where to go, little girl."

Kagome bit her lip, concentrating on her powers. If she could concentrate enough, she could probably purify enough of them to escape without harm, but her odds were beginning to slim as she saw more appear behind him. "No…" she whispered.

"Don't waste your time, you damn morons!" he barked out as soon as they arrived. "Follow those two! They're headed for Dimetoria!"

Three of the guards saluted and raced after the pair of escaping the battle, smirks evident on their expressions.

"No!" screamed Kagome, her voice cracking in fear and desperation, forgetting the other approaching youkai and rocketing in front of them. "You will go NO further!" she hissed the grip on her staff tightening. A familiar feeling began to pool at her fingertips as she felt the ancient power of her distant ancestors flow through her veins; the purifying power of the Mikos. Closing her eyes, she focused the energy through her fingers, into the staff's central power core, the crystal. The pale jewel nestled at the end of her staff began to glow softly, energy forming in its center and seeping a warming pulsation of light into the murky waters surrounding the princess. The light spread to her features, illuminating her angry and determined expression. "Kiyomeru akari no mikojin…" she whispered, chanting her spell in a flat, smooth monotone of perfection.

The guards stared in shock and began to swim backwards in fear. They may not of known what she was doing, but they weren't stupid. They knew what kind of powers the Miko race possessed. Before they could get far, Kagome's eyes shot open, her smoky blue orbs hardened and cold as ice. "SHINU!"

The jolt of purifying energy shot forward, headed straight for the youkai soldiers, emitting a bright flash of light as it came in contact with the corruption of their bodies. The three youkai screamed in agony as the purification spell consumed their bodies, disintegrating every inch of corruption left in their souls and tearing mercilessly through their bodies.

Some fifteen more youkai approached the princess, and she realized she was far too outnumbered. Kagome's eyes remained cold, her grip on her staff not lessening in the least as she continued to chant, the glow of the jewel flickering back to life.

As some fifteen youkai approached Kagome, she realized that she was far too outnumbered. She desperately swam backwards so she could buy time to cast another spell in a ditch attempt to buy more time for her friends. Kagome held out her staff, waving her right hand in circles over the blue orb on the tip of it. The orb began to emit light as she thrust it forward with a powerful cry, "!" A beam of light temporarily blinded the pursuing youkai as she tried to make a run for it.

Before she could swim very far, a foot shot out and dealt a powerful kick to her head, her body pitching forward as pain flowed from the wound and shocked her nerves. Kagome curled up, clutching her throbbing temples. She felt a sting as the icy cold salt water touched the new open wound on the back of her head. She shakily turned to face the attacker, her head spinning. "If you come any closer, I'll kill you!" she screamed, holding out her staff as youkai surrounded her.

Inuyasha smirked. "Try." The little miko was backed into a corner, and there was nothing she could do. Inuyasha knew it, and so did she. The miko whipped the seashells off of her armor, their sharp tips glinting maliciously in the light, and threw them at Inuyasha with lightning speed. He dodged all but one with ease, the last grazing across his left arm a leaving a small trail of blood in its wake.

Kagome smiled as she saw her success, her hands clenching into tiny fists, but his laughter stopped her. "It's not so easy to gain the upper hand when your opponent isn't cuffed, isn't it?" he said mockingly, not even taking notice to the blood slowly leaking from his arm.

With a blast of rage, she pulled out the two sharpened pieces of coral from her hair and threw them at him. He only watched them approach with a small smirk. Raising his clawed hands, he caught them both easily, not at all surprised or bothered at the cuts they left on his hands.

Furious that she couldn't hit him, she used her advantage of speed against him and rocketed towards him, swinging her staff as hard as possible towards his head. The youkai just smirked at her, raising one hand to block the attack with his forearm.

"Just give up," he mocked, grinning. "You can't win."

Snarling, she whipped her fin around with a strong battle cry and whacked him powerfully in the head, his surprise at her sudden attack evident in his expression. Kagome took her opening, shooting off away from the group of youkai, leaving them in a state of shock.

Inuyasha clutched his head as the miko sped away in a desperate attempt to escape, her loose raven hair whipping out behind her. "After her, you idiots!" he barked at his soldiers. "We need her if we are going to find out where Dimetoria is!"

Guards were already there, blocking her path of escape. Kagome didn't let off any steam and continued forward, forcefully slamming into them with her forward momentum. Two of them dropped back from the impact, but the other three grabbed her arms and waist, momentarily halting her. Her brow furrowing, Kagome threw the guards off her with little difficulty and whirled on them, her hands splaying outwards and blasting them with a surge of purification energy.

Inuyasha took this time to generate small self-molding cuffs in his hands, a frown on his features. If she thought she was getting away with this, she was wrong.

Flinging them at her, they clamped themselves on the girl's hands, throwing her staff out of her hands. She gasped as guards swarmed her, immediately forcing her arms to her sides and tying them down, preventing her from punching. "NO!!" she screamed, twisting and rolling as she tried with all her might to get the restraint off of her, knocking a few youkai out of the way with her violent thrashing.

He swam over to her and pulled out his sword, letting it glint threateningly in the dim light. Kagome didn't let her fear show as she growled at the head youkai. "Go ahead, kill me. You won't get any good out of it, you bastard! In the time it takes you to kill me, reinforcements will have already arrived."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. She was brave, for a girl. And powerful. Too bad she wasn't a youkai; she would make a great warrior, fearless and strong. He looked her over, despite her snarls of remonstration. She wasn't too bad for a human, even if she was a miko. Her firm, tight muscles, told him that she was definitely a fighter, and a good one. With a closer look, he realized that she bore a strong resemblance to someone he knew a long time ago… "Don't be stupid. I'm not going to kill you," he sneered, her face full of surprise.

"You won't?" she asked, her voice touched with a strong sense of distrust.

"Not yet. We need you to find that lost city of yours," he replied, calmly. Kagome's eyes widened and she jerked at her restraints, pulling on the youkai holding onto her ropes as she got up in his face, a scowl molding her features. He only grinned.

~*~

From behind the coral, Sango ripped her daggers out of her belt. "Kagome-chan!" she cried, ready to burst into the battle. Kouga held her back, holding onto her waist and throwing a hand over her mouth. She ripped it off and whispered, "What do you think you are doing?! Kagome-chan is going to be taken prisoner!"

Kouga looked at Kagome, the both of them making eye contact, Kouga's eyes solemn and concerned. She shook her head no, her expression pleading. "Kagome… doesn't want us to help her."

"What?! Are you mad? She needs our help right now!" Sango hissed frantically, gripping her daggers with white knuckles.

"No. Kagome doesn't want us to intervene," he stated calmly. "The best thing to do is to get back to the city and warn the others. Her mother will know what to do." With a pause, he added, "Kagome will not die."

Sango slowly resided and sighed deeply, watching her friend with worried eyes. "Fine. I'm only listening to you because you know her best…" she said with a sigh, her tone yielding. "I hope you kow what you're doing."

Kouga frowned, sending Kagome a last longing look before turning with Sango to swim back to the city. "Believe me, Sango. If I could, I would save her. I love her too much to let anything happen to her."

Sango swam silently with him, gazing at him with a restrained look. She said nothing.

~*~

Inuyasha raised his sword to strike her, but was mildly surprised when Kagome began to smile. "I'm not that easy to defeat!" Concentrating her power, she drew her power to the center of her being, then shooting it out throw her hands with a cry. Bright purple light erupted from her hands and broke the chains.

"What?" was the last thing Inuyasha uttered before her fist came in contact with his jaw.

Wasting no time, she reeled back and slugged him, sending his body hurtling towards the ocean bottom. Seeing her opening, Kagome grabbed her staff and spun, hitting the guards in one graceful arch. Bunching her muscles, she bolted towards the opening in the coral.

Inuyasha touched his cheek tenderly and growled. She wasn't going to get away that easy. He grabbed a spear and gave chase.

Swimming almost underneath her, he aimed carefully and flung the spear upwards, shooting in front of her and surprising her to a halt. Smirking, he used her distraction to catch up with her, swimming in front of her to face her head on.

A stunned expression swept over her face, but it was only visible for a second, before she replaced it with a smug look. "No closer, you hear me?" she hissed through clenched teeth, holding her staff out in a defensive position. She was quickly running out of energy, and probably didn't have enough to do more than a simple purification blast.

Inuyasha tried to grab the girl's arm, but she was too quick in the water, retracting her forearm out of his reach and narrowing her eyes at him. Inuyasha growled again. How was he going to get her? Because of being in the water, he had no way of using his full strength, and wasn't as fast as she was. The only way to beat her was by surprise.

The silver haired youkai began to punch and kick at her, forcing her into a defensive position. He forced her back towards the coral, continuing his assault. Kagome continued to defend herself, until she felt something poke her in the back. For just a second, she swiveled her head around to look at the coral that she had run into. She could see him raising his sword up as her eyes shot from the coral reef behind her to her opponent in front of her. Before Kagome could register what was happening, Inuyasha used all his strength and slammed the flat side of his blade into her temples.

Inuyasha smirked as the Dimetorian princess fell limp and began to sink down to the bottom, her tight grip on her staff slacking and dropping it, a small trickle of blood coming from the side on her head. Inuyasha grabbed her waist as she tumbled downwards and kicked her staff towards the guards, beginning to bark out orders to the officers. "You! Take a few soldiers and scan the area for any others. The rest of you, come with me to the surface. Do it!"

The officers scrambled to do as they were told and Inuyasha headed to the surface, the princess held underneath his arm. He looked down at her peacefully unconscious face, smirking. "Well, Hime-sama, it appears that

~*~

Sango had to hold Kouga back this time as he fought harshly to assist his friend. They had only half-heartedly swam a few meters, Sango begging Kouga to turn back to check up on their friend. What a mistake that had been.

"Kouga! Don't be blind! Kagome-chan will not speak, she won't tell them anything! It's best to wait and consult with the rest to Dimetoria instead of running out there and risking the lives of the rest of the party!"

He continued to struggle, growling obscenities underneath his breath. "That fucking bastard… wait 'til I get my hands on you for fucking touching her!" he snarled, "I'll tear you into so many pieces…"

Sango pulled heavily on his armor. "Kagome-chan would rather you didn't! Listen to me! Kouga! Stop it! KOUGA!" she cried, trying not to be too loud.

Kouga continued to fight against her, but eventually relaxed as the group of youkai disappeared towards the surface. Sighing noticeably, he turned his head to the side, whispering, "I guess you're right. Let's go back and notify her mother."

Sango nodded and the two led the small party back to the city to inform the rest of the rest of Dimetoria of their princess' departure and to think of a plan to get her out.

~***~***~

What do you think? I was hesitant about the last part, with Inuyasha capturing Kagome in the first chapter and all... I hope that you like the idea! ^_^ I decided to make it so that Kagome had someone she cared about a lot back where she lives because it adds more flavor to the story… you know? ^_~ I don't intend to make Kouga a jerk in this fanfiction. I wanted to portray him more in character, because he really does love Kagome. Their love is just more profound in this fanfiction because she doesn't have anyone else holding her back… like Inu *cough cough* yasha…