Chapter 11- A race against time

By the way, in case you didn't know, I do NOT own Inuyasha and I never will!

"Inuyasha…I am sorry. I could not protect her." Miroku looked away from them both.

"WHAT????? I know she's not dead. I can still feel her!" Inuyasha spat his words.

"She is not dead. He took her. A dark miko came and bound Kagome's powers. They took her and she could not fight back. She is helpless!" Miroku was very upset.

"FUCK! I should have been there! This can't be happening!" Inuyasha fell to the ground. "KAGOME!!!!" he yelled into the air, knowing she could no longer hear him. 'Please be ok, Kagome. I will get you back if it's the last thing I do. Just hang on'

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It had taken a lot of convincing to keep Inuyasha from trying to follow Nakazo immediately. Inuyasha wanted to find Kagome so badly, but the others were able to remind him of what he already knew - he would never be able to find Kagome that night. He was still human, and he, along with every one else, was hurt. However, no matter what the others told him, Inuyasha refused to sleep. He couldn't stop worrying about Kagome, and it upset him even more that he could no long tell what she was feeling. She was most likely unconscious now.

Together, Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku helped everyone that was hurt as best they could, having to contend with being hurt themselves. Luckily, no one had been killed. Inuyasha and Isane had the most serious injuries, and they would recover in a day or two at most. Isane had bled a lot and was still unconscious, but when he did awaken, he would be in serious trouble, judging by the way Inuyasha was glaring at his sleeping form.

'Kagome, please be all right! I will come for you as soon as I can.' Inuyasha thought sadly as the sun started to rise. He felt his powers returning, which was fortuitous, as he was hurt quite badly. It was then as Inuyasha's demon blood started to return, that he remembered what Myouga had told him not long ago. 'I am so stupid. I didn't even think about that!' he mentally berated himself.

FLASH BACK……………..

"Share my blood? If that's what I have to do, then that's fine with me" Inuyasha went to run back into the hut when the flea yelled at him.

"WAIT my lord! There is more to it, than just giving her your blood. You have to give her a lot of your blood to help her, which will knock you out in the process. She may not even survive; it is very painful for humans. She may not be able to handle the changes, but, since she is a miko, she should be ok. Also, once you do this, you and she will be bound to each other forever, or until one of you dies! This would make Kagome live the same life span as a hanyou. She would still be a human, of course, but she would heal faster and be stronger then most humans. In addition, her miko powers might become more powerful also. However, it means that you and Kagome can never leave each other's side for more than a few days at a time. After that, you will start to feel the pain of withdrawal from your blood, and so will she. It will get more painful by the hour after it starts; if you are not back together within 24 hours after the pain starts you will both die! Another side effect of doing this is that you will know what the other is feeling at all times. This means that if you feel sad, no matter how far apart you are, she will know. Are you ready to let her know how you are feeling at all times my lord?" Myouga sounded a little worried as he said these things, but watched Inuyasha closely to see his reaction.

END FLASH BACK……….

"SHIT!" Inuyasha said, loudly enough to wake Miroku and Sango. They sat up quickly, from where they slept within Kaede's hut.

"What is it, Inuyasha? What happened?" Miroku asked looking worried. After what had occurred the previous night, he was on edge.

"We have to find Kagome right now!" Inuyasha yelled, as the last of his demon blood reentered his body. He was healing quickly now, and would be able to search for Kagome, but he was not yet at full strength and he knew it.

"Inuyasha, I agree that we must find Kagome as soon as possible. However if we rush out to find Nakazo when we are not well enough, we won't be able to help her! Please be calm for a little longer. At least wait until Isane is up. He may be able to help us figure out where to find Kagome." Miroku said in a stern voice. Sango looked worried. Miroku could tell that Sango wanted to run out and find Kagome as badly as Inuyasha did.

"Look I don't have time to waste sitting around here waiting for everyone to be better! Don't you remember what Myouga told us?! If Kagome is away from me for too long we both die!!" Inuyasha was mad, worried and somewhat scared. He needed to find Kagome. "If I have to go alone, then I will! I am not leaving her with that asshole any longer than I have to!" he added.

"Inuyasha is correct. If he and Kagome are not together within a few days, they could both die! We have to find her as soon as possible!" Sango had tears in her eyes, but held them back. She didn't have time to cry right now; she needed to find Kagome. Kagome was like a sister to her and Sango couldn't lose her.

Inuyasha walked over to where Isane slept. His wounds seemed to be healing well. Inuyasha yelled in his ear "WAKE THE FUCK UP!" Isane jumped up and then winced in pain. He had transformed back into his human like form after being stabbed and knocked unconscious the night before.

"What happened? Where is Kagome??" Isane said looking around, confused. He did not know what was going on and stood up slowly, despite the pain.

"SHE WAS FUCKING TAKEN BY NAKAZO!! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?" Inuyasha spat at Isane. He was beyond angry now. "You said that you would help protect her! You said that she would be able to keep him from hurting her! You promised me that she would not be hurt!" Inuyasha stormed

Isane looked sad and deep in thought. "Why would he take Kagome? Why not just kill her? Unless….." his beautiful green eyes widened with a look of horror on his face.

"UNLESS WHAT????????" Inuyasha looked ready to kill.

"Well, he needs Kagome to kill Naraku. It is possible he intends to turn Kagome evil in order to get her to help him. If he can do that, then they would be unstoppable!" He looked away from the group. 'I should have been able to help her more than I did. I didn't even get to hit him more then once! What good am I?' Isane thought sadly.

"KAGOME WILL NOT TURN EVIL!! There is no way he could do that to her! She is too pure!" Inuyasha yelled at Isane, who still would not look at him.

"I hope you are right, Inuyasha, because Nakazo would be far too strong with her as an ally. I know she is pure, but if the shards she has become tainted, there is no telling what it would do to her. The jewel is very strong." Isane said.

Inuyasha grabbed Isane's hair and pulled it, causing him to look Inuyasha in the eyes. "WHERE THE HELL DID HE TAKE HER?"

"I am not sure. I have not been able to find him since I came to talk with your group the first time." Isane thought for a moment. "If we knew what direction he was going, perhaps we could find his scent and follow it from there."

"Well they headed in that direction." Miroku pointed to the place he last saw Kagome. "However they disappeared, so who knows where they are now," He was upset about losing Kagome. 'All that training, and she never got to use it,' he thought sadly.

"He disappeared? Hmmm" Isane turned in the direction Miroku pointed. "I know that trick. He used it on me many times when we were young. He can't have gone far that way. If we follow that direction we should come across her scent soon. Maybe once we get closer, Inuyasha will be able to sense where she is."

"Fine. We are leaving now!" Inuyasha said, then looked at Shippo who was sitting in the corner of the hut. He hadn't slept all night either. He didn't even talk. He was too upset about Kagome being gone and him not being able to help her. "Shippo, I want you to stay here."

Shippo sniffled. He had been crying all night quietly. "No! I want to help!" he yelled.

"You are needed here. The injured need help. Can you do that?" Miroku asked, hoping that would keep Shippo from feeling left out and also from being hurt.

"Yes, I will help here until every one is well. But you had better bring Kagome back, Inuyasha!! Or I will never forgive you!" Shippo added that last part to show how much he missed her.

"Feh! As if I would come back without her!" was all Inuyasha said before turning around and heading out of the hut. The others followed him slowly. They were still hurting. Sango was the worst at the moment. She was in no condition to be fighting, but she said nothing about it.

"Sango, perhaps you should stay here with Shippo and help the others. You are still hurt." Miroku said what Sango had been hoping he wouldn't.

"NO! I will not leave Kagome with Nakazo! I am fine! I will ride Kirara, don't worry about me. Let's go," Sango said, as she got onto Kirara, who hadn't been seriously injured in the fight. Kirara had been helping Inuyasha and Sango during the fight, but most of the demons had been focused on the others, not on her.

Inuyasha didn't say anything as Isane turned back into a panther and walked beside him. Isane was moving slowly, but he would be ok. He wanted to help Kagome. Inuyasha had nothing against Isane, and in truth he even was starting think of him as a member of the group, but right now his thoughts were only of Kagome.

"Do you smell him at all?" Inuyasha asked the panther, who shook his head no. "Neither do I. We have to find her, we don't have time to run around in any direction. There has to be another way to find her, damn it!" Inuyasha said as he started to run in the direction Kagome was last seen. The others followed at his pace with Miroku riding Kirara beside Sango.

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Kagome awoke in a dark room in what appeared to be a hut. However it was much bigger than an ordinary hut. She looked around her, trying to understand where she was.

"Inuyasha?" she called out, hoping he would hear her and tell her that everything was all right. She hoped that everything that had happened the night before had been just a nightmare, but she was wrong. Inuyasha didn't answer; in fact no one did. Kagome stood up, noticing the bit of sunlight coming into the room. She walked toward the light, and saw it was a window, with a cloth over it. She moved the cloth and looked outside. The sun was shining brightly. She could see grass and trees, but nothing other than that.

'Is it morning already? How long have I been sleeping?! Where am I??' Kagome became scared as she realized that she didn't know where she was, or what was happening. She ran toward the door to leave. It was also covered with a cloth and she moved it away and went outside. Kagome didn't get far however.

"And where do you think you're going?" came a woman's voice.

Kagome knew this voice, as she had heard the creepy woman talking to her the night before. Kagome turned around and saw the dark miko sitting on a rock not far from the hut. She looked bored.

"I…um…where am I?" Kagome asked, unsure of what to do.

"You are within Nakazo's home, though he does not come here much. He lived here with his mother, I believe. Not that it matters anyway. You aren't going anywhere until he says so," the dark miko said, with the look of boredom still on her face.

"I don't understand. Why did he bring me here??" Kagome asked, sounding desperate. She knew she could not use her powers, and without them she could do nothing to stop Nakazo. 'I hope Inuyasha is doing better than I am. I know he is still alive. I can feel he is angry and even a bit scared' she thought, waiting for the very annoyed dark miko to respond.

"That you will have to ask him. I don't know, nor do I care. He told me to watch you and make sure you don't leave and that's what I am doing. Now if you would just shut up and go back inside, it would make my job a lot easier." Then the dark miko yawned.

"MAKE YOUR JOB EASIER??? You are joking right? You expect me to just go inside and be quiet????" Kagome yelled loudly. The dark miko did not seem to appreciate it.

"If you have a problem with that, then I will just have to make you go back inside!" She spat at Kagome, then jumped off the rock where she had been perched.

Kagome decided her best course was to run, hoping to find Inuyasha. So she turned around and ran with her new faster speed, but she only got about 10 feet away when the same black energy from the night before surrounded her. Kagome screamed in pain and fell to her knees. The pain stopped and she turned to see the dark miko laughing at her.

"Did you really think it would be that easy??" She laughed louder. "You thought you could just run away?"

"It was worth a try!" Kagome said angrily. "What the hell are you doing to me anyway??"

"The energy that keeps you from moving is caused from the scroll on your chest. Or did you forget that your powers were bound?" She laughed again. 'At least I am not as bored at the moment,' she thought and smiled.

Kagome reached up and touched the scroll, which was hanging over the jewel shards, so that she couldn't see them. Her hand snapped back. It was like touching fire. "Take this thing off me now! When Inuyasha finds you he is going to rip you apart!" Kagome snapped. She couldn't believe she'd said that, but she had meant it and hoped Inuyasha would be there soon to make good on her threat. Yet again the dark miko was laughing at her. How a person could go from completely bored to having the time of her life so quickly was beyond Kagome. She sighed, waiting for what she knew would come.

"You really thought you could just take the scroll off??? HAHAHA" The dark miko was now enjoying herself. "You should know by now that nothing is as simple as it seems when it comes to Nakazo. He is very good at deceiving people. If I were you, I would keep that in mind," the dark miko said, with a serious look on her face.

'Is she trying to help me? No, that can't be right. Though she reminds me of Kagura the way she just follows his orders without care as to why. Maybe he has a hold over her somehow,' Kagome thought. "Why are you helping Nakazo? What is in it for you?"

"That is none of your business! If I were you, I would go inside, as I told you to do, before I decide to cause you some more pain with the scroll on your chest." She smiled.

"How did you bind my powers anyway? I didn't think it was possible to do such a thing. It must require a lot of power to do" Kagome said, hoping that flattery would get her an answer, and it did. The dark miko was so easy to predict, it was sad.

"Yes, it does require a lot of power by the caster. I have great powers, and that spell is increasable in itself. I do not need to do anything to keep your powers bound, It does it all by itself. The black energy, however, I DO control, so don't piss me off." The dark miko grinned evilly. "We were told of the spell by an ally of ours and had been trying to find the one who created it ever since Isane came to your group about our plans. The creator, however, is dead now, but we got what we needed from him." Another evil grin crossed her lips. "Not that knowing any of this will help you in any way. You still cannot remove the spell. In fact since I put it on you, I am the only one who can remove it. Now go back inside. Nakazo will be coming soon for you, I am sure."

The dark miko climbed back on her rock and looked bored again. "By the way, there is a spell covering the windows and all other ways of leaving this hut. If you try to leave you will regret it." She leaned back on the rock and sighed. 'He better come soon. I don't like being a babysitter,' she thought unhappily.

Kagome frowned at her, thinking it was probably best not to try and run away again, since she wouldn't get far without pain. "I am hungry." Kagome told the dark miko, realizing that she didn't know the other's name.

"There is food in the hut. If you had looked around a bit more before you tried to run away, you would know that," she replied, lying on the rock, still not looking at Kagome.

Kagome nodded and went back inside. 'Maybe she is lying about the spell around the hut. It's worth a try, right?' she thought to herself, as she reached up and tried to place her arm outside the window, which suddenly appeared to be more like a hole in the wall with a cloth over it than a window. Kagome was thrown backwards and hit the ground hard. 'Guess she wasn't lying. Ow,' she thought, rubbing her backside.

She heard laughing from outside. "I told you so! Maybe next time you will listen to me!" She laughed again before becoming quiet.

Kagome looked around the hut and saw the food the miko had spoken of. It was some fruit. 'This will do, I guess. I wonder if it's ok to eat this. I guess he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of bringing me here if he was going to poison me,' Kagome thought as she ate some. 'I hope Inuyasha finds me soon.'

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After 4 hours of traveling, Inuyasha finally felt Kagome awaken and she didn't seem happy. Now that he could sense her feelings, he had an idea of the direction they were coming from, thanks to Kagome having his blood now.

"I think we are going the right way. I can tell Kagome is awake now. She seems to be angry and worried. I think I may be able to find her by sensing her," Inuyasha said, a bit more hopeful.

"Inuyasha, we need to rest for a bit. Kirara needs to, at least, get something to drink. We are still hurt and Isane doesn't look so good. Now that we have a better idea of where she is, can we at least eat something?" Miroku asked. He was worried about Sango, who didn't look good. She had lost a lot of blood the night before and hurt her left arm pretty badly as well.

Inuyasha didn't like the idea of stopping, since it seemed that Kagome was still far away, but he too needed to rest for a bit. "Fine. We can stop to eat, but that's all. And then we move out!"

"Inuyasha is right; we need to hurry. We are in a race against time. We may be more then a day away from them by now and we can't afford to have Inuyasha and Kagome separated that long," Sango said, but she was also in pain. She did need to rest for a bit.

Isane, now in his more human form, sat down beside Sango. He was in a lot of pain, but since he was a demon his wounds were healing quickly. "Inuyasha, what do you expect to do when we find her? We will not be able to just walk right up to her and take her back. He is strong, as are his allies. We may have met one, but there are others that are even worse than she is. We are not prepared for such a fight at the moment."

"I know that! But what do you want me to do? Leave her there???" Inuyasha spat at Isane angrily. "We will figure it out when we get there. For now I just want to find her," he said, a bit more quietly.

Miroku stood and opened Kagome's yellow bag, which they had brought along with them to carry supplies. He pulled out some ramen and handed it to Inuyasha, then went to start a fire. Kirara was in her smaller form sleeping. She was tired and they were not nearly done for the day yet.

'Kagome, you had better be alright!' Inuyasha thought to himself as if she could hear him. 'We are going to find you soon.' Even the ramen he held in his hand didn't help to make him feel any better. He was lost without her.

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Well that is chapter 11. Sorry it took so long to put it up but I have been busy. I will try to write the next chapter this weekend.

This chapter was proof read by Bonnie217.