Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter One

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Inuyasha grumbled to himself as he waited for Kagome and Sango to finish getting ready. To him, it felt like they had been brushing their hair and fixing little details on their outfits for hours. Girls he thought why do they have to bother so much.

"Because we want to look nice for you Inuyasha. You wouldn't want to travel around with too girls that didn't look good." Kagome said, throwing Inuyasha way off.

"Did you just read my mind?" he asked a little startled.

"No, I'm just really good at reading your expressions." Kagome replied with a small laugh.

Eventually they were ready to leave their camp, but Kagome and Inuyasha got into a disagreement about where to starting looking for jewel shards. Kagome wanted to go to the mountains; they hadn't been there in a long time. But Inuyasha wanted to head deeper into the woods.

"Inuyasha! I'm the only one who can see the jewels, don't you think I should have the final say!" Kagome yelled.

"No. You're just acting stupid Kagome, I know what I'm doing!" Inuyasha yelled back.

"Inuyasha, maybe you should just listen to Kagome." Sango said calmly. She knew that this could only end in a sit.

"No! We're going into the woods."

"Sit!" Kagome yelled, then in a sweet tone bent down to his level, "Alright Inuyasha, we'll go into the woods."

Inuyasha didn't like the tone of her voice. I sounded like she as planning on attacking him in the middle of the night or something. But he tried not to look worried and led everyone through the woods in silence.

"Kagome. What are you going to do to Inuyasha." Sango whispered.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kagome said in a falsely sweet tone. Sango laughed a little bit, and was thankful that she never got on Kagome's bad side.

While they were walking Miroku slowed down his pace a little bit, so he was walking behind the two girls and Shippo jumped on Kagome shoulder. "Shippo. Give me warning next time." Kagome complained a little bit.

"Kagome could you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"I don't want to lose my favorite string while we're in the woods, will you hold on to it for me?"

"Your favorite string?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah it's really lucky."

"Alright." Kagome took the string that Shippo had handed her and tucked it in to her backpack.

"Oh! And I just wanted to warn you." Shippo whispered in Kagome's ear.

"Warn me about what?"

"Miroku."

Kagome turned her head slowly and noticed that Miroku had been watching her and Sango's butts the whole time. "Pervert!" Kagome screamed and punched him in the stomach.

They all walked on for a few more hours until they came to a cave. Then sun was starting to go down so Miroku suggested that they could use the cave to make camp, but Kagome immediately protested.

"I don't want to go in there." She said.

"Do tell me your afraid." Inuyasha said.

"I'm not. I just have a really bad feeling it."

"Kagome stop acting foolish. We need someplace to stay."

"What's wrong with sleeping outside."

"No Kagome." Shippo said, "It is going to get really cold tonight."

"You see." Inuyasha said. "Now come on." He reached for Kagome's arm, but she moved out of his reach.

"I'm not going in there!" Kagome yelled. Sango, Shippo, and Miroku moved out of their way, they knew that this was going to be a big fight.

"Kagome! Stop acting like this!" Inuyasha yelled, then he grabbed Kagome and tossed her onto his back and started to walk to the cave. "You're going inside, then you're going to see that there is nothing wrong."

"No Inuyasha." Kagome yelled. For a few minutes she didn't know what to do, she didn't want to yell sit because then she would fall to the ground too, so she reached up and grabbed his ears and pulled as hard as she could.

"Stop it. Owwwww!" Inuyasha yelled, but he didn't let go of Kagome.

She felt a little guilty, but knew that it was the only way to get Inuyasha to let her go. So she pulled even harder.

"Ahhhhh!" Inuyasha screamed, and he finally threw Kagome to the ground. "Bitch. Fine stay out here, and see if I care." He yelled as he walked into the cave.

Miroku, Sango, and Shippo stared at Kagome in silence for a few seconds. They didn't want to go into the cave and deal with an angry Inuyasha, but they didn't want to stay outside in the cold. So they carefully walked into the cave.

Kagome watched the sun go down and started to feel the bitter breeze on her legs, but she didn't regret staying outside. A small voice in her head told her not to go inside that cave and she listened to it.

Eventually she found a semi-comfortable spot on the ground and tried to sleep, but she couldn't. The coldness kept waking her up. Then she heard a twig snap. She sat up quickly to see where it came from, and found her self face to face with Inuyasha. He was sitting next to her.

"Here." He said, and he wrapped a blanket around her.

"Shouldn't you be inside the cave?" Kagome said a little sarcastically.

"You shouldn't be sleeping outside on your own and unprotected." He replied, then he closed his eyes.

Kagome laid back down, but stared up and Inuyasha. He was trying to sound like he wasn't concerned about her, but Kagome saw right through him. You should let your sweet side out more often Inuyasha. Kagome thought. After a while she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Inuyasha listened to the sound of Kagome's breathing until he was sure she was asleep, then he opened his eyes and looked down at her. She looked vary peaceful when she was asleep. He felt a need to reach out and touch her cheek, but decided not to, he didn't want her to wake up.

Eventually he laid down and turned his head to look at Kagome. He could see that her eyes were moving around under her eyelids. I wonder what she's dreaming about. He thought to himself. Kagome's lips started to move and she mumbled something, but he couldn't understand what she was saying.

He rolled over on to his back and closed his eyes so he could go to sleep, then he started to dream.

*Inuyasha's Dream*

Inuyasha stood in the middle of a camp that the group had set up. Sango was bent over a bowl of water looking at her reflection; Miroku was standing by some tree looking up at Shippo, whom was sitting on the lowest branch.

"Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, but nobody paid any attention to him. "Where's Kagome!" He asked a little louder and still nobody paid any attention to him.

"Inuyasha. I'm right here." He heard Kagome's voice behind him, but when he turned around, he only saw Kikyou.

Kikyou started to talk to Inuyasha, but he only heard Kagome's voice.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" The Kagome/Kikyou person said.

"Who are you?"

"Silly Inuyasha, I'm Kagome." She walked over to give Inuyasha a hug, but he was distracted by the sound of Sango screaming.

"Sango, what's wrong?" He asked.

*End of Inuyasha's Dream*

Inuyasha sat up and realized that the screaming was not a part of his dream, Sango really was screaming. He looked at Kagome and saw that she was already starting to stand up.

"Sango! What's wrong?" Kagome screamed as she ran into the cave, followed by Inuyasha. They were both shocked to see that Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were gone. That stunned them though. Neither Inuyasha nor Kagome had seen them running out of the cave in between the time of Sango's scream and now.

"Inuyasha, can you smell them?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha sniffed the air and was shocked that he didn't smell anything. "No." he said, "I can't smell any of their scents."

Kagome tried not to look too worried. How could they have left with out either of them knowing, and how could they leave without leaving a sent behind.

"Come on Kagome, let's get out of here." Inuyasha said and he grabbed Kagome's hand and led her out of the cave.

"What happened to them?" Kagome asked, she was in a little bit of a daze.

"I don't know." Inuyasha said, "we'll have to look in the cave in the morning."

*That Morning*

Kagome and Inuyasha didn't sleep for the rest of the night, so when the sun came up they were able to immediately start looking in the cave.

The inside of the cave didn't really help them. Sango, Shippo, and Miroku's scent weren't anywhere and the cave dirt looked like it hadn't been disturbed. As far as they could tell, nobody had stayed in the cave ever.

"How could this have happened?" Kagome asked herself.

"I guess we should have listened to you a little more last night."

"How are we going to find them?"

"I don't know Kagome. There is no trail for me to follow. It's like they were never here."

*Somewhere Else*

Sango opened her eyes and let out a groan. Her head felt like it had a deep crack going down it. Did something hit it she asked herself. After a few minutes she was able to gather enough energy to sit up. The room she was in was very dark, but there was enough light to see a little bit.

Miroku and Shippo were in the corner; they looked like they were knocked out. She turned her head to the side, normally she could move with out any effort, but for some reason every time she moved her body parts screamed in pain.

After a few more moments of regaining her composer she was able to notice that there were bars next to her instead of a wall. She was in a cage. "Inuyasha! Kagome!" She yelled out, but they didn't answer. "Anyone!" She screamed. She tried desperately to recognize anything that would tell her where she was, but nothing came to her mind.

"Sango." She heard the faint voice of Shippo.

"What Shippo?"

"Where are we?"

"I don't know." Sango tried not to let Shippo see the tears coming from her eyes. The last thing he would need now would be to see fear in her face.

"Where is Kagome?" He asked.

"I don't know Shippo. I don't know anything." She turned her head away from Shippo and closed her eyes. Kagome we need help. Kagome. She thought. It was her silent plea for help.

*Back with Kagome and Inuyasha*

Kagome sat down on the ground next to a tree and closed her eyes. She tried to think of someway to find Sango, but had no clue. They had disappeared without a trace. Kagome we need help. Kagome she heard Sango's voice ringing in her head. "Sango?" She whispered out loud.

"What?" Inuyasha asked.

"I thought I heard Sango's voice."

"Which way was it coming from." He asked looking around.

"In my head."

Inuyasha looked at Kagome for a second then got an idea. "Kagome, I know a lady who could help us."

"What?"

Inuyasha sat down in his dog position so he was face to face with Kagome. "When I was little, there was an old witch that lived in a village not far from me. Parents would go to her when their kids went missing."

"Would she be able to help us?"

"I don't know why not." Inuyasha said.

Kagome thought about it for a moment. They didn't have any other choice and the voice Kagome heard sent chills up her spine. "Ok" she said, "Lets go."

Inuyasha picked Kagome up and set her on his back. "We'll get there a lot faster this way." He told her and then started running in the direction that he thought the witch lived. It took them almost all day to get to the old village that Inuyasha was talking about.

"Inuyasha?" A thought suddenly hit Kagome when Inuyasha set her down.

"What?"

"It has been over 50 years, do you think she will still be alive?"

Inuyasha thought about it for a moment then said, "Yes. All my life, she seemed ageless. She was old, but she never got older."

Kagome followed Inuyasha as he walked through the village and seemed determined to find the house that he was looking for. It didn't take them very long; Inuyasha had a really good memory.

"Kagome." He said when they stopped in front of a small house. "Do you have anything that belong to Sango, Shippo, or Miroku?"

"Let me look." Kagome set her backpack on the ground and started to dig through it. She was about to give up on finding something until, at the very bottom, was the string that Shippo had handed her.

"I guess it really is lucky." Kagome muttered as she handed it to Inuyasha.

"Ok, come on."

Inuyasha led Kagome into the witch's house. It smelled a little odd. It smelled like several different herbs and perfumes had been used here. There was only one window, and for some reason it didn't let in very much light.

"Hello Inuyasha. I haven't seen you in a while." Came the sound of a raspy old voice.

"Hello Lady Lei." Inuyasha said in a soft tone. Kagome turned around and saw that there was a very old lady sitting in he coiner of the room.

"Who is this?" Lei asked, looking at Kagome.

"This is Kagome." Inuyasha answered.

"You've picked a very beautiful mate Inuyasha."

Kagome smiled a little bit. She thinks I'm beautiful. She thought.

"We need to ask you a favor." Inuyasha said.

"What is it Inuyasha?"

"Some of our friends have gone missing. Could you help us find them?"

"I will try." Lei tried to stand up on her own, but she looked like she was having trouble, so Inuyasha grabbed her arm and helped her. She walked to the middle of her room where a large pot was sitting. Kagome tried to make out what was inside, but she couldn't tell. It looked like silver colored liquid.

"Kagome." Lei pulled Kagome out of her thoughts. "You may sit down next to me." Kagome looked at Inuyasha, who nodded, and sat on the floor next to Lei.

"Do you have something that belongs to them?" Lei asked Inuyasha.

"Yes." He handed Lei the string but kept standing. Lei hadn't offered him a seat, so he stade the way he was.

Lei took the string and tossed it into the pot of silver liquid. After a few moments of nothing, Kagome started to see a picture form. It was Sango sitting next to Shippo and Miroku. They all looked like they were badly beaten up. Miroku even seemed to have a broken arm.

"I can see the ones you are looking for." Lei said. "They are in a dark place, a cage."

"Can you tell where?" Inuyasha asked in a respectful, but urgent way.

"Somewhere in the mountains there is a small castle. They are trapped in the dungeon."

"Do you know who kidnapped them?" Kagome asked.

"No. But you will need to find them soon. If three days go by and you haven't gotten them out. One of them will be killed."

"Killed." Kagome held back a tear. "By who?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry."

Kagome watched the picture of her friends grow fainter and fainter until is was finally gone. "That is all the information I can give you." Lei said to Kagome.

"We should go get them." Inuyasha said. "Thank you Lady Lei."

Inuyasha and Kagome started to leave the house, but Lei stopped them. "Inuyasha, I need to talk with you."

"Oh, ok."

"Kagome, would you mind waiting outside." Lei said.

Kagome nodded and walked outside. She was a little happy to get some fresh air and sunlight. She sat down near a tree and watched some little kids playing a game. She didn't know what it was called, but they were trying to toss arrows through a ring while it was being tossed in the air.

One of the arrows flew a little to far and landed near Kagome. She picked it off the ground and walked over to the kids. "You should be more careful." She told them.

"Would you like to play?" One of the small girls asked.

"Alright. How do I play?"

"Just try to shoot an arrow through the ring when it is up in the air." The little girl said.

Kagome played with the kids for almost an hour until Inuyasha tapped her on the shoulder, "Come on Kagome, we should go."

The kids wined a little bit when Kagome told them she was leaving, but she didn't pay any attention to them. Inuyasha had an odd look on his face. It was something like being sad, tired, and having pity all in one.

"What did Lei want to talk to you about?"

Inuyasha hesitated a little bit before he answered her, "You."

"Me? She talked about me?"

"Yeah."

"What did she say."

"It was nothing important Kagome. Just nevermind. We'll talk about it later." Kagome could tell that he was trying very hard to change the subject. "We should head for the mountains now. I guess you were right all along."

*End of Chapter One*

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