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To Your Enemies...

Part of the Hair Excursions series by Tifa Tyndal

Summery: There, he's done it. Naraku has captured Kagome. Yet, in one odd way, he's underestimated her.

Disclaimer: Ok, so I don't own Inuyasha. So sue me. Wait! No! Don't sue me! Please?

Spoiler Warning: Uhm. I don't think that there really is any spoilers. Oh! You should know who Kanna is and... of course who Naraku is. And knowing about Kagome would be nice also... heheh. But if you've started Inuyasha and you haven't heard of any or some of these people you may promptly believe that I have made them all up.

Author's Note: Yay! This will be my very first updating story!... kinda. This is going to be a series on what seems to be a very important issue to the people in Inuyasha: hair. All the fics here will be about hair some way or another. They might not share anything more in common. Though... it might be interesting to do a sequel if people want one... Oh! And this one here is not in any way, shape, or form romance. Just thought you might like to know that. So, my Author's rant-er-note has gone on long enough. I shall let you get on to one of my favorite things I've ever written!

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He'd captured her, he'd actually done it. Right under Inuyasha's nose too.

I bet Inuyasha is furious, Kagome thought to herself as she casually eyed Naraku's newest castle. The windows were covered heavily giving Kagome no idea of where she was, and since she had just woken up she knew she would never know how to get back, if she ever so wished.

The air was thick with dust yet still extremely dry. Kagome didn't figure that the fact that the castle was made of splintering wood was helping any. She sneezed. The place seemed so abandoned. It wasn't though, Naraku sat still in the middle of the room. He was forming "puppets" so carefully and precisely that he didn't even seem to notice when Kagome sat up.

"Uhm," Kagome mumbled before she could stop herself. She was still groggy from being knocked out by Kagura's wind and it was taking her a bit to come back to earth... or where ever she was.

As Kagome slowly blinked to get her bearings she wondered silently what Naraku was going to do to her. If only I could find a way to... Kagome struggled to express in her thoughts what she wished to achieve. She supposed that she wanted to pacify him, do something nice for him. Keep him from having an urge to kill her or something like that. What could I do to put him in a good mood-Ah Hah! A small smile crept on her face and she turned in search of Kagura. Kagome found her leaning up against the wall looking bored and resentful.

"Kagura..." Kagome started quietly walking up to her. Kagura turned slowly to her and Kagome lowered her voice to a whisper that she supposed Naraku wouldn't even be able to hear. "Would you please get me a bucket of warm water? Any container would do, really."

Kagura looked at her suspiciously.

"If you do this for me I can almost guarantee it will put Naraku in a better mood. Please?" Kagome looked at Kagura anxiously.

Kagura sighed and gave in. "Alright," in a flash she was gone.

Kagome smiled at the place Kagura was and went in search of her bag. She hadn't taken it off all day and she guessed that it had ended up at the castle with her. She was pleasantly surprised when she found it in the corner looking as if it hadn't been touched. With much effort she dragged it to a spot about three to four feet behind Naraku and sat cross-legged beside it, waiting.

Kagura arrived a few minutes later with a basin of softly steaming water. Kagome quietly motioned for her to put it down directly behind Naraku. Carefully Kagura did so then quickly retreated against the wall to wait and see what this strange girl was doing.

Kagome shot a smile in Kagura's direction and set to work. First she cupped her hands and lifted a small amount of water up before sprinkling it in the air to settle the dust. After seeing that the air around her was mostly dust free she shuffled through her bag. Triumphantly pulling out a small bottle of perfume she poured a small amount into the clear water, effectively filling the air with a light fragrance.

Breathing in deeply Kagome saw Naraku's shoulders tense. Her breath caught but Naraku didn't turn around so she continued carefully. Ever so gently she reached out and took Naraku's hair in her hands and placed the bottom half of it in the water. Then, taking a small empty bottle from her bag she wetted the rest of his thick, gnarled, hair. A few flies and other small bugs that may or may not have been lice (Kagome determinedly didn't think about that) flew out of his hair as she poured the fragrant water over it.

Once his hair was satisfactorily damp Kagome retrieved a bottle of shampoo from her bag. She poured a rather large amount into her hand and lathered it into her arch nemesis' hair. It took a bit it get the lather going, so oily was his hair (she doubted that he had ever gotten it washed). So, after she had washed the best she could she rinsed his hair once again using her small bottle to reach the upper half of his hair. It was a slow process that made Kagome's arms ache but she continued determinedly, knowing that this, very well, may be her last hope.

Once the suds had been washed away she washed it a second time. This time the oil had already been washed out and she was able to wash the dirt out. The water turned black with the grime that had once inhabited Naraku's wavy mane.

Kagome stared down at the water. No way was this water going to serve it's purpose anymore. Tensely, she brought her eyes over to Kagura's spot against the wall only to discover that Kagura was once step ahead of her. Quickly, Kagura replaced the first tub with a new one.

Kagome smiled her thanks and poured a little more fragrance into the water. Following that, she rinsed his hair again to make sure it was clean then went looking for the conditioner that she knew was in her backpack.

The whole time that Kagome had washed Naraku's hair he had sat perfectly still. Nary moving a muscle, as if he was paralyzed. Kagome pondered this as she pushed a few packages of Ramen aside in her search. She had always enjoyed it when her mother had washed her hair when she was younger and still enjoyed washing her own hair. It was something about the warm water running down her scalp, neck, and then settling in her hair. Then after her hair was clean she just felt like a whole new person. Everyone loved a good hair-washing She supposed that Naraku wasn't any exception.

Finally Kagome held up her bottle of lavender-scented conditioner. Once again a large amount of substance would be needed. She filled her hand with the sweet-smelling, moisturizing conditioner. Once she actually got it in his hair she could hear an almost inaudible gasp from her subject and, figuring that the conditioner was cold, slowly added some steaming water to his hair. Her response was a sigh that she was sure Naraku didn't mean to escape his lips.

After massaging the conditioner in well, Kagome let it sit for a few minutes while she searched for a comb. Since she had spent the good part of the last hour with his hair in her hands she knew first hand that his hair was a tangled mess. She would need the conditioner as a lubricant in order to properly detangle the hair. Once she found her comb she slowly and gently set to work on the mass of snarls. Starting on the bottom Kagome slowly worked her way up his hair handling it more carefully than she had anything in her life. One uncomfortable tug could spell death for her.

It took another hour but Kagome finally managed to comb Naraku's hair to be so soft that it felt like a newborn's soft tresses. After rinsing out the conditioner Kagome herself was at awe at how amazing Naraku's hair could look. It was even more beautiful than Sesshomaru's. It was soft and thick and wavy and... it smelled so good. Kagome smiled happily at her handiwork and then taking up her comb and a small towel alternated between combing his hair and patting it with the towel. Soon it was dry.

Finally, as a last touch, Kagome took out her brush and brushed his hair until it was smooth and shiny. Kagome was downright proud of herself. In all the other times she had seen him his hair had clumped together from the dirt and oil and looked downright disgusting. But now, now it looked perfect.

Slowly Kagome put her things back in her bag then held her breath, waiting for a response.

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Naraku decided that he had never enjoyed anything so much in his life. Who knew that the simple task of getting one's hair cleaned would leave one feeling so refreshed? The only problem was that he was now in her debt. She seemed to have cast some sort of spell over him and for just a couple of hours he was in bliss. There was only one thing left to do.

"Kagura," His deep voice didn't have it's usual malice. "Please escort Miss Kagome back to her friends."

Kagura didn't even bother to hide the shocked look on her face. Neither did Kagome. Nevertheless, they both got up and prepared to leave.

"Oh, hold on," Naraku stopped them and quickly got up, slipping a piece of cloth over Kagome's eyes. "We can't have you telling anyone where our hide-out is, can we?"

Kagome seemed to resign herself to that and shrugging, let Kagura lead her out of the castle.

Naraku went back and sat in his usual spot in the center of the room. He called Kanna in so he could keep an eye on Kagura and Kagome's trip. Meanwhile he went back to the task he had abandoned: making his "puppets". After a while, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kagura let Kagome off some fifty feet from her friends and in a spur of the moment decision he told Kanna to follow Kagome.

He saw Kagome slowly making her way to her friends' campsite and witnessed the happy reunion. After the initial excitement Inuyasha and the others began to question Kagome and after she replied timidly Inuyasha seemed to get really angry. Pretty soon Inuyasha was face down in the dirt in the fashion that Naraku had seen so many times but never understood. It filled him with pleasure nonetheless.

Naraku dismissed Kanna and fingered his hair, sighing deeply. Kagome had really done a good job. And he had repaid her. They were even. That stupid little girl had outwitted him that time.

Still... his hair smelled so good.

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"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you."

-Luke 6:27, The Bible, New International Version.

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THE END

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So... here it is! I actually wrote this right after I had just taken a shower and washed my hair. You see, I have very long and very thick hair so even though I'm not a professional on hair care I have had quite a bit of experience with it. I hoped you liked it... or at least thought something of it. Even if you despised it, thank you so much for taking the time to read my writing! God Bless! -The Author