Disclaimer/ Author's Note: I don't own the Inuyasha series obviously. And I hope you enjoy! Please review. Makyoh means magic mirror. Momiji's are maple trees.

""

Pelt of death, hair of night, eyes of hell; the living nightmare they had come to know as Naraku. And as Inuyasha tore through the momiji forest following the scents of death and sakura his mind tried fitting the pieces together. Why had Naraku gone through such lengths to capture both his Kikyo and Kagome only to leave a trail that would lead him straight there? The hanyou knew it was a trap. His mind playing horrible scenarios one after the other, but none prepared him for what he saw once he past the last momiji tree.

As the wind blew the red leaves from his vision he saw Naraku perched upon a cliff with a smile that made his skin crawl. The worst part of it all being his Kagome and Kikyo tied on separate strings hovering over a river of miasma that would surely kill them if they fell in.

"Inuyasha you have finally come," Naraku addressed taking his place between where the two ropes were fastened, "I've always wondered something."

"Give them back!" The hanyou growled pulling out his father's fang.

Instead of complying he extended both his pale palms before him until a small fire formed in both of them, "I shall give you a choice," the fire danced on his flesh giving him the appearance of a devil, "I shall give you one life in exchange for the other."

Inuyasha's mouth hung slightly before he corrected it. If only he waited for his companions, but no he was too damned worried to listen to reason which he would bet his yokai blood was what Naraku was counting on.

"So quiet," Naraku looked over his shoulder, "Which one of you do you think Inuyasha will choose? Kagura," the wind rider landed at his feet in a respectable kowtow, "Remove their gags. I want to hear them scream." She did as told disappearing as quickly as she arrived.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed. Looking back the day had started out simple enough. She would make ramen, Inuyasha would take the rest of Shippo's, then she would make him sit, and the demon slayer and monk would laugh. Then she arrived. She introduced herself as Makyoh, an accomplice of Naraku.

Makyoh resembled a princess with her ivory skin, vibrant blue eyes, and make up. Even the off the shoulder ripped yakuta she wore looked marvelous. Her light pink hair was done up in a double bun except the one on the right hung half loose. In her right ear dangled a long coiled earing resembling a mirror.

"If Naraku sent you," Inuyasha bared his fangs, "Then I won't show you any mercy!"

"It is you who should be begging for mercy!" she ripped the earing out of her ear plunging it into the ground causing mirror walls to raise out of nowhere separating all of them. Kagome tried to shatter them with her bow, but it didn't work. Not willing to simply give up she kept going until she bumped into Inuyasha. Or at least who she thought was Inuyasha.

She realized the error of her ways once Inuyasha spoke in Makyoh's voice, "I've got you now!" Kagome was then knocked unconscious waking up just as Inuyasha arrived.

Kikyo on the other hand was approached by a wondering traveler claiming that the demon Naraku was destroying his village. With haste she followed the stranger to this cliff sight. She notched an arrow ready to strike Naraku dead when an arm passed through her shoulder from behind. The traveler had actually been a demon. Tricked she too ended up like Kagome, "Inuyasha," she didn't really want to die again, "In the name of the relationship we once had please save me!"

"Don't save her," Kagome for one had actually never experienced death and didn't plan to today; "She's already dead Inuyasha! She has no future I on the other hand do!"

"Inuyasha you must choose one to live. The one you don't choose will die as simple as that. And I will give you to midday to decide."

"What!" Inuyasha snapped, "That's in what? Ten minutes!"

"Or I could kill them both …" Naraku smiled. He enjoyed watching Inuyasha have to actually contemplate the answer and if by some twist of fate the rest of the gang showed up and saved both the mikos Kagome would from this day forward always doubt the hanyou. Just the thought of that was reason enough to remove Makyoh's seal and go through all the trouble of setting up this little game.

In his mind either of their deaths would be most appreciated. He knew the logical choice would be to save Kagome, but he had a distinct feeling that the hanyou was still very much attached to his clay bitch to simply do the logical thing. And also with Kagome dead Kikyo would be weaker since Kikyo was already borrowing soul from Kagome as it was. It would in fact be to his benefit if Inuyasha choose to save Kikyo.

"Inuyasha!" they screamed from their strings neither able to move. The rope had been laced with dragon blood and since dragons are closer to the heavens than mikos are their powers would have no effect on it.

Midday would arrive in a minute. He would have to make a choice. As fast as he could he categorized the time he spent with both of them, how attached he was to them, and how far their relationships got. True Kikyo was dead, but what he originally loved about Kagome was that it was like Kikyo coming back to him from the beyond. He wished Kagome and the others knew Kikyo before all this happened.

She used to smile at him and every time their eyes met her heart would pick up as her cheeks flushed. Whenever someone needed her she always came to help no matter how small or big the challenge. Her beauty was on par with that of any human princess and she was as sought after as she was revered. She never attacked without being provoked and her lips tasted of something other worldly.

"Inuyasha!"

Naraku saying his name made him snap out of his fantasies, "Have you made a decision yet?"

"Kagome you have been everything I ever wanted in a mate and the only thing I wanted in a mate was Kikyo. Which is why," he began to cry, "I … I chose Kikyo!"

Said priestess looked at her reincarnation. Both were actually quite surprised with his answer. Kikyo turned to Kagome mouthing I'm sorry. Swinging her body as close to Kagome as she could she erected a barrier around her hoping to the kami's that she wouldn't die. Kikyo had wanted her dead in the beginning, but with her death thrown in her face she had a change of heart. Kagome and she were connected in a way that most would never be. Kagome was the part of her that lived on.

"As you wish Inuyasha." Naraku removed the fire form one palm while using the other to attack Kagome's ropes. Laughing he pulled Kikyo up, untying her, and thrusting her into Inuyasha who caught her stiffly.

"Let's play again sometime Inuyasha. But first let's watch her die."

Kagome began to fall. In that instant she knew her life was over. She quickly reached out for the last sensations of life she could. The air smelled of corpse, poison, and something that made her want to vomit. She felt the wind blow through her hair fast enough to send her tears skyward. She heard herself scream as she got closer. She saw the miasma encroach and when she was close enough she could almost taste the poison it gave off.

And then she felt nothing but pain and heard nothing but her ear splinting screeches as the river carried her body away.

""