p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Inuyasha growled lowly, shifting slightly from foot to foot, all too eager to start slicing through Naraku's flesh. Admittedly, Naraku did have a tendency to draw things out a bit during confrontations, but Inuyasha was in fine form and more impatient than ever./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""You bastard! What have you done with Kagome?! She better not be hurt, or else you're gonna pay!" he snarled and his massive sword reflected midday sunlight in an angry beam. Sango was atop Kirara, posed for battle alongside a determined Miroku. I stayed crouched on a branch, swathed in my mate's barrier, watching the preceding anxiously. Naraku had given me explicit directions not to show myself until he introduced me./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Know full well that I would do whatever I damn well pleased no matter what his orders were, he'd resorted to appealing to my weakness for him; the great Naraku had pleaded and said, "thank you". His actions had actually shocked me into submission. Something told me that'd been his plan all along./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Sneaky bastard./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I smirked lovingly at him, shaking my head at his antics. The sound of metal ripping flesh tore me from my musings, and I craned my neck to get a better view./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Inuyasha had sliced off one of Naraku's tentacles. I growled; I remembered distinctly how that particular extremity had felt against my feverish skin last night. It would be missed./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Damn bickering between hanyou never led to good things./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"As if he'd sensed my anxiety, Naraku spared a glance in my direction before speaking:/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""You wish to see Kagome, do you not? I would advise against angering me further if you truly wish to ask something of me." He raised a seductive brow and retracted his inhuman limbs, leaving him in his usual—and very attractive—humanoid form./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Inuyasha immediately stopped attacking and looked around warily./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Give up mutt. I will not reveal her unless I so please," He snarked confidently. I grumbled discontentedly, knowing he would taste my impatient irritation through our mating bond. He sighed./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Fine then," he consented more to me than to anyone else, "you may see her."/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I took that as consent, and purified his barrier around me before he had the chance to take it down. The lack of barrier made me visible to everyone, and I was met with utter shock./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Not that I could blame them; Naraku had quickly changed me out of my uniform and put me into a darkly beautiful and probably wildly expensive garb. A form fitting silk top latched across my breasts and covered me up to my neck, leaving my arms free to move and accentuating my well-endowed and small-waisted torso. There was an elegant red spider design spread over the back of the black top, complementing the small spider mating mark on the back of my left shoulder. The top trailed over my hips languidly, stopping just over my butt and complementing my admittedly beautiful figure and black leggings nicely. Simple, unassuming black leather boots covered my feet./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I had to admit, my black clothes and long black hair were striking, but porcelain skin and sparkling eyes streaked with crimson kept me from looking too dark and evil…until, of course, I drew my weapon./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Glossy wood, dyed a deep purple-black and carved into an ornate and fearsome arch, created the bulk of my fierce bow. White horse hair bowstring and white arrows accented a black quiver slung over my shoulders. Naraku had assured me that I wouldn't need to use them, but had me take them for protection; as if it wasn't the safest girl in all of japan already./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I steeled myself under my friends' intense scrutiny, and a loaded, smoggy silence clogged the air between the two parties./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Then, the silence shattered./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""You freaking liar! That's not my Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, running forward to swing his weapon./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""You're right," Naraku grinned, "this is my Kagome."/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Inuyasha howled with defiant rage and rushed forward faster, now intent on reaching me./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Inuyasha, no! Please, let me explain!" I dropped my bow and held my hands up in surrender./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Shut up, wench. You're not Kagome, you're just an illusion. A lie." He growled and prepared to use Wind Scar./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Sit, boy!"/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"With a surprised holler, Inuyasha's face violently met the ground. Sango gasped, and Miroku half smiled in spite of himself./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""It really in you, Kagome," the monk murmured. I nodded./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""It's really me."/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""What did he do to you, woman? I'll kill the bastard!" Inuyasha growled. I sighed and shook my head; telling him this was not going to be easy./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Ehm, well… things have changed. Naraku and I—"/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""We are mates. She is eternally bound to me, and I am to her." Naraku smiled evilly./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"A collective exclamation of surprise rippled through the opposing group. They looked at me desperately, obviously hoping against hoping that Naraku was lying; he, of course, was telling the truth./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Wordlessly, I turned around to show my very visible spider scar. Sango let out a strangled sob, Miroku growled, and Inuyasha stayed oddly silent./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I looked back at him, and wished I hadn't./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Pain oozed from every pore on his body; he quivered and dropped his sword, looking completely defeated./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""No," Sango whispered, "No! She wasn't willing! Demons can't mate unless both parties are willing. You're lying, Naraku.'/p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""He's not," my voice sounded much stronger than I felt, "he's not lying. I'm sorry… Wait! Let me explain!" I pleaded./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Inuyasha shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry, Kagome. I can't."/p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"The group turned and left, leaving me alone with Naraku. I knew that tone that Inuyasha had just used; I'd only heard it once before, when he'd said his final goodbye to Kikyo./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I was dead to him. Dead to him and everyone else./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I fell to my knees, gripping the dusty earth with my hands and squinting on the dirt between them as it darkened with tears. I gave a watery growl./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Kagome," my mate's voice came quietly from behind me, "We will expose our location and I will stop my attacks for the jewl; its of no use to me now anyway. I wouldn't use it and risk hurting you through our bond. They'll come around eventually."/p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I sniffed and nodded jerkily, allowing him to wrap a hand around my arm and help me up./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""T-thank you."/p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Naraku simply nuzzled my neck and rubbed my mating mark with his thumb, "of course, my sweet."/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""You bastard! What have you done with Kagome?! She better not be hurt, or else you're gonna pay!" he snarled and his massive sword reflected midday sunlight in an angry beam. Sango was atop Kirara, posed for battle alongside a determined Miroku. I stayed crouched on a branch, swathed in my mate's barrier, watching the preceding anxiously. Naraku had given me explicit directions not to show myself until he introduced me./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Know full well that I would do whatever I damn well pleased no matter what his orders were, he'd resorted to appealing to my weakness for him; the great Naraku had pleaded and said, "thank you". His actions had actually shocked me into submission. Something told me that'd been his plan all along./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Sneaky bastard./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I smirked lovingly at him, shaking my head at his antics. The sound of metal ripping flesh tore me from my musings, and I craned my neck to get a better view./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Inuyasha had sliced off one of Naraku's tentacles. I growled; I remembered distinctly how that particular extremity had felt against my feverish skin last night. It would be missed./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Damn bickering between hanyou never led to good things./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"As if he'd sensed my anxiety, Naraku spared a glance in my direction before speaking:/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""You wish to see Kagome, do you not? I would advise against angering me further if you truly wish to ask something of me." He raised a seductive brow and retracted his inhuman limbs, leaving him in his usual—and very attractive—humanoid form./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Inuyasha immediately stopped attacking and looked around warily./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Give up mutt. I will not reveal her unless I so please," He snarked confidently. I grumbled discontentedly, knowing he would taste my impatient irritation through our mating bond. He sighed./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Fine then," he consented more to me than to anyone else, "you may see her."/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I took that as consent, and purified his barrier around me before he had the chance to take it down. The lack of barrier made me visible to everyone, and I was met with utter shock./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Not that I could blame them; Naraku had quickly changed me out of my uniform and put me into a darkly beautiful and probably wildly expensive garb. A form fitting silk top latched across my breasts and covered me up to my neck, leaving my arms free to move and accentuating my well-endowed and small-waisted torso. There was an elegant red spider design spread over the back of the black top, complementing the small spider mating mark on the back of my left shoulder. The top trailed over my hips languidly, stopping just over my butt and complementing my admittedly beautiful figure and black leggings nicely. Simple, unassuming black leather boots covered my feet./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I had to admit, my black clothes and long black hair were striking, but porcelain skin and sparkling eyes streaked with crimson kept me from looking too dark and evil…until, of course, I drew my weapon./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Glossy wood, dyed a deep purple-black and carved into an ornate and fearsome arch, created the bulk of my fierce bow. White horse hair bowstring and white arrows accented a black quiver slung over my shoulders. Naraku had assured me that I wouldn't need to use them, but had me take them for protection; as if it wasn't the safest girl in all of japan already./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I steeled myself under my friends' intense scrutiny, and a loaded, smoggy silence clogged the air between the two parties./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Then, the silence shattered./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""You freaking liar! That's not my Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, running forward to swing his weapon./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""You're right," Naraku grinned, "this is my Kagome."/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Inuyasha howled with defiant rage and rushed forward faster, now intent on reaching me./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Inuyasha, no! Please, let me explain!" I dropped my bow and held my hands up in surrender./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Shut up, wench. You're not Kagome, you're just an illusion. A lie." He growled and prepared to use Wind Scar./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Sit, boy!"/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"With a surprised holler, Inuyasha's face violently met the ground. Sango gasped, and Miroku half smiled in spite of himself./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""It really in you, Kagome," the monk murmured. I nodded./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""It's really me."/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""What did he do to you, woman? I'll kill the bastard!" Inuyasha growled. I sighed and shook my head; telling him this was not going to be easy./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Ehm, well… things have changed. Naraku and I—"/p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""We are mates. She is eternally bound to me, and I am to her." Naraku smiled evilly./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"A collective exclamation of surprise rippled through the opposing group. They looked at me desperately, obviously hoping against hoping that Naraku was lying; he, of course, was telling the truth./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Wordlessly, I turned around to show my very visible spider scar. Sango let out a strangled sob, Miroku growled, and Inuyasha stayed oddly silent./p
p style="text-indent: .5in; margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I looked back at him, and wished I hadn't./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Pain oozed from every pore on his body; he quivered and dropped his sword, looking completely defeated./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""No," Sango whispered, "No! She wasn't willing! Demons can't mate unless both parties are willing. You're lying, Naraku.'/p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""He's not," my voice sounded much stronger than I felt, "he's not lying. I'm sorry… Wait! Let me explain!" I pleaded./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Inuyasha shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry, Kagome. I can't."/p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"The group turned and left, leaving me alone with Naraku. I knew that tone that Inuyasha had just used; I'd only heard it once before, when he'd said his final goodbye to Kikyo./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I was dead to him. Dead to him and everyone else./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I fell to my knees, gripping the dusty earth with my hands and squinting on the dirt between them as it darkened with tears. I gave a watery growl./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""Kagome," my mate's voice came quietly from behind me, "We will expose our location and I will stop my attacks for the jewl; its of no use to me now anyway. I wouldn't use it and risk hurting you through our bond. They'll come around eventually."/p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"I sniffed and nodded jerkily, allowing him to wrap a hand around my arm and help me up./p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;""T-thank you."/p
p style="margin-bottom: .14in; line-height: 115%;"Naraku simply nuzzled my neck and rubbed my mating mark with his thumb, "of course, my sweet."/p