ChapterOne: The Gift of Love, A heart.

Climbing out of the well, Inuyasha could feel the splinters under his calloused hands, and he dug them a little harder into the wood before he launched himself out. His white hair flew around him for a few moments as he stood still, taking a deep breath to himself before he turned around to face his fellow friends gazing at him intensely. He sighed yet again, and looked at the ground, defeated.

The first one to speak was Sango. "Well?" she demanded, sounding quite overwhelmed with anxiety at the fact that the hanyou had come back empty handed, yet she cooled herself when she watched the hanyou's expression change from defeat to distress.

"Inuyasha? Was Kagome at her home?" Shippo's calm voiced practically begged to know, as he hopped down off of Miroku's shoulder and teetered over to where Inuyasha was standing.

Inuyasha looked down at the kitsune, and ruffled the top of his head gently, "No, Shippo… she wasn't home." He looked at him for a moment, but then he turned and headed toward Kaede's village. Three weeks ago, Kagome had disappeared, and no one had any clue as to where she could have gone.

It left Inuyasha in a scared frenzy. He had never expected this would happen, and in a sick way it made him feel to blame. He had no clue where she was, and now everyone was looking to him to find her.

Miroku watched for only a moment as Inuyasha wandered off, his shoulders not as broad and strong as they looked weeks ago. Then, Miroku sat down with his back against the well, beside Shippo.

"Shippo…where do you think Kagome could have gone?" he asked the kitsune child cautiously.

Shippo looked off in the direction that Inuyasha went, and saw that he was now out of sight. Shippo figured he would be in a tree somewhere, thinking as he normally did when they were at a loss. "I'm not sure, we've been over this before haven't we?" Shippo sounded lost, almost hardened by the loss of his friend. "Miroku…we haven't checked Kouga…maybe he kidnapped her again?" Shippo finally asked, just a little sparkle of hope ringing out on the corners of his question.

Sango, who had been watching Inuyasha as well, brought herself back into the conversation, but it wasn't to comment on anything that had been said, "Do you guys think that Kagome could be…." She began, afraid to say the word but knowing that she wasn't the only one who thought it. "…dead?" she finally blurted out.

Shippo gasped, and covered his face. He didn't want to think about Kagome being gone for good. Miroku wrapped his arm around Shippo and picked him up as the little one cried silently into his shoulder. Miroku looked back at Sango who looked ashamed, "No, I believe that our Kagome is stronger than that, and we just have to keep strong and find her alright? I feel it in my heart that she is still here somewhere. " he looked at Sango softly, and pat her shoulder softly, before he started walking toward the village.

Inuyasha, was close enough still to hear what they were saying, and he began to feel a frantic fear rising up inside of him. Dead? I don't even want to think about that….. He thought to himself, standing and dropping down to the ground from the tree he had been sitting in. He walked toward the direction the group had just gone in.

Miroku along with the others, had noticed different things about Inuyasha the first week that Kagome had gone missing, but had no idea why he was now acting like having her around was extremely necessary. Normally, the hanyou acted like they were all a burden. Not this time. This time, Inuyasha was desperate to find Kagome. It was like he was guilty about something.

A week or so before her disappearance, Kagome had unraveled the truth about Inuyasha's purpose for that jewel, and she hated the fact that he'd never told her why he wanted it. He wanted to use it to become full demon. That was all he'd ever cared about and he'd used Kagome since he met her, to get it. It angered Kagome and she and the hanyou spent a few days not speaking. Kagome came to Miroku after that and told him that she planned on going home. She didn't want to be part of this anymore, because she really just couldn't stand being around him anymore, thinking about how he didn't really care about any of them. Miroku tried his best to convince her that she shouldn't leave permanently.

Kagome had thought about it, and no one new about this, but the day she disappeared, she 'd told Inuyasha that she was going to leave, and that he'd broken her heart.

In the Courtyard of Kaede's Village

They'd all gathered in the courtyard, not feeling like being inside, just in case they fall asleep and miss hours looking for their friend. Inuyasha was sitting down with his legs crossed, his white hair hanging over one shoulder, and his golden eyes watching the fire flicker in front of him. Sango was sitting next to him, Kirara in her lap, and she was focusing on petting the animals fur. Miroku was sitting with his arms resting on his thighs, and his eyes closed tightly—looking as if he was in meditation. Shippo was playing with a yoyo of some kind, his eyes clouded over.

She watched him from the giant feather that she rested on in the hair. She was only about six yards from the group, but she was concealed by shadows. She knew that if the hanyou below was any kind of demon at all, he would have already caught her scent, but wasn't going to say anything, or he just hadn't caught her yet. Her bright red eyes stared at the whole group, and were awed by the darkness that clouded them once the human girl was gone. Kagura had no idea how much of an impact her disappearance would have caused them.

Jumping lightly from the feather, and then lifting her hand to catch the feather as it shrunk to the size of a normal bird feather, and she slid it behind her hair. By then, Inuyasha had caught her scent and was looking dead at her. He still couldn't see her, but he knew where she was. Kagura kept walking, her hands her side. The wind sorceress's demeanor was that of someone of high power, when they all knew she was just a puppet for Naraku to control. Once she got to the opening where, by then, they could all see her, she stopped and held up a hand as a salutation of sorts.

Kirara, wisely, didn't trust anyone, and jumped up into full form and growled violently. Sango stood up quickly and was ready to attack when she had to. Miroku, who had a strong distaste for the wind sorceress was already wrapping his fingers around his dark blue beads around his Wind Tunnel.

Shippo shouted angrily, "Why are you here?!" and started spinning the yoyo around like he was going to toss it at her.

Inuyasha stood up and said firmly, "Be quiet you four. She's not here to hurt us, or she would have tried while we weren't paying attention. " He looked up at Kagura, and nodded his head upward. "What do you want, Kagura?"

Kirara didn't stand down, but Sango warned her to keep her eye out and not to act irrationally. Miroku stood up straight, but was still very cautious about the sorceress. Shippo had hopped up onto Miroku's shoulder and his ears twitched with alertness.

"Well, I have been spying on you for a few days now. I have good reason, Monk, so quit looking at me like that," she mentioned at Miroku's incredulous look. "I see that your group has lost a precious member of it, just as my little family has as well." Kagura mentioned solemnly.

Inuyasha looked at her in confusion, as did Sango and Miroku. "What do you mean?" he asked cautiously.

Miroku stepped forward, "Someone in your group has gone missing?" he asked Kagura.

Sango jumped up anxiously, "Kohaku?" she asked, hoping that her brother had found a way to escape the demon.

Kagura sucked her teeth and tossed her head to the side. "No, demon slayer… someone of much more importance, I'm afraid." She said, trying to be patient with the group.

Inuyasha stepped back, "Naraku is missing?!" he asked, shocked.

Kagura smiled lightly, but a twinge of sadness bridged that smile, and it was very readable to Miroku, who had seen that same look on the face of a very particular hanyou he'd been around for the past month. "Unfortunately, yes. Naraku has been missing for almost four weeks now, and I have been looking around the entire Eastern lands for him. I've even asked the disgusting Wolf Tribe if they'd seen Naraku, but they have been oblivious to everything in this land for far too long, that most of them don't even know who he is." Kagura bitterly announced.

Inuyasha walked over to where they were standing only a foot in front of each other. He stared the sorceress down for a long moment before speaking. "You mean to ask if Naraku has kidnapped Kagome?" he questioned.

Kagura scoffed, "I would go so far as to insinuate that Naraku desired the priestess enough to have to kidnap her, but I would suggest perhaps she has left, and he they've found each other to be good company?" she shrugged, feeling like both their reasons were pretty excusable.

It was Inuyasha's turn to scoff, he crossed his arms and shook his head, "I highly doubt that Kagome would be stupid enough to find that thing to be good company!" he said, laughing a little.

Kagura narrowed her eyes, a fire in her eyes lighting only a little, until she cooled herself and sighed deeply. "I am not here to argue with you, hanyou…I am only here to see if you had any clues as to where your priestess might have gone."

"No. We don't have any idea! That's why we're so sad!" Shippo shouted violently, he was shaking, he was so upset—his little tiny body gripped tightly onto Miroku's shoulder while he shouted.

Kagura looked over at the little fox boy and smiled softly, before she turned to look at him fully. "You are the fondest of the woman, aren't you? I can see that."

Shippo's eyes grew wide, and he blinked heavily, tears threatening to pour out yet again.

Sango came up then, stepping in between Shippo's eyesight of the woman, "So, since it's very obvious that we have no idea where our missing friend is, how about you, Kagura? Do you have any idea where your Naraku is?"

Kagura ruefully shook her head, "No I do not. He was never really one to share his plans with me. As you well know, he gave me orders and I followed them or I died. Unfortunately, I was never close enough for him to tell me everything…" she carried off her last word, and her eyes glossed over, a darker sadness coming over her face.

It was quiet for a moment, and in that moment, emotions were passed between them all that would have shocked both Kagome and Naraku if they were around. Inuyasha could see the emotion behind Kagura's eyes, because he knew that emotion well. The loss of one you dearly love is devastating, isn't it Kagura?

At once, the silence was broken by a loud sigh that brought everyone's attention to Miroku, the one who had emitted such a sigh. "I have an idea, but you must be aware that this will require great strength from all of us if it is to be accomplished." He started, and then looked around, waiting for everyone's agreement.

Kagura nodded, as well as Inuyasha and Sango. It took a minute, but Shippo nodded as well, very wary of the Monk's idea.

"I believe that we all need to form our own little group, and we need to find this Naraku, in hopes of finding our Kagome as well. But we will all need to…get along." He said the last part dramatically, hoping to get a reaction out of the group.

Once everyone nodded again, Miroku clapped his hands together and smiled cheerily, and said, "Good! That means we need to be peaceful and not cause a scene so big that it would cause us to have to kill you Kagura…you understand?" he said as if he was reading the newspaper.

Kagura stared at the monk, raising her eyebrows gently, "Although, I cannot promise that we will not mix words once and a while, Monk, I will do my best to keep everything calm between the group." A pause, and then she opened her mouth to speak again. "I have to say something else." Once everyone's eyes were on her, she spoke again, "I cannot promise that your Kagome is alive, ….for Naraku is a formidable enemy…he is able to do whatever he pleases, and he will take whatever he wants…but I am wishing for the best, for you and your Kagome." Kagura said quietly.

Inuyasha's eyes lit up, fire inside of them so hot that he could swear that Kagura could feel them. He couldn't help but feel hate for someone who would doubt Kagome's ability to defend herself, and to stay alive. He cooled after he thought for a moment about how it was only hours before that he thought it a possibility that she might have died out there. Sadness hit his face again, and he muttered a quick 'Whatever.' And walked off into the distant night somewhere.

Shippo didn't look too happy, either. He felt as if Kagura was trying to say that Naraku would have killed her by now had he taken her somewhere, but Shippo knew better. He knew very well that Kagome was still alive, because he could feel it. He could sense that she was alive, and she wanted to come back.

With Naraku, his new palace deep in the Western Lands

In the Western Lands, there was a man with great power, and this man had roamed the earth for a very long time, destroying it in ways you couldn't explain. His power was vindictiveness, manipulation, and demon energy. Naraku was his name, and he was vicious. Standing atop a large cliff, he looked down at the petite female he had captured a month ago with greedy, needing eyes. It was hard for him to sustain his desire as he watched her strong legs bend down into the cold river water to scrape the dirt and grime out of Naraku's clothes. When he'd first decided to capture the girl, it was during their last battle with Inuyasha and his pitiful gang, and the woman had showed the first sign of priestess power he'd seen to be stronger than Kikyou herself. He waited months before he took her. He had sent Kagura and Kohaku to find out more information about the girl. He found out that she was indeed, a reincarnation of the famed Kikyou, and he had also known that the half-breed was falling for her just as hard as she had fallen for him.

One night, Kohaku came back and said that the group had split up for a few days, and were looking for berries and food to eat, and that the hanyou and the priestess were fighting about the jewel. He told Naraku about Inuyasha's desire to swallow the jewel to become a youkai, and about how the girl ran away from him, and how she wanted to return home. Naraku knew that it was time for his plan to begin, and he was only waiting for the perfect moment to slip her away quietly.

That moment came for him sooner than he'd expected, when, the very night Kohaku told him about the ordeal; Kagome decided she was going to go for a dip in the river near Kaede's village. Naraku was sitting in a tree, and watched her as she bathed. It was sick, to imagine that she couldn't feel his eyes tracing every plump, curved edge of her shapely body, but he continued because thoughts like that never bothered him. Once she was out of the water, and had finally slipped her strange clothing back over her raven colored hair, he had slipped down from the spot he was hiding in, and had stood behind her for a moment, and then she began walk away from him.

"Tell me, Kagome," he began, his voice so thunderous that Kagome shook and turned to face him as if it had actually shook the ground she stood on, "Are you prepared to let Inuyasha eat my precious jewel?"

Kagome had glared at him, a sort of fire in her eyes that made him want to smile even wider. The woman was strong, but at the moment she was not strong enough to do anything. She was completely caught off guard. Kagome started backing away, and Naraku followed by inching closer to her.

"I will get the pieces from you, and then I will purify the jewel and get it away from all of you!" Kagome stated firmly, determined she would actually do so.

At this, Naraku laughed loudly, "You'd better be careful how you speak to me, dear Kagome, you're going to be spending a lot of time with me. You don't want to make me angry, do you?" he'd asked her, his voice so sweet it almost made her sick.

Kagome backed away again, putting her hands up to defend herself if the need be. "What do you mean? I'm not going anywhere with you, Naraku!" she exclaimed.

"See," Naraku moved so quickly, Kagome couldn't even scream. "that's where you are wrong, priestess." He slapped his hand over her mouth in a second, and she found herself enveloped inside of that thick, very heavy baboon fur he wore around him at all times, and was lost from that moment on to the hands of Naraku.

Now, Naraku watched as she bent over, and pulled the long, heavy blue cloth out of the water, and commenced to hanging it over the line that he'd watched her string herself using a rope he'd supplied her with, and a few heavy stones weighing them down over a tree limb or two. Kagome was slowly losing the plumpness that was her original form, and he noticed that as well. Those lose muscles were now harder than stones, and you could see the definition in her arms even from the distance he was sitting at. He'd instructed her to clean the linens that he'd packed away once they'd left his old ruin of a palace. The clothes were covered in ash from the palace being burnt to a crisp, and he'd wanted her to clean them before he allowed her to bathe. It had been a month now, and she'd finally gotten to the last batch of linens.

Of course, that wasn't the only task he'd required of her as of yet, and he understood that she was weak and tired. He'd had Kagome build the small hut that she was to live in. He promised her that in her captivity, she would have her privacy. Unfortunately, he only meant when she was in her hut. He watched her now, always, and she knew it.

Kagome could feel the skin among her hands growing raw once again. They'd often gone through this stage in the past two weeks. Blistering up to where puss would escape the pockets of skin that rose from her palms, and then once she pulled the pockets away, she'd feel the pain for a few days before it callused over and she could work again without gritting her teeth. It was frightening for the girl to live with the man, but she'd grown used to his presence around her. Naraku was distant, for the most part. He never slept near her, and she was thankful for that. However, Kagome had been pushed far past her limit the first week she was stuck with him. She'd had to build a hut by herself just so that she could stop sleeping in the same house as he did. Once the hut was built, she had her own space. But, she had to make her own bed out of linens and straw stuffed inside of it, along with her own pillow and fur blanket. Kagome had never hunted before, and Naraku instructed her to hunt for an animal to use as food for dinner, so that she could cut the fur and tan it to make her blanket. Being reduced to such a primitive nature had its benefits, though, and Kagome was noticing them as well, and was starting to wonder, more and more what Naraku's plan was. Kagome could feel the muscles in her arms growing, and she noticed that she could run long distances, and her precision with the bow was much better than it had ever been before. Inuyasha once said she needed to practice, because it made her look stupid when she'd miss her targets.

Kagome's hand slipped and the linen she was preparing on the line fell into the dirt. Gritting her teeth at how clumsy she was, she picked it back up and drug the wet cloth back into the water. Jumping into the knee high river felt nice to her. It was refreshing. Scrubbing at the spots on the top that she had just ruined, Kagome let out of some of her frustration. Inuyasha…Shippo…Miroku and Sango. I wonder what they're doing right now. Finishing cleaning the cloth, she made sure to wring out the water as best she could, and then she carried with both arms to the line where she hung it up. Kagome looked off into the distance where she felt Naraku's eyes on her. She couldn't see him from where she was, but she figured he was in a tree somewhere on that cliff.

Kagome noticed how Naraku treated her, and how he was attentive to her needs in ways she couldn't really call gentle, but she knew that he needed her around for something. He was training her for something, but she didn't really know what it was, at least not yet.

Having been with him for so long, Kagome started to notice the changes in her opinions, and even her nature. Not just the physical parts of her—which were much stronger than before—were different, it was also her wisdom. She now had what you would call common sense, which if you knew her, she didn't seem to have, a lot of the time. Kagome could be useful in a small fight now, if it was necessary. She had also become very wise when it came to her captor. She could tell when Naraku was angry, and she knew when he was content, which was his version of happy, really. She also knew when he was hungry, not for food, but for things that he shouldn't have ever desired from he

Kagome wanted to go home. Kagome wanted to be with her friends again, but she had to know why she was wanted here.

A small clearing in the woods near the east

Inuyasha and the group had decided to leave Kaede's village after talking with Kagura about places that she'd been with Naraku, and after drawing up a map of places to check, they said their goodbyes to the old priestess, yet again. Kaede had pulled Inuyasha to the side, and rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Inuyasha…you have to be careful, boy. Don't let your emotions get in the way of what is right, I beg of you. Whatever Naraku has done to Kagome, if it turns out that she is indeed with him, you won't be able to change that part of her for a while. You need to be cautious." She warned.

Inuyasha had snapped at the woman, calling her a buffoon because she was warning him to be wary of Kagome. "How dare you assume she'd join him, or be anything like him!" and he'd left her standing in the doorway of her hut.

Kagura hadn't spoken to the old lady, but she gave her a nod as they turned to leave. Shippo had been given a small satchel to wear at his side, and inside of it were the left-over potato crisps, and a strange box with a fruit flavored liquid in it, that Kagome had left in Kaede's hut. Miroku was given a cloak to wear around his shoulders, and a new pair of sandals for his journey. Sango was given a kiss on the cheek, and a bag of treats for Kirara, and she was also handed a basket that contained a large bowl of stew, two loaves of bread, and a couple assorted fruits.

"Please be careful, my Sango. Watch out for the boys, please." Kaede said as she kissed the demon slayers cheek.

Sango smiled and hugged her back, "Of course, Kaede. I will do my best."

Once they'd left, they headed toward the east. Even though they'd already been that way, Inuyasha had said that since they didn't look anywhere near Naraku's hideouts, that they would have better luck starting off in that direction. They all nodded in agreement and had started their journey before daybreak the next morning.

Finally it was near midday, and they'd found a small clearing where a few stones were seated around what looked like a used fire pit. Inuyasha said that they should all get some rest. After a little bit of exploring, Miroku and Shippo discovered a small brook hidden in the trees. They were all given a moment or two to themselves to clean up, and get a drink of water. Sango and Kagura began to heat up the stew, and set out a small 'plate' for all of them around the fire.

Once they'd bathed, and had all eaten, it was late afternoon and Kagura began to tell stories of how Naraku traveled, and his normal plans were so tricky that even Kagura—who prided herself at being very intelligent—could grasp it until it was already so far gone. Sango barely listened, feeling as if she would bring her food back up if she heard how he treated her brother. Miroku sat and rubbed her back gently, trying his hardest not to notice how warm her skin was under his fingers, and when she laid her head on his shoulder, he realized that she needed comfort, and closed his eyes, hugging her softly. Shippo had curled up with Kirara and was listening for a little while, his eyes determined now, to find Kagome, but eventually, he drifted off to sleep. It had just begun to be dark then, and Sango and Miroku had fallen asleep against a tree, Sango wrapped up in Miroku's cloak, his arm around her shoulder.

Inuyasha, however, didn't sleep much that night. He stared up into the sky, and did his best not to think about the days that were sure to come. He didn't want to think about what Kaede said, either, but that was all that could come into his head. "You have to beware…" he recollected. "How could she say that? How could she expect that Kagome would be changed because of this? Kagome." He thought out loud, unaware that anyone else was hearing his thoughts. Kagura hadn't been sleeping well that night either, and she had heard what he had said. She didn't move, not for a while, she wanted to give him that moment to himself, as she herself, had her own thoughts to think.

If only Inuyasha knew what he was like. Naraku is completely different than any of them expect. I am not sure why he has stolen that girl from them, or why he has cast me out in such a way—but—I know we have to get to her fast, or she will be doomed. Kagura thought to herself, hugging her knees to her chin.

Inuyasha dropped down from the tree he was sitting in, and then started to walk away from the group, toward the brook. Kagura was sure he'd bathed earlier, and so she thought maybe he was just going for a walk, and she followed.

Inuyasha was sitting in the water, he'd removed his clothes, and was now sunk underneath the water as far as he could go. His eyes were the only thing visible from above the water, and they were hidden behind his pale eyelids. His thoughts were killing him, and he wanted a distraction. The cold water on his body kept him feeling chills, and physical ones, instead of the fear for his friend.

Kagura stopped, staring ahead at the water that seemed to glow in the night. The rocks underneath were smooth and almost large enough to make a seat in the water. Ahead of her, Inuyasha was floating in the water, gripping the bank of the brook with both hands at his side, his head partially under water. His nose was under the water, or else he might have smelled her there, staring at him. Kagura was unsure as to what compelled her to get in the water, but she couldn't have stopped herself if she wanted to. Kagura slipped her white and red kimono off of her body, and then followed with the blue and green houri beneath it. Kagura's body was thin, and she was small framed, but she was smooth and covered in scars beneath her clothes.

Once she dipped herself into the water, she stared ahead at the hanyou in front of her. Part of her hated how quiet he was, and wished that he would be angry, and violent, like he normally was. Then again, he normally was driven to kill both her and Naraku. Kagura figured that if he was so damaged by the loss of Kagome's presence, as she was damaged by Naraku's disappearance, maybe she could benefit from the cold of this water, as well. Lowering herself as he had done, and closing her eyes, Kagura found herself becoming lost in a sort of translucent thought process. She felt the cold water snake up and around her body, and with its current, her thoughts floated away.

She was in bliss. Definite bliss, and she was unafraid of any consequences.

Where are you Naraku? Why have you left me so confused? How dare you expect me to just go without my questions being answered!

Kagura was distracted by the motion of waves around her shoulders. Opening her bright red eyes, she met the golden ones of Inuyasha, staring at her in confusion, as if he was lost. Completely lost.

Jumping up to where her mouth was above the water, Kagura began to speak, but was interrupted by Inuyasha's confused questions.

"What are you doing out here? Didn't you see I was here already?!" He asked her, in anger, probably from embarrassment.

Kagura, who would have apologized, now wanted to toy with the hanyou. Her eyes narrowed a little, and her mouth pursed into a smirk. "Do you own this brook, Hanyou?"

Inuyasha grit his teeth, and glared at her. "No, but—"

Kagura chuckled, "Then what is the matter? I am only resting, as you are."

Inuyasha splashed his hands forward, and thought about getting out of the water, but he didn't want her to see him naked. "Ugh! You're so difficult! Why can't you just leave me in peace, woman?"

Kagura sighed and ran her hand over her loose black hair. "I simply came to see what you were doing, Inuyasha. I am just as confused, and lost about this whole situation as you. I'd appreciate it if you addressed me by my name, as well. I've given you that respect, the least you can do is do the same." She said, her voice firm and authoritative.

Inuyasha, who would have normally lashed out and told her to get bent, raised his eyebrows at what she said. "You're confused and lost? Why?" he asked.

Kagura looked at him as if he was totally stupid, and sighed again, "If you haven't noticed, Inuyasha, in our past, I have been with no one but Naraku. His absence is strange and unnerving for me. Just as I assume your missing priestess is for you. Am I wrong?" she asked him, tilting her head with curiosity.

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. You're not wrong. Not at all. The fact that she isn't here, freaks me out. I'm not dependent on her, obviously, I can take care of myself, and so can the others. But…I guess…we like her around, you know?" he explained, but stopped himself, splashing more water in her direction. "Why am I telling you this?! You're just here to find Naraku. You don't care about Kagome!" he growled, his eyes taking on a darker tone.

Kagura smiled. "You're right. I only care about finding Naraku, and leaving with the jewel. But we promised your Monk friend that we would get along enough to find them both, am I right? So, stop stressing yourself out, hanyou. It'll only make this journey longer for you." She said as she dodged the splash he tossed at her again.

Kagura was distracted with spinning her hand around in the water, and so Inuyasha took this chance to swim over to her. His naked body was only inches from hers as he placed his hands on the side of the brook and stared her in the eyes. Kagura's eyes were bright red, as mentioned before, but not the color of a tomato. They were darker, like blood, but they looked as if the sun was constantly shining through one side of them. Her skin was paper white, and her mouth was always the color of her eyes. Her jet black hair, when let out of the bun she wore it in all of the time, hung to the middle of her back. It reminded Inuyasha of Kagome, and of Kikyou, in a strange way; although, Kagura looked, and acted nothing like either one of them. Inuyasha actually hated this woman. He was floating two inches away from her equally naked body and he hated her. Hated her with a bitter passion, and he couldn't resist from getting this close to her.

Her eyes were wide, now, and she looked at him strangely. Like she wanted him to touch her, but not in a nice way—like she wanted him to hate her. Inuyasha seethed inside, and he leaned his face closer to hers, to where their noses were nearly touching.

"We will find Kagome, with or without your help, Kagura. You are here with us because you've lost your precious Naraku, and are trying your hardest to hide the fact that you're in love with that disgusting beast. But if you even act like you're going to take the jewel shards from us, I will personally tear you to pieces." Inuyasha warned, before jumping up and out of the water behind Kagura, who sat there, stunned.

Inside of Naraku's palace, in the kitchen

"Kagome, come here." Naraku ordered, as he walked into the doorway of the large sized kitchen area of his palace, where Kagome was chopping a few vegetables into small cubes to put into a giant pot of soup for Naraku's dinner. When she heard his voice, she stood up and turned to face him, and then gently padded her way over to him on bare feet.

Her brown shoes had been ruined days before, and she'd been stuck living with no shoes since then, not having enough time to make herself some wooden sandals. Naraku was much taller than she was, he was even a little taller than Inuyasha when she thought about it. His dark hair framed his face expertly, and it hung down to his hips. Normally, back in present time, Kagome wouldn't have found long hair to be attractive on a man, but here in feudal Japan, that's what it was all like, so she'd grown accustomed to it; and had even grown to like it. When he wasn't being violent or angry, Naraku's eyes were soft, large, and dark brown, like they were in this moment.

Kagome knew that he wasn't upset with her, and so her demeanor changed a little, she softened herself and stood a little taller. "Yes, master Naraku?" she asked him, her voice, usually timid and excited, was now quiet and submissive.

Naraku smiled down at his prisoner, and he noticed how unruly her hair was, not having a way to take care of it other than tying it back in a loose pony tail like it was now. He also took notice of her clothes, how dirty they were, and how scarred and bruised her legs were. Her usual pale, shiny skin was dull and dirty now, and he wasn't enjoying looking at her as he usually did.

"Follow me, please." He demanded, turning swiftly on one foot, as he began to walk out of the kitchen, and then down the long hallway.

Kagome began to wonder what he was up to, but she knew better than to ask him. He was all powerful over her. Kagome watched the frame of his body as he walked. Her eyes rested on his broad shoulders, from where she walked behind him, she could barely see the outline of his pointed nose, and beautifully carved chin. Throwing herself out of her thoughts, she questioned herself. What the hell are you looking at, Kagome? That's Naraku! The man who took you from your friends! The man who has tried to kill your friends, and you—not to mention—thousands of times!

"Don't be ashamed to look at me, Kagome." Naraku said, a deep chuckle forming in his throat, "You have caught me plenty of times, looking at that body of yours." He taunted, before turning yet again to go down a much shorter hallway.

Kagome followed behind him, her dirty face turning a darker shade of red as she blushed under his words. "I—I see." She murmured.

"Don't stutter. It makes you sound like a child." Naraku warned, his voice growing an edge, "You are a woman, Kagome. I don't want you to act like a fool."

They finally came to a stop, and Kagome waited to see what it was that they would be doing. She looked around him and saw that they were standing in front of a large, ornately decorated doorway. There was a heavy round ring knocker in the middle of it. Naraku then turned to face Kagome.

"You have been my prisoner for some time, now." He started, "Haven't you?"

Kagome glared up at him. "Yes." She stated strongly.

"Yes what?" Naraku questioned.

Kagome looked up at him, "Yes, Master Naraku." She spat.

Naraku chuckled again, her fire amusing him as it always does, and he stepped closer to her, bending over to where his face was right in front of hers. Kagome's breath hitched, and she stared into his eyes. Kagome was eighteen years old now, and she was growing up. Noticing attractive men sort of came with that. It was just so very confusing that it was Naraku that she was noticing at this moment. His breath smelled of cloves and lavender, and she loved that smell.

"Would you like to go home, Kagome?" Naraku asked her, a calm expression on his face.

Kagome stared at him, aghast. "What?" she asked him, afraid to stutter.

"Exactly what I said, would you like to go home?" Naraku repeated, standing up straight and looking down at her.

Kagome stared up at him. "Yes. I do." She explained.

Naraku reached back and slapped her hard across the face. Kagome yelped and caught herself against the wall before she hit the ground, her eyes lowered to the ground and she heaved heavily, standing back up she turned to look at him defiantly.

"Why can't I leave?!" she screamed, her eyes watery with tears.

Naraku stepped closer to her, "The past is your prison, Kagome," he started, sliding his clawed finger down across her face gently so she could feel the nail, but not actually hurt her. It made her shiver, he saw. "You will never be released." He stated calmly.

Kagome began to cry silent tears as she stared at him, knowing that everything he just said, was the truth.

Authors Note: Thank you for reading! I do not own any of the storylines, or characters from Inuyasha. I am just bored,a dn write this for fun! Also, forgive me for any typo's I may have missed.