Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any other of the characters related with the T.V. series Inuyasha or the Manga. (Even though I wish I did)

Chapter 1

A thick gray fog obscured her view of all surroundings as she stumbled along after the only light she could see, a purple glow
just out of reach. Panting with the effort of pushing through something, she stumbled as the something caught her ankle and
slowed her, but only for a moment. That glow was something precious, something she had to retrieve and protect. A quick
pain to the cheek and she was bleeding. A snag at her waste and the skirt was torn, shredded by something she could not
see, only feel. A cry rang forth as something suddenly sliced her from bicep to elbow, drawing a line of scarlet and ripping
away her left sleeve. Battered, sliced, bruised, and bleeding she stumbled into a clearing. So abrupt was the change from
the gray something that she hung back close to the fog. Even though she had acquired her many injuries within it, it was
familiar in a way this clearing was foreboding. A hesitant step forward and her fear cleared for a moment, just long enough
to realize the bow and quiver slung over her back. With shaky hands she reached for the only weapon she knew how to use and
then realized with a cold shiver that the purple glow she had followed was no more. Only a black taint surrounded her and
the clearing. Her hands were shaking so bad she could barely hold the arrow to the string as she searched the
clearing, searching, searching.. for the white pelt that was just visible inside the gray fog that ringed the clearing. A voice reached her then,
causing a fresh wave of fear to hit her as her eyes locked on the white pelt and she realized he was laughing. "Naraku!" It
wasn't a question, but the voice answered anyways.

"Yes, it is me... and you fell into yet another of my traps." There was no presence that she could sense aside from that of
the taint, but there could be anything hiding in the fog.. or was it miasma? Odorless, but still.. Naraku had no end to his
bag of tricks, "Ah, so you noticed? Yes it was my miasma that you've been stumbling through this evening." The pelt stirred
then, rose and the top half slid down to show flowing black hair and a smirking face that gleamed with a radiance she could
not place. He was not attractive to her at all, but he did seem to glow, "I'll thank you for doing the hardest part for me,
for dragging that half-demon Inuyasha through the miasma. It instantly kills any demons not protected by my barrier, and
slowly poisons any human who inhales it... I doubt even a priestess could purify a miasma this thick.." Naraku trailed his
hand along the fog as he started around the clearing towards the girl in ripped and ragged clothing who reeked of human blood and
fear-but the fog pulled away from his touch, as if he was shielded by a barrier a few inches out from his skin, proving his own point. "Now.. the
poison takes a while to kick in, but I intend to have a little fun with you before I leave you to die." The baboon pelt
fell away, revealing a topless Naraku who wore nothing but pants. Heedless of the pelt behind him, he continued towards her at an easy pace.
Kagome's breath caught as she raised the arrow. Her fingers didn't want to respond, so the first arrow she let fly
clattered to the ground just out of reach. she tried to shake the pain from her fingers before she reached for another
arrow, "I will kill you!" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it helped to still her hands for a moment and she was
able to take aim. The arrow leapt from her bow with a twang and flew straight towards Naraku, enveloped in a purple light
similar to the glow that had lead her to the clearing. That itself should have been a sign. The glow disappeared right as
it reached Naraku and he reached out a hand to pluck it from the air. He inspected it for a moment then twirled it between
his fingers.

"Want me to use this on you, then? Very well..." He continued towards the girl as she fell to one knee, gasping for breath
and reaching for the quiver that had slid from her back. She managed to grab one arrow and aim at Naraku, but it flew off
to the side. It wouldn't have even grazed him but Naraku was still able to pluck it out of the air with a short laugh, "
Two arrows then? What would you like me to pierce first, I wonder..?" The question trailed off as he came to stop right in
front of the girl. She was in a pitiful condition, scrapes and cuts across her face, arms, and legs. Her clothes were in
complete tatters, her shirt hanging on by one sleeve and shreaded to reveal the scraped and bleeding skin of her torso
while her skirt was mere shreads hanging from a torn, but stubborn wasteband. Her undergarments covered more than the
shreads of clothing did.

Kagome was trying to push herself away enough to get her bow up between them, but Naraku's arm extended and fisted the
front of her shirt, tearing it away completely and leaving her raw and bloodied skin even more exposed. No thought spared
for the poor state of her lingerie, Kagome tried to push herself from Naraku, but her legs wouldn't hold her up anymore,
they crumpled, bringing her completely to her knees with barely enough time to catch herself. The arrow she had been holding
snapped, causing new wounds on her already hurting palm and fingers.

The utter hopelessness of the situation hit her then, as she stared at the dirt the tears started to fall. No one was coming
to her rescue. Nobody knew where she was, and if Inuyasha had followed her, as Naraku had said, he was dead or dying now. She was weaponless and exposed and utterly on her own. But not alone, no-he wouldn't let her forget that.

A hand tightened around her neck, cutting her oxygen as she was lifted to her feet then off the ground, facing the demon she so hated. Then a searing pain ripped through the side of her neck, first cold, then hot as blood started to flow from the wound. But it did not choke her or her cries, merely covered her in the slickness of the blood. "There's one arrow put to good use... And now the other." This pain was more intense, driven straight through her stomach and protruding from the other side. Spine intact, her body tried to clench around this wound, to shield it from further jostling but this was when she was dropped. Again her knees buckled but she wasn't able to catch herself this time, so she fell onto her stomach, now choking on her screams and cries. Dirt filled her mouth as pressure was applied to the back of her head, "Now you will die like the rest of them." A laugh and the pressure increased until blackness was all that engulfed her. Kagome tried to look around but it was as if her body would not respond. The darkness held her still, until she saw a faint purple glow that seemed to pull her forward, through the black into a deepening gray..