*Disclaimer: I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's work, Inuyasha.

*Author's Note: This story takes place before Naraku's children make their first appearance, but after Kagome hits Naraku with her arrow at his mansion. In other words, soon after meeting Jinenji.

Naraku's Revenge and Kagome's Suffering

Chapter 1

Naraku's Plan

Inuyasha and Kagome, guiding her bike, were walking on a dirt path toward the village Sango, Shippo, and Miroku were stationed.

They were both quiet for most of the trip back from Jinenji's garden of healing herbs. Kagome thought about their adventure with him and ondered if the town would accept his half-demoness. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was reliving his past when he was picked on as a child.

About seven men from the village wearing cylinder-like hats were playing a game that involved kicking a ball to one another in a circle. Inuyasha watches as the ball bounces with a soft thud and then back by the sound of a foot on the ball's tightly-woven material. He couldn't resist. As his ears twitched, he ran, a little faster than most children, toward the ball.

He opened his hands to one of the men who caught it. "Half breed," he said with an agitated tone. Then he threw it away from the gaming circle and chuckled as Inuyasha fetched it like any dog would for his master.

Inuyasha turned around to throw the ball back to the man, but all the villagers in the area scattered as if walking away from an interesting spectacle.

"'Half breed?'" Inuyasha asked himself out loud.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome interrupted. "Are you okay?"

Inuyasha was walking slower than her, but when she broke his concentrationof that one painful memory of his childhood, he stopped and noticed she had stopped as well. "It's nothing," he grunted.

I wonder if he was thinking about when he was picked on, Kagome thought to herself. Meeting Jinenji really seemed to open his eyes. "Well, don't just stand there. We have to get these herbs to Kilala and Sango right away!"

"What are you yelling at me for?!"

"Look, I just want to hurry before it's too late to save her, okay! Naraku's poison could be more serious than any other poison in this time."

The poison of Naraku's. It would have consumed us all: Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kilala, Kohaku, me…"Kagome," Inuyasha said his thoughts in a soft, gentle voice.

"What?" Kagome replied aggravated.

Inuyasha walked up to Kagome, stopped by her side for a few seconds without a word and stared into her eyes. "I was just--," he cut himself off, then continued walking toward their destination. Kagome was still standing in the same place waiting for him to finish his sentence. She almost yelled out the "sit" incantation to stop him from walking further when he said:

"I was just thinking about how much stronger you've become."

Kagome's eyes began to widen; her mouth gaped open. She just stared at him. He was thinking about me? She thought.

"C'mon," Inuyasha broke her gaze with his understanding voice, "Kilala and Sango shouldn't have to wait for those herbs tomorrow."

Kagome just nodded in reply and jogged until she caught up with him. She could see the village up ahead.

Without Inuyasha and Kagome noticing, they were being watched. A dark purple and yellow insect flew off after witnessing what he needed to see. After about twelve hours had passed, it flew to a window of a castle, similar to the one where Kagome shot an enchanted arrow at Naraku.

Someone sensed the insect's presence.

"Here's your food, my Lord," said a servant setting a tray of soup next to a man with long, black hair and a hidden scar of a spider on his back. He was sitting up in bed.

"Leave me," said the man with a wave of his hand. The servant, then, bowed and walked out of the room.

The Lord turned his head toward the window. "What do you have to report?" After a few gestures from the insect, the man began to recall his memories:

"You will now die in my cloud of poison," Naraku said sinisterly.

He saw Sango coughing uncontrollably, with her serious wounds. Her brother, Kohaku was there, too, not under his control, half laying, half sitting up about ten feet from her.

Miroku was desperately trying to come up with an escape route, but Naraku could see he was unsuccessful at it.

Inuyasha! That meddlesome half demon would finally be out of his hair forever. He looked like a trapped dog in a fire.

Naraku didn't care about the fox demon kid or Sango's pet cat demon he had already poisoned.

Then the girl, who looked like Kikyo, was looking around—after seeing Sango trying to give her brother a mask to save him from the cloud of poison—she was looking toward Naraku. She, then, prepared her bow and arrow. Did she spot him?

"Naraku, I'm going to stop you, even if you try begging for forgiveness!" After her little speech, she aimed and hit him with a sacred arrow.

What?! How can this be?! Naraku exclaimed in his thoughts. The hit caused his spell—of the false castle—to swiftly dissolve into thin air, along with the cloud of poison. This was his chance to retreat to the real castle.

"That woman is going to pay!" Naraku said through gritted teeth as he tried to think of a plan for revenge.

After a brief pause to think, he turned to the insect again and reached inside his kimono. He pulled out three shards of the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls and gave them to the insect. "Relay this message."

Once the message was said, the insect flew off with the shards.

"While my loyal servant takes care of business, I can use this time to search for a new body."

To Be Continued…