AN: I tweaked the prologue here and there . . . Again. Like I'll probably do countless more times in the future. Anyway, here it is. . . . Better . . . I guess.

Disclaimer: .runs away but gets caught by cops. ALRIGHT! FINE! I don't own InuYasha! I'm working on Sesshoumaru, though.

Pairings: Naraku/Kagome, Sesshoumaru/Stella(OC), Miroku/Rin, Sango/Ginta, Inuyasha?

The Rules Of Love And War

Prologue

Naraku watched as the last of the three groups stepped into the clearing of their appointed location. . . late. Without even looking, he knew that the final party was led by Inuyasha.

The other two groups, the on-time groups, were led by Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western lands, and Kouga, the wolf prince.

Kouga had brought what was left of his pack- two bumbling idiots by the names of Hakkaku and Ginta, and a few wolves who had somehow managed to survive long enough to make it here.

Sesshoumaru had brought with him his toad-like minion- or, rather, couldn't get rid of him. Apparently, Sesshoumaru had left his new mate, Stella, to look after his human ward. It was a pity. Stella would have been a great deal more useful to them than the toad.

Inuyasha had with him the houshi, the taijia and the beautiful miko Kagome.

Yes, she was beautiful. He wasn't afraid to admit it anymore. She had ebony hair that just begged to have hands run through it, and eyes so deep and warm that it felt like they were looking into her very soul.

He had made it a habit over the last year or so to watch Kagome- examine her. He probably knew her better than she knew herself. He knew how she grew strength-wise. Knew that she loved the inu hanyou. Although, so many years of being faithful while receiving nothing in return was beginning to take it's toll. She was beginning to see that she would never have the mutt. He would always belong to that shell of a woman, Kikyo.

Naraku decided to make everyone wait a few minutes longer. At that time Naraku would make one final attempt to defeat his enemies and complete the Shikon. No puppets. No tricks or traps. Well . . . Maybe a few tricks.

Over the years, Naraku had lost most of his jewel shards to Inuyasha. With the shards, however, went a vast majority of his power. His body had begun to decompose a while back. He was, quite literally, falling apart. To keep himself from completely reverting back to his ningen form, he was forced to shed most of the stronger demons, leaving a weaker, more emotional Naraku.

Tired of putting up the strong façade, Naraku sent all of his nemeses a message, telling them to meet him in the clearing, tonight at midnight. His plan was simple. He would be challenged by one fighter of their choosing- only one.

If Naraku won, he would get the jewel shards.

If he lost, he would leave feudal Japan. He would go through the well with the few jewel shards he had left. Naraku would rather try to survive in the future than let Kagome waste the Shikon's wish on such an undeserving character as Inuyasha. Of course, Naraku didn't deserve it, either. But, of course, Naraku was smarter.

Everyone made the foolish assumption that he didn't know the secret of the Bone-Eater's well. He, in fact, knew it quite well. He was the one to put the time travel spell on it. It was a backup plan in case things got messy. One should always have a back-up plan. He'd never dreamed that he'd actually end up having to use it, though.

The time had come to reveal himself. Naraku swooped out of the shadows. Seemingly surprising all but the taiyoukai. He watched as Kagome's face flushed in surprise. Yet to the other onlookers, Naraku seemed to pay as little attention to her as he did to the grass beneath his feet.

InuYasha was first to speak. "So you finally came out of hiding, huh, Naraku! 'Bout time. Now I can kick your ass!"

"How crude. Even if you are only a half-breed, try to show a little more discipline." Sesshoumaru's expressionless mask of a face never changed as he shot the insult toward his half-brother.

Inuyasha only shot daggers at Sesshoumaru in response, clearly trying not to blow up in front of Kagome.

While this was going on, Naraku noticed Kouga slip over to Kagome and clasped her hands in his. Naraku let out a low, feral growl, although no one seemed to notice.

Before his enemies got anymore side-tracked he coughed and began. "I have a proposition for all of you- one that will end all of our disagreements once and for all."

"What the hell are you talkin' about, Naraku!" InuYasha demanded gruffly, yet his interest obviously piqued.

"I'm proposing a duel. One representative from your side against me. There will be rules, of course-"

"No deal! You've double-crossed us before. How do we know that this isn't a trap!" Kouga finally seemed to find a voice.

Naraku replied silkily, "You really have no choice, do you? If you don't agree, I'll leave. . . With my jewel shards. How much more time will you end up wasting until you find me again? Face it, you may never find me again. Now will you agree to my terms?"

"What are the rules?" questioned Sesshoumaru, eyebrow raised.

"The rules are as follows:

"One- this fight is strictly one-on-one. There will be no help from any outside forces.

"Two- You may not use any items that have the capability of boosting power. No shikon shards, no special weapons, etc.

"Three- You may only use one weapon. If your weapon breaks you may not find a replacement.

"Four- the fight must stay within one hundred yards of this clearing." 'No need to accidentally blow up the well.'

"Five- The winner will receive all of the jewel shards and may not be challenged by anyone involved in this transaction.

"Six- All participants, not just those fighting, must adhere to the rules.

"Do you agree to these terms?"

A unified grumble of 'yes' was heard throughout the clearing.

Kouga stood up and Naraku's cold heart rose in anticipation. If the wolf fought, Naraku would almost certainly win, "I'll do it. I promised a long time ago that I would bring Kagome Naraku's head. Now, after all this time, I'm going to keep that promise."

Naraku quickly looked to Kagome to gauge her reaction to the prince's statement. Although, he didn't exactly know if he was looking for Kagome's approval, and Naraku's victory, or her disapproval at wanting his head.

Kagome looked positively disgusted at the prospect. Just then, InuYasha stepped up, and Naraku's hope started draining away. His face never showed anything but lack of confidence though. He still held the devious smile on his face.

"Feh! You can give Kagome his head after I've chopped it off, you damn wolf!"

"What? You think you're going to fight Naraku! Feh! No way! I'm the strongest fighter here. I'll fight Naraku!"

Shippo whispered into Kagome's ear, "Did Kouga just say 'feh'?"

"Yes, Shippo, he did," Kagome replied with a giggle.

Just then, Kouga suggested, perhaps desperately, but hiding it well, "I think Kagome should choose the one to fight. She'll choose fairly," Kouga winked at Kagome.

" No swaying the judge!" squawked Jaken, who hurriedly blushed, seeing as he had just implied agreement to the idea without consulting Sesshoumaru first.

Kagome blushed and squeaked, "Me? Oh- um-okay. I guess the strongest fighter is... Sesshoumaru?" Jaken started jumping up and down while InuYasha looked almost hurt and Kouga looked like a lost little puppy. "...Or InuYasha." InuYasha's ears perked. "I don't know! They're both very strong."

Kagome took a long pause, but after seeing the glares everyone was sending her, she blushed and continued. "Let's see. InuYasha has the Tetsusaiga, but Sesshoumaru has Tokijin. Sesshoumaru has poison claws, his energy whip, and he's definitely faster than Inuyasha. Gomen, Inu. I choose Sesshoumaru."

………………………………...

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru glided onto the field. She couldn't help but wonder if she had made the right choice. She felt almost... sorry for Naraku. NO! What was she saying. This was Naraku. The one who, for years, had deceived and hurt all of her friends over and over again. Even as they spoke, he was spewing out enough miasma to hinder breath. And he had that cocky I'm-a-son-of-a-bitch-but-I-don't-care-because-I- think-I'm-better-than-you look plastered on his face. He didn't need pity. He needed help.

Even as Kagome thought that, though, she couldn't help but notice the almost desperate look in his eyes. It made him look semi-vulnerable. Attractive. This was the part of Naraku that no one knew, yet there wasn't a single person who would say no to seeing it.

Sesshoumaru pulled out Tenseiga and threw it to Jaken, opting to keep Tokijin. "Now, Naraku, you will die." With that, Sesshoumaru lunged at Naraku with his poison claws, only succeeding in melting a tree. Naraku attempted to punch Sesshoumaru in the stomach, but Sesshoumaru used his demon speed to avoid the attack.

The fight went on like this for several hours- attack, retreat, avoid. Finally, as both were beginning to tire, Sesshoumaru swung Tokijin, enveloping Naraku in the wave of energy released by the sword. When the dust settled Naraku was nowhere to be seen.

Sesshoumaru stood placidly in the middle of the battlefield, before finally speaking. "Naraku has been defeated."

………………………………...