Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. This amazing anime was created by Rumiko Takahashi.

Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)

Rated Mature for violence, blood, coarse language and sexually contents. Readers have been advised.

Slight alteration to Inuyasha plot – This story takes place in modern times.

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Tangled Web

By: Swanna

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Prologue

Kagome's feet skid across the soil from blocking the demon Naraku's heavy kick. A loud thud momentarily distracted her as a nearby tree collapsed. Chancing a glance to the side, she saw the wind sorceress raining down blade-like blows with her silver steel fan on Inuyasha. Kagome's heart leapt in her throat; cold fear swept up her spine.

Although she was a half-demoness, Inuyasha was only a human. He wouldn't be able to withstand the oncoming attacks much longer with the wounds that he had already sustained. She wouldn't allow him to endanger his life for her; she had to find an opportunity to fend off the demons and cover his escape. After all, this wasn't his fight.

Naraku took the chance to dash up to Kagome and kicked her in the side. She grunted and swung her glowing cerulean sword at him, forcing him to back away. Her hand clutched her ribcage and winced from the immense pain, she was almost sure her ribs were broken.

"You should focus on me instead of worrying about your little human lover over there. I promise I will send him to meet you in Hell," his lip curled sadistically, mocking her. "After I get what I came here for."

Cursing at her own lack of attention, Kagome sucked in a breath of air and lunged at him with her weapon. Despite her best efforts, Naraku dodged and parried each strike with ease.

Panting with frustration, she could hear nothing but her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. The warm night's wind blew against her face, cooling her flushed damp skin. Whatever it was that these demons wanted from her, she knew she could not afford to lose this battle. The stakes were too high for her to risk the consequences of defeat.

Kagome struck at him again with all her mustered strength, but her quick downward strike was deftly avoided by Naraku as he leapt to the side. Before she had time to resume her attack, Naraku quickly jumped away from her.

"You honestly think you stand a chance against me? How naïve, just like your parents."

"What do you mean?" Kagome tightened her grip on her sword, a killing fury welling up within her and threatened to break loose.

She had become an orphan before she was five, so she didn't have many memories of her parents. Unfortunately she didn't know much about them except the fact that her human mother was the former chief priestess of the White Lotus clan, and her father was a powerful demon who had once served the Demon Lord of the Western Lands. Kagome was the sole child of the forbidden union between a human priestess and a great demon.

Since Kagome had been old enough to ask questions, she was told that her parents had died from a rare disease so lethal that even a great demon like her father could not escape his ill fate. Although that had left her with more questions than answers, she'd never once questioned how they died.

Until now.

Instead of giving an answer, the black-haired demon only stared back with his watchful red eyes; his lips curved upward in a humorless smile.

"I asked what you mean by that! Why did you do to them?!"

In an instant, Kagome made the first move. She pushed off through the tepid wind and swung her glowing blade at Naraku. Under the gleaming moonlight, her sword was blazing a brighter shade of cerulean than usual. She barely missed as Naraku sidestepped her attack. Unperturbed she redoubled her efforts with her relentless assault.

"You are only delaying the inevitable because I will always get what I want," he declared as he lifted his right hand and sent an energy blast at Kagome.

She raised her sword in an attempt to deflect the attack but it threw her flying backward until she slammed against a thick tree trunk. Before Kagome could recover and get to her feet, the demon had already reappeared in front of her. As she was lifted up by her neck, darkness began clouding her vision.

"Kagome!" She heard Inuyasha calling out to her as he rushed towards them.

Without even sparing a glance at his direction, Naraku brought up his arm and multiple dark violet energy balls were fired from his palm. As he was no match for his demonic speed, Inuyasha failed to avoid the quick attacks and collapsed as he was hit in the chest.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried in despair while she struggled to free herself from his death grip. An intrusive warm sensation was building in the pit of her stomach; white-hot anger was swelling within her, ready to explode. "Whatever is it that you want from me, leave him out of this! He's got nothing to do with this!"

"Your anger is such a pure and perfect emotion. I can see it glowing inside you," Naraku stated with a pleased look as he dug his razor-sharp nails into her solar plexus, slicing through the fabric of her clothes and breaking her delicate skin.

Kagome screamed in agonizing pain while he thrust his fingers further inside her until he extracted something from her body. Naraku immediately released Kagome's limp form and turned his undivided attention to the glowing marble-sized jewel in his hand that was coated with her blood.

"I've been searching for the Shikon Jewel for two decades now. With this, I can finally be rid of my human side and become a true full demon at last," Naraku let out an evil laugh that echoed through the stillness of the night before turning to Kagome again. "I must thank you for guarding the Jewel for me all this time. I shall reward you both with a quick and painless death here."

Kagome stumbled to her feet; one palm pressing firmly against her bleeding wound while the other free hand was picking up her sword from the ground. "You think you will win?"

Naraku smirked. "I have already won."

"No, you haven't," she spoke in complete calmness, gathering her demonic energy in the blood-smeared palm of her hand. It coalesced into a radiant ball of azure flame. "Because you will never get your hands on the jewel."

Kagome shot the fireball at Naraku, knocking the gem out of his hand and high into the air. Taken by surprise, Naraku attempted to leap upward as she launched her blade into the sky, aiming to destroy the stone.

The moment the tip of her sword connected with the jewel, it shattered to hundreds of pieces as they scattered across the Earth's atmosphere. Both demons were shocked beyond belief.

"No!" Naraku shouted with murderous rage, releasing an energy blast towards her and sending her flying back into the tree once again. She coughed out blood.

Naraku grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head up so that he could look into her eyes as he spoke to her. "I will make you suffer before I end your life."

When he lifted up his hand to strike her in the head, Inuyasha stirred. A slow, wicked smile spread across Naraku's face that made Kagome's heart stop for a second. He released his hold on her and walked towards Inuyasha's prone form. As if understanding her master's silent gesture, the wind sorceress moved in and wrapped a hand around Kagome's neck, holding her in place as she was forced to watch what was to happen next.

Naraku made a grab for Inuyasha's collar, lifting him up and off his feet effortlessly. "Do you have any last words for each other?"

"I will fucking shred you to pieces," Inuyasha spat weakly.

Instead of being offended, Naraku smirked again. "You talk big but in my eyes you are only a mere weak and helpless human who can't even protect the woman that he claims to love."

"I'm sorry…" Kagome apologized with tears streaming down her cheeks, her emotions choking at her. "Inuyasha, I'm so sorry for everything. If you hadn't met me-"

"What are you talking about?" He cut her off as he spoke with a soft grin, not a hint of regret showed on his face. "Meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I promise I will find my way to you again in the next life, and every life after that."

Kagome smiled sadly. "I will be waiting for you. We will meet again in the next life."

"Did you really think I would allow you both the luxury of dying together like this?" Naraku chuckled at them mirthlessly, meeting Kagome's eyes. "No, I will have you watch me kill this human first. Then after you die, I will dump his corpse in the sea so that his body will be washed away. Even in deaths, you two will be an ocean apart."

Kagome watched helplessly as Naraku thrust his fist and punched through Inuyasha's ribs.

The next moments were all a blur. Kagome heard her own scream as she dropped to her knees, the hysterical laugh from Naraku, and Inuyasha's lifeless body falling to the ground. He was completely motionless, but his eyes were open.

Kagome tried to find her way to Inuyasha's side, but she felt a sharp blade stabbing her from behind and pierce through her chest cavity. She dropped to her knees once more and collapsed.

Kagome stared at Inuyasha laying only a foot away from her. If only she could reach out to him; to caress his face, and to smooth away his long black hair from his forehead like she always did. She really wanted to touch him for one last time…

Her last words whispered in her mind as darkness slowly engulfed her vision.

We will meet again in the next life.

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AUTHOR NOTE:

Hello readers, thank you for giving this fic a chance and reading the prologue. This will be my first attempt in writing a Sesshomaru story and I will certainly try my best to keep him in character.

Special shout out:

Waffle – Thank you for being my Beta Reader even though you dislike Sesshomaru so much (he's Inuyasha's fan lol), I really appreciate your support!

Waltzing Muse – Thanks for your assistance so far! I will be needing your honest opinion and assistance as usual along the way, love you!

I know this is only the prologue but I was really excited to post so please forgive me lol. I will definitely try to post chapter 1 (hopefully) by end of this weekend if possible! Please let me know what you think so far!

See you all next time.