Full Summary: Kagome is trapped in Naraku's castle. He's willing to play a game with her, but the stakes are high. Naraku never dreamed she would fight back, but oh how wrong he was. Survival is her only motivation, that is, until she meets a gorgeous mercenary working for Naraku. Just because a hand is outstretched doesn't mean you should accept it…But it doesn't mean you should slap it away either.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha series. I would love Bankotsu as a gift, though :D

P.S: This disclaimer goes for the entire story so I do not have to post it every chapter.

Sadistic Game

Chapter 1: Come Play With Me

Her breasts were heaving up and down as air bounced in her throat. She closed her mouth, trying to regulate the panting intervals as she bent over and rested her hands on her knees. She had run as far as her legs could take her, pain shooting to her thighs like bullets. She wasn't even sure where her legs had taken her, just as long as she was away from him. The castle was immensely long and she knew she had gained at least a few minutes on him.

"Running away won't help you." called Naraku's voice, followed by a chuckle.

Kagome stood to her full height and whipped her body around, her eyes jerking to the man she loathed. He was barely visible as the torches on the walls dimly illuminated the surrounding. "Let me out of here!" she screamed, balling up her fists as if she would punch him. Though, she wasn't the type to fight hand-to-hand.

Naraku smirked with slight amusement at her attempt to intimidate him. Her feeble attempt, that is. "I want to play a game with you. I'll explain the rules--"

"Forget it Naraku! Tell me where my friends are!" commanded the exhausted girl. Her breath had finally regulated, but her leg and stomach muscles ached with sharp pains.

"I would suggest reconsidering, girl, for your friends will die instantly if you decline my proposition."

At this, Kagome's eyes widened as she realized just who she was dealing with. Even if she didn't want to admit it, Naraku was brilliant and clever. Though his intentions and doings wrong, his brain still had the intelligence of a scientist. Morality had no play when it came to the intellectual level of any being. "What game." Kagome inquired through ground teeth, them making a rubbing sound in her ears.

Naraku's smirk widened, showing a toothy grin through his lips. "There are ten floors to my castle. You will start on the first floor. On the tenth floor, there is a golden door and your friends are inside. You have ten days to make it there. If you win, you get your precious companions. If you lose--"

"Let me see them first!" Kagome yelled, interrupting his monologue.

"I'm sorry, did I take a breath and give you the impression I was done speaking?" Naraku asked bitterly, not doing well to mask the annoyance painted in his voice. "If you lose, you will become my personal Jewel Detector," Naraku snickered and went on. "This is an excellent way to test all of my new projects I've been working on, and also give me some entertainment."

A low growl resonated in her throat. She knew how mischievous and villainous this guy was, and knew that she should not take his words lightly.

"You can start now." he said as his mind filled pleasantly with thoughts of her frail figure being tortured.

"Wait!" Kagome yelled as she saw his figure start to dissipate. She saw his brow raise in curiosity and continued. "You said there were rules. What are they?" she spat. She would not be tricked! Oh no, she would outwit him if it was the last thing she did. He would not trick her.

Naraku's smirk crawled onto his lips once more. "You won't be able to see anything until you get to the third floor. And trust me, you'll want to see what's there."

- - - - - -

Kagome found herself sprawled on a hardwood floor. She pushed herself off the ground, blackness engulfing her eyes. 'I can't see.' she thought to herself and stuck her arms out in front of her to prevent her from walking into anything. She slowly staggered forward until her hands rested on a wall. "Great." she said to herself and started to think strategically about what to do. As her other senses finally settled down, she could sense a jewel shard extremely close.

"Is there a reason why you're touching me?" called a masculine voice.

Kagome felt her wall shift and jumped back in shock. She bumped into a shelf and books came toppling down on her. It only hurt when the corners hit, but immediately after the shelf itself came crashing downward on top of her. She felt her body forced to the ground by the heavy, wooden object. Her heart lightened when she felt the weight lifted off of her and hand grip around her arm, pulling her to a stand.

"Are you blind or something?" asked an annoyed voice.

Kagome felt the grip tighten and swung her free hand by instinct in a slapping manner, but knew she missed when all she felt was air.

"You are, aren't you." said the same voice as he lessened his grip, then completely let go.

"No…Well, yes…See, my sight is gone until I can make it to the third level."

"Oh, so you're the girl Naraku was talking about. I didn't think anyone would be so foolish to accept the challenge." mused the man.

"Oh, well, um, sorry for the shelf."

"Not mine."

"Oh, well, um, sorry for…I'm Kagome." she said with a smile and stuck her hand out in a random direction, awaiting it to be shaken.

The man jerked her hand so it was facing him and then smacked it away. "You are pretty dense, woman. You're just lucky it was me you ran in to and not some of these crazy projects Naraku has goin' on here. You shouldn't put your trust in someone like that." he admonished.

Kagome ignored his lecture. She was close to being an adult and didn't have to answer to someone she couldn't even see. "Are you demon?" she asked curiously.

"Mercenary."

"Oh…" Kagome's heart sunk back to the pit of her stomach where it was earlier. "You work for Naraku?"

"No, I just walk around his castle for fun." he replied sarcastically, amused when he saw her eyebrows furrow.

"What do you do for him?"

"Kill people. My brothers are out on our current mission, retrieving the shards from some wolf boy."

Kagome gasped, knowing it had to be Koga. "Are…Are they planning on killing him?"

"Probably. It's been a while since they had a fun fight."

"How many brothers do you have?"

"Six."

"What?! Six against one? Don't you think that's a little unfair? I mean, come on, only the lowest of the low would gang up on someone like that."

"Last I hear, he had a full-fledged clan. It's most likely two hundred against six."

Kagome's head ducked into her neck as her accusing finger retracted. She had forgotten about his wolf demon tribe. "What's your name?"

"Bankotsu."

Kagome smiled once more. "Nice to meet you, Bankotsu."

"Listen, I can guide you to the third floor if you want so you won't have to blindly walk around the castle." he proposed, crossing his arms as his Banryuu lay on the wall near by him.

"No thanks." Kagome declined, putting her arms out and walking in a random direction. She tripped over a fallen book and her stepped into a bucket, causing her to fall on her rear. It felt like all the cushion was squeezed out and her tail bone vibrated, making her take in reconsiderations. She could hear exaggeratingly loud footsteps walk off and sighed. "Bankotsu,"

Bankotsu stopped his dramatic walking and looked back over his shoulder at the fallen girl. "Yes?" he asked.

"I changed my mind."

"You'll have to beg me…if you want help that is." he said, a thin smirk growing across his lips.

Kagome swallowed her pride. She would not beg, but she would ask kindly. After all, her friends' lives were at stake and she needed all the help she could get. "Will you please help me?" she asked, biting back her tongue to say something smart.

Bankotsu walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her 45° to the right. "Just keep walking forward and I'll tell you whenever you need to turn."

"How do I know you won't run me into a wall?"

"Trust me, I won't."

"Weren't you just yelling at me about how not to trust people?"

"One, I wasn't yelling. And two, you do it anyway so there's no point in telling you not to."

"So you know your way around here pretty well?" she asked, putting out her hands subconsciously and walking forward.

Bankotsu pushed her hands back down as he walked along side of her. "Yep." he replied and shifted his weight slightly, resting his halberd, Banryuu, on his shoulder.

- - - - - -

They had been walking for hours. Kagome's legs were tired, as was the rest of her body, but she couldn't give up. She wouldn't. Not when her friends were depending on her.

"Turn to your right -- No, you're other right." he sneered, watching her turn around again.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know if you meant my right or your right." she laughed uneasily.

"We both have the same rights…And we're both going the same direction, so…"

"Oh, shut up." she growled, this causing his smirk to reside on his lips again.

Another hour had passed and it seemed like they were walking endlessly.

"Hey, Genome, was it?"

"Kagome."

"Right, let's stop here for the night. We're close to the second floor," Bankotsu said, sliding open a door and guiding her through it.

After she found the bed, Kagome immediately flopped down on it. It was firm and uncomfortable but it would do. She laid on her back, using a ratty sheet to cover up with. "Why are you helping me?" she asked.

Bankotsu slid the door shut and sat down by the side of the bed. He had lain his Banryuu down by the door. He folded his arms and rolled his eyes cockily. "Nothing better to do." he scoffed, his back facing the bed as he used it as a rest.

"But…You work for Naraku don't you? So…Wouldn't you be trying to keep me from reaching the top? Shouldn't your job be to make everything a benefit for him?"

"Look. Just because I sometimes take missions from Naraku doesn't mean I'm his slave like some of those other weaklings. I only follow missions, I could care less if the bastard dies. I just like getting jewel shards." he said, his last words making him smirk.

"Yes, you have three."

"How'd you know that?" Bankotsu asked, getting a little on edge.

"I can see the Sacred Jewel. Well, I can't really see them anymore without my sight, but I can feel them nearby."

"You're dressed pretty weird for a priestess."

"I guess I'm not really a priestess. I'm only supposedly a reincarnation of one. I just have priestess powers." she said.

"Sounds like you're life is pretty complicated."

Kagome sighed. "Yeah…What about you? I bet your life is pretty complicated, too."

"Nothing I can't handle."

Kagome smiled. His arrogance reminded her of Inuyasha.

"Get some sleep, I'll wake you up in the morning so we can get goin'."

"Okay."

Bankotsu closed his eyes and tried to clear his thoughts for sleep.

"Hey Bankotsu?"

"What."

"Thanks."

"Hn."

- - - - - -

Bankotsu's eyes peeked open about an hour later. He slowly stood up, not making a sound, and walked over to the door. He slid it open and walked through.

"She has accepted your proposal?" said an all too familiar voice.

"Heh, no, she asked me to help her out."

Kagome began to stir and heard voices nearby, as if it were right outside the room. She listened carefully.

"Foolish girl. Bankotsu, you know what you must do. Lead her to the ninth floor, and do not let her make it to the tenth."

"Right."

Kagome quickly stilled as she heard Bankotsu enter the room and sit back down by the bed. She had been tricked…Bankotsu wasn't going to help her, he was going to stop her from getting to her friends! She had to get out of there, help or no help. She was going to rescue her friends and would not let Bankotsu or Naraku or anyone get in the way.

She waited for about another hour, allowing him time to drift to a slumber. She scooted to the end of the bed and slipped off the edge. She tip-toed, dragging her hand quietly against the wall to guide her. She put a hand in front of her and felt the sliding door. She slid it open slowly as if it were a bomb. Once it was open just enough for her small body to fit through it, she stuck her foot out of the room.

"Going somewhere?" called Bankotsu's voice.

Kagome made a dash for it at that, not even bothering to put her hands in front. She needed to get away from him before he caught on. She underestimated him as she felt her body crash down to the ground.

Bankotsu had pushed her to the ground, pinning her wrists to the floor above her head with iron-like fingers. "I asked you a question."

Kagome struggled, writhing beneath him as she tried to break free. "Let me go!" she yelled. "You tricked me! I know it was all a setup! You never planned to help me."

"No, I didn't. But do you honestly think you'll make it far without sight?"

"A lot further than you could help me with!" she barked and then spat upward, hoping it would distract him and let go.

Bankotsu looked down at her with a disgusted face. He pulled one hand up and wiped the saliva off his cheek and then met a powerful slap to the face.

"Feisty one, aren't you." he said through gritted teeth, pinning her free arm back down again.

Tears started to well up in her temporarily blind eyes as she started to fear for her life. What was stopping him from killing her instantly? Nothing. And now, she was completely and utterly defenseless. "Please…Don't kill me." she whispered in between a sob.

Bankotsu's teeth clicked together and rubbed. "Look," he said loudly, and then continued in whispered words as he bent his mouth down next to her ear. "I'm not going to kill you. But if you want to live, you're going to have to make it look like you know nothing about Naraku's plan."

Kagome instantly stopped her sobbing. "Y-You're not going to follow through with Naraku's orders?" she asked.

Bankotsu quickly hushed her and then released her arms, sitting up. He now sat in the awkward position of being on top of her abdomen.

"Oh, well I guess that makes everything better." Kagome said in an unusually cheery and innocent, sweet voice. She then aggressively pushed Bankotsu off of her and ran blindly through the hall. 'No way I'm getting tricked again.' she thought to herself. Sadly, her thin legs were in no comparison to Bankotsu's masculine ones.

Bankotsu swiped his foot in a circle around her legs, causing her to trip. He regained his earlier position on top of her, this time holding her wrists up in the air. "I'm not telling you to believe or trust me. But if you were listening to our whole conversation, you would've heard that my job is to get you to the ninth floor. If that brings you closer to your friends, wouldn't you want to take advantage of that opportunity?"

He had a point. She needed to get there by any means necessary. She wished she could see his eyes. Then, she'd be able to see if there was deceit in them or not. "Fine." she hissed.

Bankotsu stood, pulling her with him. He was glad she accepted, otherwise he would've had to of taken forceful measures. He guided her back to the room and then the two drifted to a dreamless slumber.

- - - - - -

"Wake up."

Kagome's eyes scrunched up and she yawned. "Mmm…" she let out. She felt a tug on her hand and was guided out of the bed.

"You want to get going, don't you?" he asked, looking at her tired face.

"Yeah," she answered groggily. Her goal was to make it to the third floor today, so she could finally see.

As they were walking, Bankotsu saw the stairs come into view. "Stop." he told her and then turned her slightly. "There's a step."

Kagome lifted her foot and stepped onto the first step. She slowly repeated. As she was on about the middle of the staircase, her foot slipped off one of the steps and she started falling backward until she hit the hard…Wait, she didn't hit the floor?

Bankotsu had caught her and stood her back up. "Here, get on my back." he said and turned around. She did as told, and once at the top of the steps, he set her down. "Congratulations. Second floor."

Kagome smiled and started walking, only to be pulled in another direction by Bankotsu. "So I thought there'd be like a challenge for each floor, but there wasn't for the first one."

"Yes there was."

"What was it?"

Bankotsu smirked. "Me."

Kagome wasn't sure how to analyze that comment, so she shrugged it off. She then heard shrilling screams and squeals. Kagome covered her ears and fell down, sitting on her knees. The noise was piercing and it caused excruciating pain to the ear.

Bankotsu, however, still stood, staring off into the distance as something at the other end of the hall slowly crawled toward their direction. It's posture was slumped and every other second it let out a sharp ringing noise.

"W-What's making that noise?" she yelled, feeling like her ears would burn off.

Bankotsu said nothing as the figure approached the two. It had stopped only an inch away from Kagome. It was so slumped over that with her on the floor, they were at eye level with each other.

She could hear the cries directly in her ear and she felt breath on her face. She wished she could see, oh how she wished she could. "W-What's going on?" she whispered, squeezing her hands to her ears even harder as the noise increased.

Bankotsu looked down at Kagome and saw tears coming from the corner of her eyes, strolling down her face. It was a heartbreaking sight. Why was this noise affecting her so much? It shouldn't be. Then again, this was Naraku's creation they were dealing with. Knowing him, he had probably made it so that it could pick its victim and target the sounds. He was about to hack the thing down with his halberd until he saw Kagome stand up.

She looked dreadful. Her arms hung by her side, away from her ears. The noise had stopped completely and it was as if the two were communicating.

'I'll stop the noise if you quit now.'

'No, I can't do that…My friends.'

'Fine, then I will just have to increase the pain until you realize you are no match.'

The demon let out an even higher pitched noise than before, his mouth so close to her ear it looked as if he were thinking of eating it.

Bankotsu had had enough and sliced through the annoying noise-maker.

The noise ceased and a ringing sound was left in Kagome's ears.

"Let's go."

"OKAY!" yelled Kagome extremely loudly.

Bankotsu couldn't help but smirk.

- - - - - -

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost."

"Great!" Kagome exclaimed. She was so close to getting her sight back! Then she'd be able to see Bankotsu…Not that she cared what he looked like, but if he was cute, that would be a plus.

"We're here." he said and once again carried her up the stairs. He set her down and awaited her reaction.

Kagome saw black spots start to disappear and an image slowly replace them. She blinked violently and rubbed her eyes. She could see! She turned to look to Bankotsu and gaped. He was gorgeous!

Bankotsu stood dumbfounded. Her eyes were miraculous! They seemed to be dull and black before, but they were a brilliant chestnut brown, which complemented her other features. He hadn't noticed before, but she was a truly beautiful creature.

Kagome blushed and looked away. "Well, you guided me to the third floor. Thanks, guess I'll be seeing ya." she said and walked off. 'I hope he leaves.' Sadly, her hopes were crushed when she heard Bankotsu speak.

"Ah-Ah." he said, jumping in front of her. "You know the deal, if you want to make this believable, you have to let me help you get to the ninth floor."

Kagome sighed. "Okay."

- - - - - -

Author's Note: Wow, first chapter's done! I'm not going to do a "one level per day" kind of thing since this is only part of the plot. Reviews are LOVED. -Ami