AN: thanks for reviews! If some scenes seem familiar, they are from the series, slightly changed to fit the story. About Naraku romances: He's not really seen as a romantic person, so he's not easiest to write in a romance story. Another similar is Sesshoumaru, who will make an appearance in this chapter. Yes, this is Naraku/Aurora story, with some canon pairings.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha or Bleach, just little miss Shinigami and her family.

Chapter 3

Sunset finds Aurora keeping company to Kagewaki, when a servant comes to inform that the exterminators have arrived. Kagewaki sends Aurora to check the group and return to him with her opinion of their abilities.

Aurora bows at him and hurries at the castle yard. In the yard the old master of the castle is with a group of men, all looking at the group of five taijiya. Aurora can see that three of these are grown men, but one of them is a boy, and another one is a young woman.

The woman shifts her gaze shortly to Aurora as she senses someone looking at him. Aurora's golden gaze meeting the slayer's brown, before they both turn their attention at the old Kagewaki, who had inquired about the two younger ones.

The leader tells that these are his son and daughter, who are among the best ones in their village. This information is enough for Aurora, who goes back to younger Kagewaki, telling him that the group should be able to defeat the youkai.

Kagewaki listens to her words carefully, and after she's finished he keeps his silence for a moment before turning his gaze at Aurora. "Why do you think my father doesn't want you to fight the youkai? You could defeat it within seconds. You've proven that."

"I do not know, my lord. Only possible reason which crosses my mind is, that you are protected, in the case that youkai could be able to enter the castle."

"True enough, but don't you think that would be easier if you were to destroy the creature while it's still outside?"

"I presume it would." Her eyes widen a bit as she realises something. "My lord, are you trying to tell me that your father is doing this on purpose?"

"Yes, I am. That thing out there is not my father, but a youkai who has taken over his body. I have suspected something like that for a while, my father have been acting weirdly for a while."

"That would make sense, my lord, however I have yet to sense youki coming from him."

"Try again now. You should sense two youkai at the moment."

Aurora closes her eyes and concentrates, right away sensing it. She opens her eyes, looking at Kagewaki. "Your suspicions were correct; I can sense two youkai at the castle yard."

"Bring my katana."

Aurora tilts her head to one side, not really understanding why he would want his Katana. His glare sends her outside the room, and she returns less than a minute later with his katana. Kagewaki is already on his feet and she gives the weapon to him.

The two move to the yard, only to be met by an unexpected sight. The youkai is dead, but so are the slayers. All of them. The woman even has a bunch of arrows embedded in her back.

Aurora blinks. What is this? Before she can think of anything to say or do, she can feel youki coming from the old mater of the castle. Only a second later she witnesses how the young Kagewaki strikes with his katana at his father.

Everyone at the yard gapes at him, but he merely explains that a youkai had taken over the older man's body. He looks at slayers and gives an order to bury them in the corner of his garden.

After an hour or so Aurora leaves Kagewaki's room after he has fallen asleep. The healer had said that now that the youkai was gone, the young man would be better soon.

She returns back to the old cherry tree, which has become her favourite tree in the entire garden. At first she merely stands in front of the tree, studying its leafs and stem, before she sits down leaning at the tree with her back. She closes her eyes, hoping once more her memories to return.

The more she thinks about trying to get her memories back, the more uncertain she has become, whether she actually wants her memories to return or not. She likes this castle. She really does. With this thought another one crosses her mind. This one is saying that she also likes the young Kagewaki. She blushes at this though.

Her train of thought is stopped as she senses Kagewaki's aura approaching her. She stands up and heads for the main building, only to come to a halt as she hears sounds coming from the corner the slayers were buried at.

At the same time Naraku slides open the shoji door, only to see Aurora, who is gazing at the new graves. He looks at them too, noticing that the female slayer is crawling at his direction. She is still alive?

Aurora rushes to the woman. "It is unwise to move unless you wish for your wounds to worsen."

Naraku calls a couple of his servants to him. "Prepare a room for her and fetch the healer." As the servants run off to obey he turns to look at the two women, before he walks to them.

Aurora checks the other woman's injuries, finding out that the injuries aren't too bad. "My lord, my opinion is that she can be moved without risking her death." She turns to the other woman. "You are in safe now, and you will be all right."

Naraku touches Aurora's shoulder to get her attention. "Aurora, I need your speed. I've heard a rumour of a youkai who is about fifteen miles west from this castle. This youkai carries a healing sword. Bring either the sword or both to me. I warn you, he is strong, but I have faith in you."

Aurora bows at him. "Yes my lord." She rushes to change her clothes and to fetch her katana. Within five minutes she is already running through forests and plains with her Shunpo.

Finally Aurora can sense powerful youki coming from a clearing near her. As she stops by the tree line she can see a silver haired, white clad youkai, with red on his shoulder, and armour covering his upper body. Curiously she notices that his right shoulder is covered by a piece of fur.

Aurora tries to find the sword. Noticing that the only one she can see is at his sash. The sword! She also realises something slightly surprising; the youkai's left sleeve seems to be empty. What could have happened to him?

She's still trying to figure out what to do, when he suddenly turns around, allowing her to see the blue crescent moon adorning his forehead, and the magenta twin stripes on his cheeks. She also gets a good look at his yellow-blue long sash, and spiked armour. She startles when he speaks.

"You behind the trees, did you think that someone with Naraku's smell on them could hide from this Sesshoumaru? Show yourself."

Naraku? Aurora can't comprehend what the youkai is talking about, but she complies and steps in to the clearing, locking her golden orbs with his golden ones. "I am afraid I know not of this 'Naraku', but I am here under the orders of my lord."

In a blur of white he is in front of her, forcing her to retreat against the nearest tree. He gives her a cold glare, speaking with a cold voice. "Are you claiming that you do not know Naraku? Care to explain why you have his scent on you?"

"I speak the truth. I do not know a person called Naraku. I do not know how his scent can be on my person. I am not here to fight, rather I was ordered to retrieve a sword that can heal, and its carrier, to my lord."

"Your lord?"

"His name is Hitomi Kagewaki, and he is the young lord of the nearby castle."

"Pray tell, woman, could this young lord's scent be on you?"

She starts at the question, not quite understanding what the youkai is aiming at. "I consider that as a possibility." She thinks a moment longer about something she does understand. She's sure now. Kagewaki's aura has similarities with this youkai's aura. He really is a half youkai. "This Naraku... Care to tell me who he is?"

"He is a hanyou, and he and I have a score to settle."

"Is he evil?" He merely raises one eyebrow. "I will rephrase the question. Has he done terrible things, such as slaughtered innocent people?"

"Yes, he has."

"So he is evil. My lord is not evil, but he is the most warm hearted lord of the castle I have ever encountered." She 'forgets' to mention that he is the only lord of the castle, aside with the man's father, she has ever met, according to her memories, at least.

Sesshoumaru narrows his eyes a fraction, deciding that her scent tells him that she's telling the truth. If this Kagewaki is Naraku, she doesn't know of it. "This Kagewaki, why does he want the Tenseiga?"

"Tenseiga?" Aurora muses. "I have heard that name before…" Her eyes widen considerably as another memory reaches her conscious.

Aurora is in front of a tall taiyoukai, studying his golden eyes, silver hair, white kimono with blue markings, and two jagged purple lines on his cheeks. Her eyes are open wide as she stares at the glowing sword in his hands. "That sword…"

The taiyoukai smirks. "Tenseiga. It was forged from my fang, alongside with the Tessaiga."

"It…cut through my barrier. How can that be?"

"Tenseiga connects this world to the next. It can cut things that do not belong into this world. I presume you are one of them."

"Yes… I am a Shinigami."

The youkai grins. "Ah, that explains it. I'm known as Inu no Taisho. I'm the Lord of the Western Lands. And who might you be?"

"Aurora Sakura. Why… You could have slain me with that sword. I attacked you, and yet you decided to spare my life. Why is this so?"

"I do not kill without a reason. Why did you attack me?"

She glances at the bodies on the ground. "I saw blood on your blade and those bodies. I simply presumed that you attacked them."

He lets out a short laugh. "You didn't think that I might've killed the youkai who attacked these humans?"

Her cheeks turn red. "I apologize."

He shakes his head. "You don't have to. How could you have known?"

A cold voice brings her back from her memories. "What are you? You are neither human nor youkai."

She blinks and meets his gaze. "I am a Shinigami. I was born in a place called Soul Society. I am a spirit entity, like my parents before me."

"My father told me of one he met. She attacked him, but he decided to spare her life, even though he had a weapon to kill her."

She tilts her head a bit. "You do have similarities with the taiyoukai of my most recently returned recollection. Inu no Taisho was his name. He informed me of the Tenseiga, and its brother sword, the Tessaiga."

He gives her a blank stare, which somehow encourages her to continue. "A short while ago I was found nearby my lord's castle. Before that time, I have not had many memories of my life. Slowly I have been able to remember bits and pieces of the time before I was found. The name Tenseiga brought back one, of the incident between your father and myself."

"Tell me, Shinigami, are you going to obey you lord's command?"

"If I was, would you come with me, or give up your sword, peacefully?"

"Hn. I think not."

She grins. "Somehow I knew you would not. I will not fight you. I will figure out a way to do whatever he wanted that sword for." After this is said, she uses her Shunpo and heads back towards the castle.

As soon as Aurora reaches the castle she heads towards Kagewaki's aura. Can Sesshoumaru be correct concerning my lord's identity? Is it possible that the kind young lord is this Naraku? He shakes her head, ridding herself from these thoughts.

She finds her kneeling at the head of the female slayer. "My lord, I have returned."

He turns to look at her, following her movements as she kneels next to him. "Aurora, did you find the sword?"

"Hai, my lord. I found the sword."

He frowns. "Why it is not with you?"

"I apologise, my lord. The youkai was too strong." Her gaze is at her lap.

"It matters not. It seems that Sango here doesn't need it after all. You may leave."

Aurora stands up and bows at him, before retreating back to her room. She is about to change her clothes before she senses something odd. She gets out of her room, trying to locate the source. As she walks towards it, Sesshoumaru's words circle around her head. Kagewaki can not be that vile Naraku the youkai mentioned. However… How can Naraku's scent be on my person? I have not touched any other hanyou than... Kagewaki! She grimaces inwardly. That means that Kagewaki truly is Naraku!

She hurries towards the location the odd sensation is coming from, only to find it coming from Kagewaki's room. She slides the shoji screen open to see him sitting next to a wall. On a table next to the other wall she can see a wooden puppet. "My lord."

He looks at her. "Sango heard that a hanyou has attacked her village. She left the castle to seek vengeance."

"From whom did she receive such information?"

"My servant Naraku brought the message, and he also joined her in her trip."

Naraku. That name she can recognise. And that puppet, she can feel youki coming from it, his youki, to be exact. "My lord, the puppet. It is a demon puppet, is it not?"

"Yes."

"My lord, I need to ask you a question regarding information I received earlier today."

He pats the space next to her, urging her to sit down. She complies kneeling next to him, but she keeps her gaze on the floor. He touches her chin with his hooked finger, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You can ask anything, Aurora."

"The youkai who was carrying the healing sword caught a certain scent on my person. According to him, the scent belonged to a vile hanyou called Naraku. My lord, you are the only hanyou who I have been close enough for the scent to transfer on me."

He stiffens as he hears these words. One part of him wants to force her to forget the question, but the more reasonable part of him reminds him not to frighten her. He still can use the woman.

He captures her pleading gaze with his own, moving his hand to her cheek. "You wish to know the truth, Aurora? Very well. That puppet is the one who informed Sango of the destruction of her village. That demon puppet is Naraku, but so am I."

Aurora's eyes widen, but what for, he can only guess. She stays silent, so he decides to fill the silence. "Now that you know the truth, what are you going to do? Do you still wish to stay with me, or are you going to leave me?" His voice isn't revealing the little worry he feels inside. He still needs her. If he has no other choice, he will force her to stay.

Hiding these thoughts he continues in a quiet voice. "If you don't want to have anything to do with me, I won't blame you.

Aurora leans on his touch, closing her eyes for a moment. For a full minute she doesn't know what to say. When she does, she opens her eyes, raising her hand to cover his hand on her cheek. "My lord, it takes more than that to make me leave you."

He smiles at her shortly, before his face turns serious. "Do you hate me?"

"Iie, my lord. I do not feel hatred."

He strokes her cheek with his thumb. "In that case, I want you to follow Sango and the puppet. Don't let her die until Inuyasha is dead."

She nods to acknowledge, before retreating from his touch and rushing outside. As she travels towards the puppet's aura she isn't quite sure if she is going to return to the man she now know is Naraku.