All disclaimers apply and please review. You guys can do it I know you can.

here's the next chapter!

Oh and I pick strawberry ice cream!


InuYasha and the others walked through the forest following Kagura's scent to Naraku's castle. As the sun was setting a thick fog rolled in and InuYasha had lost sight of the others.

He wasn't worried though because he could hear them close behind. About twenty minutes later the hanyou sniffed the air again. It was thick with the scent of Naraku.

"I think we're getting close." He yelled back to the others.

He was answered by a chilling silence.

"Guys?" He asked turning around.

Only the soupy fog stood before him. He took a few steps.

"Kagome?"

Still no answer came to his ears. InuYasha started running back the way he came. He heard something behind him and turned to look when he ran into something solid. InuYasha looked confused at the emptiness in front of him.

"What the..." He reached out and felt a wall.

"A BARRIER!"

Just then the others started to appear out of the fog. Shippo smiled and ran toward InuYasha.

"InuYasha we thought we lost you!"

"Shippo stop there's a barrier!"

The little fox demon froze in his tracks. Kagome came up to the barrier and put her hand on it.

"How did you get through?" She asked.

"I dunno" InuYasha shrugged.

"Stand Back!" He said as he pulled out the Tetseiga.

The blade glowed red as InuYasha swung at the barrier. The blade connected with the barrier. It wavered for a second but did not break.

InuYasha blinked confused.

"It didn't work."

"We will wait here, you go and save Tauni." Miroku said sitting down.

InuYasha agreed and walked off toward Naraku's scent.

------

It had been almost three hours since Naraku took the shard from Tauni and left her there.

The young miko was beginning to get back some of her strength, but now she had lost so much blood from the wound on her shoulder that she was beginning to feel light headed.

Tauni tried desperately to stand and relieve some of the pressure from the shackles that were cutting deeply into her wrists, but she just couldn't muster up enough energy.

The scraping sound of someone unlocking the door changed her focus from the restraints to the door. It opened and Kagura walked in carrying a black and light purple demon slayer's uniform and Tauni's sword wrapped in a cloth.

The young woman's eyes followed the demon as she placed the clothes and the sword on a table. Kagura scowled at Tauni as she took a key and unlocked the girl's ankles. The incarnation then unlocked Tauni's wrists and the miko fell limply onto the floor.

Kagura smirked and grabbed Tauni's hair pulling her up so that she was sitting.

Tauni winced and the wind sorceress laughed at her pain.

"I don't know what Naraku sees in you. You're just a pathetic human."

Kagura brought the clothes over and began dressing Tauni. She finished and went back out the door leaving the young woman sitting there on the floor.

Tauni was about to close her eyes when she realized Kagura hadn't locked the door.

Tauni willed her legs to work and stood up using the wall for support. Slowly she inched her way over to the sword. She reached it and used it as a crutch, heading for the door.

She was just about to grab the handle when the door swung open revealing Naraku's shadowed form. He stepped into the room with a menacing smile plastered on his face.

"Leaving so soon?"

Frightened, Tauni took a step back, but she stumbled and fell backwards onto the floor hitting her already sore tailbone. She winced and Naraku picked her up off the floor by the throat.

The young priestess choked and gasped for air as she clawed at his hand. Naraku loosened his grip and lowered her so that her feet were back on the floor.

"Time for you to help me destroy a pest." Naraku spat as he pinned Tauni to the wall face first.

He then untied the back of her top.

Tauni gasped when he pulled out a dagger. Naraku ran the blade's cold steel down her back and she screamed out in pain, her tears flowing freely.

Through her water blurred vision Tauni saw him hold up the jewel he had taken from her only a few hours earlier.

Instead of its normal pink glow, it shone a pitch black. Naraku's eyes met the miko's gaze and he cackled as he placed the shard into the deep gash down her back.

Tauni's eyes went blank and her mind immediately went numb. The dark shard completely overpowered her and she became Naraku's pawn.

-----

InuYasha ran as fast as he could toward Naraku's castle. Tauni's scent drifted toward him along with Naraku's and he put on an extra burst of speed breaking through the forest and into the courtyard of the castle.

Tauni saw InuYasha bolt out of the forest and into the place where she and Naraku waited for him.

"Well, well InuYasha, it seems you have finally arrived." Naraku said with a smirk.

"Hand over Tauni, Naraku!" InuYasha demanded.

"Of course..." Naraku replied walking behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders.

"She is all yours InuYasha."

With that he leaned over Tauni's shoulder and whispered into her ear.

"Destroy him Kimmikatana."

He smelled the teenager's hair and she wanted desperately to pull away but was unable to even flinch. Naraku then licked her neck and disappeared into the castle.

Tauni cringed inwardly but her face remained blank as InuYasha came running toward her. She struggled with the dark shard for control and a sound escaped from her lips.

"No! Stay away!"

Her voice was so soft that InuYasha had barely heard it, but the words stopped him dead in his tracks.

Tauni's eyes went back to normal and she sank to her knees as she regained control over her body.

"What's wrong?" InuYasha questioned taking a few steps forward.

"STOP!" Tauni panted.

"Naraku is... using a dark shard... to con..."

The priestess didn't get to finish her thought before the power of the shard took over again. Her eyes blanked out and she drew her sword against InuYasha.

He just stood there staring at his former ally.

"I won't fight you Tauni." He said crossing his arms.

Naraku's voice echoed through the yard followed by his evil laughter. "You will InuYasha. You will because you have no other choice. With the shard I have broken her and she is my pawn."

InuYasha gritted his teeth in a growl as Tauni charged at him. The steel of her blade bit at his torso. He dodged just in time and knocked her off her feet. Tauni hit the ground hard but recovered quickly and took another swing, this time at his neck.

InuYasha didn't have time to dodge the blow and was forced to draw his Tetsiega to block it.

The blades collided, spitting sparks into the air around them.

InuYasha blocked every blow Tauni threw at him for the next hour. Both of them stood there panting, and InuYasha awaited the miko's next move.

Tauni didn't keep him waiting long and this time her blade hit its mark, leaving a deep gash in the dog demon's shoulder.

"Damn it!" InuYasha spat under his breath as he grabbed his shoulder.

Tauni allowed him no time to recover as she attacked again connecting with his thigh, cutting in deep once more. InuYasha stood there panting from exhaustion.

If it were not for the shard Tauni too would have no energy left, but its power sustained her. She attacked again and swung her blade at InuYasha's head. He narrowly blocked the move and Tauni came back with a cut to his chest.

InuYasha desperately tried to block her blow but failed and ended up striking the girl instead. Tauni felt the blade of the Tetsiega bite into her abdomen with ease and cut in deep.

Both Tauni and InuYasha stood there staring at each other, blood staining the ground between them. Suddenly a voice dripping with venom echoed coolly from behind the bleeding priestess.

"InuYasha."

InuYasha looked past Tauni and his face contorted in disgust.

"Sesshomaru!"

InuYasha took a step toward his half brother but collapsed to the ground.

Tauni turned and charged at Sesshomaru. Without much effort, he knocked her to the ground. She tried to get to her feet but her legs would no longer support her.

Tauni used the last of her energy to fight the shard.

"Ses..shomaru." She panted.

He walked over and looked down at the wounded miko.

"There's a shard... in my back...Naraku's using it... to control me." She gasped in between labored breaths.

Sesshomaru bent down and put her in a sitting position. He untied her top and removed the shard from her wound, holding in front of her.

Tauni took the shard from his hand and squeezed it tight purifying it. The jewel once again shone a light pink and the miko smiled and whispered a faint thank you to Sesshomaru before falling unconscious into his arms.