A New Target and a Breach In The Plan

Saeka sighed as she packed a bag together. They were preparing to leave the village and go to the place where Naraku's castle once stood. Hopefully, they could find further evidence as to their daughter's whereabouts. But Sesshomaru had uncovered something almost as nice. He'd found the white wolf cub Miharu's old friend Tobias had given to Saaya the night she was born. Mononoke had been wandering around the place the castle had been, Sesshomaru said. At first, the wolf had been cautious of Sesshomaru, but as soon as Sesshomaru got close enough, Mononoke recognized his scent and started bounding up and down, barking wildly. Though Sesshomaru couldn't understand the wolf, he knew that Mononoke could understand him. He'd said that he had to go back but would return in a few days' time.

Saeka looked forward to seeing her wolfish son again. She'd been very fond of the both of them. Although she never liked giving them their baths every other day, she enjoyed raising them. She wondered how Mononoke had gotten so far away though.

The door to the hut opened and she heard the telltale silent footsteps approaching. Back when she was still known as The Healer, those same footsteps had scared the life out of her after a slight snowfall. Now, they lifted her heart slightly, knowing it was the most important person in her life instead of a dangerous monster that she'd believed it to be before.

" Hello, Sesshomaru." She said.

" Saeka, why are you getting ready so early?" Sesshomaru asked.

" We leave tomorrow, right?"

" Yes." He said. " But you should be resting. Kaede and Kagome got most of the supplies packed. You don't really need any."

" At certain times in the month, I do." She said, checking the contents of her red rucksack.

" I won't argue." He said. He turned and went to the door. He paused.

" Saeka." He said.

" Yes?"

" I love you."

Saeka smiled. " I love you too." She replied warmly. He left the hut. Saeka was left alone once more.

As she was sealing her bag up, the door opened again. She heard footsteps, but they were unfamiliar. They were soft, like a cat's. She turned around. Her eyes went wide and she had just enough time to say, " You!"

With a hissing sigh, she fell to the ground.

Naraku opened his eyes. He looked out the window at the quarter-moon hanging in the sky like a silver galleon. He hummed to himself. His plan was going well. But he still needed power. He sighed unhappily. Tonight was probably the night.

He got up and made his way to his door, leaving silently. He slowly walked the short distance to Saaya's room. It was either tonight or tomorrow, one or the other would be just fine. In any case, he'd end it soon.

He slid open the panel door and stepped inside. He could see her in the corner, huddled beneath the blanket and fast asleep by the window. She'd apparently dragged her bed over so she could fall asleep by the moonlight. The gentle, silver beams wafted into the room, bathing everything in a bluish, white light. It was so quiet he could hear the frogs chirping outside in the marshes. He approached the sleeping girl and sat down beside her bed, staring at her coldly. Her white hair was splayed out around her head in the shape of a halo. She kept it down at night. The cover moved gently up and down as she breathed. He couldn't help but think how peaceful she looked. She had no idea of his impending intentions. She slept on soundly, blissfully unaware of his presence.

He thought about what he was going to do to her. Absorbing her power would be simple and quick. He had indeed grown fond of her, and didn't want her to suffer as he might have done were his human heart still with The Infant. But he'd taken his heart back just a day before InuYasha slashed The Infant apart. So now, he had his human heart again and he also had his human emotions. This included caring about his prisoner. He didn't want to absorb her, but he needed power. He didn't want to die either.

He was startled as she started to stir. The brief notion of leaving entered his mind as fast as the realization that he'd never make it out in time without any noise. He decided to risk it.

She opened her eyes—and screamed. She backed against the window in a panic. " W-Who is it?" she stammered.

" It's only me." Naraku replied. Saaya exhaled and sank down a ways.

" It's you." She murmured. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders like an apron. " What are you doing in here?" she asked quietly.

" I am unable to follow my golem at the moment." He lied.

" That doesn't answer my question." She said. He didn't want to tell her the real reason he came in. He wanted to see her at peace one final time. He'd already gotten his wish. He looked away.

" Naraku?" she said. He looked back at her. " Why do you want my memories?" she asked. He looked toward the floor. Instead of answering, he thought of something else.

" Saaya, what would you say if I told you, that you were going to die tomorrow?"

Saaya's face was blank. She turned away. " I'd be very sad. But, if it were my fate to die at such short notice, then so be it. After all, why prolong the inevitable if it cannot be avoided in such close proximity. All things living must one day die. Even me."

Naraku pondered this. She was unafraid. She probably even suspected the truth and if that was so, she didn't show any sign of fear, or hatred.

" Naraku, are…are you going to kill me?" she asked timidly. He looked into her face. He felt the same as he did the night he almost devoured her.

" Yes." He admitted. He expected her to cry, or faint or beg that he let her go. But she said and did nothing. She sighed. " So be it. I die tomorrow, then." She murmured.

" Why do you believe you'll die tomorrow? I, I could have come and woken you up so I could kill you right now." He said menacingly.

" You would have killed me in my sleep." She said. " But, why do you wish to kill me?"

" I need your power. I have to become strong once more." He said gravelly. To his surprise, she smiled. " You need my power?" she said. He nodded. She sighed. " Well, I suppose I could give it to you and save you the trouble of killing me." She said. Naraku was stunned. " You'd willingly give me your power? Why?" he asked, bewildered.

" You've been so kind to me since I came here. It's…it's the least I could do." She said quietly.

" You're…you're sure?" he muttered. She nodded and closed her eyes. Her body started to glow with a faint white light.

" What are you doing?" he asked.

" Preparing to give you my power." She replied. The glow became faintly brighter. " You can have…all of it." Her voice was very quiet. She leaned toward him. Before he could react, her lips pressed against his and he felt a strange warmth spread through his body as the light surrounding her moved toward him. He felt a new power rushing through his veins. He could sense his own power increasing as the light faded and she pulled away. He stared ahead blankly, stunned.

" Saaya," he said tonelessly. But her eyes closed, she exhaled deeply and started to fall sideways. His eyes widened. " Saaya!" he yelled. His hand lashed out and caught her. He shook her gently. " Saaya? Saaya? Saaya!"

She was completely still. He laid her on the floor carefully, hardly daring to believe what she had just done.

" She gave me her power—and her life." He mumbled. He didn't know what to do now. He raised a hand and stared at it. He felt ten times stronger than he had before. But now that she was gone because of it, did he really want it? Did he truly want this power in exchange for the life of the only one who had never feared him? The only one he ever truly cared about? He was torn between keeping this new power and the life of Saaya. Finally, he reached down and raised her back into a sitting position against his arm. She was unmoving. He could detect no energy, no power. No life.

" No." he murmured. " I want to become stronger, but not like this. It isn't worth that much."

He sighed, willed himself to go through with it, and promptly returned her power to her. The glow that had surrounded them minutes earlier appeared again and transferred to her body. It faded once more and he laid her back down. He covered her with the blanket and hurriedly got to his feet and left the room. She would reawaken soon and once again he didn't want to face her. As he made his way back to his room, he felt a painful wrench on his heart. This put a problem in his plans. He couldn't absorb her now, after this. She'd been willing to give up her life to make him stronger. He had returned her power to her. He just couldn't carry out his plan. Even he wasn't that evil. He just couldn't do it.

He slammed open his door and slammed it shut again, cracking the plaster. He stood in the middle of the floor, panting hard. Then, with a yell of fury, he whirled and bashed his fist against the wall, creating a warp in the wood and paint. He leaned his forehead against its smooth surface and grimaced. " What is happening to me?" he hissed.

Sesshomaru waited outside at dawn. It had been over two hours since Saeka had gone in to pack and she still hadn't come out yet. Everyone coming, which included InuYasha, a yawning Kagome, Sakura, Kaede and another of Kirara's kittens, Kirura, and Shippo, were all waiting outside beneath the big oak tree outside the village and looked as though they could all fall asleep. Kagome came down and yawned again. " Sesshomaru, is she ready yet?" she asked sleepily.

" No." he said exasperatedly. " That does it, I'm going in there."

" Hey!" Kagome perked up. " You can't just walk in on her like that! You're a guy, it's impolite!"

" Then kindly suggest something else." He grumbled, folding his arms.

" I'll go instead." She said snippily.

" Hurry up." He grumbled.

Kagome strode to the door, knocked and opened it cautiously.

" Saeka? Saeka, it's time to go." She whispered. It was very dark. The lamp had gone out long ago. Kagome stepped in. She made her way to the lamp on the table and tripped over something on the floor.

" I must have stepped on her bag." Kagome murmured. She used a match from her pocket to light the lamp and blew the match out. " Ahh, there. That's better. Now to—"

She turned, and her eyes widened.

" EEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!!! SESSHOMARU! SESSHOMARU!" Kagome shrieked. Sesshomaru, alarmed now, dashed into the hut and stopped dead in his tracks.

" SAEKA!" he shouted in a voice wavering on panic.

" Sesshomaru! What the hell is goin' on here-e-EEEEHHH!" InuYasha yelled when he arrived. He'd heard Kagome's scream all the way to the hill. Kaede came in and covered her mouth in horror.

Sesshomaru had the healer cradled in his arms, trying to wake her up. She had been lying on the floor, her eyes glazed, a dead look on her face.

" Saeka! Wake up, please!" he cried. Kaede knelt down and brushed Saeka's hair from her face. Her eyes narrowed and she bowed her head. " Her soul has been taken. She's nothing but an empty shell." She said gravelly.

" Who could have don—" Kagome said, but she was cut off as InuYasha suddenly snarled and ran from the hut. " Hey!" they heard him shout. " You!"

Everyone ran outside. Sesshomaru was the first to reach the spot where his brother was standing, looking out onto the roof. His eyes opened in horror.

" Kanna! Kagura!" InuYasha bellowed. " What have you done to Saeka?"

Kagura snickered and opened her fan across her face. " My sister has borrowed her soul for a while." She said. Kagome was fuming. " I thought you were on our side now!" she cried. She glanced at Sesshomaru. She almost screamed again. His eyes were blood red and he was growling loudly, his fangs starting to become exposed. He was revealing his true self, the one he usually kept contained so horrible was his fury.

" What are ye going to with her?" Kaede demanded.

" Kanna and I are going to destroy Naraku. The soul of the healer would make a great replacement of the moronic one that Hakudoshi put into one of Naraku's incarnations before he was absorbed. Mind you, once we destroy the incarnation, her soul will be torn apart."

Sesshomaru snarled. " Release her! NOW!" He yelled furiously. Kagura smirked at him. " How could you ever fall in love with a half-breed? She could never be your equal. She was only in the right place at the right time. Just like now, for instance."

She removed the feather from her hair. " We'll see you at the castle. Maybe you'll see Saeka. Bye now!"

She and Kanna took off into the morning sky. Sesshomaru stared bleakly after them. He sank to the ground, his head supported by his hand as he struggled to contain his anger.

" Saeka, no." he whispered.

Kagome stood nearby, unsure of what to say to him. She'd come to think highly of him as like a brother to her. To see him this upset was heart wrenching.

" Sesshomaru, we'll get Saeka back." She said determinedly. " I promise she'll be back in her body unscathed."

Sesshomaru looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He sighed heavily.

" Thank you, Kagome." He murmured. He went back into the hut. Kagome and InuYasha followed him.

They found him next to Saeka, staring down at her lifeless body with a terrible look on his face.

" I can't just leave her, but we can't bring her along this way." He snapped.

" Maybe one of the villagers could care for her." Kagome suggested. " I know there's at least one family who completely respects you, Sesshomaru. I'm sure they'd be happy to look after her until we can free her soul."

Sesshomaru looked up. For the first time, there seemed to be hope in his bleak eyes. He nodded. He picked Saeka up and got to his feet. Kagome led them out of the hut and toward another one a few spots down. She knocked on the door and a woman answered, rubbing her eyes wearily. " Lady Kagome, do you know how early it is?" she moaned.

" I'm afraid we've got a bit of trouble." Kagome said. She moved to reveal Saeka. The woman gasped. " The Healer! What happened to her?" she exclaimed.

" Her soul has been taken, and we cannot take her with us on our journey to get it back. Do you think you'd be willing to take care of her until we return?" Kagome asked. The woman nodded several times. Of course, of course, come in." she said. The three of them entered. By now, the rest of her household was awake. The two children were excited to see Sesshomaru, but were highly concerned about how angry he looked and the fact that The Healer was as if dead in his arms.

The woman, after quickly summarizing the situation to her husband, worked to set up a makeshift bed for Saeka in the corner. Sesshomaru made his way over there and set her down gently. The woman gazed down at The Healer blankly. " I'm so sorry." She said to Sesshomaru. The demon got to his feet.

" Please look after her." He mumbled.

" Of course. She'll be perfectly safe here, milord." She said, bowing slightly. Sesshomaru blinked in surprise. He hadn't heard that term in so long, he'd forgotten she was talking to him. He swept past her and stopped at the door, his head bowed.

While InuYasha and Kagome explained to the man what had happened, the little girl and her brother crept forward toward Sesshomaru. The little girl stood up and pulled gently on his sleeve. " Sesshy?" she asked. She and her brother were still too little to pronounce his full name, so they'd developed a nickname for him, mainly because they got more disastrous results trying to say the complete pronunciation than otherwise.

He glanced down at them.

" Sesshy? What's wrong?" The little girl asked. " You look sad."

Sesshomaru didn't want to tell them the details, so he decided to tweak them to make more sense to such young ears. " I am sad." He said.

" Why?"

" I'm leaving someone I love behind." He replied. The little girl looked back toward the body of The Healer. " Oh." She murmured. She beamed. " Don't worry, Sesshy, we'll take care of her." She squeaked. Her brother nodded his head vigorously. Sesshomaru couldn't help but smile just a little bit. He was reminded of Rin before her capture and change.

" I know you will." He said to them.

InuYasha and Kagome came up a few second later. They had seen the little exchange of words between the children and the demon, but they said nothing. Kagome thought it was cute how they called him Sesshy.

" You okay about this Sesshomaru?" InuYasha inquired as they left the hut and Saeka behind.

" I haven't much else to do." He replied. InuYasha stared at the ground. He couldn't help but think about all of the ill luck that had befallen Sesshomaru and Saeka for so long. It was like they were cursed and no matter what they did, the curse would always come back to haunt them. But he admired them that they always made the best of it. To InuYasha, having to leave a companion behind must be horrible. He couldn't imagine leaving Kagome behind like that.

They reached the top of the hill and prepared to leave. Kirura transformed and Sesshomaru, before forming the cloud he always used, took one last look back at the hut where they'd left Saeka. With a sigh, he rose up into the air and followed the others.

" I'm going to kill them." He growled.

A/N: Okay, I got a review saying that chapter 2 was corny. If anyone else thinks so, let me know and I'll go in and rewrite it. If no one else does, I'll let it be. I don't try to make them corny, but sometimes things don't work out as I hope they would. Besides, I'm busy fussing about what I'm planning to do to end the series. This isn't the best time for flames.