Disclaimer: I own Rhiodoru, Karameida, Zaniistar, Kishotaka, Niishi, Yuryu, Akaruihi, Tsuyoihi, and Kiirohana. All other characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

Disaster

Kagome carefully helped Zaniistar get Inuyasha onto his back. Sesshomaru watched, keeping an eye on the scene in the courtyard below.

They had all rushed to look out through the broken wall when the scream had shattered the silence of the night. At the sight of the dead boy, Kohaku, and Naraku, Kagura, and the demon slayer preparing to battle, Sesshomaru had been ready to join the fight. But, with impeccable timing, the demon cat and monk had arrived, adding to the standoff, but also acting as a restraint on the grief-stricken demon slayer.

Sesshomaru watched for another moment while, with agonizing care, the girl and dragon tried to position the hanyou on Zaniistar's back in a way that would keep Inuyasha's wounds from reopening. Sesshomaru surmised that Inuyasha would recover if he was taken as far away from the battle as possible. Otherwise, one way or another, Inuyasha would try to fight.

Sesshomaru felt the slightest of frowns crease his brown. Inuyasha still had not transformed back, though the Tetsusaiga was strapped on Kagome's back. The hanyou's partial transformation baffled Sesshomaru. His demon blood had awakened, yet Inuyasha was in complete control.

Eyeing Kagome as she helped Zaniistar rise to his feet, burdened with Inuyasha's dead weight, he wondered if perhaps it wasn't Inuyasha controlling his demon blood, but the presence of his mate that was allowing Inuyasha to remain in possession of himself.

The dragon and human looked expectantly at him. Inuyasha appeared to have lost consciousness again.

Not acknowledging their looks, Sesshomaru stepped over to where Niishi lay. The girl was still alive, but her eyes stared vacantly at the ceiling. Sesshomaru studied her for a moment, then, with an almost negligent flip of his hand, opened her from throat to navel with his poison whip. No one as twisted as her should be given a chance to live and seek revenge.

Stepping away from the growing pool of blood, Sesshomaru moved to the broken wall, stopping at the edge and peering down. The demons and humans were still facing off, but Naraku's poison insects had joined the showdown, eliminating the use of the monk's windtunnel. How inconvenient.

He glanced over his shoulder as Kagome came up beside him, Zaniistar and Inuyasha on her other side. The dragon could make the jump. Two stories wasn't much for a demon, though spirit dragons were weak unless they transformed. The dragon could handle it, even with Inuyasha. But the girl . . .

Swallowing an annoyed sigh and allowing a slightly put-upon expression to grace his features, he snatched Kagome by the back of the shirt and leaped into the thick, tense silence below.

: x ∙ x ∙ x ∙ X ∙ X ∙ X ∙ x ∙ x ∙ x :

Sesshomaru dropped her. Again.

Thumping to the ground in an ungainly heap, Kagome immediately scrambled to her feet, taking in everything that was happening in the courtyard.

Zaniistar and Sesshomaru flanked her. Inuyasha, bleeding and unconscious, on Zaniistar's back. Sango, enraged and anguished, struggling against Miroku to break free and go after Naraku. Kohaku, lying dead at the demon's feet. Kilala, watching and waiting for the others to act. Kagura, standing behind and far to the left of Naraku, watching as well. The poisonous Saimyosho hovering over the entire scene.

Someone was missing.

Kagome looked around again. Where was Shippo?

Pushing the kitsune from her mind, she was just glad he was safe and away from here. This was quickly escalating into a battle none of them could afford to fight. Especially Inuyasha.

At the thought of the hanyou, Kagome glanced back, her eyes searching his face. He was alive—barely—but still unconscious. They had to get him out here. Away from Naraku, away from this castle, away from any danger.

She thought back on Sesshomaru's execution of Niishi with grim satisfaction. At least that was one problem taken care of.

Drawing upon her determination and resolve, Kagome fingered the bow in her hands. It wasn't her bow; she had left it back with her backpack when she'd gone for water before this whole nightmare began. But, after a very brief search of the rooms near the one Niishi and Zaniistar had been in, she had discovered an armoury, filled with an assortment of different weapons hanging on the walls. The bow and a full quiver had been there, and she had helped herself to them.

It was time.

Together, the three—four, including Inuyasha—moved forward.

Even a couple days ago, the idea that she would be facing down Naraku with none other then the spirit dragon Zaniistar and Inuyasha's brother Sesshomaru at her side would have been ludicrous.

Kagome came up beside Sango and Miroku and stopped. She looked upon Naraku's evil, smiling face.

Because of Naraku's cowardice, Kagome could count on one hand all the times she'd faced the demon in person. This time was somewhat different from the others, mostly because Inuyasha was out of commission. Narrowing her eyes, Kagome gave him a murderous glare.

Miroku, finally having managed to calm Sango enough so she wasn't blind with rage, glanced at Inuyasha slung across Zaniistar's back.

"Kagome," he asked softly, "what happened?"

"When Inuyasha, controlled by Niishi, and Sesshomaru fought, Sesshomaru ended up stabbing Inuyasha," her voice cracked, but she forced herself to continue. "He's badly wounded, but alive. Zaniistar got the bracelet away from Niishi that she was using to control Inuyasha and keep his mind trapped." Kagome glanced at the dragon. He was still clutching the bracelet in one hand. They hadn't had time to remove the collar from around Inuyasha's neck yet.

Miroku and Sango both nodded. Kagome frowned. "Do either of you know where Shippo is?"

Miroku pressed his lips tightly together for a moment. "We were together, but then we got separated. I haven't seen him since. I thought he would have backtracked here . . ."

Kagome felt a wave of anxiety roll through her, but quickly squashed it as Naraku suddenly smiled. She glared at the demon, despising him. Naraku, you foul beast.

She never saw it coming.

A horde of the Saimyosho were suddenly swarming around her, over her. Sango and Miroku leaped to her defense, but there were too many. They were buzzing all around, landing on her, tugging at her clothes with their sticklike legs. But they weren't stinging her.

Suddenly, she felt something jerk against her neck, then a snap.

"No!" she screamed as the insects, as one body, retreated. One of them, stopping in front of Naraku, dropped the bottle with her jewel shards into the demon's hand.

Kagome felt a wave of overwhelming shame and despair. She had failed. She had failed to protect the jewel and keep it from Naraku. She couldn't look at the others, couldn't meet their eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

A hand squeezed her shoulder. Kagome looked up into Sango's sad eyes. "It's not you fault, Kagome," the slayer said quietly.

Kagome felt a surge of gratitude, but it didn't overcome her guilt. She had failed. Her only job, protecting the jewel, and she had failed. She had let Naraku get it.

A sudden, cold laugh silenced Kagome before she could reply.

"Finally," Naraku said, with a cruel grin, "the moment I've been waiting for."

Miroku's face was dark with anger. "Naraku, you bastard. You planned this all along!"

Naraku's smile became icier. "Partially, dear monk, partially. I must say, I had not planned on things playing out quite like this, but it's the end result that counts, wouldn't you say?"

Sango's eyes were filled with furious tears, but her voice was steady. "You were behind it all, though," she accused. "Niishi, the Nosaki, Inuyasha's abduction, Kohaku and those demons! All of it!"

Naraku's eyes glittered with malicious amusement. "Of course."

"You bastard!" the slayer screamed. "Why did you have to kill Kohaku!"

Kagome felt anger tightening her chest. Naraku actually looked like he was enjoying himself.

"Isn't it obvious, Sango? I no longer had any use for him. Oh, and his jewel shard, of course." The demon's smile was purely sadistic now. "I gave him the shard in the first place, Sango. It's only fair that I get to take it back, don't you think?"

Sango screamed wordlessly, once again trying to lunge for the demon. Miroku grabbed her just in time.

Kagome was shaking with rage. Naraku had used them, tricked them all. He hadn't had to take control of Inuyasha. He hadn't had to use Niishi to manipulate them. He hadn't had to pit Inuyasha against them, to make them fight one another. He hadn't had to do any of that. There were hundreds of easier, simpler ways he could have used to lure them to his castle and get her jewel shards. But he had done it this way. He had done it because he enjoyed toying with them, toying with their emotions, hurting them.

Kagome, her lips pulling back from her teeth in a silent snarl, lifted her bow. Nocking an arrow, she drew it back, aiming right for Naraku's heart.

"You foul demon!" she hissed. "It's your turn to die!" A bluish glow engulfed her and the arrow as she prepared to fire.

A shout and crash interrupted her, causing them all to turn.

Zaniistar and Inuyasha were sprawled on the ground, another demon standing over them. A demon cloaked in black, his face hidden in shadowy hood.

Kagome's heart stopped as her eyes took in Inuyasha and Zaniistar's still forms.

Calmly stepping over Zaniistar and Inuyasha's prone bodies, the second demon sauntered across the courtyard to stand beside Naraku.

"Ah, Lord Yuryu," Naraku said conversationally, as though nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. "How kind of you to join us."

Kagome was still staring at Inuyasha and Zaniistar, her bow and arrow hanging from her slack fingers, forgotten. She waited, holding her breath.

Zaniistar's body twitched, and with great difficulty, he struggled up until he was kneeling. Panting, he fixed the second demon with a killing glare.

"Hmm." The deep baritone voice came from inside the dark hood of the second demon. "You're stronger than I thought. Impressive." The demon's voice was bored, as though he felt that everyone here was wasting his time.

"You bastard," Zaniistar snarled, his eyes filled with rage and . . . and something else.

The Yuryu demon didn't reply, merely lifted one hand, gloatingly displaying his trophy.

The black metal bracelet glinted darkly in the faint light.

Yuryu twirled the metal band in his fingers, his hood turned towards Inuyasha. Kagome whirled back to look at the others. The hanyou was kneeling behind Zaniistar, his face haggard, but his eyes were bright with fury and—

—and fear.

Yuryu held up the wristband.

Inuyasha paled to a shade whiter than snow. "Not again." The whisper was so faint Kagome almost didn't hear it.

The demon slid the bracelet onto his wrist with a mocking flourish.

Kagome swallowed back a sob. Inuyasha! No! No! This couldn't be happening. No!

Inuyasha had gone limp, his head hanging down. Slowly his face came up, his eyes horribly empty, his expression blank. With agonizing care, the hanyou rose to his feet and slowly moved forward until he stood beside Yuryu.

Every move was a knife in Kagome's heart. They had finally, finally, freed him. And now an even worse demon had the hanyou under his control. Inuyasha shouldn't even be moving with his injuries, and now he was in the hands of the enemy.

Not again. He had been afraid. Inuyasha, who feared nothing, had been afraid of falling back into the black collar's prison. She couldn't even imagine how horrible it must be. Kagome felt a wave of hopeless despair wash over her. All they had fought, all they had suffered. And Naraku was going to win.

Silence filled the courtyard, thicker than water, heavier than a mountain.

"Well," Naraku finally said, his voice filled with cruel amusement, "now that that's taken care of . . ."

His smile broadening, he lifted the hand with Kagome's jewel shards then snapped his fist tight, crushing the bottle, the glass falling away. The demon passed all the shards to his other hand, his fingers closing in a tight fist.

There was a bright flash of pink light. Kagome stepped back, squinting in the sudden glow that lit the courtyard brighter than the sun.

As quick as it had come, the light diminished, almost seeming to suck back into Naraku's fist. The demon's smirk was viciously triumphant as he opened his fist.

The Shikon no Tama rested on his palm, bathed in a pale pink radiance, whole once again.

: x ∙ To Be Continued ∙ x :

A/N:

As there was some confusion in the last chapter, I just wanted to explain that the scream heard by Kagome, Zaniistar, and Sesshomaru was Sango screaming as Naraku killed Kohaku.

As well, I also wanted to mention that my esteemed editor, sue sue magoo, has changed her pen name to Soozen.

Chapter 38 – Treasure and Treachery