A/N - Thank you for your patience, everyone. I hope things are going well for all of you and I hope you are staying safe and well. Hopefully, better than I have. I know I said I would try to update more, but life happens.

To the reader who said they read my stories back in the early 2010s and was recently thinking of me - wow. Thank you for commenting and for your support. It really gave me a moment of pause because I've been writing for 15 years now AND someone thought of me because of my weird stories? That 15 years includes fanfiction and original content. It's crazy for someone from back in the day to pop up and say cool things about me. I'm flattered that I inspired you to write and honestly, as long as you had fun writing - hopefully you still do - that is all that matters to me. I just want people to be happy and to have fun reading my stuff. It's really nice knowing that I inspired someone, even just a little bit. Thank you. I know Mastering Chemistry is a bit different from my previous stories, but I hope it's equally as fun.

Also, yes, I know about the spin-off. No, I'm not particularly excited about it for a reason and that reason is probably going to keep me from watching it. That is all I care to say.

On to the story...

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The Reflection

It was sunny and warm. There was not a cloud in the sky to obscure the perfection of the day. The water of the lake was clear and it reflected the perfect sky so clearly, it was almost like a mirror. Naraku walked up to the edge of the lake and looked down at the surface. Staring back was a young man with a mane of wavy black hair and a distant look on his face. Why did he look so upset? Kneeling down, he stuck his fingers into the cool water, causing ripples to undulate outward and distort his image. His senses picked up on a presence beside him and in the water, a young woman stood beside him. He didn't recognize her and her green eyes and light brown hair indicated she wasn't Japanese. He flinched and looked up, Kikyou staring back at him with her gray eyes widened with shock.

"Did I startle you?" she asked curiously.

"N-No, I thought I saw something, someone,"

"Who?"

"Nothing." Naraku said, standing up and drying his fingers off against his jeans.

"I know you weren't feeling well the other day. Are you still sick?"

"I'm better."

"Are you still sick?" Kikyou repeated with a playful sigh.

"I don't know." Naraku answered, looking back down at his reflection. He looked even more melancholy than seconds ago. "I feel fine, physically."

"Is something bothering you?"

"No."

Kikyou clapped her hands together and clasped them. "Well, maybe we need to do something fun to cheer us both up."

"Is something bothering you?" Naraku asked, grasping her hands with one of his. Kikyou's mouth dropped open as she stared at their hands.

"Uh, why do you- I mean, you care?"

"Yes." he answered, wondering why she was shocked he was asking.

"My parents don't really listen to me when I'm trying to explain things to them. I told them I had a lot to do this semester between school, archery, trying out for tennis - but they want me to take up swimming and to tutor Kaede and her friends. It's too much for me."

"If they won't listen, they will realize it when you're barely home." Naraku said as he lowered his hand to his side. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Unless you can take my place in the tennis tryouts or-"

"I can tutor your sister and her friends."

A loud laugh erupted from Kikyou and while Naraku knew it wasn't meant to mock him, it still burned. Instead, he tried to take solace in the fact that he made her laugh.

"Over my parents' dead bodies,"

"We can make it a secret or a team effort."

"A team effort?" Kikyou repeated, still smiling. "Who are you and where is Naraku?"

Naraku frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You've never really offered to help or anything. You just do what you want."

"I want to help."

"Alright, alright. I appreciate that." Kikyou reached up and pressed her palm to his forehead. Naraku leaned away once he realized what she was doing. "I'm just making sure-"

"If you don't want my help, you can say no." he insisted. "I'm not running a fever."

"Let me think about it, then. Are you still interested in doing something fun with me?"

"Sure."

Had Naraku known Kikyou's idea of fun included riding the train into the city, he would have changed into nicer clothes. He did his best to tame his hair with his fingers and smoothed out wrinkles on his shirt. His fidgeting seemed to irritate Kikyou. She reached over and grabbed his wrist, pushing his hand into his lap with his other. Then, she swept a few strands of his hair into place for him.

"How is my hair, Naraku? Does it look fine?" Kikyou asked teasingly. Naraku kept his mouth shut and swiftly tossed Kikyou's hair around with his hand. She squealed and swiped at him, laughing when he crossed his arms and stared straight ahead. "Alright, jerk. You made your point."

"You started it."

"You're incredibly sensitive, you know that?"

"I'm not."

"Naraku, please,"

"Fine. I'm sensitive." he relented, lowering his arms. She snorted and a silence fell between them. It wasn't tense or awkward. Naraku didn't know what to say, but he wanted to say something to her. Anything. He didn't speak until they were off the train.

Once the train stopped, Kikyou nearly flew off the platform to begin her adventure. Naraku followed with less energy, taking in the rare sight of her being happy. She waved to him, urging him to catch up. When he did, she poked his chest.

"Can you try to look happy?"

"How is that working out for you?" he asked dryly, crossing his arms again.

"I do feel a little better, so it's working."

"Hm."

"Do what you want."

"I will."

The walk to the mall was short and despite it being a weekday, it was relatively crowded. Naraku found a few shirts he liked. He almost didn't buy them until Kikyou said they looked good on him. It seemed to please her that he listened.

Naraku's attention kept being drawn to the arcade every time they walked by. Never before had he felt any desire to play any video games, but the fighting games were relatively flashy and appeasing to him now. The audience gathered around them was very dedicated, cheering on whomever was playing. Pushing himself to the front, he saw a handful of different fighting games. Most of them had two players and a line of people waiting for their turns.

One game wasn't as popular and once the line of people for that one disappeared, Naraku stepped forward and took a look at it.

'Killer Instinct? How dull.' Then again, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Tekken - none of the games seemed to have very compelling names. Naraku snorted. He wasn't sure what he was expecting.

Slipping coins in, he used the joystick to browse through the character selection. The animated skeleton with a sword and shield seemed interesting. The other characters with insane muscle masses being beaten by a literal skeleton sounded hilarious in concept.

"Oh, let me try!" Kikyou called out, quickly running up to the space next to him. She slid coins into her machine and scrolled through the character list, too.

"You know we have to fight each other, right?" Naraku asked.

"I know." Kikyou stated, selecting a character. The loading screen showed the two opponents - the skeleton versus the werewolf.

Naraku threw the first punch, catching Kikyou's werewolf in a brief combo before ending it and backing off. The werewolf charged at him once it stood back up, but Naraku blocked its claws. When he saw the wolf stop, he swung the sword and began another combo.

"Have you played this before?" Kikyou asked him accusingly.

"No. I don't play video games."

"So, are you trying to tell me you're naturally gifted with video games? What are you not good with?"

"Friendship?" Naraku stated half-jokingly. Kikyou laughed, once again bringing a burning sensation to his body, but she reached over and stroked his arm, no longer caring about fighting him.

"You're not the worst. If you were bad, I wouldn't waste my time with you."

"I see." he answered. The first match ended and Naraku looked at Kikyou, waiting for her to decide if she wanted to try again or not. She seemed to like the game, or perhaps, she liked playing it with him, and she chose the rematch button.

'Something is wrong with this.' he realized, looking around the room. None of the faces were familiar, but why was he looking for someone familiar?

"Naraku, I'm winning! You better pay attention!"

He turned back to the screen and saw a flash, so he hit the button for a heavy attack and it broke Kikyou's combo. The in-game announcer announced the combo breaker excitedly.

"How did you do that?"

"I don't know."

Kikyou stared at him, clearly not believing him, but she didn't argue and insisted they continue the match. Naraku looked over his shoulder, catching the eyes of a boy a few years younger than him. The boy looked away first and Naraku turned back to the game, wondering why it felt like someone else should have been there.

When the sun began to hide behind the mountains, Naraku and Kikyou caught the train heading back to their village. Kikyou leaned against his arm and closed her eyes. Naraku didn't argue nor did he really mind. She was the only person he would allow to touch him.

'No, that isn't true. There is someone else.' he realized, looking around the train as if expecting to see them. There was no one else but Kikyou. Gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut, Naraku held back a frustrated yell. The image of the woman with green eyes and light brown hair flashed in his mind and for a moment, the empty space had been filled and the pressure in his chest subsided.

"Can I sleep at your place? I don't want to go home." Kikyou asked once they arrived back in their village. Naraku agreed, deciding not to mention her parents.

They walked to his room and Naraku offered to sleep on the floor, but Kikyou told him she didn't mind sharing his bed. She crawled into his bed and almost fell asleep immediately, which made him envious. While tired, he couldn't fall asleep so effortlessly, so he decided to start by changing into comfortable clothes. Naraku removed his shirt and reached behind to touch the skin of his back. He didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, which gave him pause. Something was usually there. Finding his mirror, he felt around his back with both hands and when he felt nothing, he dropped them to his sides so he could see. He stared at the reflection of his back. His skin was smooth, perfect, and he could even see his muscles starting to take shape, but the longer he stared, the more it didn't seem right. Naraku reached over his shoulder, running his fingers across his skin. Didn't he have a scar?

"What are you doing?" Kikyou asked groggily, rubbing her face.

"It isn't there."

"What isn't?"

"The scar."

"What scar? You've never had a scar that I know of."

"I should, but I don't." Naraku stated, looking at her. "Didn't I have a tattoo?"

Kikyou looked absolutely confused, slowly rearing up on her knees. "Where would you get a tattoo? Why?"

"It was to cover the scar,"

"Naraku, come to bed. You need sleep." she insisted, patting the empty spot beside her on his bed. "I think you're still sick."

"I had one, though."

"Maybe it was a really vivid dream you had,"

"Maybe." he murmured, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Kikyou, is there someone else we know?"

Her tired eyes narrowed. "You mean like a friend?"

"Yes. She has light brown hair, green eyes, isn't Japanese,"

"She? I don't know anyone with green eyes - natural ones, at least. Those are rare. I don't think we have any foreign exchange students at school right now."

"There is something really wrong with me, isn't there?" Naraku blurted out. Kikyou's hand softly rubbed his arm.

"Try to get some sleep and then go from there." she insisted.

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The sound of footsteps pounding against the floor pulled Sesshomaru's attention from his laptop. His hands froze as he listened for any further commotion. A cry for help echoed down the hall. Sesshomaru quickly stood and ran to the door of his office, ripping it open and looking out into the hallway. He saw no one in either direction. He walked up and down the hallway, looking around the corners. Still, he saw no one. He opened his mouth to call out, but decided against it. Instead, he began looking down the other hallways.

Nothing out of the ordinary was happening. He saw two women walking together, chatting with each other and neither seemed concerned. Sesshomaru turned back and closed his office door behind him. His mind was flooded with what he read from Naraku's binder and how Naraku often hallucinated after being infected. Jade told him she hallucinated, too.

'If I ever see the bastard, I'm going to kill him.' Sesshomaru decided, sitting back down at his desk. In one swift, cowardly move, Naraku took away Sesshomaru's health and peace of mind. His mouth turned downward as he fought away the frustration of his current life. The idea of studying disgusted him at that point. He closed all of his books and left them in a disheveled pile on his desk.

For the first time in years, he didn't take any of his data or papers with him. He buttoned up his long coat as he prepared himself for a blast of winter air and he briskly walked to his car. Sesshomaru unlocked his phone and saw he had a few missed messages from Jade and one from his mother, which made him roll his eyes. He didn't need to read her message to know that she was either reminding him that she existed or she was passive-aggressively mocking his choice of career. With his other hand, he clicked the button to unlock his car. A crackling meow drew his immediate attention and he turned around swiftly.

Standing on the sidewalk was a glowing, mutilated corpse of a cat. It looked like it had been run over several times and then sprayed down with purple paint. Where there was flesh and fur, he saw patches of gray, which he assumed was its natural color, but most of the gray fur had been replaced with purple fur. The missing chunks of flesh were being replaced by the purple color, too. Even its eyes had a purple reflection to them.

"The fuck?" Sesshomaru whispered, blinking several times to make sure he was seeing what he was seeing. Slowly, he used his thumb to activate the camera on his phone and he made sure to hit record. He figured this was the cat Naraku's notes mentioned.

The cat's head tilted when he held up his phone, as if interested in the device. It was then Sesshomaru noticed the unnatural stillness of the cat. It wasn't breathing, trembling, or making any small movements a cat would normally make. It began walking towards him and Sesshomaru matched it by walking backwards. He made it to his car and the cat turned and in a single leap, landed on his hood and continued to watch him. Sesshomaru decided having his windshield between them was optimal and opened his door, but froze when the cat's mouth dropped open.

"Heeeeeeelp!" it yowled. Sesshomaru nearly dropped his phone. It sounded like a cat's meow, but it also sounded like it was speaking! Even wilder, it sounded like the cry for help he heard inside minutes before.

"This isn't real." Sesshomaru said, thinking he was hallucinating. The cat hopped off his hood and began to robotically strut away, but not before it stopped, opened its mouth, and screamed for help one more time.

"This is very real." a disgustingly familiar voice answered. Sesshomaru whipped around, his fear quickly being replaced with a fiery wrath when he saw Naraku standing on the other side of his car.

Sesshomaru placed a hand on the hood of his car, ready to spring into action. "You-"

"Before you slide over the hood of your vehicle only to be mercilessly punched off by me, take a moment to clear your mind and reassess the situation." Naraku interrupted coolly.

"You could never win a fight without playing dirty."

"Exactly, which means I'm inclined to play dirty now, so do us both a favor, and don't waste our time and energy fighting me."

"What do you want?"

"Your obedience."

Sesshomaru stopped himself from lunging. It was a typical Naraku answer, but something about his tone and nonchalance about the entire situation was unnerving. It reminded him of their last confrontation inside the lab.

Naraku crossed his arms and smirked. "Now, come here."

"You have lost your mi-" Sesshomaru's voice cut off when his body turned and began walking around his car. He felt his muscles strain as he tried to stop moving, but his body continued until it was standing right in front of Naraku. His smirk turned into a grin.

"He may have lost his mind, but you've lost your body."

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Jade pulled into the parking lot beside Sesshomaru's car and looked around for him. She didn't see him and figured he was waiting inside where it was warmer. Jade walked inside and headed into the stairway. Ever since Bruce's lab had been shut down to be examined, Sesshomaru and Naraku had to find different labs to use to continue their projects. Sesshomaru had moved to a lab on the second floor in the Biology department. Her phone vibrated and it was a message from Sesshomaru. Technically, she wasn't allowed to be there since she took the semester off, but she didn't care. All she was doing was helping measure out samples. Surely that wasn't a big deal.

'I'm using the restroom. The code to the lab is 7045. I will be there in a few minutes.'

"Okay." Jade murmured, entering the code and stepping into the room. The main lights were off, but there was some light coming from an aquarium at the bank of the room and lamp on a table in the middle of the room. She walked towards the lamp, seeing the various papers spread across the surface of the table and stared down at them. The handwriting was neat and various drawings were of various plants and animals. They were very detailed and very familiar. She felt her heart stop beating for just a moment as she leaned closer to analyze them carefully.

It was Naraku's handwriting! There was no doubt in her mind! She had spent hours reading Naraku's notes and she had spent countless hours studying with him. She looked around the room, half-expecting to see Naraku there. Instead, the only thing she could see was the aquarium. Jade saw a fish drifting, not swimming, and she also saw a faint purple glow dancing along its scales.

"I fucked up!" Jade whispered under her breath, turning around to flee the room. Closing the door behind her quietly, she looked back and forth, hoping to see white hair, hoping that she was overreacting, but there was no one she could see. She could, however, hear footsteps and they were coming from the direction of the stairwell. She doubted they were Sesshomaru's. Her instincts screamed at her to move, so she did and she turned the first corner she could find.

"Did you read my notes?" Naraku's voice called out. "I have an idea for a new project. I was hoping my lab assistant would be willing to help."

'He's gone! He's so far gone and I'm so fucked!' Jade pulled her phone out.

"I think not." he said and all the power in the building cut out along with the life of her phone. Jade cupped her hand over her mouth.

'I'm an idiot!' Jade knew hindsight was twenty-twenty, but she wished she had slightly better foresight to see how obvious of a trap this was. Naraku had possession of Sesshomaru's phone, which meant Sesshomaru likely wasn't coming to help her, either.

'Please, don't let him be dead!'

"I know you're here."

'There's nothing I can do. It's over.'

"Jade, you know I can easily catch you." Naraku called out calmly. "Save us both the time and energy and just come here."

She stared down at the floor, not really debating it. She was just preparing herself for whatever he was going to do. No longer did she think he wouldn't hurt her or even kill her. He seemed unconcerned about any consequences. Even the way he said her name lacked any warmth or familiarity. She wouldn't make it out unscathed if she even made it out at all. Steadily, she stepped out into the middle of the hallway and turned toward him.

Despite the darkness of the powerless building, many of the windows let in moonlight. She saw him waiting patiently halfway down the hallway. As she walked closer, she tensed up more and more.

Naraku watched as she approached him, a smirk pulled onto his lips. "I appreciate the fact that you don't even try to run. Truly. You just come to me every time and I don't even have control over you."

"What do you mean?" Jade asked, looking down.

"You don't remember?" he inquired with amusement. Using both hands, he tilted her head up to force her to look at him. She felt him moving closer and pressing against her, slowly guiding her to the nearest wall.

"I don't know what's going on, why you're upset with me - I know you don't want me around, so I'm trying to stay away!"

He didn't reply. Instead, he moved his hands to her neck.

Jade was frozen with terror and shock. He was going to choke her to death? She closed her eyes and her hands raised to grasp onto his arms instinctively. He made a disapproving noise, removing a hand from her neck to push hers away. Everything went silent as she waited for the pressure to squeeze the air from her.

"Interesting." he murmured quickly. Jade could still feel his hand around her neck, but it didn't even twitch. She didn't dare move or speak, thinking it would convince him to decide to choke her anyway. Naraku let out an impatient exhale, removing his hand from her neck and replacing it with his arm.

'What is he doing?' Jade wondered, still waiting for him to do something. She finally opened her eyes, but forced herself to keep from looking at his face. Naraku pulled his arm back and swiftly swung his hand at her face. Jade's eyes squeezed shut to prepare for the impact, but his hand didn't make contact. She felt the air stir against her cheek from the movement, but that was it. Then, she felt his fingers gently brush her cheek. A poke to her chest caused her to gasp and tense up once more.

"This is simultaneously amusing and infuriating." Naraku said, cupping her chin. "Look at me."

"Whatever I've done to you-"

"Unless you plan on ceasing to exist entirely, there is nothing you can offer me other than entertaining my current whims." he interrupted curtly, tilting her head back slightly again. "Now, look at me."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Jade opened her eyes and stared into his. He broke eye contact with her first, though his eyes didn't leave her face. Jade couldn't help but to feel like she was being studied by him. Something about her was deeply bothering him, it seemed. She wished she knew what it was. When he slowly ran his thumb across her bottom lip, he smirked.

"I suppose I shouldn't be shocked. He has always had a way with words." he remarked. Then, he cleared his throat and said mockingly, "You will not lay a harmful hand on her."

'He's gone. I held on too long.'

"Here I am, literally unable to lay a harmful hand on you. It doesn't matter, though. I have other options that he has no control over."

"Naraku, please," Jade's voice shook as warm tears streamed down her face. The smirk slowly disappeared from his face and he was now regarding her with a look of contempt and disgust on his face. He released her chin and pressed his hands on either side of her against the wall, trapping her.

"I am not your Naraku."