Chapter 9 (Love and Anger)

"Total Chaos would just make it more entertaining, master?" a small green, orb like creature wobbled over to Hanagushi. Hanagushi wasn't as clean cut as he was before. His clothes were a gray color, and his hair was getting dirty too. His face seemed as though he had been punched over and over, and then slapped in the mud. He was unkempt and sad.

"I don't need everybody to suffer, just Inu Yasha. As long as Kagome is mine, and Inu Yasha doesn't interfere," Hanagushi stared into a glass ball. He placed it in a metal, arm like sculpture, and it turned a deep purple color. Thin, white clouds swirled in it. He stared painfully in it, Kagome slept and Inu Yasha sat cross legged a couple feet away. 'I know what you fear, Inu Yasha. If you doubt it, you will be surprised-' he watched Inu Yasha's eyelids sink, until he was asleep. Kagome's eyes flickered open. 'Kagome- I feel the aura of love that glows for Inu Yasha. But I feel your love for me too. You think it is gone, but every night you dream of me, and not that mutt. If you love me you will stand up-". Kagome stood to her feet, but it didn't seem like she wanted too. It seemed obligatory. 'Please Kagome, please...don't make me. Stay standing.' at that instant Kagome fell back to her feet, and into a deep slumber. Hanagushi closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the sphere. His bottom lip quivered and a single tear slipped down his chin and fell into his lap. When he opened his eyes, his normally beautiful silver hues were now flaming red. They were swollen with depression. "I'm sorry Kagome," he whispered as he stared at her. He whispered eerie words, and Kagome stood up as though in a trance. When she opened her mouth to speak, no words came out.

~*~

It was as though Kagome has been hit with a baseball bat. She woke up in a gray, humid cavern, in the middle of a small 7 ft by 7 ft cage. It was barely 6 feet tall, but Kagome wanted more room.

"What's going on?" she said with a fearful tone.

"Lord Hanagushi requested you get a larger cage then the others," the small, plump figure carried over a large platter of food for Kagome. He slipped it through a small crack on the bottom of the bars. She stared at the food.

"Hanagushi?" she whispered.

"Yes the Lord brought you to safety," the small creature smiled.

"Safe from what?" she glared at the monster.

"He saw a girl, I believe he said Kikiyo, on the edge of killing you. Inu Yasha stood with her, and didn't stop her, at that moment, master came down and warped you here!" the creature said with a broad grin.

"No. Not Inu Yasha," with the thought of Kikiyo persuading Inu Yasha, the words hit Kagome like a blade. Inu Yasha chose Kikiyo over Kagome. The thought pierced Kagome so hard, that she couldn't breathe.

"Please eat Miss Kagome," the small demon pleaded.

"I-" she didn't want too, but it was food from Hanagushi so she ate a piece of some wild fruit. "Why am I locked up?".

"If we let you wander, you may get lost, or return to that foul dog Inu Yasha, we can't allow that."

"Oh. Ok, will I see Hanagushi?" she wondered, she didn't seem to care much.

"I will inform him you wish too, and perhaps."

"Thanks."

~*~

"She wanted to know if she could see you," the monster smiled to his master.

"Next time you feed her, Corsans, tell her I will visit her shortly," Hanagushi watched Inu Yasha.

"Yes master," Corsans smiled vaguely.

~*~

Inu Yasha's heart sped up quickly, how had he fallen asleep. He had promised himself not to take his eyes off her.

"Ok, well maybe we should-" Sango stopped, "Footprints!" She pointed to the ground where Kagome's footprints were in the brown dust.

"Let's go!" Miroku smiled.

"No, you stay here, it's not your fight," Inu Yasha intercepted. Miroku and Sango stared but Miroku nodded. Understanding, Sango did too.

Inu Yasha rose dust as he sped down the dirt road. But Kagome's footprints stopped in the middle fo nowhere. When he looked up he saw a low hanging cliff above him. he was at the foot of the mountains. 'She walked far, and I didn't notice!' he smacked himself.

~*~

"Kagome, I'm sorry to take you away and put you in here," Hanagushi held her hands in his, as he stood in the cage with her. He stared down into her pretty eyes and smiled warmly. Kagome had completely forgotten her theory about Hanagushi and Naraku.

"Hanagushi, I thought I'd never see you again! I'm so glad, that Inu Yasha is a back stabber!" Kagome snapped. Hanagushi stared at her reassuringly.

"I would protect you till the day I fell," Hanagushi felt her wrap her arms around him in a bear hug. Kagome pressed her head into his chest and smiled.

"I'm glad," she closed her eyes. Once again, Hanagushi was clean and sweeping her off her feet. He tipped her head upward with his index finger and pulled her into a romantic kiss. Kagome wanted to melt in his arms. An icy finger crawled down Hanagushi's spine.

"I'll be back, my dear," he disappeared.

"Inu Yasha," the voice rung the hanyou's, his senses burnt. He entered the cavern slowly, a long corridor that stretched as the eye could see, echoed with Hanagushi's words. Goosebumps rose on Inu Yasha's arms. He never felt such fear. "She has left you, for me. She decided you're useless. You won't even look into her eyes anymore!"

"Liar! I didn't because of you!" Inu Yasha yelled back.

"No, you chose your fate, now she has left you, go home. Or, you can choose to face me again," Hanagushi gave options.

"I'll fight you to my death," Inu Yasha screamed.

"Fine then, but you must find me first!" Hanagushi cackled. Inu Yasha opened his eyes, the cavern had transformed into a long obstacle course. It seemed nearly impossible.

"Great," Inu Yasha muttered.

~*~

"Make sure she feels as much hatred for him as possible," Hanagushi yelled at Corsans.

"How master?" Corsans bowed.

"Send out hallucinations, make her think Inu Yasha is there..." Hanagushi explained to Corsans. The monster nodded through the lengthy explanation.

~*~

"Inu Yasha," Kagome yelled out of instinct as he ran into the room.

"Kagome! Finally, I found you!" Inu Yasha smiled.

Kagome forgot her anger at seeing him, she wanted to leave the small cell.

"Kikiyo, you may remember Kagome," Kikiyo wrapped her arms around Inu Yasha's neck from behind. She glanced over his shoulder and raised her brow.

"Pitiful," Kikiyo spat, "Inu Yasha give her the shards and let us be off!"

"Ok my love," Inu Yasha slid the necklace through the bars. They landed at Kagome's feet. She stared at them furiously. Kikiyo pulled Inu Yasha into a deep kiss.

"Get me out of here!" Kagome cried.

"Why?" Inu Yasha and Kikiyo walked out of the room. Kagome turned beet red with anger.

"That son of a BITCH!" she shrieked. Corsans came in moments later, a huge, accomplished grin on his face. But he changed it into a shocked expression when he got close to her cage.

"What is it Miss Kagome?"

"That Inu Yasha has left me here! He didn't even-" she screamed angrily, and pressed her head against the bars. The conversation she had just had with Inu Yasha rung in her ears. 'Pitiful, Pitiful, Pitiful'.

"Now you understand why we could not let you go! But realize master has requested you come stay in finer living quarters, so please-" he unlocked the cage and bowed as she stepped out.

When she was free, a feeling or remorse swept over her. 'That couldn't be Inu Yasha. Please God, don't let it be him. Inu Yasha something is right, please come and take me away from here!' she stared blankly at the floor.

"Miss Kagome?" Corsans stared at her with concern. When she shook her head and regained focus through her blurred eyes, Corsans smiled, "Follow me!"

They walked down a long corridor, it seemed to go on for miles, and once the reached they reach the large stone door, it still hadn't ended. Kagome stared, trying to find the end, curiously.

"Kagome!" Hanagushi stood up and walked over to her. They were on a balcony. She stared out into the wild, but it wasn't the forest she had been in before. It was much more majestic. "I really desired to come back and see you, but I had to get rid of some imposters."

Kagome opened her mouth and closed it. 'I hope he killed Kikiyo and Inu Yasha, I hope he slaughtered them!'.

'Why would you want that?' Hanagushi's voice rung in her head.

"Because that jerk doesn't have any pride, he runs to a girl who can't enjoy him, and forgets about the real girls," she spoke softly to Hanagushi, "I never want to go back to Inu Yasha!"

Hanagushi gave a triumphant smile, "Then stay with me!".

Kagome thought about it for awhile. She wanted to, but something told her it wasn't right. Something told her that Kikiyo never came. Something told her this was a load of-

"I don't know Hanagushi, I really want to, but would it be right?"

"Yes of course it would be!"

"I feel like this is one big lie, that you're just making this up, so that I can be yours," Kagome frowned.

'She's getting too smart, Corsans, we must keep moving forth in that plant!'

"Don't believe that Kagome, please don't," he took a step back and fell into his stone chair, "I would never!"

Kagome ran forward and into his lap, wrapping her small arms around his neck. A tear fell down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean too, I don't want to leave!" She stared into Hanagushi's shocked eyes. Kagome leaned forward and pressed her lips to Hanagushi's. He closed his eyes, feeling relief crawl over him.

"Your room is ready," Hanagushi pulled away, "I will see you soon!". He stood up and swept his long white cloak. Hanagushi disappeared into the hallway. Kagome sat in his chair and soon stood up and followed Corsans.

~*~

Inu Yasha rolled on the floor to safety. He had dodged yet another spiked wall, that would smash him to bits on the opposing wall. He breathed hard, and looked ahead, and saw a horrific sight. Kagome's dead body laid, limp on the ground.

"Kagome!" he cried as he ran to her. As he touched her frosty cheeks, a monster leapt from the ground. It was a huge demon, much larger then the one he had battled before he met Hanagushi.

"Die Dog!" the monster growled as he leapt at him. Anger, fear and angst swelled in Inu Yasha. He plunged his blade in the demons stomach and pulled it up, slicing the demon in half. 'Kagome's not dead, no she's not!' he ran away, 'If she is, I will kill that kitty!' he dodged another terrifying spiked wall, and looked ahead.

"What the?" the picture of Hanagushi and Kagome's romantic kiss was plastered on all the walls. Inu Yasha's stomach twisted and his eyes burnt. "NO! It's all fake, this is all fake!" he repeated to himself.

~*~

"Corsans, I've been here for two days, and I've grown bored, is there anything to do here?" Kagome whined.