Disclaimer: Inuyasha characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Other characters are property of Kidoairaku.

Rating: PG-13: for language and just in case

Summary: [Nar/Kag] The ningen foiled his plans again! What was it about this human girl that allowed her to infinitely ruin his plots? He would find out for himself what she was really able to do…

Genre: Romance/Drama

A/N: Oh, thanks to the almighty Cacat-angel, I have revised this chapter slightly. ^_^ THANK YOU, CACAT!!!!! Yes, I did want to remain fairly true to the timeline. I had to do some research, and unfortunately, I could not come up with the time that glass was introduced to Japan. I did find out, though, that it was created in Egypt and Mesopotamia as a glaze for ceramics a LONG time ago. ^^;; And…porcelain…was introduced in the 1500s from China or Korea, I don't remember which. Japan started producing its own in the 1600s. Ah, and the Sengoku Era seems to quite a spread of dates. ^_^ I trusted the one that said it went on from 1457-1568. ^_^ Little reference for all you out there. ^_^


Corrupt

Chapter Ten: At a Loss

February 2003

Metallic scents wafted from the west, where high towers of steel and glass rose above the clouds in attempt to reach the end of sky. The land that would have been foreign to him held a special place in his heart; he knew this particular, squared-off area well. Hither and thither he had traveled from past to future, and then back, numerous times; it was no longer an alien feeling he received when alighting from the wooden well's rim onto a cool dirt floor. The earth of this time was much different than that of the feudal era. Now, it was finer, with a less sandy a texture. Because of this, it was more difficult for his bare feet to grip the ground. Still, the obstacle did not delay him a bit when he bolted from the shack in which the well took residence. Taking care to barely slip past the door held ajar, Inuyasha burned a path to the Higurashi home, or more specifically, to Kagome's bedroom window. She was there. She had to be there. If she wasn't…

The hanyou shook his head vigorously. A quick leap sent him into a tree branch closest to the curtained window. As he crouched hesitantly on the cool bark, Inuyasha stared at the pane of glass separating him from his Kagome. He could almost hear her enraged screams of 'hentai' when he stealthily opened her window and pushed through the curtains. The sound of her voice would both bring him relief and irritation. Either way, she would be there, in her room, waiting for him to retrieve her, to restore her to him…where she rightfully belonged. Resolve strengthened, he slid the clear pane to one side, hopping into the room and bracing himself for her screams. They never came.

For a moment, he stood unmoving on the plush cream carpet. Everywhere, the Kagome's scent permeated the air. There was no escaping the soft aroma of blooming flowers. His fists clenched, allowing drops of crimson to stain the floor.

~*~*~*~*~

When Sango observed Inuyasha's red kimono shooting through the gape of the well's mouth, she assumed by his rigid form and scowling face that he had finally discovered the truth. Right now was not a good time to be in his company, so she abruptly turned, giving a slight tug to the houshi's sleeve before settling on the path back to the village. If she remembered correctly, Inuyasha was not only scowling, but his eyes were flashing a violent hue of blood. Had she better eyesight, she would have sworn that his fangs had lengthened.

"Sango-sama, did you notice"

Sango took no notice of his efforts at conversation and only quickened her pace to put herself out of his reach. Miroku could only stare at her retreating figure, withholding a sigh.

~*~*~*~*~

Late afternoon dawned with no changes in the girl's condition. Her respiration was yet still slow and deep, her face pale from loss of energy. Scarcely would her limbs move, and then, only to grasp at the silken sheets from the futon to which she had been transferred. Naraku had not long ago decided to act on her fatigue; there was no way in hell she would be able to survive with the harsh conditions presented in the dungeon. Although, he mused, it would have been amusing to observe how she fared.

The girl was only in a half conscious state, occasionally opening her eyes to sweep over his figure, leaning languidly against the wall neighboring her futon; it was then that she would grimace at the sight of him, or smile defeatedly up at him. Either way, a sort of hopelessness shined from her dulled eyes, making him wonder if she had given up on life. When Kagura sauntered hastily into the room, bringing a pot and small saucers, he shifted his position to settle next to Kagome. Taking the items wordlessly, he propped the girl up on his arm and put the saucer to her lips, where he slowly poured the liquid into her mouth. Her throat willingly received, and upon swallowing, the blue-gray orbs gave face. Their gaze was searching, scanning her environment with hazy awareness.

"Where…am I?" she rasped.

"You are still with me, girl," Naraku responded monotonously.

Panic clearly tore through her countenance by the sudden twinkle of her eye and spasmodic jerk of her body. It was clear to him what she was thinking. "What am I doing in a bed?" would be her exact thoughts, racing for explanations and signs. He snickered to himself. Although the prospects of what could come to pass were very intriguing, he would not indulge in them quite yet. Perhaps, he mused, that would be for later…at a more appropriate time.

"Nothing, Kagome, has occurred that you would regret; I know what you're thinking."

She seemed to give an imperceptible incline of her head before her dark lashes once again kissed her pale skin when her eyes fluttered shut. The active breathing slowed again to the rhythmic mode of slumber, and Naraku repositioned her in the downy blankets. As he sat back again, he wondered at the girl's naïveté. How could she allow herself to fall prey, become so vulnerable, to a creature such as him? It was as if she had a death wish.

The simple thought of turning one's back or blinking an eye in his presence was a grave, and usually fatal, mistake. Yet, here she was, lying on a bed with him, Naraku, sitting right in front of her, watching her with untiring eyes. Granted, she had lost much of her strength and life energy when forcing his youki out, but the girl, supposedly as strong as many said she was, should have been able to make up for the loss of power by awakening her spirit. Whether she knew how or not, Naraku did not know.

His hand was tired; he massaged it gently his other while he mulled over his situation. The original purpose for bringing the girl here was to discover what made her so special among other humans. Yet, that cause had been lost in the wake of the dilemmas that surfaced after the girl arrived. Now that the problems had been solved and pushed away, he had a most difficult case of dealing with a nearly comatose girl, instead of a lustful, possessed, demonic bitch.

At least it was an improvement.

She is more trouble than her worth. The hand had relaxed by now, so he proceeded to position himself next to the girl. If there was ever the right time to fulfill her purpose, it was now. Normally, it would not require any physical touch to delve into a person's mind; only a deep gaze into their eyes would be able to provide him with all fears, loves, hopes, and dreams the being ever had. Under the circumstances, though, with Kagome's eyes fairly glued shut, he couldn't exactly read her eyes.

Since she was basically unconscious, it would make his job much easier, anyway; thus, he laid down next to her, clasping her hands with his and sliding close enough so their foreheads met. Naraku snorted. Fate must have been cackling like a hyena, so many times had he already touched Kagome without it being his original intent. Upon closing his eyes, a whole new world opened up to him, though not voluntarily on Kagome's part.

~*~*~*~*~

"Give me the jewel."

A creature with six to eight arms hovered upside-down before her, grasping her securely. Eyes black and blank roved over her body, making her feel akin to a piece of meat. The top half of the female's body was bare, uncovered to her eye; it disgusted Kagome to see the other half was insect-like. "What are you?" she screeched, "Let me go!"

Her arm shot out, efficiently pushing the woman away and forcing a warm light from her hands that cleanly tore off one of the bug's appendages. Surrounding the two were walls of a midnight blue, humming with ancient power. As Kagome touched the floor, she felt a rush of cool air flair under her, then fell abruptly, landing with instinctual ease on a firm dirt floor of a different place…completely alien to her…She could almost feel the jolt of refreshing energy surge through her. Something was awakening in her, and it would soon declare itself known.

Naraku wondered at her first show of power, how powerless she had really been to control it. The small glimpse of power was intriguing, enough to whet his appetite, but too negligible to be impressed by. He tuned once again into the wavelength of the girl's mind.

"I know, Inuyasha, that you chose Kikyo. I understand, but would you…would you let me stay with you, anyways?" she entreated, crystalline blue eyes gazing expectantly into golden ones.

Inuyasha turned a look of surprise to Kagome. The sun-like orbs exuded a regret like no other, as if they had done wrong, so wrong as to regret their own existence. "Would you stay with me?"

Her answer was a slow, sad smile. Linking a hand with his, they made their way back to Kaede's hut. Though she was not to be the recipient of his affections, she could still be near him, be there for him whenever he needed it, because no matter what the circumstances, she loved him; there was no way she was going to relent that love.

Probably one of her more memorable moments, much too sentimental to suit his taste. A sneer curled his lips. He delved deeper, hoping to catch one of the earlier memories when she had first met the hanyou.

"Kagome, it's too dangerous for you here!" Inuyasha admonished, stepping towards her, "I want you to go back, and stay there!"

She was pushed forcefully over the rim of the well and free fell towards the hard earth at the bottom; Kagome reached skyward.

"Inuyasha!" She was already back in her own time.

Yet another sentimental moment. He growled in slight frustration. Naraku twisted her thoughts around a bit, scavenging for something more angsty.

"So, this is the Shikon no Tama…the real one?" Kagome questioned, holding the small sphere up to the moonlight.

"That's right, and only demons can use it, so why don't you hand it over, little girl?" the hanyou coaxed unconvincingly. "Either that or I'll tear you up with these claws here. One swipe, and that's it. Maybe I'll even make it quick for you," he snickered.

"W-what?" Kagome stuttered, backing away.

Now, that was more like it, but he had known about that one already. Another memory, if you would, dear Kagome, Naraku mused.

The metallic clang of metal against itself reverberated through the mountains. In the dirt, a few yards away from her target lay her arrow, tendrils of smoke rising from its wooden shaft. The Lord of the Western Lands stood emotionless, staring curiously at her, with an untransformed Tetsusaiga in his human hand's grasp. The sword, too, was emitting curls of smoke into the air. No one could deny what they had just witnessed. Kagome had shot some sort of purifying arrow straight into the Tetsusaiga, and it had undone its transformation. Kagome nocked another arrow, a foolish sort of courage beaming from her intense gaze.

"This time, buddy, it's your arm."

Another show of power…quite amusing, they were. If, somehow, he could learn to control this awesome force, he would be unstoppable. At present, this girl was his only obstacle from obtaining full and true power. Perhaps, there was a way to reposition her on his side, willingly. The look of betrayal and hurt on Inuyasha's face would be priceless, reward enough for all the painstaking caution Naraku had to go through for these ridiculously elaborate schemes. Show me one more, girl.

Love, that warm, fuzzy feeling was coursing through her body. Kagome felt so right, having Inuyasha finally say that he loved her, and not Kikyo. Altogether, it was quite strange, but…could it be true. His golden eyes were flickering with dark flecks, tinted with crimson. What was this? They were clouding over, hazed with lust and pleasure. What was he doing? Kagome's gaze shifted to his approaching lips, so full and sensual, yearning to be touched. She felt herself drawn to him instinctually. As his lips caressed hers, she moaned low in her throat. Then, as if a siren had gone off, she was burned by his touch. Too strong, too sensual, too willing. She needed to get away from him. This wasn't Inuyasha. He wouldn't let go, though. He just wouldn't.

The memory faded straight into another, which wasn't supposed to happen, but if it did, it suggested that the memory holder was greatly affected by these recollections. What was so strong about that one kiss he had forced on her?

"Who are you?" she asked softly, feeling the gashes in her skin slowly heal themselves, "Why…?" The embrace tightened further, and Kagome started to panic. "Who are you?! Let me go!" she cried frightfully.

His hold loosened for half a moment before regaining its unyielding strength. Kagome could feel the cool breath against the crook of her neck. "I will never release you." Kagome began to kick at the man, trying to untangle herself from him. His arms restrained movement. The words whispered softly in her ear tickled her senses. "You are mine…and no one else's." The words unspoken, she could still hear them clearly in her mind. Mine forever… More than anything, she needed to get away from him. Before she could do much anything, he clamped his mouth over hers in a forceful kiss, not allowing her to go anywhere. Tears streamed freely from her once vibrant eyes.

The thoughts were both along the same line, both with the same person, it seemed. But he had never done such a thing to her…how could she remember something that never occurred? Naraku puzzled over the thought. And where was it that he had seen those images before? He could have sworn, he remembered clearly, that something like that had come to pass, but only in his dreams. How was it possible that Kagome had seen them? Had she already invaded his mind without his knowledge? Naraku shook his head. No, it was not possible at all. Her powers had not yet achieved that level. Was a connection being formed between them? He didn't care to find out; it would be better to completely avoid the topic for now.

A connection, Naraku, does it frighten you? Are you afraid of this?

No.

Why do you not want to know the origin of this memory? Does it not bother you that she has shared a moment with you? You both remember in the same light. Does it not mean that there is a bond?

There is no such bond; it is not a concern of mine.

You cannot deny what you are ignorant of, Naraku. There is a bond.

There is not.

There is nothing you can do to prevent the formation of this bond. It is absolute and without need of your control. You will never be a full demon. You are linked invariably to this human. Never will you become a youkai. You are to remain as you are, a mistake, a blunder upon nature, a scar upon both good and evil, forever.

There was maniacal laughter, high and feminine. He swore it was the youki that had mixed with Kagome's blood, but he could see nothing, considering the fact that his eyes would not open.

"Sleep," whispered a voice, deep within him, in his mind. The tone was sweet and coaxing, almost seductive in its quality.

And so, he fell asleep. Kagome's hand escaped from his clasping grasp and fell softly onto his cheek, unconsciously running her thumb lightly across his jaw.


A/N: Anyways, side note to all you readers: this was revised on August 5, 2003. ^_^ THANKS AGAIN TO CACAT-ANGEL!!!!!

-kidoairaku