Shout outs! (Blah, blah, blah….)

Sailorpsychosis: How do you do it? You must, oh, I don't know, lie in wait in front of the computer…you're always my first reviewer! Not that I'm complaining. As for 'monkey-man', well the kid's only 9 or 10, right? I've got to make him act a little like a kid.

PasoLover: I'm sure I'll think of more Naraku-names. What fun! As for Sango, well, this story will work itself out, but perhaps not in way you'd expect…

Mvdiva: Thanks for coming back! Hmm, so do I, and no, he wouldn't (maybe?) *evil grin*

Mattielover: I always return soon…thank goodness I have a laptop to work on, or I'd be accused of hogging the computer. *Gulp*

LilyKitsune: Mm-hmm, poor everyone! The chapters, if anything, will be picking up the pace from now on. (Oof – hard work! But fun.) Sooo…they may be better! Can't promise anything, though.

A/N: This story is running away from me somewhat…have you ever noticed how stories tend to start writing themselves? You get ideas as you write, and end up changing the whole thing! Most annoying… But for the most part it's turning out like I planned. I'm thrilled with the reviews so far, too! Don't stop!

Disclaimer: Any complaints, see Rumiko Takahashi – it was her idea, not mine!

Under Control

Chapter 5: Unwelcome Visitor

They are your enemies.

'Yes, I know.'

They would destroy you

'I won't let them.'

As they destroyed your family.

'Consider them dead.'

Naraku looked on in grim satisfaction as his newest protege obliterated yet another target in her path. She really made quite a spectacular picture as she ducked and wove around the various obstacles in the training ground. Once she had accepted his control, it had been a relatively easy task to plant ideas in her head. In her helplessly confused mental state, she had appeared to accept his version of the 'truth' without question. Not before quite a strenuous battle of wills, of course; she had been rather much stronger than he had first assumed. But she had fallen in the end.

Just as they all did.

He resisted the traitorous urge to dodge as chips of shattered wood came flying at him – another target gone. To achieve such incredible force, she must have been imagining that the dummy was one of her enemies. He smirked at the remembrance of the tales he had spun in the girl's mind. Who was it this time?

The girl who had held her back with her miko powers?

The kitsune who had used his illusions to draw her family into an ambush?

The young warrior who had callously led them into the trap?

The hanyou who had torn her father in two before her very eyes?

Or even better…

The houshi who had drawn her remaining mother, sister and younger brother into a hole in his hand?

Thanks to him, she would attack them all on sight. She would have no inkling that they were her friends, come to rescue her. It wouldn't even occur to her to doubt the 'knowledge' she possessed. She would unhesitatingly destroy them all, one by one. Then he would allow her mind to surface, to give her the actual proof that her nearest and dearest were dead by her own hand.

Even the houshi who had the audacity to love her.

There had been no mistaking the emotion in his voice when he had seen her lying in the alley. He had heard it before in that inuhanyou's voice. He knew its power from Onigumo who still, annoyingly enough, resided within him.

Yes, she would know – and then he would seal her away again, with that one memory burning in her mind forever. She would want to die…and he wouldn't let her.

Naraku tilted his head upwards, pondering his next move. By this time the boy would have been found, and his sad story told. For this new addition to his original plan, he needed the troublesome little group to find him here. The boy couldn't lead them, as he had been unconscious when Kagura had removed him from the premises – so they would need a guide.

A slow smile spread across his face. He had the ideal person in mind. Someone whom Inuyasha would be bound to trust.

Perfect.

"Let him alone for a while, Miroku. Can't you see he's tired?"

"We're all tired, Kagome-sama, but he's still regaining his memory! He may recall something that will help us find Sango. Kohaku, keep tryi – urk!"

Miroku's voice had been cut off by a strong hand clasped easily around his throat. Inuyasha's amber eyes bored into the houshi's purple ones. "Give it a rest, bouzu. It's been three hours." He gestured towards the spot where the boy was curled up, his hands clutching his head convulsively. Kohaku's eyes were squeezed shut in obvious pain, sweat standing out in tiny beads on his skin. Inuyasha wasn't one for going easy on former opponents – especially not ones who were involved with Naraku – but even he could see that the boy was at breaking point. He growled once more to make his point perfectly clear to his overly zealous friend.

Back off or else.

Miroku folded his arms in a show of obstinacy, but he relented in the face of Inuyasha's wrath. Besides, it wasn't as if he hadn't seen the boy's torment – it was just that he was desperate to find Sango… "Very well." Satisfied, Inuyasha released his grip on Miroku's neck and shuffled back over to sit next to Kagome.

He had avoided looking directly at her since the screaming incident that morning. He would never openly admit it, of course, but his confidence had been more than a little damaged when she'd shrieked right in his hanyou face. For the longest time she had insisted that she didn't look down on him for being a half-breed, and that it didn't scare her at all. But somewhere in his fuzzy little mind he couldn't quite make himself believe her.

Kagome chanced a quick look at the dog-boy beside her. His ears were drooping again. She wished she knew what was going on inside his thoughts – they obviously weren't happy ones. Suddenly her temper flared. She was so tired of dancing around this infuriating person; trying not to tread on his clawed toes. Sango was in a perilous situation, and they didn't have time for these trivial little squabbles! Whatever it was, she was sick of it.

"Sit." The hanyou unexpectedly found himself being flattened.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"You're not moving until you tell me why you're avoiding me!"

"I'm not avoiding you! I carried you today, didn't I?"

"You won't look at me! Oh, no you don't…. 'Sit'." Inuyasha crashed back to the ground. He cursed angrily; he had been on the verge of getting away! He didn't bother trying to get up again – he had no desire to be continually slammed into the dirt. "Wench."

"Don't call me that! And why won't you look at me?" She scooted around to a spot in front of the prostrate hanyou so that she could glare directly into his eyes, where he couldn't avoid her gaze. His fiery amber eyes stared up at her from the forest floor. Apparently he had changed tactics…from avoidance to intimidation. He wasn't even blinking. Despite the anger that had driven her to this in the first place, she felt herself weaken under the visual assault. He really was quite impressive.

"Well?" he growled at her. She moved back a little in consternation…he didn't just sound angry. There was something more in his voice. He probably wasn't aware of it (was he ever?) but his tone had betrayed a certain resignation, a sadness that she was at a complete loss to explain. What could have brought this on? She could understand him being slightly mad at her for screaming at him this morning, but this was beyond simple annoyance. "Er…well what?" He turned his head away from her angrily.

"Feh. I'm a hanyou, what would I know?" She couldn't believe her ears.

"What?! You have got be kidding me! I never said anything about you being a hanyou today…why are you so worked up about it?" Her own anger drained away to be replaced by concern. She hated seeing him like this, so unsure of himself. She jumped slightly when he finally spoke. "Why else would you scream so loud, unless it was because you were scared of me?" He was snapping at her again, but it seemed to be more out of self-defense than a wish to antagonize. She shook her head in bewilderment. 'Unbelievable.'

"Inuyasha, I just wasn't expecting to see a face that close to me in the morning. I would have screamed just as loudly if it had been Miroku." She paused. "Actually, it probably would have been louder if it was Miroku." Slowly Inuyasha's ears moved forwards. 'Good, I'm getting through to him.'

Kohaku had never in his life seen behaviour like this. He watched the arguing couple with eyes as round as saucers, mouth hanging slightly open. From what he had seen, the houshi treated this fight as an ordinary occurrence, as did the baby kitsune. In fact, they seemed bored by the whole thing. When Shippo looked over at the newest member of their group, he grinned and jumped over to tap the youngster on the chin. "You'll let flies in."

Abruptly Kohaku shut his mouth, somewhat chagrined that the youkai had caught him staring like a fool. After all, he was trained as a demon exterminator, wasn't he supposed to be better than the youkai he hunted? More observant, more quick-witted? This situation just didn't make sense to him.

Especially as this fox youkai seemed more accepting of him than the humans in the group did. He took a cautious peek over at Miroku. The houshi caught his eye, then turned his head away without saying a word. When he hadn't been exhorting Kohaku to stretch his memory to the utmost, he had totally ignored the boy. Not that he could blame him…he had fought against them in the past, at the orders of his former master. He had helped to capture his own sister and turned her over to that same man. No, he couldn't blame the houshi at all. If he could, he would ignore himself.

Kohaku forced his thoughts away from the cold-eyed houshi and looked once more at the bickering pair by the fire. Well, they had been bickering – now they were sitting quite peaceably side-by-side. He had no idea how that had happened. Strange.

Miroku, meanwhile, was lost in his own little world. All the distractions around him were annoying, making it hard to concentrate, but it didn't stop him from trying. He blocked out the sounds of Kagome and Inuyasha having yet another 'disagreement'; he consciously deflected Kohaku's inquiring looks. The boy looked unbearably sad…and rightly so. The things that the child had done were monstrous, and quite deserving of sadness. The child….

The child….

'He's just a child,' Miroku thought in self-disgust. 'He couldn't know what was happening, and he's too young to stop what's going on…how can I treat him in this manner?' Of course, he knew the answer to that one. His mind would not let him forget what he had seen in the alley that night. But the lad hadn't really had a choice in that, had he? No. Miroku sighed, resolving to be more civil towards their new companion.

If only he didn't look so much like Sango. It hurt just to look at the kid.

A familiar presence made his senses tingle. He quickly got to his feet, looking at his friends to see if they had arrived at the same conclusion. Inuyasha's eyes were shuttered, not letting any emotion through. Kagome, on the other hand, was reaching for her bow and arrows, her eyes locked onto the silvery light that filtered through the trees. Her face showed no reaction, but her voice was sad. "Kikyou."

Kohaku gasped softly. 'I know that name…'

Kikyou made her way through the densely wooded forest, knowing that the people she was trying to reach would find her soon enough. Just to be sure, she sent a few of her shinidama-chuu ahead of her. The light their ghostly bodies emitted would be certain to get their attention. She suppressed a chilly smile when she heard a startled yelp – apparently the shinidama-chuu had mistaken the reincarnation for their usual source of souls. Not that that wasn't a good idea…she could hardly stand to have her own soul inhabiting that weak reincarnated body…but the girl's demise was not high on her agenda this evening.

Tonight she was interested in information. More precisely, on giving out information.

It irked her no end, but the fact remained that this motley assortment of travelers was her best chance for defeating Naraku. Her hatred for Inuyasha did not decrease in the slightest in the light of this knowledge, nor her hatred of the reincarnation. The houshi she knew little of, and nor did she wish to. The same applied to the small fox cub that accompanied them wherever they went.

All she knew was that they opposed Naraku, and that was good enough for her. Of course, the outcome of her actions this evening may not be considered as being 'in their best interests', but she was not one to pass up an opportunity. Naraku's words were always double-edged; perhaps this time he would be taken down by his own scheme. Hence her agreement… And besides, once her job was over, she could devote her energy to more enjoyable things. Such as getting rid of that reincarnation and dragging her one-time lover to Hell with her. All in good time. 'Hopefully sooner rather than later,' she thought sourly.

The sound of breaking twigs and crushed leaves alerted her to the approach of her quarry. Calmly she summoned her shinidama-chuu, enjoying the way they wove around her body. 'So graceful…' It appeared that Inuyasha was cross with her.

"Kikyou – control those youkai of yours! They tried to take Kagome's soul from her!" She smiled slowly. So she had been right…the youkai were sensitive to the wishes of their mistress even when they weren't directly indicated. They knew she wanted that soul gone. Sighing in contentment, she looked at the group before her. The anger had faded from Inuyasha's face, leaving instead a sort of wistful apprehension. "Kikyou," he seemed to savour the sound of her name, "why are you here?" The perfect opening.

"I have learned of a new warrior in Naraku's employ. She is deadly, and single-mindedly devoted to his service." The houshi flinched at her words, making her frown in confusion. Fear was understandable, but sorrow? Unusual. "A shikon shard has been implanted in her body, making her a formidable foe. For some reason, she does not leave the grounds of Naraku's castle for any reason. If you want to handle this, you will most likely have to go to her."

"And where exactly is that?" Miroku bit out. He had had enough of this undead miko – bad enough that she came with such dreadful news, but even worse would be if they still had no clue of Naraku's (and therefore Sango's) location. There was no doubt in his mind that she was talking about Sango. Kikyou suppressed a smirk – they were reacting precisely as expected. But she was determined not to make this too easy for them. "It is about a day's hard travel to the north from here." The grimaces that the comment evoked were quite amusing…just enough information to tantalize, but not enough to work with. 'How frustrating for them…' Well, that job was done. Her side of the deal was fulfilled; now on to her other priority. And funnily enough, it was Naraku's as well. She recalled what he had told her.

"Once you have delivered the message, I want you to stay with them. Undermine their strength – for this to work, they must be weak. I have only one condition…do not destroy the houshi. Other than that, I don't care what you do. The hanyou and the miko in particular have been quite annoying to me…and it's no secret that you have your own goals for those two."

"Inuyasha," she called softly. His eyes shot up to meet her own. "Have you forgotten your promise to me?" She smiled as he stepped towards her – all too easy. The reincarnation stood no chance against her!

"I remember." His voice was soft, almost sorrowful. She frowned…something wasn't right.

Inuyasha couldn't take his eyes off of Kikyou. In turn, he could practically feel Kagome's eyes glued on him, twin points of light boring into his back. He apologized silently for what he was about to do. He hoped Kagome would understand.

He took a deep breath and gently took Kikyou by the shoulders. She seemed to smile then, leaning towards him. Closing his eyes, he quickly bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. 'Kagome, forgive me…It's not what you think!' A pained gasp from behind him nearly brought him to his knees, but he had to go through with this. Later he would explain, but for now he couldn't bring himself to look Kagome in the eye. He broke the kiss, moving back from the undead miko and taking one of her cold hands in his. He shuddered inwardly at the look Kikyou was directing at him. The stench of death and decay that hung around her was getting to him. He struggled to find his voice. "I promised…"

"To go to Hell with me. We cannot go yet, Inuyasha, first we must destroy Naraku." He shook his head wordlessly. "What?" When he spoke again, his words came out slowly, as though he was weighing each one.

"I can't come with you." She stared at him, her eyes filled with cold fury.

"Once Naraku is gone, there is nothing to hold you here. You belong with me!"

Inuyasha looked at her as though he had just seen her for the first time. How could he explain this? "Kikyou, once that would have been true. I didn't have anything to hold me. And that is why I could make that promise. But since then…" He fell silent for a moment, glancing at the people standing nearby. His heart almost broke at the sight of Kagome on her knees, one hand pressed over her mouth, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Resolutely he turned away, facing his former love. "I have something to stay for, now. I –" He hesitated. "I have to know something…why did you want me to become human?"

He watched Kikyou's eyes narrow, suspicious of the question. "So we could be together. Why else?"

"Would you have accepted me as a hanyou, if that hadn't been possible?" She didn't answer. And finally, without even realizing it, he made his decision. "You wouldn't have, Kikyou. You wanted me to be something that I wasn't." Of its own accord, his mind replayed Kagome's words from earlier.

She had just said that she would scream louder at the sight of Miroku? Now THAT didn't sit right with him. He was a hanyou, no sense in denying it. Kagome's next words broke into his thoughts. "It's true, you are a hanyou. But I've never really understood why you hate that so much. I mean, look at all the things you can do! A human couldn't do those…and a youkai wouldn't want to do what you do for us. You are…my friend, and I would never be scared of you because of who you are." She stopped talking suddenly, looking down at the ground in apparent embarrassment at having said so much. The two of them remained sitting in the uncomfortable silence – but something had changed. He finally understood.

"They accept me as I am, Kikyou. Something you could never do. And I…don't want to lose that." He bowed his head, knowing it was useless. This animated body was not Kikyou, and could not be swerved from its goal. There was one way out of this. "I'm sorry." He reached out a hand and struck at something with his claws. It hissed as it was torn apart…

Kikyou's eyes widened in disbelief as several souls fled her body. "The shinidama-chuu!" He held her firmly in one arm as he struck out again, decimating another of the soul-bearing youkai. Her face crumpled in pain. "Inuyasha, no!"

"I can't let you take me, Kikyou, and I won't let you harm Kagome either." Another swipe. She gasped. "You are my responsibility, and I can't allow you to go on like this." With one last strike, the last of the shinidama-chuu disappeared. As the last remaining soul left her body, Kikyou relaxed in his grip. Slowly he lowered her to the ground, watching in regret as her body crumbled into dust. "Goodbye."

A startled exclamation from Miroku had him whirling around in concern. Kagome was glowing, her eyes wide in shock. "Inuyasha..?"

"It's the piece of her soul," he said quietly. "The one that Kikyou used to stay alive." He sighed, partly from sadness, partly from relief. "The soul is complete again."

A sudden noise disturbed them out of the stunned silence that had taken hold. A buzzing noise signaled the departure of a Saimyoushou…on its way back to Naraku. Miroku made an inarticulate noise, uncharacteristic rage filling his features. "It was a trap." Kohaku finally forced himself to speak up.

"I remember Kikyou from my master's castle." The adults turned towards him, beckoning for him to continue. "All she used to talk about was taking him – " he pointed to the hanyou –"to Hell, and her – " he pointed at the motionless miko –"back into herself." He frowned. "I never really understood that."

"Well now you do," Inuyasha said gruffly. "Enough talking…she said one day's travel north. Let's go." The others looked at him in consternation. "Ah, Inuyasha?" Shippo piped up. "Do you really trust what she said?" His answer surprised them all.

"No. But we don't have anything else to go by, and it's better than nothing." Without another word he motioned for Kagome to climb onto his back, ready to travel. She gave him a look that promised a long talk later on. No excuses. He nodded shortly in agreement, but gave no other response. She shook her head and climbed on, slipping her arms around his neck. Miroku, once he had recovered from the events of the evening, was eager to be on the move again. Finally, a clue! Even if it wasn't all good news.

Kohaku said nothing. He recognized the description that the dead woman had given. It sounded like Sango was Naraku's new slave. And now that he could recall what that had been like, he could not wait to get to her and get her out of there. At any cost.

Sango stopped her training for a moment as the Saimyoushou gave a report to her master. He didn't seem to be very pleased with the news he received…as he proved when he struck out at the insect, slicing it to ribbons. Muttering something about foolish mikos, he stalked back to his quarters, leaving her alone.

That word…miko. It triggered some memories that she didn't really want.

A young, raven-haired miko, laughing as she held Sango back with her powers – watching as her family was slaughtered.

She shook her head. For some reason that thought still didn't sit right with her. She reached back into her mind to try and figure out what was wrong…

A young miko, laughing freely as she played with a kitsune cub…

A familiar flash of pain caused Sango's thoughts to falter. 'But…that one felt right, somehow.' Ignoring the pain, she dug deeper into her memories…surely something was still there!

A blue-robed houshi, smiling at her over the table, a cup raised to his lips…

That houshi again. But his smile wasn't cold this time – it was warm, and friendly…

"Argh!" She kicked out at one of the wooden targets in frustration. The painful memories caused no discomfort, but the happier thoughts caused her pain. "Which ones are true?"

She didn't know anymore. Shaking her head in confusion, she blocked out all thoughts except those that concerned her training. Her master had told her that their enemies were coming, and she had to be ready. No matter what tricks her mind was playing on her.

There was just one thing she wanted to know…who were those people?

Ooof…that was so hard to write! Well, Kikyou's gone…all have a party now! Er, ok. Maybe not. Anyway, next chapter soon, as always. For those who are curious, I purposely left some unclear points in this one…to be cleared up next time. No flames please! Thanks for the reviews!

Next Chapter: Fading Memory