Shout outs as per usual:

LilyKitsune: We have a winner! I only posted this story something like 7 hours ago, and you're here already! Whoa. Perhaps not 'romantic bliss'…he still has some explaining to do.

Bikutoria: Unh, I'm sad for me too. And I'm proud of our boy as well. 'That' scene was the reason for those little I/K snapshots all through the first part of the story – it couldn't just 'happen' out of nowhere like that. It needed a bit of a lead-up…

Neoen: Can't have Kikyou messing things up later. A few chapters before 'the showdown' to go, don't go away! *Gasps* I have fans? Yay! *Dances around looking like an idiot* Er, yeah, I'm ok.

Momentum: Hey, a new reader! Welcome…glad you like it!

Akikaze no Uta: Reviewer number 50!!! Woohoo! Exciting, huh? It took me two blasted tries! I never thought of Kikyou as being particularly bitchy, just…a seriously confused, lost individual – with an Inuyasha obsession (just like the rest of us!) Sango is strong, that's essential to the plot…but as to why this is different to Kohaku's case, well, that's a secret! (I'll tell you all later…) No, not the potatoes! *Hides*

Murasaki Kitsune: Gee, some people seem to be glad that Kikyou's gone…wonder why? It's getting better, huh? Wow.

Vampire-Elf: The thing with Kikyou was fun because it wasn't a huge part of the plot, like it normally is. Yep, plan backfired, now he has to deal with the consequences…I wonder how?

Megumi Sagara1: She can't die twice, ya know! (Well, not in my fanfic, anyway.)

Mattielover: No worries, hope you like what you read anyway!

A/N: Erm, any other reviewers, sorry if I missed you! I try to reply to everyone. Sorry about the longer wait between chapters these days, but I'm doing stuff for once…working, getting my passport, looking for a job…the usual.

Disclaimer: Aren't you tired of reading this? I don't own Inuyasha.

Under Control

Chapter 6: Fading Memory

"Kanna." The tiny girl silently stepped towards her beckoning master. As she held the mirror up to his impatient gaze, he subconsciously began to grip the arms of his makeshift throne so tightly that he left clear claw-marks in the wood. "Enough." She bowed and exited the room as quietly as she had entered it.

Naraku closed his eyes in concentration, trying to restore his usual level of calm. The task proved to be unacceptably difficult; his mind kept returning to the moment that he had gotten the report from a now-deceased Saimyoushou. Kikyou had failed.

Well, in one sense she had. True enough, she had delivered the message he had given her, but she had not succeeded in undermining the strength of the group as a whole. Her attempt to steal the inuhanyou away had, if anything, made their bond even stronger. And to make matters worse, they still would be unable to find their way into his carefully laid trap – as their intended guide was now…indisposed. When he had looked in the mirror just now, he had seen the group of shard hunters doggedly continuing on their way to search for him. Nothing worthwhile had been accomplished.

Worthwhile….killing Inuyasha would have been worthwhile. Getting rid of that stupid little miko would have been worthwhile. Or even just driving a rift between the friends….but no. Nothing worthwhile.

It was almost humorous, but now he had to practically invite them to his castle. How annoying. But what could possibly get them to come? Ah. That was it. The chance to catch his new toy outside of the castle. Somewhere that they would consider 'safe' – as opposed to the castle where he had the advantage. And the best part of the idea was, he didn't even have to let the woman leave the grounds. A decoy would serve equally as well. If there was one thing he knew, it was that humans were terrible gossips. After all, how else did that infuriating group find half of their shards? By following rumours.

This would be no different. The humans would do his work for him.

He concentrated for a moment, summoning Kagura to him. A few minutes later she appeared before him. He looked her over appraisingly…yes, she would do. Similar build, same colouring, same height…good enough. As for the clothes…hmm. "I have a job for you."

"Yes, Lord Naraku." She bowed, hiding her eyes from him. He smiled inwardly – she tried to hide her dislike of him, but it was so…obvious. And this request wouldn't exactly endear him towards her. But it would be a fitting revenge for the times she had attempted to gainsay him. He took his time describing what she was to do, enjoying the look of enraged disbelief that she wore. Extremely satisfying.

Kagura could hardly believe her ears. He wanted her to what?! She was about to protest (and loudly) when a slight flexing of his right hand caught her attention. A subtle reminder that he held her heart in his hands, to do with as he pleased. She swallowed her complaints with an effort and obeyed. What choice did she have, after all?

Kagome was fast running out of patience. Ever since they had started traveling again, Inuyasha had gone back to his old habit of not saying a word to her. It was getting old. Besides, she wanted to talk about what had happened with Kikyou a few hours ago. The fact that Kikyou was gone was kind of hard to take in. Talking about it would probably help…if he would only say something other than 'Feh' and 'Keh'!!

This war of monosyllables was getting on her nerves.

Every time she started to say something, he would immediately come up with one of those oh so witty comments, and she would subside once more in temporary defeat. She didn't really understand why he was doing this – after all, Kikyou was gone, there was nothing separating them now. Right? She was one soul again…she experimentally tapped into her miko senses, reveling in the increased power at her command. Who would have known that she would get so much stronger when that missing piece was restored to her? She imagined it might be like what Inuyasha felt when he returned to his hanyou form after being human once a month. Like waking up after a deep sleep. Everything was clearer, sharper, louder…and it was difficult to remember what the old way had been like.

She shook her head, annoyed. Her thoughts were drifting away from the real issue here. "Inuyasha?"

"Feh." That was it. Enough of these games…time to get some answers.

"Sit!" Whoops…she had forgotten that she was still riding on his back! Down they both tumbled, Inuyasha landing facedown in the dirt, with Kagome not far behind. She quickly picked herself up and dusted herself off as best she could – the idea was to get the hanyou on the ground, not her! Once she had gathered her momentarily scattered thoughts together, she turned to face the still-subdued Inuyasha. True to form, he was muttering unmentionable words into the soil beneath him. Any minute now he would get up, and her opportunity would be wasted. Well, not this time!

"You're doing it again." No reply. "You're ignoring me." Nothing. "You won't even look at me!"

"Well," the low growl startled her a little, "that would be because some idiot planted my face in the ground." She blushed for a moment – it had been a little drastic. Argh! She had to focus…

"I don't mean right now, Inuyasha; I mean, all day you haven't said a word to me except 'Feh!' Believe me, that gets a bit boring after a while!" To her amazement, he hid his head in the dirt again. Eh…was he actually blushing? When he was released from the spell, he rolled over and faced away from her, his arms crossed tight over his chest. "When I last checked, there wasn't a law against not talking. Who made you the boss around here?" Kagome was speechless – who made her the boss?…Well, there was one thing. She dashed around him and grabbed the rosary, shaking the beads in his face. "You keep ignoring me, and you'll be eating dirt until you look like it! Got that?" Inwardly she was slightly ashamed of herself at this – forcing him to talk wasn't really what she wanted out of this. But he was being so stubborn!

Inuyasha's stomach felt like it was tangled up in knots. The last thing he ever wanted to admit was that he was totally, unavoidably, unbelievably nervous around the girl. All day he had wondered what he should say to her…but nothing intelligent had popped into his brain, so he had left it as it was. No sense in accidentally making things worse between them; and with his astounding luck, she would end up hating him by the end of the day. So he didn't say anything – it was much safer that way. Or so he thought. This little confrontation hadn't exactly taken him by surprise…but the 'sitting' had. And now she was rattling those damned beads right in front of his eyes! If her aim had been to get him mad, it was working. Make him eat dirt, would she? 'We'll see about that!'

"Kikyou would never have –" He stopped in horror. What was he saying? He'd wanted to take the words back as soon as he'd said them…of all the wrong things to say, that had to be the worst! And now Kagome, his closest friend, was looking at him like he'd slapped her in the face. 'I should just cut out my damn tongue, life would get much easier…' He noticed the young miko gathering herself up to run away – but he wouldn't let her. He had to fix this. He took a deep breath – and jumped.

Kagome didn't care where she was intending to go; she just had to get away! It was her worst nightmare come true…even after she was dead (again!) that blasted Kikyou had a hold over Inuyasha. It was useless, she would never get through to him. 'Why do I even try?' She bolted. But before she'd even gotten ten steps away, an impossibly heavy weight thudded into her, sending her crashing to the ground. It knocked the breath out of her, leaving her powerless to resist the incredible force that had tumbled her to the floor. She felt herself rolling with the momentum of the blow, eventually coming to rest in a tangle of grass, twigs and leaves. She opened her eyes to see what had done this to her – she was more startled than anyone could say when she saw Inuyasha glaring down at her. He had pinned her arms to the ground and was holding her down with his own weight. "You're not getting away – "

"Inuyasha, let me go!" she yelled furiously. There was no way she was going to let him boss her around like that…not after what he'd said. It was unforgivable!

"Dammit, wench, would you just listen to me?!" He growled at her again, his eyes daring her to make a break for freedom. She knew the futility of that, and so she glared back up at him. "No."

"I – " Inuyasha suddenly looked around. Miroku, who had been watching the competition with great interest, now tucked Shippo up in his arms, beckoned Kohaku to come with him, and stood. Without a word he left the immediate area, carrying the loudly protesting kitsune with him. He was no fool; that look had clearly said 'Clear off, this is private.' And so he had 'cleared off' – he had no desire for Inuyasha to suddenly decide that houshi-hunting was his favourite new hobby. Which it would be if he had stayed much longer. Oh well.

Inuyasha grunted in satisfaction as the houshi and the kitsune made a rather hasty exit. He was the boss of this group…and this mystifying little pain in the neck was going to see it, too. He turned his attention back to his captive; she was staring up at him, her blue eyes wide in apprehension. So, she knew she shouldn't have tried to run away. Good. "Now that I have your attention," he growled, "I do have something to say." He sighed, letting his head drop slightly. "I'm sorry."

Whoa…back up a bit…what?! "Huh?"

He laughed heavily, but there didn't seem to be much humour in the sound. "You don't recognize an apology when you hear one? I said, I'm sorry." Inuyasha winced a little at the blatant disbelief in her face. 'Have I really been that much of a pig that she won't accept an apology now?' Well, considering how he'd been acting, it wouldn't surprise him. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to get rid of the melancholy thoughts that were running through it. 'You really did it this time, jerk.'

Kagome still couldn't believe what she had heard. An apology from Inuyasha? No way. Things like that just didn't happen. But his voice when he'd said it…maybe he did mean it? She tried to free one of her hands, huffing a little when he refused to release his grip on her arms. His eyes were still closed; he looked like he was arguing with himself again. Failing all else, she blew softly in his face to get him to look at her. "Hey." She fought the urge to giggle when his eyes snapped open, their expression unreadable. At first he seemed annoyed, but then…she didn't feel like giggling anymore. There was something almost frightening in those eyes – something that threatened to swallow her whole if she kept looking. She gulped. "Uh…"

"I'm sorry I mentioned Kikyou." He knew that was what had done the damage this time, just like almost every other time. "But did you have to shake those stupid beads right in my face?" It had been an inescapable reminder that he was bound by a human, powerless to rid himself of the 'sits' that had plagued him for years. He was already feeling guilty enough about causing Kikyou's death (or whatever it was that had happened – could you die twice?) without having the extra guilt from hurting Kagome like he had. That, coupled with the merciless stares the others had been giving him all day, had made him snap. He bowed his head, waiting for the inevitable question… 'Why?' He was a little surprised when it didn't come. It was quite silly, but he didn't want to open his eyes. He didn't want to see her crying again. So he waited.

Kagome looked up at him, a range of emotions warring for dominance in her mind. First was doubt – did he mean it? Then came amusement – his ears had twitched adorably when she had blown on them. But then…remorse. He had lost the closest thing to the woman he had loved today…and she'd yelled at him, reminded him of his limitation. That rosary. 'What right do I have to it, really? I don't own him, but it's almost like….a collar. A leash. I trust him, now, I – I don't need him to wear it…to keep me safe.' She bit her lip – if he wouldn't listen to her, there was another way. She reached her hands up around his neck.

"Wha -?!" He started at the feel of small, warm fingers fumbling at the hem of his haori. "Kagome, what are you…?"

"Hush. Trust me." She angled her arms around his neck, then lifted. Clinking faintly, the beads rose up around his ears and over his head. He looked down at them in amazement. "Kagome?"

"There. Now I can't shake them in your face." She grinned shyly up at him, and he remembered with a start that he was still…on top of her. Oh, he'd never live this down! He scrambled clear of her, trying without success to control the blush that he could feel rising in his face. 'Oh, great.' Now it was his turn to ask, "Why?"

"Because I don't think you deserve to have to wear them anymore." She swallowed – her throat had gone dry. 'What will he do now?' She watched as he slowly reached up to his neck to feel the spot where the heavy necklace had once rested. He didn't seem to be able to believe that it was gone. His eyes traveled down to focus on the rosary that she now held in her hands. Her hands were shaking. He frowned. "What are you scared of?" His voice was almost pleading, she realized. Why would he sound like that? "I'm not going to hurt you, Kagome. You…you do know that, right?"

Oh, so that was it. He thought she was scared of him… "Of course I know that. You've saved my life so many times I've lost count. Why wouldn't I trust you now?" But the mention of him saving her life reminded her of the incident with Kikyou. He had mentioned not letting Kikyou harm her…he had saved her by killing his resurrected lover. 'Does he regret that?' she wondered sadly. His next words shocked her back into silence.

"I'm not sorry for what I did." She held her breath. "I think…I would do it again, if I had to." Abruptly he leaned towards her, so close they were almost touching. "So don't you dare blame yourself for what happened. Don't think I don't know that's what you're thinking – it wasn't your fault." She sat as still as a statue, not daring to move as he reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She was mesmerized. "Thank you."

She somehow found her voice. "For what?" she squeaked.

"For the rosary…for not being scared of me…for trusting me." His voice, pitched low and soft, made her shiver. It was so...unlike him. He looked like he was going to say something else when a muffled curse had them both scanning the forest for a threat. Inuyasha sniffed the air, then growled menacingly. "That damned bouzu…I'm going to kill him!" A few moments later a very sheepish looking houshi, a dazed looking boy and their small friend stumbled into the clearing. Miroku's eyes widened at the obvious threat in the hanyou's unblinking gaze. "Uhh…did I interrupt something?" Shippo was still rubbing his head gingerly – he heartily wished that tree roots weren't as solid as they were. That stupid Miroku had tripped in the dark, giving them both a wild tumble that they hadn't wanted to take. Ouch. Well, Kagome would take care of him!

"Kagome!" he cried, leaping into her arms. "My head hurts!" Inuyasha looked as though he would like to strange someone – anyone, didn't matter who. The cub, for instance…but a warning look from Kagome made him sit back in resignation. Revenge would have to wait. 'Hang on…no rosary!' He looked over at the pair, a feral gleam in his eyes. Kagome saw it, and gasped. How to save the kitsune…oh. She quickly tugged the baby youkai into her lap, encircling him protectively with her arms. 'That's it, Inuyasha…to hurt him you have to hurt me. Still game?' she thought triumphantly. He stopped short at the scene – there was no way he was going to do something to hurt Kagome…ah, dammit. The cub had won again!

He clenched his fists inside the sleeves of his haori. This interruption was unbearable…things had just been getting interesting – his thoughts broke off quickly. Interesting? Ugh, he was turning into a lecher as bad as Miroku! But still…he stood still, remembering how Kagome had felt in his arms. Soft, and warm, and small… 'Snap out of it!'

Miroku coughed softly into his hand. Not that it wasn't enthralling to see his friends finally sorting this mess out, but time was passing. Time they didn't have. "If you're quite finished," they turned to face him, both charmingly red-faced, "would you mind if we kept going?" He started walking, satisfied when they followed. Ordinarily they would stop for the night, but the circumstances were anything but ordinary. Who knew what Sango was going through while they were hanging around here? He glanced down at the solemn-faced boy walking beside him. 'I wish I knew what he was thinking.' They trudged on in silence.

Sango tossed restlessly upon the lumpy bed her master had given her. No matter what she did, she couldn't get to sleep…it felt like someone had stuck a pin in her back! It really was frustrating. It was as though a sliver of glass was stuck inside her skin, half in and half out. Argh!

She rolled once more, feeling something rip free. Curious, she lifted herself up to see what that annoying thing was. Her eyes darted around the darkened chamber, finally settling on the darkly glimmering piece of crystal that lay upon her pallet. 'What is this?' Suddenly ferocious pain assailed her, making her gasp out loud in agony. "My head! Ahh…not again!" Memories flooded into her mind…and her door flew open with a bang, making her jump involuntarily.

Naraku had felt the abrupt absence of power from the jewel shard he had put in the girl, leaving immediately to see what had happened. This was most unusual…this had never happened with the boy. He had to smile, though, when she turned a tear-streaked face up to him. "Master? What's happening to me?"

"Your enemies are trying to take your mind," he lied smoothly. "You have to fight them. I can help you, if you wish."

"Please," she whispered. Sango bowed her head as Naraku walked into her cell, placing his hand on her as he summoned his power. Almost straight away the pain was eased, and the foreign memories were gone. She sighed in relief, falling down onto the bed in an instant slumber. Naraku left the stone chamber, his thoughts racing madly. 'How did that happen? Why did the shard leave her?' He thought about it for a while, then sighed. 'Of course. The boy was dead. His soul and his body had lost their energy…but even after I took her spirit energy, her body retained its own power.' The shard hadn't really been the key to his mind control…after all, he had controlled the boy long before the shard had been put into his body. No, the shard had kept his destroyed body functioning…but this girl hadn't needed it. He had been a fool not to remember that. There was also the fact that his newest warrior had been fighting his control – oh, yes, he had known. It was what made her such a good fighter.

In the end, the loss of the shard's control was no great matter. It simply meant that her control would require slightly more effort on his part – a direct link instead of through the shikon jewel. Annoying, but manageable. He should have remembered that such a strong, pure soul would be able to push the jewel away. Fool.

But now, more than ever, she was in his control. A direct link to his mind. He would know her thoughts, her feelings…and she have no guard left against him. The perfect weapon.

He left the girl to her slumber. Her dreams were very satisfying, considering how close he could have come to having to kill her off…

A young boy who was laughing his head off as he watched the slaughter…

A silver-haired hanyou, callously ripping her father in two…

The dark houshi, sucking her family into his hand…an evil, devilish grin on his cursed face…

She would kill them. Her master would help her. She would destroy them all for what they had done.

Yes indeed, very satisfying. Now if Kagura did her job properly, the group of wanderers would come running right into this beautiful little trap of his. They wouldn't be able to help themselves.

And then they would die.

Aww, I/K waff! How sweet…but if you noticed, not everything got settled – they were interrupted, you know! So more explaining is most likely in order…fun for upcoming chapters! And the whole shard thing…my story, my rules. Sango's mind is gone…what will happen?

Next Chapter: Accepting the Challenge.