Varice gave a soft sigh, her eyes reflecting her sadness. It was hard being optimistic all the time. "Okay. So, we're back at square one," she stated. "Does anyone have any ideas?"
Miroku shook his head, as did the dog demon brothers. Sango, however, looked thoughtful. Her brown eyes were partially closed as she stared off into space. "Kagura possibly took both Naraku and Kagome away on her feather again, right?" the raven-haired bodyguard asked, although it sounded more like a statement.
"Yes," Sesshoumaru answered. He had already explained to the group what he had found out at Naraku's house, but he didn't see why it mattered.
Sango's face broke into a small smile. "Well then, let's just find her and ask her where she took them."
"That's an excellent idea, Lady Sango," Miroku commented, mentally cheering. "But you need to stay here with Lady Varice. Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and I will find her." He turned to the full demon. "Do you think that Shippou might have some information on Kagura?"
The pure inu youkai nodded his head. "Yes, I believe he might." Without another word, he pulled out his cell phone once again and dialed.
After a few minutes, Sesshoumaru had Kagura's address. An evil smile on his face, he wasted no time in heading to his car. The other two males, realizing that the taiyoukai wasn't going to tell them anything, raced after him.
"I'm assuming that this is the place," Inuyasha stated as Sesshoumaru pulled into a driveway in front of a small, one-story house.
"Your powers of deduction never cease to amaze me, little brother," the taiyoukai responded sarcastically as he opened his car door and got out.
"And your bastard attitude never surprises me," the hanyou retorted as both he and the electrician climbed out of the car.
Miroku mentally shook his head. "Why don't you two fight AFTER we've rescued Lady Kagome?" he suggested calmly. "Arguing amongst ourselves is not going to help."
"Indeed." Sesshoumaru merely turned away from his allies and walked up to the front door. He prepared himself to knock down the door before the black-haired man interrupted him.
"Why don't we knock and politely ask her about Kagome first?" he inquired. "It can't hurt. If she doesn't give us an answer, then you can kick her butt." The taiyoukai rolled his eyes, but he did knock on the door.
A moment later, a woman with black hair and red eyes answered the door. "Yes?"
"Kagura, I presume?" the full-blooded dog demon asked.
"What's it to you?" she responded coldly, easily recognizing two of her visitors. She wanted nothing to do with either of the demon brothers; however, she had no idea as to who the black-haired man was.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the woman. He didn't like the looks of her already. "We wanna talk to you."
"In private," Miroku added politely. If there was going to be a fight, then he would rather fight without witnesses watching.
"No." Kagura moved to shut the door, but Sesshoumaru stopped her. Using just a fraction of his strength, he shoved the wind sorceress back and stormed into the house.
The electrician sighed as he and Inuyasha followed the older dog demon inside.
Naraku cursed for the twentieth time since he had acquired Kagome. She absolutely refused to bend to his will for the absurd reason that she believed the dog demon would come and rescue her. He had done everything he could think of to break her, including raping her. Nothing had worked. She still hid behind her hope of being rescued.
"Come here," he ordered her roughly, his dark eyes boring into her.
"No," she retorted with more bravery than she felt.
"I gave you an order, and I expect you to follow it. Now, come here!" the hanyou snapped at her, eyes flashing in anger.
"NO!" Kagome yelled at him.
Face dark, Naraku purposely strode towards her, grabbing her wrist and yanking her until her naked body was flush against his. "You would do well to obey me. The more you resist, the angrier I'll become and the harder things will be for you in the future."
"Sesshoumaru is going to rescue me," the miko shot back, voice firm. She believed with all her heart that the taiyoukai would save her. After all, he had hired Sango to protect her from Naraku, and he had proved himself to be an honorable man. He would rescue her; however, the image of his face and the memory of his voice was about all that was keeping her sane in the presence of the evil man.
The hanyou growled in annoyance, throwing her back on the bed. "You honestly think he's going to save you like some kind of knight in shining armor, don't you?" He leered at her. "Well, allow me to shed some light on the truth. He's not going to come and rescue you, and I'm going to prove it."
With that said, he stormed out of the room, leaving Kagome to wonder just what he was planning.
"Start talking," Sesshoumaru ordered Kagura, eyes flashing in anger. 'She is keeping me from finding Kagome. If I find Kagome hurt in any way, then this demon will die.'
"I have nothing to tell you," the red-eyed demon replied simply.
"Oh, yes you do!" Inuyasha snapped. "You kidnapped Kagome. I recognize your scent."
The taiyoukai's eyes quickly became red. "You... took... Kagome," he growled out. 'She is the cause of all of this. She is the reason Kagome is gone,' he thought angrily. 'She will pay.'
Kagura just laughed. "So what if I did? What are you going to do about it?" She moved to pull out her fan, but Sesshoumaru stopped her. He grabbed her throat and slammed her into the wall, his other clawed-hand glowing green.
"Tell me where Kagome is or I'll kill you," he threatened, allowing the wind sorceress to see his poison eat away at the carpet. "Don't think I won't."
The black-haired demon gulped nervously, but she kept her mouth shut.
"TELL ME!" Sesshoumaru bellowed, his youki surrounding him. He was on the verge of shifting into his pure dog demon form.
"I took them both to Goshinki's place!" Kagura blurted out, fearing for her life. The hold on her neck didn't loosen.
"Tell me where this Goshinki's place is," he demanded, quickly receiving directions and an address from her.
Sesshoumaru released her, allowing her to fall painfully to the floor. "Miroku, you stay here. If she leaves, call me; I'll come and kill her." The electrician nodded in understanding as the full demon moved towards the door. "Kagura, if I find out that you lied to me, I'll come back here and slowly poison you until you writhe in pain and beg for death." The wind sorceress rubbed her throat and retreated to a corner of the room, terror in her eyes.
With that parting shot, he stepped outside. Inuyasha followed him, feeling a little nervous around his older brother.
'I've never seen him so angry,' the hanyou thought. 'He's on the breaking point. Any second, he could snap, and that's not good.'
As Sesshoumaru got into his car, his cell phone ringed. Frowning, he answered it. "Hello?"
~Hello, Sesshoumaru,~ an oily voice replied. ~It's Naraku. I have a deal to make with you, and I have a feeling that you'll accept.~
Naraku smiled as the taiyoukai insulted him. He didn't care what the other called him, as long as he got what he wanted. "Listen up, Sesshoumaru. I've been having some problems with Kagome."
~Good.~ The dog demon sounded smug.
"No, not good. I want the problems fixed," he responded. "Which is where you come in. You're going to tell Kagome that you're not going to save her."
~And what in the seven hells makes you think that I'm going to do that?~ he retorted.
"Do you want her to stay alive?" Naraku inquired, voice pleasantly polite.
Silence reigned for a minute before the inu youkai responded. ~Yes.~
"Good. If you want her to stay alive, then you'll tell her that you're not coming to save her. It'll be easier to break her that way." The hanyou smiled.
Kagome softly gasped. She had been pressing her ear to the door, listening to Naraku's every word. 'He's still trying to break me!'
~I won't say it. I won't help you break her.~
"Very well. If I can't break her, then I'll just kill her. I have no use for a slave that won't obey me," Naraku responded, an evil glint in his eyes.
Sesshoumaru was silent for a long while. ~I'll tell her,~ he finally stated. 'I can't let her die. I can only pray that she won't believe me. I don't like this though.'
"Good boy. Now, I'm going to hand the phone to Kagome, and you're going to follow our little deal." The hanyou began walking back to the bedroom. "If you don't, then I'll kill her."
~Kisama,~ the dog demon spat out.
"Yes, I am one." Naraku laughed as he opened the door, finding Kagome sitting on the bed. She appeared relatively calm; however, fear was still present in her eyes. "Someone wants to talk to you, my little dove." He handed her the phone.
She tentatively took it from him. "Hello?"
~Kagome?~ Sesshoumaru's voice broke halfway through her name. 'Please, please, Kami, don't let her believe me. Keep her body and her spirit safe until I can rescue her.'
"Sesshoumaru!" she cheered happily. 'It feels so nice to just hear his voice,' she mused with a small, mental smile.
~I'm not coming to rescue you. I'm leaving you with Naraku.~ The words were dull and forced; however, Kagome's eyes went wide at them.
'I know that he's lying, but it still hurts to hear them.' She pretended to completely believe him, forcing tears to come to her eyes. "But... Sesshoumaru," she choked out.
"Sorry, but that's all the time you get." Naraku yanked the phone away from her. "Bye-bye." He pressed the "end call" button.
"No..." Kagome whispered, still acting. 'I can't let him find out that I know he was forcing Sesshoumaru to lie.'
"Well, Kagome," the hanyou began, sneering at her. "What do you have to say now?"
She thought about that for a long while. Finally, she came up with an answer. "Sango and Varice will come and rescue me."
Naraku just growled and backhanded her.
"Let's go," Sesshoumaru told his younger brother as he hung up the phone. "I have a hanyou to kill."
Inuyasha just nodded his head and buckled his seat belt. It was going to be a bumpy ride. "Do you think Kagome believed you?" he asked as the pure-blooded youkai pulled out of the driveway, tires screeching.
"It sounded like she did," he hissed in reply, eyes still red. He floored the gas pedal, sending the car shooting off and Inuyasha hanging on to the arm rests for dear life.
Somehow, Sesshoumaru avoided every police officer, highway patrol officer, and every other car on the roads. He did not once crash into anything, even though he ran every single stop sign and ignored all the traffic lights; however, he did leave quite a few cussing people behind.
The silver-haired hanyou turned to his brother, eyes wide. "Slow down, Sesshoumaru. We won't be any good to Kagome if you kill us both in a big car crash!"
"Shut up, Inuyasha," the taiyoukai responded without a moment's hesitation. "We don't have the time to abide by the stupid traffic laws." He paused as he passed a car. "And we are not going to crash."
"So says you," Inuyasha muttered in annoyance, but he let the subject drop. He understood that there was no way he was going to be able to talk his brother out of anything at the moment. Sesshoumaru had already passed judgment. Kagome was going to be saved, and Naraku was going to die. It was as simple as that. Anyone who stood in his way would be pulverized.
A minute later, Sesshoumaru brought the car to an abrupt halt. "This is suppose to be the place," he stated, climbing out of the car. He didn't even wait for his younger brother before he kicked down the front door and raced inside.
The taiyoukai was instantly met with a challenge. A large demon stood in front of him, evil eyes staring straight into his. His skin rippled with muscles as he flashed a smile full of fangs.
"Move out of the way," the dog demon ordered.
"No," the enemy retorted. "I am Goshinki. This is my house, and I will do as I please here."
"It's your funeral," Inuyasha stated, coming up to stand beside his brother. He turned to the other dog demon. "You go find Kagome. I'll take care of this joker."
Sesshoumaru nodded his head, racing off. The hanyou turned to his opponent, unsheathing his sword. "I'm giving you this one chance to back down," he said.
Goshinki chuckled darkly, the evil sound echoing around the living room. "I don't think so." Not giving any warning, he attacked, lashing out with his claws. Inuyasha easily dodged.
"Fine." Without further ado, he counter-attacked, swinging his transformed sword at the enemy. He missed, but that didn't bother him too much. The giant demon was going to lose, and he was going to win. "Kaze no Kizu!"
Sesshoumaru followed Kagome's scent, ignoring the sounds of battle coming from the living room. Naraku was somewhere, and he couldn't afford to be distracted. He had to find the miko, no matter what the costs.
He delicately sniffed the air, smirking when he noticed that Naraku's scent was suddenly laced with fear. The smell led the taiyoukai down into the basement, and he smiled as he quickly reached the source of it all.
His smile disappeared, however, when he heard Naraku yelling at Kagome.
"Call off your friends, dammit!" he heard the hanyou shout from inside a room at the end of the hallway.
"NO!" the miko screamed. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Sesshoumaru was pleased to find out that she wasn't broken, but the thought of Naraku abusing her made his blood boil.
"Do it or I'll do you in just like I did your family!" Naraku spat out, right as the taiyoukai broke down the door.
The hanyou turned around, eyes going wide from fear. He knew that his end was drawing close; however, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He grabbed Kagome, closing one hand around her throat.
"Come one step closer and she dies."
Sesshoumaru froze, unsure of what to do.
"Why won't you just die?!" Goshinki demanded to know as he struck out at the hanyou. Both demons were badly injured from the battle, and neither seemed to be winning just yet.
"I could ask the same of you," Inuyasha replied, a half smile on his face as he jumped back to avoid the attack. "You're a stubborn kisama!" He switched from defensive to offensive as he swung his sword at the enemy's head. At the last second, he hit the ground and stabbed his sword through the demon's leg, earning a howl of pain from the monster.
Smiling in satisfaction, he rolled away, quickly standing back up. "I hope that you've said your prayers," Inuyasha stated. "BAKURYUUHA!" The burst of power and wind from his sword obliterated the demon, not even leaving any ashes. It also destroyed a good section of the first floor.
"I really hope Sesshoumaru has Kagome now," the hanyou said to himself as he collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted. His muscles had ceased to function. He barely had enough energy to stay sitting up. "Please, just let him have her."
"Let her go," Sesshoumaru ordered. "Fight me like a man. Only cowards hide behind a hostage."
"But cowards usually live to see another day," Naraku responded with a smile. And besides, I like her." He sensually ran his tongue up the side of the miko's face, his eyes never leaving his opponent's face. "I want to keep her. I haven't had a chance to break her yet."
"Sesshoumaru..." Kagome whispered. "Help."
"Shut up, wench!" the dark hanyou snapped, shaking her.
The dog demon growled. "Release her... now!" Watching him hurt her tore him apart on the inside and made him angrier than he ever could have imagined. It didn't help that Kagome was naked, confirming what Naraku had said earlier.
The half demon chuckled. "I don't think so. I take orders from no one." An evil smile on his face, he used a claw to scratch a shallow wound on the side of her neck.
The sight of Kagome's blood along with her fear and pain-filled eyes was too much for Sesshoumaru. Moving faster than he could ever imagine, he leapt at Naraku, catching the hanyou completely by surprise. Glowing green claws went straight through his stomach and heart.
Pain swamped Naraku's body, forcing him to release the miko.
Sesshoumaru pulled his hands out of the hanyou's body in favor of holding a sobbing Kagome. He cradled her against his body, gently pressing her head to his chest so she wouldn't see his poison eat away at Naraku's body, leaving a disgusting mess. The pile of goo reminded him of toxic waste, and the smell was worse than garbage.
"Let's go home," he whispered in her ear, earning a nod in response. He took off his large shirt and put it on Kagome, pleased with how it fully covered her. Then, being as gentle as possible, he swept her up into his arms bridal-style, relief flooding his system.
As he climbed up the stairs, Kagome nuzzled her head against his neck, seeking more comfort. "I knew that you would come to rescue me. I knew that you were lying when you talked to me," she said softly, her beautiful voice the most comforting sound the dog demon had ever heard.
"Good," Sesshoumaru replied. "I'll always protect you."
The miko laughed softly. "I already knew that."
CotA: There you people go. There was all the butt-kicking you guys wanted. The only sad thing about this is, I only have to type on more chappie. The next chapter is the last one, and I've already written it (it's short). *begins to cry* That is just so sad! I don't want this story to end.
Sigmund: Um... you have other stories to work on, ya know?
CotA: But I liked this story. It was one of my favorites, and I even finished it in record time.
Sess-chan: It'll be okay. *petting CotA's hair*
CotA: Ummm... Sess-chan?
Sess-chan: What?
CotA: Aren't you forgetting something?
Sess-chan: Oh, yes. There will be no sequel to this story. It ends at the next chapter. CotA was planning on saying this herself, but she finds it too depressing.
CotA: You got that right. *sniffling* Well the review responses are below.
Tessa3: Take your time and such. I'm in no hurry. And thanks for the compliment.
Kittymui: Yes, Sesshoumaru was so pissed.
Mattielover: I'll continue this... until the next chappie.
Kagome: Sess-chan claims that his little problem is over for the next few months, so I'm okay now. *smiles* Maybe Sesshoumaru is okay now too. *hugs Kagome-chan* I waited to update until today b/c I was waiting for your review. Sad, but true. I just love reading them. They're the cutest things. *giggles* And I just love libraries. I only wish that mine carried anime videos. It would be awesome if they did. Oh well. *shrugs* I'm not going to worry about it all that much. Take care Kagome-chan, and I hope that you enjoyed this chappie.
PWA: Sesshoumaru isn't one to totally freak out. I would have freaked out more too.
My-Name-is-Spoken: Yes, evil Cliffie. I seem to use those a lot.
Chibi Playing with Fire: Are you happy now? Naraku is dead.
Fire Spirit: She didn't revert back to her old self. I just couldn't do that to her.
The Silver Rose 1: Yes, poor Kagome. She goes through so much.
Flowerblossom: ^_^
Sukera: I can't have you dying a horrible, painful death, so I promise to update on Wednesday if I can.
Crystal Senshi: Ummm... I'm sorry?
Sukuri: Relax. You're forgiven. He knows that she enjoys obeying, but it's not a big deal. Just because you enjoy doing something doesn't mean that you have to do it. Kanna was a spy for Naraku. Since she has no scent, she absolutely perfect for spying.
Dragon Child2: Naraku is dead now and Kagome is safe. Does this make you happy? I sure hope so.
Miztikal-Dragon: I like Inu/Kag stories too, and my next one is going to be an Inu/Kag. I'm hoping to begin posting it by the end of this month. Note the "hoping" part.
Smiley-chan: Yeah, that did kinda suck.
123...er... 10?: First off, interesting name. And I'm gonna update on Wednesday... hopefully.
Sakura onto Hitomi: Don't feel too bad. I don't like yuri or yaoi, but I started reading this story, expecting a normal pairing, and halfway through it turned out to be yaoi. It was one of my favorite stories until I found that out. >.
Abby: I wrote my first Inuyasha story before I had even seen a single episode of Inuyasha. It was a stupid thing to do, but I did it. The only thing I can say is read fanfiction and do some research on the internet to get a good idea of how the characters act/sound/look like. That will help a bit. And that's about all you can do.
Anastassia: You like my story? Thanks.
Elfie: The epilogue is already written. It'll be done by the end of this week.
Ringhearty: Ouch. All you people are so abusive. *sighs sadly* Well, here's the next chappie for you.
Evilfire4321: Umm... he had a lemon, it just wasn't described.
Eris Goddess of Chaos: There's nothing wrong with reading and writing stories. I'm kinda obsessive about writing, though, so maybe I'm biased.
Fuse: Ahh... I guess that since I have a clone of Sesshoumaru it can't hurt to let you clone her too. Here's the blood you wanted. *hands Fuse a vial*
Raining Fire: I kinda like Fluffy when he's angry too.
Magiabruxa: I will update soon.
Galalorton: I added a little more drama? That's it? Just a little? Dang. I need to work harder.
Ruu-chan: Yes, pretty please let me know when you update. I can't wait to read more. BTW, thanks for reviewing.
Rei Akita: You're welcome, and thanks for reviewing.
Invisible Rain: Naraku didn't get his head beat in this time either, but he is dead. Sesshoumaru did a wonderful job on killing the evil hanyou. :)
Inuasyahchic515: Yep. Sesshoumaru was ticked. Yanou: The spell thingy won't work for him b/c Sesshoumaru freed her, so everything's okay.
CurlsofSerentiy: Nice Sakabatou. Very impressive. I carry around a sword, but it's mostly for cutting holes in the dimensional fabric.
Eruinichil: Was it a bad thing that I stopped where I did?
Sam: What's wrong Sam-chan? Why are you depressed? You can always email me if you wanna talk for a bit. I'll try to get back to you.
Smiley-chan: No, he didn't take it lightly.