A/N: Yet another chapter. Getting sick of me yet? Maybe I should just not update for a while…

*Dodges flying objects* Okay, okay, I get the hint….

Disclaimer: I own nothing, apart from any OC's that my weird brain may cook up without my permission…

Tempting Fate

Chapter 11: Blurred Reality

In a small cave, hidden in the side of an unknown mountain, the most evil being of the age was slowly regaining his strength. Attended by two of his creations, the hanyou known as Naraku had been recovering for a little over a month from the attack aimed at him by the miko girl – Kagome. With every day that passed, his spirit grew more potent. The malice that flowed through the atmosphere surrounding him was almost thick enough to see.

He was consumed by his need for revenge upon those who opposed him. Inuyasha, the inuhanyou that plagued his existence, and Kagome, the miko who had dared to purify him in their last encounter. Kouga, the wolf prince, was also on the list for the simple reason that he had in his possession the last two shikon shards that had to be found. Those shards were quite possibly his last chance at accomplishing his goals, and he was determined to destroy any in his path to power.

Naraku shifted in his chair as his thoughts became, for him at least, a little brighter. 'Ah, yes, - the path to power. That paltry thief, Onigumo – he knew nothing of power. He was only looking for money, for the occasional woman…for material gain. Spiritual strength came from the youkai that took him over. I am the result of the joining – a hanyou, true, but in terms of power there is none to challenge me.' He frowned suddenly, bringing a fist down to crash against the arms of his seat . 'Except for the reincarnation. The miko copy. She defied me, and now look at me!' He calmed himself, a slow smirk of hatred spreading across his face. 'She is a threat that I will not have to deal with for much longer. And to think, the little dog is the one who will do it for me! Pure justice.'

He gestured briefly with one hand for his silent servant, Kanna, to bring her precious mirror to him. Every day it became easier for him to manipulate his enemy's thoughts from a distance. Soon he would be able to confront his foes in person, and win. It was only a matter of time.

***

Kagura was all too aware that her time was running out. As her hated master's strength returned, so did the extent of his influence over her. Every so often he would take a twisted joy in reminding her that he held her heart in his grasp – that he could end her life at any time, should he wish to. Fortunately she still seemed to be useful to him, although who knew how long that would last?

'At this rate I will have no opportunity to talk to the miko girl,' she fretted inwardly. So much for gaining her freedom. The wind youkai watched as Naraku yet again renewed his hold over Inuyasha's already unstable mind. She could see how much the man enjoyed this torture – a more sadistic being she had yet to meet. Every so often a sinister smile would appear on his face, indicating a new idea to harrass the hanyou with. Kagura was filled with disgust at him.

'One day,' she swore fervently, 'one day you will rue the fact that you ever created me!'

***

Kanna had never seen the need to use speech in her dealings with people. People were dull and ignorant, and not worth her time. Not even her so-called 'master' Naraku. He had such incredible power, but he chose to employ it in such pointless ways. To have world-domination within your reach, and to toss it all away in favour of simple revenge – she would never understand his choices. And because she did not understand, she did not speak. It was unnecessary.

Besides, she had plenty of contact with the outside world through her mirror. No matter who used it, whether it be Naraku or a complete stranger, she could see in her mind what was shown on the silvery surface. At present, it was showing her the fever-dreams of the one called Inuyasha, shortly to be a raving lunatic. She was neither pleased nor dismayed by the knowledge. Why should she care if a miserable half-breed was having nightmares? His soul was too unsettled for her taste, anyway; she preferred souls that were peaceful, even emotionless. Nothing to disturb the perfection.

That being called Sesshoumaru was the best example of her ideal soul. She had observed him in her mirror once before; when Kagura had unwisely approached him in secret. Kanna had been watching the woman in her mirror to pass the time. She had not shown her master what she had seen. Instead she had noted the way the youkai lord had spoken, moved and thought. All calm, all precise, no unnecessary actions or feelings. Perfect.

'His half-brother is completely the opposite of him,' Kanna thought distastefully. 'And now that Naraku is toying with him like this, his soul is more disturbed than ever!' In her mind, the mirrored dream continued. Logic told her that it would not be long now before something broke wide open.

Things were about to get slightly more interesting.

"Aaaaarrrgghh!"

The tortured cry sent wildlife scurrying for cover. The screamer flailed about in his unrest, his jerky movements finally sending him plummeting to the ground. Inuyasha jerked awake, sweat pouring off of his face. His eyes were slightly unfocused as he tried to work out where he was.

'Okay, I know I was asleep that time! I wasn't seeing things, it was just a dream!' he reassured himself desperately. He shook himself, trying to regain some degree of composure. He simply had to forget what he had seen in his mind. Otherwise, he was sure he would go insane. Against his will, he began to remember…

Kagome was standing in a clearing, seemingly waiting for someone. At the sound of a person approaching her from behind, she had whirled around with a dazzling smile. Inuyasha felt his heart ache at seeing the smile that was rightfully his alone being directed at someone else.

"Kouga! Kouga, my love, where have you been?" To his horror she entwined her arms around the wimpy wolf prince's neck in an intimate embrace. His rage grew even higher when the bastard had the nerve to tighten his arms around Kagome as he answered. "I finally defeated that stinking mutt for you, Kagome. He won't be bothering you anymore."

'He's talking about me!' Inuyasha thought, outraged. 'Kagome, say something!'

"Good," she purred, making the hanyou's jaw drop open in astonishment. "It's about time."

'No. No, no, no, NO!'

"Now, my sweet miko, we have the shikon no tama, and I have you!" Kouga said smugly, pulling back a little to look at Kagome's face. Inuyasha watched in dismay as Kagome simply smiled back at him.

"Yes, you have me. All of me."

"Aaaaarrrgghh!"

The cry he had let out had woken him up from the dream, leaving him more than a little disoriented. 'She betrayed me! She let him – no, wait, it was a dream. Wasn't it?'

"It was a dream," he told himself firmly. "Nothing more. See, I'm not dead, Kouga didn't kill me, so it can't be real!" He stopped moving, thinking hard. "It's been nearly two weeks, hasn't it? That means the time is nearly up. I haven't lost her yet." Inuyasha suddenly thumped himself in the head, disgusted. "I really have been alone for too long. Maybe I should go back and see how the others are doing."

As he began to make his way back to the village, phantom images taunted him from out of the corner of his vision. Kagome – laughing gaily. Kouga – smirking in triumph. He increased his pace until he was racing towards Kaede's hut at a flat out sprint.

***

Miroku looked up from what he was doing, making Sango look at him in curiosity. "Miroku?" A worried frown crossed his face.

"Inuyasha is heading this way." Sango drew in a sharp breath. She still didn't feel quite ready to face him. Miroku saw this and patted her hand in comfort.

"Calm down, you don't know what he's here for. It could be something harmless. Just wait and see what he does." She nodded at him in thanks, concentrating on keeping her heart from racing. Shippo, Kohaku and Kaede looked up from their breakfasts, questions in their eyes. Before Miroku could answer any of them, though, Inuyasha was standing in front of them.

"Feh! Hey, bouzu, anything happen while I was away?" Miroku looked at his friend in concern.

'His eyes don't stay still – it's like he's trying to look in many directions at once!' "No, Inuyasha, everything is as it should be. We should be asking, how are you?" Anyone could see that the hanyou was in a bad way. His smooth silver hair was tangled and unwashed, his robes were bedraggled, and his face was haggard from lack of sleep. All in all, he made quite a sorry picture.

Inuyasha couldn't seem to stay still. He kept shuffling around, not meeting anyone's eyes, his fists tightening and relaxing intermittently. At one point his eyes flashed, and Miroku was startled to see a tinge of red bleeding into his golden eyes. "Inuyasha?"

"That wench!" he burst out, surprising everybody. "She's with that mongrel wolf wannabe!" Sango paled at this, but fortunately Inuyasha didn't seem to notice. "She said – no, wait, that was a dream. Well, she's going to come back here – it's been nearly two weeks. I gave that bastard what he asked for, it's time for him to give her back! He can't keep her!" he raged. His friends exchanged worried glances between themselves at this strange speech.

"Inuyasha, I really think-" Miroku began bravely. Inuyasha cut him off by jumping to his feet.

"She doesn't love him! I'll prove it! I'll make that filthy wolf eat his damned words!" The hanyou became a red blur as he raced away once more. "Sango," the houshi said carefully, "did that seem…right to you?"

"No. Do you think we should follow him?" He looked at her, all seriousness.

"Yes – all of us. If he's gone mad, as it seems, then we will need as much help as we can to overcome him." Shippo and Kohaku looked worried, but they picked up their weapons nonetheless. Kirara came over to her mistress and transformed to allow her to ride. It was a bit of a struggle, but they all managed to find a place to sit. Miroku, once comfortable, swung around to address Kaede.

"Will you be alright here, Kaede-sama? There's no telling what will happen." She shushed him impatiently.

"Don't worry yourself, houshi. I protected this village long before any of you were here, and I can do it again. Go and find Inuyasha – he needs your help far more than I do." He nodded at her, turning to face forwards once more. Sango urged Kirara into the air, and the old miko quickly disappeared from view. The four companions settled in for the journey, their minds all set on one all-important goal.

To find their crazed hanyou leader, and to do whatever was needed to stop him from doing something he would regret.

A/N: The situation is coming to a head, and - as Kanna said – things are about to get slightly more interesting. Inuyasha has gone to get Kagome; but will Kouga let her go? Perhaps not.

Also, that beginning bit may seem a bit strange, but it will turn out to be very important later on. Trust me!

Reviewer replies:

Aamalie – I guess I just have an unusually open mind? And Namako is MINE! But maybe you can borrow her once the story is finished, if you're good *grins*.

ShadowHeart – I can just see myself having to write a whole series just for this chicken! With a Star Wars theme, of course. I loved the titles you suggested! LOL. And I haven't forgotten your suggestion for the ending. As for the male OC's, they're all planned for my next project. Namako was just a cameo, really – although, so was the chicken at first. Hmm. This could be trouble.

Time's mortal enemy – Hey, don't worry about not reviewing – I'm just glad you're still here! Namako IS cute…I can just see her as a plushie toy! Oh yeah, Sango learnt her lesson alright.

Minty – 3 days? You read my stuff for 3 DAYS?!? Wow. Yes, Miroku and the chicken is so much fun to write! I don't email notices when I update, because I plan to do it nearly every day. Author Alert would be better.

Darkinuyasha – thank you.

Lady Netiri – He didn't exactly get a thump on the head – but he'd better steer clear of angry mikos in future!

Eternal_Nysa – I'm honoured. *salutes* I won't let you down!

Miztikal-Dragon – Kouga, creepy? Hmm, he was a bit stalker-ish in that bit, wasn't he?

Falia – Kouga/Kagome pairings can be so sweet if they're done right. I'm glad you like my story!

A/N: Well, that's it from me. Thanks to Aamalie and Time's mortal enemy for wishing me luck with interviews – they're still going well, thank you. I'll find out about one this week, I hope. Anyway, see you all later!