Pretenses

Naraku smiled grimly as he stared through the looking glass at his beautifully intricate web of deceit. He had tried to quell the jealous feelings raging inside of him but the feelings were too strong. He could deny it. He wanted Kagome.

He wanted Kagome just as Onigumo had wanted Kikyou so long ago. It was an undeniable attraction. Every time he gazed into her clear, pure eyes through the looking glass he felt strange feelings that consumed him. Every time he had attacked them he had looked into her eyes and found her beautiful soul staring straight back at him, unafraid. She was so different from the fragile Kikyou who had been broken so easily. He wanted to make her his.

And of course, whatever Naraku wanted he received, no matter what lengths he had to go to in order to get it.

It had been easy, really. A few subtle whispers in Kikyou's embittered heart had driven her to such lengths to hurt Kagome. To take Inuyasha and make him hers. It had been so easy for him to augment Kikyou's power enough so that she would have a spell strong enough, and with the correct amount of time, the correct amount of lies and half-truths, Kagome would be his, and no longer would she look at him with such hatred and contempt, such fearless defiance. She would look at Inuyasha with that gaze.

Naraku's smile was cruel and sadistic as he called Kagura to him. It was time for the final shove, as well as making sure some of his other plans came to fruition.

Kagome only had to look at Inuyasha's eyes to know what he was about to say. She knew very well and didn't want to hear a word of it. Trying to act casual she relaxed he posture and dropped her bow. "It's about time you got back Inuyasha. We've been worried about you," she said with a disgustingly false smile.

Inuyasha gave her a dismissive glance. "You have?"

Kagome felt her heart leap into her throat at that moment. "Yeah, we were all very worried about you."

"Sure." He shrugged and turned his back on her to address Miroku and Sango. "Well, problem solved. I found the perfect ally for us, and she's agreed to come with us."

Miroku looked at him blankly while Sango's face grew indignant. "Aren't you going to even apologize to poor Kagome for running off and making her worry like that! Actually, you should apologize to us all. You delayed that search for the Shikon no Tama by a day!"

A hollow, ethereal voice echoed from out of nowhere. "I hate to tell you this, since your reunion was so utterly heart-warming, but it won't matter at all that you've lost a day, considering that you're about to lose your lives."

Kagura appeared out of nowhere with a sadistic smile on her face. "It's time to die, but wait, not yet. I have a few messages."

She went over to Miroku and whispered something in his ear. Miroku's eyes grew wide as his face paled drastically. Then she came to Kagome and whispered something equally short and apparently equally disturbing in her ear. It was then Sango's turn. Sango did not pale. She did not look shocked. All she did was clench her fists as her eyes filled with tears.

Kagura looked at their stricken expressions as her smile widened. Those were the kinds of reactions that Naraku wanted, the expressions of people whose dreams had been shattered. She had accomplished what she needed to do, now all that was left was the final shove that would ruin the poor girl's life.

"Inuyasha, prepare to die." Kagura said as she began her strike. Wind blades hurtled at him frighteningly fast. He barely managed to get the Tetsusaiga out of it's sheath. One whisked by him, cutting deeply into his shoulder.

"Kikyou, get away from me before you get hurt!" He screamed. Kikyou looked at him calmly and then when over to stand beside him. She gave him a gentle hug at then grabbed his hands from behind with her own.

"Don't try to fight without me, I am strong enough. I am not weak. I do not need to be protected like some defenseless child. Please, Inuyasha, let us combine our powers together. Our love is strong enough. We can defeat her." Kikyou said most of this for Kagome's "benefit". Such words were ludicrous to her own ears. She did not love him any longer. She could no longer love anyone. Just the same, she could not let him love anyone else.

Kagura let their touching little reunion continue since this served her purposes, although she knew what the consequences would be. Naraku had told her himself. She was going to die. He had told her that he full expected her to die, and that if she didn't die he would kill her himself. Kagura grimly accepted such a fact and prepared herself for her final attack. She gathered in all of her power and released it, but not against Inuyasha and Kikyou.

She followed Naraku's orders to the letter.

She released the devastating blast at Kagome.

Disclaimer: Once again let it be known that the people/places/things of Inuyasha are in no way, shape or form mine.

Note: Thank you everyone for reviewing my fanfic. This is the first time that I have ever written one and I wasn't quite sure how it would be accepted. Thank you very much for the support ^_^ As for when this takes place…um…I have not clue…somewhere between volume 16 and volume 36 T_T, I wouldn't worry about it, it's not too important when it takes place. Okay, I lied. My chapters will be pretty short, since I keep finding good ways to end them ^_^