Kitsunehime: Er, I'm sorry to those of you who left their emails and weren't notified of the last chapter. Maybe I copied/pasted your emails down wrong, but I got an email back saying the notification could not be delivered. Inuyasha, you read off the list.

Inuyasha: Why me? *grumbles* This is the person's email address that isn't working: starrynight323.

Kitsunehime: Very sorry, but could you re-check your email address before re-sending it? starrynight323, I know you've usually gotten the notifications, but is it a problem with your email provider? I will try to re-send the emails when this chapter is up and until I get the corrected/new addresses, and hope it will work. I also apologize to those of you who didn't get notified and asked already. I just double-checked, and I'm pretty sure it's all up to date now.

Sorry for those of you who've been expecting another hectic disclaimer, my brain just went blank. I blame it all on school . . .

I do not own Inuyasha or the Black Jewels Trilogy. Unfortunate, but true.







To Rule the Darkness

ch. 27, Variation One: Kagura



Kagura climbed that staircase to Naraku's room with quite some trepidation.

"Hurry up, woman, I don't have all day," a cold voice snapped. Kagura winced, feeling a pain in her chest which came from his possession of her heart. No, not the heart spoken of in love – Hell's fire, definitely not that! Just the thought nearly made her retch – the literal, physical heart. Nothing beat inside the bone bars of her ribcage.

"Naraku," she said out of reluctant – very reluctant – deference.

"I trust you found out what that power blast was, Kagura?" Even with no anger apparent, Naraku was an individual who could chill one to the bone, no matter what the season.

To what 'power blast' was he referring to? Less than a week ago, a wave of . . . something . . . that somehow seemed even stronger than the Black swept through all the territories within a hundred-mile radius of the Western Lands, leaving almost half the Blood broken back to their birthright Jewels, and even some broken and killed completely.

"The lands that were hit badly should be able to recover, in perhaps a decade. There was one Territory that escaped the purging, however, and that would be the Dog Forest," Kagura reported, wishing she was anywhere but where she was at the moment.

"The Dog Forest . . . " Naraku mulled. "Quickly, get Kanna to look up who's been in charge there."

Bowing her head, Kagura sent a quick psychic thread in her sister's direction. :Kanna, Naraku wants you to look up who's been in charge of the Dog Forest.:

The reply was faint, but 'audible.' :Yes . . . :

Kagura shuddered slightly. There was always a sense of deep despair about Kanna, and when added to Naraku's creepy aura, there were times she thought she could simply collapse right then and there, on the floor. But then, Naraku would probably force her to serve him as one of the demon-dead.

As if sensing her thoughts, Naraku smiled, a cold and chilling smile. "Continue."

"The information's a bit garbled, but it seems Rin has made her Offering to the Darkness and come out with the Shikon no Tama." Here Kagura paused, seeing his expression.

As if forcing his features to calm, Naraku tightly shut his eyes for a moment. "That is all, Kagura?"

"Yes." She was about to leave when Kanna's thread reached her.

:I found it . . . : That was all she said, but Kagura could have sworn she heard Kanna whisper, :help . . . :

"Naraku, Kanna found the information you wanted."

Naraku narrowed his eyes at this statement. It wasn't how fast Kanna worked that upset him, in fact, he wholly approved of efficiency. It was the fact that she reported to Kagura, and not directly to him. 'She must have assumed that, since Kagura told her, she was to answer to her. No matter, I'll take care of that later.' "Tell her to bring it up. Or wait . . . Kagura."

"Yes, Naraku?"

"Have Kanna tell you, then repeat it to me." The one thing he found extremely flawed with the silent girl was, well, the fact that she nearly was silent.

Kagura lowered her head so that Naraku couldn't see the burning hatred in her crimson eyes and listened to Kanna's report. This time, no soft plea came through. After a moment, Kagura straightened up.

"The Dog Forest was formerly ruled by an Red Warlord Prince by the name of Shigeru, an inu-youkai. He died a few decades ago, along with his family, in the Keep that formerly stood there. Roughly eight years ago, one of his daughters, the Gray Priestess Fahleing, a hanyou, who was missing and assumed dead, returned and resumed her family's rule over the forest. More recent records say she has a close familial connection with Inuyasha. Fahleing's last known location was the unofficial Dark Court at the Hall."

"Anything else?" Naraku thought the information was good, but still rather vague. It explained the Dog Forest's situation quite nicely.

"Nothing except what sounds like exaggerated accounts of her battle prowess from the few intruders who managed to escape with their lives intact."

Deliberating over this new information, Naraku lazily waved Kagura away, shutting the door with Craft.

Once outside, Kagura nearly sagged against the wall in relief. But, she forced herself to remain upright until she reached her room. Only then did she allow herself to collapse.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Later that day, Kagura sat in the Council room. The other members of the Dark Council had already gathered there, and were awaiting the reason for their summons.

A little over an hour ago, a mysterious scroll appeared in a transparent blue flame, insisting each and every one of them attend. Kagura was troubled as to how whoever sent it knew where she dwelt

"What is the meaning of this?" one of the lesser councilmen shouted angrily. The Council Head could only shrug and make a blank face.

"I applaud you all on your ability to get here," said a cold, impassive voice from seemingly all around. Tendrils of black fire shone around the edges of the closed door, and moments later, it swung open without even its usual ominous creek.

Rin, once again in that red-lined black kimono, stepped through, flanked by Inutaishou on one side, and Inuyasha on the other, each one step behind.

Inutaishou favored the whole room with a contemptuous glance. Deeming them all unworthy of anything but fish food, he kept a discreet eye on the one witch who seemed capable of anything. Inuyasha would have given them all the finger, but Rin glanced back at him once, and in that one glance, Inuyasha knew what was expected of him here. Nevertheless, he kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Kagura took one look at the rest on the Dark Council, and scornfully came to the conclusion they were all too scared to do anything. The smell of urine drifted past her nose, and she wrinkled her nose in distaste. Some fool was so scared he wet himself. She was thoroughly disgusted, and had to take over as spokesperson.

"What is your reason for calling us all here today?" she asked imperiously. Or as close to 'imperiously' as she could get in the face of all the power Rin was exuding.

"How dare you be disrespectful to the Queen?!" Inuyasha took one step forward and his sword was halfway drawn when Rin blocked him with her arm.

Rin then turned to look straight at Kagura, who suddenly felt an indescribably compelled to abandon everything and ask Rin to help her.

A scroll sealed with red wax and a black ribbon appeared in front of her, and she felt obligated to open it. Inside was a list of Territories, and, under that, a map of them all, overlaid with a black lily.

"Those are the Territories under my rule as Queen of Ebon Askavi. Do not trespass or it will mean more than your life." With that, Rin swept out of the room. There was no inane display of power, yet Kagura felt terrified all the same.

Looking down, Kagura saw a small scroll appear on top of the seal, and snatched it before the Council Head took the document. As he was reading it aloud, she opened the small piece of paper.

"The first rule of the Blood is to serve, to honor, to cherish. The second is to protect. The third is obedience." As Kagura read this, she nearly conjured witchfire to burn it away, such was the insult she thought it implied. But then she read on. "But only if the third law does not interfere with the first two can it be obeyed."

Startled, Kagura looked up, and, through the window, she saw Inutaishou nod. Rin's back was turned, but she did incline her head as Inuyasha opened the door of the Coach.

She understood, Rin that is. Rin understood Kagura's situation, and was offering a small hope to her, a small hope of freedom. Tucking that thought deep into her mind so no one would ever find it even as the paper was consumed by black flames, Kagura smiled. A genuine smile, for the first time in her whole entire life.







Wow, I think that chapter turned out pretty well.

Anyhow, I went and watched the episodes where Kagura appears again, and I conclude that Kagura is cool. So is Kanna, but she's a bit creepy . . .

Ja!