Thick coils of purple smoke did little but block her vision as she made her way through the corridors of the mystery-ridden castle. She, an uninvited guest in Naraku's abode, chose to boldly stroll down the middle of such halls while other, lesser creatures preferred the sanctuary that lurking in the shadows provided them.

It did not take long to reach her destination; a damp, moth-ridden room on one of the upper floors. Naraku sat on a mat in the middle of the floor, his back to the door she stood in. Before turning to greet his visitor, his eyes flashed and his lips curled upwards into a deadly smirk. "Ah...Kikyou," his smile ever-false, "So good to see you alive and well,"

"Likewise," she responded flatly, ignoring his sarcastic play on words. "I'm sure you were thinking just that when you sought to dispose of me,"

He drew back in mock hurt. "You suggest such a horrible thing, dearest?"

"I do," her tone was acid. "And I want to know why,"

He withheld a glare, a thoroughly charming grin gracing his facial features. It was like a game, this thing they played at. "Why you suggested such a thing?" he evaded her question.

But Kikyou would have none of it. "No," she snapped, "Why you went out of your way to see to it that I was destroyed. I gave you what I wanted, didn't I? Was it not good enough? We had a deal, Naraku," she spat his name as if it were poisonous. "The way in which I will die is dragging Inu-Yasha to hell with me, and I am intent in this end,"

"I know your intentions," his voice was now laced with malice. "I know them quite well, dearest,"

"Whatever do you mean?" it was her turn to feign innocence. "Until it's my time, you know I am completely devoted to you,"

"I think not," he hissed, standing and striding over to her. His arm snaked around her shoulder and his spindly fingers crept around the base of her neck. She flinched under his touch, as his presence repulsed her for reasons quite obvious. He continued, voice oily, "Yahiko,"

A young boy emerged from the shadows, visibly squirming under the two's gaze. It took a few moments for it to register, but when it did, Kikyou gasped, wide-eyed. "I see you remember him," Naraku nearly purred with delight at this recognition. He openly grinned, showing his pleasure in the matter. "The little orphan boy in that village you passed through last month...Do you now know why he had no parents?"

When Kikyou did not answer, Naraku jumped at the chance to berate her. "I think you do. He was my spy, and a good one at that," he chuckled. She finally noticed the object he clutched in his free hand, and at her horrified expression he noted, "In other words, he was just a pawn. A weak detachment," as he spoke the final word, he brutally crushed the thing he held. The child screamed in agony and faded away as a few drops of blood oozed out from between Naraku's knuckles. "That was his heart," he nodded savagely, confirming the miko's fears. "Too bad," he added, in mock sorrow, "He was such a good little boy,"

"You bastard," Kikyou seethed through clenched teeth. "He catered to your sick whims and his demise was his reward?"

"Death in enlightenment," Naraku said sagely, releasing his other hand's grip on her, taking the chance to turn his back on her and face the window. "You should know," he shrugged, both hands dropping to his sides before slipping behind his back and folding themselves. "Anyway, I know of your deceit, Kikyou. And frankly, since you refuse to no longer be of any use to me, I must rid myself of you. After all, don't want you switching horses in mid-stream, now do I?"

She, too, turned her back on him. "That's too bad," she drawled. "I had some useful information for you, on the whereabouts of that half-breed's brother,"

A moment of silence passed between them. Finally, Naraku took the bait. "You better not be lying," was his warning.

Kikyou coyly smirked before turning around. "So he did get the best of you,"

Naraku snorted. "The boy has some brains...But they won't save him in the end..." he trailed off, before commanding, "You will tell me of Sesshoumaru's location and then you will make yourself scarce. Should you choose to double cross me once more, I will make sure you die. Do you understand, or do I need to make myself more clear?"

A strange expression crossed Kikyou's face and she opened her mouth to speak. She changed her mind, though, and merely nodded. "He roams the Western Lands, not far from where you sought my end,"

Naraku's face darkened at this revelation. "Now leave," he growled. She hastened to comply.

Once outside his fortress, Kikyou paused once more in the center of the grassy field. It was just as before. She had left Naraku thinking he had the upper hand. She silently re-affirmed her vow to kill him. His existence was the only obstacle preventing her from dragging Inu-Yasha to hell. While he still roamed the land of the living, she could not 'rest in peace'. The battle was personal, and like with Inu-Yasha, she would only be satisfied if his end was by her hands. Treacherous Onigumo would regret ever haven laid eyes on her.

A/N: Much shorter chapter in comparison to the last, but certainly not lacking in the drama department, I hope. Updates will now officially become much slower. I start high school in two days and I seriously doubt I'll be as homework free as last year. I hope Naraku didn't seem too out-of-character to you. I tried to portray a different side to his evil; a sarcastic side. All of the 'dearest' comments were making slight of Onigumo's lust towards the miko. Yahiko was just a name I borrowed, and I assure you, it's not really Rurouni Kenshin's Yahiko. He will not show up in the story again.

To my dismay, both this and my other Inu-Yasha story are missing a review. It says I have ten reviews on this one, but only nine are showing up. Same with my other story, though the numbers differ. It's really irritating me. I hope it fixes itself when I get another review for them both (::hint, hint::). I'd be honored if you would link this story from your page, Ruby. You'll find no objections from me.

Please Review!