A:N: I'm finally updating! @_@ I know I haven't been working on this in a while, and trust me, I feel the guilt; but I've just been suffering from lack of inspiration lately. I'm sorry. ^__^ Anyway! Mexico was lovely, and I have lots of pictures. Especially of La Quemada, which are these Mexican ancient ruins and are freaking awesome to boot. The landscape is gorgeous, and I took lots of Panoramics of it. I would've climbed to the top, where you can get the greatest view in the place, but it was too windy and I'm really slender. So I kept getting knocked around by the wind. ^_^;;; Getting back on track PAY ATTENTION this chapter. Something VERY important occurs, and Naraku receives the chance of a lifetime—to avenge his brother. But at what costs? Read on!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except some lint, those pictures from Mexico, and about fifty-six cents. Yay. Takahashi Rumiko owns InuYasha, and I am not profiting from this in any way. Oh, by the way, has anyone seen Kill Bill Vol. 1 yet? If you did, wasn't Gogo awesome? ^_^ I saw it last night at my friend's house, and we all decided (all three of us) that Gogo was the best character of the whole movie, just because she was so spiffed out. But I don't own that either. I don't even know why I mentioned it.

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Kagome of Tokyo

Chapter 11

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Inuyasha first heard a crystalline voice singing. He, in his state of semi-consciousness, thought it was him imagining his mother, or maybe Sango. But he had never heard his mother sing, and Sango wouldn't be in his room for any reason whatsoever.

Aoi aoi sora no iro mo kidzukanai mama

Sugite yuku mainichi ga kawatte yuku

He felt someone stroking his hair, running their fingers through his thick jet black hair. He'd always kept it long. Like Sesshoumaru. When they were little, he'd loved Sesshoumaru, his older half-brother. He'd looked up to him in everything he did, and his mother would smile, glad that her son and her stepson were getting along. His father was pleased because both of his sons were happy. Then Sesshoumaru stopped caring. He stopped being so emotional, so passionate. He was just apathetic to everything. Inuyasha really couldn't blame him. His mother had died, and to be perfectly honest Inuyasha's own mother hadn't been extremely kind to him. After all, he was just her husband's other son.

Tsukareta wakugumi wo koe ima wo ikite

Sabitsuita kokoro mata ugokidasu yo

Then Inuyasha and Sango's mother had died. She died giving birth to their last brother, but Inuyasha refused to think about it. He was dead. He had to be. Rather dead than what Sango feared: in the hands of a very dangerous man. Inuyasha opened one eye sleepily and saw that Kagome had pulled his head into her lap. It was her that was singing to him or to whom?

Toki no rizumu wo shireba mo ichido toberu darou

He smiled. She was so so delicate. Like a glass rose. It was as if she was fragile enough to treat gently, but then she surprised him with her resilience. Kagome had gone through so much ever since she was twelve, but you never really knew it by looking at her. She kept her serenity, her innocence. Even after we've had sex, Inuyasha suddenly thought.

Boku-tachi wa samayoi nagara

Ikite yuku doko made mo

He opened his other eye. This time Kagome noticed him and smiled at him. She ran her fingers through his hair again and he shuddered. He needed to tell her to stop doing that. He didn't understand any of this, to be honest: it was all happening so fast. He just went with the flow of his sudden passion for this girl that he loved, the girl he was promised.

Shinjite'ru hikari motome

Arukidasu kimi to ima

She finished singing. "Ohayo, Inuyasha," she said, stretching. "Did you have a good night last night?" A smile played on her lips.

He grinned at her. "Hai, Kagome. What about you? Did you sleep well?"

"Hai, lazyhead. You were still asleep when I started singing." She paused. "That song was my mother's favorite," she said softly. "She had custom-made music boxes for Kikyou and me playing that song. That's where I learned it from." Gently, she moved his head out of her lap and rose. He moaned in disapproval. "Let me show you the box," she said in that soft voice. He loved it. He loved her hair, her laugh, her eyes, her voice, her body, her singing. To hell with it, he thought, softening. I love her.

Kagome reached in her bag and ruffled around through it for a few silent minutes. After a while, she opened all the pockets, carefully, methodically, and tore everything out of them. She sat down on the floor hard. "It's not here," she whispered. "I can't find it." Staring at the wall, she let her hands droop. "I can't believe this. I forgot it. Baka." Her voice rose. "And now I can't go back for it because they'll see me, and what excuse will I have then?"

Inuyasha crawled over to her and put his arms around her. "I'll fight for you," he offered.

"You and saying you'll fight for me," she sighed. "I told you, I'm sick of fighting and dying." She stopped. "Kikyou will hate me," she said tonelessly. "She'll think I left it on purpose, to show that I won't go back for her."

"Are you going back for her?" He tightened his grip on her.

She noticed and rested her hands on his arms. "Shiranai. She might not take me back."

"She'll turn you in, from what I've heard."

Kagome sighed again. "Maybe I trust too much, but I don't think she'd do that to me. She wants to get out of there too much. But it would kill her to be with me all of the time," she amended. "Demo, shiranai."

"My offer still stands to get your music box back," he said jokingly.

She stared at her bag. "No more killing," she said. "I'm so sick of this. There will be no more killing on my behalf."

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Naraku sat down at his desk in his room. "Nande kora wa?" he demanded coolly. "What do you mean, she is gone?"

Kouga paced, agitated. "Exactly what I said. Kagome is missing. Her room is clean, as if she never was there. Kikyou told me the story—how some otoko no ko kidnapped her and whisked her away. Inuyasha, she said his name was, of the Tachikawa gang."

His older brother cocked an eyebrow. "The brother of Tachikawa Sesshoumaru? He has nerve. I've heard of the otoko no ko. He has a temper to match, and is a good fighter." He rose and motioned for his brother to sit in the other chair. Kouga obliged, and Naraku sat again. "What is there that we can do?"

"Shiranai!" he exclaimed. "You're my advisor, nii-san. Help me." He shot him a glance, then looked at the floor, turning crimson red. "Please. Help me rescue the woman I love." His voice was barely a whisper. Naraku had to strain his ears to hear him.

"We'll find her. Your woman shall be returned," he said shortly. "Kagome was given to you by her brother with his dying breath, as was the gang. We as a gang find the Tachikawa residence and fight them for Kagome. You will kill this insolent otoko no ko who has no right to steal away your woman. We bring Kagome back and all is well again." He sighed. Kagome had caused an amazingly large amount of trouble since the beginning. Naraku and Kouga had joined the group when Kouga was almost fourteen and he, Naraku, was sixteen. Kagome had been thirteen when they finally rescued her, on her birthday. Now she was kidnapped again. And, of course, to complicate things his foolish younger brother had fallen in love with the stupid girl.

Kouga was impetuous; he made decisions based on what he wanted. Naraku was more controlled. The only time he had let himself go was for Kikyou.

Kikyou.

She hated him, he knew that much. He wasn't a fool. And now she was to give birth to their second child. Every time they slept together, she was passive and silent, allowing him to do what he wanted. And every time he was frustrated because she didn't participate.

It could be worse. Kouga has not even consummated his relationship with Kagome.

"Arigatou, onii-san," Kouga said gratefully, rising and bowing before leaving Naraku to his thoughts.

Kagura, their daughter. She was Kikyou's pride and joy. She would be about three now, he thought detachedly. Kikyou loved Kagura more than anything else in the world. She insisted on naming their next son Houjo, after her brother that had died before the Nakamuras had arrived in the gang. That was, assuming she had sex with him again. Or unless this child is a boy, Naraku mused.

Suddenly he heard a laugh. He looked up sharply. "Who's there?" he asked.

The laugh came again. "Maa, Naraku," came a female voice, sarcastic and confidant, "thinking of your daughter, ne?"

Naraku rose and carefully looked around. Nobody seemed to be in the room with him. He sighed, blaming his overworked mind, and turned to sit in his chair.

A young woman was sitting in the swivel chair at his desk.

Her hair was short, and she had dark eyes. Her mouth was quirked into a sardonic smirk. "So, Naraku," she continued, "I also know that you wish to find the Tachikawa gang?"

"Who are you?" he asked sharply.

She cut him a glare. "You did not answer my question."

"And you have not answered mine," he said coolly. "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"My name is Hikari. I am here on behalf of my daughter," she shot back just as coolly.

He surveyed her with a skeptical eye. "You are not old enough to have a daughter."

Her smirk came back. "Neither is Kikyou. Demo, my daughter is much older than your Kagura—or Kagura's mother, for that matter. And you, Nakamura Naraku, have offended her gravely."

"How?" he asked. "I do not know your daughter."

She dismissed his remark with a wave of her hand. "You may not know her, but yet you have caused her much anger and distress. Quite a few months ago, you came across a flock of birds sacred to her. And you slaughtered every one of them." Her eyes gleamed angrily. "First, I want to ask you this: Naze? What cause did you have to kill a flock of birds?"

Naraku stayed silent for a while. Finally, he said, "It was a challenge for myself as a warrior. If I could kill a flock of birds with just a knife, then I would be finished. And so I am."

"Not so with this business," Hikari interjected calmly. "You have caused my daughter much pain, and so you must repay her tenfold. She has teamed up with my brother as to cause you harm on your search to find Higurashi Kagome." Naraku started. "She has sworn to it that you will not find the Tachikawa gang until she has her repayment. And so you will never find Kagome." She paused, and then added, "I was against this entire Kagome business from the beginning. That stupid jou Sora made a stupid promise, and that stupid otoko no ko chose her. And now look what has happened."

Naraku chose not to ask about Sora and this promise she made, but instead asked, "What is it she wants me to do to repay her?"

The woman did not hesitate in answering, "You must sacrifice your own daughter, Kagura, to my sister."

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A:N: I love cliffies, don't you? OK, only when I write them. They're much better that way. What did you think? Love it? hate it? think it's just okay? Let me know by clicking that little purply-bluish/blueish-purple/whatever color that is button at the bottom left of the screen there. .:points to button:. And now, for the song lyrics. ^___~ Ta!

Sayonara,

Akai-Sakura

Glossary of Terms

*jou: Girl.

*Shiranai: I'm not so sure if I've already done this one, so just to be safe, it means, "I don't know."

*Nande kora wa?: What is this? (I think that's how it's spelled. If that's wrong, please correct me.)

*Aoi aoi sora no iro mo kidzukanai mama/Sugite yuku mainichi ga kawatte yuku

The days pass by and change/Without us even realizing how blue the sky really is

*Tsukareta wakagumi wo koe ima wo ikite/Sabitsuita kokoro mata ugokidasu yo

Over coming that made-up scheme, we live the present/and our rusted hearts begin to beat again!

*Toki no rizumu wo shireba mo ichedo toberu darou

If we can find the rhythm of time, we can fly once again

*Boku-tachi wa samayoi nagara/Ikite yuku doko made mo

We live our lives/Wandering to the ends of the earth

*Shinjite'ru hikari motome/Arukidasu kimi to ima

Believing (in you?), now I begin my journey with you/In search of the light