For the record (ahem): I do not own, in whole or in part, any part of the Inuyasha franchise. Nor do I own any of the characters from said franchise that is used forthwith. The following story is solely based on the ramblings of a college student at a boring job and is not to be taken or believed as part of the true Inuyasha saga. That being said, please enjoy my first attempt at fan fiction. Feel free to critique ad nauseum. (Whew!)

Chapter Fifteen – Seek and Destroy

Inuyasha was going so fast that he was getting lost inside the labyrinthine castle hallways. Dammit! If I don't slow down, I will never find him. The castle was designed to prevent invasions, and was preventing them quite effectively. He stopped and took a deep breath; not to smell his brother, but to calm down while he still had control. Kagome is unharmed. I can smell her all over this place. She is fine. Do not lose control. You have to win this.

Even though he took deep calming breaths, he could feel his anger rising. Keep it together, dammit. If I lose control now, I may not be able to come back. Kikyou is nowhere to be found. Inuyasha stopped looking for a moment and instead concentrated on getting himself under his own control. I will not lose this time. I swear it.

Sango, Shippo and Kirara turned another corner before realizing that they had been here before. "I remember this walkway. It had the picture of the geisha all in red. We've been here before." Shippo was slapping his forehead in agitation.

"Shippo, stop that. I know we have already been down this hall. And the one before that; and the one before that. I keep trying to find a different turn we haven't taken, but apparently we have taken them all."

Shippo walked up to the wall and started kicking it. "Why don't we just do like Inuyasha has already probably done and knock down the walls until we find Lord Sesshomaru." He thought about his statement, knowing he forgot to add something. "Or Kagome. I think I would personally rather find her than him."

Sango picked him up by the scruff of his neck and brought him to her eye level. "We cannot just go tearing down the whole castle. That would take too long and use up too much of our strength. Besides, that noise would surely bring the demon lord down on our heads." And I am not at all sure that I want to tangle with him so soon yet. "Inuyasha has not been tearing walls down, or else we would have found them. He knows the value of stealth." Even if he chooses never to use it.

"I'm sure that he already knows we are here. He is probably getting a good laugh from our being lost in his castle and all." He flailed his legs until she finally deposited him on Kirara's back.

"I'm sure he does. But it means nothing if we cannot find him." She looked around. "Gah! We have lost Miroku. Let's go find him." They turned and went out the way they had come in.

Miroku had already slowed down, as he too figured them to be lost. He rested his head on his staff in front of him and closed his eyes again in concentration. "Are you trying to figure out which way to go?"

He lifted his head and stared at the slayer before him. If only she knew what I was thinking about just now... "No. I am trying to sense Lord Sesshomaru. He is close. Even though we have back tracked a little, we are still heading in the right general direction. It is my belief that many of these halls were made to look exactly the same, thus keeping attackers confused and more likely to give up."

Shippo sulked on Kirara's back with his head in his hand. "Well, it sure is working. It seems so hopeless."

"I believe that this is a different courtyard than the one we passed earlier. Even though the hallways look the same." He walked over to the edge of the courtyard, kneeling down to the newly planted flowers in a makeshift garden. "See? These were not in the other courtyard. These bright colors would have been easily recognizable had we come across them before."

Shippo hopped of the cat's back and walked over to the flowers. "But, these are just planted flowers. No leaves, or roots, or nothing. They will die in a couple of days. Who would plant these?"

Sango smiled. "The little girl that travels with Sesshomaru. She always has a handful of flowers. I can picture a girl that young to plant only the flower heads, thinking that they will grow."

Miroku nodded in agreement. "Yes. And there have been little flower beds in every courtyard and large urn we have passed so far. Each to its own color. Obviously planted by someone who has no concept of deception."

"But, many of them were flower plants, not flower stems. How on earth did they grow?" Shippo was quickly becoming confused.

The two adults thought about it for a moment, before Miroku voiced the only answer he had come up with so far. "Lord Sesshomaru must have planted real flower plants behind her, before the flower stems she planted had a chance to die."

"Right. So she would think that what she had planted had grown. But, that makes no sense with what we know of Sesshomaru. He detests humans. He has said so himself to both Inuyasha and Kagome."

"Yes, but think about it. A little human girl, completely helpless on her own, travels with him in absolute safety. And now, he kidnaps Kagome. She seems happy, so it leads me to one conclusion."

Sango and Shippo replied together. "What?"

"That he has not been as ruthless to humans as we think he has."

Sango rolled her eyes and turned away. "Please. Now you want me to believe that he is a saint to humans? He couldn't even stand Inuyasha's mother. And he hates his own brother because he is half human."

Holding up his hand to silence Sango, he continued. "He has his reasons for hating Inuyasha's mother, and they may be valid. But I do not think that he hates all people. I have heard many tales about demons and warlords alike that are untrue. They are spread, through various ways, to make the demon or human appear more ferocious than he actually is. I am sure that this is the case with Lord Sesshomaru."

"So why has he not put the rumors straight? As much as we have fought with him, he has never lied."

"True. But, he does not fight when he does not have to. Lord Sesshomaru is quite cunning. If these rumors make him seem so fierce that no one opposes him, then it would make more sense to him to let the lies stand. Less work on his part."

Shippo jumped up and down, trying to get his companions' attentions. "Excuse me! We need to find Kagome, before he decided to prove those lies true!"

The monk again closed his eyes and concentrated on his surroundings. "I sense no urgency in our finding her. What I sense is that she has been completely safe here. Like being on one of those vacations she has told us about."

"So, you don't think that Kagome wants to be saved?"

He shook his head. "That is not what I meant. I only meant that she is in no hurry to be rescued, or she would have been giving us clues to find her. Shouting or leaving a trail or something. I see none of that here."

Shippo picked an orange flower out of the ground. "Only colors. Everywhere we turn."

Sango looked down at the little kitsune, who still seemed worried about his Kagome. "You know, Miroku, if Kagome is as safe as you sense she is, then there is no need for all of us to go looking for her. I think we should split up."

He knew what she was thinking. "I agree, Sango. You, Kirara and I should go and find Inuyasha. We need to make sure that he does not transform again."

Sango leaned down to Shippo's eye level. "Shippo, we leave it to you to find Kagome and make sure she is all right. Can you keep her safe?"

He puffed out his little chest. "You can count on me." He trotted of in a random direction, not sure of where to go. I know I will find her eventually.

'That was easy. Now, let's go find Inuyasha before he does more harm than good."

Kagome and Rin were meditating in Kagome's quarters. It was the only thing she could think of to calm the little girl down. After Sesshomaru had left them, Rin had awoken from a nightmare. She cried to Kagome that she dreamed Sesshomaru had left them and all manner of scary creatures had gotten into the castle.

"What kind of animals?" Kagome had asked her.

"There were wolves and spiders. Everywhere. I ran and ran, but everywhere I turned there was another wolf or a spider's web. I got trapped in this huge spider's web, and I was so scared that a giant spider would eat me."

Kagome had been intrigued. "Did it come for you?"

"No. It was as if it had laid a trap. I was pinned up in the web, and a lone wolf came to me. I knew it was about to kill me. That was when you woke me up."

Rin had tried to run after Sesshomaru after that, but Kagome obeyed orders and kept Rin in the wing. This made Rin terrible upset, and it was not until Kagome had suggested that they return to miko training that Rin stopped crying. I swear, that little girl's emotions run hot and cold. One minute she is in the depths of despair, the next she is over the moon. I wonder if I am like that sometimes?

Now, they were in the middle of meditation, with Rin so deep in her concentration that she did not notice that once again Kagome was not even trying. Too many things going on for me to meditate. My powers are high enough. She did stay seated by the little miko, afraid that any movement might set her off again. I understand her high dudgeon, though. I can barely keep my senses about me, and I am supposed to be more in control than she is. Lately, it seems that everything sets me off. I suppose that that is because I am in love. She didn't even question why she thought she was in love. Nope. There is no use fighting it anymore. I love him to distraction. And, apparently, love makes me crazy.

Before she could concentrate any more on that problem, she sensed another one, coming nearer to their location. Kikyou. "Rin. Wake up."

Rin opened her eyes, smiling at Kagome. "I am not asleep. I was thinking like you taught me to."

Kagome smiled. "I know, and you are doing exceedingly well. But, we need to move someplace more secure. I think we should go to your room. It is a little farther away than this one. We can work on your healing poultice there. It does need a little more work before you can actually use that on someone." Without allowing the little girl to utter another word, she picked up their mortars and pestles and ushered her out the door.

Jaken was waiting for them outside, not wanting to be stuck in there with two priestesses. "My Lady, where are you going? Lord Sesshomaru wanted us to stay right here..."

She held up her hand, hoping that that would suffice to shut the toad up. "We are staying in this wing, but I wanted to go to Rin's room. It is better suited for...making a mess with the herbs."

He finally saw what the girls were carrying and agreed. "Hmm. You are right. Rin is forever bringing dirt and flowers into her room. That would be perfect for your futile attempts to teach her something useful."

Rin walked up to him, staring at him. She was in no mood for his lip service today. "Someday very soon I will be able to put you in your place, you little toad. So until then, you still have time to be nice to me." She smiled at him. "After all, you are fun to play with, when you think no one else is watching."

He puffed up like a bloated balloon, and the two girls moved their things to the farther room. Jaken still stayed outside. Although he never admit it, he liked the warm feeling that crept up from his toes when Rin said he was a good playmate. I never had a friend before.

Kagome saw Rin inside before turning to the little toad demon behind her. She got down on her knees to face him directly. "I know that you do not like me much. And there was a time when I couldn't stand you. But, for all your huff and fluff, I know that you only want to do as your Lord and master tells you."

He eyed her suspiciously. "Aye. That is true enough."

"Well, I need you to tell me when she is coming. Both you and I know that she is coming straight for us. And I don't know if Lord Sesshomaru will get here before she does. So, it is up to us to make sure that Rin is safe. You and I can take care of ourselves, but she cannot. We need to make sure that nothing happens to her. Do you hear me?"

He nodded and Kagome went into Rin's room to resume training. Jaken stood outside the door, staff at the ready, as a sentry. He knew an attack was coming. Different from the one Lord Sesshomaru is seeking, but a dangerous one nonetheless.

Naraku sat underneath a large oak tree, picking simply planted flowers that adorned the base. Fresh flowers. He still travels with that silly baby. "I believe that this is Sesshomaru's favorite tree." He closed his eyes and breathed in the memories attached to the tree. Smiling cruelly, he continued, "I can see exactly why. It would make you blush, Kagura."

Kagura turned towards her master. "I already know why, Naraku." She turned back towards the entrance to the wing in distress. "Do you think it is wise to wait in his personal quarters? I think that we would be too easily spotted here."

"Are you fearful of your life, Kagura?"

She closed her fists around her fan, trying to hold in her rising anger. "No. I thought the whole purpose of our being here was to wait out the match against the two brothers. We will be noticed in his own quarters. He may skip Inuyasha all together in lieu of fighting you. You are one of his worst enemies, you know."

Naraku smiled to himself. I know what you are thinking of doing, little girl. How very foolish of you. "That would be nice for you, wouldn't it? If Lord Sesshomaru disposed of me for you, you would be free to pursue your own avenues. But have no fear. I have no intentions of being spotted so easily. I have put in place a shield that will protect us from being sensed by mikos and demons. No one knows we are here, yet."

"If they get too close to us, they would be able to sense the barrier. Then they would still know we are here."

Naraku lazily stood. "Perhaps you no longer trust in my abilities. If you like, you may go out there and make sure things are going to plan, like I assure you that they are. Feel free."

Kagura made a move to leave, but was stopped by Naraku's parting words. "But remember that you are not."

Not yet, she vowed as she left the barrier and used her giant feather to fly into the air. But I soon will be. I guarantee it.

Coming Soon -- Chapter Sixteen -- Two Against One

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha battle in a contest of wills. Kagome prepares for the inevitable fight with Kikyou, but Kikyou still has to choose which reincarnation to go after.