CGIII:

Kagome raised her hand to rub the back of her sore neck, her waist-length obsidian tresses sticking with sweat against her skin from the Louisiana heat. The long car ride to her new home had been uncomfortable as she tried to spend the time sleeping in the back of the oven-like car. Her mother and stepfather were in the front seat and had done nothing to dispel the complete silence of the journey.

She readjusted her left leg that was stretched out across the backseat. Her mother noticed the movement and turned back to smile at her. "It's nice to see you are finally awake," Megumi smiled warmly at her. She then gestured to the landscape around them. "We are almost home."

"I'm so ecstatic," Kagome commented dryly. She allowed her eyes to scan the passing scenery. "I almost expected to see nothing but cattle pastures. I guess swampland is just as exciting. Oh look, I think I spy an alligator." She pointed towards the Mississippi River that they were driving away from and traveling further and further away from civilization. From the driver's seat, Onigumo sounded as if he had growled at her comment.

Looking back at her reflection from the rearview mirror the older man locked his dark eyes with her blue-grey ones. "Kagome, dear, it would behoove you to not be judgmental about this place. You will love it here as much as I do." Onigumo gave her a menacing smile, which told her not to argue with his declaration.

Swallowing thickly, Kagome plastered on her most sugary sweet smile to appease the overbearing man. "Forgive my negative attitude. Yes, sir, I am sure I will find this place quite pleasant, especially since I will have no friends here. And especially since I am currently disabled and just last night had the love of my life die in a car accident. I'm quite positive that I will absolutely love leaving the few comforts in life I had. Besides, I absolutely adore alligators."

Megumi gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as she stared back at her daughter in astonishment. Onigumi seemed to steam at the ears at the speech and quickly pulled the car over on the side of the road. He pulled off his seatbelt and slammed open his door and moments later yanked open the backdoor, resting his hand non-too gently upon her injured left leg, he leaned in on her. "Listen here young lady; it is not my fault that you were in an accident last night. If I had my way you wouldn't even have been at that ridiculous dance. You would have already been safe and sound here with your brothers. Do not ever make such disrespectful comments." He squeezed her leg, sending a white fire of pain shooting up the limb.

Kagome bit her bottom lip, trying to keep tears from pouring out of her eyes as she nodded mutely at her stepfather. She was wrong, life was going to be worst than she thought. Naraku was the least of her worries if she was going to have to deal with a scary stepfather. At least that ghost hadn't bothered that day.

The next twenty minutes passed in absolute silence, Megumi would occasionally look back at her daughter with a worried expression. She was too afraid of upsetting her new husband that she didn't dare speak out about his mistreatment of her baby.

Kagome's heart fluttered uncontrollably in her chest when the mansion came into view. It could be described no other way. It looked like one of those Gone with the Wind type plantations. Great oak trees and willows adorned the lawn. She also noticed what looked like acres upon acres of crop land. This was truly a southern plantation. All that was missing were the slaves and she would have sworn that she had stepped back two centuries in time.

Onigumo parked the car feet from the front steps of the mansion. He looked over his shoulder at Kagome and gave her a smug grin. "Pretty impressive?"

Kagome met his stare and swallowed her pride. "It is quite beautiful," she agreed truthfully. She looked past her stepfather and noticed the curtains near the front door were pulled shut as if someone was watching them. Then the front door opened and her little brother came running down the stairs.

"Kagome! You're finally here! Are you okay? I wanted to go and see you last night, but they said I had to wait until today. I was so worried!" The eleven year old youth jumped into the back seat with Kagome and wrapped his small arms tightly around her waist, burying his face in the crook of her neck, wetting her face with his tears of relief.

Slowly Kagome wrapped her own arms around the small boy and squeezed him reassuringly. "I'm fine Souta. I'm so glad to see you. You have no idea how much I missed you these past few days."

Souta pulled back from her, still carefully avoiding her injured leg. His light brown eyes were swimming in tears as he looked at his idolized older sister. "I'm just glad you are here. It was getting boring with Naraku. He won't play videogames with me like you will. He says I act childish and need to learn something useful. The only thing he'll do with me is watch Pinky and the Brain. He says that aims to take over the world are admirable and that I should learn something from the educational show." Souta had to stop and take a breath as he stood outside of the car and held his hand out to help his sister to her feet.

Kagome took the pro-offered hand and stood on her good leg, keeping her arm wrapped around Souta's thin shoulder as his arm was on her waist, helping her balance. "I'm sure he was just teasing you." Kagome told him as she ruffled his hair with her hand affectionately. The only good thing about this whole misadventure was that at least her brother would be there with her.

"I'll help you to your room. You're on the third floor." Souta explained as he tried to tug his sister towards their new home. Megumi and Onigumi had taken the bags inside and left the children to fend for themselves. "I'm on the second floor. I tried to get dad to let me be in the room beside yours but he wouldn't let me."

"Don't call him that." Kagome chided her brother. "He is not our father." Souta nodded his head at the observation. The front door opened once more to reveal Naraku. His long dark hair was flowing about his well muscled body. Well muscled body? Kagome's arm pulled Souta closer to her as Naraku approached the pair, an arrogant grin upon his face.

"Well, it looks like you went and got yourself injured, my lovely Kagome." Naraku cooed, as he shoved his hands into his black denim pockets, effectively displaying more of his bare chest for his stepsister.

Kagome offered a false smile at the young man. "You know me, always getting into car crashes on purpose that result in the death of people I love." Souta stiffened under her words. Their father had died in a car crash; they had both been with him and had been unscathed in the fatal accident.

Naraku looked at the pair in amusement. "Certainly, I know of your odd hobbies." He moved out of the way so the siblings could try to make it up the stairs. "No crutches?" He inquired, a bit of actual concern seeped in his voice.

Kagome turned around to glare at him. "Your father decided that I didn't need any from the hospital." She redirected her attention to the front door where her stepfather stood, arms crossed and looking at her disapprovingly. He then looked over her shoulder to his son.

"I told Kagome that you would be more than willing to help her around during her time of misfortune." Onigumi calmly explained to Naraku. "After all, you two do live beside each other on the third floor," he continued as he brushed past the children to retrieve the last of the bags from the car.

Naraku was smiling from ear to ear. "I would be honored to help you, Kagome." Naraku lightly pushed Souta away from his sister and bent down as he placed one arm across the small of her back and the other under her knees. Swinging her up into his arms as if she were light as a feather, Naraku entered the house holding his prize flush against his naked chest.

Kagome closed her eyes, trying to keep the vision of the young man out of her mind. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong! She could feel the well defined muscles of his chest and abdomen rubbing against her with every step he took. She didn't think she could stand three flights of stairs of this. Frantically she opened her eyes to search for Souta, her salvation.

"Souta?" Kagome called. She saw him looking at her apologetically from the ground floor as their mother was explaining something to him. He didn't look very happy with the situation at all.

"Ah, Kagome, I'm sorry I wasn't able to see you at your homecoming ceremony last night. I hear you were crowned queen. I'm not surprised." Naraku commented as he held her a little closer than was necessary.

Finally the third floor had been reached and Naraku had carried her into the first room on the left. "This is my room." He announced as he twirled her around to get a good view of his possessions. His room was rather disturbing to her. It was very dark. The furniture was a dark mahogany and the curtains were a dark purple. The border was what troubled her most and she found herself trying to find comfort in the arms of her enemy.

Naraku chuckled at the woman in his arms. "Something disturb you my pet?" He noticed her eyes had screwed shut once noticing his borders. "Did you not care for the borders of this room?" He inclined his chin in the direction of the silvery spider web design that he had custom made for the room. "Don't worry, there aren't any real spiders. I know about your phobia."

He moved toward a door that was previously unnoticed by Kagome. He shifted her closer to his body so that he could use a free hand and open the unlocked door. He then walked them into a beautiful room that looked ready to house a princess.

Kagome's mouth opened amazement at the beauty. The furniture was made from white birch and the principal colors were silver and green. Naraku walked them to her four post bed where he sat down with her in his lap. He brushed his hands through her hair before she could stop him.

Scrambling out of his lap, Kagome crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him accusingly. "I'm not an invalid. And don't touch me." She hissed at him, the beauty of the room forgotten as she realized he lived right next to her. Why couldn't she and Souta have had the adjoining rooms?

Naraku reached back towards her and brushed a strand of hair behind her ears. He chuckled softly as she flinched away from him. "So stubborn." He admonished retracting his hand. He stood from the bed and made his way to his own room, before shutting the door behind him he turned back to her. "This plantation is over two hundred years old."

Kagome sat a little straighter, she was sucker for history and Naraku knew it. He smirked when he gained her attention and walked casually back to the bed, sitting on the far corner from her. He began to play with the frayed edges of the large comforter. A minute of silence passed before he looked back up at her.

"It was rumored that our rooms were created for the master's son and his bride. Silly story really." Naraku laughed to himself as his eyes grew distant. "His bride never saw the room because the young man became cursed by one of the slaves that were jealous that his affections were not for her."

His dark eyes locked on Kagome's. "Do you want to hear the rest?" Kagome nodded mutely, raising the knee of her uninjured leg and resting her chin upon it, looking at him expectantly as she stretched out her broken leg. "Of course you want to hear of it, you're a sucker for fairy tales." Naraku answered for her.

His eyes seemed to look past her again as he tried to remember how the tale went. "It would seem that slave was the granddaughter of the Voodoo Queen. She saw the broken heart of unrequited love in her granddaughter and decided to curse the young man if he refused to give his love to her."

"What happened?" Kagome found herself asking. She may have hated Naraku, but if he was going to be the only face she'd be seeing she might as well try and be civil. This was the first time in their relationship of knowing one another than he had not tried to hit on her. It was a nice change. If it kept up, perhaps she could grow to like him.

"He refused to love the slave. His heart belonged to the governor's daughter." He smirked at Kagome. "Obviously, this was not the right thing to say to the witch. So he was cursed. His intended was found dead the next day. Her body just stopped working. It was as if her soul simply moved on, leaving the shell that once possessed it empty."

"Couldn't it have been a heart attack?" Kagome interrupted. Looking annoyed Naraku shook his head at the guess. "How did they know it wasn't a heart attack?" Kagome asked skeptically.

"Because she was in the arms of her love and told him she felt as if her soul was being ripped from her body." Naraku answered. Kagome's eyes widened at the turn in the story as she leaned closer to the story teller in anxiety.

Naraku shrugged as he stood up. He reached over and gingerly messed Kagome's hair before turning to retreat to his room once more. "That can't be the end!" Kagome cried.

Naraku turned back to her as his hand fell upon the door knob. "No, but I think I'll tell you the rest of the story some other time." He gave her a sad smile. "Call if you need anything, okay?" He shut the door behind him, leaving a stunned Kagome to stare at the door blankly.

Sesshoumaru felt the haze leave his mind as his new surroundings began to materialize. Rin had explained to him that he would be able to go to wherever Kagome was, no matter the distance from his body. But, in such cases he would be unable to venture further than twenty paces away from her.

He found himself in a room of silver and emerald. White birch furniture that looked as though it had stood the test of time decorated the room. He found his charge sitting upon a large four poster, king size bed in the center of the room.

Kagome looked up from the book she was reading. Souta had brought it to her shortly after Naraku had left her alone. He was only able to talk with her for a moment before he was called downstairs.

She felt the presence of another in the room and was not surprised to find the silver haired stranger once more. "You again? Are you haunting me ghost?" Kagome asked with a bored tone. She was fairly confident she was going crazy.

Sesshoumaru growled at the insolent woman. "I already explained to you that I am not a ghost." Kagome shrugged her shoulders at him noncommittally as she returned her attention to her book. Frustrated, Sesshoumaru found himself hovering beside her with his fingers wrapped around her throat, only to find they slid right through her flesh.

Kagome looked up upon feeling a chill on her neck. She noticed Sesshoumaru's fingers disappeared inside her throat. "Trying to kill me so I'll be a ghost like you?" She asked as she casually turned another page on the book.

Annoyed, Sesshoumaru removed his hands from uselessly strangling her. He sat upon the mattress beside her, it moved under his weight. Kagome looked at him stunned for a moment and then down at the mattress. She pressed her hand where his body indented the mattress, effectively moving her appendage through his non-corporal body.

"How did you do that?" Kagome asked, setting the book aside and giving Sesshoumaru her undivided attention. "What kind of altered reality is this?"

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes were focused on her hands. They were currently resting inside of his spiritual projection. "I have no idea how I am causing your bed to sink. It is rude of you to keep your hand inside of my body though."

Kagome took back her hand and placed it in her lap as she regarded him curiously. "Well you were attempting to strangle me." She accused.

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "I was merely testing to see if it was possible." He stared at her with a bored expression. "Unfortunately, it was not possible and I am still stuck with you."

"Why are you here then? If I had to pick a guardian angel, it certainly wouldn't be you." Kagome told him matter-of-factly as she scooted back to rest against her headboard and regard her unnatural visitor.

"Indeed you would. I'm no angel and if I were I would certainly choose someone of intelligence and beauty, not someone of ignorance and plainness such as yourself." Sesshoumaru began to inspect his nails, trying to ignore the hurt expression that crossed Kagome's features at the insult. He was feeling too proud of himself for getting the last barb.

Kagome looked away and sighed. "I know. There isn't anything special about me. I never knew why so many people liked me. I'm just an ignorant school girl who is lucky to have not been terribly disfigured in the two fatal car accidents I've been in." She gave him a sad smile before closing her eyes and resting her head on the board behind her.

Sesshoumaru's mouth opened slightly at her confession. Did she truly think what he said held truth? "I didn't say you were ugly. I just said plain." He defended. Kagome smirked at him inceptively.

"It's okay, we can't all be super model material like yourself." Kagome yawned, flashing perfect white teeth in the process. "At least I'm not in a coma though."

Sesshoumaru stiffened at the well played insult but before he could answer another person entered the room. Standing in pair of black denim jeans, holding open a side door as if he owned the room stood a man that caused the hair on Sesshoumaru's neck to rise.

Naraku scanned the room as he opened the door all the way and made his way beside Kagome. He laid his cool hand upon her forehead. "I heard voices. Who were you talking to, Kagome?" Naraku's eyes landed upon the spot that Sesshoumaru was sitting but did not linger there more than a millisecond.

Kagome smiled nervously as she pushed aside his hand. "It's nothing Naraku. I was just talking in my sleep. Thank you for your concern."

Naraku nodded at her answer, but it was clear he wasn't buying it. "Just promise me if something weird happens you'll tell me." He looked around the room nervously before settling back upon her small frame on the large bed. "Those stories could be true and this mansion could be haunted."

Sesshoumaru snorted at the comment. "Ghosts?"

Kagome shot him a glance to which he merely raised his brow. Naraku noticed her movements and placed his hand back upon her forehead. "I think you still have a fever Kagome. You need to eat some soup or something. I hate seeing you like this. Normally your beauty radiates the entire room." He complimented, without a trace of falsehood.

Kagome looked at him in disbelief before answering. "Naraku, if you were in pain from a broken fibula and just lost your best friend in a terrible accident and had spent most of the day crying you wouldn't look very good either." She looked away from both him and Sesshoumaru. "Do you think you could call Souta up here?" She asked her voice meek, unlike the normal confident tones she used.

Sesshoumaru could feel himself being pulled back away from the strange young woman. Guilt racked his brain at the realization that the reason she didn't look well was because she had been grieving.

Before he even realized he had returned to the hospital, Sesshoumaru found himself hovering behind his younger brother, peering over his shoulder. He was with those two friends of the young woman and sitting beside his comatose body. He looked at his body in disgust for a moment. How useless it was being, just laying there sleeping.

Inuyasha was pointing to the people in the pictures. "This was after you two had been crowned?" He asked the one named Miroku.

"Yeah, don't we look hot?" Miroku asked, a large grin of arrogance upon his face. Sesshoumaru found himself looking down at the picture out of curiosity. Before him, on a 4x6 stood two absolutely stunning individuals wearing formal attire with crowns upon their heads. Rather grudgingly he would have to agree with the young man's assessment of the couple.

However, it was the woman that attracted his attention. It was the same one that he found himself bound to. But, in this picture she was absolutely drop dead gorgeous. What was the difference?

It was then that he realized what the difference was. In this picture she was happy. She was smiling. Ever since he had entered her life she had been unhappy and grieved. He looked back at his unmoving body, watching the steady rise and fall of his own chest. He now understood what he was supposed to do in order to wake up. He was supposed to make her smile again.