AUTHOR'S NOTES: This took a little longer than I thought; I had planned out to the last chapter, but I had to think out where to go next. I like how it turned out, though I had hoped to have a little more action in this chapter. It's pretty talky. But thanks to my local library, which is acquring Inu-Yasha manga like mad, I feel I have a little better grip on Kikyo's character where I felt comfortable introducing her. Hmm...getting so that I kind of like the undead chick! I'll have some butt-kickage in the next chapter, I promise. Also, I couldn't resist the slightly sappy, slightly waffy, and definitely cliche "near-death experience dream."

Again, I advise discretion in reading this chapter. Naraku and Company are EVIL, and given the social environment of the Sengoku Jidai, there are some very nasty things in this chapter. I apologize, but there is a reason why I put in the sequence with Totoroki's cruelty; it will come back to haunt him, quite literally, later on...

REVIEWER'S CORNER:

Falafel Princess: Thank you very much.

Dark Warlord: Damn, you're cold! As far as Shippo casting illusions on others, I don't know if he's that powerful yet.

Darkless Vasion: I'm going off the idea that the part of the Sengoku Jidai Inu-Yasha is set in takes place in the late 1500s, just before Nobunaga consolidated his power (as Kristine Batey pointed out on her website, some of the locals are shown with European-style black powder rifles). If Kagome's time is now (2004), then that would make it a little over 400 years. We'll split the difference and call it 450 years.

Shessy-Slippers: I get the feeling that you want me to update every day. I do have a life outside of writing (not much of one, granted).

Cowboy Beboper: Yeah, it was the only thing I could do to somewhat lighten the situation. Actually, it should be poor Miroku; he's finally got Sango where he wants her, but can't really do anything about it (though you'll notice he comforted Sango after Ayane's death, so the position wasn't entirely for comic relief).

MUSIC DEPARTMENT: I was listening to a lot of Simon and Garfunkel while writing this, but I don't know if that really works (though for some reason "Scarborough Fair" got me in the mood to write Kikyo). Any very heavy, ominous music works for Naraku and Kikyo, like some of the instrumental work from Mortal Kombat; the end titles from Gladiator work for Kagome's dream sequence. (I almost had her walking through a field of wheat, like Maximus, but they don't grow wheat in Japan that I know of...)

CHAPTER FIVE: ENEMY OF MY ENEMY

See a chance, gotta take it

Want to leave my fate

For the last thing I ever wanted was to find out it's too late

No way out when you're in it

Deeper than the night

There's a light at the end of the tunnel

I see it burning bright.

–Marietta, "Destination Unknown"

Kagome Higurashi walked through a field of grass. She was barefoot, and the grass felt wonderfully cool and soft beneath her. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair and moved the grass in waves like an ocean. She topped a small hill, which sloped away to a small river. A single wooden bridge spanned the river, but the other side was hidden in fog. Kagome looked behind her, to the green fields that stretched there. Something did not feel right. It felt as if she was running from something, or something was pulling her back. Nonetheless, Kagome started down the hill towards the bridge. The sound of the wind and the chirping of birds faded into a silence broken only by the gentle bubbling of the river.

Kagome had stepped onto the bridge when she saw someone approaching from the other end. Slowly the mist parted to reveal a little girl in a purple kimono, set off by a bright yellow sash, her hair done up in cute pigtails. She walked towards Kagome, stopped a few paces away, and bowed.

"Mayu?" Kagome finally recognized the little girl, whose spirit she had saved from hell.

"Hi, Kagome," Mayu smiled. "It's nice to see you."

Kagome's heart sank. If Mayu was here, then either she was dreaming, or...Kagome looked down at her blouse. The once pristine white was stained an ugly shade of red. "I'm dead," Kagome said.

Mayu walked forward and gently took Kagome's hand. "No, not yet, Kagome-chan. I wanted to play with you, but you still got things to do, okay?"

"Like what?"

Mayu winked. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret!" She reached into her kimono and handed Kagome the Shikon no Tama–complete, shining with inner purity.

"Is this all I'm supposed to do in life?" Kagome asked sadly. "Find this damn jewel?" Suddenly angry, Kagome prepared to throw the jewel as far as she could into the river. "I'd rather be dead!"

Mayu squeezed her hand. "No, Kagome! That jewel will get you home. You don't belong here, not yet." Mayu patted her hand almost like a mother, not the child she was. "You're so silly. There's a lot more to your life than the Shikon no Tama."

Kagome reluctantly lowered her hand. "Like what?" She felt so tired. She wanted the quest to be over. She wanted everything to be over.

Mayu gently pulled her off the bridge, then helped her lie down on the grass. It felt so soft, and already Kagome felt herself getting sleepy. Mayu smoothed her hair like Kagome's mother used to do, and Kagome closed her eyes. "You'll see," she heard Mayu say softly, "when you open your eyes." Her hands were folded over the Shikon no Tama, on her chest. One part of Kagome told her that this was how Kikyo must have looked on her funeral pyre, but she was too tired to care. The wind rose in crescendo to a loud, guttural sound that irritated Kagome so much that she opened her eyes to look around.

To her surpise, the grass fields, Mayu, and the bridge were gone, replaced by the stark functionality of a white-painted room and an unfamiliar ceiling. She was lying in a very comfortable bed. Hesitantly, she looked around and tried to move, only to find her movement restricted by heavy bandages around her middle and various tubes and wires stuck to and in her body. Something didn't smell right, either. She reached up and felt a plastic mask around her face, some kind of oxygen mask. Kagome blinked, wondering which had been the dream–Mayu, or this. The ache in her left side told her this was probably reality, even if reality felt weird through the haze of painkillers and the smell of plastic. There was something in her left hand; she opened it and saw it was the Shikon shards, softly pulsing to the rhythm of her heart, something only she could see. She also noticed a blue ribbon tied around her right wrist–Shippo's hairband.

She looked to her right and saw where the guttural sound came from. Inuyasha, dressed badly in ill-fitting modern clothing, was leaning back in his chair, sound asleep and snoring loudly. His hands were cradled in their customary position around Tetsusaiga. The sight was so funny that Kagome smiled, then grinned, then began laughing. It hurt, but the more she watched Inuyasha snore, the funnier it got.

Finally, she saw his ears twitch underneath the baseball cap. Inuyasha's eyes opened a little, looked around blearily for a moment, then he turned to see her. "Ka...go...me," he murmured, not quite awake yet, then the eyes flew open wide. "Kagome!" He jumped up from the chair and tried to embrace her, but stopped just short, remembering her injuries. Then his face colored red, and he just as quickly sat down, looking away in embarassment. "Uh..."

She reached over and took his hand. "It's nice to see you too, Inuyasha." Her voice was muffled by the mask. "Are you okay?"

"Who, me? I'm fine!" Inuyasha could barely believe his ears. Here Kagome was, hooked up to machines that curdled his blood just to see them, looking about as dead as a person could, the only evidence that she lived being the slight bloom of color on her cheeks and the rhythmic movement of her chest as she breathed. Now she was awake, and the first thing she asked was if he, the indestructible hanyou, was all right.

"What happened?" Kagome asked. "I thought I had died." Her face slightly contorted as she tried to move, bringing a wave of pain. "I mean, the last thing I remember was that youkai..."

Inuyasha knew he probably should get the healers and Kagome's family, but he had to tell her what happened. Looking around to make sure they were alone, he leaned close and quickly told her the story. "Naraku?" she whispered when he was done.

"Had to be," Inuyasha answered.

Kagome's eyes filled with tears. "You...all of you...risked all of that for me?"

"It was the only way," Inuyasha replied. "I mean, it was either that or we all just died with you. We were willing to do it, too. Even the village."

"But Sango, and Shippo, and Miroku–and Kaede and the other girl, Ayane–"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No, Kagome, it's all right. Miroku had a plan. I'm sure they're all all right." They had better be, Inuyasha thought darkly, or I'll kill every one of those bastard ronin and eat their hearts.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said with surprising firmness, squeezing his hand until it ached. "You have got to go back. Right now."

"But you–" Inuyasha didn't want to admit that he wanted to stay. He hated this building that smelled of death, and he didn't want to leave Kagome alone. He had already messed that up, which was why she was here in the first place.

"I'll be safe here. I am not going to die, Inuyasha. Not now." She said it with such conviction that the hanyou believed her. "The others need you more than me." She put on a brave grin. "Now go back and kick those ronin's asses, make sure the others are safe–then you can come back and keep me company."

"Okay." He had picked up the expression from her.

"And change clothes before you scare Shippo."

"Yes, mother," Inuyasha grinned. There was a lot he wanted to say, but a glance from Kagome to the door was enough to tell him that it would have to wait. Inuyasha turned and yelled, "Mrs. Higurashi! She's awake!" Less than a minute elapsed before Kagome's family crowded through the door. Kagome's mother sobbed with joy; Grandfather smiled broadly, closing his eyes in prayer; Souta shouted happily and ran forward to take his sister's hand.

"Inuyasha has to go," Kagome said to spur the hanyou on.

"Of course," Grandfather said, ignoring the alarmed look on Mrs. Higurashi's face. He patted Inuyasha's shoulder. "May the kami watch over you, Inuyasha-sama. Can you find the way back to the shrine?"

"With my eyes closed, jii-sama," Inuyasha replied. "Take good care of her. I'll be back before you know it." He took off the cap and jammed it onto Souta's head. Then he looked back to Kagome, briefly torn between his desire and his duty.

"Well, kiss her, stupid," Souta exclaimed. Inuyasha turned red, looked around comically for a moment, then hastily bent forward and kissed Kagome on the forehead. He quickly bowed to the family, kicked off the hated sandals, and was gone with a swirl of white hair and a crash as he knocked over Kagome's doctor.

Come back to me, Inuyasha, Kagome thought, knowing now what Mayu meant. She ruffled her brother's hair happily and turned to let her grandfather kiss her cheek, trying not to notice that the look on her mother's face was one of terrible sadness.

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In the Sengoku Jidai, Naraku walked towards the Bone Eater's Well. It was well after three in the morning, and both village and half the ronin army slept fitfully; the other half was on watch, stationed around the village to stop any attempts at escape. It had been a very long time since Naraku had needed to sleep.

He noticed blood red eyes shining in the darkness, watching him from the treeline. "Kagura," he spoke. "Did you seek to sneak up on me?"

"Of course not, my lord," Kagura lied, walking from the treeline.

"Have you taken care of the little task I set for you?"

"Yes, my lord. When the guard is changed in an hour, they will find the flank guards in the forest murdered."

Naraku smiled underneath the baboon skull mask. "By your wind blades. Though Lord Arashikaze will believe–with a little advice from Lord Hitomi's advisor, Naraku–that it was Tetsusaiga that did it. He will then immediately advance on the village to find Inuyasha. Perhaps he will find the houshi and the taijya, perhaps not–but the attacks will continue each night, Kagura, until either he razes the village or his own men rebel against him. Not all of them are so enamored of the way of the warrior–they desire food, loot, and women. Kaede's village has all three."

Kagura nodded. "Why do you want the village destroyed, my lord? Inuyasha has already escaped."

Naraku shook his head. "Children have a saying, Lady Kagura." He looked at her over his shoulder. "'That's for me to know and you to find out.' Now...let's check on our friend, Totoroki." He laughed inwardly at the look of hatred on Kagura's face.

They reached the well a few minutes later. Totoroki leaned against it, apparently dozing, but he was on his feet as Naraku and Kagura left the treeline. He bowed as they approached. Naraku pointed at the well, which had a very large tree jammed into it. "What is this?" he demanded. "I ordered you to fill it in!"

"And so I tried, milord," Totoroki replied, picking at his teeth. "But I made no progress. The villager you captured to bring me food informed me that the well is magical. It is a portal."

"Of course it is, fool!"

Totoroki seemed not to be afraid of Naraku's growing wrath. "Please, Lord Naraku, hear me out. It would not matter how much dirt I shoveled in. Inuyasha or the little miko would still be able to get through. However, the villager told me that Inuyasha had once become infuriated with the miko, so he jammed a tree into the well. Apparently, it worked." He shrugged. "I do not argue with success, milord."

Naraku hesitated for a moment, then laughed. "I see, Totoroki-san. You have my apologies. I still require you to remain on guard for awhile."

"Your servant, sir." Totoroki bowed. He straightened with a grin that made Kagura's blood boil. "Especially if you keep me paid as you have. The rice was fine, and the entertainment...excellent." Naraku walked over to the well, looking around the side. The naked body of a village girl lay there, her eyes open and unseeing. "I am afraid she was too delicate," Totoroki sighed with mock sorrow. "I am afraid I broke her."

Naraku shook the tree. It seemed secure enough. "Tomorrow I will find a stronger woman for you."

Totoroki leaned back against the tree. "Tell me, milord. You mentioned a demon exterminator in the village. Would her name happen to be Sango?"

"As a matter of fact, it is. Why?"

"I would very much like to have her." Totoroki's grin widened. "She killed my mother, she and her father. Besides, this one didn't have much spirit. A scream or two, nothing more. I imagine a taijya might make things more interesting."

"When she is captured, Sango is yours," Naraku said. He looked up at the sky. "Well, Kagura, the guard should be changed soon. I think I shall go watch the festivities. In the meantime, I want you to find Lady Kikyo and do not let her out of your sight. She is quite spry for someone who's dead, so she may attempt to find her beloved sister."

Kagura looked at the body. The girl had been barely fourteen. She then turned to Naraku and bowed, taking the feather from her hair. "As you command, my lord."

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Shippo ran for all he was worth, on all fours. He had easily passed through the ronin screen of troops, since no one ever paid any attention to a simple mouse. Shippo had maintained his disguise, just in case–a wise decision, because there had been patrols in the woods. None of them had come close to the Bone Eater's Well, but he had, which was why he was running now, wishing he was as swift as Inuyasha. He choked back his tears, because thinking of Inuyasha meant thinking of the well, and of Kagome.

He changed back to his normal form when he entered the village, letting the illusion fade away, but he still kept to the shadows, just in case. He made it to Kaede's hut and quickly dashed inside.

Kaede, Miroku, and Sango had waited for him, eating rice gruel. It was not up to Kaede's best, but it filled. It was instantly put aside as Shippo ran in, puffing and crying. "Well?" Sango asked.

"Oh, Sango-san!" Shippo ran to her and buried his face in her yukata. "It was horrible!"

Sango went pale and looked at Miroku. Kaede set aside her tea and gently reached forward to stroke the kitsune's fur. "What was it, child?"

Shippo sniffled. "The-the well–"

"The well is blocked by a tree and guarded by a particularly cruel youkai."

All four of them leapt in surprise and turned to face the door, hands going instinctively for weapons as the temperature in the room seemed to drop noticeably. "Sister," Kaede breathed, for Lady Kikyo stood in the doorway.

She let the reed cover fall back behind her and entered the hut. "Forgive me for my rude intrusion," Kikyo said. She carried her bow with her, and set it down in front of her as she sat on a tatami mat that had been set out for Shippo. "I heard what happened today. The ronin were speaking of it."

"Their leader said you were taking care of the wounded," Miroku said with more than a trace of anger.

"I care for wounded of all sides, houshi," Kikyo said with an edge on her voice. "I do not make distinction."

Miroku was not cowed. "Those men are helping Naraku, who is as much your enemy as mine, if Inuyasha tells the truth."

"He is my enemy," Kikyo said in a voice one degree above freezing, "and he has proven it this day, by threatening the village and my sister." She smiled thinly. "While my heart may be a dead thing, it does not mean that I no longer have feelings or cares."

"Then kill Naraku," Sango growled. "You have power greater than any other known miko, alive, dead, or otherwise."

"I would, except for two things: the Naraku here may simply be another of his golems, and Lord Arashikaze would assume that my sister, or you, Sango-san, killed Lord Hitomi's advisor and Lord Arashikaze's liasion with the daimyo who employs him. He would be required by both his liege lord and by bushido to obliterate this village in revenge. Lord Hitomi is the guise that Naraku has assumed," Kikyo explained.

"Why does he want the village destroyed, elder sister?" Kaede asked.

Kikyo laughed humorlessly. "It has nothing to do with Inuyasha, or Kagome, and only a little to do with the Shikon no Tama. He wants to destroy the village because it is where I was born, and to kill you, Kaede-chan, for the same reason. He is trying to destroy his feelings for me–or rather, Onigumo's."

"Whose heart he still carries inside of him," Miroku nodded. "We are merely a bonus–eliminating us will eliminate his greatest rival to the Shikon shards." He changed the subject. "What of the well?"

"The well has been blocked by a large tree," Kikyo replied.

"As when Inuyasha tried to keep Kagome from coming back," Sango sighed. "We really are on our own. That means Inuyasha and Kagome are trapped in Kagome's time."

"And the youkai?" Miroku asked.

"His name is Totoroki. Sister, you probably know that one of the younger women is missing from the village." At Kaede's nod, Kikyo continued, her cold hands balling unconsciously into fists on her lap. "The ronin captured her while she was returning from the woods–Ayane escaped, but not her sister. Naraku ordered her to prepare a meal for Totoroki. She did so, and now has joined her sister in the afterlife. After what he did, I believe she wished for death." Kikyo looked sadly at Shippo. "I am afraid your kitsune witnessed some of that."

"I w-wanted to stop him," Shippo sobbed, "but I-I'm not strong enough, and I d-didn't want to endanger the village..."

"It's all right," Sango said, smoothing Shippo's hair. "Totoroki? I know that name all too well."

"Then you should know something else, demon hunter. Naraku wants to give you to him. Totoroki wants revenge, and I believe it would amuse Naraku to no end." Kikyo stroked the haft of her bow, leaving no doubt what she wanted to use it for–or on. "Naraku has made an error, though."

"Which is?" Miroku asked. "So far, I would say he's done quite well. He caught us by surprise, he's badly wounded–possibly killed–Kagome, trapped Inuyasha in the time to come, and effectively trapped us here as well–and you."

"Lord Arashikaze is his error," Kikyo replied. "While many of his men are worthless ronin in every sense of the word, he is not. His liege lord died in a battle, and Arashikaze fought his way out with his daimyo's head in his arms to avoid the dishonor of the head being displayed. He adheres to bushido better than most samurai. Naraku, I believe, hoped he would simply raze the village and kill everyone here, but he refused. Even killing Ayane was something he took no pleasure in, though he felt he had to do so. Ayane had taken responsibility for the loss of four of his men. His men love him and would follow him into hell if he ordered it. I believe Naraku has underestimated him, as he always does with mortals." Kikyo paused. "But make no mistake. Lord Arashikaze will keep his word. So you three must leave this village, now."

"We'd love to," Miroku said with a wan smile, "but the ronins' ring is too tight. Shippo could make it easily, but Sango and I would be cut down in moments–even if we took to the air on Kilala."

"I can provide a distraction," Kikyo said. "Right now, it is quite dark, and the men are tired. But we must make haste, before the watch changes and alert men arrive. The password is also changed with every new watch. I know the current password, but not the next shift's." Her dead eyes locked with Miroku's. "It is your only chance, houshi-san, and you know it."

"True. Very well, Kikyo-sama, we will do it."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Sango asked.

"Because Inuyasha would never forgive her if she betrayed us," Miroku said before Kikyo could say anything.

"You are right," Kikyo replied tightly, "but it's not just because of Inuyasha. Any opportunity I have to hurt Naraku I take. Of all his enemies, I am the one he wants to destroy more than any other."

Sango stood and took off her yukata, exposing the dark exterminator catsuit beneath it. "Then let's get going. It'll be dawn soon."

"But what about Kagome and Inuyasha?" Shippo wanted to know. "We've got to get that tree out of there."

Sango smiled. "I think I have that solution, Shippo. I only hope we live long enough to find him."

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The hospital was quiet as dawn approached in the 21st century, much as it approached in the 16th century. Grandfather Higurashi and Souta had returned home, to get some sleep and bring some of Kagome's things, while Mrs. Higurashi remained with her daughter, sleeping in an adjacent room the hospital had provided. Kagome tried to sleep, but it would not come. While the painkillers kept her broken ribs from being more than a dull ache, they were on the side Kagome usually slept on, so she was not used to sleeping on her back. The oxygen mask irritated her as well, though that would at least come off the next day, the doctor having proclaimed her lung healing well. Finally, the hospital robe she wore was itchy. Kagome desperately wanted to get up and move around, but that wasn't possible at the moment. Probably a good thing, she thought, since I'm not wearing a damn thing underneath this robe. It would be just my luck that I'd be coming back from the bathroom or something and Inuyasha would walk in. She laughed softly. Granted, he'd be better than Miroku walking in. This robe would be a dream for Miroku, since it leaves girls' backsides wide open. I sure hope he and Sango and the others are all right. Poor Shippo must be a nervous wreck, and Inuyasha's probably missing his ramen fix. Well, Mama can take care of that...

As if bidden, Kagome heard some scratching at her window. She was on the third floor of the hospital, but its designers had thoughtfully planted a tree there, and a certain hanyou was very good at climbing trees. Kagome had not expected Inuyasha coming back so soon, but she had asked her mother to leave it unlocked, just in case. Sure enough, the window slid open and Inuyasha slipped in, his silver hair shining in the dim moonlight. He was back in his firerat-fur hakama and kimono. He straightened up, closed the window, and stomped over to the chair at Kagome's side. Even in the darkness, he looked visibly upset, and Kagome was familiar enough with his mannerisms to know that Inuyasha was not angry–he was scared, and that was something that happened very rarely.

"Inuyasha," she asked. Her voice sounded so muffled. "Oh, damn this mask!" She reached up and pulled it down over her chin, even if it hurt to breathe in unfiltered air that smelled of disinfectant. "Inuyasha, what is it?"

His face was in his hands. He lifted his head and looked at her. "The well's been blocked. I don't know how." He let her take one of his hands in hers. "I can't go home, Kagome."