Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha… sigh

Koga picked up a small pebble and rubbed the surface with his thumb, quietly contemplating the entrance to the cave. He arrived at the mouth ten seconds before Inuyasha, which gave him enough time to sense its barrier.

"Hey," Koga said when Inuyasha caught up. "Look."

He tossed the stone at the imperceptible wall, and it ricocheted off into a wall layered with shadow. Inuyasha smirked.

"Just step back."

Crimson vapors engrossed the blade of the Tetsusaiga. The blade pulsed and devoured the barrier in its entirety, allowing Inuyasha and Koga full access to Naraku's cave. They sprinted forward, perilously close to their target.

"We can't just run in there without a plan," Koga shouted toward Inuyasha.

"Here's the plan: get Kagome," he spat. Koga frowned.

"I'm serious. Someone needs to distract Naraku," Koga said. He looked forward and stopped abruptly. The narrow vein of the cave had suddenly dilated into a vast expanse of craggy rock. The entire chamber was illuminated by blue flames that hung mysteriously from the ceiling, barely licking the top of the cave. Every so often, a pool of flames would fall from its place and alight whatever lied below. Koga's eyes widened.

"What is this place?" he wondered aloud. Inuyasha's eyes traveled the perimeter and fell upon a pointed balcony on the far side of the chamber. It was swathed completely in shadow, but failed to conceal the outline of two dark figures. They neared the edge of the balcony, thereby exposing their identities. Naraku was holding Kagome's limp body away from his own cautiously with only his thorny tentacles. They covered every inch of her body except her head. Any contact with her flesh caused his to hiss and sear, but the demon limbs were not his own, and thus he had absolute control of her fate.

"Is this what you came looking for?" Naraku drawled. Inuyasha and Koga bristled. "It never fails to perplex me how two demons-"

He paused.

"Excuse me. A demon and a half-demon-"

Inuyasha stepped forward and growled menacingly.

"Could come here willingly sacrificing their lives for a pathetic piece of flesh," Naraku finished, looking at Kagome with disgust. His face still pointing toward Kagome, he swiveled his eyes to peer at Inuyasha and Koga. Their bodies were tense and anticipatory, lusting for his blood and lusting for the girl. He smirked.

"Well, Inuyasha? What is it about her? Is it that she is very powerful?" he teased, drawing closer to the edge of the balcony, Kagome's head wobbling roughly with his every step. "No, that can't be it. Look at her," he continued, slowly draping her body over the edge. She was now dangling high in the air, shadows dancing across her unconscious form with the flickering lights. Inuyasha and Koga leapt forward, but were stopped by a downpour of the blue flames that fell swiftly directly in front of them. They recoiled.

"Careful, Inuyasha. You see, these flames fall on my command. Nice trick, don't you think?" he mused, narrowing his eyes.

"Why don't you shut the fuck up and fight!" Inuyasha snarled. Naraku smiled.

"Not yet. First, I want to find out what it is about this girl… maybe you can answer me, Koga," Naraku said, turning toward the young wolf demon. His smirk was malicious. "Is it that she is very attractive?"

Koga blushed furiously and shot a glance toward Inuyasha who was glaring back lethally. Koga swallowed hard and did not respond. Naraku was slowing unwrapping Kagome's body like broken candy about to spill out of its package. Every layer of skin revealed was bare and scored with gashes. Completely unraveled, except for the limbs wrapped around her wrists, the assassins saw that she was completely exposed and dripping with blood. Inuyasha and Koga, both feeling the heat in their faces, looked down immediately. Naraku laughed viciously.

"What's wrong, Koga? Don't you think she's attractive?" he beamed. Koga was now visibly snarling. He rolled his fists at his sides and sprung forth from the mouth of the cave toward Kagome's dangling body. Naraku's eyes flitted up at the ceiling and then down toward Koga. The flames poured down like rain. Koga attempted to dodge them, but was too slow for one stream, which pooled on his right shoulder. Koga howled and dropped to his knees.

"You idiot, you're gonna' get yourself killed!" Inuyasha shouted across the cavern.

"You are pathetic, Koga," Naraku said venomously. He grinned at the wolf demon below him, gripping his bloody shoulder. "So, Inuyasha. Are you going to answer me? Or shall I be forced to kill the girl right here and now?"

Inuyasha grimaced.

"What do you want to know?"

"You really are very dim, aren't you?" Naraku said. He closed his eyes and smiled humorously. "Oh, I understand, now. You're not answering me because you don't want to admit the sad truth. Am I right?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Naraku," Inuyasha said.

"The reason you fight so tirelessly for this girl is because she can see the jewel shards. She is of no real value to you but your quest."

Inuyasha looked up at Kagome, but her crucifixion only swirled the pain in his head. Then, he closed his eyes and began to- ever so softly- laugh.

Naraku shot him a questioning look. Inuyasha began to laugh harder. Naraku's smile was replaced with a disgusted frown.
"What is so funny, Inuyasha? You think that Kagome's dying body is amusing?" he snapped. Inuyasha gazed up at him, smiling and snarling.

"YOU ARE THE PATHETIC ONE, NARAKU! YOU CAN'T EVEN BRING YOURSELF DOWN HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A REAL DEMON! No! You're afraid!" Inuyasha began. Once more, Inuyasha let his gaze fall upon Kagome's broken body, and the words started to pour out of his mouth. She was inspiring a proverbial shower, allowing the vengeance to seep into his mouth and trickle off his tongue. He began to walk toward the balcony, slowly unwrapping the top of his haori.

"Bad idea," Naraku whispered. Flames descended through the stifling air and rolled off his shoulders and forearm. Inuyasha winced, but kept steady pace.

"You are disgusting. You're so weak that you have to use humans as bait! Kagome is more than just a seer of the shards. She's a faithful companion, which is more than you'll ever have!"

Koga stood up from the ground as Inuyasha passed. Inuyasha threw him the red cloth.

"You know what to do with that," Inuyasha whispered. Koga looked up at Kagome and then the cloth. He nodded. Inuyasha's burns resembled an exotic pattern all across his exposed flesh, weaving in and out of his clothes and up across his chest and neck. His eyes leveled with Naraku's and wrapped his fingers around the handle of his sword. With unfathomable ferocity, he whispered to his opponent…"Die."

The assassins darted toward the balcony.

Expect massive fluffy within the next three chapters at the most! Read and REVIEW.