Disclaimer: Miraculously enough, nothing has changed since when I first started posting this in June. I do NOT own Inuyasha.

&(&))(&&()

Groaning feebly, Kagome clenched her teeth as her eyes flickered open, her body in the midst of a battle for consciousness. She couldn't remember what had happened---one minute she been running after Inuyasha, trying to make sure that Sango was okay, the next she had felt something hit her from behind and cause her to fall to the ground in a dead faint. She wasn't in the middle of the battle anymore, though---where was she, and who had taken her away from the atrium of the castle?

Unfortunately, her questions were quickly answered. Naraku swiftly hovered into view, a sadistic smile curling upon his thin lips. "Well, well, well," he said slowly, licking his lips as if he savored the moment. "Our little priestess is back with us, safe and sound... "

Kagome hissed as one of his long white fingers caressed her leg; Naraku only ignored her, continuing his diatribe softly. "So long it has been, but so worth the wait... I had to utilize all of my skill to get my hands on you, all of my guile, all of my wit... It's been over fifty years since I first dreamed of the possibility of using a blackened, corrupted Sacred Jewel to my desires...but tonight my dreams shall become a reality...Kikyo, bring the Jewel forward!"

Kagome's eyes widened as a shadowy figure approached the raised stone dais on which she lay; her ragged breath drew in sharply as the figure removed her hood and shook shiny black locks away from her porcelain face. It was indeed Kikyo; there was no mistaking that hated personage; it was the same woman whose beautiful visage had haunted her nightmares for the past four years. The woman who had tried to kill her and her friends countless times, the woman who had so often interfered with their plans to recover the Sacred Jewel, that cruel woman who had purposefully ripped Inuyasha away from her...

"You!" Kagome hissed, kicking Naraku's cold fingers away and shaking with uncontrollable rage as her hated enemy stepped closer and closer. "Stay away! I'm warning you, Kikyo---"

"Silence!" She blanched as she felt Naraku's heavy hand strike her face, causing tears to spring to her eyes as her cheeks stung in pain from the blow. Covering her face with her small hands, she listened helplessly as Naraku walked around the dais in order to speak with Kikyo.

"Did you get the final Shard from the boy?"

The hated voice---soft, silky, and utterly feminine---replied smoothly, "I did. He will die within the hour---along with Lord Sesshomaru. They are closed off in the dungeons along with the monk."

"Good---very good. He and his vassals are as good as done for... And now, going along to other matters..."

Disliking the tone in his voice, Kagome slowly peeled her hands backward, her very heart jolting as she registered what lay gleaming upon the velvet pillow that Kikyo bore. It was the Sacred Jewel---and this time it was whole. Desperately she groped for the fine chain necklace in which her Jewel Shards were connected to, but to no avail; the chain was gone, and her blouse had been in fact ripped down the front. She shuddered at the thought of Naraku's cold fingers on her neck, slowly removing her Jewel Shard necklace...what was he planning on doing to her?

Naraku, upon seeing her confusion, chuckled heartily. "Yes, that was one of the things that I needed from you, my dear...but I am not still not quite finished with you yet, unfortunately...The Jewel, Kikyo?"

Kikyo, nodding, daintily picked up the round orb from the pillow on which it lie nestled and gave it to Naraku, who seemed to shudder in ecstasy at its very touch. "See this, my little priestess?" he questioned almost soothingly, shoving the Sacred Jewel practically under her nose. "This is the Jewel of Four Souls in its beautiful entirety, not seen whole by anyone for at least fifty years... Now closely look at its radiance...what color do you see?"

Kagome clenched her teeth and refused to answer. Not only was she never going to cooperate with him if she could help it, but he was also obviously toying with her. The Jewel's luminescence was and always was going to be that brilliant shade of violet for all she was concerned; why else wouldn't it be?

Naraku, however, begged to differ. "Violet, isn't it, my silent but pretty one?" he said in response to her supposed indifference. "Well, watch carefully-"

She tensed as he seized her right hand and proceeded to thrust the Jewel into her palm; however, it didn't end there. Again he struck her face, twice on each cheek. She hadn't quite recovered from the smarting of the first blow; it had hurt before, but now it was downright painful. A sudden surge of hatred towards Naraku surged through her veins; she hated him, she hated him, and she hated Kikyo too. Both had caused her immeasurable pain...and now she was probably going to die at their hands. She choked back a sob as he withdrew his hand and took back the Jewel, apparently pleased with the results.

"Yes, of course..." The crazed half-demon laughed creepily, revealing a totally transformed Jewel, colored an inky coal black that seemed to ooze hatred and destruction. "You see this, my dear? That blackness is your abhorrence towards me." She flinched as she stared at the deadly black orb glittering in his bone white hand. "You may already know that the Jewel of Four Souls is the soul of a powerful priestess of yore. Since you are a priestess as well, you are able to channel your power into it. If one is holding it and their heart is happy and pure, the Jewel will glow a brilliant white. If one has hateful and vengeful thoughts, it turns blacker than a moonless midnight---much like now."

Kagome stared at the Jewel with a morbid fascination; she could scarcely believe that its black sheen was indeed the embodiment of her hatred towards him. Why would he want such a thing; was it for his own sick pleasure or was it--- Oh no, it couldn't be, it just couldn't be-

Naraku's thin lips widened into a big grin as he registered the shock upon her pale face. "Ah yes, you may already have guessed... You see, the Sacred Jewel is actually an entity that grants a wish. Several wishes, in fact, if used properly. And if enough power is channeled into it, its potential is infinite." Kagome shuddered as he placed his free hand upon her bared shoulder. "As it becomes blacker, it steadily is imbued with more power; that is, more power on the part of the wisher. The more hatred you give me...the more power you give me as well." He chuckled evilly, leaning down to smell her tangled hair, apparently pleased at her fear of him.

"It'll never work!" Kagome snarled angrily, ignoring the pain as his claws dug deeper and deeper into her shoulder. "People with even the best intentions have been snared by the Jewel, and your wish will be your undoing!" But even then, she knew that wasn't true... Naraku was already so undone that the blackened Jewel would surely accept his wish, which, no doubt, would be to be a demon more powerful than even the strongest in the Demon Realm. Perhaps even then he would become more ruthless, more cruel than he was even now, which though hard to imagine was very possible... What would become of her?

Naraku patted her tangled hair almost fondly, then turning towards the sturdy stone door at the opposite end of the room. "I will be back, my pet, and I promise to begin with you right away. Not, however, until I have systematically led to the undoing of your precious Inuyasha, who at the moment has already likely begun the search for you. Of course, I am sure that his death will be unbearable for you..." He shut the door behind him with a resounding boom. Left alone with the ever-silent Kikyo, who continued to stand immobile nearby, Kagome rolled over onto her side, letting out a strangled sob as silent tears began to run down her dirt-streaked face...

$&(&)()(

Clenching his teeth as his right hand gave an especially powerful lurch that nearly dispersed his charm beads, Miroku looked on frustratedly as Sesshomaru continued to harangue the half-dead boy in the corner, apparently convinced that he had a Jewel Shard in his possession.

"This is no time for games, you little brat! Hand it over!"

The boy was apparently in mortal pain but valiantly refused to give in. "No!"

"I know that Naraku gave it to you! Hand it over!"

"I said NO!"

"Do you want to live?! That Shard is the only thing that will be able to release us from this cell!"

"Why would I want you to be released?! All you do is follow Naraku around and take his orders and kill people anyway!"

"I am warning you: I am still capable of hurting you despite being in this cramped little cell!"

"Go ahead, I'm gonna die anyway! In fact, I already would have been dead years ago but for that cursed Jewel Shard!"

Miroku looked on in interest as Sesshomaru stopped abruptly; that last comment seemed to have made him think a little. Even Shippo, who had hitherto been digging futilely at the crumbling stone at the foot of the cell door with tiny claws, turned around and stared at the pair, one tall and stately, the other bloodstained, filthy, and ragged, his side dripping with dark blood.

Sesshomaru was livid at his realization. "Why...did you NOT...tell me that he had already taken it, you - you -"

The answer cut in clearer than glass. "Because you never asked, you spineless chicken!"

Had Miroku been that boy, he definitely not would have been so bold, he reflected as Sesshomaru wordlessly unsheathed his sword and proceeded to stab him straight in the chest. Shippo sprang upon the demon's back with a loud cry of protest, but even by then it was too late. The boy, with a look of a mixture of surprise and terror still etched on his face, slid down the wall and to the ground, inert and no longer breathing.

Miroku was too horrified to shut his mouth. "What on EARTH did you do that for, you filthy, brainless-"

"Shut up," was the flat reply as Sesshomaru knocked Shippo away. "Obviously you are the brainless one, monk; as you can see, he is already stirring."

Indeed, to the pair's surprise, the boy WAS stirring. In fact, it seemed that even his wounds were gone; he was no longer holding his side in pain and even the dark bloodstains that had previously been seeping through his fingers were absent.

Shippo's eyes were as wide as a set of stainless steel plates. "But - but how?!" he sputtered in disbelief. "That kid was practically throwing up blood a second ago!"

Miroku, however, was no longer puzzled; he had noticed the familiar sheen of Sesshomaru's sword, a sheen that was the opposite of yet akin to his brother Inuyasha's. "That's the Tenseiga, Shippo," the monk replied softly as he watched the boy stumble unsteadily to his feet. "Remember? Inuyasha's father gave each of his sons a sword; one had the power to kill a hundred demons in one swipe, the other to heal them. Sesshomaru, instead of killing the boy, has indeed revived him."

Sesshomaru silently whirled around to stare at him accusingly. "I did not ask for a recitation of the history of my human-loving family, monk," he spat contemptuously. "I only revived the boy because as we are in a precarious situation-" -here he pointed at Miroku's throbbing hand- "-many heads are better than one."

Miroku normally would have started snickering childishly at his comment, but instead he stared at the floor gravely. "Well honestly, I really do not see a way out of this one," he replied clearly. "My hand is seconds away from killing us all, there is no conceivable way of breaking out of this cell, no one knows that we are down here, and there is no Jewel Shard to help us. In layman's terms, I would say that we're screwed." He stifled a moan as a sudden lurch within his hand almost opened the Wind Tunnel.

But Sesshomaru had already turned to one of the mossy stone walls. "Oh, keep a rein on your tongue, you fatalistic fool! I'm not going to die here without a fight, so I suggest that everyone start looking for a way out. There is too much at stake." He stopped for a moment to look at Miroku haughtily. "And, for the love of Christ, monk, PLEASE keep that curse of yours in check at least until I get out of this cell! Hold onto that hand with your other!" With that he wordlessly turned to the opposite end of the cell, quietly combing it with his remaining arm.

The other three looked at one another, Miroku looking rather sheepish as he grabbed the afflicted hand, strangely relieved about being unable to work at the cell in his last living seconds. Finally Shippo shrugged and resumed digging under the cell door. The other boy, still looking rather faint and shaky despite his miraculous revival, turned to the door himself, trying to hit at it with a mace-like weapon that he had previously kept tucked in his belt. Miroku's brow furrowed as he watched the boy diligently chip away; something seemed to be familiar about him...or perhaps it was his weapon; he somehow dimly recalled something or someone using it in some long ago battle. He just didn't know...

He decided to ask. "Er---so how was it that you came to be locked here and so entangled in this unfortunate mess?" he questioned the boy, whose face was so pale that his freckles seemed to pop right out of it.

The young man stared vacantly for a second, almost as if he was too weary to go on, but then he replied, "It was Naraku. I used to come from a family of demon-slayers in the village of Kyobe; one night during a raid he sneak-attacked us and he killed everyone. The village was destroyed as well, but I'm still not sure how. By all rights I was supposed to be dead that night three years ago, but Naraku brought me back to life by embedding a Shikkon Jewel in my back." He stopped picking at the crumbling doorway, his shoulders sagging.

Miroku's brow shot up. "Yes, yes, I know that the Shikkon Jewel has the power of life and death, though malevolently," he replied hastily. "What then?"

The boy sighed. "I only remember on and off after that...although the Sacred Jewel made me powerful enough to captain a platoon of demons in his army, Naraku has often possessed me since then. I can't remember anything I did while he possessed me; for all I know I probably killed off entire villages." He looked at Miroku seriously. "And now something is happening. Naraku has gathered the entire Shikkon Jewel, I believe, and the rumor is that he has some scheme in order to power it up. That's why he took that shard from me---and had it not been for the power of that sword I would have been dead for sure." He sighed. "I almost wish I had just died..."

Miroku, alarmed though he was at the news that Naraku now probably had the entire Shikkon Jewel, was even more alarmed at something he had picked up during the boy's story. "Say, could you repeat the region that you are from?" he asked nervously, giving out a tiny gasp as his hand pulsated yet again.

The adolescent smiled wryly as he resumed with picking at the doorway, which seemed to be crumbling slightly with his efforts. "I'm from Kyobe village, up in the western mountains, sir..."

Miroku gulped visibly. "...And your name?"

"I am Kohaku."

Miroku practically bashed his head on the hard wall out of sheer frustration. "Oh, Lord," he muttered to no one in particular. "If I don't get this kid out of here without sucking him in, Sango will mangle my remains for sure."

$#&(&)(

It all seemed so surreal to Kagome, lying there on that stone dais, silent tears streaming down her face as her eyes stared sightlessly at the dark ceiling. A whirlwind of thoughts streamed through her head, each new one as disjointed and jumbled as the last. She had stopped thinking coherently ten minutes ago, which was the amount of time that had elapsed since Naraku had left the room; since he had left to - to -

(I can't believe this...)

(This can't be real, this can't be happening...Oh please, someone wake me up!)

(Any minute now I'll wake up safe in my bed and find that this all never happened and that one night I just dreamt one big, sick dream. I'll still be home, and I'll never have reconciled with Inuyasha, and the Jewel will somehow yet be safe...)

(No, I'm not kidding myself. This is as real as it comes. Unfortunately.)

(I never would have guessed that he was planning this... I thought that everything was a coincidence, but... somehow it all seems to come together in a sick, twisted way. He will get what he wants. Me and Kikyo will strengthen the Jewel...my friends will all die in the battle...Sesshomaru and his vassals will die also and get out of his way...and then there's Inuyasha, Naraku's going down there right now to murder him---)

At this thought she sat bolt upright, horrified that it had never quite hit home sooner. "Oh no, Inuyasha!" she cried, climbing off the dais and rushing towards the door. "I have to go, I have to warn him-"

A low voice coming from the other side of the room quickly made her perish any ideas of her leaving it. "I wouldn't try it if I were you, girl...there's no escape anyway, he will find you eventually."

Ignoring the other woman, she attempted to climb off the dais, but only managed a feeble moan as she plummeted to the stone floor below. She tried to get up, but her legs were shaky and her arms and head felt like dead weights. (What's wrong with me? I can't move without an effort...)

"Your energy is gone for the time being," boomed Kikyo's voice, till somewhere nearby. "Naraku has channeled your power into the Jewel of Four Souls, and you will be unable to function normally until you have had a chance to soothe your fatigue."

Her face turning crimson with rage, Kagome whirled around towards Kikyo, who had already crossed the room in order to block the doorway. "What do you care about me, anyway?!" she snarled at the undead priestess, who looked at her steadily in return. "You've tried to kill me, you've stolen Jewel Shards from me, and you - you've -"

"-And I also led Naraku the wrong way," the priestess interrupted. "He depends on me far too much; he thinks that I fear him too much to stray." She chuckled darkly, leaning against the door languidly, her priestess garb billowing out from her like some awkward tent. "I have bought Inuyasha some time, depending, of course, whether or not he left immediately upon your disappearance."

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"For the same reason that you would, of course."

Sighing darkly and realizing that she wasn't going to be leaving the room anytime soon, Kagome leaned back against the cold stone dais, a simple action that nevertheless taxed her already waning energy. "All right then," she began boldly, crossing her arms. "Explain what Naraku's going to do with me when he gets back."

Kikyo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" she replied languidly, securing her position against the door. "Imprisonment, torture, rape, the usual things...he has done the latter to me often enough ever since I was forced under his servitude. He isn't very creative with things like that, though he does them very well. I advise you not to struggle, however, it only adds to the black power of the Shikkon."

"You say this so casually," Kagome shot out accusingly. "Hasn't he done those things to you for whatever amount of time he's had you captured?!"

"Of course. I hold the key to the power of the Shikkon, do I not?" She laughed darkly. "However, I suspect that you are the one who holds the true key; the mere fact that he sought you out so long and so persistently shows me that. Using me, he could have had a complete Shikkon Jewel well over three years ago; instead, he waited for an opportunity to seize you. I suspect that the potential of your priestess powers exceeds even mine. Do you recall the Pit Demon that crawled out of the Bone-Eaters' Well days ago?"

Kagome nodded uncertainly.

"He has had it ready and waiting for you for years, merely months after you left here and not long after I was forced into his bondage. The moment that you entered the vicinity of the well it was to take you and carry you off to this castle; however, it was not taken into account that you might defeat it. So then, when you were brought to the village-"

Kagome covered her face with her hands in horror. "No, that was not why the-"

Kikyo merely smiled. "Yes, it was. You were to be carried off, but yet again you eluded Naraku's demons, much to everyone's surprise. And perhaps you recall the Birds of Paradise who assailed you on the mountaintop? They were sent by Naraku as well."

Kagome looked up. "And what about Sesshomaru? Was his giving us the Jewel Shards just a trap?"

The priestess shook her head. "No, I am afraid not; in fact, he knew nothing about Naraku's plan to kidnap you. Naraku has been watching Sesshomaru for some time, knowing that one day he would slip and reveal his disloyalty. That opportunity was presentable immediately after the Birds of Paradise once again failed to retrieve you, when Naraku sent Sesshomaru out to gather the final Jewel Shards given my directions. The last shard was to be found in the mountains near the village of Shinji; the fact that you and him were to cross paths was determined by Naraku when he ordered Sesshomaru to search. This served as a double purpose; not only was it to reveal Sesshomaru's treachery towards Naraku when he would undoubtedly give you the shards, but it also was an incentive for your group to travel straight to the castle without another failed retrieval. Would you not have come here if you had not even one shard?"

Kagome shook her head. "I doubt it," she replied heavily, kicking listlessly at the dust-coated floor and then falling silent. She could scarcely believe all this; how did Naraku KNOW, how could he have concocted such a clever plan contingent on everyone's actions? It merely showed off his prowess mentally...and of his dominance. How were they ever going to get out of this one alive and sound if he continually proved himself to be smarter than them?

And then, what about this - this WOMAN that was standing in front of the door, that hated priestess who had previously ripped her of the one thing that she truly had ever wanted? Could she really trust everything that Kikyo was saying? And what of her intentions? Did she truly want a world free of Naraku and his hated Shikkon Jewel---or did she just want the world to be rid of her?! Even so, there was nothing she could do right now; even if her ability to move should miraculously come back to her, she was sure that Kikyo would not allow her to leave the room. Everything currently rested in Inuyasha's hands.

Inuyasha. Where was he now? Was he searching for her, perhaps, or was he still fighting down in the castle's main chamber? Had Naraku found him yet, or had Kikyo been true to her word in saying that she had led him astray? (Please be safe, Inuyasha! I don't know if I could stand it if Naraku kills you!)

She snapped out of her reverie when she heard the stone door slowly creak open. Looking up and half-expecting a jubilant Naraku, she sighed in relief when she saw it was only Kikyo going out. The priestess gave her one last warning look as she put a foot outside of the door. "I am leaving. Perhaps I will come back later---or perhaps not. Either way, you will stay in here. Remember, if you stray outside, he will find you, and he will not be pleased." At this she swept outside, the door closing behind her with a loud boom, sounding like an irrevocable death sentence as it did so.

Kagome couldn't stand it anymore. Putting her head in her cold, clammy hands, she wept again, harder than before. Now she was truly alone and vulnerable at Naraku's mercy.

(Oh, Inuyasha, please hurry up! You don't know what you'll do to me if you don't get me out of here! You don't know what you'll do to us all!)

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Lost-In-Dark: OOC means out of character, which is when a fanficcer has written a character inaccurately, making that character act differently than they should. It's a bane of a lot of fanfiction out there, and I'm afraid I'm guilty of it.

Suga-sweet-and-tasty: I'm afraid that Sango didn't show up again in this chapter... Simple explanation: I'm not at all going to focus on the battle raging on in the entrance hall. A cheap way to solve my problem with battle writing scenes, I know, but it wouldn't contribute much to the plot anyway. Sango hasn't disappeared, though; she'll pop up again quite soon. :)

Laura: Yep, I'm from Minnesota, home of the Mall of America! Er, I'm trying my best to keep it from being cliche, but I honestly don't think I'm doing that well in that department. Kagome does directly contribute to frying Naraku, though, later on. I'll have to think about her reaction to Kouga now, though; you brought up a good point about that that I didn't even think about.

Lil Dev G: sheepishly The chapter got bumped up because I added the one where they were in the inn. Kikyo showed up in this one, though, and the uncensored truth about what happened with her shows up in the next one, I promise! And you guessed correctly, Kouga does have a reaction to Inuyasha and Kagome being a couple.

earthshine411: grins Well, I couldn't leave Kouga hanging after what happened in his cave, now could I? Besides, he's hilarious to write (when he's fighting verbally with Inuyasha, at any rate). Bishonen characters, eh? I'm a video gamer myself, more so than an anime watcher, and the games I play are up to the ears in them!

Drake Clawfang: I'll have to keep an eye on the manga now to see what happens, since that ending WAS so open-ended. I really hope that Inuyasha and Kagome get together in canon, although knowing some of the endings I've seen for other series I shouldn't hold my breath...

Also thanks to AnimeAngelz, MyNameIs Rini, inu and kag fan till death, Anonymous (?), anna-7, Delonwethiel, mickey-chan13, and FIRE for reviewing!!