AN: Darlings! We are back with another chapter! Oh, how the plot thickens... Oh, how we love to hate Kikyo... Oh how tragic this can all be! Oh, how I need sleep. Thank you for reading and reviewing, we really love your feedback and hope for more soon!

and drake... if it tastes like lemon.... ::smiles innocently::

Enjoy the next chapter while PoF and myself will be off chocolate dipping an Inu!

"Kikyo!"

She looked up from the mirror where she was brushing her long black hair, as alive as she had been when Inuyasha had last seen her. And, sadly, just about as warm. Her eyes looked bored and she turned back to the mirror, vaingloriously brushing her hair, her lips pursed. "So, she didn't kill you. That's a pity. She will eventually, I know."

"I couldn't think of a better person to kill me," he growled, coming up behind her and keeping his eyes on the movements of her hands, ignoring the red sheen slowly building in his eyes, or the darker stripes that threatened to grow on his skin. Even his ears seemed sharper.... "But it won't really be her, will it, because you're the one controlling her, somehow!"

Kikyo sighed and put her hairbrush back down, leaning forward as her shirt slipped around her shoulders. That was shoddy for Kikyo. She was usually so prim and proper, always having to look perfect. "Don't worry, Inuyasha. You can reach out and touch it. You always did like to play with my hair. Remember how we used to sit and talk, sometimes even just stare, and you would brush my hair for me...."

He bit his bottom lip, hissing quietly. She smelled alive. She had a voice. His hand itched, and he let himself take a tentative step forward to reach out and let his finger tips brush her hair. Inuyasha jumped back when he touched it. Damn! It felt alive too. His hand had felt the warmth coming off her body! "What sort of trickery is this?"

"Trickery?" she demanded, her anger growing. She turned in her seat to face him, instead of looking at him in a mirror. She went even colder, her eyes narrowing at him. Slowly, she stood, and moved to sit on the plush bed. "It's no trickery that brought me back, Inuyasha! Just my pain, and a slight accident. I could not accept death, because I had been wronged. Wronged by a certain white haired dog demon...."

"My brother," Inuyasha agreed.

"No, you fool! YOU!" He appeared as if he had been slapped. She lifted herself from the bed and stood fearlessly in front of him, staring up at Inuyasha in quiet anger, while her voice was thunderous. "What do you take me for, Inuyasha? Do you think I would just roll over and let you kill me? After all that time, laying there, hanging there... how could anybody's soul find rest when they had experienced a death after that? And then I come back to extract my revenge, and find that you gained yourself a bitch! And a child, none the less! What is it about Kagome that let her live, while my body hung like a trophy on the mast?!"

Inuyasha was silent, shocked. He had never known what had happened to her body. No wonder Miroku had been able to guarantee her body was dead! He felt his anger slip into pity for the once dead Priestess, but he could not let go of his rage completely, not when Kagome was accusing him, when both of them, were accusing him of a death which he was finding himself starting to accept. Had he been stronger... His eyebrows drew together, and her glared down at Kikyo, the look in his eyes making her leave his personal space. "I didn't kill you," he slowly snarled.

"Oh yes you did! I can still remember it, you bastard! You whispered that you would let me go even as you stabbed me, laughing at the sound of my blood hitting the ground. You commanded me to be silent when he... touched me. You yelled at me when I obeyed and was silent and you threatened me more when I screamed. Nothing would please you, because you knew you had me! You knew there was no chance of my escape!" She laughed bitterly, tears stinging at her cheeks. "When you undressed me after you had declared me your prisoner, you even took off my clothes without breaking a single stitch, and then folded them up and placed them on your dresser only two feet away from me, just to taunt me!"

"Kikyo, my brother killed you! The only guilt I have in your death is that I couldn't protect you, that I couldn't heal myself and come and rescue you!" He gripped her by her shoulders. "And I'm sorry about your death, but I'm even more saddened by your rebirth! I can do nothing for you, Kikyo. But I can do something for my wife, whom I love. I do love her, Kikyo!"

She wrapped her hands around her neck, her brown eyes filling with warm love that Inuyasha was used to only seeing in Kagome's eyes. "But you loved me, once...."

"Yes," he admitted. "I loved you once, but I was not in love with you. I am in love with Kagome. And right now you're playing a dangerous game with my wife as a pawn. I'm not going to stand for it! Fine, you don't want to believe that it was Sesshomaru that killed you, go ahead, but leave Kagome out of this! Now, what did you do to my Kagome!?"

"Your Kagome now, is it?" she drawled, suddenly shoving her magic into him. He dropped her shoulders and backed off, rubbing at this now throbbing neck. "Possessive bastard... wouldn't you like to know what I did with her? I did nothing except made her realize the truth!"

He stopped rubbing his sounded neck, staring at her, watching for any other sign that she would try using her magic on him. Damn, but that had hurt like a bitch! He rose a curious eyebrow. "Oh? And would truth is that, Kikyo? Somehow I doubt that it's true, if it came from your twisted little mind. Your magic doesn't even have the kick it used to. You shoved your magic to my neck and I barely got burned...."

"Shut up!" she hissed. "I told her exactly what she was afraid of hearing! I told her that the father wasn't you, though that was your fear: she knew that Sesshomaru had never entered her, had you ever talked to her and asked her outright! But no, you had to help things along by doubting the virtue of her body. I told you that you would kill the babe, and why wouldn't you, when you weren't satisfied with it. Oh, I told her many, many things. Most of them would interest you, I'm sure, but you should just spare yourself the pain. Run away like she did! Give her up!" Kikyo giggled. "If you pursue her, she'll kill you to defend the life of your unborn babe!"

Kikyo leaned against him, laughing into his chest. "And I bet you wonder now why I'm not going to kill you. Why I'm going to let you walk out of here with only an itty bitty scratch to show you that I'm back, and screwing with your life until you scream in pain fiercer than I ever did. And until you are as dead as I was once. You have no idea of the pain I am going to cause you, Inuyasha....."

He pushed her off him. So that's what it was. Kikyo's words had wrapped around Kagome's brain, and now she was trapped by them. Maybe Miroku might have some sort of idea as to how to shatter those words. He drew his sword, and saw panic in Kikyo's eyes. Instead, he held the scabbard out and held it upside down, letting a braid of hair fall out from the scabbard, as black as night on the ship he had called home for four years. "I guess that if you're back, I don't that to remember you by. Give it back to me when you drop dead again, Kikyo. No sense mourning for someone who is still alive, after all. I hope that you finally find the truth, Kikyo. But don't come near Kagome or my child again, otherwise I won't hesitate to kill you. At least that way your soul would be correct when it said it had a reason to hate me."

He stormed out off the chamber, and Kikyo stared at him until she heard the door close. Then she scooped up the lock of hair that he had discarded on the floor, her fingers knowing it as well as her eyes. It was hers. Naraku had been wrong. He had kept it, after all. "He.... He...."

Running down the hall, Miroku not once let go of Sango's hand in his. He even kept glancing back over at her, to make sure she really was well. Rounding a corner, he was not prepared for the sight before him. "Inuyasha?" Miroku asked in disbelief staring at the demon lord before him.

Sango squeezed his hand, as the cat demon meowed a hello from her place beside Sango's ankles, choosing to walk on her own. She suddenly recalled the bruise on Kagome's cheek, and glared at Inuyasha a little softly, not wanting to accuse him of anything but mad all the same, underneath a lot of confusion and the twinkle that refused to leave her eye from being with her husband again. "What did you do to Kagome?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and smacked his head. "Oh God! Not you too, Sango! I swear it's got to be a conspiracy theory or something!" he groaned. "I didn't do anything to Kagome! Miroku, there's... some type of spell on Kagome or something. This is completely out of my league!" Then he recalled they were in Naraku's castle, though it had once been his home too. "But it's not safe to talk here...."

Miroku nodded, his mouth a thin grim line. Looking at Sango, he shook his head a bit, a signal for her to leave Inuyasha alone. Though after the slightly scolding look, Miroku raked his eyes over her body and stopped for a moment to allow his eyes to feast on certain areas. They really needed to get out of this castle. When his eyes met hers, he liked the blush touching her cheeks.

Turning back to Inuyasha, Miroku looked around and motioned for Inuyasha to lead. "You obviously know the way better then us," Miroku said, his eyes scanning the walls as though they were demons themselves. "We'll talk later," Miroku said and turned to Sango pulling a knife out of his boot and handing it to her. He doubted she would've figured he had one there earlier. "I knew you'd miss it," he said and followed Inuyasha.

"Is she safe?" Was all Miroku dared ask while still within the castle grounds. And just to amplify their worries a slow growling began to rise from the depths of the castle foundation.

Sango tucked the knife in her own boot, glad for the weapon. Miroku knew her far too well. And, sadly, she wanted him again as much as he did her.

"Get a room you two," he growled, all too aware of their needs for each other. Was this how Miroku had felt when Sango and been kidnapped and he was around himself and Kagome? If that was the case, then Inuyasha had so much more respect for Miroku now! He shrugged as he turned down a hall, leading them back through the secret passage they had used to get in. "I don't know. She was bleeding, but it was tapering off. And she'd been crying. She looked like hell, but there weren't any serious injuries on her. I think the worst was her mind. Kikyo brainwashed her...."

Miroku considered this and looked at Sango. "You had to have seen her to know something was wrong, did she say anything to you?" Miroku asked and when they arrived at the landing leading out to the yard. He could sense Inuyasha's impatience with climbing down the steps. "Go on, leap," he told Inuyasha and scooped Sango up in his arms, bracing his legs as he jumped off as well.

Landing on the ground, Miroku winced only slightly and let Sango down on her own feet. Following Inuyasha now with a set mind and goal. He could see the tension lines on Inuyasha's face and something else, a pain he didn't want to touch. Inuyasha was leaving something out, and as much as Miroku didn't want to pry... "Define brainwashed."

"Define hurt," Sango grumbled with a pointed look at her husband, not missing the wince and wondering from where it came. She scooped the feline demon back up in her arms, smiling as it meowed. Obviously she wasn't planning on leaving their little group any time soon.

Inuyasha shrugged again, and irately let out his captured breath. "How the hell am I supposed to know!?" He calmed after his short outburst and weakly apologized for yelling at his friend. "She thought I was going to kill her... our baby. She thinks our baby's father is my half brother. She wanted to divorce me. According to Kikyo, she's ready to kill me if she sees me again. I can't give you any better explanation than that."

Miroku's face went ashen and he stopped, grabbing Inuyasha's elbow and swerving the man around. "Inuyasha, you aren't making sense... Are you trying to say Kikyo's alive?" he asked remembering how he had picked up her scent earlier. "But why do this? If anything she would be out against Sesshomaru, everyone knows he killed her." Miroku's voice was toneless as he turned away and raked his hand through his hair, his Buddha beads catching some of the hairs on its way.

"But the baby is safe?" Miroku asked, his concern obvious. With a look over at Sango, Miroku imagined himself in Inuyasha's place... And he suddenly understood the streaks down Inuyasha's cheeks. "It's a spell. I've heard of a few. Some can jumble thoughts, others replace memories, comply, force people to do things against their wills... But who ever cast it, Inuyasha, Kagome is a strong priestess with the purist aura I've ever seen. It would've taken someone powerful," Miroku muttered and looked back at the castle they had just left for shelter in the woods instead. "Naraku, would fit the profile," Miroku wagered aloud.

"If she thinks you are going to murder them, and Sesshomaru the father... She would be heading towards the Western Lands." Miroku concluded, and looked down at his pouch. "I have with me some talismans and runes, I only hope they can help. We better hurry," Miroku said, throwing a slicing look at Sango. "Hurt is what we have been going through for the past few days, and what both of our friends are suffering now." Miroku told her, wrapping his arm around her waist and bringing her close. "Define lust." Miroku murmured into her ear, then turned his head back to Inuyasha with a steady look. "We better move quickly, if she doesn't get to Sesshomaru who'll kill her off, then the thirst of these woods for her power will," Miroku said and blinked when the kitten meowed in his face. "So, we have a pet?"

Kagura stood behind a pillar and listened to them closely. Stepping away from the marble pillar, Kagura pulled a feather out of her hair and cursed. Naraku and his schemes. Throwing the feather into the air, there was a cloud of smoke and Kagura was riding the now giant feather. She glided over the winds towards the Western Lands. There was someone very important there, who would love to know of these turn of events.