Disclaimer: You know the deal. I don't own them. I never will. This is just me having fun.

Naraku's Evil Plan Revealed

Naraku eyed the five companions and laughed. "Ku Ku Ku…Of course it would seem familiar. And I'll tell you why."

Everyone brought their attention to Naraku. As soon as he spoke the weak youkai that had been plaguing them vanished. Naraku and Kagura were the only evil beings left in the courtyard, and they were still encased in the protective barrier. To make matters worse, it seemed to get stronger as Naraku spoke.

"Naraku, you bastard! Where's my pup?" Kouga yelled. His eyes were blood red. He looked about ready to rip Naraku's head off with his bare hands.

"We have the jewel shards. Just give us back Taro." Kagome was near tears again. She wanted to kill Naraku for all the pain he had caused, but was aware of no way to destroy him. Miroku had already told her that Naraku's barrier was backed by what felt like holy power. How could she purify already holy energy?

Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha stood a short distance from the distraught pair. Indeed Naraku's barrier did have holy energy; however, it was not the same as the energy they had felt coming from Mt. Hakurei. This energy was not as intense. It felt almost like Naraku was borrowing the holy energy from somewhere. The thing that really perplexed everyone was that the aura of the energy was strangely similar to that of Kikyo and Kagome.

"You all fell into my trap. You rushed here without thinking and put yourself at my mercy." Naraku started. "You see my intensions were never the shards. If I wanted them I could have easily taken them."

"Feh. If you didn't want them, then why are we here?" Inuyasha growled disdainfully. He was becoming even more angered with this situation. "First you tell us to come here to exchange the shards for Taro. Now you say the shards aren't your goal. What the hell do you want, you bastard?"

As the minutes ticked by, Kouga too, became more and more agitated. He just wanted to protect his family. It really seemed like he had failed miserably. 'If he doesn't want the shards, then what was his aim with taking Taro? And how are we going to get our son back if we can't kill or at least bargain with Naraku?'

Naraku laughed smugly as the confusion spread across each party member's face. He knew they had no idea what they had helped him do. But soon enough they would find out. Soon enough... Suddenly, Naraku's musings were interrupted with a flash of bright blue and white light at his feet. There, hunched over and in what appeared to be a barrier of his own, crouched Taro. Kagome was to first to notice this.

"Taro! Are you alright?" she screamed. She made to leap forward but was restrained by Kouga. She fought madly, cursing him as tears started to run down her face.

"Kagome! Kagome, calm down!" Kouga said as he gently stroked her hair, "Taro isn't here. Naraku must be.." He glanced over at Naraku, and narrowed his eyes. He could see nothing. He continued, " Naraku must be working some kind of allusion."

Kagome looked up at him with her teary eyes, "You can't see him! How can you not see him? He's right there!" she cried and pointed to the spot at Naraku's feet where she could clearly see her son sitting.

Everyone looked again to where Kagome was pointing, only to see nothing besides Naraku's feet, and behind him, Kagura, laying in a shuddering heap. But this time, Miroku, who was looking extra hard and channeling his monk powers, let out a gasp as he too, saw Taro.

Kouga shook his head and sighed. He gave Kagome a tight hug as he thought to himself, 'She's so grief stricken that she thinks she sees him. I have got to get him back. I don't know how she would handle losing him. I don't how I could handle loosing him...'

But as his words ran through Kouga's head, Miroku said something that caused everyone to look at him in surprise. "Taro? He's making his own barrier! But how can he?"

Meanwhile, Inside the Hut

Kanna and Kohaku watched as Taro's eyes began to glaze over. They could tell by all the sweat and the way he was swaying that any moment now he would drop his barrier out of sheer exhaustion. Taro knew he couldn't keep the barrier up for much longer. He was terrified of what would happen when he was defenseless and at the youkai girl and strange human boy's mercy. He wanted to close his eyes and sleep, waking only when he was safe with his parents. He wished fervently that this was all just a horrible nightmare. He at first had had himself convinced that this was all just a bad dream, until the pain from Kohaku's sickle had dashed his conviction to bits. It had been a painful dose of reality.

Taro wasn't sure where he was getting the energy to keep the barrier intact, but now it felt as if it was declining. But strangely the barrier wasn't weakening. It seemed to be draining from somewhere else. Then, it was as if he had a vision of someone's memory, and a strange flash of white light engulfed him. When he opened his eyes again he saw he was no longer in the hut. He was in a courtyard, and in what appeared to be two barriers. One was his own and the other seemed to belong to the tall, black haired man with refined features whose feet he was crouched at. Behind the man, a woman lay. Taro recognized her as the lady who had snatched him up and flew away on a giant feather. In front of him were his parents.

Taro wasn't in control of his body. He tried to call out to his mother and father, but couldn't. Kagome was the first to notice him and yelled out for her son. Taro couldn't hear what she was saying, though. He only saw her lips moving. Then he saw his father grab her as she tried to run toward the barrier. Kouga looked over in his direction, turned back to Kagome, and shook his head. 'She sees me?' Taro asked himself. He noticed that only Miroku and his mother were looking at him. Everyone else's attention seemed to be focused on the man behind him.

Back Outside

Miroku and Kagome couldn't believe their eyes. Taro was not only making a barrier to protect himself, but Naraku was using the little hanyou's barrier to boost his own. Kagome turned to Miroku.

"You can see him too, Miroku?" Kagome asked breathlessly. Miroku nodded. "Why can we see him and no one else can?"

"It must be because I am a monk and you are the reincarnation of a miko."

Sango voiced her confusion. "Say what? I only see Naraku and Kagura. You see Taro?"

Kagome and Miroku nodded. "He's inside Naraku's barrier. He's making a barrier of his own." Kagome told her friend.

Naraku decided this was his time to tell them of his plan, since it had gone as it was suppose to. "I wasn't sure, but I had my suspicions of your pup. His aura suggested he had some of his mother's power, so I watched him. I noticed how although he was only a hanyou he was already more powerful than his full-blooded youkai father. This made me think. If he was more powerful then a full youkai, could he be more powerful then his miko mother? I was proven right when he created a barrier to protect himself from harm. Now you know my goal was never to take your shards. My aim was him." He pointed down at Taro, who looked like he going to be sick.

He couldn't handle it any longer. Taro felt himself slip into unconsciousness. He slumped to the ground and lay still. His barrier disappeared and so did he. Kagome panicked. She once again fought against Kouga's retraining arms, feeling the need to run to her baby.

Back Inside the Hut

Kanna and Kohaku watching in silence, as Taro eye's seemed to register something and then fill with fear.

"Mommy, Daddy, save me!" He screamed. He jerked his head around, seemingly looking for something behind him.

The two children watched him grow pale and his eyes slowly close. Taro watched in fright as his parents faded from view. Then he couldn't keep his eyes open. Before everything went back, he saw the little emotionless girl with the baby and mirror and the boy with the sickle staring at him. He closed his eyes and blacked out.

Kanna and Kohaku waited as Taro collapsed and the barrier faded away. "He does not yet know how to use his powers." Kanna said. They glanced outside the hut as Naraku's castle started to fade. At this same time they were lifted into the air, along with the unconscious boy.

Back Outside

Inuyasha and Sango were completely in the dark. They didn't understand why Kagome was even more hysterical now.

"Let me go Kouga!" She screamed as she fought her way free. Naraku had begun to make his escape, as indicated by the fading castle around them.

Before Naraku could get much further up into the air, Inuyasha and Kouga jumped at him. Inuyasha slashed down with red Tetsusaiga, in the hopes of breaking the barrier before Naraku escaped. Kouga slashed with his claws, and kicked. Kagome was frozen in place as she watched with horror the building disappearing from around them. Kanna, Kohaku, and the unconscious Taro, suddenly came into sight, bound towards Naraku by his invisible forces. They joined him and Kagura in the barrier.

"TARO!" Kagome yelled. She dashed towards the barrier, but was stopped from doing anything when it became surrounded by Naraku's poisonous miasma. Inuyasha and Kouga stopped their frenzy as they felt the burning substance hit their skin. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome, who was closer to him than Kouga, and sprang away into the safety of the forest. The rest of the group followed them. Naraku spiraled away into the sky, taking Taro with him.

When she looked back and saw no trace of Naraku, let alone Taro, Kagome broke down. Loosing her son a second time was really too much for her. She gripped Inuyasha's haori tightly, and cried, not noticing, or at least not caring whose arms she happened to be in. Kouga growled at Inuyasha, but knew the hanyou was only trying to comfort Kagome. He marched over to the pair and snatched Kagome away from Inuyasha. Kouga kissed he on the top of her head, and held her close as she continued to cry.

"Could you explain what just happened?" Sango asked Miroku exasperatedly. She really wanted to know what had happened in the courtyard to make her friend so upset. Inuyasha finally took his eyes off Kagome and walked over to Miroku.

"Yeah, monk! What the fuck happened back there?" Inuyasha growled irritably. "'Cause it seems like you know what in the seven hells is going on."

"Well…I'm not sure, but I believe Naraku was using Taro's holy energy to make his barrier stronger. He kidnapped the child for his powers. We were tricked into helping Naraku with his plan."

A while later, the group sat in a small forest clearing, illuminated only by the light from their campfire. They had set up camp for the night and explained to Shippo why they hadn't brought back Taro. Kagome had eventually cried herself to sleep in Kouga's arms. Sango and Miroku sat near the fire and Inuyasha perched in a tree above them. They had decided that the search for Taro would resume in the morning. After a lot of arguing,
Kouga finally agreed to let Inuyasha help them, but only as long as he didn't touch Kagome. They all knew it wouldn't be easy but they because they had no leads as to where he would go. They had seen his miasma go towards the east, but there was no guarantee that was where he was headed. They would just have to try and hope for the best.

Kouga looked down at Kagome. She was resting her head on his lap. He brushed some hair off her face and watched her sleep. She slowly opened her puffy eyes and looked up into his blue ones. She tried to put on a fake smile.

"Gomen ne," Kouga said, as he looked away from her, unwilling to meet her gaze. Kagome sat up and moved his chin to look at her.

"You didn't do anything. This isn't your fault." She said.

"It is. If I wouldn't have fought with Inuyasha and left you and Taro alone, we could have avoided this mess. I should have taken better care of my family. Maybe you would have been better off with Inuyasha. I'm sure he wouldn't let this happen." His voice cracked and trailed off.

"Kouga?"

He silenced her by putting a finger to her lips. "Go to sleep. You need your rest." After trying again to get him to meet her eyes, she laid back down on his lap. Shippo had curled up next to her and fallen asleep. She glanced around the fire and saw that everyone was sleeping, with only Kouga and Inuyasha still awake. She sighed and closed her eyes, drifting off into sleep.

When Kouga was sure she was asleep, he carefully arranged her on the ground next to him and stood up. He padded silently over to the tree he knew Inuyasha was sitting in and leapt into it. He landed on the branch where Inuyasha was and placed himself directly in front of him.

"Since I can't protect her well enough, maybe you should." He said looking down at his claws. "I don't want something to happened to her because I couldn't protect her."

He jumped down without waiting for a reply. He didn't want to hear what Inuyasha had to say. He just wanted to tell him that one thing. He sat back down next to Kagome and watched her sleep.

Up in his tree Inuyasha attempted to digest what Kouga had just told him. 'Did the wolf just ask me to protect Kagome for him? Was he giving up on her?' Inuyasha glanced down at Kagome's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful when she slept. He still didn't understand why Kouga had asked him to protect her, but he figured he would soon enough. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. 'This is going to be interesting.' And he went to sleep.