Author's note: I do not own Inuyasha. If I did...he'd have glassy, blue eyes. (Like my dog, Jake!)

Chapter 11 "The First of the North Wing"

Kai scrubbed down the floor on his hands and knees. It took him the entire afternoon. Now he dropped the brush in the sudd bucket and looked at the shining, marble floor. It had been a few days since the second and third awoke, and they didn't seem to think so, but those humans tracked in more dirt than any youkai or yasha he'd ever known. Why in the world had Sesshomaru even taken these pathetic creatures in, anyway? Kai sighed to himself, the floor was clean, he could take his mind off of those two for now.

"Kai-dono!" A muddied Rin careened into the room, holding several flowers in her hand (pulled up by the roots.) She nearly fell, but regained her footing for a moment and ran toward the youkai. Kai's eyes went wide with shock as the human child spread mud all over the recently cleaned floor. Rin skid to a stop in front of him, dropping the flowers at her side.

"Yes, Rin-chan? What is it?" he asked as calmly as he could muster. The girl looked to the staircase.

"I heard him from in the garden!" she exclaimed. Kai's expression became a confused one.

"Heard who?" he asked.

"The north wing!" she almost shouted in her urgency. "The first is waking up now!" Kai lost his balance at her words and fell backward into the sudd bucket.

"The first?" he exclaimed, getting back to his feet and looking to the staircase.

"Um-hum,"Rin nodded.

"We must tell Lord Sesshomaru."

"Your butt's wet!" Rin giggled. Kai looked down at the girl in embarrassment as a bead of sweat dripped down the back of his neck. "You'd better change first."

...he did...

"Is this so, Kai?" Sesshomaru asked with a little more than a threat underlining in his cool voice. Kai stood firm and nodded.

"It is, my lord," he confirmed. "Rin heard him from the garden, and I have confirmed. He is in a less deep sleep now. Soon to awaken." Sesshomaru looked off to the side in thought.

"Go and wake him," he instructed. His eyes found Kai once more. "I will be in the garden with Rin if he gets to be too much to you." Sesshomaru rose. There was movement in his left sleeve, though it was nothing more than his half-regained arm. Kai redirected his attention to Sesshomaru's face.

"My lord, forgive me, but I think you should be the one to wake him," Kai suggested. "He does not know me." Though this was very logical, it was not Kai's real reason. Somehow, he didn't want Sesshomaru around Rin. He wasn't sure why, but he was jealous of her adoration toward Sesshomaru.

"That is true, but I must speak to the girl, Rin," Sesshomaru stated cooly. "Your suggestions are better kept in your throat, Kai. Warlord you may have been, but you are just a servant now." Kai's green eyes flashed a golden color for a split second, but he nodded. "You are dismissed, Kai."

Kai turned on a foot, grumbling to himself.

...x...

"Who are you and where the hell am I!" demanded the first as he pinned Kai against the wall. The cat youkai threw off the arms of the human with little contestation. He knew this would happen if he awoke this stupid human.

"My name is Kai," he hissed in aggravation. The first folded his arms into his red sleeves. "And you're at lord Sesshomaru's castle."

"Heh, 'figures Sesshomaru would work with a filthy feline," the human said with a scowl. His violet eyes narrowed on the servant. "What am I doin here, anyway?" Kai straightened his kimono and glared.

"To tell you the truth," Kai began, a bit annoyed. "I have no idea why lord Sesshomaru revived you and those two other humans."

"Whadda you mean 'two other humans'?" the first demanded. "Is Kagome here, too?"

"No," Kai answered. "I don't know of any human by that name here." Inuyasha grabbed Kai by the collar in rage.

"Where is she, then?" he demanded. "Where is Kagome?" Kai shoved Inuyasha off with enough force to knock the human on the ground.

"I told you, I don't know any Kagome!" Kai shouted back. Just then, the second stopped in the open doorway.

"I know what happened to Kagome," he informed darkly, "but you're not going to like it." Kai shifted attention between the two once.

"Where is she, Miroku?" Inuyasha asked, worry in his voice and on his face. The monk adverted his eyes to the ground for a moment, but looked back to Inuyasha shortly after.

"She's with Naraku," Sango voiced lowly, showing herself from behind Miroku.

...x...

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin piped, tugging on one of Sesshomaru's sleeves. The dog youkai looked at the small child as she was beside him.

"Mn?"

"Who's the lady carved into the fountain?" she asked, looking at the yasha statue on the fountain. "She's very pretty."

Sesshomaru's voice was softer then.

"That," he started, "is the likeness of my mother." Rin looked to the fountain once more. "I never knew her," he lied.

...At Naraku's Castle...

Kagome's eyes were red as fire that afternoon on the sparring field. It took all of Kohaku's skill to avoid her blows. It was as though she were possessed by something -the way that she could move and glide. Her kimono flowed like silken waves in the wind as she made her quarterstaff passes. She made a wide sweep at her opponent, but it met naught but open air as Kohaku jumped backward. He sprang off of his foot and lunged at Kagome while she tried to bring back her staff. As she was in range, Kohaku pulled his blunt sparring sword and made a sweep of his own. It seemed to catch in mid-air before it could get to her, and before Kohaku could realize it, he was being pushed back by a red barrier.

Kohaku toppled into a cloud of dust, shock still marking his continence as he stared at the still, standing Kagome. She spun her staff twice and buried it into the ground. Her figure was blurred in the sun as the wind blew the sleeves of her kimono and haori. This couldn't possibly be the same Kagome.

"What has happened to our 'prisoner?'" a hiding Kagura thought lowly. She opened and closed her fan in nervous confusion. "She is not human..."

Kohaku couldn't help but think the same thing, and as Kagome came to him to assist him to his feet, mimicking what he had always done for her, he jumped to his feet and fled. Kagome was left in wonder, but from the way her mask was painted, she didn't seem to mind his leaving. Instead, she turned and pulled her staff from the ground. Spinning it twice, she walked away from the field, stopping just shy of the walkway near the castle.

"I'm going to the bathhouse now, Kagura," she called without looking to where the yasha was hiding. "No disturbances." Without awaiting a response, Kagome disappeared into the castle.

"She's got a lot of nerve," Kagura thought, "speaking to me like that..."

Kagome stopped in her quarters first so she might get a change of clothing. She was not entirely surprised when she heard the door slide gently behind her. She was surprised, however, to see Kohaku standing in front of the closed portal.

"Kagome, what has happened to you?" he asked, subliminally afraid of what her answer might be. His question went unanswered for a few moments as Kagome retrieved a fresh kimono from a wooden chest in her room. She looked over her shoulder at him, her body moving slowly in the same direction so that she may fully face him.

"Nothing has happened to me, Kohaku," she said cooly. "I think you're worrying just a little too much." She smiled then, almost fooling the boy before her, but at the last moment -just as the boy opened the chamber door to leave -Kohaku realized it was not a real smile. He turned in the open doorway.

"Kagome," he said with pain, stepping back inside of the room. "Why are you lying to me?" Kagome's flame red eyes softened.

"Kohaku, you would not understand," she replied. Kagome brought the kimono against her chest, her silken sleeves sliding down her arms. A ring of purple scars revealed themselves on the back of her left wrist.

Flashback

Naraku pulled Kagome's left arm from beneath the steaming water and kissed her wrist, the girl crying out in pain as that kiss became a bite. He held her tightly as she squirmed in pain, enjoying her endeavor as only a sadist could. He pulled out of it after a few moments, kissing the wound hungrily. Kagome struggled to catch her breath as he kissed her, parting her lips with his own and delivering her a taste of her own blood.

"Let it be known," he whispered over her lips after pulling back a bit. Kagome was still trying to catch her breath. Naraku added after a pause, "that you are mine."

End Flashback

Kohaku shook his head and slid the door closed behind him once more.

The seventeen-year-old walked to his only friend and reached to take her arm in his hands. Kagome jerked away from him quickly, dropping the kimono to the floor.

"No," Kohaku said in disbelief. "It's not true. It couldn't be true..."

"Kohaku..." Kagome trailed, but the other shook his head and let out a frustrated growl.

"He took you!" Kohaku whispered in disbelief. "Why did you let him, Kagome?" There was a small pause. "How could you let him?"

"I love him, Kohaku," Kagome answered solemnly. Kohaku's eyes watered.

"Are you still telling yourself that, Kagome?" he cried in a hushed voice. "He's blinding you," Kohaku added in his dismay.

"Once again, you have no idea what you speak of, Kohaku," Kagome accuse defensively.

"I'm very well aware of what I'm saying, Kagome!" he argued, raising his voice to the level of room speech. "Why don't you see that he doesn't love you?" Kohaku begged. "He never loved you. Not for a moment's time." Kagome bit her bottom lip in frustration.

"How would you know if he loves me or not?" she blurted, her heart pounding.

"Because I love you!" Kohaku admitted suddenly, loudly, "and he doesn't look at you the way someone in love would," he added lowly. Kagome's breath caught.

"Get out, Kohaku," Kagome ordered shakily after a pause. Kohaku shook his head and obeyed. When he slid the door closed behind him, Kagome fell on her knees and wept.

...In the wilderness...

"Are you sure you know where you're going, Yoshi?" Shippo asked shakily. The moon demon beside him stopped and stared into the blank air.

"This sucks," Yoshi said suddenly. He looked to Shippo. "There are energy signatures all over this area, and I can't find the right trail."

"Yeah, well I don't see anything. So whadda you want me to do about it?" Shippo complained. Yoshi thought for a moment.

"I want you to throw me straight into the air so I can see the surroundings better," he decided.

"You want me to do what!" Shippo exclaimed. Yoshi sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Look, it's not that hard. Alright?" he tried. "Just use that demonic strength ya got and throw me. I don't weigh that much." Shippo panicked, but suddenly had an idea.

"There's a better way."

...x...

"Whoa, steady, Shippo!" Yoshi called as he tried to stand on the floating balloon Shippo transformed himself into.

"Look," Shippo complained, "just find the trail already! You're hurting my shoulder!" Yoshi let out a good-hearted chuckle and checked the energy signatures. He spotted a particularly bright path and smiled.

"I think I got it, Shippo!" he shouted with satisfaction.

"Alright!" Shippo called back, and poofed to his normal, lanky form. This left the two to experience a not so smooth landing on the ground twelve feet below.

...Author's Note below...

AN: Love, intrigue, passion, confusion, fishies, bottles, hair conditioner! What will happen next? I can't tell you! Leave your reviews after the beep!

xcx

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