Dark as Day
Chapter Seventeen

Inuyasha stirred from an uneasy sleep. Rin's presence was gone, having been taken away by Naraku. He blinked a couple times, registering the bright light overhead. His dog ears detected a faint murmuring from the other side of the wall. Someone was talking.

He crept slowly, hoping that the people on the other side didn't hear him. He crouched before the wall and pressed his ear against the wall, listening to the voices. He recognized the first voice right away as Naraku. He didn't know whom the second voice belonged to, however.

"The BWATE canon has broken down," the second voice informed Naraku. "It's lost all its energy."

"You have no other way to fuel it?" Naraku asked silkily.

"It wasn't meant to run for weeks on end without any stop. Besides," the second voice informed Naraku, "it's succeeded in its job. We have no more use for it."

"Don't be so sure," Naraku said testily, thought Inuyasha couldn't miss the tone in his voice. Naraku was proud of himself. "Over these last few weeks, I've been reconfiguring the BWATE's abilities."

"How so?"

Naraku chuckled to himself. "The BWATE has such potential. It wasn't meant just for biological warfare, though I'll admit that it has certainly done a superb job in that department."

Inuyasha should have known. The rise of smallpox in Tokyo was because of Naraku. Inuyasha clenched his fists against the wall, still listening eagerly. He was closer to discovering Naraku's plan than any of the taijiya ever had. He prayed that Naraku would continue talking about his plans, just so that he could find a loophole or just some way to get away from Naraku's oppressive grip.

"What do we still need the BWATE canon for then?" the second voice questioned. Inuyasha could sense the uneasiness in the man's voice, as if he, too, were afraid to hear what Naraku had to say.

"Over thirty years ago," as Naraku spoke his voice seemed to be drifting closer. Inuyasha's ear twitched as he heard the squeak of a chair. Naraku had sat down. A few moments later he heard the other squeak of Naraku's companion sitting beside him. "I kidnapped five doctors. They were working on eradicating smallpox from India in the late sixties and had remained there, just in case the disease arose again. That is when I made my move."

"You kidnapped the doctors?"

"Not myself, exactly… The demons of India were very eager to comply to my wishes," Naraku said soothingly. "I wasn't in power of my league back then."

The second voice made a small grunt.

"For the past thirty years, I've been experimenting with the smallpox virus. In itself, it is a deadly foe for humans. It's killed more people than the black plague of the medieval times." Naraku chuckled again. "And demons are immune to it. It was the perfect opportunity for me to eliminate the humans once and for all."

"Indeed."

"It's take years and years, but we've finally found a breakthrough. I've managed to morph the smallpox virus to the perfect weapon. The smallpox virus has transformed into a deadly carrier. Nestled within the smallpox's DNA resides a new strip of information."

"What does it do?" the second voice breathed quietly.

"It's ingenious. It took me so many years to do this. But, by combining smallpox and methamphetamines I've created the ultimate hallucinogen." Naraku laughed sourly to himself.

"What does that mean?"

"I've been spreading the disease through Tokyo for weeks now. The BWATE canon, the waterways, cattle…" Naraku paused, allowing his companion to absorb this information. Inuyasha's eyes widened. He'd been pouring diseases into the water.

"It sounds like you've been planning this for a long time, Naraku." The icy voice commented idly.

"Yes, it would be the perfect plan, if only the hallucinations would trigger," Naraku drawled out. "Despite the successful fusion of a virus and a non-living drug, it didn't work on my test subjects. I was at a loss, how could my ingenious virus succeed if it was missing the most amazing part of its makeup?"

"Hm…"

"Then it hit me. External manipulation," Naraku said, chucking at his genius. Inuyasha leaned closer to the wall, yearning to capture every word that Naraku spoke.

"And how would you do that?"

"By psychic prodding, of course. If I could obtain a powerful priestess, I could hook her brainwaves to the BWATE canon," Naraku whispered. Inuyasha strained to hear. "And shoot her psychic powers all over the city and force the hosts of my virus into a false sleep. That sleep will continue as long as I deem it necessary."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. Was Naraku planning on using Kagome? Or Kikyou? They were both powerful miko, he knew that. What was Naraku plotting?

'He must have kidnapped Rin to call Kagome here,' Inuyasha thought darkly. 'Kagome, don't fall for his trap!'

"It seems like a lot of work, why not just kill them with the smallpox?" the second voice questioned snidely.

"That would be the sensible thing. But, I'd much rather have them deteriorate from the insides out. Imagine, living in an endless sleep, constantly hallucinating about your greatest fear or your worst nightmare. Besides, should the human prove resilient to my attacks on their subconscious, I'll send my hybrids to deal with them."

'Mom,' Inuyasha thought in horror.

"And how will you know that it works?"

"Because I've been testing it on a psychic for quite some time now. When injected with it, she can manipulate it herself without even realizing it. She's been having successful nightmares for quite some time now."

"And who is this miko?" Inuyasha swallowed, praying that Kagome would not fall for such a trap.

"It's brilliant, really," Naraku laughed. "She's related to two powerful miko and no one has even suspected that her spiritual power greatly surpasses both of them. She's a dormant psychic, really. But I've seen her do strange things with her powers. And everyone is far too blind to see it."

Naraku shook his head. "It's brilliant."

"Who?" the second voice asked again.

"Rin Higurashi."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. Suddenly, it made sense. Kagome had told him herself that Rin was known for having dreams—and plenty of nightmares. He remembered the purple dart in Rin's neck. It hadn't been to anger Kagome; it had been to test Rin's ability to activate the virus in her blood. And when she'd started crying, the dishes in the kitchen had cracked and fallen. He remembered clearly the way their grandfather had glared at him when they'd fallen from the cupboard and Inuyasha had only assumed it was because they were leaning against the door.

Rin was a psychic.

She was a powerful psychic.

And he'd handed her over to Naraku.

Inuyasha felt sick with the thought. If what Naraku was saying was true, that Rin was more powerful than both her sisters, then Tokyo was in some major trouble. Naraku could use the BWATE canon to destroy the human population.

He clenched his fists.

"And this disease is remarkably convenient, too," Naraku said after a moment. "Demons are no longer immune. I can dispose of… disloyal demons now."

"Won't you be at risk, too? Won't we all be at risk?" the second voice sounded slightly annoyed at the idea.

"I'm way ahead of you," Naraku laughed. "Several months ago, after the completion of my brilliant disease, I kidnapped a doctor specializing in chronic disease. For some time, the doctor had been working on cures for diseases. I simply ordered the kind doctor to work on an antidote for my disease. I'm proud to say that the job is complete and Dr. Yomohama has done a splendid job."

"It seems that you have everything under control, then," the second voice said quietly.

"Yes. Now, I need you to report back to the taijiya headquarters. Tell me if they're plotting anything."

"There has been little activity from the taijiya," the second voice informed. Inuyasha's eyes widened. On the other side of the wall the traitor to the Demon Exterminators was conversing with Naraku as if they were old friends. "Their leader has been concerned with his daughter's well-being, who was thrown out of commission by Inuyasha."

"Yes… Inuyasha… Has he had any contact with the taijiya since joining our side?"

"No, sir. He has remained true to your orders and stayed away from the HQ unless directed by you."

"Was he contacted by Kamen at all?" Naraku asked again, and Inuyasha heard his anger.

"No, sir. Kamen hasn't been coming to the head quarters lately. I suspected they've dismissed her for a vacation in light of the betrayal of her partner."

"They still have no idea he's being blackmailed?" Naraku questioned.

"No, sir. I've made sure they believe him to be a power-hungry demon," the man said softly. "No one suspects a thing."

"Good. You're dismissed. Return to the headquarters."

"Thank you, sir."

Their voices fell silent and Inuyasha heard the footsteps of Naraku disappearing from the room on the other side of the wall. The other was still there because Inuyasha heard him sigh.

Inuyasha stared blankly at the wall opposite him. All this time, Naraku had been one step ahead of them and now he was already preparing for his genocide of the humans.

'What can I do?' Inuyasha thought, horrified. He didn't have the cure and he didn't have Rin. 'I'll have to destroy the BWATE canon. Or find Dr. Yomohama.'

He remembered Dr. Yomohama from his birthday. It had been on the news of the kidnapping. He remembered the short segment on the doctor's approval for positive demon-human relations. Inuyasha laughed quietly to himself as he remembered how he'd just wanted the demons to die.

'I've changed since then,' Inuyasha thought sadly. 'I am no longer like that. I am a hanyou now.'

He looked defeated. This situation was hopeless. Naraku had the upper hand and all he could do was sit back and watch as Naraku killed everyone in Tokyo.

'It won't be long before he destroys all of Japan and the world, too,' Inuyasha realized. He frowned at how corny that sounded, but he couldn't pause to think of such things. The people he knew and loved were in trouble.

He stood up awkwardly and felt that his foot had fallen asleep. He had to save Tokyo. It was up to him.

'I'm neither black nor white. My entire life I was told that demons were evil and humans were good. I don't care anymore if that's the case. Because I am both and I can't be both.' He clenched his eyes shut. 'Maybe I'm one of those stupid grey areas that everyone pretends doesn't exist… or maybe I'm just my own color. But that doesn't change anything.'

He had to save his home.

Kagome awoke slowly, feeling the grogginess escape her as she tried to sit up. Her vision was blurred as the remains of the sleeping powder remained in her body. Rubbing her eyes, she gazed around, looking to see where she was.

Her mother's collapsed form beside her seemed to snap Kagome back into reality. Just as if a dam had exploded in her eyes, tears began falling down her cheeks and she threw herself down on top of her mother's chest.

"Mama…!" she wept out weakly. "Why did you have to die?"

She nestled against the warmth of her mother's body, sniffling and remembering the times she'd had with her mother. Then something seemed to register in Kagome's grief-stricken mind. Her mother's body was warm.

Kagome lifted herself up. If her mother died last night that meant that she would be stiff and cold. Hope flooded in Kagome's chest as she groped around for a pulse. Her fingers lingered on her mother's warm neck for a long moment before she heard the faintest beat of her mother's heart. Kagome's eyes widened.

"You're… not… dead!" Kagome wept out happily and cried into her hands, overcome with the relief of her mother's survival. Inuyasha hadn't killed her mother after all. Now that she gazed down at her mother, she could see the tiniest movement of her chest. Her decreased, shallow breaths were still providing her mother with life.

Kagome leapt away from her mother and rushed over to her teenaged brother, feeling for a pulse. When she was rewarded with the tiniest of pulses she hurried on to her grandfather.

"I can't believe it… he didn't kill you," she whispered as her grandfather's heart pounded once beneath her fingertips. They were okay. Her family was alive.

Inuyasha hadn't killed her family. He'd been ordered to kill her family, though. So, why hadn't he?

Once Kagome regained control of her emotions, she set to work. She moved each one of her family members to their respected beds. Once they were all tucked in and nestled beneath three or four blankets, Kagome shut the doors, shrouding their rooms in darkness.

That only left one thing.

Her baby sister.

Rin.

Kagome retreated to her bedroom and extracted her taijiya uniform beneath her bed and began stripping.

Kagome buttoned the last button on her uniform and began securing the shoulder and elbow pads. The blue armor reflected off the light in her ceiling. Securing her stomach guard with a thing ? strap, Kagome began tying her sash to her side.

"I will save you," she whispered to the photo of Rin on her desk. The little girl behind the glass smiled widely up at her, as if silently mocking Kagome's resolve. "And I'll save him, too."

She knew now that Inuyasha was innocent. The look in his eyes the night of the new moon was nothing short of pure devotion. Inuyasha would not betray her. And, her family was still alive. He hadn't killed her family.

"I know he's being blackmailed," she told Rin's picture. The picture didn't answer her, just silently stared back at her. "And if he's not, then I'll kill him so he can't do any harm."

With those words, she tucked a dagger inside her boot. "I won't allow him to hurt anyone."

The picture continued to sit on top of her desk.

"And if he is being blackmailed, I'll save him. He would never betray us. I have faith in Inuyasha." She nodded to her sister's photo and left her room, shutting the door and covering it in darkness.

Inuyasha crawled through the air vent slowly, trying his hardest not to make a sound that would echo throughout the entire ventilation system.

'I never thought I'd actually be crawling around in one of these,' Inuyasha thought with a small amount of boyish delight. He felt like James Bond.

He was currently in search of two things. Either the BWATE canon or Dr. Yomohama. If he could destroy the BWATE canon, then Naraku wouldn't be able to concentrate Rin's psychic energy throughout the entire city. If he found Dr. Yomohama, he could steal the antidote to the super poxvirus and use the BWATE canon to distribute it throughout the city. Inuyasha would have given himself a pat on the back for such an amazing plan, but he was cramped for space and searching for one of two of his goals.

He'd been crawling around the venting system for what felt like hours, searching for some kind of clue. He needed to destroy Naraku. For once, he had to get a step above Naraku, just to thwart him and piss him off all the more. He knew that he was risking a lot by doing this, but he had too many people to protect.

'I just need to find one of the two and then—' Inuyasha's thoughts were effectively cut off when his hand planted itself on a rusted grate and he fell through the venting system.

With a small, startled yelp, he fell into an unceremonious pile on the cold, hard ground. He moaned quietly in pain as he sat up straight and popped his back, trying to look as if his sudden fall was intentional.

It took him a moment to realize that he wasn't alone. An old woman sat at a table on the other side of the room, staring at him in shock. Her one eye was opened wide and Inuyasha realized that she was wearing an eye patch over her eye.

"What are you doing in my cell?" she barked out, her eye narrowing. Inuyasha glanced around, taking in his appearance. He was inside a cell; the woman was right about that. Three walls of thick concrete surrounded them. The fourth wall was absent and instead replaced with iron bars.

"Um… I was… checking the ventilation system?" Inuyasha guessed and pointed up to the metal pathway he'd been crawling in moments before. "Um… who are you?"

"I should be asking you the same question," the woman said angrily as she observed the boy. She stared at him for a long moment, succeeding in making Inuyasha feel very uncomfortable until her eyes widened in shock. "Inuyasha?"

The shock of falling through the venting system didn't compare to the shock of this strange woman recognizing him and calling him by name.

"You… know who I am?" Inuyasha asked slowly then realized that it might have been better to deny 'Inuyasha' as his name, just in case. Who was this woman anyway? And why was she in a cell?

"Of course I know who you are, you idiot," the woman said snippily and Inuyasha growled warningly at her.

"And how is that?"

"How could I not recognize the little boy who made a mess of my office?" the woman snorted angrily. "Please. When your father brought you in, you made quite a racket. You knocked over anything that got within a foot of you."

Inuyasha frowned and registered the woman's words. "You're the one who sealed me."

The woman nodded. "I am Dr. Kaede Yomohama, yes."

"Good thing I found you!" Inuyasha declared and he was suddenly on his feet. He ran around her cell, searching for the antidote he knew was around here somewhere. "Where is it, you stupid woman?"

"That's hardly anyway to treat me," the woman huffed and stood from her table. "What in God's name are you searching for?"

"The antidote to Naraku's virus," the hanyou said testily, growing impatient at this woman's lack of enthusiasm for his worthy cause. "Where is it?"

"Why would I give it to you?" the doctor asked slowly.

"Just give it to me," the boy barked, narrowing his eyes. He clenched his fists. "I need it. If I don't have it, Naraku will kill me with the rest of them. I need to save them!"

Kaede sighed and waddled over to him, observing him from her hunched form. "Save who?"

"Everyone!" Inuyasha said angrily, wishing the doctor would see what he meant and what he had to do. "I have to save everyone from Naraku."

"And how do you suggest you'll do that?" the woman said slowly.

"I'll kill Naraku," Inuyasha said darkly, his golden eyes flashing in the darkness of Kaede's cell. "I'll make him pay for what he's done to me."

Dr. Yomohama sighed and placed a small hand on Inuyasha's elbow. The said boy looked down at her, his golden eyes silently questioning her.

The woman led him across the room to a tiny rug. Kneeling, she pulled the red rug away, revealing a tiny, wooden trap door. Pulling it open she reached down and pulled out a tiny vial.

"This is one dosage," Kaede explained and handed the tube to the hanyou. It was a thick, mustard yellow liquid. Inuyasha's nose wrinkled in displeasure. He could smell the disgusting stench of the antidote through the glass test tube. "It will make you immune to the smallpox virus."

"Do you have any more?" Inuyasha asked abruptly. "I need to give some to Kagome."

"Kagome?" a new voice said behind the two. Kaede whipped out her hand and slammed the trap door shut before pushing the rug over it quickly. She stood up and Inuyasha followed suit.

On the other side of the cell's bars Kikyou stood, holding a tray of food for Kaede. Her brown eyes were widened in shock and her mouth was slightly parted as if a question was perched on the tip of her lips.

"Kagome? My sister?" Kikyou whispered out as she knelt down and slipped the food tray through a small hole at the bottom of the cell. Kaede moved over and grasped the food before retreating to the table she'd been sitting at before Inuyasha fell through the vents. "Is my sister okay?"

"Why do you care?" Inuyasha growled out angrily, grasping the iron bars and moving his face closer to Kikyou's. "You tried to kill us."

"And you tried to kill our family," Kikyou countered, looking miffed at the mere suggestion that she would betray her family.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Don't compare me to you."

"You forget that you are not the only one under Naraku's control, half-breed," Kikyou said coolly and turned her attention towards Kaede. "What about my sister?"

"Yes, what about Kagome?" Kaede questioned quietly. "How is my granddaughter doing?"

"Granddaughter?" Inuyasha asked in alarm. This universe was too damned small for his tastes.

"Yes, Kaede is our mother's mother," Kikyou explained gently from the other side of the iron bars. "She's a powerful miko."

"Miko?" Inuyasha whipped his heard around to face the old woman. "But you're a doctor, not a priestess."

"Miko are very valuable in the field of medicine." Kaede took a bite of her cold, stale food before continuing on with whatever she had to say. "But I don't go around preaching my miko abilities."

"Why not?"

"If my powers were discovered, everyone would expect me to perform miracles. Especially since I work on chronic diseases," the old woman said sadly, looking far older in the dying light of the cell. Kikyou nodded in agreement to her grandmother's words.

"I see," Inuyasha said slowly after the words lapsed into silence. "But, I still need more of the antidote for Kagome and her family."

Kaede shook her head. "You hold the last vial. Naraku took the rest."

"What?" Inuyasha looked shocked.

"You needn't worry," Dr. Yomohama was quick to explain as she finished off her pitiful excuse for a meal. "While designing the antidote I discovered something amazing about Naraku's smallpox virus."

"What is that?" Inuyasha was suddenly before the old woman, leaning over her as he planted his hands on the table. "Tell me!"

"Miko are unaffected," the elder miko said gently. "I was sprayed by the virus after Naraku collected the antidote. I couldn't reach the cure before I passed out. The affects of the virus appear very quickly. But I have yet to get them and it's been a few weeks now."

"He sprayed me as well," Kikyou said gently, "When he discovered that I was trying to contact the taijiya with information of his whereabouts."

Inuyasha stared at the elder Higurashi sister in amazement. All this time, he'd assumed Kikyou to be another one of Naraku's minions. But she was in the same situation as he was. She was forced here against her will and prevented from returning to her home. Kikyou was as innocent as he was.

"I have to go and break the BWATE canon," Inuyasha said at last and moved towards the broken vent.

"No, don't!" Kikyou said in alarm, reaching out a hand through the bars and grasping Inuyasha's uniform. The man tensed. Had he been wrong about Kikyou after all? "We can use the BWATE canon to circulate the cure. You can't destroy it. You have to destroy Naraku."

Inuyasha nodded slowly. "Okay, so I won't destroy the BWATE."

"Good idea," Kikyou agreed and Inuyasha could have sworn he saw a shadow of a smile on Kikyou's lips. But it could have been a trick of the light because when Inuyasha blinked, Kikyou was looking at him sternly.

"You have to get Rin out of here," Inuyasha told Kikyou quietly. "He has her. He's going to use her to spread his influence throughout the entire city."

"I understand," Kikyou nodded. "But Naraku… he'll…"

"Don't worry," Inuyasha promised, flashing Kikyou a toothy smile. His golden eyes sparkled in the dim light outside Kaede's cell and he chuckled mirthlessly. "I'll keep Naraku distracted. You just get Rin out of here."

"Got it," Kikyou said as she turned to go.

"Kikyou," Inuyasha murmured and the miko paused. "Get Kagome. She'll help you."

Kikyou glanced at him over her shoulder and nodded once before she slunk off into the darkness of the corridor and Inuyasha disappeared through the vents.

Inuyasha dropped through the venting system far more gracefully this time. He landed, crouched over and poised to spring forwards. He glanced around, his golden eyes taking in his surroundings.

Standing slowly, he marched down the hallway. He'd find Naraku. He'd save them all.

As he rounded the corner he slammed into a body far taller than he. He stumbled backwards, flattening against the wall.

He blinked slowly and as he opened his eyes, the golden orbs widened. "You…!" he gasped out as his gaze fell upon the man before him. "What are you doing here?"

Sesshoumaru stood regally before him, poised like the ruler of the Western Lands he should have been, had it not been for the humans. His brother's hand darted out and grasped Inuyasha's neck, raising him above the ground and planting him firmly against the wall.

"How nice to see you, brother," his brother drawled out and Inuyasha's mouth opened in shock as he recognized his brother's voice.

The voice on the other side of the wall had sounded so familiar and now Inuyasha understood why.

"Traitor…" Inuyasha wheezed out as his brother squeezed his throat tightly.

"You know how much I despise humans, little brother," Sesshoumaru whispered out harshly, punctuating his words with a thick push of his head against the hard wall behind him. "You, of all people, should know this."

"Traitor," Inuyasha repeated, gasping for air.

His brother's poisonous claws dug into his brother's skin, sending shocks of deadly poison through his hanyou brother's bloodstream.

Inuyasha gasped for air as his throat constricted. He struggled to swallow and almost feared that he could no longer breathe with the combined effort of poison and his brother's choking.

"That's enough, Sesshoumaru, he's no use to me dead," Naraku's voice said from behind Sesshoumaru's tall body. The demon lord dropped the boy and sent a tiny glare towards the Ring Leader, not enjoying the idea of being bossed around.

Inuyasha crumbled to the floor, gasping lungful after lungful of glorious air. Naraku's foot flew out and caught Inuyasha in the side of his face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Our little half-breed has been plotting against us," Naraku drawled out slowly, his red eyes glinting in the darkness. "Our little half-breed is a traitor."

He turned towards Sesshoumaru. "Leave us."

His brother left, melting away into the darkness. Inuyasha struggled to call after him, struggled to find an appropriate curse word to shout after his brother. But his brother was gone. He could have killed the demon lord.

Suddenly, Naraku's foot kicked out and caught his jaw, sending his face into a sudden whiplash.

He glared up at the man as a tentacle pierced his uniform, shredding it down his back and revealing cuts from the razor-sharp tips of the tentacles.

Inuyasha coughed and tasted blood from where his fang had pierced his tongue. He swallowed thickly and struggled to stand. Another kick sent him to the ground. Naraku chuckled mirthlessly and lingered above Inuyasha, watching the boy struggle for control of his body.

"You've just killed them, Inuyasha," Naraku said quietly, thoroughly enjoying his words. His eyes widened manically and his face split into a large grin. "You've killed everyone you know and love."

Inuyasha coughed again and lifted his head, staring defiantly up at Naraku. "Bastard…"

For several long, excruciatingly painful moments, Naraku sent blow by deadly blow to Inuyasha's weakening body. Sesshoumaru's poison marched through his veins valiantly, breaking his body down bit by weakening bit.

Naraku's dark scarlet eyes glowed in the darkness as he crouched beside the suffering boy. "You've killed them," he repeated. "You killed them and you'll be seeing them in hell once I kill you."

He grasped Inuyasha's long silver hair and lifted the boy's head up. Inuyasha spat at him but Naraku didn't seem to notice the mixture of saliva and blood drizzling down his cheek. He smirked wickedly at Inuyasha's collapsed form.

"How does it feel to be at my mercy, hanyou?" Naraku asked quietly, his red eyes glowing in his sick amusement.

His hand glowed and placed itself at Inuyasha's chest, preparing to rip it open and tug out his still beating heart. Inuyasha could imagine his companions now; dead. He'd let them down. He'd failed them. He'd failed everyone.

He felt sharp claws twist his skin and he winced in pain. He would not cry out. He would not give Naraku the satisfaction. He would die with honor.

Naraku suddenly stopped and lifted away from Inuyasha, placing a finger to his ear. "What?"

Inuyasha glanced up at him, his vision blurred. "Now? Are you sure? Okay."

He knelt before Inuyasha again. "Congratulations, hanyou. You're spared. For now."

"Wha…?" Inuyasha questioned, his mind fuzzy.

"You get the honor and privilege to meeting the Ring Leader," Naraku said at last as he hauled Inuyasha to his feet.

"Shut up, bastard," the words seemed to snap Inuyasha out of his daze. "I already know you."

Naraku chuckled. "You truly think I'm the Ring Leader, hanyou?"

Inuyasha seemed to deflate with that remark. He blinked stupidly and tried to clear his head. "Well," he said at last. "I did."

Naraku shook his head and laughed hollowly. "No. I am not the Ring Leader. I am simply the leader of a much larger branch of demons."

"Oh…" Inuyasha said stupidly as Naraku dragged him down multiple corridors, leading him deeper and deeper into the facility that was the Ring Leader's headquarters.

"The Ring Leader wishes to see you."

They approached a door and without even knocking Naraku threw the door open. He shoved Inuyasha into the room unceremoniously and Inuyasha stumbled, falling forward. He scrambled to his feet and swayed once he stood upright.

His vision seemed to clear after a few moments of standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Naraku shut the door, leaving Inuyasha in silence in the empty room. The boy swayed some more and looked around as the poison from Sesshoumaru's claws finally wore off.

"Welcome," a soft, husky voice said behind him. Inuyasha slowly turned around and gazed at the man who walked out from the shadows.

His eyes widened in shock. It looked as if he were looking a mirror. The man before him was tall and lanky, yet undeniably powerful, much like he was. His pointed face observed him with dark amber eyes.

Inuyasha recognized him immediately.

"Father…"