Chapter 9: A Bargain from the Devil

It was raining outside and the Inuyasha gang had found a nearby hut to take shelter in. They had started a fire and were all sitting around it, everyone's eyes glaring at Inuyasha who was sitting near the entrance. His arms crossed, legs twitching.

"Would ya stop glarin' at me!" He said after a long silence.

"Inuyasha..." Sango hissed as Miroku placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, surprisingly not trying to grope her. "You dragged us across Japan...pushing us to go faster, telling us that we were after Naraku, that you could finally smell him... ONLY FOR YOU TO BE FOLLOWING YOUR BROTHER!" Sango yelled loudly, causing Inuyasha to jump to his feet.

"I wanted to make sure he didn't touch her!" Inuyasha said defensively.

"Inuyasha why should you give a fuck if he touches her? You CHOSE Kikyou! Do I need to remind you the conversation you had with Kagome? Do I need to remind you how you made her cry with those words? You got what you chose now let Kagome go!" Sango warned.

Inuyasha's ears flatten against his head as he sat back down, his back turned away from the group.

It was true. He had told Kagome that he wanted to be with Kikyou. She had caught them kissing and he didn't know it until she had asked him about it later. She looked so hurt and so betrayed and he just went off. He told her that she shouldn't look at him like that. And that he had never loved her, it was Kikyou that he wanted, Kikyou that he loved.

But they moved on, and she acted the same as she always did and so Inuyasha never thought he could lose her. Not until now.

Sesshoumaru, the bastard, had shown up completely unannounced. Inuyasha didn't even smell him or feel his approaching aura. He had obviously masked it. Then he had emerged from the trees and grabbed Inuyasha by his throat and slammed his body to the ground.

"Stop following us." He growled at the hanyou as his friends jumped to their feet to defend him.

"We're following Naraku!" Miroku yelled at him. "Aren't you doing the same?"

"Naraku?" Sesshoumaru's golden eyes fell on Inuyasha who was trying to get to his feet. A smirked played on his lips as he looked at Miroku. "You are not following Naraku, monk. Your friend has lied to you. You have been following me."

At this Miroku lowered his staff as Sango did the same with her boomerang. Both slowly turned to Inuyasha who gave them a sorrowful glance. "But I didn't come here to kick your ass and order you to stop following me. You have something."

"I don't have anything bastard!" Inuyasha's amber orbs now glared at his older half-brother.

"Oh, I beg to differ, little brother. You see, dear Kagome..." He smirked and watched his brother flinch at his way of addressing Kagome. "...wants the thing she calls a 'backpack.' But every time you two meet, you always distract her with a jealous fit."

"Why you..." Inuyasha ran at Sesshoumaru and flexed his claws. Sesshoumaru dodged his rash blow effortlessly by side stepping.

"So I have come to get it for her." He said turning to Inuyasha who had fallen on the ground. He jumped to his feet and growled, but suddenly that growl stopped. Out of the corner of Sesshoumaru's eye, he saw a figure approach him with a yellow bag.

He turned to her, and she handed it to him. "Here." Sango said, not looking at Sesshoumaru but at Inuyasha. "This is what she wants." Sesshoumaru smirked, took the bag and left.

Inuyasha growled at the memory. His stupid brother. Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and even Kirara it seemed like, were mad at him. And why shouldn't they be? He led them on, made them think they were going after Naraku.

Shippou began taking large steps over to Inuyasha. His chest was poked out as he reached the hanyou. "Inuyasha..." He said his name slowly and tried to make his voice sound cold.

"What?" He snapped, annoyed at the brat for ripping him away from his thoughts.

"You're a bastard!" He yelled. "Take this: Fox Fire!" Bluish-green fire came from his fingers and burned Inuyasha's face.

"What you little..." Inuyasha grabbed him by the tail and slung him across the room. "I'm going out." He said angrily and then rushed out into the rain.

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Kagome's heart pounded as she listened to the conversation. It was quiet. Sesshoumaru and Naraku hadn't spoken and it was driving Kagome crazy. She heard footsteps, Naraku's? Kami what was going on!

And in fact it was Naraku's footsteps. He sat across from Sesshoumaru and pulled down the hood of his baboon skin, revealing his face. Sesshoumaru kept a hard glare on him and had one hand still holding the hilt of Tokijin.

"Don't trust me?" Naraku crooned, his eyes falling on Sesshoumaru's sword.

"What do you want?" Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as the hanyou's slender lips twisted in an evil smile.

"I want what any man would want. A beautiful woman." His black eyes fell on what was he thought... the sleeping form of Kagome. Sesshoumaru felt a growl rumble in his chest as his already cold glare becoming colder. Naraku's orbs slid back to Sesshoumaru. "How tiresome it must be to have her always at your side."

"If you won't get to the point, Naraku, I will. You sent those damn youkai, didn't you?" Sesshoumaru growled when he nodded. "If you knew I would always be around to protect her, why bother?"

"That is of no concern to you." Naraku said. "I want her, and you want your freedom." He said, continuing on. "I will give you your freedom, but in return you must give me the miko."

Sesshoumaru's golden depths fell on Kagome. "That Kagome...she is a feisty girl." Naraku said. "Full of sarcasm. Nothing like Kikyou, too bad Inuyasha can't see that. Or maybe... that's not so bad at all." Naraku smiled to himself.

"I remember when I captured her." He went on, smiling. "It was so easy. All I had to do was make Inuyasha believe Kikyou was in danger and then off he went. Leaving Kagome alone and unguarded. Her friends had gone to find food."

Sesshoumaru's eyes went back to Naraku. "I had Kagura bring her to my castle. She refused to leave the dungeon no matter how many times I offered her to come to my quarters."

Kagome's eyes widen at his memory. She didn't want to be here anymore. She wanted to sit up and demand Sesshoumaru to kill this puppet right now. But she also wanted to see how things played out. So she quietly laid there and shut her eyes at the memory.

"Kagome seems like a strong girl, Sesshoumaru. But she is really a broken doll." His smiled twisted. "It didn't take long. Once you get past her sarcastic barrier, she has a real fragile mind and heart. It only took me saying the things she feared most. Every hour of the two days we spent together was full of my words playing in her ears. At night I would fall asleep to the sound of her tears, what a beautiful sound that is."

Naraku's orbs swept over Kagome's body with lust. "And once pain swallows the mind, it's hard to break free. Of course you would know nothing about it, Sesshoumaru. But Kagome became like the living dead. It was easy for Kanna to use her mirror and hypnotize her." A dark glare came over Naraku.

"But that bastard Inuyasha had to come in and ruin it. He had to save Kagome and make her think he was her hero again." Shaking his head a little, black tresses fell from behind his shoulder. "Well that won't happen anymore."

Kagome's heart was beating at the memory in his castle. The words he had spoken were coming back to her and filling her ears. She felt her chest swell up with pain and her mind slowly being consumed with darkness.

"How does it feel to walk around as a copy? And obviously you're not a good enough copy. I mean Inuyasha promised to protect you, and then he ran off to protect someone who is already dead." Naraku crooned evilly. "How does it feel to be so unwanted, I must know."

Kagome shut her eyes and pushed back his words. "I've come here for her. I know how much you are getting aggravated with protecting this wench, but it can end here and now, Sesshoumaru. I can break that chain and set you free." Naraku said tauntingly.

"Naraku you fool, do you actually think this Sesshoumaru would believe you?" Sesshoumaru kept his eyes focused on the hanyou, the ice in his voice never wavering. "You can't break this chain."

"Do doubt my powers, Sesshoumaru." Naraku's voice was like acid. "I have most of the shikon no tama. It's tainted with my darkness and I can use its power however I please." His eyes narrowed. "All I need is for you not to get in my way. Give me the girl and leave." Tilting his head he continued. "I believe this is a fair bargain. You get your freedom and I get the wench who has kept you from it. What more could you ask for?"

Sesshoumaru arched a perfect eyebrow. "You want something from her." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"I want what any man wants from a beautiful girl." Naraku's eyes once again swept of her figure.

"No, Naraku, there is something more. This Sesshoumaru is not a fool. I know her powers and her extreme abilities as a miko. They are unlike any other...even that wench Kikyou." Sesshoumaru once again raised his eyebrow at Naraku's flinch. "I will not let you have this girl."

Kagome's eyes snapped open at Sesshoumaru's words. He said them with such clarity and with such firmness that she felt her heartbeat quicken. The chain the bound them began to vibrate.

"You've wasted your time coming here, Naraku." Sesshoumaru went on. "I don't want your disgusting deal and remember this; as long as Kagome is chained to me I will not let her fall into your filthy hands."

Naraku's black orbs swirled with fury. "I didn't know you cared for this wench." He bit out sarcastically.

"This isn't about caring for her. This about you not touching her." Flicking his wrist, Sesshoumaru let out his whip and slashed Naraku's head off. "Bargain's over." He said as Naraku's puppet vanished and any trace of him ever being there was erased.

The chain stop vibrating and Sesshoumaru let out a long aggravated sigh. His eyes slowly went over to Kagome and he let them linger over her sleeping form...wait... Sesshoumaru listened to her breathing and her heartbeat. That girl wasn't sleeping! "You can stop pretending now." He said as he saw her stiffen.

Kagome slowly got up and wiped the tears from her eyes as she turned around and met his gaze. "Why?" Was all she could say. Sesshoumaru just grunted.

"This Sesshoumaru would never bargain with a worthless hanyou." He said arrogantly.

Kagome just smiled. Somehow his arrogance was comforting.

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Inuyasha jumped from limb to limb. The rain poured down on his hanyou form, but it didn't stop him. He had to clear his mind and his heart. If he could just separate the fact that Kagome was Kagome, not Kikyou, maybe he could handle this better.

Kikyou was prettier, he concluded, far more graceful than Kagome. She was quieter and didn't yell all the time like Kagome did. She was stronger... way stronger in battle than Kagome.

But at that last thought Inuyasha cringed. The strength Kagome showed in the boar battle was like no other he had seen. She didn't jump or flinch but did what was needed. Inuyasha stopped on a branch and sat, this was giving him a headache.

Why was he so jealous? Sango was right, he had chosen Kikyou so why should he care if Sesshoumaru and Kagome were having some great love affair?

Because Sesshoumaru was the damn enemy and Kagome was supposed to be his friend, he concluded with a growl.

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The rain was still pouring and Kagome was flipping through her planner that she brought with her. She used it so she would know when important test were coming up. Flipping through until she reached this month, Kagome scanned until she found the day and gasped.

"Oh no!" She said with horror. Sesshoumaru raised a quizzical eyebrow at her and watched her from the corner of his eye. "Tomorrow is Souta's birthday!" She said with a groan. "He'll kill me if I don't come home." Her eyes slowly went to Sesshoumaru and she gulped. Now Sesshoumaru was fully looking at her. "So Sesshoumaru..."

He just gave her a indifferent stare. 'I can't bring Sesshoumaru back to my time!' Kagome thought as she looked at him. 'But Souta will be heartbroken if I don't show...' She thought with a twinge of guilt.

"How about a vacation?" She smiled and he just stared. "I need to go home." She said with a sigh. "It'll just be for a day or so, but think of it as a break from demons and shards and everything."

Go to Kagome's era? Tempting... Sesshoumaru looked the girl up and down, if they went maybe he could learn a thing or two about her. "When the rain stops, we'll go." He said finally.

Kagome grinned. "Oh thank you Sesshou!" She giggled at the shortening of his name and earned a mock glare from him.

"Is your memory that bad that you forgot my name? Ses-shou-ma-ru." He said mimicking her voice, causing Kagome to laugh.

Rolling her eyes Kagome mimicked his arrogant cold tone. "This Kagome will choose to call you which ever name I please. Worthless." She made her face indifferent but broke out into a laugh anyways.

Shaking her head Kagome looked outside and sighed. Who would have thought she would be here with him and feel more at ease than she ever had with Inuyasha? Who would have thought?

End of Chapter

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Moonchild: So the long awaited 'Sesshy in Kag's world' chapter is up next!

Inuyasha: Long awaited? Who gives a fuck? I go to her world all the time.

Kagome: With Sesshy it's different.

Moonchild: Yeah! Different. --twitches--

Sesshoumaru: MC what's your deal? Why are you twitching?

Moonchild: --bits bottom lip-- I won't do it... I won't do it...

Kagome: Do what?

Inuyasha: MC Don't!

Sesshoumaru: She can't contain herself.

Moonchild: AH! I can't help it! --grabs a microphone and then says in DBZ announcer voice-- "How will Sesshoumaru react in Kagome's world? Will it in up in disaster? And how is Naraku taking Sesshou bargain rejection? Find out the answers to all these questions and more next time on Chained to You." --normal voice-- Whew! I'm glad I got that out of my system.

Sesshoumaru: MC you crazy woman! Stop that shit!

Inuyasha: It's annoying!

Kagome: I find it funny.

Moonchild: That's why I like you the most Kagome. Anyways let me close the chappie with saying... I 3 U, my reader. You are awesome and fantastic for reading my fic. It means so much to me. You are superb- even though the person who made up that word should be shot not once...but twice according to Kon hehe. Anyways I'll stop rambling and get on with it. Thanks for reading my fic please send a review but no flames! They make me just oh so sad!