"HEY! KAGOME! LEMME IN!"
A muffled shout came from outside the apartment, and Kagome, dressed in the miko costume, rushed to the door.
"Inuyasha!" She smiled, as he pushed past her into the living room.
"Are you guys ready? Miroku is waiting in the car! We're gonna be late if you don't hurry!"
"Okay, okay! Let me grab my purse…"
"Don't bring your purse. As a matter of fact…don't bring anything."
"Why not…"
"Just…don't, okay?"
"Fine. Sango! Come on!"
"Cooommmmingggg!"
Sango came, dancing out of her bedroom, dressed in her demon exterminator outfit.
"Sango…you look amazing!"
"I know!" Sango giggled. "I didn't think the costume would fit this well…but it does!"
"Hey, Kagome." Inuyasha called out to her.
"Huh?"
"What are you s'posed to be?"
"A miko."
"Oh."
Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, and to Kagome, it looked as if he were trying to remember something…or someone. But then his trance was interrupted when Sango tapped Kagome on the shoulder and asked if they were ready.
"Oh…yeah. Let's go!"
They ran out of the apartment and down the stairs to the car, where Miroku was waiting patiently, listening to some pop music on the radio.
When Sango entered the car, Miroku got out immediately, and migrated to the back seat, to sit beside her. Kagome joined Inuyasha in the front seat.
"How long do you think it'll take us to get there, Inuyasha?"
"At least an hour. The mansion's out in the country."
"Oh."
Before Kagome could say anything else, she heard a bold statement come from the back seat.
"Sango, my dear…would you be interested in bearing my children?"
"Miroku!" She shouted as a loud slapping noise could be heard.
Kagome shook her head in both amusement and disappointment. Miroku was such a lecher. And when it came to Sango…he was much worse.
"I suppose I will have to simply ask you later."
"Yeah. Right. Do it, and see what it gets you, houshi!"
Inuyasha laughed, and then started the car.
Kagome thought to herself. 'This is going to be a looooong ride.'
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Sesshomaru walked in the front door of the mansion, knowing exactly where Naraku would be. He walked swiftly to the library of the sprawling house, and Naraku was sitting in the same chair he had been in that morning, reading. It was a hobby of his. Television was something neither of the youkai particularly enjoyed. They had enough things to do with their time.
"Tanaka."
"Taisho."
Naraku turned his head towards the taiyoukai.
"I suppose you will be wearing a costume tonight…"
"Hai, Taisho. My usual."
"Ah."
"And you…?"
"Usual. Ancestral garment."
"Hn. What's in the bag?"
Naraku pointed to the paper bag that Sesshomaru clutched in his hand. Sesshomaru handed it over, and Naraku pulled out the figurines.
"Decided to go shopping?"
"No. Actually…those are from the Higurashi girl. The wench my half-breed brother is currently dating. She wanted to thank us for inviting her."
"Kagura." Naraku's eyes widened when he saw his former servant carved in wood.
"Hai."
"And…you."
Sesshomaru nodded.
"Does she know…what we are…"
"No. She does not. Which is why it surprises me that she even picked these out."
Naraku nodded in agreement.
"We must separate her from Inuyasha tonight, Taisho. I wish to speak with her. And I know you do. You know what tonight is all about."
"Hai. And I doubt my idiot brother will notice her missing if we have someone distract him."
They looked at each other for a moment, evil grins spreading across their faces—fangs lengthening; eyes narrowing.
"Kikyo." They both said in unison before laughing.
The party would be interesting.
An hour later, Naraku and Sesshomaru were prepared. Each was dressed in a hakama, but Naraku's was a dark navy, almost purple…while Sesshomaru's was donned with red and white sakura blossoms. In his belt were his family heirloom swords…Tenseiga and Tokijin.
"Well. You certainly look the part, Sesshomaru." Naraku stepped out of the shadows and waited at the door for the first guests to enter the gates.
"I would take that as a compliment, if it wasn't coming from you, Tanaka."
Naraku smirked. He and Sesshomaru were friends, true. But sometimes, they both got on each other's nerves because they lived in the same house.
Suddenly, Sesshomaru's attention was turned elsewhere. A sleek black car was pulling into the driveway. And he recognized the model. It was Inuyasha's.
"Look who showed up."
"Let the fun begin…" Naraku chuckled.
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"Okay you guys! We're here!" Inuyasha exclaimed as he turned the car off. Miroku, Sango, and Kagome were staring out their windows in awe at the sprawling mansion.
"I don't think I've ever seen a house so big in my entire life, Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted.
"Yeah…it is pretty huge…"
They each stepped out of the vehicle only to be greeted by Sesshomaru and Naraku, who were waiting at the front door for them.
Inuyasha scrunched his nose in disgust at seeing his older half brother and his friend. He had never liked them.
'I hope…tonight doesn't drive Kagome away from me…once she learns what I am.' Inuyasha thought to himself as he and the others approached the duo.
Sesshomaru turned to Naraku and nodded. Naraku stepped forward and greeted Inuyasha and his friends, and taking Kagome's hand in his, gently placing a kiss on it.
She blushed.
Inuyasha nearly ripped Naraku's throat out, but stopped himself. He didn't want to make a scene, for Kagome's sake.
"Oh…er…thank you…Mr…" Kagome stopped when she realized she didn't know Naraku's last name.
"Tanaka. But you may call me Naraku."
"Naraku." She nodded.
"And you must be…"
"Miroku. And this is my girlfriend, Sango."
"Pleasure to meet you." Naraku spoke in a velvety deep tone, which sent shivers up both of the girls' spines. They exchanged glances for less than a second, but both Sesshomaru and Naraku caught it.
"Why don't you come inside?"
"Finally…" Inuyasha mumbled.
"Why, Inuyasha. Dear half brother of mine. I did not see you standing there."
Sesshomaru mocked. Inuyasha let out a huff of air and a 'keh' before pushing past the older man and into the house.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome chastised. "I'm really sorry about…"
"Do not worry yourself." Sesshomaru motioned for her and the others to go inside.
Kagome went in first, followed by Sango and Miroku, and then Naraku and Sesshomaru.
"The other guests will be arriving soon." Naraku spoke softly.
"Hai. You will greet them…I am off to watch my brother." Sesshomaru hissed. He absolutely loathed Inuyasha, and having him in his home was bound to cause some kind of disaster.
He found them in the ballroom, looking at the decorations that had been set up.
"Wow, Sesshomaru!" Kagome exclaimed. "This is great! Did you guys set this up yourselves?"
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at Kagome and shook his head.
"Keh." Inuyasha spat. "That idiot couldn't set up decorations for anything if his life depended on it."
"Inuyasha! Don't say…" Kagome wanted to scream at Inuyasha for being so rude to Sesshomaru, but she stopped herself. She didn't want Inuyasha to be angry with her for defending his brother. The last thing they needed was to get in a fight.
"Don't say what?" He huffed.
"Umm…nevermind."
"No, Kagome. What? Were you going to say that I shouldn't be rude to my brother? Or that I should be nicer? Because the only reason you, Sango, Miroku and I are even here right now is because my father told Sesshomaru that he had to invite us."
That sent Kagome over the edge. Sesshomaru had been nice to her earlier that day, and she didn't like that Inuyasha was being rude to him in his own home. He didn't have to let them in.
"Inuyasha…" Kagome smiled, mockingly sweet.
"What…"
"You're such a bonehead!" She shouted, before storming out of the ballroom and into another part of the house.
"Oh. Way to go, Inuyasha." Sango hissed. "You are so inconsiderate!"
"Me? But…"
Before Inuyasha could finish his sentence, Sango had already followed her friend out of the ballroom.
"Kagome!"
Sango chased Kagome through the hall and into the den.
"Kagome. Are you alright?"
"Hai. I'm just mad…Inuyasha is such a jerk, Sango!"
"I know…" She sighed.
"I don't know what to do anymore, Sango. He's just being so mean to me…I…it's almost like he doesn't want to be with me."
"Hey…don't tell yourself that, Kags. He likes you…a lot…he just has a weird way of showing it."
"Yeah." She sighed sadly.
"Are you going to be okay?"
"I'm going to be fine…but do you think I could be alone for a minute or two?"
"Sure…" Sango smiled sadly. "I'll be with Miroku."
"I'll meet you back in the ballroom."
Sango nodded and left Kagome alone with her thoughts.
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"If you truly love your girlfriend, as you say, Inuyasha…then perhaps you would treat her better." Sesshomaru said, icily.
"What the fuck would you know about treating people right, Sesshomaru?"
"More than you. I was raised with manners, hanyou."
"And I wasn't?"
Sesshomaru merely raised an eyebrow at him.
"Feh. You just remember that I have Kagome…not you."
'Not for long, little brother. I'll see to that.' Sesshomaru thought to himself as Sango entered the room.
"Hey…Sango…where's Kagome…"
"She wants to be by herself for a little while."
"But…"
"Inuyasha, perhaps you should leave her alone. Let her think." Miroku suggested.
"Miroku…since when did you start giving advice, you lecher?" Inuyasha snapped.
"Inuyasha, I don't think you're really in a position to be talking…" Sango hissed.
"Hey, Sango…why don't you…"
"Enough!" Sesshomaru shouted, much to the surprise of those in the room. "You will all refrain from arguing now."
They were silent.
"That's better. Now, if you'll excuse me, more guests are arriving." His eyes narrowed at the group as he turned and left the ballroom to find Naraku. Tanaka would go after the Higurashi girl while he finished admitting the guests to the party.
Sesshomaru found him still standing at the door, waiting for those who had arrived to make their way to him.
"I'll take over. Find Kagome."
Naraku nodded.
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'I can't believe Inuyasha!' Kagome thought to herself. 'One moment…he's the sweetest person in the world, but the next…he's so rude and hateful.'
Kagome stood alone in another large room, looking at the beautiful tapestries that lined the walls. They depicted demons…inu, neko, ookami, and much more. She was amazed at the detail they held. Each was so realistic…each and every last detail of the mythical creatures had been painted in painstakingly.
"How beautiful…" She said aloud, forgetting for a moment the problem that was at hand. Then, Inuyasha's voice snapped her out of her reverie. He was yelling at his brother again.
'Baka.' She thought again. 'What am I going to do about him? Sango says he likes me, but I'm beginning to feel…a little less than loved right now…he's always criticizing or insulting me. What can I do? What will I do…when I've had enough of this treatment?'
She sighed as she walked slowly to one of the many windows of the ballroom, stopping as she pressed her left hand to a pane, gazing out at the full moon. The bright beams from the moon shone upon her face, making it glow with an almost ethereal light. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to revel in the beauty of everything at that moment. And then…
"There you are." A deep, silky voice beckoned her to turn her head ever so slightly. A figure bathed in purple and navy tones was standing behind her. As the light of the moon made its way to the figure, she could see it was Naraku Tanaka, the man she had met earlier.
"Oh. Hello, Naraku." Kagome smiled.
"I see you have been separated from Inuyasha."
"Hai. He's not on my good list right now. He's being so crude. Especially towards Sesshomaru."
"Well, you must understand their background, my dear Kagome." He spoke her name; let it roll off of his tongue without effort. And it sent shivers up her spine.
"I do…but…I just wish Inuyasha could put it behind him."
Naraku nodded.
"Don't we all. They have been feuding since they were children. And it is quite annoying, I can assure you. But I have learned to live with it over the years."
"Oh?" Kagome asked. "How long have you…I mean…Sesshomaru and yourself…known each other?"
"Decades." Was all he said.
"Oh."
"How long have you and Inuyasha been acquainted?" He asked quietly.
"Too long…sometimes…" She laughed. "About ten years."
"Ah."
They stood in silence for a moment, before Naraku spoke again.
"So. How much has Inuyasha told you about tonight's festivities?"
"Not anything, come to think of it. He just said there was a party, and that we were invited."
"I see." He thought for a moment.
"Why?"
"No reason. You will find out soon enough."
"What's that supposed to—"
Before Kagome could finish her sentence, Naraku began to walk toward her.
"I've been meaning to ask you, Kagome…where is it exactly that you bought that wonderful carving of Kagura, the wind witch?"
"Umm…at the mall…I thought you would like it. I wanted to say thank you for inviting us to the party…Inuyasha and I don't really get invited anywhere. Mainly because…of his…attitude." She frowned.
"I see. Do you know the story behind her?"
"No…I didn't get a chance to ask the clerk"
"Hn." He stared at her for a moment. "You are wearing miko's clothing."
"Oh…this…I bought it last minute at this one shop…I didn't have a costume."
He nodded.
"You remind me of someone, seeing you in that costume. But I can't quite put my finger on it."
"Oh?"
"Hai." He inched closer, until his face was inches from hers.
"Well…I'm sure you'll think of it soon…" She laughed nervously.
"I'm sure I will." He smirked. "Now…as I was saying…the story of Kagura. Are you interested to hear about her?"
"Uh…sure."
"Well. Then follow me. We'll go to the library, where you can sit down."
"What about the party?"
"Don't worry about it. Sesshomaru will come and get us when it begins."
"Okay…" Nervously, Kagome followed Naraku out of the ballroom and through a few dark corridors, and up a flight of stairs before they finally reached the library. Naraku opened two large chestnut doors, and Kagome gasped. Inside was the largest library she had seen to date in a household. Being that it was a mansion, Kagome supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised, but the magnitude of it all was still overwhelming.
"How…beautiful! I've never seen…a library…this big before!"
"This was my...grandfather's mansion. He had this built…quite a while ago."
"Wow."
"Come. Sit." Naraku pointed to two large green, velvety…yet cushiony…chairs. She plopped down in the one on the right, while Naraku took the left.
He looked at her for a moment before beginning the story.
"Long ago, there was a wind witch named Kagura. She was created from one of the most powerful demon lords of the age."
"What was his name?" Kagome interrupted, before realizing her mistake. "I'm sorry. Please…go on."
"His name…is unknown at the moment. This happened five centuries ago. The story…has been passed down over the years." Naraku lied. It wasn't time to tell her yet.
"Oh."
"As I was saying. She was created from one of the most powerful demon lords of the age. And she was powerful, herself. Everywhere she went, Kagura wreaked havoc. She was known for causing many 'natural' disasters. And she killed many men and women alike, whenever given orders to do so by her creator. And then…one day…Kagura decided that she would betray her master. So she went behind his back and devised a plan to have him murdered by a rogue group of travelers that consisted of a houshi, a miko, a hanyou, a taijiya and her fire cat, and a kitsune cub. He held something that the miko in the group desired very much."
"What was it?"
"I was getting to that." He scowled.
"Sorry…I can be a little impatient."
He nodded and continued.
"He held the Shikon No Tama."
Kagome gasped. Her grandfather had told her many stories of the Shikon No Tama back at the shrine where they lived.
"It was a very coveted jewel, and the powerful demon lord had come upon it in a battle between himself and another demon lord, who had stolen it from the miko and her group.The miko was angered by the fact that the demon lord possessed what was hers to guard, and so Kagura decided to make a deal with the miko in exchange for her freedom from her master. Kagura informed the group where her master was hiding out, and when his powers would be at their weakest. When his barrier would be weak enough to break through. They went to his citadel, and on one particularly stormy night, they attacked. The demon lord was rendered powerless through one unlucky stroke of fate, though he remained youkai. The miko regained her missing Shikon No Tama, but the Wind Witch, Kagura, perished in the battle. Her master reabsorbed her in an unfortunate…chain of events, and he himself disappeared until many centuries later. It is said…that he still roams the Earth to this day. In humanoid form."
"That was an amazing story, Naraku." Kagome spoke softly. "You were so passionate about it…it was like I was reliving the whole thing."
"I am a fairly good storyteller. I have had much practice."
Kagome nodded.
"It's odd…you know…that I'm wearing a miko costume. And you just told me that story." She thought out loud.
"Yes. Well. Life is full of coincidences."
"Whatever happened…to the group?"
"Eventually, the monk and the taijiya passed on after living a long life together. They had many children. The hanyou and the miko were married for a short time, but then the miko died unexpectedly, leaving he and the kitsune cub behind."
"Oh."
They sat in silence for a moment before Kagome spoke again.
"Would you mind…too terribly…if we went back to the ballroom? I'm sure Inuyasha's looking for me…and…"
"That's not a problem." He stood, and offered her his hand. She blushed slightly, and placed her hand in his. Immediately, a shock ran through her. She recognized this man. From somewhere…some time. His face…his clothing…his eyes. Dark…foreboding…haunting.
"Kagome. Is there something the matter?" Naraku asked, concerned.
"No…nothing…nothing's wrong."
He sensed her fear. She had seen something from her past.
"Are you sure…"
"Hai. Can…can we just…please go back to the ballroom?"
In moments, they had left the library, and Kagome was following Naraku down the hallway to the ballroom. Inuyasha turned and glared at her as she entered the room. Quite a few other guests had arrived, and Kagome noticed that they were all dressed in traditional Japanese feudal era garb. As she walked over to Inuyasha, she took a double take when she saw a woman standing next to him…that looked frighteningly like herself.
"Ah. You must be Kagome. Inuyasha's told me so much about you."
"That's funny. I have no idea who you are." Kagome snapped. Something about that woman angered her. Especially when she saw her standing next to Inuyasha.
"I am Kikyo Tanaka. Naraku's cousin. Inuyasha and I have been friends since we were children. Haven't we, 'Yasha?" Kikyo giggled. Inuyasha nodded, still glaring at Kagome. She had made him look like an insensitive jerk in front of their friends, and he was thankful that Kikyo hadn't been present when the small feud had happened. She thought the world of him.
"Well. Nice to meet you." Kagome turned to Inuyasha, who raised an eyebrow at her.
"Inuyasha…can we talk?"
"I guess." He shrugged, telling Kikyo that he would return, and followed Kagome to one of the corners of the ballroom.
"Why didn't you tell me about her?"
"I didn't think there was any need to, Kagome. Why? Are you jealous?" He sneered.
Kagome narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha.
"Don't ever think I would be jealous of a bimbo like her!" She hissed.
"Don't insult Kikyo!"
"Why? Do you like her?"
"She's my friend!"
"And I'm your girlfriend!"
They both glared at one another before Kagome backed him up against the wall, and pointed a finger in his face.
"You'd better not do anything with her, Inuyasha, or I'm warning you…it's over! I've had enough of the way you've been treating me…and now you're letting some bimbo hang all over you while I'm not around!" She turned from him and stomped off into the crowds of people that were pouring into the room.