Well, folks, here's Chapter 4 of Youkai Masquerade…hope you like it a lot…a few of you suggested I hurry up and post the next chapter, so here it is! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Inuyasha. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

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Naraku found Sesshomaru in the sea of youkai dancing about the room.

"I spoke to the girl."

"And."

"She knows or remembers nothing about her past. I told her the story of Kagura, and she didn't even flinch. Until she put her hand in mine. I could see it in her eyes, Taisho. She knew. She knew who I was."

A smirk became visible on Sesshomaru's face.

"Excellent. She should start to remember soon, then. I will take her next. And then…she will not leave my presence until she remembers everything."

"Inuyasha will become suspicious."

"Kikyo is already here, is she not? She is working her magic even as we speak."

Sesshomaru pointed to his half brother, who was dancing with Kikyo at the time; his hands about her waist, swaying to the rhythmic music.

"So she is." Naraku muttered.

Sesshomaru searched through the throngs of people in the room and found Kagome, standing in a corner by herself, watching her boyfriend and his best friend dance the night away. Seconds later, he also spotted Sango and Miroku, who were sitting at a table, taking advantage of the hors d' oeuvres that had been absentmindedly placed there. He shook his head, and left Naraku, walking directly for Kagome.

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Kagome stood alone in the corner, watching Inuyasha dancing, wishing she were the one in his arms.

'Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on Inuyasha. I mean…he's just friends with her…right? What harm could she possibly do? He loves me.'

Kagome left her solitariness to go find something to drink. Over at the table to the right of her sat a punch bowl with numerous glasses available. She spooned some of the orange liquid into a glass, set the ladle back into the bowl and took a large swig. Seconds later, she began to cough. She could taste alcohol in the punch. It had been spiked, and she drank nearly all of her glass.

'Oh…boy…I hope this isn't anything bad…' She choked and coughed again, setting her glass on the table.

"Are you quite alright, Kagome?" A voice behind her caused her to jump and spin around.

"Oh. Sess…Cough…homaru…"

"Hai. That punch can be quite strong when spiked. It is an old recipe…when alcohol was much more widely drank…and stronger levels were used. I apologize for not warning you sooner."

"That's…okay."

"Why are you not dancing, Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked, knowing the answer, but wishing to hear it from the girl himself.

"Oh…well…Inuyasha's…dancing with someone else right now. I'm sure I'll be next." She smiled cheerfully, but Sesshomaru could smell the disappointment radiating off of her.

"Would you care to dance with me, in the meantime?" He asked seductively.

"You want to dance with me?"

"Hai. Is there a problem with that?" He scowled. What? Did she think herself too good for him?

"No! Not at all!" She grinned.

'She is nervous.' Sesshomaru smiled wryly back at her before offering Kagome his hand.

Kagome hesitated, before putting her small hand in Sesshomaru's somewhat larger one. It felt warm, and he squeezed on hers slightly. But, she noticed, as she looked down, that it was clawed. And not only that…the claws looked frighteningly realistic. There was no sign that they had even been glued on.

"Uh…Sesshomaru…" She stuttered.

"Hai, Kagome."

"Why…do you have…claws?" Kagome gulped.

His golden orbs melted her body as she looked into them, the intensity almost too much for her to handle. He studied her for the longest time before finally speaking, breaking the anticipation of the moment.

"They are part of my costume." He lied. She couldn't know yet…for it would ruin everything he and Naraku had set out to do.

"That's funny…they look…so real."

"Thank you. I take that as a compliment."

"You're welcome."

"Shall we?"

Kagome nodded, and he walked with her out to the dance floor.

"I should…warn you…I really suck at dancing."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well…maybe I could give it a try?"

He nodded, and took her right hand, placing it on his left shoulder. He then took her left hand and placed it in his, while his other hand slid around to cup her waist gently.

"You will follow my movements. There is nothing to be concerned about."

As he stepped to the left swiftly, Kagome followed him, and then they both swirled to the right. In no time, she was gliding across the floor, her eyes fixated on Sesshomaru. Not once did she glance at the floor to check her feet. It was as if she knew the steps to the dance already.

'Why do I feel as if I have done this before?' Kagome thought. 'And earlier…it was like he knew that I would…well…know…the steps to this dance. How odd is that? And then that whole episode with Naraku earlier…' A shudder ran down her spine. She knew Naraku from somewhere. And she had felt fear at seeing his face. 'This is just too weird! What in the name of Kami is going on?' She wondered.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru studied Kagome's eyes as they danced.

'They say the eyes are the window to the soul. I wonder if she knows she's revealing everything in her thoughts…in her heart…to me, right now.'

"Kagome, is something troubling you…" He asked quietly, as the song finally ended.

"No. Why…why would you think that?"

"Come with me. Now." He grabbed a hold of her wrist, and dragged her from the dance floor. Inuyasha, who had been dancing with Kikyo, watched in anger as he saw that Kagome had been dancing with Sesshomaru. Before the inuyoukai had a chance to drag Kagome away from the crowd, Inuyasha stepped in front of him and pushed him slightly.

"Hey, Sesshomaru, what do you think you're doing with my girl?"

"I was going to have a discussion with her. Is that a problem, little brother?"

"Hell yeah, it is! And you were dancing with her!"

"Inuyasha, I was…"

"Stay outta this, Kagome. I'm not mad at you."

Her eyes widened in anger at his referral to butt out, but she stopped herself from making a scene…because everyone in the room had become silent. All of the lavishly dressed men and women…(Strangely dressed…in feudal era garb…I might add…) stood quietly and waited for Sesshomaru's reply.

"What business is it of yours if I decide to have a conversation with your girlfriend, Inuyasha? You have no reign over the things I choose to do."

"It doesn't matter, Sesshomaru! She's my girlfriend, and you were dancing with her!"

"Then you should have been spending less time with Kikyo and more time with Kagome. You foolish hanyou."

'Wait a second! Hanyou?' Kagome's mind screamed.

"You bastard! How dare you call me that?"

"As I recall, Inuyasha, I dare because you cannot stop me." Sesshomaru hissed.

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Naraku stood on the other side of the room, watching the scene unfold with his cousin, Kikyo.

"You have done quite well to get the anger boiling in Inuyasha. Congratulations." Naraku whispered.

"I learned from the best."

"I believe she will remember soon. And then she will realize what this is. And why she is here."

"I can only hope. Then I can finally have Inuyasha to myself."

'And Kagome will be ours…Sesshomaru's and mine. At long last.' Naraku smirked evilly.

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Kagome stood in bewilderment. What was going on?

"I can, and I will!" Inuyasha lunged for Sesshomaru, but just at the moment when Kagome (not to mention the only other humans there—Miroku and Sango) would have expected Inuyasha to make an impact with Sesshomaru, knocking him to the floor, there was only an empty space. Kagome turned around to see Sesshomaru standing behind her, his eyes flaring with annoyance and slight anger.

"Don't use that! Fight me for real, you asshole!"

"Inuyasha! What in Kami's name is going on here?" Kagome shouted, causing everyone to turn and look at her. She blushed.

"You mean, your girlfriend actually doesn't know." Sesshomaru chuckled, the rest of the youkai in the room following him.

"Doesn't know what? What don't I know?" Kagome spun around and glared at Sesshomaru.

"Tonight is All Hallows Eve."

"Hai…and…" Kagome was confused.

"Five centuries ago, on this night, a powerful demon lord was defeated. By a miko, no less, and her traveling companions."

"I've heard this story before." She muttered.

"Then I've no need to explain it to you. But I do believe your boyfriend owes you an explanation."

She whirled around and met Inuyasha's soft golden eyes.

"Inu…yasha? What's…"

"Kagome…leave. Now."

"Huh? But I…"

"Just do what I tell you! Don't stay here…"

"Inuyasha! Tell me what's going on!"
Sango and Miroku came running up suddenly, from behind the crowd. They knew something was wrong when they heard Kagome shouting.

"Kags…Inuyasha's right…let's get out of here. We can go home and watch movies…"

Suddenly, Sesshomaru roared.

"No one is moving an inch from this floor unless I deem it possible!"

Sango and Miroku shrunk back from him, and stood beside Inuyasha, who looked terrified.

"Tell her, hanyou. Or I will."

Inuyasha hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"He's right, Kagome. There…was…a demon lord…five hundred years ago…he was... destroyed on this night."

"Naraku already told me this story! I don't want to hear it again! What the hell does that have to do with tonight, anyhow? It's just some stupid party, right? You didn't even want to come! So why did we, if you knew what was going to happen?" Kagome shouted, surprising her friends, and causing some of the youkai in the room to growl.

Kagome jumped at the sound, and began to shiver. Something was very wrong, and Inuyasha was right. They needed to leave. Now. She made a move to run, but stopped when she felt another shiver run up her spine, making her body go cold.

Out of the shadows, Naraku stepped into the small group that had gathered, standing beside Sesshomaru, who was still behind Kagome.

"Because he didn't know what was going to happen, Kagome, my lovely."

Kagome felt two sets of hands grab her from behind, and her world went dark.

A/N: Oops...here's another cliffhanger. I'm sorry! At least you got something...right? Right?

CitrusSeverus: Runs as her fans chase her, throwing rotten tomatoes and broken, sharp sticks of pocky at her head.

I'm reeeeeallly sorry! But the next chapter will be even better! Until then!