A/N: I didn't think colds lasted this long...maybe I've got SARS or the Avian Flu, that would explain a lot...I still have a cough, so that means its days of sucking on Halls while trying not to cough up a lung every five minutes.

This is yet another reason why I envy Inuyasha, besides because of his ears. He doesn't get colds. The boy probably never coughed once in his life. Lucky...

So, in this chapter, you'll begin to see my evil side starting to emerge. I think it has to do with listening to the song "One Winged Angel" from FFVII a few times before writing this...it makes me evil. Too bad I didn't have this song when I was writing HoaY, it would have made it a lot more evil than it was. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha.

Now, if only there was some way I could make a fanfiction of Sephiroth vs. Sesshoumaru. That certianly would be entertaining...


Chapter 4: Whispers of Fear

Kagome absent-mindedly touched the shell necklace underneath her yukata, hidden from sight. She hadn't taken it off in all these years, especially since…She closed her eyes, keeping herself from falling into sadness again. It wouldn't do to think about that right now.

Inuyasha told me to forget about it, she remembered the feel of his strong arms holding her to his chest while he tried to soothe her tears. He told me to stop blaming myself…He doesn't like to see me tortured by this…

"Mama?" Inuko, asked, looking at her with curiosity in his round, child-like amber eyes, causing her to focus her attentions back on her son. "Why are you talking about gross things like…" he wrinkled his little nose in disgust. "Love and stuff?"

Kagome chuckled at seeing her son's reaction. Removing her hand from where she had been feeling the necklace, she placed both of her hands in her lap. "Because that's the way the story goes, Inuko. The hanyou and the miko both loved each other…well, the miko loved the hanyou, but she didn't know if the hanyou loved her back at this point…"

"But it's gross!" Inuko sat up on his mattress resting on the floor, folding his hands inside his red, miniature haori, looking exactly to be a small, spitting image of Inuyasha.

Laughing once more at her son, she replied, "Your father probably thought that at one time. Love is something grown ups like, Inuko. And that's why they talk about it a lot. When you're older, you'll understand."

He gave a very Inuyasha-like snort. If Kagome didn't know any better, she would have thought that somehow Inuyasha had gotten his soul accidentally stuck in the form of his son. "I don't like girls," Inuko told her proudly. "Girls are gross!"

"I'm a girl, you know." she told him, pretending to sound hurt.

The little hanyou answered at once, "But you're my Mama. That's different."

Kagome gave another small giggle. "Of course. But maybe in time, Inuko, you'll change your mind."

Inuko gave her a look of annoyance in those beautiful amber eyes he inherited from his father. "But Mama, last time you told this story, there were lots of battles and things."

Kagome sighed, knowing that's all he would be interested in. "You're right, Inuko. There were a lot of battles in the story. But the battles were something the hanyou and miko never liked. It was always a reminder that they had another duty to accomplish, and that no matter how much they liked to forget, there was always the threat of the evil youkai Naraku…He was always watching them, never relenting…"


The rest of their journey was rather pleasant. Despite the constant nagging in the back of her brain that she was going to get thrown out of school for staying in the Sengoku Jidai for so long, Kagome enjoyed it as she had before.

It was nice traveling with them, it always provided an escape from her life in the modern world, despite how few times she visited it. Though sometimes the constant traveling was weary and it would get boring, there were enough youkai in the country to exterminate that it wouldn't be boring for very long.

And, even on this trip, there were some youkai exterminations. They were pretty simple, not like the ones that they were sometimes faced with. There was some trouble with a ox youkai, (they defeated that rather easily once its weak point was determined) and then there was an oni on rampage in the hills, but one yell of "Kaze no Kizu!" took care of that.

Though it seemed like nothing had changed in their travels, something had definitely changed in Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship. Every time he would talk to her without the companions, Sango would always give them a knowing look and a grin, and lead the others away. Though Inuyasha did not question the exterminator's behavior, Kagome knew exactly why she was acting this way.

Sango was trying to help her friend by making sure Kagome and Inuyasha would get at least one time a day to be able to talk alone. Unfortunately, this made their talks shorter and less worth it. Inuyasha was never one to be forced into a situation like that. When they did talk, they never spoke of her birthday or the present he had given her, though she had reminded him several times by making sure it was visible when they spoke.

No one else but Kagome, Sango, and Inuyasha knew of the necklace. Kagome had already told one person, and was definitely not going to tell anyone else. It was supposed to be her and Inuyasha's secret alone, and it was a good thing that Sango never mentioned it around Inuyasha. She even seemed to sense that he would want it to be only between himself and Kagome.

As they got nearer to where they last fought Naraku, far south of the village, they became more attentive in their travels. Eyes flickered across the landscape, ready to see anything that looked unusual. Luckily, there was nothing waiting to ambush them as they crossed the grassy land. Either Naraku had not sensed their coming (which they doubted), or he didn't care in the least.

However, more than likely, he wasn't even there, and perhaps was just humoring them by not letting them know so. After all, if nothing at all that could be linked to Naraku was there, then weeks of precious travel would have been wasted for nothing. (And, in Kagome's opinion, weeks she could have spent at school.)

The only thing to do was to be optimistic about it and hope that something would be found in order to help pinpoint Naraku's new location, as he switched his hideouts frequently. The last time they had fought, he had left behind another castle, and, like always, it was an illusion that disappeared when he left. However, they recalled that a few things were left behind by him, but since they had been more worried about his disappearance, they had not checked over them fully. But the thought that Naraku would have carelessly left a clue behind was unlikely.

In Inuyasha's mind, however, leaving to go on this uncertain mission was better than sitting around the village waiting for something to happen. Or, as he thought, sitting around doing nothing, while thoughts of Kagome Higurashi floated in his head.

Something had changed the night of her birthday, he knew it. He had not recognized it for a while, but by seeing the way Kagome acted, something was definitely different. It had to do with the necklace he had given her.

When he had first found the shell, he hadn't thought of giving it to her like this. It was just something that he looked at for a bit, and then decided to keep…for unknown reasons to him. When he remembered her birthday was coming up and realized he had nothing to offer her, he was suddenly hit with an inspiration to give it to her.

Her reaction hadn't been anything he'd expected.

Inuyasha was thinking that she would thank him for it, as she always did, and then put it somewhere to gather dust. After all, she had much finer things in her time; why should she care for something as cheap and insignificant as that? But she had loved it, and, as far as he saw, refused to part with it.

When they were together, she would always make sure to somehow show she was still wearing it, as if she was trying to give some kind of symbol of loyalty or something to him. Not, that he understood why.

They were good friends, and anything she gave him (besides food) he would keep and treasure forever. Was it that way with her? He didn't understand. Inuyasha kept the things she gave him at first because he had never been given anything unconditionally in his life (besides things from his mother) and wanted to treasure them. She, on the other hand, had loving family and friends, who probably gave her much better stuff all the time.

So, the question was, why?

Inuyasha wasn't stupid. He knew she, at least, cared for him like a good friend, more than she cared for her other friends. She even said so a few times. But she had plenty of human males (he internally growled at that thought) hanging around her…not to mention that wimpy wolf, she could have wanted to stay and be good friends with any of them. (The thought of her being as close as she was with him with Kouga made his growl escalate). Why would she choose him?

He was nothing compared to her; a hanyou, a filthy mix of two breeds. He had killed so many with his bare hands. He always brought her into danger. He was so far beneath her, that he didn't deserve to even be in her presence. And yet she wanted him there.

The very thought of her possibly having…feelings for him was enough to frighten him and excite him at the same time.

However, with Naraku still around, it would take too much time to decipher what her every action meant, so, as always, Inuyasha would have to devote time he had later to puzzle one of the greatest mysteries of women.

Kagome…he thought, his eyes softening as he glanced over at her.


I honesty can't say what Inuyasha must have thought during these confusing times right after my birthday. I sensed that something was bothering him, but what…What could have him so uptight that I noticed he glanced in my direction quite frequently?

I wondered if he was feeling bad about giving the necklace to me, seeing as how much attention I was giving it. When I asked about it later on, when our relationship was much closer, he denied ever thinking so, but he never told me what held him deep in thought like that. I guess I'll never know everything about him, especially when it's about his thoughts before we were together, but I should have liked to have known…It certainly would have reduced my anxiety over his feelings a great deal…


When they finally arrived at the location, they were met with not a promising sight. Dirt and scars from the last battle fought littered the ground where the illusion had been. There was some debris scattered about in his haste to get away, but besides that, the site was empty.

There was a sigh of relief from everyone when they realized they were there. The travel had worn down on them over the weeks, and they were ready to get this inspection over with.

"We're here," Kagome said, scanning the area and remembering the battle that took place on this ground as if it were only yesterday. They had barely escaped with their lives, and Naraku had, of course, disappeared by the end of the battle.

Inuyasha was almost certainly thinking about the battle too, given by the way his eyes glared as they looked upon the barren field. "Look around for anything that might give a hint to his whereabouts," the hanyou ordered, and they soon found themselves glancing at the ground at the outline of the phantom castle for anything significant.

"I can see where he must have placed the anchors for his illusion," Miroku stated, bending over to examine the small, charred marks in the dirt where the anchors had been severed. "But I doubt that will help us."

Sango sighed and looked up at the sky, now beginning to look overcast. "There isn't even a trail of youki…But I doubt he would be so careless as to leave a trail for us to find."

Inuyasha was on the ground on all fours, bent over and sniffing at the dirt. Naraku's scent was faint…as was the scent of blood from their battle, but it was not much help to him. He had escaped into the sky, and air never held scents.

The inu hanyou crawled forward, sniffing the ground to where he found the scent to be greater…more recent. Had Naraku been here? Perhaps there was a clue to be found. What baffled him was that the scent was intermixed with the smell of clay…Clay?

A movement in front of him caused Inuyasha to glance up, his amber eyes wide and observant as he glanced around the barren land. His silver ear twitched as it picked up a movement somewhere nearby…Something was watching them.

A pile of rocks over to the side picked up his attention. He had thought that they were just by-products of the battle that had occurred, but now he noticed that they appeared strategically placed…too strategically placed. Almost as if something was hidden underneath them.

When he heard another rock shift from the pile, Inuyasha jumped up, grabbing the hilt of his sword, glaring at the rocks. "There's something there!" he yelled to the others, just as the boulders suddenly shot in all directions as another shape darted out from them.

Everyone ducked, and Inuyasha jumped to cover Kagome as the rocks fell to the ground, the shape emerging from where it had been hidden away. When they looked up, they were met with a sight that caused them to gasp.

"Naraku!" Kagome screamed, looking up at the baboon-skin clad, tentacled figure.

"Keh." Inuyasha released Tessaiga from its sheath, the blade transforming in his hand. "Don't worry about it; it's just a puppet."

The youkai puppet just laughed as it floated above them, speaking in Naraku's voice as it turned the empty eye sockets of the bamboo skin towards the hanyou. "I knew you would come back," he chuckled. "You can never stay idle for too long, Inuyasha."

Amber eyes glaring, Inuyasha snarled, "The same should be said for you. But you should just get out in the open and fight by yourself, you coward!" He jumped forward as he said that and sliced at the figure, to be satisfied when one of the mud colored tenticles was chopped off.

As the hanyou landed behind him, the puppet turned back. "Of course, that would defeat the purpose, Inuyasha."

This parley was going to get them no where. Anxious to just end the fight, the monk stepped forward, pulling off the rosary beads that encircled his gloved hand. "Kazaana!" he yelled, exposing the deadly black hole to the semblance of Naraku.

The puppet only gave a laugh before the saimyoushou darted forward, toward the monk's outstretched hand. "Houshi-sama!" Sango cried, but she didn't have to worry as Miroku closed it a second before the insects were sucked in to the void.

"Stay out of this!" Inuyasha yelled back to his companions. "He's mine!"

Once again, puppet-Naraku laughed. "I'm surprised at you, Inuyasha. Fighting over getting to slay one mere imitation of me."

"Keh," The hanyou muttered, gripping his sword tighter as he leaped and lunged again. "I'm not in a good mood right now, so any killing is going to make me feel better!"

More pieces of the puppet were hacked off, while it seemingly did nothing to fight back or even block the blows. "Are you in such a hurry to kill me that you will not even restrain your anger on a puppet?"

"I'll find you sooner than you think!" the hanyou roared back, preparing to make another attack. "You'll be sorry you ever angered me, Naraku!"

"If you found me too soon, then it would spoil all the fun." The puppet laughed, finally attacking by shooting out its tentacles—towards Kagome.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as he jumped forward to cover her, knocking them away with one swing of his sword. "You alright?" he glanced back at her.

She nodded, but then looked back at the clay form of Naraku. "Inuyasha…there's something odd about this puppet…"

"I know," he answered, glaring back at it. "But I can't quite place it…" Putting his sword back in front of him, ready to attack, Inuyasha asked the puppet, "What fun?"

A chuckle came from inside the white baboon fur. "Nothing more than the Curse of the Shikon no Tama, Inuyasha."

That one phrase caused everyone's blood to run cold. The Curse of the Shikon no Tama? Kagome wondered, having never heard of such a thing before. Is there really a curse on the jewel?

"And what's that?" the hanyou demanded, wondering why that one phrase alone gave him a sudden, frightening chill.

Naraku's puppet chuckled. "Of course, I am only a mere puppet, so I don't really know much…I'm sure Naraku would be happy to give you a demonstration anytime, however…"

That was enough to make the hanyou's temper and his almost nonexistent patience he had with enemies snap. Inuyasha roared, "Kaze no Kizu!" and with a flash of golden light and the sound of a miniature explosion, the puppet lay in several pieces on the ground.

The head, however, was still intact. It cave another, sinister chuckle. "Just you wait, Inuyasha…until I have mastered the Curse of the Shikon no Tama…then you will be deeply sorry…" And with that the head, and the rest of the destroyed clay puppet, dissolved away into nothing, leaving behind the small, clay figure with Naraku's hair wrapped around it as the only proof it was ever there.

Inuyasha stood over it, sheathing Tessaiga once more, snorting, "Keh. Bastard. I bet he was lying just to get us afraid."

However, as Kagome collected the lone Shikon shard that was inside the puppet, she couldn't help but not be so sure at her friend's words…And any thoughts towards this supposed "Curse" gave her a bad feeling…

A very bad feeling.