Cycle

It was a warm day.

Izaiyou leant onto her son as they walked together in the sunlight, her arm in had made up with her after the ominous night, admitting his rashness and wrongdoing. Izaiyou only stroke his head and told him to muster himself better for she had taught him better than that.

"I am glad you feel better, It has been a long time since you have been out of your room, mother."

Kaede, Kagome and Sango waved from a far and she waved back

"I know, Inuyasha. I haven't been on a proper outing since I have fallen ill. But I felt like it today." She smiled

"Kikyo? No news about her."

All the signs of cheerfulness were drained out of his features, replaced by guilt and anger instead

"The bastard .. He didn't reply to our messenger."

"I pity the poor the girl .. I really do"

Inuyasha was confused. Kikyo wasn't Izaiyou's most favourite person, whatever Kikyo tried to win her favour.

Izaiyou thought she was too stiff for him .. and the fact lady Inutaisho wanted to desparately marry her off to Sesshomaru made his mother reserved about their engagment all together.

She feared it would further rift the brothers.

"You aren't happy she is gone?!"

"Are you out of your mind? Of course not, Inuyasha. Kikyo is like a daughter of this house. How could it be that I would think like that?"

" I thought ..."

"Kikyo is a brilliant, kind young woman. She is the making of a great ruler, a great consort"

"You didn't seem excited about the notion of us together."

"And I still have my doubts, but that is something and this is an entirely different thing."

Izaiyou was a captive herself, at one point in her life. she knew the fear, the darkness and danger of such misfortune. She knew the defeat, the humiliation in captivity.

The tides, they have been kind to her. She has met Lord Inutaisho .. a great man whom she had fallen in love with .. but others ...

'Heinous'

And maybe that is why she adviced lord Sesshomaru to show kindness to their captive against Inuyasha's skeptism.

"So how is our new guest?" Izaiyou glanced across to Kagome "I heard you two can't stop bickering everytime you meet each other."

"She is intolerable ... since Kaede told her about my silly childhood love of dogs and everytime she sees me she goes 'Sit boy' " Inuyasha mimicked in an unnaturally sharp quip.

"As far as I remember, Inuyasha .. you wanted to be a dog, to the point where you would bark and cry that you had no tail to wiggle" Izaiyou laughed

He lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Point is she wouldn't let me off the hook ever since"

"I like her."

"Huh"

"Kagome ... I like her. She is a kind girl and you seem to have taken a liking to her too." Izaiyou said

Inuyasha didn't respond

"Inuyasha?"

Kagome ... He came to realise wasn't a Replica of Kikyo, She was much more. She truely was kind , and courageous like Kikyo. She was strong as well, not quite the same type of strength as Kikyo but a distinctive, different kind of strength.

Understanding, Kagome could understand people's motives better than Kikyo.

And Trust, Kagome trusted him completely, to the fullest extend despite constantly feigning otherwise, and Nobody ever trusted him the way she does.

"Inuyasha, Let's go back to my room. I am starting to feel tired"

"You Asked about my brother, it is his story to tell, not mine"

"But .."

"Kikyo, all I can tell you is that Naraku, as he calls himself now isn't a balanced person. and he is as equally dangerous when he loves and when he loathes. In fact, I doubt he even knows the distinction .. We all lost hope in him, Kagura the most, she is fed up with all of this and me as well. So know this, don't try ... you will hurt yourself in the process and you will mess him up even more. The last time you tried led you to this."

"All I have ever done was to help an injured person."

"Will you do it again? if the time turns back, will you?"

Kikyo didn't answer. Truth is she herself didn't know the answer.

"I thought so as well" Kanna smiled apologetically

That was all he needed to listen to from behind the shadows.

She has been asking to see him, incessantly ... to the point where his mother had to intefere.

Lady Inutaisho had to tell 'The prisoner' that the 'lord of the castle' is busy and that it isn't befitting he should have contact with her under any circumstances and thus should stop 'nagging' to see him.

"Why do you want to see him, anyway?"

"I ... I am bored, I want to get out on a walk"

Lady Inutaisho heavily scrutinised her .. she wasn't lying but she wasn't entirely honest either.

"We are keeping you here, incognito, under such tight guardianship because everyone here might try to take you down, literally."

"I..."

"And you know you should be locked down in a prisoner's cell, not an ordinary room as the one you occupy."

"Yes"

"Then Be thankful, Kagura."

Kagura turned her head, everything the old lady had said was true.

"I admire your willfullness but for the time ... know your place"

"I will indeed"

'Does he not think of me at all?'

He used to dream of her, when she was tending to him in Shikon .. when he was a runaway fugitive.

In those dreams, she would kill him a thousand times, suffocate him, drown him and sometimes she would touch his heart and he would simply disintegrate ... become one with the ashes that scatter around her. She would whisper and he would become speechless, she would hold him and he would become powerless against her will.

Kikyo did the one thing he never wanted anybody to do to him,

Kikyo gave him hope, She gave him something to want more than life itself.

Her affections.

For the first and probably the last time in his life, he wanted her to love him, to wait for him the same way she would wait for Inuyasha to come. He wanted that sparkle in her eyes, that yearning to be for him.

But that was a long time ago ...

He thought he made his peace with it ... This will never be. Kikyo is too good for him, too in love with Inuyasha to think of anybody else.

And he wanted Power and only power.

So why does he still dream?

It had to end, this game of captive and captor had to, before rebound effect starts to sneak their way into his heart.

'As if it was ever empty' a voice inside of him mocked.

He will send a messenger to lord Sesshomaru.

Izaiyou summoned Kaede and Kagome to the now rested in bed. Dismissing everyone but the both of them and Inuyasha from the room.

"So?" He asked

"So?"

"You still want to talk to me about that incident"

"No, Inuyasha ... I want you to make me a promise. I want Kagome and Kaede to witness"

"About what?"

"Promise me, you will never fight with your brother over the me you will never tear this kingdom apart, whatsoever."

Kaede and Kagome looked at each other, this conversation was getting odd.

"Why do you think I will ever do that? Mother, you know better than anyone I have no interest at all in this."

"I know .. but still, time can change and the temptation .. it never ceases. We have seen multiple kingdoms, centuries old houses destroyed over this." Izaiyou closed her eyes as though chasing some old ghosts from her past "My homeland was destroyed in one such dispute"

Inuyasha seemed to think it over, truly he had no intention nor interest in ruling ... but sometimes he just hates what Sesshomaru does .. sometimes he feels he could do better .. sometimes he yearns to feel as appreciated and as revered as Sesshomaru, Lord inutaisho's firstborn son , scioned with a lady from one of the most respected houses, not a second rate son, some half breed scioned with a concubine, a spare , a demoted son.

"Inuyasha?"
"Huh"

"Where did your mind stray?"

He hesitated to tell her, partly because of how disappointed she might be, partly because she was ill and he didn't want her to worry about such things.

"You know on his death bed, Lord inutaisho had me and Lady Inutaisho swear to never break this kingdom apart. He made me promise not to feed you ill about your brother and made her promise never to try to turn your brother against you or never to try to remove you. In short, he told us to keep the best of this house, the best of this kingdom at heart before we do anything. So far, she has kept her part of the deal and I want to keep mine as well, now that I am alive and even after I die. Will you help me do this, Inuyasha?"

"I want to mother, I want but I am afraid I will break this promise. I am afraid ..."

"I promise you, Lady Izaiyou." Kagome's voice resonated

"I promise you I will do whatever it takes to prevent him from doing anything to harm this kingdom. I promise you I will save him from any dark thought that might cross his mind in this perspective or any other" She repeated in a clear assured voice

Lady Izaiyou marvelled at the young girl and her confidence. Kagome was burdening herself with that just to ease her, to help her and such good intention really touched her heart.

Kagome's decree prompted Inuyasha to proceed with his promise

"I promise you mother. I promise you I will never fight Sesshomaru's reign, not that he will give any chance to begin with"

"I thank you Kagome, with all my heart. And I trust you will do your best to fulfill your promises, both of you" Izaiyou smiled.

"You have over stayed your welcome"

Naraku's voice was flat, empty and that would probably end up in a mess.

Kikyo has started learning the telltales.

His voice is quiet, calm when he is ... when he isn't his usual sinister self ... barely above a whisper and expressive but that flat out tone, the tightness means he is taking out something on her and avoiding him would be the most safe and most sane choice that could be

But Kikyo isn't playing safe, not anymore.

"As far as I remember I amnot here by choice"

"Well, in that you speak the truth. You will retun to your prison today"

"A good decision indeed"

"And I am sending a messenger to Sesshomaru ... it is about time we start negotiating the terms of both your and Kohaku's release. Pray tell me Kikyo , what do you think your price would be?" He burst out in laughter, such a provocative sound he made.

Kikyo wouldn't take his bait.

"How would you price me, Naraku? I mean, obviously you want more than your prisoner in exchange of me and Kohaku ... but, What if they wouldn't pay? Will you kill me, keep locked up here forever or 'sell' me to another warring faction for perhaps another price? I heard Rasetsu would pay a hefty sum."

Colour was drained out of his face

"Perhaps you never considered that, or you didn't want to consider it. Naraku, in truth, you still are very hesitant about what you want to do with me, about the price as you boast it to be"

He paused .. she is really starting to understant, to get a grip on this game of his , in which he is both player and opponent.

"I will rid myself of you, that is for sure. and I will make Inuyasha suffer"

"Go on, rid yourself of me ... release me of this sick cycle you have formed around me. Isn't it true? This fixation on me and Inuyasha you have goes beyond your game of power."

It takes every ounce of control in his body not to pounce on her and tear her apart this instant.

She looks at him, really looks at him within this neverending ode of anger and she can't help but see a man trapped within his own mind, his own demons.

"I doubt you will rid yourself of me Naraku, anytime soon. But at least, for the time being, until your negotiations are over with, stop menacing .. stop trying to get onto my nerves and yours in the process. It willnot work anymore."

He looks as well, intently and marvels at her strength. How she makes him enticed and vulnerable and enraged all at the very same instant. How she effortlessly disarms him.

He moves towards her .. and on account of self preservation, she thinks about moving one step back.

In the end she doesn't.

She expects some sort of violent retaliation, it doesn't come. Instead he just keeps staring .. like he used to when she nursed him back to health .. a silhouette seeping from the corner of his eyes, what remains though is something she is unable to comprehend .. what remains is wistfulness and blue and ... he almost bows down, almost leans in ...

Kikyo refuses to think beyond that.

"I think it is time I leave back to my cell"

He wants to take it back all of it but he is unable to voice this out .. so he just moves .. he walks away from her and succumbs to his own demons elsewhere ... afterall none of the women he has in his castle would say 'no' to him.

But he fails miserably even at that.

Kikyo doesn't leave his thoughts.

"I wanted to thank you"

"You don't have to. I like Lady Izaiyou and would do anything to make her happy." Kagome smiled cheerfully.

"I .. but you don't know the weight of this promise you made, not that anyone expects you to do good on i.."

"You do realise I am an adult, Inuyasha? and you do realise I am sane as well? I intend to do good on my promise, whatever it takes."

"You don't have the means to."

"Not now, perhaps. but I intend to win your favour .. all of you"

Inuyasha eyes her with a mixture of amusement and appreciation, a look he only ever reserved for his mother.

But then, he feels part of his heart fluttering then dimming ... Kagome is starting to matter and this is the beginning of a royal mess.

"You hesitated? In there, when your mother asked you, you hesitated, Why Inuyasha? On my part, I don't think it is greed that held you back from vowing to your mother"

"I .. it is an inferiority complex I am trying to overcome" He paused for a second before resuming "All my life I could feel them talking behind my back. A half breed, they said. Whatever I did, Wheneve I excelled, they would just say that and .. most of the time, it doesn't matter but on a few occasions, you want to prove your worth. I am getting past that now."

Kagome was surprised at the admission. Inuyasha, he had his baggage like any other one of them and he trusted her enough to tell her.

She had more means than expected to keep her promise.

Kaede was watching the pair from afar, along with Sango. There was a friendship blooming and they would have to wait to see how would it turn out.

"I heard you have been making a fuss to see me. what is it that you want from me?"

Kagura smiled, He came at last and that would mean something, wouldn't it?

But it is hard to decide when it is Sesshomaru you are talking about.

He knew that for the time, she had nothing say. But, he wanted to spare himself the trouble or so he told himself, not that she intrigued him nor that he considered visiting a couple of days ago.

"I am sick of this, I want to get out just for a little while, a walk perhaps."

"So that is all what you wanted to tell me, isn't it? This entire fuss about that"

She didn't respond

"I will see if it can be arranged"

He didn't add a word on that ... he simply walked away

"I wanted to see" She said

Sesshomaru doesn't stop, he keeps walking.

"And you still owe me an answer" she proceeded

Sesshomaru only closes his eyes and stops after he is a safe distance away from her room. only when he is at Rin's does he feel like smiling at the entire peculiar account.

"Why are you smiling, Otou-sama?"

"It is nothing, Rin. Nothing at all"

Young Rin smiles back. She doesn't believe her Father, not a single bit.

So, how is this story going so far?