Part 4: Trust building

Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish for it, I unfortunately own nothing except my plot, and a few OC's here and there.

A/N: Thank you for reading the 4th installment in the story. In this one, Kagura is going to find out more about Sesshoumaru's plan, but will she play along? Monday is my birthday, so this is my early birthday present to myself, yay!

Thank you for reviewing:

Little25victor

Maria-Reynne

Tushya97a

Interested (Thank you for your kind words. I hope you keep interested in the story.)

Since I had no other choice but to stay in, I ended up spending the better part of the day in a small cozy living room, which resembled what I always figured a proper British drawing room from olden times would look like. I settled with a fairy tale novel I picked up in the humongous library next door, and tried my best to keep busy with reading about the epic adventures of an inu hanyou running around Sengoku Jidai with a band of human friends all the while fighting evil. I had just started reading about some epic fight when I heard the front door slam and a set of heavy footsteps coming my way along with two male voices. Based on my earlier exploration, I knew they had just stopped in the middle of the foyer. Since I was not gifted with a set of super senses like a dog demon, I had no choice but to physically go have a look for myself if I wanted to find out if my Lord Husband, Sesshoumaru-sama, had decided to grace me with his presence after all. I peaked my head out from the small living room, and saw none other than Inuyasha, Miroku, and even the Lord of the manor himself, the esteemed Sesshoumaru standing in the middle of the entryway. Just as I was about to make my presence known, something stopped me.

"I hope our dear house guest has not been too bored. It was quite cruel of you Sesshoumaru-sama to leave her alone all day. If I could, I would have liked to stay with her to keep her company." While I appreciated Miroku's concern, I could not help but be annoyed by the slimy connotations of his words. Had Rin not mention that Miroku was dating Sango?! Ew what did she see in that creep?

"I still don't understand why ya had to bring Naraku's daughter here. It doesn't feel right for her to be so close to Shippou, Kagome and Rin."

I was not surprised that Inuyasha was still not accepting of me. Interesting how opposite his reaction was to his wife's.

Sesshoumaru turned towards his brother, and gave him a glare cold enough to freeze the arctic.

"Inuyasha, this will be the last this Sesshoumaru will hear about it. I have told you before that she is a mere tool. Bringing her here is a ploy to make her trust me. She poses no threat, I have made sure of it."

I could taste disappointment in my mouth. His words made me realize how much more calculating than I thought Sesshoumaru was. The fact that he had brought me to his home, in the presence of his family had led me to think that he believed me and trusted me… That he could come to see me as an ally in truth. It hurt deeply to know that he had only done so in the hopes of buttering me up. Then again I guess it explained why I couldn't get out of the house… I hate to admit it but had I not overheard him, his plan would have worked. At least now I knew where I stood with Sesshoumaru. No more spinning tales in my head. It was time to face the fact that he had been telling the truth when he called me a tool for him to use. I needed to think as pragmatically as he did. That damn inu youkai was also just a tool for me to use to get what I wanted.

"Brother." Sesshoumaru turned to the pissed off hanyou. "You just know as I do how much the witch's cooperation is needed. Her father murdered ours, and she will help us prove it, so we may finally get our revenge."

I had always liked talking. Some people, mostly my father, had even called me to task for talking too much. As far back as I could remember, I had been rendered speechless only on very few occasions, and this was one of it. I knew that Naraku and Sesshoumaru's father had been adversaries for decades, and my dad had made no secret of how pleased he was upon the death of Touga Tashio… but could Naraku really have murdered him? I could not wrap my mind around that. I knew Naraku had a cruel streak in him, I had received enough beatings over the years to be convinced of that, but still I had a hard time believing my father would be stupid enough to murder one of the four Lords, and manage to get away with it. Maybe I had underestimated how cunning that spider really was. If he had indeed killed Touga Tashio, and gotten away with it, then Naraku was a much more dangerous man than I thought.

Either I had gasped, or made some sort of noise, or the inu youkai sense of smell had finally kicked in, but suddenly two pairs of golden eyes shot in my direction, interrupting my thoughts.

"Since you wish to be a part of the conversation, why don't you come over?"

I was not one to cower in a corner, especially not when prodded, especially not by Sesshoumaru. Head held high, back straight, I walked out of the shadows, and stepped up to the three men. I regretted not having impressive stilettos and a killer dress on. It was hard to make an impactful entrance when wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and sneakers. Especially when confronting three men in suits. Gotta admit they were well dressed for mobsters. Especially Sesshoumaru, if my trained eye was right, and I knew it was, he had on an Italian designer suit that cost more than I had ever made in a month with the many different part time jobs my father allowed me to have.

Not wanting to come across as intimidated, I walked right up to Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and Miroku. Only the latter was surprised to see me. I guessed the lack of youkai sense explained why the only human in the bunch had not noticed me coming.

"Yo!" I greeted the three men.

"Ah Kagura, or should I call you Mrs. Tashio?" Miroku's quip earned him a sharp glare form Sesshoumaru. "Such a pleasure to see you again." Undeterred, the young human gave me a bright smile. I was still amazed that a jovial man such as him could be with a straight-laced woman like Sango.

I was not going to admit it, but the way Sesshoumaru was willing to manipulate me was hurtful. Sure I also had planned on using him, but I at least was going to be upfront about it. Enough was enough! No way was I going to let my girlish fantasies keep getting the best of me. It was high time for me to realize that the Sesshoumaru I had built up in my head was pure fiction. The real man was a heartless manipulative bastard who would not be afraid of using and throwing me aside as needed. It was time for me to set myself up to rights and find a way to use him in turn. I could only count on myself if I wanted to come out on top.

"It seems we have a bit of business to conduct." I stuck my head as high as I could. No way was I going to let these assholes intimidate me.

My words brought a small mocking smirk to Sesshoumaru's lips.

"Let us go to my study then." Since I had spent the better part of my day exploring the house, I knew which room he was referring to, and wasted no time heading in that direction.

"Aw, she's already got the layout of the land. She'll make a great Lady of the House."

I ignored the teasing words Miroku called to my back, and turned left at the end of the corridor.

"I see you have been in this room before." There were no recriminations in Sesshoumaru's words. He merely walked over to his massive desk, and sat behind it. When I had first stumbled upon his office, I was surprised to find the room unlocked. Back then I had thought it meant he hid nothing of value there, but now I was not so sure. The man was probably so arrogant and self-confident that he feared nothing… especially from who he perceived to be a weak wind witch. Ouch!

"I've always had a curious mind, and you have a beautiful home. There's no way I could pass up a chance to go exploring." I didn't wait for Sesshoumaru to invite me to sit in one of the chairs facing his desk, and just made myself comfortable.

"I have to admit I was surprised you allowed me free reign of your estate and access to your daughter and dependents." I had to let him know I had made productive use of my time. Not only had I explored the entire mansion, but I had become acquainted with his family. Hum, considering he was a dog demon, maybe pack would be a better-suited word to describe the ragtag group of people living around Sesshoumaru.

The inu youkai scoffed at my words. "I have the best security team. Besides a wind sorceress without her fan is harmless." It was as I had thought, but hearing him dismissing me like this was still painful. I pretended to shrug it off. No point in showing him my feelings were hurt.

"Maybe I am not as harmless as you might think." I gently traced one of the feathers in my bun with the tip of my finger. If I had really wanted to escape, I could have, and now we both knew it. Sure flying through a window would not have been pleasant, but I would have survived and healed. Of course I did not do it because I had nowhere to go, but Sesshoumaru didn't need to know that last part.

"So instead of wasting each other's time, why don't we put all our cards on the table and be honest with each other." I thought about adding a joke about a healthy marriage being built on trust, but decided against it. I thought I had tried Sesshoumaru's patience enough for a day, and besides I was dying, no pun intended, to find out more about the conversation I had overheard.

The dog demon grinned, showing a hint of massive fangs, but did not offer any comment. "As I am sure you are aware, the city is divided in four territories, each overseen by one of the four Great Lords…"

"Yes, yes. You're the overlord of the West, my dear dad leads the South, Kouga the Wolf holds the North and that creepy moth guy owns the East…"

"Menoumaru is the leader of the East." Sesshoumaru corrected me. Was that a twitch I saw at the corner of his lips? Maybe the ice block can take a joke after all. "My father used to say that the only way to prevent war was to respect the balance. We four leaders have done our best not to tangle in each other's business endeavors, and collaborate to keep outsiders out. Most times this has functioned properly." Sesshoumaru's words reminded me of the conversation he had had with my father the previous night. Wasn't Naraku grateful for Sesshoumaru's help regarding taking out some guy named Ryukots or something?

While I appreciated the history lesson, I was more interested in finding out what Sesshoumaru's plans for me were. I was a little nervous all of a sudden to ask the question that was burning my lips, so I decided on a distraction.

"I've been meaning to ask. What's up with Sango? Why is she so angry at Naraku?"

Sesshoumaru seemed surprised by my question. I guess he expected for me to jump at the chance of asking him about the conversation I had overheard. I intended to, but was trying to gather my courage. How was I supposed to ask someone if my father had really murdered theirs?

"Sango is one of the only two surviving members of the Tajiyah clan." His answer surprised me. I had heard about them, but did not think they were real. A clan of hyper trained humans, who had been taking down youkai for centuries, it had always sounded too ridiculous to be true. The only humans who I had so far believed able to conquer demons were mikos and monks. Guess I was wrong about that one.

"I still don't see how Naraku comes to play in that one…"

"Many years ago, Naraku dabbled in useless scientific experiments to enhance youkai." My eyes widened at this revelation. I knew the man was insane, but had not realized he was to that extent.

"Probably the limitations of his hanyou heritage forced him to seek in science answers he sought on how to overcome the limitations of his blood." Sesshoumaru must have noticed my shock because he supplied that information.

"Needless to say his experiments yielded only useless results. Angered that Naraku would even attempt such heinous experiments, the Tajiyah assembled the remaining members of their clan, and destroyed your father's laboratory and specimens. Despite his installations being useless, he took offense at his property being destroyed, so he rounded up the Tajiyah and had them all killed. The only two survivors were Sango and her younger brother. They were children at the time and managed to hide themselves and their heritage to make their way in the world. The boy, Kohaku, suffered grave injuries to his body and mind. He is seeking treatment abroad."

I was horrified by what I had just heard. Naraku was even more sick and twisted than I could have ever imagined. I understood why Sango hated me on sight, and continuously threatened to have me killed. "Did the Lords not care?

"They found Naraku's experiments ludicrous, and considered the Tajiyahs foolish humans who had dared interfere in youkai affairs. The Four Great Lords never liked humans interfering; so they did not lift a finger."

I wanted to ask more, specifically about how Sango ended up in Sesshoumaru's employ, and how he had information on the whereabouts of her brother, but decided against it. No need to lead him away from the topic of conversation I really wanted to breach with him.

There was a lull in the conversation, which I used to ask the real inquiry I wanted to make.

"So, we've established that Naraku is borderline insane and cruel… but is it true? Did he really murder your father?"

Suddenly the mood in the room altered. I couldn't quite put my finger on what changed, but it was as if the temperature took a sudden drop. Shivers ran down my spine. He leaned forward in his massive throne like chair, his golden eyes piercing me in place. The strength of his glare almost robbed me of breath.

"He did." He said, his voice taking on a deeper tone. He leaned even impossibly closer. "I know he did, but unless I am able to prove it, this Sesshoumaru cannot act."

I knew what he was not saying. If he was to take his revenge without substantiating the facts, the other Great Lords would not stand for it, and things could get ugly. I was a child the last time the Great Lords had waged war against each other, so I did not know all the details, but what I did know was blood flowed and bodies were lining the streets all over town. Because of that, I knew no one wanted to see another civil war; especially not the humans. As long as the four Lords kept the balance, the human authorities kept out of youkai business. If some youkai started trouble, the humans reached out to the Lords and they took care of it. Of course the human leaders did not care about the drugs, weapons and other illicit goods the Lords sold to humans as long as they got their generous cut, but the second some youkai decided to snack on humans, and the story hit the media, the human bosses had no choice but to have the Lords step in. Each Lord looked after his territory fiercely, and abided by the unwritten rules that allowed cohabitation with the humans. However another massive war could put an end to this goodwill. If the humans, who vastly outnumbered the youkai decided to rise up against us, thanks to modern weapons, nothing, not even our superior abilities would protect us from going instinct. There was only one way to preserve the status quo, and keep humans and youkai happy.

"You have to respect the balance." Of course he heard me mutter thanks to his dog demon hearing.

"Indeed." He nodded. "When this Sesshoumaru takes my revenge, I intend for everyone to know that I acted to protect my honor. Of course if I neutralize Naraku to avenge my father, then I and the other Lords can share his territory, and all will be happy."

This was such a surreal moment. I could not believe that this man was so casually talking to me about murdering my father in order to get revenge for the murder of his own, and get richer in the process. I was surprised he so casually shared his plans with me… then again he had admitted he did not consider me to be a real threat. If I were to out his little revenge plot, he could just deny it. None of the other Lords would care much what I had to say. They'd probably think Naraku was using me to incite a war. And when it came to Naraku… he had to know Sesshoumaru wanted him out, otherwise why would he have come up with some plan to have me integrate his enemy's household. Sigh, so I had no choice but to put my fate at the feet of Sesshoumaru. I was just hoping he would not make me do something I would be unwilling to do.

"I shall make this promise to you. If you help me, I will be generous in return. Whatever wish you may have, I can help fulfill." I guess Sesshoumaru must have sensed my discomfort, and was trying to ensure my cooperation.

"You sound like a genie."

Needless to say he was not amused by my joke. He did refrain from saying anything and just contented himself with sending me a sharp glare. I decided to get serious for a minute. Sesshoumaru had been honest with me, and had revealed something that I was sure he had kept hidden from all except his brother and maybe that perverted Miroku guy. I was time for me to do some confessing of my own.

"Before I accept your help, I want to be sure that you can do for me what I truly want." I paused to collect my thoughts, and decide just how much I would dare reveal to him. "You were right when you assumed there's no love between my father and I. The truth is that Naraku is my stepfather, might be why he didn't bat an eye at the idea of using me as a pawn to get to you." I took a brief pause as accepting that reality still hurt. It was expected, but it still hurt.

"Anyways long story short, my mother married him when I was about two. At the time my biological father had died, and we were dirt poor. When Naraku came along promising riches and a comfortable life, mom fell for it. By the time we realized how much of a crazy psycho Naraku is… it was too late. Naraku gets off on hurting people psychologically and physically, and mom and I are his favorite targets and punching bag… To be honest, there are only two things I've ever wanted: my mother's freedom and getting enough money for us to start fresh somewhere far from here, far from Naraku. If you can promise me that, I am willing to do whatever you want." I realized in that moment that I meant it, I would be willing to do anything he asked of me if that meant mom and I would be free.

"Granted." Sesshoumaru's easy agreement took me a bit by surprise. I could not help but wonder if he knew what he had actually agreed to. I had after all yet to share what needed to be done to have mom be free. Something to worry about later. I rather had to focus on the present to make my dreams a reality.

"Of course, before I accept your help, you will have to prove your loyalty."

"You've told me all this before. Why don't you just tell me already what you want me to do?" Now that I had made up my mind, I was eager to get this show on the road. There was no backing out.

"I am glad you asked." I had craved for so many years to see my secret crush Sesshoumaru Tashio smile at me, but now that he did, I understood why years ago I had overheard one of Naraku's henchmen say that one smile of the Ice King could freeze anyone's blood.

I took a deep steadying breath. I needed nerves of steel if I wanted my plan to work. To think that after being kicked out of there two nights ago, I would willingly come back here…

I stared up at the white monstrosity my father called home. I hated the three-floored structure with its blood red roof and pseudo-modern odd shaped windows. Naraku had had the house rebuilt about five years ago, and for some reason only he knew, he had considered it the perfect opportunity to add on some garish Greek columns on the façade… If only his decorating frenzy had stopped there... For some unknown reason he had decided to also cram as much expensive modern art as possible. The only thing Naraku cared about was the price tag attached to the pieces, he could not even name one of the pieces… a true shame. I had always thought that despite the millions Naraku had sunk into the place, the house looked cheap, but after spending some time in Sesshoumaru's beautiful home, the difference was glaring. Not to mention that Naraku's place felt like a sanitized museum, while the icy dog demon's felt like a home.

Sadly I did not have my keys, which were in my purse, which was still on my bed, so I had to resort to ringing the bell. I kept my fingers crossed. I was terrified that Naraku might have changed his usual routine since he had a scheme planned out. It was too early in the day for him to be back. He usually ended his workday at the strip club where he spent the night doing whatever he did, and stumbled home around midday to crawl into bed. Thankfully Naraku spent little time at home, so I almost never saw him. I saw no reason why he would change his routine. He probably expected Sesshoumaru and I to be too busy fighting each other to pay attention to his activities, so he was probably working.

A few instants later none other than the one person I had hoped to see opened the door to let me in: Sasaki. Finally something was going my way!

"Kagura! I'm so happy to see you." He gave me a smile bright enough to power a solar panel. "I heard from the guys what happened at the club, what Naraku made you do." The last part was said in a whisper. Can't say I blamed the guy, my father was known to be ruthless with members of his own outfit. Just seeing Sasaki talk to me about Sesshoumaru could have given my old man reason to have his employee punished. Even a strong fire demon like him knew all too well that Naraku's punishment could get him truly hurt, or even killed.

I stepped inside the house. No point in freezing outside if I wanted to complete my mission. I turned towards Sasaki, and gave him the best smile I could muster. His own lips stretching impossibly wider in return. Well wasn't he a happy camper.

"I'll be staying away for a little bit, so I came to get some of my stuff." I ran a finger down the length of his muscled arm. I could see my digit was raising goose bumps on his pale skin, and making his red hair stand straight. "Actually I could use the help of a big strong man like you." It was a miracle I had not choked on the words. I rarely used my feminine wiles, but I thought I couldn't be doing too bad since Sasaki kept his bright red eyes glued to me. I could even see the hint of a flame dancing in his eyes.

Sasaki's smile fell instantly. "So it's true? You're married to that asshole of a dog demon? You're moving in with him?"

I could tell he was barely holding on to his anger. Even though fire demons were known to be quick to anger, and highly unstable, I was pretty sure Sasaki wouldn't hurt me, so I was not that worried. However I did know that the next time he'd come across my 'husband' he might have some harsh words for him. The goon's words made me feel sorry for the guy. I had known he had a crush on me for a while, and yeah gotta admit I had taken advantage of it on many occasions. Sasaki was the first person to ever sneak me a beer, while I was still underaged, and had always been my main source of information on all thi ngs Naraku. The latter was precisely why I was here. If I wanted to complete the mission given to me by Sesshoumaru, I'd need Sasaki.

I cast my eyes down and used all my skills to give an Oscar worthy performance.

"Naraku has not given me a chance. I must go to Sesshoumaru otherwise I'll be… punished."

Considering my father's penchant for torture, it was not surprising that the words 'punished' and 'Naraku' uttered together were enough to make a badass mobster like Sasaki shiver. I decided to steer the conversation on safer grounds. No need to remind the man about punishment when I actually wanted him to betray Naraku.

"So, Sasaki, do you think you can help me pack some of my clothes and possessions? I'm supposed to quickly grab some stuff and head back out." I figured the privacy of my room, and the intimacy of letting him touch my things would be enough to push him over the edge, and get him to open his mouth. I'd even let him touch my underwear if it meant he would start talking. Not that I would ever wear said underwear again afterwards... Sesshoumaru had given me until the evening to complete my mission, and I had no intentions of failing. The demanding bastard gave beautiful intense gazes, but there was nothing sexy about having said cold amber eyes trained on you. No way would I sit across from him and admit I had failed.

"I wish I could, but I can't. I just got a call from your brother, it's all hands on deck down at the Factory."

I almost jumped up in glee. The Factory was the name my father had given to one of his office spaces by the waterfront. To this day I have no idea why the hell he wouldn't call the place the Dock. Anyways, knowing that my evil so-called 'older brother' would be present was all the confirmation I needed. Naraku was grooming the little shit-head, who happened to be his only biological child, to be his successor, and was already using him as his second in command. Despite the angelic face, short stature, and skinny body, Hakudoushi was just as evil and ruthless as his dad, if not more. No one knew what had happened to Haku's mom except that a couple years before Naraku got with my mom, he married some poor unfortunate woman, had a kid with her, and less than a year later she was dead. Found with a broken neck at the bottom of the main staircase I was currently standing right next to. The death had been ruled accidental as she had been drinking, but there was now no doubt in my mind that Naraku was the reason for her death.

"That's a shame…" I pushed myself to bring about a small mist to my eyes. The threat of tears was enough to make Sasaki crack…what a sucker. Maybe once I ran the hell away from this town I could join a community theater or something like that. Seems like I had a natural affinity for acting.

"Man, I wish I could stay with you, and take care of you, but I can't. They are waiting for me, and by the size of the shipment it's gonna take us at last all day to sort out and stock all the goods. I don't know what's inside, but it must be some special order because we were not supposed to get anything today. It kind of ruined our usual schedule, but when the boss calls, we gotta do as he asks. "

Bingo! I was so happy I could have kissed Sasaki. Without even realizing, he had helped me fulfill my mission. Now it was high time to get rid of him, and go pack some of my things. I couldn't keep wearing Kagome's clothes, and I needed my fan back. Good thing I knew exactly where Naraku always kept it locked. Even better was the fact that I had picked up the skill to crack the lock early on.

"That's too bad, but just knowing I have you in my corner helps me get stronger." It was one of the biggest lies I had ever told, but he seemed to buy it. I guess my acting was convincing enough because after giving my shoulders a warm squeeze, he stepped outside the house. Maybe I should really consider a career as an actress.

With one last pain filled look at me, Sasaki ran down the front steps, and went to work. So did I. I took the steps two at a time and rushed to my room to get all the things I might come to need during my extended stay at Sesshoumaru's. I had no idea how long it would take us to get rid of Naraku, but I decided to pick all the essentials.

A nagging feeling crept into me. I could not help but feel like things were going too smoothly and easily. It was so unlike Naraku not to have reared his head yet. A sudden pit formed in my stomach, maybe this was all part of a web my father was spinning around me. Maybe I was playing the hand he had dealt me exactly how he wanted. I shook these thoughts out of my head, and rushed to my room to pack. I picked two suitcases and filled them with all my most treasured possessions and favorite outfits. I did not take the time to fold them, and threw the items haphazardly.

I knew I had to be quick because the dog demon was waiting for me; we had a stolen shipment to get back.

To be continued…

A/N: Kagura is going in deeper, but is she going in too deep? We shall find out in Clashes.