Part 10: The Lure

A/N: Sorry for the long overdue update. Work troubles had me too busy and unable to do much writing. I took advantage of today's holiday to do some writing. Happy 4th July to all Americans celebrating today! To make up for the long wait, this will be an explosive chapter. Hopefully you'll like it!

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

His wife, Sesshoumaru had called me his wife. Almost a week after the facts, I still had a hard time believing it. Then again I had spent every single night since that day gracing his bed, so I guess we were acting like a couple… not that sex meant that feelings were involved. We never talked about our feelings. I did not dare bring the subject up to him. Sesshoumaru was not one to talk about his feelings, so I needed to bide my time and respect that. For now I needed to take comfort in the fact that he was treating me as his wife, at least inside the house. Since Kagome was not home from the hospital yet, I got to see to the daily running of the household in her stead. I planned meals, did shopping, oversaw the kids' homework and much more.

Yep, in the past week I had been acting like a good mate. I had even organized this little family get together. Inuyasha had insisted his wife and brand-new baby girl be kept at the hospital for observation. Despite how eager Kagome had been to get home, she had gone along with it. I wondered if she was still worried about suffering from the same fate as Izayoi, Inuyasha's mother. Thankfully so far, everything seemed to be just right. The delay had given me enough time to plan a welcome party for them. No one had asked me to do so technically, but I thought it would be nice to do so. I considered Kagome a friend, and I needed a freaking diversion from the thought of having to attend Hakudoushi's funeral. Time to celebrate new life!

"They're here!" The overly excited Rin shouted. She had proved to be a good assistant in our planning. While I enjoyed baking, frosting thirty cupcakes by myself was not exactly my idea of fun. My creative outlets were more of the non-edible variety. The teenage human had great attention to detail and boundless energy, good attributes in a party-planning assistant. She was needed since the newly minted big brother had not wanted to get involved in the planning at all. Even now while I was putting the last of the refreshments on the table in the dining room, and Rin was staring out the window to spy the arrival of her aunt, uncle and new cousin, Shippou was alone in the living room.

Rin ran out the room, and headed towards the front door. Instead of going to meet the new parents, I went to another room.

"So how long are you going to stay here and sulk?"

Shippou looked up from his handheld video game long enough to send me a nasty glare. My, my wasn't he being a petulant kid?

"I don't sulk. I'm just busy. I'm almost done with this level in my game."

"Suuure, your video game is much more fun than your mom coming back from the hospital, and your new kid sister coming home for the first time…" I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. "You know, I had not taken you to be so self-absorbed."

"Well not everyone has to drop their whole life for a stupid baby." He punched the buttons on his gaming device so hard I thought he might break it. "Anyways, I don't care what you think… I don't care what anyone thinks. Mom and dad have a real kid now, so why would they even care about the pitiful orphan kitsune they took in."

Ah I understood. We had a case of jealous adopted older sibling on our hands. I walked over to the kid, and before he could protest, plucked his game out of his hands. I then sat next to him on the couch. When he tried to evade my gaze, I just grabbed his chin, and forced him to look at me.

"Shippou, don't be ridiculous. Just because your parents have more kids, it doesn't mean they will love you any less. Love is not something with a limited supply."

"Really? Then why did they not show up at the class meeting on Monday? Since Izayoi's been here it's like I don't exist. My parents barely pay any attention to me."

My heart broke a little at seeing the angry tears forming in his green eyes. Shippou was always the kid making jokes and keeping the mood light. I had never seen him so upset. I was not so sure how to react, but decided to do the best I could. Being raised by Naraku had not left me equipped with the right emotional tool bag to tackle such a task.

"Damn, I'm sorry about your school event. If I had known I would have reminded your parents." His pout deepened, so I decided to go another route. "You're right. It's true that Izayoi's arrival threw us all off balance. You're a smart kid, so I won't lie to you. It's going to be especially hard on you, at least for a few weeks; until the whole family figures out the right balance, and how to make things work. Your parents do love you, and won't stop loving you even if they give a bit more attention to the baby for a little while. It's tough being the big brother. You have to be selfless and strong. Izayoi's going to need you. She's going to count on you."

"Yeah well that sucks."

I chuckled at his reaction. Was it a small smile I saw at the corner of his mouth? Maybe I was getting to the little kitsune.

"Yeah, you should ask you uncle about that. From what I've heard he's spent a good chunk of time looking after your dad and making sure he got out of all the trouble he used to get into all the time. I did hear once about a story involving a slug demon." That one story was legendary. It has been passed through word of mouth, so I did not know if by the time I had heard of it, the story was anything but a major exaggeration. From what I had heard, back in high school Inuyasha had attracted the eye of some nasty slug demon eager to make her her groom. It was Sesshoumaru who had saved his younger half brother.

This time around Shippou laughed out loud. Something told me he had seen the picture of the horrendous looking slug demon trying to make out with Inuyasha. Personally I had seen it on a social media site during the time I was searching all over the internet for information on Sesshoumaru. The internet had made my stalking so much easier. I still had on my computer a secret file full of pictures of Sesshoumaru I had gathered over the years. One of my fondest possessions was a picture of him shirtless toweling down his sweating body. It had been taken during one of the sports tournaments he had participated in during his college years. The picture was grainy and had been printed in the school newspaper. Despite its poor quality, I truly cherished it. It had served as one hell of a fantasy inspiration for the longest time. Back then I never could have guessed I would get to enjoy the real deal on a nightly basis. Hum I made a mental note to delete that file in case Sesshoumaru ever got a hold of my computer. No way was I ever going to be branded a creepy stalker.

Okay, time to stir my thoughts away from my lover, and back to the kid.

"Stop sulking, and come join the celebration. Your parents love you, and would do anything for you. Not every kid has this kind of luck." What I would have given to have a golden cushioned childhood like Shippou and Rin. Well wishful thinking was useless, I needed to focus on the present. As soon as we took out Naraku, I would be able to live the life I had always wanted. "Now that they're home, everything will get back to normal you'll see." I gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

The loud noise of the front door banging shut signaled to us that the newest member of the family had made it home. It was time for us to go down and join the celebration.

"Are there any chocolate cupcakes at that celebration?"

So I had managed to pick his interest. He might be acting like he was just looking for pastries, but I knew better.

"Why don't we go down and see?"

The fox demon only hesitated for a minute before running downstairs. Well would you look at that? Seems like I was turning into one hell of a motivational speaker. Maybe I should explore that career option. I wasted no time following close behind. I planned the party, so I should go enjoy it. A cupcake did sound good.

I made it made it down the corridor in record time, and was greeted by a cute scene. Rin was peering into her uncle's arms where a sleeping Izayoi was held securely, while Shippou was engulfed in a tight hug by his mother.

"I've missed you my little baby." Kagome gave her oldest child a big resounding kiss on the forehead before letting him go.

"Don't call me that, I'm not a baby anymore."

"Keh! Don't say that, you'll always be your Mama's baby." Inuyasha reached over to ruffle some of his son's red curls. Shippou might have wiped the kiss mark left by his mother, and stepped away from his father, but I could see the happy gleam back in his eyes.

"Kagura-sama and I planned a welcome party. Sesshoumaru-sama is not home, but we can party in his name." The overly excited teenager pointed towards the dining room.

At the mention of my name, Inuyasha looked towards me. He arched an eyebrow in surprise. His nose would have easily told him what his brother and I had been up to only hours before. I was no inu youkai, but even I could tell I was drenched in Sesshoumaru's scent. Spending every night for a week in his bed would do that to a person. The hanyou shrugged and wisely decided not to ask any questions. His brother's love life was none of his concern.

"Oi wench, take your daughter, she needs ya." His nose wrinkled in distaste, Inuyasha handed the cooing baby to his wife.

"So when she has a soiled diaper, she's my daughter, but when she smiles or learns how to purr to ask for food, she's yours?"

"First of all, she's a inu hanyou, not a cat, she does not purr. Secondly, I have a hyper sensitive sense of smell, and whatever is in that diaper is enough to make me pass out."

Good Lord! What had that child eaten? Even from this distance I could smell the contents of her diaper. For once maybe Inuyasha was not exaggerating. The new mother rolled her eyes, but took her daughter.

"I'll help you out Mom." Shippou declared his chest puffed in pride. Hum seems like my pep talk had done wonders… or maybe seeing his parents had made him feel better.

"Thanks Shippou, nice to know some men around here are not running away from their responsibilities. Let's go to the nursery. Your sister could use a nap after her clean up." After sending her husband a glare, Kagome ascended the stairs, Shippou following close behind her.

"Rin, I'm starving, why don't you go fix your favorite uncle a plate?"

"You're my only uncle." The teenaged giggled, but headed to the dining room to do as asked.

As soon as we were left alone, the smile left Inuyasha's face. He barely hesitated before tackling on the topic he seemed to have wanted to now that our audience was gone.

"So the little shit's funeral is tomorrow?" I gulped and nodded my assent. "Kagura, you don't have anything to worry about. We'll be there to watch your back. Naraku isn't going to lay a hand on you."

I was surprised when he laid a comforting hand on my shoulder.

Just on cue the front door opened. I did not need to turn around to know who had come home. Our bodies had become so attuned that I could feel his presence without visual confirmation.

"Keh! Don't worry, I'm not moving in on your girl." The hanyou took his hand off me. "Gotta go see if Kagome and the baby are settling in alright." With one last mocking grin, the younger Tashio brother bounded up the stairs.

My heart slammed in my chest, a natural reaction to being called 'Sesshoumaru's girl'.

"Here."

Sesshoumaru did not react to his brother's bait, and handed me two shopping bags. I did my best to contain my glee. The label on the bags depicted on of the most expensive clothing stores downtown. It was one of my favorite places to splurge whenever I had a little money saved. I idly wondered how he had managed to get my clothes size, but realized he had become quite acquainted with my body as of late…

"What's this?" I asked even as I took a peek inside the first bag.

"Something for your to wear tomorrow."

Before I had the chance to thank him for his gift, he disappeared down the hallway to go to his study. No worries, I was already thinking about a few ways to thank him later on tonight when we would meet up in his bedroom. For now there was a cupcake with my name on it, and some new garments I had to try on.

I did not know if it was because he was just a good guesser, or because he knew me better than I had ever imagined, but Sesshoumaru had picked the perfect gift for me. The clothes he had purchased for me had not only fit me perfectly, but were exactly my esthetic. He got me a beautiful little black dress from one of my favorite designer along with a fancy strand of humongous pearls that was now adorning my throat. I felt like a modern day Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Especially once I completed the look with one of my favorite vintage sunglasses, and tied my hair up in my usual bun.

Focusing on my clothes prevented me from losing my mind. We were all riding in Sesshoumaru's limo on our way to the funeral of my stepbrother, who I had murdered. I felt nausea rising in my throat just thinking about it.

"Here." In a repeat of yesterday, Sesshoumaru handed me a small blue velvet package.

He was sitting next to me, across from a grave looking Miroku. Despite what he had said the day before, Inuyasha had decided to stay home. Izayoi had had a small fever during the night, which had freaked out her two parents. No way was Inuyasha going to leave his ailing newborn to attend 'that little shit's funeral' as he had put it. Sango had also stayed behind to look after the older kids.

I opened the jewelry box, and this time my heart seriously stopped for a microsecond. The box contained two rings: a huge diamond with two small rubies on each side of it, and a diamond crusted gold band. I looked up in shock at Sesshoumaru. It was only then that I noticed his left ring finger was now sporting a wedding band a well.

"Let us play Naraku's game, and see how far his plan reaches." He seemed to have read the question in my mind. Sending my hesitation, he plucked the rings out of the boxes and slipped them on my ring finger.

I had often fantasized about having Sesshoumaru slip a ring on my finger, but never had I imagined it would take place quite like this. In his car, under the interested gaze of his lawyer, while we rode to Haku's funeral.

"You do remember that the papers you signed are not legally binding, right? If you want them to be, that can be arranged… Does that mean I get to call judge Saito and make it official?" Miroku was accompanying us in Inuyasha's stead, an alternative his boss was not too happy about.

Sesshoumaru simply sent his lawyer an angry glare. That stopped Miroku's annoying eyebrow waggling immediately.

This felt like an icy cold shower. We may have become lovers, he may call me his wife, and I may have become close to his family, but our relationship was a subterfuge. Sesshoumaru had no intention of having our union be made legal. I needed to remember this was just a ruse, a way to draw out Naraku's plan so that we may take him down. I needed to collect my self and tuck my feelings safely inside of me; lest I got hurt by having too great expectations. Maybe once Naraku was gone things could be different, but for now I needed to remember that to Sesshoumaru I was a tool for him to use. A pampered dressed up tool, but still a tool. I cast my eyes down to look at the beautiful rings. Not only did they fit perfectly, but the ruby on the engagement ring reminded me of the color of my eyes. Damn him for tangling my feelings with such romantic gestures.

My introspection had to come to a stop because we had just arrived at Naraku's mansion. My father had let me know the evening before about the activities he had planned. He had had Hakudoushi cremated and was hosting a funeral service at his house in his honor. I did wonder who the hell would be present except for members of Naraku's outfit. Hakudoushi had no friend that I knew of, except for Naraku's goons, and my step father did not have any family members. Maybe some of the other Lords would be in attendance. Damn that was not an eventuality I had much thought about. What would they say about the charade Sesshoumaru and I were playing about being married?

"Here we go." Miroku stated before stepping out of the car.

While my dress was super cute, its curve hugging design and slight train made it not the easiest to maneuver in, so the human's help was most welcome.

It felt strange to be back in the house I had grown up in. The few weeks I had spent at Sesshoumaru's had changed things tremendously. I felt like a completely different person. Gone was the woman who had lived in constant fear. I felt strong and confident, and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Soon enough we would put a stop to Naraku and set mom free.

Sesshoumaru took me by the arm, and we marched forward together, Miroku following close behind.

"My dear daughter, and my son in-law. A pleasure to see you despite the tragic circumstances." Naraku greeted us at the entrance of the house. He leaned forward to kiss my cheek. I repressed the urge to gag and wipe my face. Too many eyes were on me, I had to be on my best behavior. The room had gone still at our appearance. I guess most people were stunned at seeing the Lord of the West and I together.

"My condolences on your loss Naraku. No parent should ever outlive their child."

Sesshoumaru's words despite their comforting nature had an ominous tint to them. If Naraku had no idea Sesshoumaru wanted him dead before, well he had the confirmation now.

"Thank you milord." Naraku's slimy smile bloomed on his lips. "My heart feels as if it has been ripped out of my chest. A son is a man's greatest joy. Maybe someday soon you shall get to experience such joy." I blushed a deep red despite myself at the way my father looked towards my lower stomach. What a creep.

Sesshoumaru must have felt my recoil because he tightened his hold on my arm. "Yes, maybe sometime soon." His eyes scanned the room, probably assessing the place for threats. "My dear, let us go and pay our respects to your brother."

My dear husband did not bother addressing one more word to Naraku. He simply walked past him, and headed in the direction of the living room where most of the guests were crammed. While we stopped in front of an altar containing the ashes of Hakudoushi and a giant picture of his smirking face, I only prayed for one thing, not to be struck by lightning as I paid my respects to the man I had accidentally murdered. Damn that nausea was back. I felt like such a fraud.

From the corner of my eye I could see Sasaki glaring at me. He was standing in a corner surrounded by some of Naraku's goons, drink in hand. The young demon had had a huge crush on me for years, and the last time we had seen each other, he had showed clear anger at the idea of Sesshoumaru and I being married. I just hoped that he would not pick a fight with my Lord husband right now.

"Well the gathering is pretty… intimate." Miroku scanned the place with his purple eyes. I had not expected many people to show up, but even I was surprised by the lack of attendance. Other than Naraku's men, I saw a few wolves from Kouga's outfit, and one of two creepy moth demons from Menoumaru's.

"I will go make the rounds and see if there's anyone important you should greet in person boss." After receiving the ascent in the form of a nod from Sesshoumaru, the young human was off.

"I will go get us refreshments. Stay where I can see you." Sesshoumaru went to the next room in search of the refreshments table. My throat felt a bit tight, and nausea was still threatening me, so a glass of water would be great. A small smile appeared on my lips. It was nice to feel protected and looked after for a change. All his attentions could not all be part of this little ruse we played, right?

"Dear daughter of mine, a word if you please?" Trust Naraku to come in and burst my happy bubble.

I forced a smile, and followed him to the small library situated next to his home office. I was glad he was not dragging me to the dungeons as I had feared. Being under Sesshoumaru's protection had its perks.

The door had barely closed behind us that Naraku cradled my face in his. He pressed a nasty kiss on both my cheeks before letting me go. This newly developed kissing habit was freaking me out. I guess it beat being stabbed by a tentacle to the chest, but it felt revolting.

He took a creepy deep breath before a grin stretched his thin lips. "Your new scent is delicious. I can smell Sesshoumaru all over you." His smile only widened. "For the first time since I took you and your mother in, I can say that I am proud of you. The way you have brought that prideful dog to his knees is beautiful. The way he looks at you, the way he looks after you… he is truly devoted to you. He would do anything you may ask. You have him twisted around your little finger." Naraku licked his lips, savoring the taste of his own words in his mouth.

I guess this was the part where I played along to please Naraku. Hopefully I would be able to get some information out of him.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru does everything I ask. He also talks to me. I am finding out everything I can about his operation, and how it works. Soon enough I will be able to get you any information you may want." My cheeks hurt as I forced myself to smile as widely as I could.

"Your plan was brilliant. It definitely got me close to Sesshoumaru and the whole Tashio clan. You know, he calls me his wife now, and gifted me these rings." I extended my hand towards my adoptive father to display the beautiful jewelry I just received. It pained me to have to cheapen our relationship with these lies, but I knew how necessary it was. I was annoyed to see my palm was sweaty and my hand shaky. I needed to stay sharp so that Naraku would not be able to see right through me.

"Ku ku ku!" His disgusting chuckle grated on my nerves. "That damn prideful dog does not even realize that he has let in the enemy close by. By the time he will, it will be too late, and I will have destroyed him."

He was pleased, it was maybe time now for me to play my hand.

"I did what you instructed. I became involved with Sesshoumaru… so I expect something in return."

Naraku's smile faded. "You are not done yet. Once you complete your mission, and only then will I free your crazy mother. For now she stays under my… protection."

My heart sunk. For now, I only hoped I would be able to outplay Naraku so I could get out of this alive, and on top.

"What are your next instructions?" I forced myself to utter the words. It made me feel disgusting, but I knew how necessary this was.

"I am glad you asked." He took my hand in his in a mockery of a tender gesture. The way he twisted my wrist let me know that despite how happy he was, he was not going to let me off the hook. "The next phase of our plan calls for you to befriend the miko Kagome… and find information on the Shikon jewel. With Hakudoushi gone, you are all I have. My one and only child. I expect only the best from you."

Kagome? I wondered why the hell Naraku could be interested in her. And what was this about a jewel? The situation was becoming even more worrisome. I could not wait to tell Sesshoumaru. We needed to figure out what Naraku was up to so that we could reassess our position.

"Of course Naraku. I will do as you wish; as always. I will find out what I can, and report to you as soon as possible."

My meek answer brought a large smile to Naraku's face. He seemed pleased with what I said. I just hoped it meant I would not get a tentacle to the chest like I had the last time we spoke.

"Good Kagura. Very good. My time is running out, so I need these answers very soon… if I don't get them I will be most displeased, and you would not like me to be displeased. You know what happens when I am displeased. Now, let us go back out. Our guests will wonder where Hakudoushi's family is."

Looks like my time was up. I quickly did a scan of the room, maybe the sick bastard had hidden the scabbard of Touga Tashio's sword here somewhere. Damn, I could not see it anywhere. Maybe Naraku was smarter than I thought. The proof I had been looking for so long was nowhere in sight.

"Sure, I will let you know as soon as I find out anything." With one last deferring nod, I walked out of Naraku's office to join back the so-called mourners. Not one of those people actually cared that Hakudoushi had died. They had probably come to gawk at Naraku and his garish home. Except for Sesshoumaru, none of the other Lords had even attended. They had sent representatives, but this was about it.

I walked down the hallway to get back to the main room. All of a sudden a hand shot out to grab me, and before I had the time to realize what was happening, I was being dragged in a small living room that was mostly used nowadays as a storage space. The grip was so strong that I was not able to make a move, and the action so fast I did not even get to take out my fan.

In the blink of an eye, I was slammed back against a wall. The hard collision robbed me of breath. To my shock, I was staring up in a pair of well-known and most beloved golden eyes. But these eyes had a much different look than the one I was used to. I had seen Sesshoumaru annoyed. I had seen Sesshoumaru protective. I had seen him angry, but never had I seen him like this. Gone was my tender lover. The man standing in front of me with his hand wrapped around my throat was the Killing Perfection. A heartless monster. A cold hearted killer. A man who did not even remember how many people he had killed. A man able to snap someone's neck in a heartbeat, and I feared this someone would be me.

"Sesshoumaru… What…" I squeaked out even as his grip on my neck strengthened. I was unable to speak now, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

I tried to reach my arm up so I could get his hold off of me, but I had no strength left. All I could do was pitifully writher as he choked me.

Some of his claws sliced the side of my neck, and I could feel droplets of blood beading on my skin. The pearl necklace he had given me painfully dug in my flesh as he crushed my windpipe. I often thought I would die a violent death, but at the hands of Naraku, not the ones of the man I loved. To think that only hours ago the very hand squeezing the life out of me had brought me to climax by playing with nerve endings I had not even know I had before. Seeing the man I loved, my lover turn into this monster broke my heart. Before I could stop them tears sprang forth, and fell down my cheeks. Pitiful choked up sobs left my throat as more tears leaked.

"Please… don't…" I used the very last of my breath to squeak out. Hoping maybe, just maybe I would be able to appeal to whatever small corner of his heart had cared for me at some point.

Unexpectedly Sesshoumaru let me go. My legs felt like jelly. I slid down against the wall, and fell down hard on my ass. That would leave a nasty painful bruise. Truthfully that bruise would be the least of my worries. I still did not know if Sesshoumaru would let me live through this day. I took what little strength I had left, and crawled away from him. I coughed as blessed air made its way back into my lungs. My throat was on fire, but I forced my self to breathe. I needed to be ready for whatever might come next.

He reached for me, and I brought my arm up to protect my head in case he rained blows on me. I had seen my mother take on this particular defense stance more times that I can count, but I never expected I would have to do the same one day; especially not with Sesshoumaru. Never had I thought I would be battered by the man I loved. Instead of hitting me as I expected, he tugged me up by the arm, and steadied me. I was standing precariously on the beautiful heeled sandals he had bought for me yesterday, but I would be damned before I leaned on him for support.

"We are going home." He took me by the arm and had to almost drag me outside, I did not have the strength to resist him, and my brain was so frozen with shock that I had not even thought about getting my fan out of the secret compartment he had had sewn in my cleavage to hide my weapon. I remembered how happy I had been at that caring gesture.

A part of me was reluctant to go with him, but truthfully I knew I had no other choice at the moment. All I had on me was my fan, my flying feathers and my phone. No money or anything else needed for a getaway. Plus I did know that for now I had nowhere else to go, and no one to take me in. Also, if I stayed here, Naraku would deem me useless and end my life on the spot. At least if Sesshoumaru was taking me home, it means he had no plans on killing me. He would not do that at home with the kids nearby. I had a few hours at least to collect my thoughts, and think of an escape plan.

We met back up with Miroku. The way his eyes opened wide at the sight of me let me know I must look a fright. Well my tears had messed up my make-up, and I bet my throat must look pretty bad… but probably not as bad as I felt inside.

The young human opened his mouth to ask questions, but a jerking motion of the head by Sesshoumaru shut him down immediately.

We rode home in silence, and as soon as we made it to the mansion I ran up to my room, and locked myself in there. I threw off the fine clothes and shoes Sesshoumaru had gotten me in the trash and jumped in the shower. I wanted to wash all traces of Sesshoumaru Tashio off of my body. Too bad they did not make a special soap to scrub someone off your heart too.

To be continued…

A/N: A chapter full of all kinds of drama. We shall find out next time how these new developments will affect the relationship between Sesshoumaru and Kagura, and of course what prompted Sesshoumaru's violent reaction. The next chapter will be named Torn.