Part 15: Unconceivable

A/N: Once again so sorry for the late update. Work has been keeping me too busy these days. I had promised myself to post before Friday the 13th, so I am glad I managed to make my deadline!

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Reesexxoo

Nihao-tiger

Little25victor

AmorPorSiempre

Zophtoko (x3)

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

I had taken advantage of the fact that Sesshoumaru had left for his meeting to sneak out of the house. Considering the previous evening's disastrous sorry excuse of a Council, I knew that if I told Miroku or Inuyasha I would go meet with Naraku, they would freak out, and do all they could to prevent me from doing so, or at least stall for time until Sesshoumaru made it home, so he could be the one preventing me from leaving. What they did not realize was how high the stakes were for me. If I decided to just not show up, my dear old dad would be liable to hurt mom, just in retaliation.

Naraku had called me over to one of his favorite places on earth: his strip club. Thank goodness it was early on Saturday, so the place was empty of customers. Unfortunately the clean-up crew had not been by yet, and yesterday night's many activities were still visible all over the place. I wrinkled my nose as I stepped over a puddle of vomit and glitter. I quickly headed over to Naraku's office. I intended to be out of there as quickly as possible.

"Enter!" I heard him yell before I had even knocked on the door. He and his stupid spider senses.

I did as he asked, and reluctantly walked into his private office.

"What a bad daughter you are. Could you not have brought me some breakfast?" He leaned back in his chair. I could tell from where I stood that he had spent the night at his club, and had once again made use of one or more of his girls. He reeked of alcohol and cheap perfume, and his shirt was wide opened at the collar. I could see a nasty looking hickey on his neck, probably one of his newer girls sadly trying to mark her territory.

"Good morning to you too." I wisely decided to ignore his stupid words. We both knew he would not accept food from me. It would probably be poisoned or full of my spit after all. "I came as you asked." I pretended to be nonplussed, and nonchalantly sat on one of the chairs facing his desk.

"Have you heard from your friend Sasaki? He has been missing since yesterday's insightful meeting."

Naraku's casual tone of voice let me know he knew exactly what had happened to his goon. That's when it hit me. The performance and lying about me being pregnant during the Council Meeting had not been just for the benefit of Kouga and Menoumaru, but also for Sasaki. I would be willing to bet everything I owned that my father had whispered poisonous words in the ear of the fire demon in the hopes of pushing him over the edge, and make him come after Sesshoumaru in a stupid effort to win my favor. Naraku probably knew of the man's infatuation with me. The guilt and sadness I had pushed as deep down inside me as possible, was coming back with a vengeance. If only I had not used Sasaki to try to get some favors, then his fixation on me would not have happened, and he would still be alive.

Despite my boiling anger, I kept my temper in check, and did my best to channel my inner Icy Lord Sesshoumaru face. The twitching of Naraku's eye let me know he hated my lack of reaction. He probably had relished the thought of seeing me get mad or distraught over what he had done. No way would I give him the satisfaction.

"You know you don't have to hide any secrets from me." Naraku sent me a disgusting smirk. "In fact, you can't. I always find out everything I want to. For example I know our mutual friend went to visit you… and he met a most… unfortunate end at the hands of your beloved dog. You know I could have your Sesshoumaru-sama tried in front of the other Lords for that. I could demand justice for the death of one of my men."

I clenched my jaw hard. I wanted to fling in his face that he was the one to have broken the truce by having one of his underlings attack Sesshoumaru's home, but I kept quiet. It would not do to confirm that the Lord of the West had indeed killed one of Naraku's men. Dear old dad would probably manage to spin it in his advantage. My lover already had enough trouble as it was with the other Lords.

Naraku did not seem to like my silence, but it looked like I was not the only one to have learned about self-control. Instead of spearing me with a tentacle, or punch me in the face, he expressed his displeasure with a hateful look. Maybe I would be able to escape this encounter without bruises all over my body.

"Well then Kagura, answer me this. Despite being kept busy by fucking your beloved Sesshoumaru-sama on a nightly basis, have you managed to learn anything useful?"

I gulped. Naraku only used such crass vocabulary when he was pissed. He usually relied on his beautiful face and pretend good manners to con people. I knew I needed to compose myself. I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing me react, and I would make sure to only give him just enough information to be satisfied while not betraying my friends.

"You have no reason to be upset. I did as you asked. I questioned Kagome, and pretended to be interested in her family history. I even went to the shrine." So far, so good. This part I had rehearsed enough, so I knew what to say and how to say it.

"Did you find out anything of use?" He was back to using his sickly sweet tone. Good. That meant I was still in good shape.

"From what I found out, the Shikon Jewel is just some fairy tale the Higurashis came up with to drum up visits to their shrine and sell souvenirs. I don't think it's real." Naraku's eye twitched in annoyance, and I feared then that I had said the wrong thing.

"I did not ask you to think." He slammed his fist down on the table, causing the wood to splinter. Guess I should be glad he had not sent his hand flying towards my face as he usually did.

"How disappointing. My sweet dear daughter, it seems you are not disposed to assist me after all. No matter, I will just have to get the information out of the miko as I wished. Too bad your brother isn't here anymore. He would have loved to be the one to question her. Oh the way he could have made her sing. I would have loved seeing him chain her in the dungeon."

My breath stopped. I remembered then when at thirteen I had stumbled upon the results of one of father's dungeon interrogation sessions. I had gone snooping where I should never have, and had accidentally seen some of his goons dragging pieces of a bloody disfigured corpse, leaving a crimson line on the floor in their wake. To this day, every time I walked down that corridor, I still saw that revolting bloody trail they had left behind. Thinking of kind, beautiful Kagome suffering such a fate made bile rise in my throat. Kagome, the fun, sweet young woman who was giving me the opportunity to explore my passion for fashion. Kagome my friend who had given the nudge in the right direction to start things up between Sesshoumaru and I. I felt sick just thinking of her being tied in my father's dungeon, left at his cruel mercy. I could just imagine from the eager sound of his voice, how much pleasure he would take out of beating, cutting up and torturing her. No. I would do everything in my power to prevent that.

"I would start slow, strip off tiny pieces of her skin to reveal what is under the porcelain façade. I do remember how much you loved it when I would tie you to a table and flog the skin off your back. Too bad unlike you she isn't youkai. I would have been able to rely on her fast healing to make our fun time last longer; just like that time I kept you for three days. I remember how I watched your skin slowly grow back, only for me to shred it off your back all over again. You bled so much that the crimson marks are still there, despite how many times I had the floor cleaned." He licked his lip in a mix of fond remembrance and pure anticipation.

I remembered all too well the three days in hell he had put me through. It was after he had skinned my back with a whip more times that I cared to remember, that he had branded me with a hot iron. Once he had left that disgusting spider-shaped burn on my back, he had used a corrupt monk to bing me with ofudas, making sure I would not heal properly, and would forever bear his mark on my flesh. For months following that trip to his dungeon, I had nightmares about the torture he had inflicted upon me. I would spring awake in the middle of the night, my back hurting as if someone had poured liquid fire on my skin. That punishment had been in order to teach me a lesson, and remind me who I belonged to. It took me almost a year to dare defy Naraku once again. He had almost broken me that time. It had only been my unwavering desire to rescue mom and get out of his clutches that had conferred me the strength to stand up and fight once again.

I knew his threat towards Kagome was not spoken idly. I knew all too well the amount of pain Naraku could inflict on someone. The kind of agony that would make most people break and tell him whatever he wanted to know. I had barely managed to resist the few sessions, and had almost lost my life more than once as when he had left me in Hakudoushi and Zankoku's hands. May both of them burn in hell.

During these torture sessions, the only thing to have kept me grounded was the thought of mom and me running away from that life and from Naraku. This had kept me strong, and had prevented my mind from breaking. But would Kagome be able to resist? She who had come from a loving family and had led a sheltered life away from death, destruction and pain? The mere thought of her being subjected to such torture made me sick.

"Hum, the things I cannot wait to do to her. I recently purchased some new toys. I would love to use them on her. Once I am done, and I have wrung every bit of information I can from her, I will dump her on the front steps of her husband's home. Broken, disfigured, torn apart and lying in a pool of her own blood. Wonderful."

I breathed from my mouth, pushing the sick image he had painted was so clear in my mind. I could see Kagome's brown cloudy sightless eyes staring into nothingness. I could see her corpse on the front steps of the mansion. I could almost feel the pain inflicted on her broken body. I could almost smell the metallic scent of Kagome's blood. I would not let him do it!

"No! You would be wasting your time. She does not know anything. Her grandfather told me he would never give any information on the Shikon Jewel to her or her brother." I quickly blurted out. I gasped then, realizing all too late that by trying to save my friend I had just damned her grandfather.

Naraku lunged at me from across the table, and grabbed my hair bun. Painfully bringing me close to his face. I braced my hands on his desk, trying and failing to get away from him.

"You lying bitch." He growled hatefully in my ear. Twisting my hair in his fist. " So you did find out something. The old man is the one who has the jewel!"

I had always known Naraku to be insane but the fire in his eyes confirmed him to be truly unhinged. He slammed my head down on his desk. This hurt like hell, and would leave one hell of a bruise, but I was glad no bones were broken. Thankfully I had lowered my head into it, so my forehead had taken the brunt of the collision, not my nose. I had quite a bit of practice with the best way to react to such attacks. Guess I would just have to use my bangs to keep my injury hidden. Hopefully it would have faded by the time I saw Sesshoumaru next. I did not care to worry my lover. I was sure to get one hell of a lecture for coming here alone, but coming back home hurt would only give him more fodder. I took the opportunity of Naraku slightly relaxing his grip on me to slither away from him. I took a few steps back, putting some space in between us. Sadly, I could not hightail it out of there as I would have liked.

"He doesn't have the jewel." I protested. I gently massaged my forehead. Good thing I had not gotten a haircut in a while, and my bangs were quite long. "I swear all the old man has are stories. He said the secret died with the Moru family."

"Lies!" Naraku spat. I knew then that if I had still been within arm's reach he would have hit me again. Of course he could just use a tentacle to do the job, but for now he seemed glad to leave me as is. "If that was the case, your mother would have told me a long time ago. She's not like you. She's so easy to bend and break."

This statement sadly confirmed my earlier fears that Naraku had seduced mom and then destroyed her all because of a ploy to get to the Shikon Jewel. Once again I felt sick to my stomach. I was at such a loss for words I could not even speak. Little did I know his next words would turn my blood to ice.

"If only you were as biddable as your mother… Too bad you got your defiance from your father."

"What did you just say?" I whispered in shock. Sadly I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was going, and I hated it, even if it was something I was dying to know. "What do you know of my father?"

Naraku chuckled, and from the evil glint in his eyes, I knew the truth.

"Did you have anything to do with my father's death?" I whispered barely above a whisper.

"Oh, but I am your father my dear." He sent me a condescending grin.

"Don't fuck with me Naraku, you know what I mean. Did you murder my biological dad?!" I usually made it a point not to yell at him, but this time he had gone too far. A part of me feared knowing the truth, but a larger part of me wanted this suspicion to finally be confirmed once and for all.

"He died in a car accident, didn't he?" He mused aloud, his revolting grin widening. "Of course accidents can be helped along. That stupid fool did not go down easy. Things got messy, and I had to get creative, so a car accident was the way to go. How else could one explain broken bones all over a corpse, and a severed head?!"

I suddenly felt light headed.

"You killed my father." I chocked back a sob.

"Yes, I needed him out of the way, so I could get to your mom. Too bad the stupid cow did not have useful information to give me, so I of course had to find a way to get her out of the way. I almost had her and her useless brat killed, but I realized a young beautiful girl like you could always be useful… and what better way to get you to do my bidding then keeping your mother under my thumb?"

"You killed my father..." I repeated, still shell-shocked. "You murdered him so you could seduce mom and get information on the Shikon jewel?!"

"Yes, I killed the spineless fool. He died begging me to let him live for his family. He told me all about his little girl, and how he wanted to be able to see her grow up. I did promise him then that I would watch over his baby girl." Naraku chuckled in clear amusement. "How he would hate to hear his dear little girl call the man who chopped his head off 'father'."

I realized then that this perverse thought was the reason why Naraku insisted I called him father. What a twisted fuck. I felt sick to my stomach, but did my best to stop myself from hurling at his feet. Never had I felt angrier in my life. The rage inside me made my blood boil.

"I will see you dead for this Naraku. I will kill you with my own fucking bare hands." Never had I dared to be this honest about how I felt about him, but he had pushed me to my limit.

"You look simply beautiful when you are angry. That's the fiery daughter I always wanted. You and I would have worked fantastically together… if only I could trust you, and if only you weren't Sesshoumaru's whore."

Naraku rounded his desk to stand in front of me. He tried to grab my arm, but I slapped it away. He growled and reached for me. Years of practice had taught me well. I expected his action, and raised my hand to protect myself from his incoming blow. My movement caused a strong gust of wind to materialize as a protective shield that sent him sprawling to the ground, flat on his ass. I don't know of the two of us who was the most shocked.

No matter, I took advantage of the distraction to run the hell away from there. I was so angry I would not put it past me to hurt the bastard in an irrevocable way. This was not the way to solve any of my many issues. Time for me to get smart, and figure out how to protect all the people I loved.

I rushed home. I already regretted getting into it with Naraku. For years I had practiced self- discipline, and learned how to bite my tongue. I wondered if my lack of self-control and the mysterious gust of protective wind happened just because I had started training with Sesshoumaru and felt stronger. In any case, Naraku was sure to retaliate in some kind of way, and I knew he would hit me where he would be able to hurt me the most: Mom.

As soon as I reached Sesshoumaru's mansion, I jumped off my feather, and shrunk it before tucking it back in my bun. I ran up the few steps leading to the front door, and was not surprised to see the snow had been shoveled away, and the damage caused by Sasaki's attack from only a few hours ago had been repaired. No more singed marks on the stairs or the wall; Sesshoumaru's clean up crew had done an excellent job.

I pushed the front door opened, and was secretly glad not to see anyone loitering in the hallway. I was in no mood for socializing. I had a bad feeling. Naraku was bound to be livid after I had humiliated him by knocking him down, and running away without telling him what he wanted to find out. During my flight home, one thought had crystallized in my mind: something bad was about to happen. I needed to see Sesshoumaru, and I could only hope that he had come home from whatever meeting he had left bright and early to go carry out.

I rushed down the corridor, and pushed opened the door of Sesshoumaru's office. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him sitting at his desk, his eyes glued on the glowing screen of his laptop.

"Rin told me you left to run an errand. You just missed the children. Kagome took them shopping for some winter clothes…"

He cut himself mid-sentence, probably surprised by how upset I looked.

"We need to get mom out of the clinic… now!" I did not bother explaining my thinking nor relating what had happened with Naraku earlier.

"What is this about Kagura? She is safe, I have people watching over her…"

I let out a frustrated groan before speaking up again. "I understand that you don't want to bring her here, to your home, but you must have safe houses somewhere around town?... We could keep her there while we deal with Naraku. I know we could do it." I tried to push down my hysteria as I did not want him to think I was overreacting. "Please!" I begged him.

Sesshoumaru, a deep frown between his brows stood up and walked up to me. He placed comforting hands on my shoulders. "You have no reason to worry, we are looking after her, and my people know to report straight to me should anything happen to her. Naraku's ridiculous behavior of the previous evening showed to me that he is getting desperate; it means we are getting closer. Just hold on and stay strong for a little bit longer. He wants us to panic and make mistakes, but we must not fall for it."

I trusted Sesshoumaru, but still I was worried. "You don't get it. Naraku summoned me, and we argued. He is angry and he knows about Sasaki. He threatened to hurt both you and mom, and since he can't get to you, he will get to her."

"You went to see him again? Alone." The way Sesshoumaru ground his jaw; I could tell he was truly upset. I could guess he was mad about me going to see Naraku as he had not even reacted to the idea of my father threatening him.

"I had no choice, and I regret I ever did. Naraku told me all about how he murdered my biological father, and how he would have no qualms about doing the same to mom."

Sesshoumaru's gaze softened. "I understand this was upsetting news, but you should not let it get to you. I swore to you we would keep your mother safe, and we would rescue her. I intend to keep my promise."

"What if he's out there right now, hurting her…"

"This Sesshoumaru would have heard about it." He cut me off.

Something then occurred to me. "If you don't want to take her out of there, at least, let me go see her." Ever since Sesshoumaru had managed to sneak me into the clinic to see mom, I had been aching to do so again, but my lover refused. He had deemed it not safe. Back then I had agreed with him as the last thing I wanted was to be caught by Naraku. It had been a miracle that he had not found out about my visit. "That's the only way I will be sure she is okay."

He seemed to mull over my proposition for a long time, and finally nodded, bringing me immense relief. Not only would I be able to make sure mom was safe, but I had another goal. After Naraku's many revelations, I needed to see clear, and for that I needed answers, and there was only one person that would be able to give those to me.

"Fine. I will have Miroku make the arrangements."

For the first time in hours, a smile stretched my lips. "Thank you." I rose up to kiss his lips. "I will go get ready." With these last words, I ran upstairs. I wanted to wash all trace of Naraku off me before I went to see mom.

"You came to see Mrs. Onigumo you said, right?" The young nurse asked as he carefully peered at the documents I had handed to him. "My boss did not tell us we were going to get a visitor from the university. I'm new here… and I don't want to get in trouble if I let you in."

It took all of my self-control not to lash out at the human kid. Instead of sending a wind blade his way for daring to detain me, I put on my brightest smile and pushed up the fake glasses higher on my nose.

"You have no need to worry. It will be a short interview to get additional information to finish up my research." My smile stretched even wider. "I was here a few weeks ago, you can probably check the visitor log."

"Alright." He said, still dubious. "Well her room is down…"

"Thanks I know the way!" I picked up the precious forged documents I had used to once again impersonate Mayumi Sada, a graduate student doing some research, and quickly walked towards my mother's room. My heart pounding, and nervousness coursing through my veins, I opened the door. Considering the threats Naraku had uttered earlier, a part of me was expecting to find my mother beaten, broken, and lying in a pool of her own blood. It was with immense relief that I found her sitting in front of her television, watching her beloved TV game shows.

"Mom." I whispered, still afraid that Naraku might have some men lurking in the shadows.

"My baby." She turned towards me, tears pooling in her crimson eyes. In only a few strides I was by her side, and she wrapped me in a tight hug.

I could not help myself from running my hands all over her body. I needed to make sure she was unhurt.

"You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous… if Naraku finds out we met, he will hurt you." Mom gently pushed herself away from me. I could see she was terrified. Her eyes were opened wide and sweat beaded on her forehead.

"I know. I won't stay long. I was just worried about you, and I wanted to make sure for myself that you were okay."

"Don't worry about me honey, I am fine. How about you? I hope this man of yours has not caused you any harm."

I had no time to argue with mom about my relationship with Sesshoumaru, so I decided to focus on one of the main reasons I decided to come see her in the first place. "I heard from Naraku what he did to dad, and why he married you… how come you never told me any of this… or about the Shikon Jewel."

The look of shock on her face at my announcement caused my heart to twist. This would be a painful conversation to have, but I needed to get her side of the story.

"Did Naraku really murder my father?"

After a long while, my mother finally nodded. I wanted to ask her how long she had known, and how she could have stayed with the monster who had assassinated her husband and the father of her child, but I knew such accusations would be counter-productive at this point. In no way would getting into such an argument help us with getting her out of Naraku's clutches, and free us all from that monster.

"I… I never wanted you to find out about any of this." My mother lowered her gaze. I wondered if it was because of pain or shame. "I never told you, because I don't know much about the Shikon Jewel, and I never wanted you to get hurt. If Naraku had the mere suspicion that you knew anything, he would murder you as he did your real father."

"I wish I knew where that damn jewel was. I would have gladly given it to him, so that he would set us free, and leave us be." Mom ran a hand down the length of my face. "Honey, I am so sorry you had to get embroiled in all of this. If only I had been a better mother, I would have been able to protect you from all this. If only…"

"No mom!" I cut her off. "This isn't on you. This is all Naraku. We will make him pay for all the pain and suffering he inflicted on us all. Soon enough Sesshoumaru and I will get you out of this horrible place; I promise." I pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"I don't like that you're relying on that man, but I can put up with it for now." Despite her words, a deep frown marred her beautiful face. I knew then that it pained her to have to rely on Sesshoumaru, a man who embodied everything she hated.

"Mom, it will soon be over. You just need to stay strong a bit longer." I echoed the words my lover had spoken to me earlier. From the corner of my eye, I glanced at the clock mounted on the wall, and winced. I had planned to only look in on mom, and dash out of there. I had stayed already much too long.

She must have caught my gaze because she gently pushed me towards the door. "Go now honey. Go, before Naraku finds out you were here."

I knew she was right. I could not dare stay longer. Sesshoumaru had also warned me about keeping my visit as short as possible to minimize the possibility of Naraku catching me. It was nonetheless with heavy legs that I headed for the door.

"I love you mom. I will see you soon." I looked over my shoulder, to give her one last reassuring smile.

As I stepped over the threshold of mom's room, a shiver went through me. Even though I had seen with my own eyes that she was okay, I still could not shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

Leaving mom behind had been tough. The idea of her being locked up in that damn clinic made me sick to my stomach, but there was nothing I could do for now. Sesshoumaru had promised me he would help set mom free soon, and I believed him. Patience had never been my strong suit, but I would do my best. As if he could hear my thoughts, Sesshoumaru tightened his arm around me, and brought me closer to his side. A smile formed on my lips. Even in sleep, he still sought me out. He might never tell me he loved me, but it showed in all those little gestures. We were both lying in our bed, snuggled close. After the ugly scene with Naraku this morning and going to that horrid clinic, I could really use some comforting.

As soon as I got home, I had slipped into bed. I had decided to feign feeling a bit sick so I could skip dinner, and not have to see the Tashios. I was in need of a little alone time. When Sesshoumaru had joined me in bed, I pretended to be asleep. He had simply wrapped his arms around me, and gone to sleep. To be honest my swirling thoughts had kept me from finding sleep, but at least being in Sesshoumaru's arms made me feel better. I tried to stay as still as possible so as not to disturb him. At least one of us should be able to get a good night's sleep. Besides it was not often that I got to watch him sleep. He usually made love to me until I fell in a contented heavy slumber, and slipped out of bed early in the morning. Thanks to the sliver of moonlight coming in form the parted curtains, I had just enough light to see all his beautiful features. It still felt surreal to me to have the chance to be close to the man I had loved for so long. Just as I closed my eyes, the door of our bedroom was thrown opened.

In a heartbeat, Sesshoumaru woke up, and crawled over me to stand in front of the door. He was obscuring my view, but considering his relaxed body language, the newcomer was no threat.

"What is the meaning of this?" My lover asked, clearly displeased. All traces of sleep had been wiped away from his voice, and he somehow managed to exude strength and confidence despite being clad in only a pair of boxer shorts.

"The shrine was attacked." Inuyasha barked angrily. "Kagome's grandpa was hurt we're going to the hospital. We need you to watch the kids."

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. This was my fault. I had sent Naraku on Gandpa Higurashi's trail by my careless words earlier, and then instead of warning Kagome and her family of the potential threat, I had been more concerned about keeping my own mother safe. I closed my eyes and prayed that my selfishness would not cause the death of the poor man.

To be continued…

A/N: Is old man Higurashi okay, what will Kagura do next, and will her mother be the next victim? Let's find out next time! The next chapter will be named Emergencies.