Part 20: Broken Pieces

A/N: Hello dear readers! Happy New Year to all of you. I hope 2018 has been treating you well so far. A lot of you had very strong emotions about the last chapter. Fear not, all we be explained in this installment. We are getting inexorably closer to the end!

Thank you for reviewing:

Little25victor

AmorPorSiempre

Velgamidragon

Malmal (Sorry for the mean cliffhanger.)

Hairul the Nightrage Beast

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 suddenly woke up with my heart pounding in my chest. I reached to my side for Sesshoumaru's comforting presence, but I only met warm empty sheets. A quick look outside the windows let me know it we had been sleeping for only a few hours, as it was barely past dawn.

I heard a shout, and soon realized the reason for my discomfort was a commotion downstairs. I stood up fast, and felt lightheaded. Obviously my body was still not purged of Naraku's poison. I had to take things easy. I left my bedroom, and as best I could, rushed down the flight of stairs. I did not even take the time to tie a robe over my nightgown. In the foyer, I was shocked to see a sobbing Kagome being held tight by a surprisingly misty-eyed Sango. The tough bodyguard opened her mouth to say something to me, but then clamped it shut again. My heart pounded even faster. Only something truly terrible could make them both so emotional. A part of me did not want to see what had them all so upset, but I knew I needed to, so I moved forward.

Sesshoumaru suddenly appeared in my line of sight, blocking me from seeing over his shoulder by hugging me close and bringing my face to his chest.

"Do not look." He whispered in my ear.

I fought back, and tried to shove him away. I was not a child to be coddled. Unfortunately he was bigger and stronger than me, and right about now he was determined to hold on to me.

"Whatever it is, I have to see it for myself." I mumbled, my words muffled against his chest.

He held on to me tighter, but in the end he knew I was right, and that he had to let me go. His arms fell off, and hung limp at his side. I noticed then that he had clutched his hands so tightly that his claws had pierced through the soft skin of his palms, leaving bloody crescents behind. I made a mental note to bandage his wounded hands as soon as we dealt with whatever was happening.

I continued forward, and saw next Miroku and Inuyasha on the front steps of the mansion. Despite the late hour, and cold air, the door was wide opened. Strange. The young human was barking angrily on the phone, surprising, as I had never seen him lose his cool, and the hanyou was crouched next to a strange shape. The first thing to hit me was the telling metallic smell of blood. It was overpowering. My sense of smell was not the only one to be overwhelmed. My eyes rested next on the strange shape next to Inuyasha. I tried to make sense of what I was seeing, but I struggled. I wondered if the poison was still affecting me so badly that I was having a hard time seeing what was in front of me. I blinked, and focused my attention.

The first thing I noticed was the blood splattered pink fabric. The pink satin was soaped in so much browning blood that it made the color hard to tell, but I would have recognized this fabric anywhere. The pink pastel shade had reminded me of a five-year-old girl's Easter dress, and I found it not suitable for a grown woman, but she had loved it, claimed it made her happy, and had insisted I made her a dress out of it. She had said it brightened her mood, and made her feel happy. It was her favorite dress. She only wore it on special occasions. I had made that dress three years ago, just before she had been taken from me and locked away.

I slowly padded to the mass of pink and blood and crouched close to the prone form.

"Mom?"

I fell to my knees in shock by the lifeless body of my mother. I could feel the brown thick liquid soap into my nightgown. The thought floated through my brain that the blood felt freezing cold to the touch. Blood should not be this cold. After a brief look in her unseeing cloudy crimson eyes, I was hit by a wave of nausea. I turned to the side to retch, and to my surprise felt someone grab me by the shoulder and shake me.

The shock startled me, and everything turned back to black.

"You were having a bad dream." A comforting voice whispered in my ear, pushing me towards the light.

I sat up in shock, and took a look at my surroundings. I blinked a few times to clear my vision. Gone was the grisly sight of my mother's corpse. I was not on the mansion's doorstep kneeling in a puddle of cold blood. Instead, I was lying in bed with Sesshoumaru hovering over me. He had flicked on the lights, and despite the curtains being drawn; I could tell dawn had not arrived yet.

It was just a nightmare. I thought to myself. I could have wept in relief. One of the things I had forgotten was that when Naraku had pumped his toxins into me in the past, I had suffered vivid hallucinations and horrific nightmare. This was just such an occasion.

"Sessh…" I croaked out. My ability to talk was suffering the after-effects of Naraku's foul poison. I cleared my throat. Thankfully my body now felt more like my own once again. The fog was lifted, and I could finally organize my thoughts. The whole evening played back in my head. From getting dressed up to attend Kouga's party all the way to finding out about Naraku's condition.

"Are you alright?" He ran a hand over my forehead. "You look flushed."

"I have to tell you something." I purposely ignored his statement. I sat up higher in bed and leaned back against the headboard. I had need of some physical support to stop the room from spinning around. Clearly, despite what I had thought earlier, I was still under the influence of Naraku's poison. I was still physically weak, my head hurt, and my mind was still clouded. There was one thought that managed to permeate through despite my wretched state.

"Naraku is dying." I hissed out.

Sesshoumaru frowned briefly then nodded in understanding. "It was in your nightmare. Unfortunately I can assure you the vile spider is still alive and well."

"No." I sat up straighter. Trying to sound rational while lying in bed was quite complicated. "At Kouga's party. He told me he couldn't control the youkai he absorbed anymore. He wants the Shikon Jewel so he can become full youkai." I wheezed out.

"He told you as much?" The frown between Sesshoumaru's brows grew deeper. "Are you certain? Why would he so readily admit to such a weakness?"

His question took me aback. I had not even considered this could be an evil trap set up by Naraku.

"I don't know." I admitted. "Maybe he was too surprised, and he told me because he could not hide anymore."

Sesshoumaru nodded thoughtfully. He did not seem quite certain of the veracity of my claim. How could he doubt what I said? This was golden info.

"When he tried to attack me, one of his tentacles broke down into dust before it made contact with me." I cleared my throat again. "Naraku was livid, and that's when he admitted to me what is going on."

My lover frowned. "This changes things." He rolled over to his side table and picked up his white cellphone. I now knew this was his emergency line, and that unlike his other two phones, he never shut it off. I had noticed Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango possessed an identical one, so I could only guess he was calling one of them.

Sesshoumaru dialed, and put the phone on speaker as he took off his pajamas, and quickly slipped on some clothes.

"What?" Inuyasha's unmistakable voice barked from the other end of the line. He was usually grumpy, and being woken up in the middle of the night was sure to not improve his disposition.

"Meet me downstairs in ten minutes. Call the others." My lover did not admonish Inuyasha for his bad manners for once.

"Got it." Inuyasha readily agreed. Obviously the hanyou knew something serious was happening, as he had not argued against his older brother's curt order.

Sesshoumaru hung up, and turned to look at me.

"Get dressed, we need to speak to the others and strategize."

I nodded and rolled out of bed. I managed to stand up on wobbly legs, but was overcome with a wave of nausea. I rushed to our bathroom, and managed to make it to the toilet before I heaved. Thankfully all I had ingested in the pas few hours were crab puffs and champagne, so the dreadful episode did not last too long. I headed to the sink and rinsed out my mouth before splashing cold water on my face. The minty tasted of the mouthwash and the coolness of the water on my heated skin felt heavenly.

Sesshoumaru slipped up behind me, and grabbed a hand towel. He wet it, and pressed the cool cloth to the back of my skull. It was just what I needed.

"What is the matter? Has the wind been calling to you? Do you need to go fly?"

How I wished my condition could so easily be treated with some nice merging time with the wind.

"No." I took a calming breath. I knew what I would admit next was going to drive Sesshoumaru crazy. I braced myself for his anger. "Earlier during our fight, Naraku poisoned me."

My lover grabbed me by the shoulder, and forced me to turn to face him. I felt my nausea rising up again. Crap I saw his eyes flash red, and I knew I was in serious trouble. My eyes immediately darted for the door. Unfortunately I did not have my fan nearby, but at least I could rush to the door if need be.

"He did what?! We need to take you to a hospital." Sesshoumaru roared angrily. I could see flecks of red flashing in his eyes. His inner demon was coming out to play, and this was not good.

"No need, I'm okay…"

"If you are, then why did you just throw up?" He cut me off. Dang he really was going in full-blown protective inu youkai mode. Shit!

"It was just a bit of nausea. It's all gone now." I took his right hand in mine, and squeezed it reassuringly before letting go. Too much skin contact would show him I was still feverish. "I'm fine. I promise. Besides, it's not the first time this has happened." I absent-mindedly rubbed the injury on the inside of my wrist right where Naraku had pricked me to inject his foul poison.

Sesshoumaru must have noticed my action because he grabbed my wrist, and turned it around to look at my injury. He cursed under his breath, and I winced. While the injury did not hurt very much, my skin was bruised and the prick of Naraku's tentacle had left behind an infected wound surrounded by angry red irritated skin.

"I'll put some anti-biotic ointment and a bandage on it. But I promise I'm okay. This poison usually prevents me from thinking straight and slows me down considerably. After some rest, I will be just fine."

Sesshoumaru clenched his teeth, and reached behind me to the medicine cabinet hidden behind the mirror hanging above the sink. He grabbed some disinfectant and bandages, and set on taking care of my injury. I clamped by mouth shut when he pressed a cotton ball sodden in rubbing alcohol deep into my wound. I knew letting out a noise indicating in how much pain I was would only make him more upset, and the last thing I wanted was having to deal with a pissed off inu youkai. Not one word filtered through his lips as he bandaged my arm.

"Why would you keep this to yourself?" He finally asked me once he was done with fixing me up.

I did not get to justify myself before Sesshoumaru kept going. "You kept secret what you knew on father's scabbard, even deciding to go search for it alone, and almost got killed by Hakudoushi in the process. Then when Naraku formulated a threat against the Higurashi family, you failed to warn us. Kagome's Grandfather paid for it. What if Rin, Shippou or Izayoi had been injured in such an attack?"

"I would never put them in harm." I could tell that Sesshoumaru was furious, but even that was taking things too far.

"Maybe you did not intend to, but you have. By finding out Naraku's secret you have put not only yourself in harm, but all of us. He has been willing to kill to keep this secret, so who knows what he will do now…"

"If I had been in my right mind, I would have told you straight away. I'm pretty sure Naraku purposely poisoned me to prevent me from sharing the news. I told you the poison prevents me from thinking straight…" I hated that a part of him was right. I should have shared the information with him straight away. I should have fought harder against the poison induced haze. Maybe if I had tried harder I would have been able to fight the hold the poison had on me.

"Why did you not tell me you had been so grievously injured then?"

That shut down any protest I could have formulated. I was struggling to come out and admit the reason for my deception. I had been so focused on trying not to get Sesshoumaru angry with me for reneging on my promise not to engage with Naraku and going against his wishes, that I had not stopped to think about the consequences of my actions. By staying silent, I had compromised all of us.

"In truth, I do not understand you Kagura. You claim to love me, and yet you do not trust me. I do not know what more this Sesshoumaru can do to make you trust me." The sadness I saw in his eyes tore at my heart. A part of me liked it better when he was angry. Anger I could deal with. Growing up in Naraku's household, I was used to it, but sadness and disappointment I was just not equipped to deal with.

"I trust you!" I protested. The fact that he doubted me and my feelings for him clawed at me.

Sesshoumaru looked at me silently for a long time. I shivered. This time not because of my fever. I felt his golden gaze dig deep into me, and I could not shake the feeling that he was judging me, and finding me lacking.

The next words he said felt like a stab in my heart. "Frankly, I am not sure you do. If you did, your first instinct would not be to hide things from me constantly."

His comment made me gasp. He was right. I had spent so much of my life hiding in the shadows, and keeping my heart guarded that I had forgotten what it was to trust and love fully and completely.

"Trusting does not come easy to me." I finally admitted. "I haven't had a supportive family unit like you. It's always only been mom and me…This is all so new to me…"

The nightmare that I had had earlier had left a bitter taste in my mouth. I needed to check on mom. The rational part of me knew that Naraku would not kill her before he had wrenched every ounce of pain and suffering he could from me. On top of that as I had found his secret, mom would become an even more important bargaining chip for him. No way would he lose the leverage he still had on me. Besides, considering how closely he had her watched, if she had come to any harm, Sesshoumaru would have heard by now, and he would have told me. Nevertheless, I would dare give her a call as soon as possible. Making use of the smuggled phone, and calling in the morning while she would be closely watched would be hazardous, but I would dare it.

"Maybe you need some time to figure out what it is that you want then."

Sesshoumaru's statement caught me off guard. Of all the things I expected him to do, this was the last. Ever since we had gotten involved, he had been my rock, my safe harbor. He had made me a better person, and he had taught me so much about myself. Never could I have imagined he would push me away one day. My nausea was back with a vengeance, but I pushed it down.

"Whatever you may decide, you will be under this Sesshoumaru's protection, always." He kissed my forehead, and stepped back.

"Put some clothes on, and come downstairs. The others are waiting." He casually said over his shoulder before leaving me behind. I heard the door of our bedroom shut behind him.

My heart pounding in my chest, I turned around to bend over the toilet and throw up once more. This time around Naraku's poison was not the only thing causing me distress. Having the man I loved walk away from me broke something in me. I waited for myself to wake up. Surely this had to be another dreadful nightmare, and I would wake up soon.

After freshening myself up, I had quickly put on some clothes, and rushed to Sesshoumaru's study. As I had expected, Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Sango were there already. Considering what had just transpired between my lover and I, I decided to sit in one of the chairs across from his desk rather than stand by his side as I usually did. To my regret, he did not ask me to come closer to him. More than physical distance, I felt an emotional tension between us, and that hurt me more than anything.

"During her encounter with Naraku earlier this evening, Kagura came across some interesting information." Sesshoumaru prompted me to share more with a flick on his hand.

I launched into a detailed account of my conversation and ensuing fight with Naraku. This time around I did not omit any details.

"He poisoned you?!" Kagome gasped. Trust her to care more about my wellbeing than the stunning discovery I had made about the Shikon Jewel. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I will be fine. I feel better already." I mustered a smile for her benefit.

"Keh! Naraku seemed in perfect health to me." Inuyasha changed the subject. While he cared for me, I knew what I had uncovered would make him even more eager than before to keep his family safe.

"Well illness can go beyond appearances." Miroku retorted. "Kagura, did you sense any imbalance in his youki?"

"No, but then again I wasn't paying much attention." I tried to remember if anything had felt abnormal, but nothing had. That is apart from his tentacle auto-destructing.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, if I may?" Sango had been quiet up until now, and my lover nodded to encourage her to speak. "While the information Kagura-sama has unveiled is worrisome, it also grants us a golden opportunity. Now would be the time for you to formally challenge Naraku to a duel. He has attacked your wife in front of everyone, you would be in your right to challenge him. This could be the way to rid us all of him."

"A duel has not happened in decades, and getting acceptance from the other two Lords would be necessary first… I am sure Lord Kouga would support your bid. Menoumaru would be harder to convince, but it would not be impossible. They could stand to win a lot if we offer to split proceeds of Naraku's territory evenly among the other three territories, and grant them a say in the selection of the next Lord of the South." Miroku chimed in.

"Hell yes! You can finally find a way to kill Naraku without starting a war. Everyone saw what he did to Kagura yesterday, and none of the other Lords would refuse you the right for revenge." Inuyasha eagerly rubbed his hands together. "Now that we know the old spider is dying, killing him will be a piece of cake for you."

"This Sesshoumaru has no need to exploit such weaknesses to kill Naraku." My lover said sharply, clearly annoyed at his brother.

"Keh, don't talk to me about honor or some bullshit right now. You gotta take advantage of anything you can. The lives of my wife and kids are on the line. The smart thing to do is using your enemies weaknesses against them. Naraku would not hesitate to do just that…" A sharp elbow to the ribs courtesy of his wife made Inuyasha clear his throat before continuing. "Feh! Of course you could end him regardless of his health. All I'm saying is that now you will be able to even faster."

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes took us all in before he finally spoke. "So be it. Miroku draft the duel request documents, and start on obtaining consent from Kouga and Menoumaru."

"It would be my honor my Lord. When would you like the fight to take place?" The ever-attentive lawyer asked.

"The next full moon."

My heart sped up. That was only a month away! In just 30 days Sesshoumaru would challenge Naraku to a fight to the death. I could feel bile rise in my throat again. Even if I had every confidence in Sesshoumaru's ability to defend himself and kill Naraku, I was still nervous.

"Great. Gives us time for us to train and spar. I need to make sure you're in top shape old man." Inuyasha eagerly cracked his knuckles. Instead of annoyance, Sesshoumaru displayed a small smile. Despite the way they spoke to one another, the two brothers clearly loved and respected each other.

"If there is nothing else, then you are dismissed." Sesshoumaru started to stand, but I stepped forward.

"There is something else." I licked my suddenly dried lips. "I know it might sound crazy, but during my poison induced haze, I dreamed Naraku had killed mom and dumped her on the front steps of the house…" I shook my head trying to rid my mind of the awful images. "I don't want this to become a reality, but now that I know his secret, and have shared it with you all, he is bound to want to retaliate… We need to get my mother out of that clinic now. Please."

"I had sworn to you that I would keep your mother safe, and this Sesshoumaru keeps his word, always." He then averted his gaze from me to look at Sango. "Move up the timeline. The operation happens tonight."

The human bodyguard seemed to hesitate for a moment, but her boss's cold amber eyes let her know he would not accept no for an answer. "Some details would have to change, but the rescue plan can still happen. I will go start preparations." She bowed low to her employer before slipping out of the room.

I was speechless. I now understood why Sango and Sesshoumaru had been whispering in the past few days. They had been planning to rescue my mother! I did not think it would be possible for me to love this man even more, but in that moment I did.

"Keh! I take it you'll put her in one of the safe houses."

"Yes, the Sakura one." Sesshoumaru told his brother. I had never been in or around one of their safe houses, but if it remotely resembled the mansion then it would be comfortable, luxurious, and best of all secured. Not that mom would care about the two former. After being locked up in that nasty clinic, I was sure all she cared about was being free.

"Good. Kags and I will go make sure everything is set up over there then."

"It would be my pleasure to help out!" His wife agreed. "Don't worry about a thing Kagura. Tonight, you will be able to hold your mother in your arms." After giving my cheek a quick peck, Kagome and Inuyasha took their leave as well.

"I have much work to do, I will see you later tonight." Without a kiss or a hug, Sesshoumaru walked past me, and left the room. The icy cold dread in my chest only expanded. I just hoped that whatever hole we found ourselves in, we would be able to crawl out of.

I had waited all day and afternoon for Sesshoumaru to come back. As soon as the meeting had ended, he had left home. He had not even bothered to send me a text message to give me information about when to expect him home, or how preparations for tonight's operation were coming along. Usually he always made time to send me a few messages during the day to let me know when he would be home, or ask me not to wait up for him if he was to be back too late. I guessed he really meant it when he said he was going to give me some space… Frankly, I did not like it one bit.

I was sitting in what I still considered to be our bedroom, attempting and failing to read some of Kagome's tabloid magazines. Finding out dieting tips and celebrity gossip was not helping to distract me from the thoughts swirling in my brain.

The door was thrown opened, and in walked in the man who was at the center of my musings.

"Is it done?" I jumped to my feet, my heart pounding.

"Not yet. As soon as I hear from Sango, I will let you know."

I nodded. It would make sense for them to wait until the middle of the night to carry out a covert operation.

Sesshoumaru removed his jacket, undid his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. In the past few weeks seeing him in such an intimate setting had become second nature, but right now there was an uncomfortable tension lingering in the air. We had not cleared things since our argument this morning, and I knew that until we did, the tension would linger. Before I was reunited with mom, I wanted things to be back on track with Sesshoumaru and I. I did not need any space from him, or any other such nonsense. All I needed, all I wanted was him.

I sat up, and walked up to him.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thanks." I was telling the truth. Naraku's poison had been flushed out of my system by now. "I want to talk."

He appraised me silently for a long time before speaking. "I am listening."

I took a deep breath. What I was about to say was not easy. "You're right. I have not been forthcoming with you. Nor honest." I had taken the past few hours to reflect on Sesshoumaru's earlier accusations, and I had to agree that he was right. "At first, I did not tell you everything as I have a hard time opening up. As I've said, I've struggled with letting others in as it's always been me and mom against the world…"

"I believed this Sesshoumaru would have earned your trust by now." I could tell he was vexed. Little did he know what I would say next would surely upset him even more.

"I love you, and I trust you, but a part of me holds me back… and I can't seem to trust you completely." I swallowed before putting in words a thought I had done my best to keep buried deep inside. "I guess it stems from that day you attacked me at Hakudoushi's memorial service…"

"I thought we were pass that?" He asked cautiously.

"Not completely… In the back of my head I constantly worry about you being upset with me again, and I wonder what you will do. I hide things from you that are likely to make you angry. I keep telling myself that if I don't anger you, then you won't have a reason to attack me…" I tried putting my thoughts and feelings in words the best way I could.

"I would never hurt you." He stated firmly.

"I thought you were incapable of hurting me before too, and yet you did. I thought you were going to kill me." I chocked out, shivers running down my spine. I knew I would never forget the way he had looked at me that day, a murderous rage blazing in his eyes. "It was such a shock, it came from nowhere. I was certain you cared for me, and wanted to protect me, yet you almost killed me only because of words you overheard." Before I could stop them tears trailed down my cheeks.

He reached for me tentatively, and wiped my tears with the pad of his thumb. He however did not move to take me in his arms as he usually would.

"I wish this Sesshoumaru could wipe this moment from history, but I can't. All I can do Kagura is swear to you I will never harm you again." The determined set of his jaw showed me he meant what he said.

"If I ever break my oath, father's ring will keep you safe even from me." He lightly ran his finger over the silver band he had placed on my finger. I felt the youki in it stir in response. I had seen the way the piece of jewelry had protected me the night before against Naraku, so I knew that it would indeed keep me safe. Not that I hoped I would ever need t make use of it to protect myself from the man I loved.

"No man wants to hear from his woman that she fears him. Whatever happened that day, will never occur again. Do not be scared to talk to me, ever. We are a team and our partnership can only work if we are honest with one another, and trust each other fully."

He was right. Other than that awful day, he had only showed me love and tenderness. It was due or die time. If I could not trust Sesshoumaru, then I would have to leave. I knew if I ever came to that decision, he would help me settle myself far from him. On the other hand, if I decided to stay, then I would have to trust him fully, and open myself up completely. This was necessary if I wanted our couple to work. The former option was unbearable. If I ever doubted that I needed Sesshoumaru in my life, then the few hours we had spent apart today had assured me that not having him in my life was simply not an option.

"I do not easily speak of my feelings, but for you I will." He slipped his hands into mine. "I love you Kagura. Once this is all over I want us to spend our lives together."

This time when tears came to my eyes, they were prompted by happiness. "There is nothing I would want more. I'm sorry I lied to you, and I promise not to hide things from you anymore. I love you too."

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it, and my heart pounded as I saw it was the white one. He quickly answered, and put it to his ear.

"Yes. We are on our way."

"Was it Sango?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"Yes, she has secured your mother."

Relief coursed through me, and I almost fell to my knees in shock and gratitude. "Please take me to her."

"It would be my pleasure."

As soon as we drove up, I understood why this was called the Sakura house. Tall cherry trees boarded the road leading up to the one story structure.

"This house belongs to my mother. We use it when we have honored guests. It is close enough to the mansion, and is well guarded." I was barely listening to Sesshoumaru. The only thought running through my head was that my mother was finally free, and that I would soon be reunited with her.

As soon as Jaken stopped the car, I sprang outside and ran for the front door. I barreled past the guards, and threw the door open.

"Mom?!" I yelled in excitement.

"My baby!" A voice answered back. I soon found myself engulfed in a tight hug. She was skinnier, but she smelled the same. All that truly mattered was that she was here, now. I had started to despair I would ever get to hold her in my arms like this again.

I looked over my mother's shoulder to send a grateful smile to Sesshoumaru who had just entered the house. For the first time in a long time, things were finally looking up, and I was truly happy. I only hoped this would last.

To be continued…

A/N: Some long-standing issues have been resolved, and Kagura's mom is safe and sound! Let's see how long this happy mood will last… The next chapter may also take a while to be posted, sorry! The next chapter will be named Preparations.