Glossary:

gomen - sorry (casual)

saa - slang term, meaning 'so', 'well'

ookami - wolf

ikuzo - slang term, meaning "let's go'

Shikon no kakkera - shikon shards

She felt something sliding up her cheeks; it was warm, smooth and gentle. And then she heard laughter; it was soft, throaty and mocking.

Was it him?

Kagome strived to open her heavy eyes, but yet a big portion of her was worried that it might not be him. Perhaps she was still in a dream? Because if it was, she did not want to wake up, for fear that Sesshoumaru might disappear like mist if she blinked.

"Kagome."

The voice that reached her ears was different though; it was too silky, too soft and too gentle to be him. Her eyelids twitched a little when the person called out for her again; it sounded vaguely familiar, yet she could not recall who he was. The finger slowly made its way up to the bridge of her nose, and further up until it rested firmly on the piece of flat bone between her closed eyes.

"Kagome."

A jolt of pain shot through her head as the finger tapped on it once. It was as if a transient bolt of lightning had passed through her skin, through her skull and right into her inner core. But it vanished as fast as it had come, and she opened her eyes in shock, wondering whether that was real or not.

He grinned, knowing that her human eyes could not focus in the darkness and spoke again.

She swiftly turned her head to the left; a pair of crimson eyes were looking in her direction, and they glowed sharply, like the distant, deserted neon lights at the end of the straight road.

It took her a second to recognize who it was and her gasp almost died in her dry throat, leaving behind a muffled, strangled shriek.

Even though she could not see his face, she knew who he was. She could feel his predatory youki, expanding and contracting with his breathing, dancing around him like blood-red ribbons, twirling carelessly in the midnight sky. It was different from Byakuya's; his youki felt as if it was loaned, a passing shadow, a perfect replicate, like the angry waves that crashed upon the helpless shores, but not the sea itself.

And sitting before her was the source, the origin, the raging tumultuous sea itself. His youki curled its tentacle-like ribbons around her waning aura, peacefully and lazily like a confident, patient cobra surrounding its prey.

"Naraku," Kagome mouthed hoarsely.

The grin turned into a smile when he saw the shock in her eyes and heard his name on her lips. The Kagome before was a strong-minded, powerful and stubborn miko, and he could remember very clearly the sparkle of indignation, justice and hatred in her eyes when they battled. But the very same female who had once challenged him, now with her back against the unmoving wall, had become a very delectable creature. Her eyes were wide and lost, her fear and helpless were tempting him to go near her, to run his tongue across the crook of her slender neck, for the sweet, dark taste of her dwindling innocence and crumbling sanity.

But he would not, for there are other ways to break a person, and Kagome was also a female like Kikyou, who sometimes surprised him in not-so-nice ways. It was almost impertinent to maintain a certain physical distance from them. Besides, he considered himself a kind person and would try softer tactics with her first, since the purity of her soul remained to be of certain importance to him.

"Good, you have not lost your mind yet," his dark smile remained, and she could feel it.

Kagome dug her fingers into Rin's cotton yukata and inwardly recoiled; the blood-ribbons of his youki snaked in closer.

"What... what do you want?" Her mind was blank yet focused.

He inched his face forward, "A deal, Kagome. I want to make a deal with you."

She blinked her eyes and smacked her cracked lips, "Deal..?"

Naraku's lips parted in a serpent-like smile, "Aa... A deal, in exchange for your life, and hers."

Kagome let out a heavy, strained breath; she wanted her freedom, and Rin needed her youkai lord. But she was no fool, whatever deal that he was offering could not be a good one.

Still...

The images of colourful green fields, wild lush forests, cool rushing streams and smoking straw huts rushed into her mind and disappeared, the way precious water trickle through deep, hungry sand. She was alone, all alone in this vast graveyard of dead and waste and darkness and coldness and-

"They will come soon, your friends. And your lovers."

Her head snapped up at the last word; he could feel a sudden spike in her miko aura, but continued to wrap his youki around her flagging soul.

"Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru... they will come, eventually. To save you and her."

A wave of emotions rose up in her chest the way flowers blossom and long for the warm sun.

"Or... will they not come?"

The flowers wilted under the black of the night, and her aura swirled tardily and heavily around like her soul like mercury.

"Give me your eyes, direct me to the rest of the Shikon no kakkera," his smile morphed flawlessly into a smirk when he saw her despondent facial expression. Naraku wondered amusingly if he would make a expert strategist, interrogator or tactician if he was a human.

Kagome's blank gaze drooped and her hand went up to touch Rin's head. She could not feel anything other than the numbing coldness; had her fingers went dead too?

She closed her eyes; her heart was definitely not dead, yet. In fact, she could feel the aching pain when Naraku suggested that Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha might not come for her, and the ice-cold pain when she tried to reason out why. She knew that Naraku was playing a mind game with her; she could feel his serpent tail coiling tighter and tighter around her body, while his tentacles strove to delve into her mind. But she felt as if all her strength had been drained through his sieve of poisonous words and there was no way for her to defend herself, not to even mention fighting back.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" She asked helplessly, because she had to have an answer.

Naraku paused as he traced his long finger down the sides of her face to the artery under her cold, clammy neck. She was like an open book to him, and he was flipping, choosing, and tearing out the pages one by one.

"Why?"

Kagome nodded. But he was not going to give her an answer.

His lips thinned, "If, they come, I will kill one of you."

Her eyes flew open at his threat; she would not allow Rin to be that sacrifice! The ribbons of his youki loosened a fraction at her righteous anger and he narrowed his eyes; he had found her weak spot. He stroked her throbbing artery lazily.

"I have not decided who... But that can be avoided if you yield to me, your soul that is," his words dripped black, tar-like hope that seeped into her ears and drowned out Rin's wheezy breathing.

Her eyelids drooped at his promise. She would be able to save Rin and get her out from this living hell if she succumbed to him. But, was it a good idea, and a permanent solution? What would happen to her feudal friends? What would happen if Naraku got hold of the complete jewel? Would this amend history? Kagome dared not think further than that.

"Kill me," her voice was determined, resolute and firm. "I'll never give you my soul."

His eyebrows quirked up lightly at her sudden statement, the glow in his red eyes intensified at her refusal to yield. Naraku knew that he would not kill her, because he needed her 'eyes' and even if she persisted and escaped, she would serve as a un-mendable bridge between the two inu-brothers. A constant source of distraction and jealousy, since the last thing he wanted was for them to have a common goal and work together against him. Naraku let his finger drop, which slid sensually down the smooth plane of her neck to her collarbone.

Kagome did not flinch and repeated herself, "Kill me, now." She would rather be dead than to be a manipulated puppet. She would not dishonour her friends, or him.

He further narrowed his eyes until she almost could not see the cold, searing gleam. He reminded himself that he was a kind person, even though his human heart was still somewhere else with Mouryoumaru. He would allow the little one to live, as long as Kagome submitted herself to him. Perhaps, this was not enough; perhaps, he could make her hell worser, he thought.

He removed his finger and licked the tip of it gingerly; it was sweet, bitter and salty at the same time, and he wondered what her power, fear and despair would taste like.

"We shall see, Kagome. Think about my proposal, before time runs out for her."

Kagome pulled Rin to her, hoping to get her away from him as much as possible. She could almost feel his fangs baring at them, the viscous saliva dripping off the razor-sharp edges as they closed in on her head. The tail seemed to snake its way up her sweater, and she felt a shiver crawl down her spine the way spiders did. She was immersed in his sea of youki, drowning in the murky, unfathomable depths of it. Time seemed to have stalled, and her fingers dug deep into Rin's yukata again, for a semblance of an anchor that she so desperately needed.

"Three days, and I will return for your answer."

Without warning, his youki receded as if the lid to her skies had flown opened and the second-hand started to tick again. Icy, shouki-tainted air returned to her bursting lungs, and Kagome arched her neck up with an abrupt gasp before she slumped forward unconscious, head crashing against Rin's shoulders.

Naraku left the dilapidated hut with a small frown on his forehead. He had not won; but he was confident that she would soon lose. There was only so much a human soul could bear, afterall.

Miroku never knew that the crackling sounds from fire could be so sleep-inducing. He squeezed his eyes shut hard, hoping to drive away the fatigue that had plagued him for so many days. He turned his face to the right; Sango's usually fair and bright skin was now ashen gray and her eyes looked positively dead. Shippou was already knocked out, snuggled against Kirara's belly and he was thankful that he would not have to address the kitsune's worries for a good while.

Or at least until Inuyasha barked at them.

"Inuyasha, where are we going next?" Miroku looked at the hanyou, who looked equally worn-out too.

He shrugged his shoulders and stared into the fire. Miroku rubbed his hands and placed them near the fire; spring still felt oddly cold to him and he attributed the reason to the possible loss of Kagome and the current mood of the group.

"But we can't go on like this for long. Sooner or later, one of us will break down and because we are all worried for Kagome-sama, we are pushing ourselves too hard... We need to find a better way to track down Naraku," Miroku closed his eyes; sometimes he wished that he could get some news. Any information would be good; even Kagome's death.

Yes, even that too, Miroku looked away guiltily; he knew that he was the most selfish one among their group. He thought about the Kazaana in his right hand and about their uncertain future. It was not that he did not love Kagome the way he loved his friends. No, it was not that.

"I know! I don't need you to tell me that," Inuyasha growled softly and looked away too, because he could not think of a better idea.

Miroku sighed; the same conversation was being held at every dinner and yet, no one could come up with a plan other than to follow Inuyasha blindly. But he could not blame him, since he himself was equally worried and if it had happened to Sango, he might end up as a nervous wreck.

"I'm sure we'll be able to pick up some clues as we go along," Sango tried to reassure both males and herself. "What do you think Sesshoumaru is doing? Maybe we should go with him, since he's looking for Rin too."

Miroku's violet eyes widened and he pounded his right fist into the other, "Yes! Why did I not think of that!"

"Why is everyone looking up to Sesshoumaru! Am I not better than him! Go to him then!" Inuyasha jumped to his feet and glared at his feudal pals. Both taijiya and monk realized their unintentional mistake and swallowed.

"Gomen Inuyasha, I don't mean that way, just that-" Sango's words were cut off when Inuyasha stormed away into the deep woods again.

Miroku put his head into his hands and sighed out loud. Was their group going to break up before they could even find Kagome? Or perhaps they would die at Naraku's hands and not find out whether their dear friend was alive or not. His dreams of dangling grandchildren by the thighs seemed so faraway, so impossible.

"Houshi-sama... will he be alright?" Sango frowned.

Miroku looked up and tried to smile, "He'll be fine. We've been together for the past three years and I'm sure he understands us."

The taijiya nodded her head and let out another sigh; they had been stretched so thin and wide that she was pretty sure their bodies would give out before their minds did. Sango crawled over to Kirara and took her sleeping position beside her warrior pet, "Houshi-sama, get some rest before he's back."

Naraku let out a seemingly-fatherly smile as he pushed a small Shikon no kakkera into the wound.

"Saa, wake up."

Her eyelashes fluttered a little, and the black in her hair changed to a pale green colour. Red returned to her lips and skin, the wounds on her body started to close and heal, and her powers started to gather, bit by bit as she finally opened her eyes.

He stretched out a helping hand, "You have one more task."

Byakuya silently crouched in one corner.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and kept his stare solely on his bare dirty feet as he strode past thin and thick trees, sparse undergrowth, alarmed grasshoppers and crickets.

A week had passed, and he still could not locate the whereabouts of Naraku or Kagome.

He braked to a sudden halt and stood there silently as the possibility of Kagome's death became very, very real. Naraku had never kept prisoners for that long, in secret that was. Kohaku and Rin had been kidnapped by him before, but his agenda had often been distraction and diversion from his real goal. Inuyasha retraced the past events as the frightened grasshoppers somewhat settled down; Kanna had been killed, Chiyo was dead, and Sesshoumaru... that pompous bastard acted weirdly. It was obvious that Naraku had a hand in all these, but he had no idea what had exactly happened until they arrived with Kirara. Try as he might, Inuyasha could not figure out the real motive to why Byakuya had abducted Kagome and Rin.

And, he was dying to know what had transpired between Sesshoumaru and Kagome, during the time that she had 'returned' back home. He would not doubt her loyalty to him, but ironically, he wanted to know. The tiniest sliver of fear of her plausible betrayal hung at the back of his mind like a cautious spider and he really wanted to shred the dreadful web of worries.

She loves me, and I love her. She loves me and I love her, the oblivious hanyou chanted to himself silently as creatures of the night stilled their incessant movements.

"Argh!"

Inuyasha smacked his palm against his forehead and partially covered his eyes as his head hung low; he felt like crying. He hated to feel so weak, and so defenseless against the onslaught of his fear, despair and helplessness. Time was ticking by and with each minute and hour gone, the chances of Kagome staying alive went down proportionally. The only thing he could do was to find her, rescue her, get her out and away from that monster's hands.

And he failed, even at that. What good was it to be a youkai if he could not even figure out where Kagome was!

Sango's and Miroku's words echoed in his ears again and he wondered what Sesshoumaru was doing to find Rin. Did he have problems too? Or was he steadily making progress with his superior full-youkai senses? Inuyasha let out a soft groan and slumped his shoulders as his hands hung straight beside his hunched body. Deep in his heart, he knew that he was inferior to the taiyoukai; be it in combat, mind, tactics, or self-control because he was a full youkai and he was not.

Sesshoumaru was the rightful son; whereas he was a bastard who never even got to see his father. He, with his legendary father's blood running in half of his body could not even acknowledge Inu no Taisho as his predecessor.

The abrupt, eerie silence of the night did not strike Inuyasha as odd and he continued to be entrenched within his thoughts.

But, Kagome had changed all that; she had taken away all of his inferiority, re-built his self-esteem and confidence in himself and others. Now that she was not around, he felt really small, bitter and... ugly. Kagome had given him her smiles, her faith, her life, and most importantly, her undivided, whole-hearted love. Hope was always with him, because she was beside him. When Kagome almost died from Mukotsu's poison, he did everything he could to save her and his friends even though he did not have the antidote.

Inuyasha remembered his trembling hands as he tried to warm her cold hands and her face, and the orange yolk of the sunset which signified her impending death. He knew that he would have lost her there and then, if not for Myouga who had sucked out most of their poisoned blood. And it seemed to him he might lose Kagome again for a second time. The woman who personified hope and life to him might be dead by now.

He squeezed his eyes shut and frowned hard; this was going nowhere. Perhaps he should swallow his pride and seek out Sesshoumaru, for Kagome's sake. This was not the time to feel pathetic and selfish and small and-

Inuyasha swung his head up and his lips parted slightly; the scent of old mud and clay infiltrated his nose along with the fresh, clean scent of the spring night air.

"Inuyasha."

The voice was so twinkling soft that it broke his heart.

He turned around and there, standing right before him was Kikyou, with her Shinidama Chuu hovering behind her like chaperones.

"Ki.. Kikyou..." His eyebrows drooped to the side in a slight frown as the undead woman slowly made her way towards him. All worries and thoughts about Kagome instantly flew out from his mind like birds from cages.

Kikyou did not stop walking until their chests were only a breath's inch away from each other. She cocked her head slightly to one side and regarded the pained expression on his face; if she had a heart, she knew that it would bleed and break. She lifted her right hand and smoothed her artificial thumb over his left cheek; she had once done that before, when he held her in his arms over fifty odd years ago. When they were both alive, when she had nothing but love for him, and when she wanted nothing but for them to be together, forever.

Somewhere in her debased mind, she laughed sardonically at herself for recalling this memory.

Inuyasha had not changed much; he was warm and strong and solid as he looked straight into her own eyes. She wondered what he would see in there; the remnants of her never dying love for him? The ashes of her once pure love for him? Or her white-hot burning hatred that had stemmed from his betrayal? She knew that the whole thing had been instigated and planned by Naraku, but she had died with that pain and hurt, died with the knowledge that Inuyasha had turned his back on her and no matter what he did, she knew that all these would remain with her for as long as she desecrated the face of the earth.

Sometimes, sometimes, Kikyou wished that she could let go of him, too.

Inuyasha wrapped his hand over her cold one and pulled her to him with the other. He did not care whether she was out to kill him, to push a dagger straight into his heart, or to make use of him. He knew that she was not Kagome, and Kagome was not her, and even though they were two different individuals, they were also the very same person to him.

He did not want to think about them as two different people; they shared the same soul, they shared the same face, and they both loved him deeply. Inuyasha tightened his grip, both around her cold hand and her stiff shoulders and willed himself not to cry. He wanted to seek solace from Kikyou, for that somewhat resemblance of the hug that he once had with Kagome, and the comfort that both women unknowingly and selflessly offered him.

Inuyasha knew that deep down in his heart, he did not want to lose Kikyou too.

"Kikyou..." He uttered her name, because he wanted to say nothing else.

She closed her eyes, cautiously leaned forward and rested her clay body against her beloved. She had not expected to see him, what more all alone and obviously in pain in the middle of this quiet woods. She contemplated on leaving him by himself, but his presence always called out to the inner depths of her incomplete soul. She wanted to see him, no matter how much she hated him. She had wanted to, wanted to do so many things with him, and for him.

And now that he was holding her so gently and possessively, she thought that she could feel his love for her. As if Time had rewound itself, and they were nothing more than a common, simple miko and a wandering, aimless hanyou. She could walk down the dead streets of her memory, back into the past and run away from Death in her mind.

"Inuyasha, you are in pain," her voice was so very soft and caressing, because he was always so angry and so hurt.

He did not acknowledge nor respond, and just held her tightly as he buried his face into her shoulders.

For a long while, they remained in standing embrace as she drowned herself in past memories. How they had met, how they fell in love with each other, how they had promised their lives to each other... It then dawned on her as to why he was so upset and abruptly pushed him away. She would not be made use of, would not be a substitute for her reincarnation, and would not contend with sharing his heart with another.

"You think of her," she stepped back and said coldly; a hint of bitterness hung at the tip of her tongue.

Inuyasha opened his mouth, wanting to say something but decided against it.

Kikyou not only saw pain in his golden eyes, but his helplessness and fragility. She narrowed her eyes and remained silent. p "I don't want to lose you, either," the hanyou said numbly as his gaze was lowered to the grass.

She blinked and turned her face away, "Naraku has her."

He nodded his head like a manipulated wooden puppet. She wanted to laugh outright at that.

But both said nothing and remained silent in their positions until the soul-stealing insects started to gather around her body. It was time for her to go and return to Kohaku before the taijiya discovers her younger brother.

"Kagome is fine," Kikyou said calmly.

Inuyasha's head jerked up in surprise and half-hope, "Really?"

"She still has my soul with her, I'll know if she dies. I'm hoping for that actually," she smiled scornfully.

He flinched a little at her words, "Kikyou?"

"That ookami is dead too; he was a hindrance," she added as a last thought while his jaw dropped at her not-so-ambiguous statement.

The undead miko turned around and started to walk away, "Head to your north-west. Naraku is hiding somewhere there."

Inuyasha looked at her fading back-view, not sure whether he was feeling grateful or guilty for that, and perplexed to why Kikyou had helped him and killed Kouga. Little did he know that she wanted him to be in her debt; because she wanted, and still carried that dead, twisted hope that Inuyasha would one day go to Hell with her willingly.

She knew that the dead were not allowed wishes and hopes. She knew.

"Kikyou-sama," Kohaku bowed a little as the undead miko returned. He had waited for almost an hour and was dying to leave, since he knew that his sister was around. He felt a little ashamed at himself for this fear in him, but decided that it was probably his retribution for not being able to face his family.

Kikyou paused in her tracks, which was the way in which she acknowledged Kohaku's greetings, "We will set off now."

The young boy nodded his head and turned to follow his mistress, "To where Kikyou-sama?"

The ghostly Shinidama Chuu trailed after her long, dead black hair, "Mouryoumaru."

Jaken woke up in cold sweat.

He had never dreamt much, but the one he had just now scared him, in many ways and none at the same time. There was nothing in his dream; no landscapes, no youkai or humans, just him alone peacefully in isolation.

It was the funny feeling, the kappa-youkai told himself as he tried to make sense out of the dreamless dream, if there was ever such a term. It felt a little morbid, somewhat slimy yet dry, and mostly hollowed out. As if the space he was in was timeless, border-less and...

Lifeless, Jaken frowned to himself.

It felt like the end of times to him. There was even a sulphurous-like scent in the air, now that he recalled. He was wondering whether this had anything to do with the recent turn of events when someone spoke.

"Jaken."

He sprung up to his feet and instantly leveled his forehead with the ground, "Gomen nasai Sesshoumaru-sama! I have slept for far too long and-"

"Ikuzo," the taiyoukai slid Tenseiga back into its beautifully carved sheath and proceeded to move.

Jaken stared at his youkai lord; he had not reprimanded him for oversleeping. In fact, Sesshoumaru-sama had never ever stopped for anyone or for Rin's and his basic needs. But today, he had silently gestured to set camp, and waited until he was awake before they resumed their traveling.

He had not meant to fall asleep, but somehow watching his youkai lord manuevouring and practising with Tenseiga made him especially drowsy. Perhaps there was some sort of secretive exchange that went on between the master and the blade that was not meant for his ears. He knew that his lord was currently obsessed with the new attack that Tenseiga was now bestowed with, and he sometimes wondered where they were traveling to. Jaken suspected that Sesshoumaru-sama might be so caught up in learning the new trick that he might have forgotten about Rin.

Afterall, he was a youkai, and she was a human. Jaken also wondered who mattered more in his heart; Rin, Kagome or him?

He mentally shook his head; it would never be him. Still, somehow all these felt very wrong. His youkai lord was not really behaving as himself, and he tried to attribute it to his recent recovery and Rin's kidnap.

A stone met his head and Ah-Un grunted, suspiciously in its dragon-like laughter.

All thoughts and the dream he had were lost and Jaken quickly scrambled to his webbed feet, "Gomen nasai Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Jaken really preferred to be pelted by stones, for he desired no change in his life at all.

Hi guys! I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long... Reviews are much, much love for me. )

Once again, my deepest thanks goes out to Parsnip for her beta-ing, and crack jokes.