In Which: Step Into My Parlor Said the Spider to the Fly

Lights aura: Hello! Welcome back my lovely readers! I have a brand new chappie for you!

Amu: (clears throat) I have a note for you.

Lights aura: (frowning) What is it?

Amu: I am supposed to threaten you that if you keep leaving cliff hangers, I will send you back to cliffhangers' anonymous. (grins) But there is no problem of that, is there?

Lights aura: (grins nervously) er, right. No problem here…

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. If I did, then my life would be a lot more interesting.

I was inside a giant stone castle similar to the one I had seen in my previous dreams. The harp was clinched tightly in my hands as I slowly walked up to two double doors. Without hesitation, I turned the knob and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit but I knew that what I was seeking lay in wait. Adjusting my hold on the harp, I called out. "You might as well come out!"

There was an evil cackle as a shadow materialized in front of me. As the shadows faded away from the figure, I found myself staring at a young lady. Her face was blurred like the people from my other dreams. Although I could not see her face, I could feel her eyes boring into me with an amount of hatred I never knew was possible. "I see you have finally come. Now be a good girl and give me the harp."

I felt a feeling of sadness spread through me. "So this is what you've become. I guess I have no other choice." My hands strummed a chord on the harp. The woman let out a loud shriek as she slowly transformed. Smaller and rounder she became as her screams echoed through my ears.

I awoke to the sound of metal scraping stone. It took me a moment to remember where I was. I wasn't in my bed but in a dark creepy dungeon with Momo.

My stomach grumbled slightly. I clutched it and winced. Apparently, I was hungry as well.

A strange reptilian-like man stood before us with a mask over his face. "Come" he said as he grabbed my arm. Momo hopped on my shoulder. For once, I didn't mind that he was invading my personal space. His presence made this whole ordeal a lot more comforting.

We were dragged down a series of passageways before ending in front of a pair of doors. "Come in!" a voice said from within. Step into my parlor said the spider to the fly, I thought as the man roughly shoved me through the doors. I fell flat on my face while Momo tumbled away from me. Loud chuckles echoed in the dimly lit room as I scrambled to my feet.

A man stood to one side with long black hair and cold brown eyes. He might have been handsome if it weren't for that horrendous smirk that was plastered on his face.

Sitting in a chair in front of me was the old woman. The woman smirked. "So it seems we meet again." As I continued to stare at her, I noticed that there were slight changes in her appearance. Many of her wrinkles had disappeared and her hair bore both gray and black streaks within it. She lazily leaned back and grabbed a cup of tea off the table beside her. "I'm afraid that during all the chaos of our last meeting, we were never properly introduced to one another. I am Malika."

"I don't care" I muttered as Momo crept up next to me.

The cup in her hand shattered.

The man laughed. "That is very unlike you Malika."

Malika flipped the shards away as if they were nothing. "Ever perceptive as always, Naraku."

So that was Naraku. From the way the two glared at each other, I could tell that they weren't working together as friends. There was something that they could both profit from by kidnapping me.

With an eerie smile, Malika turned her attention back to me. "I have a little surprise for you." She motioned to something off to the left. Glancing over, I gasped. The harp sat peacefully on a table. As I made a movement towards the harp, the reptilian man appeared beside me and grabbed my arms. Malika made a tsking sound. "My, my, kids these days, always in a rush. And here I was about to tell you a wonderful little tale."

The reptilian man releashed his hold on me. I glared at her angrily but knew I had no choice but to listen to her villain monologue.

Malika leaned back in her chair as she eyed me with interest. "When I was young, I was one of five siblings, three girls and two boys. We lived in a small village and were tutored by a very old yet knowledgeable sorcerer. When we turned fifteen, we each received an enchanted item of our own. My eldest brother received an enchanted sword. My eldest sister received an enchanted staff. My other brother received an enchanted dagger. My youngest sister received an enchanted harp." She let out a sigh. "And I received a crystal ball." She sent a disdainful look towards an object in the corner. "At first, I didn't mind; but, as the years past, I began to wonder. Why did I receive that measly ball? Didn't I deserve something better? The harp was worthless since all it did was create beautiful songs but what about the others? Didn't I deserve the sword, dagger, or staff? I decided that it was time to take back what was rightfully mine." A slight grin appeared on her face.

"My two brothers and eldest sister unfortunately had… accidents." She paused to allow it to sink in before continuing. "My eldest brother drowned in a lake. My other brother was burned to death and my eldest sister died from a snake bite." The grin stretched bigger. "I had finally achieved what I had always wanted. The sword, dagger, and staff were finally mine." She frowned as her hand squeezed the arm to the chair. "But it wasn't enough. I became obsessed with completing the set." She turned her angry glazed eyes towards me. "But my youngest sister was not like my other siblings. She would always slip out of my grasp." A nervous giggle escaped her lips. "Each time she would ask me to stop, that she could help." The giggles turned into full blown laughter. "Me, change? After I was so close to achieving what I longed for? I think not." Her frown returned. "I had grown too cocky in my endeavors. Before I even realized it, my sister bound me to a pot with that harp" She pointed to the harp. "The one I thought was worthless."

"You have your harp now," I said as I shifted from foot to foot. "So how about you let Momo and I go."

A sinister grin appeared on Malika's face. "I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, the harp still does not belong to me." She slowly approached me. "It will not belong to me until I personally kill you."

Before I could react the reptilian man was holding my arms behind my back. With a yell, Momo leapt at him. The reptilian man hit Momo sending him crashing into a nearby wall. He lay in a crumbled heap, unmoving.

Before I could say anything, I felt Malika place a thumb on my forehead. Searing pain swept through my body as a white light filled my sight.

Oh God, I thought as I began to lose consciousness, I'm really going to die.

Lights aura: (is slowly backing away)

Amu: (eye twitch) You ended the chappie there! That's like the biggest cliffhanger you've had yet in this story!

Lights aura: (is slowly backing away) eh, heh, heh, heh.

Amu: That's it! I am signing you back up for cliffhangers' anonymous! (looks around)

Lights aura has vanished.

Amu: (slaps forehead) She's worse than a five year old…

In Case You Didn't Know:

1) Step into my parlor said the spider to the fly: is a reference to Mary Howitt's poem published in 1829. It has been referenced by many people such as Lewis Carroll and yes even the ninja turtles.

That's it for now! Please remember to READ and REVIEW! Tschau until next chappie!