Summary: Her Purity revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?
Notes: Her Purity revised.
Chapter Two: Taken
Rating: M

The Crown Jewel

Inuyasha took a tentative sniff at the air and winced, suddenly wishing that he hadn't killed the wind demon after all as Kagome's scent wafted up to his nose. His body stiffened and he looked down at the sleeping girl, who had turned over in her sleeping cocoon, her hand on her stomach and a pained look on her face.

He turned away quickly as her scent once again floated by his sensitive nose and grasped the tree branch he was perched on tightly, taking in deep breaths of her. The smell she was emitting was intoxicating—which could only mean that she was going into heat.

Shaking his head, Inuyasha growled furiously at himself for thinking about his companion in that way, but couldn't help it when he jumped to the ground next to her and crouched down, staring at her through half-lidded eyes. Kagome moaned about something in her sleep, and Inuyasha found that it was quite difficult to keep his hands from twitching in want of grabbing her and eloping somewhere to couple.

He closed his eyes and imagined what it would be like to love Kagome, but snapped them open and ground his fists into the earth beneath him, hissing curses that could only be heard by a demon with excellent ears. He would have to suffer a couple more days of this stimulating scent until the blood was released. Then, he would have to wait out until her next cycle.

Under normal circumstances, Inuyasha wouldn't even be here right now; he always fled into the forest whenever Kagome went into heat, but after the events with the wind demon from earlier yesterday morning, Inuyasha found that he just couldn't pull himself away from the girl, nor away from the memories of how she had shivered in pleasure, or how she gripped him tightly as she tried to compose herself, or that blush that covered her cheeks that displayed her wanton desire.

Inuyasha stood and examined the rest of his pack. Everyone but himself was sleeping peacefully, but ready to jump into action if need be… except Kagome. Feeling a smirk tug at his lips, Inuyasha looked down at his bitch, who lay sprawled across her sleeping bag, her mouth wide open with a bit of drool beginning to seep from the edge of her mouth. Inuyasha thought she never looked more gorgeous.

Shaking his head, Inuyasha was about to return to his perch when a foul stench assaulted his nose, making his eyebrows furrow and his ears twitch.

It couldn't be, he thought, disbelief flooding him. He gripped Tetsusaiga anyway, his hand twitching over the hilt of the sword as he heard Miroku stretch somewhere behind him.

"Do you feel that, Inuyasha?" the monk asked. The half-demon visualized his companion fumbling with the prayer beads around his wrist uncertainly.

Inuyasha decidedly ignored Miroku and concentrated on the massive force that was emanating from the right of their camp. He knew something was up this time, but what was it? So far, there was really nothing different from their last encounters with the foul half-demon, and Naraku had always been one to toy with his food before he ate it, so what was giving the inu hanyou such a terrible feeling in his stomach? Inuyasha spent what felt like hours pondering what Naraku was up to, trying to contemplate his next move when a familiar scent flitted about his nose. Blinking in confusion, Inuyasha narrowed his eyes on the tree line of the forest.

"Kikyo?" he said softly. Suddenly, he knew what message Naraku was trying to get across.

Come alone.

Hand clenched tightly over Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha spared one last glance to Kagome, who was still sleeping peacefully before hissing, "Make sure she's safe" to Miroku and sprinting away, disappearing into the forest.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled. He began to take off after his irrational friend, but he paused and looked at Kagome, and then Sango. Giving one fleeting look toward the trees, Miroku fell back with clenched fists before he set to wake the girls and Shippo.

oOo

Inuyasha could feel the adrenaline rush through his body and welcomed it, knowing that he would need any help he could get. What the hell was Kikyo doing with Naraku? Again? Inuyasha felt his lips pull back into a snarl and his legs run faster. A growl tore itself from his throat as he thought of the possibilities. If Naraku hurt her… Inuyasha shook his head. Kikyo was capable of taking care of herself. At least, that's what she told him.

He lost track of how far and how long he had been traveling. His feet pummeled into the ground beneath him, leaving obvious tracks of whereabouts to anything or anyone that wanted to find him. It wasn't until later that Inuyasha realized that he shouldn't have been so careless. His mind was back with Kagome, who had a knack for finding him when he least wanted to be found. And he definitely didn't want Kagome to be in the middle of him and Naraku. But it would be fine, Inuyasha assured himself. Miroku was with her, and so was Sango and Kirara; and Shippo would put his life on the line in order to protect his surrogate mother (though Kagome probably wouldn't let it come to that). They would make sure she didn't stray far from camp, and if she did, they would follow. Either way, she would be protected.

Inuyasha put his thoughts on hold. Naraku's stench was getting stronger and stronger by the second. He was almost there. Inuyasha put all concentration on his limbs, willing them to carry him faster to his destination. He could feel the anxiety pump through him and the bad feeling from earlier worsened. He was just about to contemplate this gut-wrenching feeling when Naraku's scent became unbearable and he stopped, his body rigid as he finally spotted the spider demon, along with a familiar, stone-cold priestess.

"Kikyo…" Inuyasha said, his voice soft. His previous lover wasn't injured or being threatened like he imagined her to be in Naraku's presence. Instead, she looked quite healthy and very capable to move about on her own. Neither seemed to have noticed his presence, and if they did, they ignored him.

If she wasn't hurt, then what the hell is she doing around Naraku? Inuyasha asked himself. He felt his anger start to build up. Was she under Naraku's control? Was he using some low-handed trick to manipulate her? Inuyasha was about to step onto the scene when he heard their voices and paused, retreating back behind a large tree.

"…the rest will be returned to you," Naraku finished. Though Inuyasha was behind the spider demon, he could tell that there was a cold smirk on his face. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes on Kikyo, who had an indifferent expression on her face. She looked at her hand before pressing it over her chest, where her heart would be.

"I'll be whole again," she whispered softly. Inuyasha wondered what she meant and ignored the way his stomach flipped uncomfortably.

"Yes. Isn't that what you want?" Naraku stirred. "Not to mention no competition."

"And the catch?" Kikyo asked, her face hard. Inuyasha felt his stomach drop. Why? Why was Kikyo striking a deal with his worst enemy?

Naraku chuckled laughter, his head lowering until his eyes were shadowed by his long hair.

"Help me find the rest of the shards," Naraku said in a smooth voice. "That's all I ask, Kikyo. Do this, and I'll make sure you get your end of the bargain."

Inuyasha clenched his fist and walked out from behind the tree, a furious expression on his face. Kikyo immediately locked her eyes on him, an unidentifiable look in her eyes, though her face remained stoic. Naraku took his sweet time turning around, an air of great surprise surrounding his aura.

"Ah, Inuyasha," he greeted, a nasty smile forming on his face. "We were wondering when you would show up." But Inuyasha had the feeling that Naraku knew he was already there beforehand.

He snapped his eyes from Naraku to Kikyo, who stared back coldly. "We?" he repeated.

"Where's the girl you're always with? My reincarnation?" Kikyo asked, her eyebrows beginning to furrow.

"Her name's Kagome," Inuyasha spat. "If you're going to talk about her, at least get her name right."

Kikyo narrowed her eyes at his tone and her hand clenched on her bow. Inuyasha knew he shouldn't have been so harsh with her, but his feelings were getting the better of him; his anger was getting the better of him. What was Kikyo thinking?

"Speaking of," Naraku said slyly. His posture ever so straight, he strode to where Kikyo stood and twirled a lock of her hair between his fingers, chuckling when the dead woman didn't notice. "We were just talking about your little," he paused, clenching the hair tightly, "friend."

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked quickly. His hand, still settled over Tetsusaiga, grasped the hilt and slowly began to pull it from its sheath.

"You see, Kikyo?" Naraku said softly in her ear. "Look at him; he's already replaced you with her, and you know it, don't you?"

"Kikyo, what is he talking about?" Inuyasha asked, a puzzled look adorning his features.

"Just help me and the only woman he'll ever look at again is you," Naraku pressed, circling Kikyo until he was on her opposite side. "It'll be so easy, too."

"What is he talking about?" Inuyasha asked again with a type of urgency in his voice. "Tell me, Kikyo!" His breath was becoming labored the longer he waited. The feeling in his stomach had worsened to the point that he was beginning to feel sick, and he gnashed his teeth together angrily.

"You see, Inuyasha," Naraku started in a low voice. "Kikyo has been waiting a long time for—"

"That's enough."

Both men looked at Kikyo, who was staring at Inuyasha in the eye.

"You promised me," she said flatly.

Inuyasha was taken aback, but knew better than to let his guard down around Naraku.

"What?"

"You promised you would go to Hell with me," Kikyo hissed, a hint of anger seeping onto her face. Behind her, Naraku smirked and slowly released the hair, a malicious glint in his eyes.

Inuyasha pointedly ignored Kikyo, though his upper lip pulled back into a ferocious snarl, showing his long fangs as he addressed Naraku. "You ready to die, bastard?" he asked, but his mind was in no state of preparation for battle. Kikyo's words seemed to echo inside his head in a never ending mantra. Why would she bring that up again?

"Now, now," Naraku said in a mock soothing voice. "It seems that Kikyo may have taken me up on my offer."

Kikyo stiffened slightly, but didn't respond.

"What offer?" Inuyasha was growing tired of asking questions. What the hell was going on? Naraku seemed to read the expression on Inuyasha's face, for his smile morphed into an evil smirk as he pointed in the direction that Inuyasha came.

Inuyasha didn't know what Naraku was doing or what was going to happen, but before he could say a word, a scream, so soft that he could barely hear it, filtered through his ears and into his brain, and almost immediately, Inuyasha identified it as Kagome. Eyes widening, Inuyasha looked at Kikyo, who had the smallest of smirks forming on her lips.

"My reincarnation will pay for the mistakes you have made, Inuyasha," she said in a cold voice.

Naraku huffed in laughter as the dog demon suddenly disappeared from sight, dust trailing after him as he sprinted back to his friends.

oOo

No! No, no, no! Naraku had set up a trap and he had fallen for it; and now Kagome was going to pay! Inuyasha cursed himself as he practically flew back to the campsite. Why did he let himself be fooled again? What the hell made him throw caution to the wind and let Kagome out of his sight? Why was he so stupid?

And Kikyo—how could she betray him like this? Inuyasha shook his head, the conversation playing out in his mind like a movie. Kikyo wanted the rest of her soul—no, Kagome's soul, and to do that she needed to help Naraku find the rest of the jewel shards. But the only way to get Kagome's soul…

Inuyasha felt his face pale considerably.

Running faster than he ever did in his life, Inuyasha tackled the trees and animals that got in the way of him and Kagome. He wouldn't let it happen. No one will take Kagome from him! Especially not some freak like Naraku.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed. His breathing was becoming more and more labored as he ran. The adrenaline rush from earlier had dissipated long ago. He heard more screams from far ahead of him, his ears twitching. He was still much too far from the fight—from Kagome. There was the distant sound of trees moaning as they fell over and he could just barely make out the sounds of a cackling fire. The pungent waft of burning wood and cloth wafted up to his nose until finally, the stench of blood suffocated him, but became the energy that he needed to push himself further. That was Kagome's blood.

But something was wrong. There was something hindering him in his running, but he didn't know what. He was going slower and slower. Not only that, it was becoming harder and harder for him to smell and hear what was going on with his friends. Realization dawned and Inuyasha grabbed a lock of his hair, his eyes widening in horror as it changed from a bright sliver, to a dark black.

He was human.

"Son of a bitch!" Feeling his stomach plummet, Inuyasha ignored the change and ran as fast as he could with his human legs towards the fight. He felt his muscles begin to seize up and his lungs felt like they were about to explode, but he couldn't stop. Kagome's safety was the incentive he was running off of now, and that was enough to keep him going.

oOo

It felt like hours had passed when loud screams and war cries finally made it back to his ears, and though it meant certain destruction, Inuyasha welcomed it gratefully. He was close—so close, until finally, the scent of blood and smoke wound its way through his nose and Inuyasha was staring at his devastated campsite.

The tents were gone; burnt to a crisp, the ashes littering the ground and turning it black. Trees had fallen everywhere around their camp, most of which were still lit on fire. The smoke blocked the rest of his view and was painful for his already exhausted lungs to take in. It couldn't clear away fast enough, but when it did, Inuyasha took a quick glance at his beaten and battered friends before searching for the most important person in the world to him; Kagome. It wasn't long after that he felt a hand on his shoulder. Inuyasha spun around, hoping to see Kagome, but came face to face with a bloodied Miroku, who shook his head. Inuyasha frowned, beginning to get worried, but his worst fears came to life when he saw Sango, who sat on the ground clutching one of Kagome's uniform shirts, tears leaking from her eyes. The stars peeked from behind the dark blue sky, winking at Inuyasha as if to mock his stupidity as realization hit him for the second time that day. He was too late.

Kagome was gone.

WOW! You know, re-reading the reviews for this story REALLY pushed me to finish this chapter; it's been sitting on my hard drive for months because I couldn't figure out what to do with it. Anyway, I know that the conversation between Naraku and Kikyo (Hater!) is really dodgy, but I think I made it clear about the deal that was being made right then.

I know. OOC. I realized in the previous version of this story that Kikyo had absolutely nothing to do with the plot at all, and, well, given her past with Inuyasha, I figured I might as well throw her in this, too. Besides, since I'm (obviously) an InuxKag fan, this'll just help end Kikyo's and Inuyasha's relationship and push along Kagome's and Inuyasha's.

Thanks for reading!

Review please!

~Miyopiyo