A/N's: (sighs) Scelerus Animus here, formerly know as DarkRoseBlood, and yes, yes it's been such a long time I know… unfortunately, life sucks, but we simply have to deal with the cards that we are dealt, ne?—and I've been dealing with a lot of unwanted cards as of late… but life goes on, and then I finally update! and with a chapter over 5000 words long (which I entirely did not intend, but it came out that long anyway, heh)! yay! jump for joy! (eyes readers with scowls and numerous pointy and/or heavy objects ready to be thrown) damn… perhaps, the rotten vegetables were better than this… (ducks as various rotten vegetables are thrown at her) or not… teehee… ;)

Mmm, let's see, what do I have for you this chapter… I'm trying to speed it up a bit, yet still keep a steady pace to the story, without rushing and ruining the plot, which I absolutely abhor to do… so please tell me how I'm doing… And I think I toned down the excess detail a bit, at least, I tried to… so we'll also see how that comes out… and finally we're getting deeper into the plot, the twisted-ness, the allurement, the darkness…

To all my, reviews, thanks so much! Responses are at bottom, per usual. Luv ya all! And special thanks to ZippyRox for beta-ing this chap for me! Much love to her!

trans.:
ne – depending on context, either 'hey' or sort of asking for confirmation, like 'really?' or 'isn't that so?'

warnings: rated M for a reason, twisted-ness, dangerous introspective into Naraku's wicked mind, general evil-ness, darkness, and the like, as usual… a devious Naraku…

disclaimer: yes, of course! I own Inuyasha and simply write English fanfiction just for the hell of it… yeah right, pft… don't own anything…

And without further adieu…

Thy Soul of Sin
by scelerus animus

Chapter Six
Obsession of the Wicked

In a blazing streak of electric blue light, the sacred arrow struck the splash of red paint with a ferocious shock, instantly burning half the bark off the splintered tree. Embedded into the burning tree trunk, it cast a faint pool of glittering blue light onto the bare ground, slightly muddy from the night's random showers.

The sun had yet to rise; only a few stray rays of pinkish-gold sunlight filtered through the remaining clouds, causing the arrow to radiate with exceptional brightness this particular morning. Still sizzling a faded blue, the arrow seemed to express its mistress's ire perfectly at the moment.

Approximately twenty meters away from the entrenched arrow stood the priestess Kagome. Her blue and white miko attire rippled gently as a chilly breeze passed over her, but she did not shiver from the morning cold.

Still in the same position as when she had shot the arrow, Kagome's grip on the wooden handle tightened, her nails digging harshly into the dark wood. She stared across the barren field at the large tree, which was scorched by the aura from her arrow. Narrowed, sapphire eyes glittered darkly as her brow furrowed in unleashed fury.

Another gust of wind swept over her rigid form, and she began to relax under the nippy, yet pleasant, air. Stray pieces of raven hair blew into her face and obscured her vision for a moment as she stared at the burning-blue tree, eyes hard and deathly cold. This look was usually not found in the miko's sapphire gaze—at least, not before her memories had been lost. But as of recently, this particular look, callous and bitter, had dominated the miko's wintry features more than often.

She was cold, frosty, artic, brutal as the wind, and as lost as a Sakura blossom in a snowstorm. At least, that was what she felt like.

With the beginnings of a sneer that was unnatural on her lovely face, she deftly pulled another arrow from the bag on her back, and muttered at the same time, "Disgusting…"

Clearly, with natural ease that she had earlier found herself capable of, she nocked the deadly arrow. "Putrid…"

Raven bangs blown into her line of vision once more, she aimed the arrow straight at the tree. "Wretched…"

Then she set it free. "Hanyou."

Soaring across the field in a streak of violet-blue light, it hit the intended target, once again alighting the tree in a blaze of vivid indigo. Staring at the sizzling tree with a pitiless expression, her voice full of loathing, she hissed, "I will destroy you, break you as you broke me."

"Surely you are not talking about me, miko?" said a voice from behind her, velvet-like and tinged with amusement. Naraku.

With swift, graceful movements, she drew another arrow and nocked it. "Unfortunately, no. Not this time, Naraku-sama." Her voice was hostile and heartless, bitter as the heavy blizzards that plagued the mountain valleys in the middle of winter. Naraku took great pleasure in the utter enmity that spilled from her lovely mouth.

In another large blast of vivid indigo light, shining as bright as a summer day's sky, a sacred arrow flew across the field and nearly incinerated the tree on impact. Which was a pity, since she still had a carrier full of arrows left and plenty of rage to wrathfully vent.

"Then what bothers this miko, hmm? What makes this miko tremble in anger? What causes uneasiness and resentment, to vehemently coil in her steadily freezing heart, patiently waiting to spring and strike like a treacherous snake?" inquired Naraku, his soft words wrapping around her senses, consuming them, luring her deeper within in his trap, despite the fact that he was still several feet behind her.

Before her, the entire tree was nearly flaming with her purification powers, pulsating a fiery blue. Drawing another arrow, she aimed, eyes furrowed in deathly concentration, immense ire rolling off her in great waves. "Nani, Naraku? Bothered that you aren't my main focus of anger at the moment?"

She released the arrow. Across the field—where no green vegetation remained, only a deep gorge from when the scared arrow's purification powers had unearthed the land—the tree blazed again in an explosion of vivacious light.

Unperturbed by the blast, Naraku quietly laughed, a treacherous chuckle saturated in devious deceit. "Indeed," he intoned, not without sarcasm, his reddish-brown eyes absently examining his miko in faint expectancy.

Every time he had come across the raven-haired miko since she had awoken nearly two weeks prior, something had sparked within her, coming alive through anger, occasionally enjoyment, or some other human sentiment that stirred her blood. And, curiously…his. These meetings had become a sort of routine for him, one that brought unexpected pleasure. At any rate, he derived great amusement from the miko's engaging antics, whether done in seething fury or other.

And this—this was completely intolerable. Precarious even. Routine was what made mortals—humans—weak. Easy to kill. Feeble. Pathetic.

So he, Naraku, knew that this repulsive habit needed to be terminated immediately. Yet still, he continued this sickly act—this routine—despite the fact that he knew its untimely end.

Which, of course, led to another disgraceful conclusion.

Obsession. Another vile, detestable practice that mortals made a part of their daily routine. Another weakness of mortals that eventually led them to their agonizing destruction. And this miko had somehow wormed into his twisted, sardonic mind so frequently that it was bordering on this foul-tasting thing wretched mortals called obsession.

Naraku despised it.

Now, one of the many things that made Naraku superior to these sickening ningens that infested the land like rats was that the hanyou recognized and understood his weaknesses, all his weaknesses, which invariably branded him far above these wretched mortals. However, this near-obsession with the raven-haired, sapphire-eyed miko, Kagome, was still… extremely hazardous, able to warp, twist, and destroy all his carefully-laid plans.

Obsession. Yet in spite of his encounters with this abhorrent human weakness, he still did not completely understand this loathsome thing deemed obsession. And it infuriated him to feel it crawling under his skin and into his bones, but not able to understand it. It was the downfall of many, many mortals and he could understand that, yet not loathsome obsession itself.

Certainly he had experienced obsession, with his fierce desire to kill Inuyasha and gain power. And certainly he had experienced this human weakness before (he had despised it then as well) with the protector of the Shikon no Tama a little over fifty years ago—the miko Kikyo. But he could not grasp this sickening, wholly useless need.

Yes, he remembered her well, the priestess Kikyo, and his obsession with her—or, more specifically, the bandit Onigumo's obsession. And how it had led to the bandit's destruction. Yet, even now, when all that remained of her was an undead corpse, he, Naraku, still wished to harm her, destroy her, break her—yet, as of recent, the priestess Kikyo had been far, far from his mind, replaced by someone else.

Kagome.

"However," Naraku idly reflected aloud, hardly loud enough for Kagome to hear, "Kagome is not Kikyo."

"What?" Kagome snapped as she finally tore her attention away from what was left of the devastated tree (at which she had shot three more arrows). She looked over her shoulder, which was currently aiming her next arrow, to gaze at the hanyou, sapphire orbs continually intense and harsh. "What did you say, half-demon?"

Faintly startled out of his thoughts—of course, his face remained as impassive as ever—Naraku looked at Kagome, the corner of his lips slowly curving into a malicious smirk, one that anybody else would have immediately cowered before.

"Anger, another emotion that you mortals feel. It eats at your hearts, slowly devouring you from the inside till your inevitable end," Naraku drawled, ignoring her question. "Unless, of course, your heart is turned to ice and stone by your foolish hatred, locked deep inside until you cannot reach it any longer, forgetting, in time, that you had it in the first place. But, I suppose, to sentimental mortals, that is either just as appalling, or possibly much worse."

Kagome's glare just seemed to intensify. He was ignoring her question and implying something else, the little snake.

"My heart is not frozen, hanyou." she hissed. "Unlike yours, which is as black as the night."

"Perhaps," he said simply. "But that doesn't answer whether you believe it is worse to forget everything you are and become the monsters you mortals despise with such wasted passion, or be destroyed into oblivion—Heaven or Hell or whatever mortals believe."

Kagome continued to glare at Naraku over her shoulder and opened her mouth as if to speak, but closed it immediately after. "I…" she began once again, something unsure flashing in her eyes, "I believe… I-I believe… believe…" Her voicedied then.

A gust of wind blew the dust up around her feet, and raven hair whirled wildly around her head, obscuring her vision for a moment. Bringing omens of death and ice and misery, a chill passed down her spine, crawling into her marrow until she felt that her entire being would either implode or completely shatter.

She was not that of which she hated… she wasn't…wasn't…!

She wanted to scream, she wanted to yell, to kill the half-breed demon that taunted her with his not-quite-human yet not-quite-fully-demon eyes, but most of all—she wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

For what? For whom? She did not know. Forever was trapped in this haze her memories were, unable to reach her and she unable to reach them. Her beliefs, her faiths, her own wretched identity had been mercilessly ripped from her mind, and now she knew nothing, was nothing. A shell. She felt like an empty shell.

A beautiful china doll, whispered a small voice at the back of her mind that sounded oddly like Naraku's, with glassy, lovely, soulless eyes and a fragile porcelain body so utterly hollow inside…while on your delicate porcelain palm, ownership has been carved and claimed…

That smirk still present on his dangerously attractive features, Naraku patiently waited a few yards from her.

"I don't know what I believe…" she murmured at last, desolateness reflecting on her pale face.

Naraku chuckled, low and so like velvet. Kagome's glare returned. Bastard. Malicious, conniving half-breed bastard.

"Stop shoving words in my mouth and thoughts in my head, half-breed," Kagome demanded. "You know nothing about me."

…she was neither that which she hated, nor a china doll so easily broken… she wasn't…

Once again, Naraku chuckled and Kagome could almost feel that velvet slinking around her body, enwrapping her mind in an intoxicating case of deceit.

"Don't I? I know more about you than you know about yourself, miko." Cruel. Cold. Utterly Naraku.

For a moment, Kagome faltered. He was right… Naraku was the one who spitefully held her past in his tainted claws. She knew nothing about herself… simply that she had been a miko and Naraku, possibly, had been her enemy. And… Inuyasha… Kikyo…

Damn Naraku, he was still tossing her off track with his twisted words. Kikyo… Kikyo…

She could have sworn that Naraku had just said the name 'Kikyo' a minute ago, before he adverted her attention. And that name stirred something in her, whether pleasant or unpleasant she had yet to decide. Briefly, part of her felt a sense of sadness and pitying toward that name, before it was dominated by a stronger impression of extreme aversion toward it.

Sapphire eyes seemed to harden to icy stone as she glared more viciously at Naraku, brow furrowed even more in hate, though she wasn't really looking at him by any means, more through him.

Kikyo… Kikyo… Inuyasha… Inuyasha…

Kikyo… Inuyasha… Inuyasha and Kikyo…

That name whispered in her head, telling her to remember, ordering her to remember who she was. And it hurt; it angered her; it screamed at her. Like at night, when her mind was adrift in unknown territory and anything could happen. Like at night, it screamed at her.

But she couldn't remember.

Eyes alight with fire, glittering like true gems beneath the few striking rays of light that leaked into the sky, Kagome abruptly spun back around to face the still sizzling tree nearly stretching her neck muscles in the process. With a low rumble in her throat, almost snarl-like in tone, she aimed the arrow, glowing with power, and set it free. Leaving a burst of feverous pink sparks in its wake, the sacred arrow soared across the field, tearing up the ground in a wave of dazzling light, and struck whatever was left of the tree, instantly incinerating its thick trunk until all that remained was a blazing stump.

Her breath in ragged gasps and eyes narrowed, Kagome stared at the smoldering stump of dead bark in the same stance as when she had shot the arrow. A breeze, cool and calming against her flushed skin, blew over the field—currently ablaze with the remains of blue-pink light—causing her hakama and haori to ripple gently, but Kagome took no notice.

Perhaps her heart really was transforming into ice and stone

Anger. It surrounded her, implanting itself deep within the core of her heart, until it became the core itself. A hollow, empty core.

"You have improved."

"…Yes. I've been practicing with Izumi-san. She remembers a few things from when the last priestess guarded the village. She says that I am a natural with a bow…" Cold. Indifferent. Callous.

"Of course you are, miko." Sneering.

Her right palm, still raised from when she had shot the arrow, tingled slightly, the character viciously carved into the lily-white flesh glowing a faint red. Scarlet. The sensation almost burned but didn't. It scorched.

"…Right. I forgot the great Naraku-sama settles for nothing less than the best, the finest, the greatest—most powerful."

"Never. With all my possessions, Kagome."

Raven hair gleamed like piercing obsidian, lashing fiercely into the air as Kagome whipped around to face Naraku, another arrow already drawn and aimed precisely at the wicked, smirking hanyou.

"I am not a possession, Naraku," she declared, her voice bordering on the edge of a growl. Her arrow and bow trembled in shaking hands.

Naraku merely continued to smirk.

Not yet, but soon she would be. Her heart would soon be locked away in the repercussions of her hatred—ice and stone. And he would have it. Own it as he would her and her power.

Kagome's eyes flashed dangerously, sparks of dour blue.

"I had a dream," she stated, but her voice was chilling and disturbing.

"A dream, miko? And what was in that dream?" Naraku was curious. A week ago, she wouldn't have told him anything about her dreams or otherwise.

"…A hanyou… with golden eyes. And a girl, very beautiful, but… she wasn't alive. The hanyou had white hair and fluffy ears that another girl, who would never be quite as beautiful as the first, loved to always touch and play with. They were soft… so soft…" Her voice cracked but she quickly recovered, hardness filling its timbre once again. "And then there was two other people, a… taijiya and a houshi, along with a baby kit and cat youkai. All of us, w-we were friends who cared for one another. In my dream, we all were in a river laughing and playing."

"Quaint." Mockery.

"Yes… yes it was." Bitterness.

A pause. The wind blew. It was chilly. Once again, she wanted to shiver, but didn't, her grip becoming more firm on the bow.

"…Suddenly a dark cloud rose up from the South, a miasma that chocked us, strangled us with its poisonous gas. We all fought against it. I shot at it with my arrows, yet it did nothing to help us." Pure ice seemed to spill from her mouth, washing over the field, slowly freezing over the land. Her voice resembled stone. Hard. Unyielding. "It kept circling us, killing us. And all I could hear was this laugh, mocking and cruel. And see darkness and eyes—eyes the color of blood. Sinful eyes. I was scared. Scared for my friends."

Unconsciously, her grip tightened on her bow, breath harsh.

"However, before I could get to them, there was a brilliant flash of pink light and I fell, darkness around me. As I woke up, all I saw was red. Blood. The hideous red of blood. My friends lay sprawled across the ground, motionless and blood covering them. Dead. They were dead." Kagome shook and trembled, her skin clammy and palms slippery,thoughthe handthat pulled the string back still tingled with a faint hue of scorching scarlet.

"But… but for some reason, I knew the wicked laugh and sinful red eyes had not killed them." She threw Naraku a look that clearly said he was indeed lucky the scarlet eyes had not been the ones to murder her friends.

"Something else had. The golden-eyed hanyou was gone. I stood alone surrounded by my murdered friends, utterly frightened. Every whisper of wind, snap of a twig, scared me and I trembled. It scared me." Kagome's voice barely rose above a whisper, but still managed to exude bitter loathing seamlessly.

"…There was a noise in the nearby trees. Something dangerous, inhuman. A growl, a snarl. I ran. But, suddenly, the creature jumped at me from its hiding place. It had gorgeous white hair, almost the color of silver, but instead of beautiful, caring golden eyes, the creature's eyes were crimson. I screamed and then darkness surrounded me once again…"

"So, miko, what do you believe this dream means?"

Kagome scoffed. "I thought that you might be able to tell me that."

Naraku conveyed fallacious innocence. "Why would you think that, Kagome?"

Sick of all his despicable mind games and half-truths, Kagome, her voice several octaves higher than it had been a second ago, demanded, "Stop it with your riddles and diversions, Naraku! Answer and tell me the truth, for once!"

Naraku laughed this time, stabbing and derisive. "And why should I, miko?"

"Damn you!" Kagome yelled, infuriated. Glaring with glacial fire raging in her sapphire eyes, Kagome took a threatening step forward, raising her bow all the way to aim it straight at the hanyou's black heart, as it had become lax in her hands during the retelling of her dream. "Tell me, Naraku, tell me, why shouldn't I purify you where you stand! Why shouldn't I kill you!"

Unperturbed, Naraku took a step forward, his smirk unreservedly merciless and cunning, as were his thoughts. "Kill me, miko. Release your arrow and strike me. Kill me."

Trembling with a fierce snarl-like sound low in her throat, Kagome straightened, her shoulders rigid, and pulled the string so far back that it was in danger of snapping. " I should," she hissed, "I should… but… but…"

Scarlet eyes glittered in amusement as if they had just received the answer they expected. In a graceful blur, Naraku was abruptly in front of Kagome, barely an inch between them. One claw grasped her right wrist while the other held her chin lightly. In her delicate fingers, the arrow dangled loosely while her other arm hung limply at her side, a pale hand barely gripping her wooden bow.

Her voice caught in her throat then and she was unable to utter another word. Nevertheless, she maintained her glare, staring directly into Naraku's scarlet irises as the hanyou leaned closer and closer to her, breath upon her face. It reeked of demon, yet even so, veiled by his youki, smelled the faint scent of human, diluted almost beyond recognition. Vaguely, Kagome wondered if she were to close the space between them, would she feel a heartbeat? But, really, that thought was far from her mind at the moment.

Soft lips—cold as winter itself—trailed lightly across her cheek and to her ear, where his velvety voice murmured, "You won't."

You won't kill me.

Kagome breathed, slightly ragged. She sensed goosebumps emerge on her arms, as she suddenly felt cold.

Then, without warning, Naraku jerked her chin and pressed his lips to hers. Kissed her. Kissed her.

All previous thoughts were instantaneously wiped from her mind, leaving it completely blank, as if she were in a state of utter bewilderment—which she was, of course.

Deathly cold.

The arrow fell from her grasp; a loud thud resounded through the air as it hit the dirt.

Her usual stance, upright and stiff, seemed to crumble beneath the warmth—no, no frigid iciness of the kiss, and she trembled. Hands shaking and body weak, Kagome legs were about to give out beneath her. Pressed to his body, almost fully relying on him to support her, she vaguely noted that she could not feel a heartbeat. Her conscious mind, not enraptured by Naraku's lips pressed to hers, wondered what that could mean.

Before the rest of resistance fell beneath Naraku's unyielding kiss, she jerked her lips from his. Breath short and almost gasping, she stared at him eyes wide, all of that previous mask created from bitterness and fury gone. Sapphire irises were glossed over with shock, blank but still unrevealing.

Like a doll's. Except for… except for the barest spark of fear.

Seemingly with idleness yet purposely seductive, Naraku ran his tongue over his lips and fangs, which, to her further shock, Kagome noted that a faint tint of red stained the white canines. Blood.

Leaning towards her until his warm breath caressed her ear, Naraku murmured. "Do you still not fear me, Kagome?"

Unable to respond, she felt a sharp sting as a fang nipped her earlobe. As she unwillingly—or possibly willingly?—inhaled the addictive scent that was Naraku, she responded quietly, "I don't fear you. And… and I never will, Naraku, understand me, I never will. Never."

"Then what do you fear?" he questioned, though it was spoken softly almost teasingly as if he already knew the answer. Which he probably did, being Naraku.

"I fear…" She trembled. "I fear… I fear the unknown." Naraku smirked into her neck.

"But you do not fear me? Am I not the unknown? The key that knows who you were?"

"I… I…"

"Or do you fear that kiss? Do you fear the meanings behind it?"

"No… no, it's not that…"

"Isn't it? You do not fear me, but you are wary. You fear my intentions, my games, ne, Kagome?"

"Half-breed!" A hiss and the anger was back. "You do not know what you are talking—"

"Don't I? You fear what you cannot control, my delicious miko. You fear being helpless, worthless." A fang lightly dragged across her neck, leaving a faint red mark. He chuckled into her luscious raven hair. It was a taunt and she knew it. But… it was also…

"No! I… I…"

"Yes," he growled, low but not threateningly. Lips moving back towards her mouth, he licked the blood the trickled down her chin from when he had bitten her lip earlier during the kiss, though she hadn't noticed.

Once again, she faltered, anger lost to the morning sun.

There was a silence, long and quiet, while the sun began to rise in the east behind the tree that sizzled violet-blue with the remains of a purification aura.

"Yes… perhaps… yes, I fear what I can't control," she murmured. And then abruptly, she forcefully jerked out of his grip taking several steps away from him.

"But I will not be the puppet you use to control everything, Naraku… sama."

Eyes flashing dangerously once more and bow gripped tightly in her left hand (arrow forgotten), she swiftly turned around, leaving Naraku behind her as she headed toward the rest of the Village Shrine past the remainder of the sizzling tree.

Unperturbed, a devious smirk formed on Naraku's pale lips, which were still stained with Kagome's blood. With an appreciative flicker of his scarlet eyes, the hanyou observed how the rising sun seemed to outline Kagome in a blaze of brilliant fire. Vivacious flames of pink and yellow seemed to engulf his miko. Though, with her tensely straight form and confident posture, she tried to fight against their fiery rays with each step.

Lazily, he licked the smeared blood from one of the nails on his left hand. Scarlet eyes sadistically watching the steady drip of the blood from his miko's clenched right hand, Naraku noted that the sun's efforts, as well as Kagome's, were all in vain. Her control over her own fate was already lost to her. She was already a puppet—no, a delicate china doll. One that held a fire to rival the sun's behind her glass-like eyes, akin to sapphires.

For she was his china doll.

For she belonged to him.

Perhaps, Naraku mused idly, obsession was indeed a dangerous practice.

.
. ... .
.

In the distance, Kagura could see a thick column of smoke rising into the evening sky, which bled a scornful crimson as the sun sank behind the distant horizon. Flying toward its coils of dark ash, the Wind Sorceress smirked. With the wind at her every command, she landed on a lush grassy hill in a swirl of pink and purple. Ruby eyes flickered over the hut that lay before her and the scent of the humans for whom she had been searching assaulted her nose.

Blood, death, and grief hung heavy in the air. But it was a scent she expected from these sentimental mortals. The tip of her fan rested lightly against her chin and her nose scrunched up in disgust. She was here for a reason, nevertheless, so she would have to deal with it for the moment.

As the wind started to swirl stronger than normal, the low rumple of a doorway cloth indicated someone exiting the hut. Kagura eyed the aged, wrinkled miko with one patch covering an eye and a bow held in her frail hands as she stepped out of the hut at a slow pace.

"Aye, you there demon," she said with a suspicious look at Kagura, "what ye be doing here?"

Giving the miko a cruel, narrow-eyed look, Kagura replied, "You, old woman, are not to be questioning me, for I could kill you in a second if I desired so."

The subtle snap of the demoness's fan and a sudden gust of wind seemed to validate her claim.

"Whom ye be calling an old woman?" demanded the aged miko with anger, shielding her eyes at the abrupt change in the air's current but Kagura paid it no mind.

Sneering slightly, she said, "I am looking for the houshi and the taijiya."

And just on time, the aforementioned houshi stepped out of the hut behind the aged miko.

"Kagura!" he said, resentment pouring in his voice. "What is your business here? Naraku is dead."

With a faint snort, Kagura observed the state of the monk. He appeared weary and several bandages were wrapped around his bare torso and arms. Absently she noted that the Kazaana was still gone from his right palm, which meant that Naraku was still leading his facade that he really was dead. Amusing. She had just come at the right time.

Kagura noted that the taijiya was also still severely injured, or perhaps still trapped in the pain and depression of losing nearly everyone she loved in the supposed final battle and, as a result, was still incapacitated in the hut. How weak mortals were.

That wretched half-breed mutt, Inuyasha, was nowhere in sight, nor could she detect his scent anywhere.

"Oh really, monk?" she taunted, ruby eyes glittering deviously. "I have information that might interest you."

The houshi glared at the Wind Sorceress skeptically and said, "What information? And why would you decide to give it to us?"

"I've noticed that your other miko, besides that old woman"—Kagura sent a disdainful look to aged miko—"is not here and neither is that hanyou, Inuyasha."

With sudden abruptness, the air surrounding the monk seemed to have dropped several degrees. He resisted the urge to shift in unease, senses scanning the surrounding shrine, but he could not detect anything. Once again, he repressed the need to shiver as the name floated tauntingly in his mind.

Inuyasha.

"Get to the point, Kagura," demanded the houshi.

Idly tapping her fan against her chin, Kagura continued leisurely, "Naraku has acquired a new… plaything."

"That's impossible! Naraku's dead!"

"Is that so, houshi?" the Wind Sorceress questioned with the raise of an eyebrow. "I have a trade for you. Tell me where that half-breed, Inuyasha, is, and I will tell you where Naraku is."

"How do I know you are not lying, Kagura?" Asked the monk, wariness still residing in his dark eyes. The Wind Sorceress, despite her supposed hate for the hanyou, was still an incarnation of Naraku, made from his rotted flesh and bones. He had no reason to trust her. "And, if it is true, how were you able to come here and tell us without Naraku knowing?"

A deep sneer crossed Kagura's face. "Naraku is having too much fun with his new plaything at the moment," she spat out viciously.

"Plaything?" The monk questioned, puzzled. "Another incarnation?"

"Hardly," Kagura scoffed. "Though, perhaps, you could say that this new plaything is being slowly warped by Naraku's sick games into that hanyou's own toy, his doll."

The monk gazed distrustfully at the Wind Sorceress, the sick worm of uneasiness still squirming at the pit of his stomach. The smoke from inside the hut had traveled westward and settled over the bloody image of the setting sun. An omen. "And why do you want to know where Inuyasha is?"

A smirk formed on Kagura's deep red lips and her ruby eyes glittered with malice. "Because, despite his previous defeat, he still is the only one that might be able to kill Naraku."

And, if that were to happen, she finally would have her freedom. And that—her freedom—came before all things.

One the horizon, the sun continued to bleed a deep crimson, now latticed with smoky rolls of black.

After a long pause, the gentle breeze of the wind sweeping over him as if in caution, the monk hesitantly nodded.

End Notes: As I said, the plot is starting to thicken and we are getting deeper into the twisted (wow, I use that word alot, heh. XD) intricacies of Naraku's and Kagome's 'relationship'. And poor Kagome is as confused as ever and Naraku's ever the bastard, but that's how we like him, ne? heh. And Kagura's being rather sneaky…

So finally they kiss! Actually, in the beginning, I didn't intend them to kiss just yet, but you know, Naraku that sneaky bastard… so they did. Hopefully, I was able to speed the story up, but still continue to unravel the plot nicely as well. In this chapter, we see a little bit more of Kagome sinking deeper and deeper as she conflicts with herself about the person she had been and the person she is now… or are they truly one in the same? And Naraku… Naraku, well, he's just a bastard, but a hot, sadistic bastard…

uhh… yeah… so please, please review (constructive criticism, thoughts, comments etc) 'cause I'd really appreciate it and tend to write more and faster when I'm encouraged by others! And it really just makes my day when I receive a review! Hehe. Thanks.

Reviews

Much thanks to:

LadyOrion: So I tried to make it move faster and toned down the detail, as it would be less confusing… did I at least do an okay job? I really did try… it's just I'm such a stickler for details and such, meh… (sighs) -.-;; Anyway, thanks very much for the review!

Jasmine Fields: Ohh, thanks so much! Hopefully this chap was just as good! ;)

Reality: Of course, heh… thanks for the review. :)

darkwhispering: Hehe, thanks so mcuh for the review! I tried updating soon… it didn't quite work out though… (sweatdrops) heh. :)

KabukiCristy: It's not so much that she lost her 'virginity' physically, but emotionally and mentally that she believes she has lost her 'innocence' and cannot totally see herself or the world her pervious innocence and naiveté… so yeah… that's about it, heh. :P Thanks for the review!

DarkRoseBlood

Naraku's Dark Soul: Of course! Naraku's a sadistic, twisted, mind-playing bastard, but he's a hot bastard! So it all works out in the end, heh… violence, sex, and blood—what more can a fic ask for? teehee. And yeah, I did want to make Kagome a little different and just not so… innocent and naive, though she still is, despite that. She's very confused and lost… and angry… so who's better than taking her anger out on Naraku? hehe. And thanks a bunch for being so patient and reviewing all the time! XD

Child of the Ashes: Ah-ah, appearances can be deceiving, hehe (evil smirk) Of course, I'm a sadist—I'd have to be with sexy, sadistic Naraku here. :P Art? Really? You flatter me! And one of my older past teachers had called my writing crap—ha! show's 'em! Mwahahahaha… just kidding, just kidding! XD Anyway, I woulda asked ya to be my beta, but you're email was cut off, so I couldn't… (pouts) But that's okay, as long as you still enjoy my ficcy! Thanks a bunch for reviewing! XD

Fire Elfglow

black rose: I tried to cut out some detail, so hopefully, it wouldn't drag on… but don't know if it worked… I tried… Anyway, thanks for the review! ;P

Kirin Kage the Shadow Girl: Oh, thanks so much for liking my little ol' NarKag fic! And, yes, I thought Kagome needed a little more attitude… so that's the way, I tried to portray her, heh. :D

Otakuyoukai: Oh really! Mine's the first Naraku as a main character fic you've read? Huh… maybe I just like Naraku too much, heh… Thanks so much! ;P

Sakuya Kaleido: Ah yes, Naraku is the sadistic one, but we love him anyway… or at least I do, heh… Thanks for reviewing! ;)

ShadowWolf13: Ooh, I'm trying to keep her IC but with some attitude, hopefully I still di it in this chap too! Thanks of reviewing. :P

ZippyRox: Thanks a bunch for both beta-ing and reviewing! I really appreciate it! XD

I tried moving a little faster, so hope ya satisfied somewhat, heh. :) Thanks for reviewing!

sveta89

hiddensoullover

Shadowlover101: blushes You're too kind! XD Thanks so much!

dOG-GIRL

Morbid Flower: well, yes it have to be slightly (okay, more than slightly) macabre with Naraku, hehe. But glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing! ;)

WOW! So many reviews! Really, I love you guys… (wipes tear) Makes a writer feel so special, heh. But, really, thanks so much for reviewing! Without the reviewers and readers I wouldn't even be here! You guys are an awesome encouragment! XD

Thanks everyone and until next time...

Ja ne!

– Scelerus Animus