Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Lady Death. I do own this story. Some of you familar with Lady Death's story may notice some continuity discrepancies with timeline and/or objects. Some things were changed in order for this story to come into being. Enjoy!

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Chapter 2.

The Ruse

"You HELLSPAWN!"

"Oohh, temper, temper deary! Have you ever considered therapy for that?" SNERK! A maniacal cackle came out. Pagan, Court Jester of Hell, had pissed off Lady Death again.

"You will pay, by the Abyss! How you will pay! Did you really think I wouldn't notice you slinking around my Endless Graveyard? What are you up to?"

The eyes of the pale woman flashed with anger. Blue-white energy formed around her fists and crackled as her anger built. She stood at the ready, in all of her six-foot-plus height. Long white hair cascading down her back and waving about her as her cloak also billowed from her energy. She wore next to nothing, save for a bikini-like top, thong bottom, garter belt, and a pair of stiletto-heeled thigh high boots, all of black leather. Golden skull heads adorned her top, a large one closing the center, as did more along the back of her thong and one in the front. Along the back of her boots, sharp spurs gleamed in her energy waves. Clusters of skulls dangled from her ears, framing her stark-white face. In fact, she was stark white. All of her. At her side was her most trusted weapon, Apocalypse. Forged from pure Chaos matter by her most trusted ally, Cremator. It had but one owner, and even she hadn't unlocked all of its secrets. There was no other sword like it, in any known universe.

This was Lady Death, and to know her story was to know a woman cursed…

"For 400 and more years, I've ruled here in Hell, with the Endless Graveyard being my creation. I know every level, the capital of Dis, the River Styx, the Malebodge, even the River of Fear. When I thrust Lucifer, the Father of Lies, thru Heaven's Gate, Hell became my domain. No one moves thru here without my noticing. NO ONE!"

A small energy wave surrounded her, and then dissipated as she waited a response.

"Ahh, yes… about that 'thrusting-thru-Heaven's-Gate' thing…" an evil grin crossed the Jester's face. He tapped his pointed chin tauntingly, eyes rolling in the direction of the Nexus of All Things. Not really thinking carefully. Was not in his nature. After all, he was Hellspawn.

"Well, out with it!" Lady Death gritted her teeth.

"Now, I'm not a tattle-tale. I don't give away secrets. But if you REALLY want to know… think of me as a leprechaun. Just try and catch me! BYE!"

WHAMPH! A smoke bomb had gone off. Pagan already had a good head start, fleeing upwards.

"Catch me if you caannnn!" He taunted Lady Death, mooning her before continuing.

"You Gehennan PUSS WORM!

The chase was on! Lady Death launched herself in the air after him, her face contorted in fury. This time you will feel my wrath! Levitation and flying were second nature to her, but she hadn't mastered teleportation. Pagan had the upper hand in that one. But despite the fact that he could zip in and out whenever (or wherever) he chose, he was not hard to spot. He stood a little less than five feet tall and was not easy to forget, on many levels. He wore an outfit of the typical court jester image, complete with the bells on his shoes and dangling from the three flops of his hat. The color of it was cinnamon red and day-glow green. There were archaic symbols on the front and back. That was one of three things that you'd recall most of him.

The other two were his face and his mannerism. He had a pointed chin, bulbous nose, and beady little eyes. He also had pointed growths jutting out from either side of his chin, and one from each cheek. Let's just face it- he was horny, and not in the amorous sense. He was not handsome and the color of his skin was a sickly ashen-green. He reminded one of a horned lizard, but with the manners of a New York cab driver.

He was, after all, Hellspawn.

"That's it, chickie-baby, follow me this way", he thought aloud, glancing over his shoulder.

Damn, she's gaining on me! Frantically, he decided the best action was that of the evasive. They were nearing the Nexus of All Things, a shining purple orb of infinite portals and possibilities just above Hell, and a trap was ready to be sprung. Pagan rolled over onto his back and stretched his arms out. Smoke clouds exploded out of his hands, one side, then the other. He didn't have much time if this was going to work. Flipping around to fly forward again, his target was in sight. The Nexus had turned the right portal towards them.

"Perfect! Target acquired!" He grinned wide. Piss her off enough, and she'll follow her temper along like a trained dog!

Lady Death had a hard time seeing thru the smoke clouds. Faint glimpses of Pagan appeared here and there as she flew towards what she thought was he. To the left, to the right, straight ahead, all the while mocking her. He even threw exploder clouds at her "just to shake her up a bit". Unbeknownst to her at the time, it was a ruse.

Pagan reached the Nexus' portal a few seconds before. He quickly amassed the smoke clouds in the front and slightly inside the portal. Not too much, or it won't work!

"Now for the money maker!" Rubbing his hands together, spitting inside each palm, and a fart for good measure, he closed his eyes and contracted every muscle hard. A mass formed off his side.

SQUILCH! SHLURK! PLUP!

"Oh look! It's twins! Aww, ain't he cute? He looks just like me!"

"Suck my hanger, frog snot! Where's the biotch?" the twin asked. A perfect copy, but not quite as sharp as the original.

"Git yer stinking carcass in there-she's coming!" Pagan shoved the twin inside the portal. I can't believe this is gonna work! Pagan ducked behind one of the clouds and waited. His twin cackled and snorted inside the portal rim.

"Hey, is this gonna hurt? Won't she-"

"Shut yer hole! Just stay in there! Oh and yeah, it's gonna hurt. Now back inside!" Pagan screeched.

"Kewl!" The twin raised his hands in the horns gesture. He slinked back inside the portal rim.

C'mon, c'mon! Where is she? Pagan wondered. No sooner had he thought this, a blur of blue-white energy flew by him at lightning speed.

"Keep going… keep going." He inched around the cloud to see the trail end of the energy wave. Lady Death had taken the bait. The Nexus' portal closed behind her, sealing her fate to the beyond.

"YES! Hell is mine now! See ya--NOT!" Pagan was doing cartwheels.

Inside the portal tunnel was dark, save for a small light at the end of a very long stretch.

"What? Where in the Seventh Level?" Lady Death stopped midway, looking around. She whipped her head behind her—blackness. The entrance was sealed tight. She remembered flying at her top speed, zipping thru and around smoke clouds, following the sound of insane laughter… Wait! Where was Pagan?

In the distance of the light, she could hear his taunts. The taunts of the ruse.

"Does this mean you're giving up? Taking your toys and going home? Chicken puke!"

"Vomitous MAGGOT! You will die!"

There he was! She sped towards the voice, towards the light, towards the end. Faster. FASTER! Her limits knew no bounds, as she became once again a blue-white energy. She could see his form just at the rim before the light. Her fists were white hot, ready to wrap around his throat and rip it apart.

"Ewh, this sucks. This is gonna bite hard!"

The ruse braced himself. But first, one last hurrah. He turned around, dropped trou, and yelled,

"Bite my AAAaaa…!"

Lady Death shot white-hot energy in front of her target. She could not stop in time from going thru to the other side.

KRACK-OOM! She exploded out of the opening at full force. All around her was white. At first she couldn't tell if it was light, or her own energy. Shielding her eyes briefly, she slowed to a halt, preparing herself for what she would see. She took a deep breath. What was that smell? And the sounds? There was no stench of sulphur, or of searing flesh that she was used to. The screams of terror and pain no longer filled her ears. The smell was sweet—like perfume. The sounds were like music.

"Birds? Can it be?"

She slowly opened her eyes. A gasp escaped her throat.

"Oh… my… GODDESS!"

She was above a great forest. Green all around, save for a few pink colored trees here and there. Are those Cherry Blossoms? not trusting her eyes at first. She had heard stories as a child from the travelers as they passed thru her village, looking to sell their wares. These trees, they had to be, though she had never seen them before. She did not care. It was a definite change from smoke, lava, and blood. It stirred long-thought dead memories in her. Memories of her home. The village. Villages! Yes! She could see a village thru a clearing in the trees. The housing was oddly built—not familiar to her. Not like she remembered of her village.

"What did I come out of, and to where?"

She looked down, but was too high up. It was a black mark of unknown shape in a sea of green. It had a faint border around it. Curious, she descended.

It came into better view. The border was rocks. There was a rope off to one side. It was a well.

A well! She had forgotten what they looked like. She stayed herself above the well as another thought suddenly flashed thru her mind. There are no wells in Hell, not even water, stay for the River of Fear, or the River Styx…neither of which you can drink from. Is this Earth? Has Lucifer's curse finally lifted? A scene replayed in her mind, that of her in a battle in Hell. One of many that she faced and conquered, though this was the one that began it all. Her eyes narrowed in hatred as a face came into focus, the Face of Lucifer. Her hands were wrapped around his throat. She was close enough to him then to have smelled his fear on his breath. Right before she threw him thru Heaven's Gate. Then, in his last desperate moments, he uttered the curse:

"You will never set foot upon the Earth again so long as the living remain!"

"And so I created the Endless Graveyard as a result. If I were cursed to never walk on Earth again while the living remained, then I would have their graves waiting…" she thought aloud to her as the scene faded. The sight of the well returned. The ground was but a mere heartbeat beneath her feet as she levitated above. Should she touch it?

She had waited far too long to have this dream slip away now, if it was a dream. Yet the hesitation was there. She lifted her head as a breeze blew thru her hair. The smell of wood and cherry blossoms filled her sense. Something else as well. Water! Pure running water! Oh how she longed to remove the stench of over 400 years of warfare, misery, and damnation of Hell. To just sit and feel the energy of life-giving force purify her… she made her decision.

She slowly lowered herself down. She was just a toe tip now. No turning back. A slight hold of her breath and she touched down.

PHOOM! A wave of energy issued forth and radiated out in a giant ripple from her. She did not notice it at all, for her elation was overwhelming. She had truly dared and succeeded—she was on the Earth!

Lady Death would not hesitate again. She headed straight for the source of the water, a running stream nearby. It was soon to be sunset, and she wanted to enjoy it while the sunlight still danced upon its surface.

Little did she realize, however, just how noticeable an energy wave could be…