It's my own story and Naraku just makes my skin crawl! Things aren't looking so good for Kags. :x

Chapter 32

Ukh. Something smells terrible. Why is it so dark? Oh…my eyes are closed. Hiro, where am I? So much blood. Wait…you're not Hiro

Miyuki's head throbbed relentlessly as she sat up. Her hand brushed against a puddle of something foul on the stone floor she was laying on. Opening her eyes, she tried to find the presence of the other person she felt. Hiding in the shadows, she noticed two red eyes fearfully darting from her to the other side of the room.

"Who are you?" she asked firmly. The only response she received was the eyes focusing on her as if she had just grown ten heads. "Can you at least tell me where we are?" Silence still. Sighing, Miyuki rose and glanced at a gate to her right. So, I'm locked up in a cell. It would be nice if I even know how I got here. Or where Hiro was.

She bit her lip nervously. Whatever that was that attacked them, it had injured Hiro fairly bad and she feared the worst.

"I thought you were dead," came a raspy, female voice from in front of her. Miyuki startled and saw that the eyes had moved closer. She could make out long straggly hair and a pungent odor coming from it.

"You know who I am?"

"Yeah," said the voice excitedly. "I killed your parents." Miyuki's throat clamped shut and anger fumed through her heart. The woman laughed a disgusting cackle and crawled out from the shadows. "I didn't mean to, though," she added hastily. "Master made me do it, like a puppet. He has strings all over. Dance, puppet dance," she cryptically said and began to twirl.

Looking at the demon in front of her, Miyuki was absolutely repulsed. She was a dragon youkai, perhaps once very beautiful. But whatever beauty she may have once had was replaced by pasty, shriveled skin. When she smiled her toothless grin, there was no happiness in her eyes. They glittered, instead, with insanity. Her black, coarse hair was knotted and matted from years without bathing.

"You…killed my parents," Miyuki said through clenched teeth. The demoness stopped her dance and looked at her as if she were the one who were insane.

"Well of course. Father wouldn't have had it any other way," she replied matter-of-factly.

Miyuki flew to the creature and wrapped her clawed hand around the demoness's scrawny neck tightly. "You fucking tramp. I'll kill you," she said tightening her grip.

"Actually, my name is Rein," she said extending her neck out so Miyuki could get a better grip.

When she heard her name, realization clicked. She reached up with her free hand and pushed back the woman's hair. She saw her crest…her family royal crest.

"No," Miyuki said staggering backwards. "You're Orochi's daughter. He's an ally. Why would you do this?"

Rein ripped Miyuki's hand from her neck in disdain. "He is not my father! He did this to me!" she said pointing to the cell. "And he's the reason why you're an orphan now. It was him and master who attacked you're palace. I was merely…a puppet" she said putting her hands over her head again and dancing like she were attached to strings.

Miyuki stepped back, blinking. "Your…father?" Suddenly the weight of the world crashed upon Miyuki's shoulders.

Something within her being pulsed, magic welled up within her. Her eyes blackened and a terrible pain scorched her temple. She was back in the Eastern palace, but she was transparent. Flames were engulfing everything around her. A screaming servant ran towards her, gripping to her bleeding stomach. Miyuki's eyes welled with tears and reached out towards her, but the servant ran right through her. Puzzled, Miyuki could only stare as she ran down the corridor. Deciding to kill the monster that did this, she stormed in the direction the servant came.

Then everything became familiar again. She had been here before. Suddenly, she saw herself running in the same direction, dressed in royal eastern robes. As the memory of this moment flooded her mind, she gasped and tried to warn herself to stop. But it was too late. A shrill, torn cry echoed the palace walls. Miyuki lowered herself to the floor, weeping. It was this moment that she discovered the mangled bodies of her beloved parents.

She watched herself stagger against the wall and upturn her stomach. Wiping her mouth she continued forward and tripped, falling right in front of Miyuki. She looked upon her past self with pity and renewed pain. They both wept, mirroring the cry of a newly orphaned child.

Through her blurred vision, Miyuki saw something moving behind her past self. She looked up to see a large demon with a hatchet standing behind herself. Terror ripped through her veins and she screamed, but to no avail. The hatchet lowered swiftly, with the skill and precision of one who had done this many times before. But just before the blade pierced Miyuki, she saw herself vanish. The confused demon roared his upset, and swung his weapon into the wall, leaving a giant cleft.

Power pulsed within herself and again her vision went black. She woke to find herself laying on cold stone, this time, two eagerly crazed eyes looking down upon her.

"Ah!" She startled and jumped up.

"Oi, crazy girl!" screamed Rein as she gripped her chest. "You scared me half to death. I thought you just dropped and croaked. You weren't breathin' and your heart stopped beatin'! I mean, I know I gave you some heavy news, but come on!" she said as she withdrew back into her corner.

Miyuki shook her head, trying to rid herself of the memories as they ate at her. Tears flooded her eyes again, but she refused to let them fall. "I…I remember now," she whispered. "Your father…he killed…everyone."

"Well, not everyone," Rein pointed out nodding to Miyuki.

Miyuki brought her knees to her chest and cuddled herself. "Not then, but that's why I'm in this cellar now. He's come to finish the job," she said with a hint of self pity. Suddenly, she became angry. Who was she to sit on the floor like a scolded child feeling sorry for herself? That monster slaughtered everyone she loved and she was going to just sit around and weight for him to finish her too? "I think not," she said out loud. Rising, she grabbed a stone from the floor and began banging at the bars of the cell.

"Hey! You sons of bitches! You brought me here, now take me to your master! I will not be ignored!" With renewed power, she began sending fire balls through the bars, zooming down the hall. Finally, with great satisfaction, she heard and oomph and footsteps approaching.

"There's plenty more where that came from if you don't bring me your 'master' this second!" she commanded with royal authority. She heard snickering and her anger flared. "How dare you mock me? Though I may be locked in the cellar, I can easily rip you apart behind these bars. How about I start with your fingers?" she threatened.

"How about, you tell me when you back so crude," said a familiar voice. Through her anger, she realized who spoke and fear etched in her stomach.

"Oh Gods! Did I kill you?" she pleaded as she ran to the bars, searching through the darkness.

"Not in the slightest," said Hiro. "You only grazed me. But that was one hell of a ball," he said leaning against the cool metal laughing at her. She smelled his blood coming from two wounds, and she remembered the tentacle that had injured him.

"Get me out, your wounds need to be dressed now. You're bleeding to death!" she begged.

"I know. But I'm not getting you out to waste time on me. We need to get out of here. There's a torcher chamber a few yards down and from the sounds of it, we do not want to be their honored guests. But I bought us some time. The guard, had to go get something," he said smiling, holding out an arm gripping on to a set of keys.

"That's horrible," Miyuki said wrinkling her nose.

Hiro ripped the keys from the guards severed limb and unlocked the door. "You're out, aren't you?" Miyuki ran to him and carefully locked him in an embrace.

"We must leave now, I will not have your son an orphan in a single day," she commanded looking into his eyes. Hiro's eyebrows furrowed and he nodded.

"Hey, what about me?" came a childish voice from the cell. Miyuki glanced back and paused.

"The door is open. What you do is no conciquence to me. I would kill you, justice for killing my family. But you are a prisoner in your own mind. That's punishment enough. Perhaps death would be a blessing for you," Miyuki said as she turned her back to the girl. Rein laughed sickly and crawled out of the cellar on all fours, like an ape. She stood in front of Miyuki, crouching, and turned her head sideways to stare at her.

"What?" Miyuki asked disgusted by the girl.

"There are more people here, just so you know. Probably friends of yours. I would look for them if I were you. Like your friend said, the torcher chamber can be a real bitch," she said turning her back and crawling away.

Miyuki gasped as she remembered the whole reason why they were there. "Kagome! We can't leave her here. Not here," she begged Hiro. He looked down at her and clenched his jaw. This could be their one and only chance to escape.

"No. I would rather die with her, then to let her die here alone," Miyuki resigned. Hiro lowered his head and sighed.

"Let's go then."