I wanted to say thanks to all you wonderful commenters and all my lovely readers! You guys make writing this fic so worth it.

Chapter Eleven: Making Deals with the Devil

"If only you had come to me when I asked so nicely... None of this would have happened." Purple eyes lit with an evil glint. "But look what you've gone and made me do."

Kagome searched for her voice, trying to express her confusion in words that made sense. Not that any of the thoughts racing through her head made any sense. "What-what are you talking about? How did you do this?"

"Come now, Kagome, you can't tell me you are surprised." An evil smirk twisted his lips. "I expected more from you. Though, I did try my best to have you come to me of your own free will... Clearly that is no longer an option. You've gone and given your heart away to that halfbreed."

Kagome backed away from the man- no creature- before her. "What, I was supposed to give it to you? What exactly are you?"

Naraku gave a dark laugh, stalking towards her. He held out his hands, palms face, long thin tentacles extending from out of his kimono sleeves. "I am Naraku, a great and powerful demon. The ruler of all demons, you could say. But that is of little import. All you need to know is you will call me husband."

"Excuse me? You think you can just demand my heart? That is not how love works: You have to earn someone's affection. It's not something you just served to you on a silver platter because you're powerful and you demand it." Kagome felt the fuzzy tingling in the back of her head of a concealment ward coming down and a huge weight filled the air. This was the full power of the demon Naraku.

No, demon isn't quite right... I sense something human at the center but there's more than one demon. It's like he's surrounded in hundreds of demons... Like he devoured them to gain their power. I can see the outline of them slithering through his aura.

"I could force you to come with me but what would be the fun in that?"

Kagome's back hit the railing on the far end of the roof. "But why do you want me? I'm nothing special."

Naraku scoffed. "Please, Kagome, don't make me laugh. When have you not been special? You have the greatest spiritual energy ever seen in a mere human. You are beautiful. I desire you. You are the only being special enough to even come close to comparing to my greatness."

"What are you talking about?" Kagome grabbed onto the railing, feeling the need to hold onto something for support. The metal was colder than the air whipping past them.

"This innocent act is really getting old, Kagome." Naraku scowled and two of the squirming tentacles shot out, wrapping tight around her wrists.

Kagome gasped, struggling against the vine like appendages. "But if everything that's been happening has been your doing, then you almost killed me. Why would you try to kill me if what you're saying is true?"

"Oh, the curse? That was your fault. If you had just let it play out the way it was meant to like a good little girl you would have been brought safely to me." The vines tightened around her wrists, dragging her closer towards him. "But you had to be difficult." Kagome was yanked across the rooftop, stumbling into Naraku's outstretched arms. "You've always been difficult... even as a child." He wrapped his arms around her.

"I didn't know you as a child!" Kagome fought to escape from his grasp, pushing against his chest. The calm in his voice, even when she could sense the anger underneath, was unnerving.

He gave a clipped laugh. "You don't remember! Oh, isn't that just beautiful?"

Kagome felt something gnawing at the back of her mind, warning her, telling her not to dig too deep. She shook the feeling away. She needed to know what he was talking about. To understand why he was going to such great lengths to capture her. To make her his. "What do I not remember? Tell me." She steeled her nerves and pushed the gnawing sensation away.

Naraku's evil smirk softened into the face she remembered from her time in the village. He was almost smiling.

The sight made her sick. The gnawing turned into a buzzing. She tried her best to ignore it.

"I was there, dear Kagome," he said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "That night long ago when your family was killed."

The buzzing turned into a hum.

"I did it myself, you know. It pleased me to watch them die. Not much pleases me, you see, so I took great pleasure in the show."

The hum turned into a scream. Tears welled in her eyes from the pain and bile rose in her throat. "Why?"

"It's quite simple: because I wanted you. Even back then your powers were quite the marvel, to be sure. Your family was a nuisance. They just got in the way and then there was all the yelling and begging... An annoyance, if you will. So I got rid of them. Then, there you were: bathed in the light of the fire that consumed your house and family. You were so confused, so scared.

"Then you ruined everything." His eyes narrowed and he wrapped a hand around her upper arm.

Images flashed before her eyes.

Blood.

Fire.

Smoke.

Ashes.

The images came into focus, blurring around the edges. Kagome was standing inside her childhood home. Mama and Papa stood before her, Papa holding his axe up, Mama a pan.

You will hand over the girl.

The voice echoed from Kagome's body and she moved forward. She watched on, helpless, as Papa was run through with her sword. His body crumpling to the floor before her as she withdrew her weapon. Blood dripped from the blade into the wound in Papa's chest.

Mama stared at her with wide, horror filled eyes. "You can't have her!" She swung the pan. Kagome's vision shifted and twisted, Mama screamed, and when her vision righted, Mama was lying over Papa's body, limp. A bright red gash extended from her left hip to her right shoulder.

"Ma-ma!" Kagome recognized the voice of her little brother, Souta. Her vision focused on him, hiding behind Little Kagome. He was crying, inconsolable.

Take the girl.

Two men appeared from behind her holding torches. One grabbed Little Kagome and the other picked up Souta and took him into the backroom. Kagome stepped outside, following the bandit with Little Kagome. A short time later the other bandit came out of the house.

Burn it to the ground.

The two bandits nod and set about using their torches to set the house on fire. Kagome watched her home catch on fire and blaze bright. Her vision focused back onto Little Kagome, bathed in the glow of the inferno.

"What happened to Mama and Papa? Where did Souta go?" Little Kagome asked, eyes wide and shining with tears.

They're dead. You belong to me now.

"What's dead mean?" Little Kagome's face scrunched in confusion.

It means you'll never see them again. You will spend the rest of your days with me. Protecting me with your special magic.

"I'll never see Mama, Papa, or Souta ever again?" Little Kagome's face fell and tears fell from her wide eyes. The light of the fire bathed her tiny form in orange. The fire reflected in the shine of her eyes.

Yes, now come. You belong to me.

Kagome's hand reached out for Little Kagome.

Little Kagome screamed, eyes squeezing shut. Kagome's vision was over taken by a bright white light and she felt her body being pulled in every direction at once.

And it stopped. She was herself again. The screaming in her head was gone, now replaced with a wailing moan. Kagome felt tears pricking her eyes and bile rising in her throat.

"Then, you killed me." Naraku released his grip on her, his tentacles slackening a bit, her legs collapsing beneath her. "You tore me into hundreds of pieces. My men, too, but they were never important. Minions have always been easy to come by.

"You undid me, and because of that I was able to remake myself. Build myself a stronger body and become the strongest man alive. The strongest demon alive."

Kagome took a few moments to gather her composure. I will not give him the pleasure of seeing me break. "Shouldn't you want me dead? I hurt you- I killed you." Not that I remember how. She felt weak, drained physically and emotionally.

"You made me God." He smirked down at her.

"You're insane," Kagome spat out the words as if they were venom on her lips. Hatred bubbled in her already roiling stomach. "You're no god. You aren't even a proper demon. You're nothing but a sick man with delusions of grandeur- No, you aren't even a human anymore are you? Not really. It's all twisted and buried away. You're just a monster, a murderer and a monster."

"Yes, that's all well and good. However, I grow weary of your backtalk woman. Perhaps I should just absorb you the way I absorbed all those demons. Your powers would fit quite nicely within my arsenal." Naraku heaved a heavy sigh. "It would be such a shame, though. I was so looking forward to our joining. Imagine how powerful our children would be." He smiled and for the first time Kagome could see the joy in his eyes.

"I'd sooner die then be responsible for bringing your evil offspring into the world."

His tentacles dragged her to her feet, forcing her to meet his leering gaze. "You have two options, Kagome: refuse my offer and everyone in this castle becomes a part of me or marry me and save them all. Your choice." He reached out and dragged a finger down her cheek and across her lips.

Kagome flinched away. "Fine! As long you swear not to hurt anyone."

"Deal. A word of caution: if you try to escape or attempt to defy me in any way, they will die. I will kill every person you love. Right in front of you. In the slowest, most pain inducing way imaginable." His tentacles released her, receding under his kimono. He extended a hand towards her.

One day, I will remember how to destroy you. I will remember how to end you and this time I will make sure it sticks.

She balled hands into fists, steeling her resolve. "I have one stipulation: give me this last night my friends. Let me say my goodbyes even if they're unspoken."

Naraku rubbed his chin, mulling the thought in his head. He gave a curt nod and folded his arms across his chest. "Very well. One night. On the stroke of midnight, we leave."

"You have my word."

"Kagome, there you are."

Kagome jumped at the unexpected voice and turned to see InuYasha smiling an anxious sort of smile. She turned back to Naraku only to see an empty roof top. She let out a sigh of relief and faced InuYasha again, smiling at him.

"I thought you were up here with Gramps," he said, reaching her and placing his hands on her arms. "You're freezing!" He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, warmth spreading across her bared skin.

"I'm fine." She said and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her still wet eyes into his chest before he could see the tears. "You're here, so I'm fine."

He wrapped his arms around her and she felt his warmth radiating through her. I hadn't realized how cold I was. Or maybe I just never realized how warm he is. My InuYasha's warm, sweet heart.

He pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head and pulled back to look her in the eyes. "Now, come back inside. I have something important to ask you and I've been informed- well ordered really- that I have to ask in front of everyone."

Kagome nodded and followed him back down the stairs and into the ballroom. InuYasha didn't stop until they reached the center of the room.

The music stopped and everyone stood still, watching with expectant eyes. Kagome glanced around, wondering what everyone was waiting for. InuYasha grasped her hands in his, running his thumbs over her knuckles to get her attention.

"I've never been one for public displays of affection and this is far beyond my comfort zone." InuYasha shifted from foot to foot. "But I'll do my best, so here it goes." He cleared his throat and stared straight into her eyes.

I've never seen him so unguarded.

"Kagome, you are by far the most wonderful, fantastic woman I've ever met. You spread your light over anyone you come in contact with and their lives are the better for it. I don't think it would be possible for a single person to hate you. Believe me, I tried, for the longest time. It was probably the single most idiotic thing I've ever done.

"Then you changed me. No, changed isn't the word. You awakened a part of me that fell asleep a long time ago: my heart. You've been working your way in ever since you set foot in this castle. Every word you've spoken and every move you've made has embedded you further in my heart."

No, he couldn't possibly be-

He bent down on one knee and withdrew the lump from his breast pocket. It was a small wooden box. He flipped the lid open, revealing a ring. "Kagome."

No. Kagome felt her heart breaking. Tears stung her for the second time this night and her hands shot to her mouth to smother the whimper that threatened to escape. Please don't.

"Will you do me the honor of being my wife?"