Damn fox.

Naraku frowns as he dodges an attack from Shippo. The female sorcerer leaps from behind and goes after the fox, who kicks her away with a scoff. Shippo's tail flicks back and forth in obvious agitation.

He huffs, trying to regulate his breathing. Damn that fox. Damn that shikigami. Damn that dumbass Naoya for falling for such an obvious ploy.

How stupid could one truly be? Why would the priestess go for one such as Naoya?

Idiot.

This entire clan is nothing but idiots that cannot follow directions. He longs for the days where he was able to make his own incantations and force them to follow his will.

Though they were useless in the end as well.

Naraku looks up and glares at the cat shikigami perched on the nekomata's back. He flicks his wrist, sending a gust of wind at them. The nekomata growls as it is thrown around and into a building.

So, the shikigami can only maintain one barrier at a time. Kagome must have created it. No way one of these sorcerers did.

"You need to put your glasses back on," Shippo says, "because you can't seem to tell the difference between me and Naraku."

"You are one and the same. Demons. Just like curses, you come to destroy everyone around you." The human, Maki, retorts as she raises her sword.

"This demon is actually on your side." Shippo sidesteps the attack. "I happen to be partial to humans."

"My blade is partial to no one."

"Last chance to back down," Shippo says flatly, tossing his spinner at Naraku.

It hits him in the gut, and he crashes to the floor.

Shit. That hurt more than it should have.

"That's my line," Maki retorts, dashing toward the fox.

Naraku wets his dry lips. He is at a disadvantage. He should escape.

Yes, he should leave now while they are distracted. While Maki seems hellbent on taking Shippo out. The fox is unfortunately stronger than he used to be.

He backs away as he waves his arm, sending the arrows away from him and towards the nekomata and the shikigami. Those two are pissing him off.

"Nothing personal, but you're pissing me off," Shippo says with a fang filled smile. The fox snaps his fingers and Maki is set on fire.

Naraku inhales. Damn fox blocked off his exit as well. Not even the woman's screams are enough to appease him. Fox fire is a bitch to deal with. Yumi used to set him on fire if he didn't procure the latest trinket she wanted or if he didn't give her enough guards.

"Shippo! What the fuck?" Megumi bangs on the barrier, but Shippo flicks his tail and turns to Naraku.

"You're colder than you used to be," Naraku says, tilting his head. "But you're still weak," he goads.

"Aww, you coming on to me? Sorry, I don't fuck with spiders." Shippo flutters his eyelashes and presses his hands to his face.

"Who would fuck with a fox?"

Disgusting.

Shippo laughs and transforms.

Naraku's heart stops. "You think such a trick would work on me?"

Shippo flicks his long red hair. "You don't like the look? Yakeru told me you and Yumi worked together." He runs a hand down his side. "But I don't believe that's all you two did."

Naraku glares. How dare he. "Believe what you want." He lashes out, sending a spiked tentacle at Shippo.

How. Dare. He.

He should have killed the fox when he was young. Should have done a lot of things. Should have absorbed Mahito when he had the chance.

How dare this low-level demon try to play mind games with him?

Shippo chortles. "Oh, this is rich. Did she even love you? Course not. Has any woman loved you?"

"You talk too much." Threads of invisible webbing shoot forth from his fingertips, binding the nekomata and shikigami. He extends his reach and binds the fox.

"Shippo!" Megumi throws his body at the barrier, but it doesn't budge.

Naraku dismisses the sorcerer. So long as he stays in that bubble, he can't reach him, and it doesn't look like the sorcerer can get to him either.

Shippo huffs. "This is annoying."

"You're outclassed." Naraku takes a step forward. The heat from the fox fire is hotter than any normal flames. How odd that Maki isn't dead yet. "I'd ask if you have any last words, but I don't care." He turns his arm into a sword. A clean cut to the neck should do it. He refuses to take any chances to give the fox any kind of opening.

"So cold, you'd really cut Yumi's head off?" Shippo sneers, and the expression is all wrong. How dare he wear her face.

He doesn't blink. Doesn't respond. Instead, he raises his arm.

"I can't believe you would do this to me," Shippo wails.

His eye twitches. Bastard. He'll strike him down and use his skull as a cup.

Crash!

Pain blossoms across his face as he hits the floor. His jaw is dislocated. Naraku stands and pushes his jaw up, clicking it back in place.

"Yumi! I'm here!" Sukuna's vessel yells, running over to the fox demon. "We got Shippo's message."

"I have eyes, and I'm Shippo." Shippo rolls his eyes and Naraku gnashes his teeth.

Why is he still wearing Yumi's face?

"HUH?" The pink-haired sorcerer turns. "Wait? Really? But…why did you kidnap Kagome-san then?"

"You dumbass."

"Is everyone okay?" InuYasha shouts, brandishing his sword like the heathen he is. Doesn't matter how many centuries pass, InuYasha is still as rotten as the day he laid eyes on him.

"Uh…Maki isn't," Yuji points out. "And Megumi is stuck in a bubble."

"She's fine," Shippo huffs. "Leave her though. Told her to stop attacking me." Shippo changes back to his original form. "And Megumi is the only safe one here."

"Woah! How did you do that?"

Naraku clucks his tongue and releases a gust of miasma. The fox was bad enough. Now InuYasha is here too?

"Shit! Cover your nose!" InuYasha yells, swinging his sword in an attempt to stop the miasma from spreading towards them, but it's no use.

How did they get here, anyway? He glances up and hums. So, the other nekomata is here too? Doesn't matter, it won't come down unless it wants to be hit with the miasma as well.

"Just as useless now as you were then," he says, yawning. His jaw aches. Fucker must have put cursed energy behind that punch.

He turns to the blue fire. How annoying, but it's not enough to stop him. Chancing the fox fire is better than staying here. He pauses and shoots tentacles out of his back.

"How are you not affected?" He turns as he wraps one tentacle around the sorcerer's neck.

Sukuna's vessel struggles, but like a snake, it only makes the tentacles constrict even more.

Naraku presses his lips together. He may as well take care of this pest now. The sorcerer continues to struggle. The nekomata circles overhead. Naraku rolls his eyes and releases more miasma, creating a covering. The only thing saving the sorcerer is that he is Sukuna's vessel. Trying to absorb him would spell more trouble than Naraku wants to deal with.

A laugh wretches itself from the sorcerer's throat. Naraku snaps his attention back to him.

Shit.

He really switched with Sukuna? He didn't seem like the type, but the proof is in front of him.

Unease punches him in the gut. He unwraps his tentacles from Sukuna and takes a step back, near the fox fire. The flames heat his back. A bead of sweat drips down his brow. He's cornered.

"For half breed, you're holding your head a bit too high."

"Speak your terms." Naraku grits his teeth, though outwardly he keeps his expression blank. King of curses or not, he will not bow. He didn't bow to Sesshomaru, he isn't bowing to some reincarnated sorcerer.

"My terms?" Sukuna laughs and rips off his own finger. "Know your place." He flashes out of view.

Naraku's eyes unfocuses as he tries to find where the king of curses disappeared to.

Damnit. Why isn't the miasma working on him? He grits his teeth and then groans as Sukuna appears in front of him, gripping his face and forcing his mouth open.

"Not my first choice, but you'll do," Sukuna says, forcing his finger down Naraku's throat.

He scratches at his arm. Tentacles burst from his body, lashing out, but the finger goes down and Naraku chokes on his own scream.

It's dark. Cold. He's back at the cave all those years ago. But there's no Kikyo.

There's no Yumi.

It's just dark.

He flexes his hand, but the darkness envelops him and the screams of the other demons rip his mind to shreds.

He needs to keep…fighting. Needs to stop Sukuna from taking over his body. Needs to take back control.

But.

His control slips, and the darkness pulls him in. The many demons that make up his body crowd around him and pick at his flesh until his mind is blank and there is nothing.

Sukuna flexes his fingers. His arm trembles and dies down to a muscle twitch.

He's back!

Free of that brat.

He laughs, a full heartily one. One that brings him joy to his core. He's back. He's free.

He's gonna fuck some shit up.

"Sukuna!" Yuji yells, panting as he clutches his chest. He sucks in a breath as though it will be his last one.

It should be.

Sukuna stares at him. What an ugly face. "Brat." He throws a cleave at him.

Yuji falls to his knees. Cuts litter his face and rips his clothes.

How boring. The brat has nothing to offer. Nothing but hand to hand combat.

Pathetic.

The miasma dissipates and the nekomata charges at him. Sukuna holds out an arm as the nekomata locks its jaws on him.

"You got more guts than the other one," he comments, pointing his free hand at the nekomata's head. He'll blow this one's head off.

"Kiara!"

Sukuna rips his arm free and jumps out of the way. A portal appears where he was standing. He peers at it.

Death.

Nothing but death is on the other side of that portal. It calls to him, trying to drag him in, but he digs his heels into the ground.

Sukuna cuts his eyes to the dog-eared demon.

An attack that sends someone straight to the other side? The portal closes and the demon skids to a stop next to the brat.

"Get up."

"I'm up," the brat replies. "Sukuna! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Sukuna flicks his wrist and a gust of wind hits them. His lips twist into a smile. Oh, this body is better than he thought. He dashes forward and kicks Yuji in the gut, sending the brat into the fire.

"Oi! Ya bastard, focus on me." InuYasha points his sword at Sukuna and charges forward.

That sword is a problem.

Sukuna dodges and grabs the sword. It sparks and shocks him. He frowns as he punches InuYasha in the face. Damn. His hand is burned.

His rct output is low.

InuYasha swings his sword and Sukuna can't dodge. The attack hits him straight on as he thrusts his hands out in front of him to block what he can.

Shit.

That damn half breed is still fighting back for control.

And he isn't healing fast enough.

Still. He doesn't have time for this.

Sukuna shoots off a cleave at the fox and releases more miasma. The poison doesn't affect him, but the demons are having trouble with it. He accesses Naraku's memory, forcing the spider to give him the intel he needs.

A cloud, huh?

He summons a cloud under his feet. His arm is still smoking, but his rct is kicking in. The other nekomata and the shikigami fly towards him.

These idiots never learn.

He sends out a blast of webs, binding them and sending them crashing to the ground. His arm trembles.

He needs to sink Naraku further into the shadows.

Annoying.

"SUKUNA!" the brat yells, while the demons struggle to their feet.

He snorts. As if any of them can really do anything to him.

"You're not worth my time," he mutters, flying off.

Now then. Where is Uraume?


A/N: Watched Villainess Level 99 and started watching Bucchigiri. Didn't realize how much I needed to sit down and relax myself.

Let me know if ya'll want that Shikon lore and I can write up a side story for it.

I did find a cover artist for the original serial I'm working on, so launch date for that honestly depends on when the cover is done.

Next update will be either Wish I Could or Thousand Days. I've started on both, but leaning more towards Thousand Days being updated next.

Stay healthy. Stay safe (there was a random shooting at a gym by my house this week). But don't allow fear to paralyze you. Drink your water and make sure you are taking in some content that feels your well.

Here's some future Satoru crumbs for How To Tame:

"What was it like? Inside the prison realm?"

Satoru brushes his knuckles down her cheek. His eyes darken. "Cold. Except for the locket you gave me. That was the only warmth in there. The only light. After a while, I started seeing things."

Kagome frowns as she holds on to his hand and arm, pressing her face into his palm.

What kind of things?

Satoru smiles. "I lived a thousand lives in there and in each one of them, one thing remained constant. You. I never stopped fighting to make it back to you."

"Satoru," she says, blinking away the emotion swelling in her eyes. She will not cry.

"It's okay, Gome-chan." He pulls her into an embrace and breathes in her scent. "Doesn't matter if it's one life or thousands. I will always find a way back to you."