InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Impossible Dreams ❯ Chapter Nine ( Chapter 9 )

Title: Impossible Dreams

 

Author: dolphingirl0113

 

Chapter: Nine

 

Rating: PG-13 (rated for language, violence, and implied sexual situations)

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~

 

DEDICATION: For Ted Dorsey, the greatest coach I will ever have, the most wonderful and patient mentor I will ever know, and the best friend I could have asked for. Thank you for everything you did for me in my life.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~

 

 

Kagome wasn't even aware of the probing eyes that were massed in a sea all around her…all she knew, thought, or sensed was Inuyasha. His arms were so strong…had they always looked that strong? His scent was unique…like a spring day after a hard rain. But more then that, Kagome had never felt such emotions roiling in her gut at the contact of a man before. What did it all mean?

 

For his part, Inuyasha seemed content to just squeeze her tightly, as though holding her so would ensure that she wouldn't vaporize into thin air. He'd never noticed before how supple and curvy her figure was, considering her form was always hidden beneath modest gowns. She was hard and yet soft at the same time, and he marveled at the strange new emotions stirring in his heart. And yet, the thing he was enjoying the most was her scent: pure, beautiful…simply Kagome.

 

“Erm, excuse me,” Her grandfather cleared his throat, “Would you mind telling me who you are? I'd like to know before I approve of you touching my granddaughter in such a familiar way.”

 

That did it. The spell was broken.

 

Leaping back as though he had been touching acid, Inuyasha plastered himself against the far wall, trying to become as invisible as possible. What had he been thinking, anyway? You didn't touch a woman like that until you spoke to her parents…or, in this case, her grandfather…but if you were asking permission that meant you were serious about her. Inuyasha was serious about no one!

 

Then why had he wanted to touch her that way?

 

Unable to resist, his eyes lifted to see her beautiful dark, doe-like orbs staring at him intently, confusion hidden in their wide-open, innocent depths. Clearly, she was unsure of how to react to his action as much as he.

 

But then, she had seemed shocked to see him as well, hadn't she? After all, she'd dropped that box full of cups and made a huge scene…so maybe he wasn't the only one who had made a fool of himself. At least that thought made him feel slightly better.

 

“Kagomeee!” Shippou hollered, running forward and leaping into her arms, nearly knocking her to the ground, but also in the process breaking the silence and causing all hell to break loose.

 

The slaves started whispering fiercely amongst themselves, and with his newly sharpened hanyou senses, Inuyasha could pick out some pieces of what they were saying, including what should they do now that they were once again in Kagome's presence. The thought caused a growl to well up in his throat. Did they think that now, after finally finding her, he would let them run her out alone again? Not likely.

 

But before his thoughts could get any further, he felt something hard whack him across the back of his neck. Whirling around, fangs bared, he found Kouga glaring at him viciously. “What do you want, wolf?”

 

“What the hell did you think you were doing?” Kouga was clearly upset about the embrace. “After everything I went through to find her, you just sneak in there with your pathetic, hanyou hands and take my place! You bastard!”

 

Inuyasha found himself blocking an attack before he really had a clue what was happening, and the fight would have gone on, except that Kagome magically appeared between them, a pleading look on her face.

 

“Kouga, no!” Her voice sounded worried as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don't hurt him, please…” Her eyes were pleading, and so the wolf-man relented, stepping back, still looking hurt.

 

“So you're defending him now, eh Kagome?”

 

She sighed, glancing at Inuyasha. Seeing the triumphant look on his face, as though he'd won some kind of prize, her tired gaze turned into a fierce, deadly glare. He shrank back slightly, surprised at the force behind her eyes.

 

Turning back around, she clasped her hands, allowing her eyes to go soft again. “What would you have me do, Kouga? He saved my life…at great peril to his own…what kind of honor would I have if I were to not defend him?”

 

“Keh, just leave me out of your pathetic little love squabbles,” Inuyasha grunted, turning around before anyone could see the deflated expression on his face. She just saw her kindness to him as honor? A requirement? And why the hell did he care any way! “Damn it!” He swore, punching a wall, harder then he meant, before stomping outside to think.

 

It had gone silent once more in the large living area of the mansion, all the former slaves gawking at Kagome, whose life they had assumed ended when she had left to make it on her own in what had become a harsh, cruel world. Her survival was nothing short of a miracle, for her at least…but some of the men were seeing it as a curse.

 

For her part, Kagome was thinking, again, only of Inuyasha. The hanyou's actions were puzzling, to say the least. One moment he was embracing her and the next acting like she was some vial creature who burned his eyes just to behold. He was infuriating, leading her on like that!

 

“Kagome, I'm so glad you're safe,” Sango exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her friend, squashing Shippou, who had his own arms wrapped around one of Kagome's legs.

 

“Sango…” Kagome sighed, feeling warm and loved again. “It's so good to see you. I thought…well…it doesn't matter, I suppose, not any more.”

 

As she continued to embrace her friend, Kagome felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned her head slightly to see a smiling Miroku, his handsome face, as always, full of nothing but kindness. “Kagome-sama, I'm very relieved to find that you are alright. We were all worried about you.”

 

“Yes,” Kouga stepped in and put an arm around her waist, pulling her against him possessively. She wasn't sure if she liked that or not. “We all feared the worst after you disappeared.”

 

“Well, not ALL of you were worried, I'm sure.” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them, and to accent her point Kagome looked toward the door, where she knew beyond Inuyasha was sitting in that crisscross position of his, brooding over something.

 

Kouga just snorted, but Sango pulled away and shook her head. “That's not true, Kagome. Inuyasha was very worried about you.”

 

Miroku nodded. “That's right, you should have seen the way he tore into the slaves after he found out they made you leave.” He put a hand under his chin thoughtfully. “He probably would have killed someone if we hadn't stopped him.”

 

“Really?” Kagome couldn't hide her surprise. He had done all that for her?

 

“He might have been upset,” Kouga retorted haughtily, “But did he go out looking for her? I think not!” He gave Kagome a tender look. “I tried to find you every day, Kagome. I was so worried that something had happened to you, and so frustrated when every day I came back alone.”

 

“Kouga…” He was being so kind, and it caused a soft smile to come to Kagome's face. She believed what he said…in fact, she'd always known he felt something for her, and it caused her to feel slightly giddy that such a handsome man cared so much about her. But at the same time, she felt her heart still drifting towards the door…

 

“Kagome, you should go talk to Inuyasha.” She looked down to see Shippou speaking to her. “After all, he did save your life. I think he'd like that.”

 

She smiled at his innocent outlook on things, bending over and ruffling his hair slightly. “Thanks, Shippou, I think I will.” She turned to her grandfather, who had started dishing out soup, and put a hand on his shoulder. “I'm going outside for a minute, okay?” He just nodded, and she turned and waded through the masses of people and out the door.

 

Rather then sitting in one of the old rocking chairs her grandfather had set out on the porch, Inuyasha was perched on the far end of the wooden structure, dangling his feet over the side. His hair was falling over his back, his amber eyes blinking in an unfocused manner as they randomly settled on objects out in the unkempt yard. She sensed he hadn't even noticed her presence.

 

“Inuyasha?”

 

His body jolted slightly, though he hid it well, and he grunted, turning slightly away from her. “What do you want?”

 

Ignoring his tone, which said `leave me alone', Kagome walked over and sat down next to him, putting a smile on her face. “To thank you.”

 

“For what?”

 

“Saving my life.”

 

He looked at her briefly, before turning away again, his expression unchanging. “You've already thanked me.”

 

“Not really…” She looked down at her hands. “I mean, I've said it in front of others, but…not to you personally. So…thank you for saving my life.”

 

“Keh, I don't want or need your thanks.” His responses were harsher then he intended, but damn it, he was in a bad mood, and she was the reason for it. He wasn't sure what upset him more: that Kouga thought he was trying to steal her away, or that, in truth, he himself was extremely relieved to find her safe.

 

Kagome seemed unfazed by his standoffish attitude, simply shrugging her shoulders and choosing to keep smiling as she looked out at rolling hills and endless pastures before her, framed by the colors of dusk. “It's going to be a beautiful night,” She sighed, and he inadvertently flicked his gaze in her direction.

 

“Why would you say that? It could rain.”

 

She shook her head. “No, it won't…and I don't think you believe that to be true either. There isn't a cloud in the sky. The night will be beautiful.”

 

Whatever she was doing, Inuyasha decided, it was working, because he slowly felt the tension within fading, his entire persona relaxing as she spoke in that calm, peaceful manner of hers. Without thinking, he uncrossed his arms and placed them palm down behind him for support, leaning back against his braced arms.

 

“How did you do it?”

 

“What?” She blinked in confusion.

 

He just shrugged, as though he were asking the obvious. “How did you survive for so long on your own? I know for a fact that there aren't many homes to offer shelter, and there were thunder storms for many days.”

 

She looked at her feet, which she had pulled up onto the porch, pulling her knees to her chest. “It was hard, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't. And there were a few times when I thought I was going to die for sure, but…” She looked up at the sky and smiled.

 

“But what?”

 

She shrugged. “It just wasn't my time.”

 

“How did you know that?”

 

“I just did.”

 

He looked at her for several seconds in complete silence, the only sound being the beginnings of the cricket songs that would interrupt the night. “You're a strange person, Kagome,” He finally said, to which she just laughed.

 

“I've been called that before.” She flicked her hair over one shoulder, still smiling, and Inuyasha found himself completely captivated by her laughter, her sparkling eyes, and her beaming smile. “I personally prefer to call myself unique.”

 

He looked away then, starting to feel uncomfortable again in such close proximity to her. But as he turned his head, he noticed something flicker in the approaching darkness, and blinked in surprise as he saw the diamond shard still around her wrist, exactly where she'd placed it after removing it from his neck. “You…still have that?”

 

Blinking innocently, Kagome held up her wrist to look at the object in question, the shard sparkling beautifully. “Yes, why would I have gotten rid of it?”

 

“I don't know…I guess I thought that, well…” Inuyasha couldn't believe it was still so pure in her presence. He'd seen people be able to temporarily purify the shards before, but always, in the end, the evil within would find darkness in every heart, and once more turn black. She'd had it now for nearly a week, and still it was as pure as the moment she'd first touched it.

 

“Inuyasha, what is it?” She was looking at him intently, and he just blushed and looked away.

 

“Nothing, that's just...interesting.”

 

“O-kay,” she looked away again, resting her chin on her knees. It felt strangely…good to have him next to her. She couldn't deny that her heart seemed determined to develop a fondness for him, despite his gruff nature and short temper, but then she just sensed that, deep down, he wasn't as bad as he tried to pretend to be. She sensed plenty of hatred for the world, and certainly more then enough sadness, but still, deep down, she just somehow knew he was a good person.

 

“Tell me,” he began softly, almost hesitantly, “Why did you free me that day? Why did you so willingly purify and remove the shard?”

 

Kagome was surprised by the question. Hadn't she already told him? “I told you before, Inuyasha…”

 

“I know what you said,” he interrupted, “I just was wondering if there was any other reason you didn't tell me that at that moment since we were, well, in kind of a hurry to get out of that mess.”

 

She met his amber gaze, and held it, for several seconds, feeling a slight breeze blow through her hair, ticking the back of her neck. “I knew I could trust you. Why can't you just accept that as an answer?”

 

“Because it's not a good answer!” He snapped, breaking away from her eyes. Damn those eyes for being so beautiful, anyway.

 

“Inuyasha, what's so hard about the concept of someone trusting you?”

 

“It's not the concept of trust that I doubt,” he replied, his voice lowering once more as he looked away, toward some unseen place, and Kagome had the feeling he was remembering something. “It's the idea that YOU trust me I just can't understand.”

 

“Why not?” She knew she was pushing, but she wanted to hear him say what he was clearly wanting to get off his chest.

 

“Because, stupid,” his voice was sharp again, “You're the daughter of a slave master, and I'm a slave. More then that…I'm a HANYOU slave. Why don't you hate me, like every other master's daughter or son has? Why were you so willing to help me by purifying the shard? It doesn't make sense.”

 

“It does make sense, Inuyasha,” She reached out and touched his shoulder lightly, feeling his skin tense underneath his red jacket. “It makes sense because it was the right thing to do. That's all the explanation you should need.”

 

He was shaking his head, clearly confused. “But it isn't enough.”

 

Kagome felt her heart go out to him then, as she watched his eyes acquire a lost look. He had known so much pain in his life he had forgotten how to love and trust, and be trusted. What kind of life had he lived, anyway? It forced the reality to hit her that she really didn't know this man very well at all.

 

She decided to try a different approach. “Fine, if that makes no sense, then tell me why you saved me when the house was burning down and I was trapped?” She scooted closer as she spoke. “Why did you risk your own life to save the daughter of a slave master…your slave master?”

 

He sputtered, which brought a slight smile to her face as she realized she'd made the perfect point. “T-that's a different situation entirely,” he stammered.

 

“I don't see how it is.”

 

“Well, it is.”

 

“But Inuyasha, how is saving my life that way any different then what I did for you? Didn't I save your life as well, by freeing you from your curse?”

 

He looked down at his feet, feeling frustrated and confused, and refusing to see the truth in her words. But she was right, a part of him acknowledged. He demanded answers of her for why she so willingly helped him, getting angry when she simply said it was the right thing to do, and yet, he knew he had the same reason. He'd saved her from that house because, deep down, he'd known it was what his mother would have wanted him to do. He couldn't stand the thought of dishonoring her so by allowing an innocent woman to die thanks to the sins of her father.

 

But was she really so innocent?

 

Yes, he conceded. It went against everything he'd believed in for seven years, but still, it was true. She was no more guilty of the evils of the world then he was. They were both victims…victims who had lost their mothers, and she had now lost her father as well, so that they were more alike then he really cared to acknowledge.

 

Thankfully, he was saved from having to formulate a reply to her comment when Miroku appeared on the porch, a worried look on his face. He usually never looked that way unless there was something truly wrong, and Inuyasha felt himself growl slightly in an instinctual response, causing Kagome to give him a questioning look.

 

“What is it?”

 

Ignoring her question, Inuyasha instead looked straight at Miroku. “What's wrong, Miroku?”

 

“Inuyasha, you'd better get inside quick and talk some sense into those people.” Something was definitely wrong, because the monk never acted so unless heavily provoked.

 

Rising to his feet, Inuyasha looked suddenly formidable, no longer the vulnerable man he'd allowed to surface while speaking to Kagome. “You still haven't told me what's going on?”

 

“It's the slaves, they…” He glanced apologetically at Kagome, and she suddenly felt a familiar dark pool of dread in her stomach, the same dread she'd felt when seeing them approach her that day after she'd managed to escape the burning house.

 

“What are the damn fools doing now?” Inuyasha had seen the fear on Kagome's face, and it caused rage to well up inside. The thought of those cowardly men and women doing anything to hurt her...he didn't even want to think about what his demonic instincts wanted to do in her defense.

 

“You'd better just come and see,” Miroku insisted, indicating the front door. Inuyasha nodded and walked forward, only then realizing that Kagome meant to follow him.

 

“No,” he said forcefully, “You stay out here.”

 

“I will not,” she replied defiantly.

 

“Kagome…”

 

“No Inuyasha, if they have something of concern regarding me, I deserve to know about it. I won't run and hide.” Her words were brave, but her eyes told a different story, so even though the hanyou finally nodded his head in consent he vowed silently to watch her carefully. He wouldn't let anything happen to her after the hell he went through to keep her alive in that burning house.

 

Miroku certainly wasn't exaggerating by making them think something was going on inside. The minute they opened the door, they were greeted with shouting and arguing, which was suddenly directed in their direction as the slaves noticed their entrance. One, a familiar looking man, pointed right at Kagome.

 

“She knows too much…we won't stand for her to remain alive.”

 

Kagome felt her face pale slightly, but still somehow managed to stand straight and proud against their insults and threats.

 

Another slave, this time a woman, stepped forward, her face holding a little more sympathy. “Hasn't the poor girl been through enough? First she lost her mother when this all started, and now she has no father either. Her grandfather is all she has left. Let her stay here in peace.”

 

But the man was determined to make his point known. “She knows our plans. She knows we intend to march against Naraku. What if he pressures her and she tells him everything?”

 

“I would never…” Kagome began to protest, but Inuyasha stepped in front of her, in a fighter's stance, his claws bared and gleaming in the light of the lamps.

 

“Anyone who even attempts to lay a hand against her will have his throat slit by me.” His voice was a low, feral growl, and as he spoke, Kagome thought she saw a flash of red flicker over his amber eyes. But it was gone when she looked again, so she decided she'd been seeing things.

 

“You would defend her,” the man called again, “After all; you saved her from her home that day when she should have died. Frankly, it's your fault we're in this dilemma at all.”

 

The growling grew louder. “What kind of man are you, to hurt an innocent, defenseless woman? She's done nothing but take care of you, and this is how you repay her?”

 

Several heads nodded as they glanced at Kagome's fear-stricken face, and this time an older man with wrinkled, kind eyes stepped forward. “The boy is right. We owe her gratitude for all she did for us, not this hatred. She is not her father.”

 

“She carries the same blood,” An unfamiliar voice called out from the mass of people. “How do we know she won't turn us over to Naraku at the first sign of trouble?”

 

“Because I have some honor of my own,” Kagome snapped, ignoring Inuyasha's command to be silent. All eyes turned toward her. “Of course I'm sad my father is dead, I regret what he did. But I hate Naraku more then anything for ruining my life in the first place. I want him dead as much as all of you.”

 

Her conviction was surprising, and everyone stared at her in silence. Kouga took the opportunity to step forward, next to Inuyasha, completely shielding Kagome from view. “She can help us, just like she helped us before. She knows how to treat wounds…”

 

“And she can purify the jewel shards around our necks,” Inuyasha indicated some of the other demons in the crowd, who gasped in surprise, seeming to notice for the first time that Inuyasha no longer seemed to be under the curse of the black diamond shard. Even Kouga was looking at Kagome curiously, as though seeking confirmation from her.

 

The silence made her nervous, so all Kagome thought to do was raise her arm to allow Inuaysha's old shard to glow in the light of the oil lamps her grandfather had lit. Everyone gasped, and she gained confidence. “This was once around Inuyasha's neck. I removed it.”

 

“It's true,” A woman whispered, “Look how pink the shard is now, like it's supposed to be. The girl can purify the diamonds.”

 

All eyes turned back to her again, and Kagome, unsure of what to do, remained still, her arm up in the air like an idiot. Finally, after several minutes of uncomfortable silence, Inuyasha turned his head and gave her a sharp look, like she was the stupidest fool in the world. “How about a demonstration?”

 

“What?”

 

He was speaking out of the side of his mouth, as though the rest of the people couldn't hear him, which was a joke. Not that it mattered, she was more angry with the way he was speaking to her then anything. “Purify someone's shard, Kagome.”

 

He was acting like she was a child, and that infuriated her. But she couldn't exactly make a scene…so how did she get back at him? Especially after their somewhat pleasant conversation outside a few minutes ago?

 

Suddenly, the idea came to her as she spotted Kouga looking out over the crowd, making sure there were no immediate threats to her. Smiling, she took his hand and turned him around, giving him a wink as she reached for his jewel. “Don't worry,” she spoke calmly, “You won't feel a thing.”

 

He gawked as she put her hand over the shard without hesitation, feeling a familiar shock radiate down her arm the longer she held on. But sure enough, after a few moments of absolute, enraptured silence, she removed her hand, and now on the wolf-man's chest sat a shard equally as pink as the one on her wrist, causing another gasp to move throughout the room.

 

Ignoring the prying eyes around her, Kagome quickly removed the shard from around his neck before it could be tainted again, wrapping it around her wrist alongside Inuyasha's. But something unexpected happened. As they touched, the two shards merged together.

 

Blinking stupidly down at her wrist, Kagome was only jerked out of her reverie when she felt arms wrap around her securely, looking up to see Kouga's overjoyed face. “Kagome,” he whispered, “I can smell you at last. You smell so wonderful.”

 

Blushing and unsure of what to do, Kagome just giggled slightly and muttered a shy thank you. But a growl broke her out of her reverie, and she turned to see Inuyasha once more stomping out of the room.

 

At first, she felt victorious for having upset him as much as he'd upset her by treating her like a child, but then, as his hair and red clothing disappeared out the door, she felt strangely empty and unprotected, the satisfaction vanishing as quickly as it had come. Her heart was obviously trying to tell her something, she just didn't know what…yet…

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

There was a strong wind that evening, the kind that threatened to knock you down if you didn't pay enough attention. It was the kind of wind that caused most to retreat into the safety of their homes. Everyone…except for Naraku. Standing out on the balcony of the old palace of his sworn enemy, he relished in the feeling of the wind as it chilled his skin, daring him to stand tall another moment…and then another…

 

He was handsome man, in a deadly, dangerous way. Evil radiated off of every inch of his body. But then, he wouldn't have had it any other way.

 

He possessed a strong, muscular body, from his solid legs up to his slim, corded biceps, and atop his elegant neck sat a handsome face with sharp features, a well defined chin, and full red lips that were always curved up into a smirk. Long, dark brown hair framed his body as it fell loosely all the way down to the small of his back, causing his skin to look strikingly pale, almost like he was of another world. But the most frightening thing about him were his eyes: beady and red, they possessed a cruelty that children could only imagine in their worst nightmares.

 

At the moment, those eyes were trained in the direction of the east, where, if the rumors were true, a rebellion was brewing. And it was being led, if his spies were still as accurate as they once were, by none other then the deceased Inutaisho's son, Inuyasha.

 

“Fool…” His voice was gravelly and deep as he cocked his head to one side, trying to decide what kind of a threat Inuyasha posed to his carefully constructed empire. “What are you up to, Inuyasha?”

 

The winds shifted to blow from the north, but Naraku maintained a rock-solid sense of balance as he continued to think.

 

He remembered well the day that he had killed Inutaisho and destroyed the ruler's family, murdering his wife and cursing his two sons before sending them into exile. Back then, he had believed that the cruelest thing to do would be to send the two princes into slavery, making them suffer under the whips of cruel masters who had only been interested in saving their own hides, but now he admitted to himself that perhaps he had been wrong.

 

Inuyasha had been such a small child then, only ten years old. Naraku could still see the tears rolling down the hanyou's tiny face as he stared at his dead mother, his wailing screams as he realized she was dead. He had been sure the boy was broken that day…but then, maybe he'd underestimated how much the sons of Inutaisho would crave revenge.

 

“Kagura!” He called without turning, hearing, after a few moments, soft footsteps behind him, despite the wind.

 

“What is it, Naraku?”

 

“Any word from the north in regards to Sesshoumaru?”

 

“None, my lord. It would seem he has not yet learned of his brother's ill-fated attempt at rebellion.”

 

Naraku smirked. “I take it you do not think Inuyasha will pose much of a threat?”

 

“He is merely a hanyou, my lord…”

 

“Yes, I know.” Naraku turned around to look directly at the deadly wind sorceress. “But if he truly does have even half the strength of his father, he is more of a threat then you give him credit for.”

 

“Inutaisho was clearly not so powerful, if you were able to defeat him.”

 

Chuckling cruelly, Naraku folded his arms across his chest as he recalled that great battle out on the plains of the west, with Inutaisho standing before him, his army of loyal soldiers behind him in masses most rulers could only hope to have. There had been no fear in the king's eyes, which had only inspired a rare amount of respect in Naraku as he had watched the demon lord signal the charge by transforming into his demon form, his soldiers crying out the call of the west as they followed their lord into battle.

 

In all truth, the only reason Naraku had ever managed to defeat such an army was thanks to a traitor amongst the ranks, who had sold out Inutaisho by revealing to Naraku the king's exact battle plan days before the actual fight had occurred. In all truth, Naraku had not stood a chance if he'd followed the honorable rules of engagement. His smirk grew as he thought about it. After all, when had he ever been one to follow the path of honor?

 

“Do not assume anything, Kagura,” he finally said, after several minutes of silent contemplation. “And never underestimate a foe.”

 

Kagura looked at him saucily. She was beautiful, with jet black hair pulled up high into a bun behind her head, earrings dangling down to her neck from her elegant lobes, her body slight, but deadly as she carried her fan, always covering a certain part of her face. In truth, she was his deadliest servant.

 

“Perhaps I do not underestimate our enemy,” she began, “But rather have a tremendous amount of faith in you, my lord.”

 

That caused him to laugh outright, his eyes twinkling maliciously. “Flattery will get you no where, my beautiful sorceress. I know very well that you hate me, and that your hate is only surpassed by your desire to be free once more.”

 

Kagura chose not to respond, but instead simply bowed her head, telling him he was right. She had been the daughter of a simple farmer once, along with her little sister, Kanna, but he had seen her potential to serve him, and so had tempted her with promises of power, wealth, and riches, and before she had known what was happening, she had literally sold her soul into his hands, along with the soul of her sister. He now had a hold on her life that nothing could break…his death meant her own, and as such she could never exact her revenge.

 

“What do you think of the situation, Kagura? Should I attack now? Or should I start to let them hope first that they can actually win? Which would be the crueler fate?” He asked, though he cared not what she thought. He just wanted to see if she was still as sharp as usual.

 

She bowed lower, hiding the scowl that marred her otherwise beautiful features by raising her fan higher. “You are cruel, my lord. I would not want to be your foe on the battle field.” She rose to her feet, once more in control of her emotions. “Whatever you decide, I am sure it will bring about the suffering of many.”

 

He nodded. “Indeed…I think I'll let them get closer before I do anything about this little problem. After all, it's been a long time since I've had a real challenge. But once they get too close, I'll send you to deal with them.”

 

“As you wish, my lord,” she bowed respectfully and moved away once he'd made it clear he was done with her by turning around and staring once more out at the hills and valleys of the land before him.

 

In truth, he knew Inuyasha was the least of his problems. As Kagura had pointed out, he was merely a hanyou. The true threat lay in the north, where the elder full demon brother still lived. Though Sesshoumaru had made no hint of trying to rebel, Naraku knew the proud son of Inutaisho would not stand to live out his days as a slave…and if he ever heard of what his brother was trying to do, well, all hell could break loose. The family of Inutaisho could not, must not, be reunited. That, above all, was the one thing he had to prevent.