InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Prisoner, My Prisoner ❯ Eleven Cell Prison ( Chapter 11 )

Prisoner, My Prisoner

Part 11: Eleven-Cell Prison < Darken the Lens

Author: profiler120

Email: profiler120@hotmail.com

Rating: PG/PG-13

Genre: Romance/General [AU]

Author's Notes: The battle scene in this chapter was penned by my brother at my request because I suck at actions scenes ( black_oasis@hotmail.com ).

Important note: Because of the setting and circumstances Tetsusaiga, Toukijin, and Tensaiga do not have their trademark powers. Unfortunately they will be limited to the skill of their human masters. ^_^

Even more important: I will no longer be updating Monday's. Specifically because I have no consistency whatsoever. Secondally, I'll be at college all day on Monday - I only have one class on Friday's so maybe I'll switch to Friday or a weekend day.

Sorry about that - I'll be updating something else soon. Probably "Absconding Sorrow".

What constituted loving someone? Was it a purely emotional thing? Was it a physical need? He couldn't be sure exactly. Kagome - what was she to him? She had no clear place in his thoughts past his irrational want of her. Nor could this simply be put down to a physical desire. He... liked her. He had not sought a woman before because he enjoyed her companionship. The women he dallied with before Kagome were mostly there for his entertainment and when they ceased to entertain, they were gone.

Not even Toki had been a companion. His first marriage had been a difficult thing. He was not used to sharing his bed and it had not helped the woman was a stranger to him. Getting used to her presence had taken a while. Just as it seemed he was becoming familiar with her enough perhaps to care about her well being, she was gone. He did not mourn for Toki however other than the fact Rin was motherless, a completely remediable task. He was not of the emotionally weak that thought their birth mother was an irreplaceable figure.

His mother was dead. His father had remarried. His mother had been replaced. He straightened as the door slid open and in stepped Rin looking small and unusually vulnerable.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Rin?"

She approached him cautiously immediately causing him worry. Rin was very rarely melancholy. She slid to the ground at his side, eyes to the floor.

"There's a boy in Kagome's room."

That couldn't be what was upsetting her. "Something bothering you?"

He ignored the 'boy comment' for the moment. It was a mere distraction anyway. "Is Kagome-chan a bad lady?"

Her voice was so low and weak he could have missed it entirely. His brows drew down displeased. Wonderful, now someone was sullying her ears with... He wasn't even sure what she'd been told but he already knew it was not good.

"Bad?"

"Rin overheard Sango-chan and the monk man over talking in the hall way. Sango-chan said Kagome-chan was an 'enemy' and that's bad ... That the 'Higurashi's' were all bad people but ... but Kagome-chan has always been nice to Rin!"

She looked up at him with conflicted eyes. His little Rin's emotions were torn over it.

"Our family is fighting with Kagome's. She belongs to the family that killed your mother."

Her eyes widened a bit, only to fall into a contemplative look. "But... Kagome-chan didn't hurt Mama... did she?"

"No."

Sesshoumaru frowned. Something had to be done then, didn't it? But what?

Jaken and Hiten entered the nearly vacant stronghold; there was no defense to speak of. Neither was familiar with the layout but there was no need for them to stick together, each went his own way.

Jaken pattered down one long, straight hall, while Hiten turned off somewhere. He knew something of a door in one of these halls that couldn't be seen; both because of the lighting and because of it's being hidden. He felt along, eventually finding the small finger hold and shoving it open. Fearlessly, down the stairs he went making his way toward her lair.

"What is this? A little man has invaded my sanctuary..."

He heard her before he saw her. It was a feminine voice, but otherwise indescribable. It was not pleasant or beautiful, just feminine. He waited and she floated into the doorway ahead of him. Sure enough she was wearing a sort of dark miko colored garb.

He held his tongue as he approached her, he thought out her movements in his mind as he prepared to attack, but it was too late for him to make the first move. Tsubaki swung around throwing one of her shikigami violently at him. In a move of sheer desperation, he ducked underneath it and rolled toward her, coming up right at her feet. He flew upwards employing the use of his Staff of Heads, striking it to her forehead, startling the woman with his audacity.

Tsubaki found herself too shocked to move. She stood, her eyes unable to blink, her lips slowly parted. Fear filled her head as she saw the eyes in front of her open; the Staff was coming to life. A blue light filled her vision, she tried to scream from the horror, but she found no breath to allow it.

Jaken held the Staff firm as he watched Tsubaki's life drain into the Head. He watched her body wilt, her frame began to twitch as the skin broke away, falling as thin leaf-lets to the ground, shattering on contact... As soon as the last of her soul was drained, Jaken snapped the Staff back, dislodging her skull from the Head. What was left of her body, namely the skeleton, dropped, in a life-less heap to the ground. The image would of been horrifying, but he had used the staff so often, it had become something he was accustomed to.

The shikigami that had been slinking up behind him was now no more than a pile of dust upon the stone floor. Mission completed, Jaken thought proudly as he turned to leave the compound. Hiten was on his own.

The room was dim, but likely because of the time of day. It was just after sunset and Kagome had no candles in her room. He could make out her figure though at the window where she stood, supporting her weight against the wall. It was not yet so faint that he could not see her clearly. Her thin white sleeping yukata was loose on her frame and he could see the shift of her body as she breathed. A shallow, but almost panted effort. Her skin had lost the sheen of her fever, but she was pale and wan. Her eyes had lost their sparkle and her hair had lost its luster. She looked drawn and pained, the epitome of exhausted.

Her futon was a bit of a mess in the center of the room, blankets thrown back as she had moved to the window. He stepped past them and approached her, watching as she turned just slightly toward him.

"Kagome..." he spoke, testing the word on his lips.

He pressed a hand against her shoulder gently, turning her just slightly. She fell back against the wall, facing him completely. Her head tilted up giving him a clear view of her skin from below her chin to her collarbone. The nasty black marks were gone. Her skin was clear and spotless as it should have been previously. Her head slid down just slightly as he laid his hand against her skin, feeling the pulse of her heart against his palm. Her eyes fluttered open and they stared wordlessly at one another.

"I give up." She spoke, her words soft and lifeless. "I'm yours."

He stared at her pleased and displeased by her words. She was his. He won. Why then was this upsetting? Hadn't he wanted this? Hadn't he wanted her broken?

"Rest," he urged. "Tomorrow you begin training again."

Her eyes flickered up to his as though to silently inquire why he would again offer her training.

He offered up his answer without her actually voicing the question. "You can't escape it, and hiding from it won't save you either."

"I don't want to rest," she replied combatively.

"You will."

"I won't and don't think I'm going to jump to obey your orders either! I'm not one of your field dogs."

He grinned. "You let desperation get the better of you - this war will not last very much longer. Even as we speak your father's power dwindles as his strongholds across his territories are crushed, his loyalists killed and the lands retaken. He is being forced back to his original land plot and once there, he will die."

She swallowed hard trying to hide her pain at the thought. Of course, she still loved her father.

He reached, curling his fingers around her chin to turn her face up to his but she turned away, sliding out of his grasp.

"Is it that bad? Staying with me?"

He didn't wait for an answer, instead drawing away from her.

"That's it?" She whispered.

"Until tomorrow - rest." It was clearly an order, but she glared at his retreating back anyway. He didn't turn back and the door closed firmly behind him. That was it.

"Ah, Kagome-sama. I'm very glad to see you again. Working with the groundskeepers was utterly boring. I'm very glad to be back in service to you."

He bowed lowly and Kagome couldn't keep the frown upon her face and genuinely smiled.

"It's nice to see you as well, Miroku."

"Ah, where have Momig and Botan gone?"

"Who?" Kagome asked.

"The two miko's, they cared for you while you were under that little curse."

He said it so trivially, she thought with slight wonder. Maybe he was an optimist.

"I didn't get to meet them, they must be gone already," Kagome contemplated without much concern. "Do you happen to know how they found out who the woman was? The one that cursed me?"

Miroku nodded. "A young boy named Shippou, a child of one of the groundskeepers, apparently has some clairvoyant abilities. Sesshoumaru-sama consulted the child which led to a clue about the caster."

"Who was it?" She inquired.

"That I do not know. It all turned out well enough in the end - shall we begin?"

Kagome hesitated and then agreed. "I suppose."

He approached, handing her a bokken. "I assume you remember our previous training sessions? In defense?"

She nodded. "It hasn't been that long, although I probably need a good amount of practice."

"Everyone needs practice Kagome-sama, it is the best way to keep skills sharp. The worst way to realize the effectiveness of practice is to stop, and come upon a situation where one discovers their skills are rusty."

She smiled weakly sliding her body down into a defensive position.

"We'll begin where we left off and then move on from there. Okay?"

She nodded and they began.

It was an hour or more before they settled for a rest. There was a good part of talking and instruction involved along with practice exercises, stretches, and a handful of other activities. The rest proved to be a short one however as Miroku ushered her back to training. His usual happiness was there but he seemed more serious than usual, and groping was at a bare minimum. It was impossible for her not to notice the difference.

"Miroku?"

"Hmmm?"

"Um... don't take offense or anything, but why are you so much more serious now than you were before?"

His look of concentration vanished under a smile. "Sesshoumaru-sama believes the war is reaching its conclusion and he wants you to have a few set skills before the final battle takes place. It was my understanding you were to be going with him."

The bokken in her hands fell.

"What?"

"Ah," he scratched his head nervously. "Perhaps I have been mistaken however - after all I am but a mere servant and -"

"I'll be back later," she suddenly declared, turning swiftly on her heel and walking away.

This ... this... she could hardly breathe. He was planning to take her to the final battle with him to fight her father? She was... how could she... it was her father!

She didn't have the first clue as to where to look for him nor was she certain of what she would say if she did find him, but she had to look anyway. Her feet weren't going to let her give up the search. She swept around, corridor after corridor, room after room with no results. She had just about given up, leaning back against the wall, hopelessly lost, an open window at one side of her.

A woman's voice floated through the air to her ears. An unfamiliar voice that normally wouldn't have drawn her attention until that voice spoke her name.

"You don't actually love that slip of a girl, Higurashi, do you?"

It was a snide tone; one Kagome immediately took offense to. She moved, turning her gaze out the window to stare at a young woman, probably around her own age, she reasoned. Next to her however was the object of her search. Masaharu Sesshoumaru.

He spared the girl at his side a dispassionate glance. "Mind your own business Ayame."

Another order, Kagome thought, but the flame haired girl at Sesshoumaru's side seemed to disregard it entirely.

"I just don't get it. What's everyone so charmed with about her? She's just a normal girl like anyone else, and on top of that she's trouble. Look at all the bad things that have happened since she came here! I can see Kouga falling for such a half wit and it's bad enough I have to hear him sing her praises and all that crap about how her father promised him and all that nonsense, but to come here and hear it from you too!"

"I've said nothing of the sort," he replied primly.

"I can see it when I look at you." She replied, nonplussed. "Plus the fact that she's your enemy's daughter - I'm still stunned you've overlooked that! This from the man that-"

"Stop meddling in my affairs, Ayame, or I will toss you out."

The icy tone left no room for question and she promptly shut her mouth. The reprieve was short however.

"So what are you going to do about her? Maybe this is some master plan to use her against her father? It's no secret that she's his favorite. Imagine the look on his face when he sees her with you."

"I won't warn you again that Higurashi's presence and purpose here is none of your business."

"Well as far as I can see it you're either using her against her father or you really do love her. Although that would have to be a miracle considering you've never loved anything-"

The girl barely managed to skid away from the hand that shot out at her and tumbled to the ground clumsily. He glared frigidly at her and she slunk away.

Kagome stepped away from the window turning and walking the opposite direction. She'd never felt more lost. A tool - something to be used. Very well, she thought determinately, hardening her heart. She would end this. She would end it all.

Her search for Sesshoumaru over she sought out the other brother instead. Miroku, she suddenly decided, was too easy on her. Inuyasha would at least hit her and she wanted that. She wanted to drown in a physical hurt, to overpower this terribly numbing pain in her heart.

He couldn't not notice the change in her behavior. She was withdrawn and quiet. Everyone noticed it. It simply wasn't the presence that they knew to be Higurashi Kagome. Not the girl they'd come to know somewhat well. This was someone different altogether - this was the presence of that meek little female they'd captured the first time around, but with a strange burning inner fire she was keeping hidden.

Previously broken she'd put all the pieces of herself back together but it seemed some of the pieces were fitted together wrong. This just wasn't right. He determined to ask, but knew beforehand he would get nothing. Nothing usable. He hadn't a clue as to this strange transformation.

When before she'd been lax and reluctant in her training sessions he'd seen a warrior bloom within her. She was standing proud and confident lashing back at Inuyasha everything his impertinent brother threw at her. He'd been watching her the week through, holding himself back from confronting her.

She'd even cut off her meetings with Rin. She saw the girl and still conversed sweetly when they met but it was obvious she took pains to avoid her. Then there had been that little matter near the beginning of the week. The confrontation between Ayame and Kagome.

He could hardly forget it, seeing the blood streak down Kagome's beautiful chin from Ayame's striking her. It had been early in the week before this new Kagome had fully blossomed. She'd been uncertain and weary in her moves then and to his surprise she'd not risen to Ayame's hateful baiting. Hard, cruel words had been tossed at her but Kagome had let them slide although it had obviously been a struggle. Yet she'd not struck back - she'd defended herself only. Then, he realized, the true Kagome had still been in possession of her unlike now.

That peaceful girl had morphed, some might say she'd grown and decided on a path for herself that no longer included only defense, but offense. It was a dangerous path that he knew because he could not say just how 'offensive' she intended to get and she had a perilous power lurking within her. Ayame had no idea the woman she reviled out of petty jealousy could so easily kill her; she merely regarded her as any other girl.

He found himself no longer able to stand back and watch. He wanted answers to his questions. He didn't want that hard look in her eyes when she stared at him, as though she expected everything out of his mouth to be the start of a violent confrontation. He found her where he expected her, in the garden, but her training bokken was on the ground some feet away. In her hands glistened a blade, eyes trained ahead of her even though he could tell by the way she shifted she knew he was there. Her eyes never wavered from Inuyasha, and he almost grinned. She seemed to have more discipline than his impatient younger brother.

"Inuyasha, leave us."

Inuyasha faltered, but lowered his own blade, stepping wearily around Kagome and stalking away. Sesshoumaru was surprised at the transition and how well Inuyasha had been swept off, but he didn't pause to ponder it. He reached to his waist. Two swords were always with him - the Tensaiga, a gift from his father and the Toukijin a sword he'd had commissioned for himself. Both were powerful weapons, and masterfully created. He reached for Toukijin; he had always been partial to it, perhaps because the weight was greater than Tensaiga. Or maybe he merely thought it looked more impressive being a broader blade in width. It didn't matter really.

He didn't like her abandoning her bokken for a real sword, she could get hurt. Though, as he stared into her steely blue eyes he wondered if that's what she wanted. She'd been training hard, harder than she should have been. He could see the hardships she was forcing on herself, her body betrayed them in the way she moved.

He drew his sword up defensively as she attacked suddenly, graceful but direct in her movement. Predictable, but still rather skillfully done. She did not have the power to defeat someone in a match with strength however; her speed and powers of observation would be pivotal if she ever hoped to escape a sword match alive. He knew few who left their enemies alive after such confrontations with the blade. Correction, he knew none.

"Are you trying to prove something?"

She didn't answer, she merely tried again. She tried a different tactic, but this too he'd seen before and effectively blocked, only to have her slide her blade down his, drawing herself closer to him. Whatever she'd had in mind however she abandoned quickly drawing back from him. It was an opportunity missed to show her what an error she'd made, stepping so close. He could easily have dislodged her weapon and had his sword through her belly before she could've moved. He could have even drew his arm around and had it through her back, but from the look in her eyes she seemed to know just how large an error she'd made.

Perhaps Inuyasha was not a tough enough instructor, she had obviously worn out the monk. She was in need of someone new. He slid back to a defensive position allowing her to try again, and she did not disappoint. He would see to her then. He would take up training her himself. It would only be a few weeks.

He allowed her to attack him several more tries unsuccessfully, occasionally remarking on what she was doing wrong and watching her correct it. Or attempting to correct it before falling back into the same error once more. He slipped silently out of his defensive stance and shifted forward forcing her to defend herself. The suddenness however seemed to surprise her and she slipped dropping down onto one knee, but interestingly enough still managed to bring her sword up to block although it would have done her no good. She didn't have the strength to hold him off and he very easily could have taken off her head.

"Are you trying to prove something?" He repeated watching her stand paying no mind to her dirtied hakama.

"Not to you," she finally answered turning cold eyes to him.

"Then who?"

"Myself... my father..."

He watched her, watching him, her eyes never leaving him, always following the movement of his sword. She was sharp. Even though they were now taking an impromptu break she was ready, ready to defend herself in case he sprung upon her again. He grinned, very well. He was proud of her. She could be a good warrior, if that's what he wanted for her, but alas, it wasn't. She would see no battleground if he had any say, and in this case, all that mattered was what he thought.

"Your father?"

"It isn't going to be much longer... I want him to know... I want to be strong enough to survive without him. Without the shadow of my father's name protecting me and haunting me everywhere I go. I can't live in a fantasyland forever. "

"You've decided to fight for him." It was a flat statement, he could see it. She wasn't saying it but she didn't have to. The grip on his sword tightened. Of course, she wanted to protect her father that was it then. She didn't deny it.

"He's all I have... him and Kikyo."

"What of your mother?"

He really didn't care about Higurashi Kagura but it seemed worth mentioning. The woman was still alive and yet Kagome hadn't mentioned her at all. Or, alive at the moment, he could not guarantee she would be spared and Kagome's apparent distaste for her very well might induce him to just kill her.

"Mother?" She scoffed. "You must be joking. We are not related at all."

He was momentarily stunned. "She isn't your mother?"

"Biologically, but what does that matter?"

Again he was surprised. Kagome seemed to actually hate her mother. He had believed it impossible for the golden-hearted female before him to hate anything and yet there was such a disgust and loathing in her eyes and voice when speaking of her mother.

"Why?"

He had to know what had caused this. What could turn even her warm heart cold toward someone?

"She doesn't care about me... she never has. She's never cared about anyone but herself. My father has always taken care of me; he kept me away from her until I was nine. She had no interest in me then, as she does now. She could care less who I was or what I was doing. I tried anyway... I tried so hard... "

He approached slowly, watching her eyes as she watched him warily even though teary eyes. Obviously her lack of love and attention from her mother had scarred her deeply, no wonder then she clung to the memory of her beloved Kaede. He stepped close, clanging his sword against hers suddenly knocking the weapon loose and sending it skidding to the ground somewhere behind her.

He dropped his own weapon, allowing it to hit the ground as he reached for her, a hand at her waist, fingers brushing the material of her attire, urging her to him. She came willingly but her eyes were troubled. He let his hand slide firmly against her, hand curling around her waist as he slid more of his arm around her pulling her against the frame of his body. He welcomed her warmth.

"Don't trust me?" He heard her voice even if it was a bit muffled by her mouth pressed against his chest.

Ah, the sword, he thought recalling how he'd made sure to remove it from her grip before touching her.

"Not with your recent behavior, no."

Honest enough. She was being amazingly ruthless as of late and he worried at her distress.

"There's only three people in the world who seem to care about what happens to me." She drew away just enough for their eyes to meet. "You have no idea how it bothers me to think you are one of them."

He did not reply feeling it was unnecessary. It was true. He was. He did care about what happened to her. She mattered; she had for a long time now even though why he cared so much he chose not to dwell on. Yet he wasn't hesitant anymore to think on such things. He realized now, staring down at her that this was what he wanted. He wanted what she could give him. Him and Rin and her could be the family he'd wanted and never had with Toki. He wanted someone to come home to, he wanted someone to be waiting for him when he finally returned, exhausted, to his chambers. He wanted the warmth of another body beside him while he rested, but not just anyone could have such a place. He wanted Kagome there. He wanted the smiling, happy woman to share his life; he wanted her to share her life with him. She was, he realized, what he needed, something he'd been lacking for a long time. He wasn't about to let her go.

Her head bowed against him once more and he could feel the tension in her body fading. "Help..." she whispered brokenly.

"What do you want?" He replied, his tone as quiet as hers.

"I want to be happy. I don't want anyone to fight anymore. I just want... I just want to life without all this fear and hurting."

He almost smiled. She sounded so much like Rin. Those were promises he could give to Rin, but not to Kagome. Kagome wasn't going to find peace in these upcoming battles she was going to find anguish and pain. Her life was going to be uprooted and inch by inch destroyed. Her home, her family, her entire existence was going to be rewritten. He could promise her nothing, except that he would be there for her and even then he wasn't sure she'd want him to be.

He was, after all, going to be doing all the destroying.

Yet that was okay, he thought, tightening his arms around her. He would rid the world of Naraku and he would kill Onigumo ten times over for hurting her and in the end it would all be all right.

He was a mystery to her really, but she liked him. She couldn't not like him. She owed him so much. He had saved her how many times now? He was still having that guard follow her around but she wasn't surprised. She had been 'unstable' as of late, but she felt better now. She couldn't imagine how that stoic, iceman made her feel better, but he did. She sighed heavily stopping when she came to the edge of a footbridge peering down into the water. She stared into her wavering image and sighed.

"What am I doing?" She asked her reflection.

Behind her she heard the rustle of leaves and stood from her stooping position peering around. The garden appeared to be empty and yet she could have sworn she was being watched. She continued to glance around, waiting for her watcher to move and after several more minutes of tense silence there was another rustle and a figure stepped into sight. Sango.

Kagome tensed, staring her visitor head on, waiting for the quiet woman to make a move.

"I've been thinking..."

Kagome waited.

"I may have been rash in attacking you that afternoon. I wanted to say that I was sorry."

Kagome blinked, somewhat surprised. "Okay."

"O-okay?"

Kagome waved it off. "It's okay, don't worry about it. Let's just forget about it." She smiled as though to back up her thoughts and prove that she really wasn't going to hold a grudge over it. She watched, as Sango seemed to sigh in relief.

"Could I ask what changed your mind? It's a rather abrupt change, isn't it?"

Sango approached slowly coming to stand at her side by the water. "Miroku's has been adamant about the point. Maybe I got tired of hearing it, maybe it really got through to me that... that it wasn't your fault and you had nothing to do with my family's demise. I didn't think that this was hard for you... It wasn't fair for me to wallow in my feelings selfishly."

Kagome heaved a happy sigh. "Thank you, I'm sorry too. It's hard for me... having enemies."

"Having enemies is hard for everyone. Its sad things have to be that way."

Kagome silently agreed.

"Want... Want to start over again?" Kagome turned to Sango hopefully. "Maybe we could give it another shot? No dark secrets? Just Kagome and Sango?"

She met her former friend's eyes, and for a minute they stared at one another uneasily and then she nodded. "Okay."

Kagome extended her hand in a friendly motion and Sango extended hers as well.

"Kagome-chan!"

Both females turned to see a young girl tearing through the garden. She ran, happily, straight into Kagome's arms.

"I've missed you Kagome-chan! Come on, I want to show you what I've learned."

Kagome allowed herself to be dragged off, feeling for the first time in a while, completely happy. They stopped at the doorway long enough for Rin to call back for Sango to join them. Smiling weakly the young female fighter started forward following along quietly. Maybe things could go her way, if only for a little while.

By the time they had reached Rin's instruction room the girl had them embroiled in a silly conversation about fairies, flowers, and a host of mythical creatures. Rin, adamantly defending their existence, while Sango denied and Kagome remained skeptical not willing to quite give up the notion they weren't real.

Rin slid the door open, stepping inside, halting in her steps when she came face to face with her father. Sango and Kagome's laughter dying off as they met the gold colored gaze leveled upon them. His stare traced over Kagome and then her companion before glancing back at Kagome questioningly.

Rin however interrupted before she could say anything.

"Rin was going to show Kagome-chan and Sango-chan her work. "

He nodded silently at the little girl allowing her to continue on, stepping past him to start shuffling through a stack of papers on the desk. Sango stood back slightly while Kagome went ahead stepping further inside. There were a few moments of terse silence before Rin pulled a paper from the stack triumphantly.
She motioned the girls to the table and started pointing out what she had inked across the page. Both listened patiently to her explanation, Kagome sneaking glances at the young girl's father. He was staring back unabashedly. Sango, seeming to sense the tense atmosphere that was growing around them managed to lead Rin out, but only after Kagome promised to catch up in a few minutes leaving her alone with Sesshoumaru.

He looked toward the door pointedly in a silent inquiry.

"Sango and I... we sort of ... made up."

"Made up?"

Kagome nodded smiling softly. "I'm glad. We decided to try and start over. I'd like to... you know, be friends with someone despite all this nasty stuff going on. I don't really have any friends here. Maybe that's what's wrong with me lately."

She dropped her head a bit.

"You're going to trust her?"

Kagome glanced back up. "Kaede always said that you should give people a chance, and then a second chance, but never risk yourself for someone a third time, for then you are a fool."

He nodded, seemingly in approval, and she beamed a smile at him.

"Besides she came and apologized and. I... I feel a lot better. Maybe I've crawled out from under that dark cloud I've been stuck under."

He glanced over her, noting the improvement. Everything about her seemed brighter.

"I should go. Did you want anything?"

He shook his head silently, dismissing her. She turned, her guard still at the door, following along after her as she made her way to where the others were likely waiting for her.

Naraku stood sat up straighter running a hand through his dark waves. This wasn't going well, nothing was going well. He'd sent Goshinki and Kanna ahead to stand with the others. He expected the Thunder Brothers to attack his front strongholds sometime this week. It was no secret that his forces were dwindling and he was steadily being pushed back into his furthermost territories.

Kagura could barely contain her smirk around him these days, he thought with an angry snarl. Yet that wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was the latest report he'd gotten from Kikyo about 'Kagome's punishment'. He'd listened in silence to Kikyo's report, startled and then disgusted at what she spoke.

"What are you talking about? Where is Kagome?"

Kikyo stared back quietly. "I got a letter to take her to the Kaga House."

"The Kaga House?" Naraku asked, baffled. "I sent no such letter."

Her eyes widened. "You-You didn't?"

"Of course not. Why would I send here there?"

"It only said that she was to be punished and that Onigumo would be waiting. It had your seal."

His eyes narrowed.

Yes, that he remembered. The entire affair sickened him. He had yet to discover the perpetrator of that little fiasco but he had a nasty suspicion Kagura was somehow involved in the lifting of his signature seal. He still couldn't find it. It was all very foul. Everything was disgusting him as of late. He was beyond displeased. With everything. With everyone. It didn't help that Kagome was back in the possession of Masaharu again!

He hung his head slightly. Kagome was permanently out of reach. He wasn't fool enough to think he could win her back to his side. Not this time, maybe not ever. The matter was somewhat saddening. The loss of his daughter - Kagome was a beautiful child, forgiving and gentle by nature, but if she were to believe he had been responsible for the treatment she'd been given even he had doubts about her forgiving tendencies. How could she forgive that?

How could anyone?

But this was the way it was going to be then. If that was it, that was it, he would let Kagome go. His precious girl would be free from him, but the others would not. The rest, his children, his bitchy wife, his family. They would all fall together, only Kagome would be spared. He reached into his kimono withdrawing a small square of cloth, unfolding it silently. He'd had this for so long.

He stared down at the little cloth and the dried flower inside. It was one of Kagome's first miko lessons - drying flowers. She'd brought him her first flower, asking him to keep it in memory of her because he was away so much and she missed him. He stared at the fragile blossom whose color had faded and was now very frail. Time had caused it to crumple slightly, the leaves were half missing, and frayed.

If it was all going to crash around him, it would be done his way. He would meet with his end, but he would take as many of them with him as he could.

He turned his gaze down to the aging flower in his hand carefully wrapping it back into the red patterned cloth. He did not approve of Kagome's choice - the son of Masaharu, Sesshoumaru. The lord's son's interest in her was apparent, but he did not like it. He did not like things that were out of his control especially things that had to do with Kagome. Something would have to be done with him. Something would have to be done about that troublesome Masaharu Sesshoumaru.

Author's Notes: Ah ha! This is actually going to be finished soon. The story I mean, it's nearing its conclusion for which I'm actually kind of happy about.

After ignoring it for a month I've started work again on "Blind Stitch My Heart" so you'll see an update... eventually. Thank you for your continued support. Unfortunately I'm starting college the 25th of August so I'm expecting my time to be cut in half.

Review Responses (Only those with questions are addressed, to all other reviewer's thank you for taking your time to leave me a comment. It is greatly appreciated.)

Tiffany: If she said yes would she have to marry Sesshoumaru? Originally, his offering his name was a guaranteed future for her. Protection, family, children, etc, so agreeing to stay would have become Sesshoumaru's wife. I ended up being caught with no ideas for that since Kagome's answer, both times - the original and the second (the posted) version - was 'no'.

Familia-Ficz - *nod* My characterization of Jaken might be all wrong, I really don't remember. I've spent so little time observing Jaken that I might not have put enough effort into writing him correctly. Sesshoumaru sent Jaken and (I think Hiten) to kill the dark miko Tsubaki and anyone else they found at that Keep. I wasn't so sure about the whole curse thing after I wrote it but it's too late now there's no way I'm revising it. At least not right now.

Aki no Yume1 - Souten's single appearance is over. I used her primarily to make the reader think (however briefly) that Inutaisho might have been trying to introduce Sesshoumaru to a new wife candidate because he disapproved of Kagome.

Is Iy really planning to get Kag away from Sess? What will Sess do to make Kag come to him? - No, there won't be any romantic ties between Inuyasha and Kagome. I was thinking about adding a Kikyo/Inuyasha element but I doubt it. I'm seeing the end to this rather soon so there won't be enough time for it.

Flambeau-Willow - Do you happen to be a history student or something? - No, I'm a student, but not a history major. I just love history. It's sort of a competition of knowledge between my brother and I.

sesshyangel - Confusion is always a bad thing. Okay, let's see. Would she have accepted his proposal, no.

"Had I told you so, you would have come anyway?" - I apologize this was confusing. I have a tendency to leave off dialogue tags because I worry about overusing them. Sesshoumaru to Kagome said it about Sango. Basically, it meant that if he had told her that coming to talk to Sango was pointless, she (Kagome) would've tried to reason with her anyway.

sakura-chan33 - I'm not sure where your questions start and where they stop. It's getting too long - I agree that's why I've been trying to end it. I hate drawing things out but I seem to have a very bad habit of doing just that. Inutaisho had no plans to marry Sesshoumaru off to an 8 year old, that was... diversionary.

kmf - I knew there was something familiar about your name. I had to click on your profile to see why though, you wrote "Second Best" - I knew I remembered you from something that. Amazing Naraku/Kagome scene in that fic. I haven't written any direct scenes with Inuyasha and Kikyo yet, they do meet later, but it's brief.

Duece of Spades - I assure you, the Inuyasha/Sesshoumaru/Kagome thing. Not happening, rest assured. ^_^

Snarfburgalar - Kagome is written as rather a piece of perfection, isn't she?

Slice - I doubt they'd let her do that. She's going to be pulled in two directions no matter what unless she flees to a place outside the war zone. I should've thought of that before.

kokonutsu - I figure, at that point (when Onigumo took her), Sesshoumaru wasn't as attached as he is now. Or... maybe I was just being hypocritical I'm not sure honestly. This story is odd for me because it's not like the other ones I've written I don't feel at all connected to the character's emotions in it.

kidoairaku - That's now two people mentioning confusion about Kagome and Sango, clearly the revision is more necessary than I thought. ^_^

umi11 - I disagree actually. I think Kagome loves her father very deeply. She's never had a relationship with her mother, Kaede is dead, and the only other true family would be her sister. Dysfunctional as they are - they're still her family.

Bikutoria - Excellent point, why isn't Tsubaki utilized more often?