Inuyasha 1. Captured

**Demon's Heart**

She looked down at her fingers, she would barely make them out but she could tell they were scratched and bloody from clawing at the stone walls. She walked around the room that she was imprisoned in, feeling against the wall she found what seemed to be the door to get out, but no handle on her side, the only want to get out was from whoever trapped her here. And from the looks of it, they did not want her out any time soon.

The ground was made out of straw and mud, she could feel it oozing between her feet. There was a small crack in the ceiling that only let in a single shard of light, making her just able to see around the room. She could see a chained skeleton in the opposite corner.

Worst part about being trapped, was that she could not remember how she got there. Or how long she had been there. Hours? Days? All she remembered was waking up to the feeling of some bug crawling across her face, and as she was swatting it away her hand hit the stone wall. She started to wake up and realized that she was trapped. But nothing came to her when she tried to remember about how she got there, is was like her memory was whipped.

Her mouth was dry and her lips were starting to crack from the lack of moisture. Her throat was raw from screaming. When she first came to the conclusion that she was stuck in here, she screamed endlessly until her voice just gave out. Screamed for someone to come and find her, to come and rescue her. Or even the person who put her in here to come and give her some explanation about why she was here.

That was another missing piece to this puzzle. She did not know who put her in here. What were their intentions of taking her and keeping her locked up in this cell?

Just then, she heard what sounded like a key being put in to a door lock. She then heard it switch, and a door creaking open. At the bottom of her cell she could see a ray of light entering the dark room. Footsteps started to be heard, first they were slow and then they began to speed up. As they got louder, she could see the shadows of two feet in front of her door cell.

"Who ever you are and whatever you want, please, let me out." she begged them, as she rested her head on the cell door, slowly sinking to the ground.

An evil laugh was made right out side the door, and it sounded familiar to her.

A chill came over her. She made her way back up on to her feet, taking a few steps back from the door and she cleared her throat. "Who.. who are you and what do you want?"

The person on the other side came up to the door and inserted a key in to the door lock as they let out another laugh. "Why, Kagome, do you really not know who I am?"

And the cell door flung open as her capture could be seen in the doorway of the cell.

"Naraku!" she hissed at him, her eyes narrowing as she lunged at him.

He waved his hand and a surge of energy blasted her back against the stone wall. She moaned in pain as she hit the wall and fell to the ground. She tried to stand, her legs wobbling underneath her.

"Such a stubborn wench. I do not understand how someone as short-tempered an Inuyasha could keep such an insolent woman." Naraku walked in to the stone cell, closing the door behind them.

Kagome sat up against the wall, her lip had been cut by the impact, she whipped the blood away from her mouth and leaned her head against the wall. A sharp pulse shot through her body, she winced in pain, as she reached her hand up to her head and as she pulled it back she could see the amount of blood that was escaping.

She looked up at Naraku. "Insolent woman?" she quoted him, as she snickered to herself. "I'd rather be that than a demon."

Naraku looked down at her, smiling. "And being a demon is bad?"

Kagome laughed under her breath, rolling her eyes but he probably could not see it from the darkness in the room. "Please," she groaned. He reached in to his pocket, and pulled out a candle. After lighting it, he placed it on a one of the stones that was sticking out from the walls so they could see each other.

"Demons are monsters. All you want is power and control over others. Like what you have now." Kagome looked away from him, not really wanting to continue the conversation any farther.

Naraku enjoyed the idea of him being a monster. He leaned against the opposite wall to Kagome, and stared at her as she kept herself away from making eye contact with him. "If I am a monster, that means your precious Inuyasha is a monster, too." he pointed out.

Kagome's head snapped back around to face Naraku. He put his arms up in defense when he seen the look she was giving him. "I apologize, precious fiancée, right?"

Once she heard him say that, Kagome's memory started to come back, only getting a few pieces of what had happened to her. It first came in a blur and then it started to become clearer to her of what happened before she was captured by Naraku.

* * *

><p><em>"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted to get his attention.<em>

_Inuyasha turned around to see Kagome, holding on to her bow, waving at him through the clouds of dust._

_He ran over to meet her as the debre and rubble finally settled. He looked her over to make sure nothing had happened to her during the battle, but nothing was out-of-place. He was happy that she was alright, if anything would have happened to her because of him, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. She meant a lot to him. But he hated that she always put herself in danger for him when she didn't have to._

_She smiled up at him before throwing her arms over his head. "Oh thank goodness, you're alright!" she sighed in relief._

_Inuyasha stood there in her arms, not knowing what to say or do. After letting her stay there for about a moment or two, he put his hands on her waist and pulled her from him. "Feh, of course I'm alright." he snarled at her. Crossing his arms and looking away to escape her glance. "It's you who you should be worried about, you're just a human."_

_"Just a human!?" Kagome shouted back at him, making Inuyasha jump in terror away from her. She stuck out a finger at him and starting waving it back and forth with each word. "Just because I'm a human doesn't mean I going to get hurt!"  
><em>

_Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. He was always worried about her when they went in to a fight, and he just didn't want to have to worry about her for once. He pointed at her. "I told you to let me handle this and what do you do? Try to help me!"_

_"You know you need my help when it comes to fighting, it's because to me that you're even still alive!" Kagome shouted at him._

_Inuyasha laughed in her face. "Ha! Need your help? Please, I'm always having to come rescue you because you can't leave well enough alone!" he shouted back at her. _

_"I'll always in need of rescuing because you," she poked his chest firmly with her finger, "keep putting me in danger! So sorry for trying to help!"_

_She crossed her arms and turned away from him. He walked up to her and shouted over her shoulder in to her ear. "Well, then if you don't want to be put in danger, why are you here?"_

_At first she didn't flinch, but after pausing for a moment she swiftly turned around to face him, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know, maybe because I care about you, you idiot!" she shouted at him as she turned around and began to walk away towards the bone eater's well._

_"Fine!" Go home like always!" Inuyasha hollered to her on impulse, but he was shocked. Every time he tried to keep her out of danger she would get upset with him and go stomping off out of the Feudal Era. If she was going to be like that and over react when ever he tried to protect her than he would just let her go. He wouldn't chase after her. What was the point if it would just happened again? He turned to head back to the village but stopped himself._

_He looked over his shoulder at Kagome walking away from him and he couldn't just let her leave again like this. "Stubborn woman." he muttered under his breath. Inuyasha began to chase after her. He jumped up in to the sky and landed in front of her. Walking towards her, he stuck his arms out to catch her. "You're not going home, Kagome."_

_"SIT BOY!" Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs to get him out of her way. Inuyasha tried to resist the force pulling him to the ground, but he couldn't, and he crashed in to the ground face first. Kagome huffed and stomped passed him. "Goodbye Inuyasha." she mumbled to him as she left him began in own personal hole._

_She had made it to the bone eater's well. Glancing over the side in to the darkness beyond her, she didn't want to leave but if he didn't want her there, what was the point in staying. She would always be in danger as long as she was in the Feudal Era, as long as she was fighting demons along side Inuyasha. She would never be fully safe. Maybe it was for the best that she returned home for good. She grabbed the side of the well and pulled herself up on to the side, giving herself one last moment before jumping in. But out of the corner of her eye, she seen a flash of red and she was picked up, and was then flying through the air._

_"INUYASHA! PUT ME DOWN!" she screamed in his ear, and tried hitting him in the back. _

_But he ignored her, until he made it to the sacred tree. He landed in front of it and he finally set her down on her feet. __Once she was on the ground she swung at him, hitting him in the arm a few times before she started stomping off again in to the direction of the well. Inuyasha jumped in front of her, putting his arms out to catch her again. "Kagome," he started to speak but she walked past him, bumping him with her shoulder as she passed._

_He ran ahead to cut her off. Panting, he crossed his arms as she walked closer to him. "Come on Kagome, you can't just ignor-" and she kept walking passed him, not even acknowledging that he was trying to talk to her._

_before she could get too far ahead, Inuyasha reached out his hand, grabbing Kagome's from behind and pulled her back to him, not letting go on her hand. She pulled and yanked to try to get her hand free, but his grip was too strong for her, so she gave in and didn't fight back. She looked up at him and sighed. "What is it, Inuyasha?"_

_He let go of her hand and gestured towards the sacred tree. Kagome at first rolled her eyes but walked towards it. Seeing the mark where he was pinned against it for many years, until she had finally freed him gave her mixed emotions. Part of her always wondered what would have happened if she didn't come through the well, he'd still be there. Frozen. She sat down on one of the tree branches, while Inuyasha followed behind her. _

_He thought that he should start it off. He first took a deep breath and looked down at her. "Kagome, I didn't mean it that way. I know I put you in danger, but you are always there for me, and I do need you here," Inuyasha moved closer to her, taking her hand in his and rubbed his thumb back and forth over the top on her hand. "Without you I would still be pinned to this tree, never meeting you and never going on these adventures together." _

_She looked up at him, and she could see how sincere he was being. His eyes looked back in to hers and she almost couldn't find words to say. "Inuyasha.."_

_"No Kagome," he whispered, his eyes softening more as he looked at her. "I don't want you to get hurt over helping me because I care about you, too." He leaned in to her and slightly kissed her forehead, and then rested his forehead against hers for a moment. "I don't want you to leave me, not ever again."_

_Kagome couldn't help but smile to herself, while her heart was pounding away against her chest. She didn't know what to do or say to him. Where to start? She had always wanted him to open with her and to hear this, but was he serious about it? She pulled away from him, he lifted his head back up and glanced in to her eyes and she could see the pain that it was causing him that she might be leaving for good over something, really, stupid. _

_She wanted to have things cleared up. "What are you trying to say, Inuyasha?" she asked while smirking at him._

_Inuyasha stared blankly back at her. He couldn't put what he felt for her in to words, to try to express what she meant to him and how thankful he was to have someone like her in his life was impossible to do. Kagome stared back at him, growing a bit concerned at him not saying anything. He smiled at her; he would rather show her than tell her._

_He leaned in towards her and pressed his lips softly against hers. At first, she was resistant, and then after a moment, a wave of relief washed over her, at the thought of knowing how he felt about her. He didn't have to say anything, just this single act alone told her everything that she wanted to know, and she pulled her arms around his neck, bringing him closer and kissing him back._

_Inuyasha pulled away from her for a moment, resting his forehead on hers and exhaling. "I only want you, Kagome, will you spend the rest of your life with me?"_

_"Is that a proposal?" she teased him, tightening her arms around him as she leaned in to kiss him, pausing barely an inch away from his awaiting mouth._

_He laughed back at her, wrapped his arms around her waist. "That's the best you're getting from me." he teased her back. Taking a big breath of air, he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts and then looked back at her smiling. "You've been with me through it all, and there would be no one else I would want to spend it with, I'm so glad you fell through that well," they chuckled together. "Will you marry me, Kagome?"_

_"I'm impressed," she joked around with him, but he looked at her with concern. "Of course I will." she smiled at him. Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief as Kagome leaned in to kiss him._

* * *

><p>Kagome snapped out of her memories. Naraku was leaning against the wall looking at her. Kagome stepped back from him, she didn't feel safe at all while he was around her. "How did you know about that? We didn't tell anyone."<p>

Naraku threw his head back and laughed lightly at her. "Oh, Kagome. I know more than you think. And I also know that you were on the way here to try to defeat me," he pushed himself off of the stone wall and started to walk over to Kagome. "But then I stole you in the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep, and now they are on their way here to rescue you."

She was concerned. He was sharing so much information to her, and having a long conversation. Usually he would just show up and say a clever line or two and vanish. Why was he lingering around? He was playing games with her, leading her on and making her remember certain things at a time. He must have drugged her and made her inhale something so that her memory would be fuzzy. That wasn't like Naraku. She wondered what he was planning to do. She decided to play along with his game. "And they will rescue me and we will defeat you. Just like we planned. Whatever you're planning on doing won't work."

Naraku smiled while shaking his head at her. "Oh, I don't think so," he leaned down to sit beside her. Kagome tried to inch away from him. She didn't trust him and didn't want to be near him in this small, stone prison any longer. Naraku could see how uneasy Kagome was getting with him getting closer to her, and he liked it. He leaned towards her and whispered. "The only way to really hurt a demon is through their heart, and I don't have one."

She rolled her eyes at him, shrugging what he had said off, it didn't concern her at all. Naraku realized that he didn't get his point to her across clearly. He reached a hand out to Kagome and ran his fingers over her cheek. "But, Inuyasha however..."

And it clicked for her. He took her to get to Inuyasha, he was planning on doing something to him that involved her and of course Inuyasha would try to save her and keep her from danger. She wanted no part in hurting Inuyasha, and to have him think that he could use her to get to him, she wouldn't allow it. She was so enraged at the idea she slapped him across the face, leaving a red imprint of her fingers tips on his cheek. She couldn't believe she just did that, that she was even able to touch Naraku without him dodging it. It had happened so fast that she almost wouldn't have known she had done it, except for the imprint on Naraku's face. She pulled her hand back and stared at him.

Naraku brushed his fingers across the side of his face that was slapped while looking at Kagome. He could feel the blood behind the irritated skin pulsating. How did he not sense her about to hit him? It happened so fast that even he didn't have time to dodge or block the hit. It was curious to him. It was also infuriating that a human priestess would raise their hand to a powerful demon such as himself."Insolent woman. Inuyasha will suffer dear for this."

"It's not my fault, or his, that you deserved that. It was long over due." She felt good that she did hit him, it meant that even behind all of that power there was some weakness. But Kagome didn't fully understand the purpose of having her kept in this room. Yes, they are coming to rescue her but they would be coming her anyways if she wasn't here, why would Naraku want to have her here? What does he plan on doing to hurt Inuyasha that involves her?

"What do you need me for? Inuyasha would have come here with or without taking me hostage." Kagome narrowed her eyes at Naraku, not wanting to look away from him. He took her in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep and clearly no one noticed, so they would either think she had run back to the village or went here alone. Why not take her when they would all be able to see him taking her? Why did he have to do it so secretly?

Naraku stood up from where he was sitting beside her. Slowly he began to walk towards the door. He had enough of this girl and her growing stubbornness. He pulled the door open to leave and looked back at Kagome. He didn't want to give away any details of what he had planned for her, but letting her sit in the lonely silence of these stone walls would probably drive her to make the wrong decision. "I need you to hurt Inuyasha's heart."

She laughed at him. How could he even imagine the thought of her siding with the likes of him to help him hurt Inuyasha. Nothing Naraku could say or do would convince her to do anything against Inuyasha. After everything they had been through, she would go down with Inuyasha if she had to. Kagome got to her feet and walked over to Naraku, leaning in to him she whispered: "I will never help you hurt him," she said, pausing for a moment. "I'll die first." she said as she turned and walked away from him back to her spot in the cell.

Naraku didn't believe that for a second. He knew that she cared for him, and that the two of them had been through a lot together. If it came down to it, he knew that Kagome would do anything to save Inuyasha, and he, too, would do the same for her. She was bluffing. What he had planned for them, there was no way that they would be able to survive this together.

Naraku smirked to himself as he watched Kagome walk back to her spot. He cleared his throat, catching enough of Kagome's attention for her to turn back to face him. He slowly shrugged his shoulders at her. "And what if I killed him first?" Naraku asked her.

Hearing him say that angered Kagome, she could feel her blood beginning to boil over. The thought of Naraku hurting or even killing Inuyasha made her sick to her stomach. She didn't want to have any part of helping him do anything to Inuyasha, but if she didn't help him hurt Inuyasha, then he would kill him. But what was he planning to do? How was he going hurt him by using her?

Kagome wanted nothing more than to slap him one more time after him saying that. But she didn't want to make things worse. She wanted to know what he was conspiring to do and what her part involved. She narrowed her eyes at him, while he stood in the doorway."What do you want from me? What do you want me to do to hurt him?" Kagome asked him.

Naraku narrowed his eyes at her. "Such a curious wench." He took hold of the door, pulling out his key he made sure to lock it, and before he closed the door he looked back at her. She was looking up at him with just worrisome eyes. He leaned in to the cell for her to hear him. "It's best if I let it be a surprise for both you and Inuyasha." Naraku stepped outside of the stone walls, and before shutting the door, he smiled at her. He couldn't help himself but leave her with a last thought before he left her. "We'll see if you're his heart or not." and without letting her to say another word, he slammed the door shut.

She heard the door locking and his footsteps starting to trail off in to the darkness as she was revisited by the silence and her own thoughts. What she gathered from what Naraku said was that he was going to use her to get to Inuyasha's heart. How he would do that Kagome did not know, but she was worried. This was different from any other time they went up against Naraku. He had a plan, and a very good plan at the sounds of it, and Inuyasha and the others had no idea of it.

The one thing that didn't sit well with her was that Naraku had earlier said that the only way to defeat a demon was through their heart. Demons are almost unkillable. He said that he did not have one, so that wouldn't help them. But he had to have loved someone or something, he must have a weakness they could figure out.

And she wanted to know how would that apply to Inuyasha since he is a half demon. He is able to be injured and has a short fuse when angered so he would act irrationally once he sees her in the hands of Naraku. She knew that all of her answers would be answered soon by Naraku. She had to admit to herself, though, she was worried. But worrying would not help her, so she laid down and once she put her thoughts away, she found sleep.


	2. Rescued

**Demon's Heart**

**Chapter 2**

He didn't know where they were at, he didn't know how long it had been since he spoke to the others, and he didn't know how far away they were from reaching their destination. All he knew was that Kagome's scent was getting stronger the farther North they went, so he had to press on. He pushed himself up through the trees in to the thick bush of the Northern mountains.

Everything passed by him in a blur of green. He couldn't stop. He tried to slow down, he didn't want to stray too far ahead of the others but he couldn't help himself. He felt as if gravity was pulling him to her. He felt drawn to her. His feet carried him longer than he thought his body would be able to take; dodging branches and jumping over up-rooted trees, he glided over the forest ground at an incredible speed.

He couldn't believe he let this happen. How could he have let his guard down long enough for Kagome to be captured? He blamed himself. He felt horrible for letting this happen to her. He hated waking up that morning and her not being there; having the others question him on where she was. He should have protected her better. The anger he felt towards himself brewed from within him when he started to think about anyone hurting her.

His thoughts were overwhelming him and he lost focus for a small second and the next thing he knew, his head connected with a tree branch sticking out in front of him and he was flown backwards in to the air, crashing in to the ground a few feet behind where the others were following behind him. As they seen him fly through the air above them, they turned around and followed the sounds of his groaning until they found him lying in the middle of a clearing.

He laid there in agony as he heard them slowly approaching him.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo hollered out as he pounced on to his head, pushing the white hair out-of-the-way, he stared down at his face.

Inuyasha slowly opened his eyes to be greeted by two big eyes staring back at him and he grabbed on to Shippo, pushing him down in to the ground. "Feh." he muttered as he pulled himself up off the ground to see Sango and Miroku making their way to the two of them. He released his grasp he had on Shippo's head and he ran in to Sango's arms.

Sango rubbed his back trying to calm him down as he buried his face in to her shoulder. "Shippo, are you alright?"

Shippo sniffled in to her collar before pulling away from her. "Inuyasha is a big bully." he said with his eyes full of tears as he crossed his arms and looked away.

Inuyasha's jaw dropped as he tried to get to his feet as fast as he could. "Listen, you little brat!" he screamed as he made a fist towards him, but he felt dizzy from the sudden movement and sunk back to the ground.

Miroku dropped to his knees beside him, as he grabbed Inuyasha's face and looked in to his eyes, checking for any trauma from the fall. He patted Inuyasha down to see if there were any other injuries from his flight but he seemed fine. Inuyasha swatted Miroku's hands from him. "I'm fine, idiot."

Inuyasha rose to his feet as he fixed his Kimono. He could feel wind rushing through it from small holes on the back due to him grinding against the ground but he didn't say anything. He looked over at Shippo, who was hiding behind Sango but peeking over her shoulder at him. "Sorry, Shippo." he said.

Shippo nodded towards Inuyasha as to accept his apology. Inuyasha smirked at him and then he sighed. He had lost Kagome's scent. He didn't know if the trail had ended or if he had gone off track. Either way, he couldn't pick up anything remotely close to her now. And they are surrounded by nothing but woods, with him being flown backwards, he had lost the direction they were headed in.

Miroku could see how troubled Inuyasha was. And for good reason. He was worried about Kagome's safety and not knowing where she was, was paralyzing to Inuyasha. Not being able to do anything about it made him feel hopeless. Miroku walked over to him as he placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "We will find her." he told him, and it sounded almost like he was promising it to him.

Inuyasha didn't look at Miroku. At first, he just stared out in to the unknown. Each tree looked the same as the one before it, the one after it, and the one beside it. So easy to get turned around or go in the wrong direction. Inuyasha could feel the hopelessness creeping in to him. He then glanced over his shoulder at Miroku, shrugging his shoulders. "And what if we find her too late? Who knows what Naraku intends on doing with her." and he pulled away from Miroku's grasp. He walked over to one of the trees surrounding them in the clearly and he sat down, closing his eyes.

"How do you know Naraku is the one that took Kagome, Inuyasha?" Shippo questioned, jumping from Sango's lap over to Inuyasha's shoulder in a single stride.

Inuyasha felt him land on him as he opened one eye, he seen Shippo with a concerned look on his face, and then closed it again. "Who else would want Kagome?"

"The question is why would he want her?" Sango asked. Miroku looked over at her and shrugged his shoulders as he sat down beside her. He reached out and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in close to him and tried to comfort her.

Inuyasha opened his eyes as he looked around at them. He shook his head because he thought it was such a stupid question to ask. As if they didn't know why Naraku would want Kagome. It was obvious. He just knew none of them wanted to actually admit it out loud in front of him. Inuyasha cleared his throat, getting their attention. "Because of me. He wants her to get to me."

Sango pulled away from Miroku's hold and shook her head, staring over at Inuyasha. "Don't say that." she reached her hand out to him, grabbing his arm, he looked over at her. "He plays games, Inuyasha. Do not blame yourself for this."

Inuyasha nodded to her. He wanted to believe her but he had to admit it to himself. Why else would he take Kagome? To get to him, because he knows that Kagome means something to him, and he knows that he would die to try to protect her. Naraku knows that taking her is an easy way to get his attention and to get a reaction out of him. Inuyasha couldn't imagine what he would do if Naraku touched Kagome. He would not get away this time from them, not after this.

"So, which way now, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as he and Sango got to their feet. Shippo jumped up on to Sango's shoulder to join them, as they motioned for Inuyasha to stand up.

Inuyasha grasped his face with his hand as he shook his head and sighed. "I don't know," he confessed as he shrugged his shoulders. He looked up at them with a defeated look. "I lost her scent when I was flown backwards. That's all I had to go off."

And once he said that, Sango jumped up in to the air. Inuyasha and Miroku stared up at her. She made it above the trees as she glanced around them to get a better look at the area. And far off she could see where they needed to go. She fell back to the ground and landed beside Miroku. She smiled at Inuyasha. "A miasma is growing stronger about 20 miles East of here."

Inuyasha was shocked at first, but then that quickly turned in to anxiousness. He didn't even have to thank Sango, the look at his face was justification enough. He jumped up. "What are we still doing here?" He said as he picked up Miroku's staff and Sango's hiraikotsu and handed them over. They both laughed at him and grabbed their weapons. Sango motioned for Inuyasha to lead the way and he didn't need to be told twice. He was off.

_Don't worry Kagome_, Inuyasha thought as they ran through the forest, _I'm coming for you_. He looked behind him and the others had kept up to him. Sango nodded to him as she jumped up beside her. Miroku stayed a little behind them and Shippo rested on Miroku's shoulder as they ran towards the miasma. _We're coming for you_.

* * *

><p>She was sure that she had broken her fingers.<p>

She hated being held captive in the darkness. She could not stand the thought of staying in this dungeon any longer. She couldn't see anything, she could only feel. And with being locked away, she felt around the whole room until she came across a part where it seemed at if the stone and mud were worn out; as if someone else was clawing to get out. And at first, she thought about it but refused to do it. She could wait for the others.

But hours seemed to pass.

She could feel the darkness closing in on her. She felt hopeless. What if Inuyasha and the others didn't know she was captured by Naraku? What if they assumed that she went home? They probably weren't even searching for her. And when they do figure out that she was captured, Naraku will have told her what he intends to use her for against Inuyasha.

Then she would be forced to do whatever he says to ensure the others safety. But if she escaped before that.

She began to scratch at the walls with her bare hands. She picked and pulled at the stone bricks and the loose mud that was used for cement. She thought she had been clawing at the walls forever, she could feel clumps of dirt stuck underneath her nails, she could feel blood oozing out of her fingers from being so raw. And then she became angry.

Something inside of her snapped and she between kicking the wall. She was desperate. She wanted to get out, she had to get out. She was getting tired and weaker with each blow she made to the non-breakable stone. She used all of the strength she had left, and without even thinking, as she punched the stone wall.

She heard the bone in one or two of her fingers snap and she was almost paralyzed by the pain that shot throughout her body. Her lungs felt like they were ripping apart as she screamed out in pain. "Please." she begged as she fell against the wall as tears poured out of her. She collapsed to the ground. She rested her head on the top of her knees, sobbing in the dark.

"You can beg better than that." came Naraku's voice from outside of the dungeon.

Kagome's eyes quickly ran out of tears when she heard his voice. She whipped the remaining drops off of her face and listened for him. After a moment silence, Kagome laughed to herself. "Ha." she snickered, coughing from the dust. "I woul- would never beg to y-you."

Naraku searched around in his pocket until he finally found the keys to the cell. Pulling them out he reached out, placing the key in to the door. Twisting it, Kagome could hear the hinges unlock as he pushed the door open and let the light finally engulf the room.

Kagome was able to take a look at her hand, and it wasn't good. Her fingers were all black and blue and swollen, and she could see one bone was broken and was pressing against her skin trying to escape. Her nails were torn apart, and there was so much dirt and dried up blood she couldn't tell the difference between them.

Naraku entered the room, glancing over at Kagome. He could smell the blood rushing out of her hand. He looked over to the wall she was leaning against and could see blood finger prints and scratching on the walls. He smiled to himself at the thought of her struggling to get out. He walked over to her, narrowing his eyes down at her. "We will see about that." he warned her.

"Get up." He spat the words at her as he turned to leave.

She didn't want to go anywhere with him. She didn't want to leave with him. She did not move.

He stared at her over his shoulder. "You want to stay in here? That's fine with me." he told her, making his way to the door.

"Wait!" she barely managed to holler at him, her voice was hoarse from all of the dust inhalation.

Naraku stopped and turned to wait for her as she asked. Kagome grabbed the stone wall with her non-broken hand, and began to pull herself up from the ground. Naraku stood in the entrance and watched her as she managed to get to her feet. He was impressed by her strength after everything she had gone through. But she was still just a pawn.

Once Kagome was on her feet she pulled her hurt hand in towards her body to protect it from any further damage. She stared at him as she wobbled back and forth, trying to get her balance. She had almost no energy left to fight back but she tried not to seem weak. "Where are we going?"

Naraku raised an eyebrow at her, narrowing his eyes questioningly. "Do you want to remain in here?" he asked her.

Kagome didn't want to stay in the dungeon but she also did not trust Naraku. He wasn't just letting her out to be nice. He knew she was worn out and tired and that she would do anything to be free and away from him at the moment. She felt more like a pet than a captive; as if he was waiting for the perfect moment to break her and release her on to the others. Whatever his plans were she knew she had to play along until the others got there. She shook her head at him looking at the ground.

"Then follow me." he stated turning to walk away from the dungeon.

Kagome was hesitant at first. She eased her way to the doorway and looked out down the long hallway. She watched at Naraku walked slowly down the corridor. She didn't see any other way out, no where else to run. She had to follow him.

She stepped out of the dungeon and seen a few torches lite throughout the hallway walls. She was sore and could barely carry herself. Reaching her good hand out she grabbed the wall as she pulled herself along to reach the end where Naraku had stopped. He opened up another door, leading them in to an empty room. At the far end of the room was a wall made up entirely of windows. Outside was an empty courtyard; no soldiers, no minions, no guards. Just a wide open field. Kagome followed Naraku in to the room as he motioned to a seating area for her to lay down. She stumbled over to it and eased herself on to the ground, leaning on to a few pillows scattered around.

Naraku glanced over at Kagome as she picked at her hand. She was finally able to take a good look at it and it was a mess. He walked over to join Kagome, taking a seat on the ground with her. "Now," he said clearing his throat. "we need to discuss what I need you to do for me."

Kagome rolled her eyes at him as she left her hand be and looked away from him. "I already told you I will not help you."

Naraku chuckled to himself as he stared at her. "You're stubborn." he stated the obvious. "But maybe you just need convincing."

Kagome didn't bite at his comment and she wasn't having any part in hurting Inuyasha or the others for him. She turned her head back to face him as she stared in to his eyes. "I am going to make this easier for you," she told him slowly. "You can lock me in that dungeon for years to come and I will claw at the stone walls until I have no finger prints left. I will never help you hurt Inuyasha or the others. You're going to have to kill me first."

What kind of leverage did Naraku think he had that would make her change her mind to help him? After all of the pain and heartache that he has caused, not just them but everyone in the Feudal Era, why would he think that she would help him? He has destroyed so many lives and has taken so many souls. He didn't need help to be evil, he did it fine just on his own.

Naraku was touched by how much Kagome was willing to go in order to protect her beloved ones. He examined her and he could tell she was unsure. What she was unsure about he did not know for certain but he could use it to his advantage. Naraku gave her a slight smile. "Very touching." he said mockingly.

Kagome heard the sarcasm in his voice and she smiled back at him. "Well that's what friends are for; protecting each other." her eyes travelled over Naraku's body, looking him up and down with disgust in her eyes. "You wouldn't know what a friend is."

"And you believe you do?" Naraku asked her. "You said you would die in order to protect your friends, would they do the same for you?"

Kagome abruptly paused as she looked at him. They have been through more than any regular friends have gone through together. From demons to sacred jewels back to adventures and fights, but in the end they have gone through it with each other. Kagome knew that if it came down to it they each would defend the other until the death and she did not second guess it for a moment. "I know they would."

Naraku knew she was bluffing. What he didn't know was that she was lying to herself or simply lying to him. He raised an eyebrow to her as he grinned. "Even Inuyasha?"

Kagome was taken back by him asking that. _Why would he ask that,_ she thought. Naraku had known about their engagement, knew about their feelings for one and other and if Kagome would sacrifice her life for him and the others, it would only seem fit to assume Inuyasha would do that same. Kagome narrowed her eyes at him as she nodded. "Of course he would." she whispered through clenched teeth.

Naraku didn't believe her. He could see how much in denial she truly was and he wanted to bring her in to reality. "Tell me, Kagome. And what if he had to choose between dying for a friend..." He started as he began to walk towards her, he walked by as he made his way behind her and then stopped. He leaned his head down to her shoulder as he whispered in to her ear. "or becoming a full demon?"

Chills vibrated throughout Kagome's body at the thought. She had known that he had wanted to a full demon before, he always talked about it once the Shikon Jewel was completed but lately he did not say anything. He had proposed to her and they could not be together if he became a full demon. He would not choose to become a full demon now, if it meant one of the others or her losing their life.

Kagome rolled her shoulder to move him away from her. She spun around to glare at him, the hatred that she had for Naraku grew even stronger after hearing him ask that. How dare he. "He would never pick being a full demon over one of our lives!" she screamed at him as her hands shot out towards Naraku and pushed him away from her.

Naraku stopped a few feet back and couldn't help but try to hide the smirk that came across his lips at how upset she got over that. He was starting to get to her and he was having more fun than he thought he would have doing it. "You mean over _your_ life." He corrected her.

Kagome knew he didn't understand the relationship they had with each other. Yes, Inuyasha would favor her if it came down to it but no matter what he would still help the others as well, not just her. She rolled her eyes at him as she shook her head. "It doesn't matter if it was me or not, he would never choose to be a full demon over someone's life."

He was surprised that she was this blind to the truth. At first he assumed that she was just defending him but she really did think that Inuyasha wouldn't do that. She had very high expectations of him and Naraku was prepared to crush them all. He slowly stepped towards Kagome, trying to close the distance between them. "Oh but it does matter, Kagome." He reassured her as he stopped and leaned towards her. "He has wanted to be a full demon all along." He paused for a moment as he reached his hand out to take hold of a piece of her hair, tucking it behind her ear, he grabbed on to her chin and looked in to her eyes. "If it did came down to the one thing he has always wanted to be or death, do you really think he would choose death?" He leaned towards her as he whispered in to her ear. "Even if it was for you?"

* * *

><p>"Inuyasha, up ahead!" Shippo hollered to him from Miroku's shoulder.<p>

Inuyasha quickly came to a halt as they finally made it to the top of the mountain. The sky was filled with the miasma as it surrounded them. Standing on the edge of one of the cliffs Inuyasha could see the palace that Naraku must be hiding in, that he was holding Kagome captive in.

Sango walked over to him and stood along side the ledge of the cliff. She looked down in to the canyon below; it seemed to go on forever downward. Miroku and Shippo joined them as they caught up. Miroku was trying to catch his breathe as Shippo jumped from his shoulder over on to Inuyasha's shoulder as he stared off towards the palace. "Is that where Naraku is keeping Kagome?"

Sango grabbed Shippo off of Inuyasha's shoulder and placed him on her own. "It's where Naraku is, Shippo. We can only hope that he took Kagome here with him."

Inuyasha closed his eyes and concentrated. The wind howled through his ears as he tried to see if he could hear anything but all he could hear was rocks crumbling down the side of the mountain in to the canyon. He took a deep breathe and tried to pick up on Kagome's scent and then he exhaled but could not pick up anything. He moved in a different direction and took another breathe in but still could not get anything. And as he turned to look at Sango he caught a small whiff of her scent and it reassured him that she was in there.

Inuyasha couldn't help but let the smile escape on to his face. "She's in there." he told them. He went to leap across the canyon to the other side but he was stopped as Miroku took a strong hold on his shoulder, pulling him back from the edge. Inuyasha turned to see what had stopped him and when he seen Miroku holding on to him he lashed out. "Let go of me you stupid Monk!" he hollered, his voice echoed through out the canyon. "Kagome is in there!"

Miroku jolted his head backwards holding his ears from the incredibly loud scream that came from Inuyasha. Miroku shook his head and wiggled a finger in his ear to make sure he was not bleeding.

Inuyasha didn't have to time to sit and wait for him, he had made Kagome wait long enough. He tried to pull away from Miroku's grasp but the Monk did not want to let go. Inuyasha's strength over powered him and Miroku found himself being dragged back towards the edge of the cliff. "Inuyasha, enough!" he screamed in panic as they got closer to the edge.

"Let go of me if you're scared!" Inuyasha hollered back to him as he continued to pull Miroku along with him. Sango jumped in front of Inuyasha to stop him from going any further. As he stopped, Miroku was thrown forward and collided with Inuyasha.

Inuyasha just narrowed his eyes at Miroku as he rubbed his head from the collision. Seeing that Miroku was fine, Inuyasha tried to move past Sango. He went to go right, but she moved in front of him. He went to go left but she again stopped him. Inuyasha's anger started to rise with each minute that passed that he was waiting time and not looking for Kagome. He sighed as he looked at Sango. "Get out of my way."

"Inuyasha, you can't just go in there without a plan." Sango cautioned him; she wasn't scared of him.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow to her before he laughed. _How cute,_ he thought of her, thinking that he did not have a plan. He did not travel all of this distance and come this far to not have some sort of a strategy when he entered the palace in search of Kagome. He reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder, as he gave her a small grin. "Sango," he said gently as she looked back at him. "I have a plan."

Sango felt a rush of relief come over her as she let out a big sigh. "Oh thank god." she rejoiced as she laughed to herself at the thought of doubting him. Inuyasha laughed back at her as his hand went behind him as he scratched his head. "What is it?" she asked.

The laughter stopped from Inuyasha as a serious look came over him and he felt a little bit of tension form between them. He glanced over the canyon at the palace and seen an entry point that he could make from there. He brought his attention back to Sango as he smiled at her. "I'm going to kill him." and he jumped across the canyon to the other side, landing on the balcony of the palace. He looked around and did not sense anyone coming. He waved to the others that it was clear to come over before he turned and entered the palace.

All there was were hallways in every which way, but he didn't know which one to take. And then his ears picked up Kagome's faint voice from far away and he started running down one of the halls towards her. _I'm coming for you Kagome_.

* * *

><p>Naraku pulled away from Kagome so he could see the pain on her face that he knew he had to have caused her.<p>

Kagome stared at him, not blinking, not moving, and not breathing. She could not describe the feeling she had towards him because it surpassed the level of hatred she had for him before. Her mind was racing with all of things she wanted to do to him, to hurt him, of all of the things that she wished would happen to him, to destroy him, and all of things she thought about of him; he was a heartless monster.

And as soon as Kagome seen the first sign of a small creeping on to his face she slapped him as hard as she could.

Naraku was taken by surprised by the sudden impact as his head violently jolted to the side and within the same second he had brought his face back to look at her.

Kagome knew that Naraku was trying to get to her, trying to make her side with him and go against Inuyasha. It was all part of his plan, to try to find the one thing that could tear them apart from one and another but she wasn't going to let herself be tricked so easily by the likes of him. But out of all of the things Naraku could bring up, why bring up this? About Inuyasha wanting to be a full demon.

Then it clicked for her. Kagome stuck out a finger and pointed it at Naraku as she narrowed her eyes. "Is that your plan? To turn him in to a full demon?"

Naraku rubbed his cheek while he snickered as he turned away from her. "Yes." he simply replied.

"Why?" she asked questioningly.

Naraku glanced back to her. He could see that she really didn't know why he would want to turn him. He thought it would be quite obvious to her. He slightly shrugged his shoulders. "That is what he truly wants."

Kagome doubted that. After all of the time she had spent with Inuyasha, she knew what he would want. He had wanted to be a full demon at one point but not now, not after all that has happened between them. She raised her eyebrow as she was fascinated by Naraku's confidence in the matter. "And what if it is not what he wants?" she snapped at him.

The denial, he could see, was clouding more than just her common sense. She was growing more irritated with him; he through his hands up mockingly in defense. "Trust me, Kagome." he promised as he stared down at her. "There was once a time that being a full demon was all he ever wanted. Not you." He rolled his eyes. "And probably still is."

Kagome laughed at the idea at the mere thought of that being true. Highly unlikely. She raised an eyebrow at him as she looked him up and down and then met his stare. "And how would you know that?"

"Because I have tried to help him once before to become a full demon." Naraku admitted.

Kagome was hearing so many lies in one day, more than she could keep track of. She was tired of all of this back and forth and just wanted to get to the point so she went along with him. "Sure, you did."

Naraku grinned at her, for she was a terrible liar. "You don't believe me?" he questioned her.

Kagome just shook her head at him.

Naraku had waited for this moment. He cleared his throat as he motioned her to sit down where she had before. She looked at him to see if he was only doing this to distract her or drag this out any longer but she took his instruction and took a seat. Naraku crossed his arms as he stared down at her. "You were not with Inuyasha the first time he turned in to a full demon, the first time actually happened many years ago a few villages over.

When he had first turned in to a full demon, he was worse than what you had seen. Uncontrollable and blood thirsty. He kept it a secret from Kikyo as best as he could. He reeked havoc and massacred an entire village and I had heard of this demon causing trouble so I went to intervene. But when I arrived, it was simply a half demon unable to control his anger from turning in to a full demon so I had offered to help him. Said I could help him control his transformations so that he would not become that again.

He did not want that. He wanted to become a full demon, not just a weaker half-breed. I had told him about the Shikon Jewel and that with it I could turn him in to a full demon. But Kikyo guarded it. She did not want him to let the darkness in his heart take over, for fear of what he may become. He was in love with her and did not want to hurt her but he wanted the power that being a full demon gave him forever. I told him to get the jewel and once he was a full demon, he would explain that it was simply me looking like Inuyasha that stole the jewel."

Naraku had Kagome hanging on every word he said. He smiled to himself as he continued. "But then he wasn't careful. And he injured Kikyo, resulting in her going after him and then having him pinned against the Sacred Tree for fifty years and leaving Kikyo to die alone. Without him."

Kagome refused to believe that Inuyasha was capable of something so horrible. Something so inhuman. "No," she muttered, trying to find the words to say. "no.. you're lying. He would never do that. He loved Kikyo."

Naraku could see her battling with herself over if it was true or not. She really did not know. "Believe what you want, Kagome." Naraku told her. "But we will see what he wants."

Part of her wanted to believe in the idea of Inuyasha only wanting to be with her, to believe in the good side of him and to believe that this is enough for him. But there was another part, small but still a part, that thought that maybe this was true. That maybe he did want to still become a full demon but also did not want to lose her and he could not have it both ways. Maybe he was settling for her; giving up the first thing he wants for the second. And if this were true, he would eventually resent her in time for being the one reason why he did not become a full demon.

And if Naraku only wanted to turn him in to a full demon, why was she involved? "Then why would you need me here?" she asked him as she stood up.

Naraku could not believe that she did not understand why he had taken her captive after the story he had just told her. She was basically Kikyo now to Inuyasha and he had chosen to be a full demon over the love of his life before, but Kagome did not see that? He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them to look back at her. "To a full demon, love it weakness. He has to want to be a full demon more than he wants to be with you. If he loves you more than he loves power then me trying to turn him permanently will not work."

"NARAKU!" came a scream from the hallway as Inuyasha barged through the door in to the room. At first glance he could see Kagome was alive but as he looked closer at her he could see she was filthy and that she was holding her hand. He could smell the dried up blood from her injuries. Seeing her like that made Inuyasha's blood boil as he narrowed his gaze at Naraku. "You will pay for taking her."

Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga out of its sheath and began to run towards Naraku as fast as he could. He pulled Tetsusaiga above his head as he jumped in to the air above Naraku. "TETSUSA-"

"SIT BOY!" Kagome yelled over him. Inuyasha crashed in to the ground as Tetsusaiga went back in to its dormant from beside him. Kagome ran over to him to see if he was alright, moving panels of wood and debris away from him. Inuyasha grumbled under his breathe as he pushed himself up off the ground with his hands as he came face to face with Kagome.

He was so happy to see that she was fine, for the most part, and alive. He wouldn't know what he would have done if he did not make it there in time. She smiled back at him, forgetting all about the story that Naraku just made her aware of and just looked at him, mesmerized by his eyes. She finally felt safe for the first time since she was captured and she was so thankful he was able to find her.

Inuyasha then realized he was smiling at her like an idiot in front of Naraku who had captured her and then she commanded him to sit after he was trying to protect her. "What did you did that for, Kagome?" he yelled at her as he quickly got to his feet.

Kagome was amazed that he was getting mad at her over nothing. "Me?" she asked him as she stood up and pointed a finger at him. "You're the one who barged in here waving you're stupid sword around!"

Inuyasha's jaw dropped opened from shock. Was she really getting mad at him over trying to save her? She was captured and held hostage and he tries to save her and what does he get in return? A sit. He was thrown back at how unreasonable she was being. "What are you rambling on about? I barged in here with my sword waving around to try to save you, idiot!"

Kagome knew she was going to regret asking this but she needed to the know. After everything she had gone through with being captured she had held on to the idea of Inuyasha loving her and doing anything he could to save her, that if he had to he would die for her. And now, with everything Naraku had said to her, she questioned that. She reached out and grabbed Inuyasha's hand as she looked at him. "I want to know the truth, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha didn't have time for her meaningful moments or honest hour. He wanted to destroy Naraku and take her back to the village as soon as possible and he figured she would want to, too, after being kept a prisoner to their worst enemy. Inuyasha was annoyed and didn't understand what was so important that they needed to talk about right then. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Are you out of your mind? I'm trying to save you! The truth about what?"

Kagome glanced over at Naraku as he gestured her towards Inuyasha. He was very excited to see how this would turn out.

Kagome didn't want to ask. She didn't want to know because what if it was all true? She started to second guess herself about asking him but then out of no where she blurted it out. "The truth about you being the one to kill Kikyo." and once she said it she regretted it, she wanted to take it back.

Inuyasha just stood there, staring back at her, at the edge of another very steep cliff.


End file.
