Author's Note: Whoot! I'm not dead despite college's attempts to do so! So umm...not many notes to make about this chapter actualy...so enjoy!

Chapter 12: Evil Unveiled

Kagome came to to the sounds of Inuyasha's cursing and growling, only dimly remembering what had happened. She struggled to sit up, but a wave of pain and dizziness spread through her head, forcing herself to lie back down before she had a chance to observe her surroundings.

"Don't force yourself," Sen's voice came out of the darkness, "Give your body a chance to take account of where it's injured."

"Where did you learn all this?" This time Miruk's voice. "Not just the first aid, but you're tolerating your own pain rather well."

"I've studied various forms of martial arts. You get used to it after a while." There was a pause. "So I may assume that your other friend is another demon?"

Kagome's eyes flashed back open. "How did you know?!"

Sen smiled slightly. "Normal clothing do not a human make, and since he lost that charming baseball cap when we were caught, his ears are now quite visible." She pointed to something behind Kagome. "Even if I assumed that the person dressed up as a demon at the festival was simply that, his persistence and strength is proving to be quite inhuman."

Her body now accustomed to the pain in her head, Kagome managed to sit up and look around.

It was extremely dark, the only light was coming from a single, flickering torch in the hallway, casting shadows from the bars across the room's entryway; obviously a cell. She could dimly make out Miruk and Sen sitting nearby, but at first didn't see Inuyasha.

However, when she turned in the direction Sen was looking a few moments earlier, she realized why he was making such a fuss. He was isolated in a small space in the corner of the cell, separated form the other three by a transparent, slightly glowing, purple barrier of some sort. To Kagome, it simply looked like purple light, but it was obviously quite solid, proven by Inuyasha hitting it with all he could.

Once he was aware of Kagome watching him, he suddenly stopped and sat down, obviously sulking.

"I'm sure you're happy I'm in this situation…'under control'…" Obviously sound could still pass through even if physical objects couldn't.

Kagome would have stormed over to yell at him if she didn't suddenly become aware of the heavy weight on one of her legs, presumably a manacle judging by the cold, iron feel. She also considered sitting him, but decided the entire situation was punishment enough.

So she simply replied, "I might…if I wasn't in the same situation."

"At least you have room to move."

"Not really," Miruk interrupted. Kagome could make out him moving, accompanied by a clinking sound. "These chains aren't very long. Besides, what could we do? Sure the bars are wooden, but they seem pretty sturdy. I'm sure you're the only one who could-"

"You're' bleeding!" Kagome suddenly interrupted, noticing the dark smears on Inuyasha's arms and hands.

He barely glanced down, shrugging it off. "Give it a few hours…they'll heal up soon enough."

"I told you not to move around so much," Sen replied just as calmly. "You seem to have re-opened those injuries he gave you."

"I've been through worse. I told you, they just need a few hours."

Kagome was shocked they could be taking it this calmly. If it was her that was bleeding like that…

Sen seemed to sense what she was thinking. "Demons are able to withstand injuries better than we are, even hanyous like him. Their bodies respond quickly, and it takes a faction of the time to heal as it would take our bodies."

"But he's still hurt," Kagome said, sounding a little less worried, but still worried just the same.

"What can you do about it?" Miruk asked, "That barrier isn't just to keep him in, it's to keep us out as well."

"Have you even tried?" she snapped, forcing herself to stand and head towards the hanyou.

"No, but that's because we can't get close enough," Miruk informed her, a little too late as Kagome reached the end of the chain and almost tripped forward.

"I didn't ask for this!" she yelled, sitting down where she stood, "The hardest thing I was supposed to go through was getting into a good high school! Now I have to deal with demons, memory-dreams of a past life, being kidnapped…and figuring out what on earth I did to hurt myself!" she finished as her side decided to give a relatively nasty throb. She whipped her head around to glare at Inuyasha again. "This is all your fault!"

"How the hell is it my fault?" Inuyasha yelled back. "You're the one who unsealed me. Then if we bring your charming past self into the picture, Kikyou's the one who attacked me first!"

"You did!" Kagome continued to yell, standing up again in her frustration.

"Even if I did," Inuyasha growled, also standing up so that he was eye level with her, "Kikyou had the chance to kill me! If she had, your problems would be over, so blame yourself!"

"And I'd heard you two got along so well."

Everyone's gaze was now directed toward the front of the cell. The youth from before stood on the other side of the bars, smirking.

Inuyasha's growling intensified and Miruk stepped to the front, putting himself between Akago and the two girls.

"But then again, you two had parted rather unhappily, correct? So I guess it would stand to reason you despise each other."

"Why are you keeping us here?" Miruk asked, an edge to his voice.

"You? Actually…you and the brown haired female I'm sure are just here for my master's amusement. That and we couldn't leave behind any witnesses." He laughed, "Our main targets were the hanyou and the priestess…actually, mainly the priestess."

Kagome felt herself grow pale. "If this is because of Kikyou, just because I seem to be a reincarnation of her does not mean that I'm identical! I'm not a priestess!"

Akago shrugged. "Alright, maybe you aren't identical to her, but the fact is you still are her reincarnation…" he trailed off, leering.

"What use would you, or your master, need for a long dead priestess' reincarnation?" Sen asked, still sounding relatively calm despite the situation. "Revenge?"

Akago laughed. "Hardly. He had his revenge centuries ago."

"Then what-"

"I'll let him tell you. After all, I was sent down to summon you."

"Make us." Inuyasha replied promptly, the threat very obvious. "You can't handle all of us."

Akago nodded. "You're right. Since I need to keep you alive, bringing you along is my limit. This is why I brought my darling younger sister to help. Kanna?"

He moved to the side to allow a girl a few years older than him to step forward. She was white. Not just her clothing, but her skin, hair…everything except her eyes. Those were jet black and empty. Like a void. She held a mirror in front of her.

Inuyasha snorted. "What do you expect a frail looking girl like that to do anything about it?"

Akago didn't answer, but the girl instead held up the mirror.

Kagome tried to see what was happening over Miruk's shoulder. She caught a glimpse of the mirror's reflection seemingly zooming in on Miruk's and Sen's faces, then a pale light.

"You have them?" Akago asked.

"Yes," the girl replied softly.

"Good. Have them escort our guest upstairs while I keep the hanyou in check."

Before Kagome could react, Miruk and Sen had grabbed hold of her arms, their eyes as blank as the girl's.

"What did you do to them?" she asked, struggling. However she learned that both were much stronger than her.

"Just relieved them of their souls for the time being." Akago replied calmly as he tossed a key to Miruk, who promptly started unlocking the chains holding him, Sen, and Kagome.

Kagome looked stunned. Of course more than enough of the old myths and legends involved possession by demons, stealing, or even eating human souls, but the demons she'd met before didn't seem capable of that power. As a result she assumed that the stories were just that, stores. But now she was faced with proof that indicated otherwise.

Even so, she still tried to disbelieve as the two started to pull her out of the cell and down to the exit. "Miruk! Sen! Listen to me! You're…you're just…hypnotized! Yes, that's it! Come on, you can snap out of it! You ca-"

A strong blow to the chest from Sen knocked the wind out of her, leaving Kagome stunned and breathless.

Akago nodded. "Good. That takes care of the nose." He turned to the last captive. "It's your turn then."

"I'm not going anywhere, bastard!" the hanyou growled.

"From what I've heard of your family, that name might fit you better," the youth replied cheerfully. "And as far as going somewhere, I'm going to have to insist. After all, its bad manners to keep one's host waiting."

Inuyasha didn't move, his glare and growling an obvious sign he wasn't going to budge.

Akago shook his head. "Fine. If you insist on the hard way." The barrier around Inuyasha pulled outwards, forming behind and underneath him in the process until he was encased in a sphere of the purple light. The barrier sphere was also levitating only a few centimeters off the ground, so he had nothing to brace himself against from moving.

Inuyasha's cursing and growling echoed through the halls as Akago lead him up through the castle. However, the hanyou did take note that the building seemed to be in the style of his own time period, despite being in a different era.

Eventually, the maze of hallways opened up into a large front hall, almost reminiscent of a throne room. It was dimly lit, with most of the shadows gathered at the other end of the room. Scattered throughout were pillars, either for decoration or support, and when Inuyasha and Akago arrived, Kagome, Miruk, and Sen were all bound to a cluster of four near the shadowed area. Judging from the looks on their faces, Miruk and Sen both had had their souls returned to them. Sen also appeared to be apologizing to Kagome, probably for hitting her so hard.

Akago set Inuyasha down next to them, still in the barrier bubble, before moving in front of the shadows and bowing. "Those you ordered us to track are here, Naraku-sama."

The captured four watched silently as a figure approached from the shadows. At first, he looked like a normal man with long, black hair, however his eyes were too cold to be a humans. As the rest of him appeared, garbed in ancient armor with spikes and dragon tails attached, Kagome shivered at the feeling that came with him. His appearance was frightening enough, but it was almost as if he were smothered in a thick blanket of an evil aura. Seeing the slightly nauseous look on Miruk's face and the uneasy tensing of Inuyasha, Kagome realized they could sense it too. She figured Sen wasn't reacting as much because she didn't mention or show spiritual or demonic senses.

A cruel smile played across the demon's face as he approached his prisoners. "How wonderful it is for us all to meet again after all these centuries…monk…taijiya…hanyou…" His gaze lingered longest on Kagome, giving her chills. "Priestess…"

"I don't know you bastard from anywhere!" Inuyasha growled. Kagome agreed, but had a feeling this was more about Kikyou than herself.

However, Miruk and Sen paled slightly as their dream-memories surfaced. He may have looked different, but they recognized those cold eyes devoid of feeling.

"You're the same demon who killed my brother!" Sen yelled.

Funny…I thought Sen was an only child…

The demon laughed. "As, so you remember that. Well, if I remember correctly, it was your weapon that actually ended his life," he sneered. "And he's not your brother in this life, so what value does his life have to you?"

"A life is still a life! No one has the right to go manipulating others!"

He pretended to not hear her. "If the taijiya remembers, then I wonder if the others do as well. Such as you," he turned his attention to Miruk. "Do you recall the kazaana?"

Miruk didn't recognize the word, but had the memory of the feeling of being pulled into an empty void came back to him and he knew exactly what the demon was talking about.

"And then, my favorite couple…the dog and his bitch. Or maybe the priestess and her pet?" he leered, almost proudly, at the two of them. "Your end had to have been one of the best I'd orchestrated."

"What the hell are you talking about? Kikyou killed me, not some stinking demon."

The eyes grew colder as they flashed with anger. "She didn't kill you though, did she? No…the fool still had compassion for you even after you betrayed her and she simply sealed you. And then she proceeds to ruin my plans entirely by bringing the Shikon Jewel with her."

This story is matching with my dream memories perfectly, Kagome realized, but why do some parts of it also match up with Inuyasha's story?

"Is that why you've brought us here? Just to continue making us suffer from our past lives? Why worry about it? We didn't even know of your existence until now." Miruk pointed out.

"Your lives mean nothing to me. Even back then, I was simply ridding myself of a few irritations. I'm more interested in what your priestess has."

"Too scared to protest she wasn't a priestess, Kagome now realized the entirety of his attention was on her. "I don't…don't have anything."

"You most certainly do. You may not have been aware of it all this time, but your soul has protected it ever since Kikyou passed into the next world. But, I'm certain a mortal body could only keep it within itself for so long." He smirked. "Allow me to rid you of such a burden."

Before anyone could react, not that they could do anything about it in the first place, Naraku flung an arm towards Kagome, the lower half warping and shifting into what looked like a flesh colored talon, before digging into Kagome's side.

She yelled in pain, not noticing the small, blood speckled stone that fell out of the wound.

Miruk started intently at the stone. It can't be…

Sen hardly noticed it, her attention more focused on Kagome's injury, struggling against her chains. She can loose a lot of blood if we can't get out of this in time…

A look of hunger and greed came across Inuyasha's face even as he fought with the part of his mind that was angered by the fact that Kagome was hurt.

The same expression flared up in Akago's eyes, except without any trace of sympathy for the human girl.

Kanna remained expressionless.

What looked like triumph appeared on Naraku's face. "At long last…all these centuries of waiting…" The limp that had injured Kagome lowered to pick the gem up, but recoiled as it lit up with a flash of bright light. "Of course…all these years inside of here, it would be too pure." He turned to the pale girl as his arm returned to normal. "Kanna, please hold onto it for now. We can work on it later."

"But Naraku-sama," Akago spoke up, "aren't you worried that with the Jewel she'll-"

Naraku cut him off with a glare. "Did I address you? No. And you have nothing to worry about. After all, anything times nothing is still nothing."

Akago looked medley irritated about something but didn't speak again. Kanna meanwhile had aimed the mirror at the Jewel, where it faded and disappeared, reappearing as a reflection in her mirror. Without a word, she then turned and left the hall.

Naraku's attention went back to Kagome as he reached out and titled Kagome's chin up. The pain in her side made it impossible to struggle. "And lucky me. Since it seems I have no need to trick you two into killing each other again, I'll have the pleasure of dealing with you personally." Instantly his hand was around her neck.

Various yells were heard from her companions, although Naraku simply smirked.

Kagome tried to gasp for air, but nothing was able to reach her lungs and her sight was beginning to grow blurry.

"Master?" Naraku turned his attention to Kanna, who had reappeared and spoken up, and his hold on Kagome loosened somewhat.

He didn't notice the chains around Miruk and Sen unbind themselves for a moment before returning to normal.

"There are intruders trying to get into the castle."

Naraku narrowed his eyes, now completely letting go of Kagome, who hung against her chains gasping for breath. "I want to savor your death priestess. You shall die once the intruders are dealt with," he told the girl before turning his attention to his two underlings. "Akago, go take care of them."

The youth gave a quick bow before leaving.

Kanna spoke up. "Are you not going to take care of them yo-"

Her voice was cut off as one of Naraku's arms shifted and he impaled her through the chest.

"Obviously an impromptu rescue since you didn't bother learning about your disguise target beforehand." He said dryly. "Isn't that right, kitsune?" As he turned back around, Kanna disappeared to be replaced by a small doll looking figure which crumbled as it fell off of his arm.

Shippou didn't bother to finish picking Kagome's lock as he'd done for Miruk and Sen. Quickly he discarded the pick and dropped the illusion that made it seem like the two humans were still chained to the pillars, concentrated, and then sent a large handful of blue fire at Kagome's chains. When the metal weakened, he was able to break the chains and hand Kagome off to Miruk. "You two go. Someone's waiting to take you back."

Without needing to be told twice, Miruk and Sen bolted for the exit.

"You won't even make it that far," Naraku said coldly, sending his arm hurtling towards the three humans. Shippou tried to stop it in time, but knew it was no use.

He wasn't counting on the blur to cleave its way through the limb.

"Keep away from them," a now free Inuyasha growled. He didn't know why he was being so protective. It was just instinct.

Naraku narrowed his eyes. "If you're free, then Akago's…" He laughed coldly. "It doesn't matter. I have what I want, I can take my time hunting and killing you." He spread his arms mockingly. "Unless you wish to die now by attacking me?"

"I'll take you up on your offer, but I'm not dying anytime soon!" Inuyasha lunged at Naraku, claws at the ready. He expected an attack…from Naraku at least.

What he wasn't expecting was for several strips of paper to shoot through the air from behind him.

"Why aren't you with the others?" He heard Shippou snap.

"Sen can take care of herself and Kagome," came Miruk's reply, "and if we don't take care of him first, he'll still come and hunt us down for fun."

This conversation only took a few seconds, during which Naraku had thrown up a barrier around himself, the sutras cracking against it.

"Are you so eager to be like your former self?" he asked, the amusement in his voice catching their attention. "Very well. You'll be able to experience what your grandfather felt when he got his."

My grandfather? One was an accountant and the other was a lawyer, some distant part of his mind pointed out, they didn't deal with demons.

This brief distraction made him unable to dodge the sutras now thrown back towards him, one piercing right through his hand.

"Aaarggghh!" Yelling in pain, he doubled over, clutching his bleeding right hand to his body.

"I told you not to come back didn't I?" Shippou yelled as he hurried over to support him. He then turned to Inuyasha. "You! Hanyou! Cover your backs," he yelled before retreating to find Kirara and the other two humans.

Inuyasha only half heard, his eyes locked with Naraku's.

Naraku leered. "I already told you I have what I want and that it'll be a simply matter to hunt you down, but again I give you the offer to attack me if you're eager to die."

"I'm not eager to die, but that's not why I'm backing out," Inuyasha snapped, before following Shippou and Miruk. Why am I feeling so protective of these people?

Naraku simply waited until they left, even opening an obvious gap in the barrier for them to leave through. The chase is fun, so long as it's not dragged out. And with the Shikon Jewel, this is guaranteed to be a short hunt. A pleased look came over his face. And speaking of the Jewel…

"Kanna!" He summoned, both mental and verbally.

It took her a little longer than normal to appear, but his look of triumph faded quickly once he saw the cracked mirror she held in her hands.