Day 74

lllll lll

With not even the smallest light to write by, Naraku was forced to satisfy himself with scraping tally marks in the wall to record time. Eight days. Eight torturous days of no light, no food, no water, and most importantly, no Inuyasha.

His only comfort as the hours stretched on was imagining himself murdering the wench, Kagome. He imagined finally escaping from his cursed prison. She would be there, waiting for him, when he escaped. He would first cut out her tongue, so he would never hear her annoying voice again. Then he would gouge her eyes out and shove them down her throat. He would tear her limb from limb, with agonizing slowness, starting with her fingers and toes, then her feet at the ankles, and her hands, at the wrists. Then the forearm, then the remaining arms, making sure she felt every second of pain.

Those were the fantasies he tried to concentrate on, but worse were the ones when he imagined Inuyasha getting attacked by that demon, without Naraku to protect him. It was difficult focusing on anything else some days.

He tried to force his demonic energy against the barrier, to weaken it once again, but it was useless. All he did was lose strength.

He was peeling off the witch's toenails, one by one. He was watching her slowly roast over a large fire. Her skin was blistering and cracking—

What is that horrid demon actually forced Inuyasha to mate with him? And Inuyasha was being violated right now, with Naraku stuck, helpless in his prison.

He tried once more to break the barrier.

Day 78

Inuyasha is safe. Sent a servant down with a lantern.

That day, the demon Totosai had snuck inside with a small lantern and a letter. He told Naraku that Inuyasha was safe, but imprisoned in a village hut. According to Inuyasha, they had caught him trying to break down Naraku's barrier with the red Tetsusaiga one too many times. Inuyasha had gone to great lengths to find someone willing to send down a lantern for Naraku. Totosai was the only one remotely willing, and only after much convincing and threatening.

To Naraku's relief, the demon had not come back since Inuyasha had used Bakuryuuha to fight him off. Inuyasha explained that the demon tended to stay far away from Kagome. At least the witch was good for something.

Enclosed in the letter was some poetry Inuyasha had copied out, thinking Naraku would enjoy it.

The gesture was so simple, but so thoughtful that it made Naraku's heart leap. He read the poetry hungrily, eager to see the poems Inuyasha had thought Naraku would enjoy. Naraku laughed at the choices.

"Porphyria's Lover," "The Raven," "On the Late Massacre at Piedmont," and a child's poem, "The Cat Came Back" were the ones Inuyasha had chosen. All poems on violence and death. Naraku hadn't heard of the last one, but found himself laughing at it all the same. The premise was that an old man kept trying to give this cat away to people, but it kept coming back. He laughed as each verse became more violent than the last.

He gave it to a little boy with a dollar note,
Told him for to take it up the river in a boat;
They tied a rope around its neck, it must have weighed a pound
Now they drag the river for a little boy that's drowned.

If only such a cat could kill the witch.

Day 80

I have broken down the barrier enough to let sound in. Finally.

Finally, Naraku could hear the happenings of the outside world. The first thing he listened for was Inuyasha's voice, and sure enough, he heard it.

"Hag!" Naraku smiled a little. Of course, the first thing he heard Inuyasha say would be an insult.

"Yes, yes, I know you are upset, Inuyasha, but I can't help you."

"Come on! You have miko powers. Can't you at least weaken the barrier?" Inuyasha pestered. "I can do the rest."

"Inuyasha, do you even realize what you're saying? You are talking about releasing Naraku. Your enemy. The monster who killed hundreds of people. You spent a full year trying to kill him. And now you want to release him?"

"Yeah." Inuyasha said it so matter of fatly, it surprised even Naraku. Did the hanyou not have any sense? By all rights, he should hate him more than Kagome.

"Why? Do you not remember that he is the reason your life with Kikyo was destroyed?" Naraku felt a weight settle in his stomach. It wasn't guilt. He was not capable of such emotion. But—it wrong, knowing that he had ruined the life of someone he was so indebted to, now.

"Look Kaede, here's the thing. I don't do long, thought out revenges. I get angry, I strike back, and then I'm done. I'm not smart enough to hold a grudge."

"He ruined your life!"

"Not really. My life is fine now, isn't it? See what I mean? I just can't hold too many things in my mind."

"Very well. Then do not keep him on your mind. Ignore it. It should be simple, should it not?"

"It's not. So, help me break the barrier."

"I cannot do that, Inuyasha, I am sorry."

"You…senile hag! I freaking saved your life a hundred times, and you can't even help me take down one puny barrier?!"

"Inuyasha. You do not realize—"

"What do you know?! You haven't ever seen him. You don't know that he'll kill people when he comes out!"

"That's right. I don't know. And I'm not willing to risk the lives of innocent people on your hunch."

That quieted Inuyasha down, but Naraku heard him grumbling insults under his breath. The interaction made him smile. Inuyasha had not given up on him. He stillwas trying his best to get Naraku out of the prison. Naraku felt his hope begin to resurface.

He tried to break the barrier once more.

Day 82

That spoiled, supercilious, self-righteous little witch deserves to die.

Naraku stewed in his prison. How had he not realized before how infuriatingly she treated Inuyasha. It was as if she thought him to be her pet. No, worse than a pet. One wouldn't abuse their pets like she abused Inuyasha.

"Hey, Inuyasha, sing me a song." She ordered, and Naraku punched the wall. It was things like this that bothered him the most—how she would casually order Inuyasha around in the most degrading ways, thinking nothing of it.

"I don't want to." Inuyasha answered.

"Do it, Inuyasha." Kagome ordered again, voice dangerous. Naraku heard a sigh from Inuyasha, and he wished he was there to protect the hanyou from the witch.

"Fine. What do you want me to sing?" Inuyasha agreed reluctantly.

"Ummm…How about 'I'm a Barbie Girl?'"

"No."

"Aww, come on, Inuyasha not even for me?"

"No. Never." There was silence for a while, and then Kagome offered,

"If you do, I'll break the barrier to Naraku's prison."

"Really?" Inuyasha asked. Naraku narrowed his eyes. There was something strange about this. After putting up such a fuss, she is now willing to release him on a whim? Naraku wished he could tell Inuyasha not to listen to her. But he couldn't. Inuyasha sang the embarrassing song for her, start to finish. Naraku felt his face heat in embarrassment for Inuyasha.

Sure enough, at the end, Kagome just laughed, "Wow, I can't believe you actually did it!"

"So now, you have to release him. Just like you promised." Inuyasha said seriously, only to have her laugh more.

"And you believed me? I was just messing with you, idiot." Oh, that was it. Naraku felt his youki flare up, and felt cracks begin to form in the barrier. This was the last straw. You just don't do stuff like that! Suddenly, another voice joined them.

"That is it, miko child." Came the rumbling voice of the demon Naraku hated so much. Not him. "I have listened to you bully my precious little wifey quite enough. I will not settle for it anymore."

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?" She challenged. The pervert demon hesitated, then there was rustling and a squawk from Inuyasha, and he answered again.

"Steal him from you."

Naraku's youki surged around him like a hurricane, pressing up against the walls, but ven that could not compare to his rage as Inuyasha was kidnapped by the person Naraku hated the most in this world.

The barrier broke with a resounding crack