A Feather Cage by Zorknot DISCLAIMER: The characters of Inuyasha were originally conceived by Takahashi Rumiko. WARNING:This takes place sometime after episode 66 of the anime. So there are some spoilers. Also note that I'm basing this on the anime and not the manga and that while I try to follow cannon, I may change a few things for kicks. Feel free to flame me if this pisses you off. This is just a small fic about one of my favorite Inuyasha characters. I like it and I hope you will too. ~~~~~[BEGIN]~~~~~ Kagura stepped out into the courtyard of Naraku’s castle. It was night and the stars looked down on her in disdain. “You do not belong among us,” they sang in their dark perches, “You are an abomination... a collection of parts given life through the hatred of a weak human. The soul of that man still exists in the demon you call master.” Naraku She had her chance to escape him that night of the new moon, and lost it. She barely had the chance to enjoy her freedom, and then it was gone. Damn Seshoumaru, damn Kouga, damn Naraku...and damn Kagura. This Kagura, so proud, so sure, so free... had lowered herself to asking for the aid of the dog Sesshoumaru, and the mutt told her to defeat her master herself! As if it was something easy, as if she were stupid...as if she were afraid. The agony of it is that she WAS afraid. She longed to be free of Naraku’s limited vision, of his maddening, sickening one track mind. But she had the same spider shaped scar on her back, and she was not sure how else she might be connected. If she attacked Naraku herself that night maybe she’d have been successful, or maybe she would have died. Even that dark unknown was something she would be willing to risk now. But to return to that dreadful half existence inside Naraku’s body, that endless string of pain, hunger, and need among thousands of spirits all struggling for dominion... She had seen the inside of Hell and did not want to go back. She took a white feather out from behind her ear. It was a simple, ordinary-looking feather. It came from no bird. It was as much a part of her as she is a part of Naraku, but she could lose the feather. She could toss it to the winds and an errant traveler might pick it up and think nothing of it. This Kagura would simply produce another and life would progress. Naraku could not produce another Kagura, and so she was stuck. Naraku was strong even as he stagnated behind his barrier, planning his next move. He would not free her, even if she became unnecessary. He needed the control... he craved power. He took no time to appreciate what existed in the world before he raped it, consumed it, and immolated it in the fires of his being. And if she ever became unnecessary he might do exactly that to her. Kagura stroked the feather’s soft surface with her hand, frowning. There had to be a way out. Someway she could sneak past his defenses, overcome his control...But she couldn’t think of anything. Her only hope rested with Inuyasha and his companions. Those idiots... She had found them humorous in the beginning. They seemed to flail about like rats in a maze, going one way, then another as soon as that way proved blocked. Not once did it ever seem they had any idea of what was really going on, that at the center of the maze lay death. She played handmaiden to the Minotaur out of amusement, and at first it had been amusing...but then... She met defeat at their hands far too often. Once or twice and it could be coincidence or luck, but only a fool would believe that luck alone got them as far as they have gotten. In her heart she knew who would win in a battle between her and Inuyasha. She would never openly admit it, but she knew. Kagura was a proud demon, but lately she was beginning to see herself as one of the rats...except she was trying to find a way out. She threw the feather to the ground and it enlarged until she could sit on it comfortably with room to spare. It rose into the air at her command, and she luxuriated in the feel of the cool, crisp wind at her face. She looked down at the towns with their meager torch lights, their pathetic, fragile signs of life. She used to laugh at them. She used to think of how with a simple action she could blow those lights out, then she could kill each and every one of the villagers, reanimate their bodies and use the undead army to destroy village after village until all humans were mere puppets under her control... Now she couldn’t laugh. Now she felt beaten down. Now the flames seemed to beckon her...”Come down, feel our warmth. We will give you shelter. We will give you strength. We forgive you. Join us!” But of course she couldn’t. Even if she wanted to, she could not. Not as long as Naraku lived. Not as long as she remained a prisoner. Flying used to make her feel so powerful, so free. Now caught between the strong, constant light of the heavens and the weak, mercurial flames of the earth, she felt the cold metal bars of her cage close in on her, pressing against her skin and squeezing... Looking up at the stars, she realized she held no love for them anymore. They had abandoned her. Or maybe she never really belonged among them. She floated downward before she even realized what she was doing. She landed in the center of a small village, torches lighting the sign of a tavern. She stepped off the feather and picked it up once it returned to normal size. She almost put it back behind her ear but then reconsidered. She stared at the ridges radiating out, at the fluff of down where the stem met the blade. She could not be free, but she wants to pretend. As long as she had this feather she could not do that. She held it out at arms length. She took in a breath, and then let it go. It curled and twisted away in the light evening wind. Turning back to the tavern, she ripped a strip off her kimono and tied it around her head to cover her pointy ears. Naraku would know what she was doing. That backstabbing brat Kanna would see to that. But this Kagura could just say she was gathering information, and in the meantime, maybe she could forget for a moment...who she really was. Maybe... she could forget the stars existed. ~~~~~[END]~~~~~ AN: This was intended to be a one shot but I do have some rough ideas for another chapter. I've already got like nine fics I'm working on but who knows what might happen. I hope you enjoyed it anyway. The only way I know how well I'm doing is by reviews so it'd be really cool if you gave me one. Thanks for reading, and may your computer be forever functional.