InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Chancery ❯ Waking Up ( Chapter 5 )

Chancery
- Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices - just recognize them. - Edward R. Murrow

Chapter 5
Waking Up¡¡

/I hurt all over./ Kagome thought with a mental groan. /Though, I seem to be more aware of my body now./

Kagome focused on trying to observe her surroundings with her other senses, as her eyes still refused to open. She felt herself lying on a soft, smooth surface. The air around her felt cool against her skin, which seemed to be burning. She could not hear nor feel anyone around her in what she could only assumed to be some sort of a room. She could feel a familiar aura around the place though, and it was setting her on edge.

/Where am I?/ She wondered again, /How did I end up here?/

She tried to think back to the events that caused her to end up like this, and felt the pain and anger at Inuyasha's ultimate betrayal pour back into her, almost knocking the breath out of her.

/That's right, Inuyasha abandoned me to die by the hands of Kikyou. I don't think I'm dead ... so what happened after I passed out? I remember ... someone picking me up./

Triggered by that thought, an image of a red-eyed devil flashed in her mind's eye.

/Shimatta! Naraku! Am I in Naraku's hands now?/

She started to panic, but her physical body showed no indication of her emotional turmoil, the only indication of her hysteria was the now uneven and shallow breathing she had.

Kagome tried to force her eyes open, feeling her eyelids twitch with her effort, but they still remained shut.

/Chikushou ... Open! You stupid eyes!/

At last, she could see pinpricks of light between her lids. The vague light grew painfully bright as her eyes opened wider, and she was forced to shut them in pain. Just as she was about to try again, she heard the sound of doors sliding open and someone padding in quietly.

/Dammit, I can't be so weak while Naraku could very well be right beside me!/

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Naraku checked on the little girl of Sesshoumaru's briefly, making sure she was well taken care of and moved from the forbidding dungeons into an unused servant's room of his castle. It would not do for her to get sick and die on him, with Sesshoumaru so close on his tail.

Next he went to check and enforce the barriers around his fortress to prevent discovery. Even though the castle moved randomly every couple of days, Sesshoumaru and his runners had gotten too close for comfort a few times.

Satisfied that everything was in order, Naraku returned swift back to the miko's room. He loathed to leave her side, but he must make sure of the smooth running of his castle once in a while. He arrived at her room in moments, sliding open the door and walking to her side.

Naraku noticed that the miko seemed ... different. Something was amiss.

"Kagome?" He called softly, concern colouring his voice. "Are you awake?"

Settling down by her side, he picked up her hand like he always did, whenever he sat by her. Stroking her face softly with the other, he paused at the moisture he felt.

"What has caused you to strain so much?" He muttered, now hearing her uneven breathing and seeing the strained expression on her face.

Kagome forced herself to relax, so Naraku would not know she was indeed awake. She was shocked by his seemingly tender ministrations, caressing her face so gently and innocently. She was also very disturbed by the concern she could detect in his voice.

/He could not possibly be worried about me, it must be an act to make me let my guards down. I will not fall for it!/ Kagome decided, her bodying lying unmoving and peaceful as if in sleep. Her breathing had now calmed almost back to normal.

"I guess you're still sleeping ..." Heaving a sigh, Naraku settled back to watch over her again.

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Kagome pretended to sleep for a while, but soon realised that Naraku was not going to leave her side anytime soon. Her body had been gradually waking up since her consciousness returned, and she had regained control of her body. Deciding she could not pretend to sleep forever - her body was starting to cramp up badly - she tried to open her eyes again.

This time, she was successful in forcing her eyes open without any pain. Blinking in the sudden light, she allowed her eyes to adjust. She turned her head toward where she felt Naraku was, and was immensely surprised to see him lodged on a chair leaning to one side, fast asleep, with her hand securely grasped in his.

Not sure what to make of the situation, she took care not to wake him as she looked around the room she was in. The room was spacious, rather dimly lit, with small windows on the wall above her feet. There was only the futon she was lying on, the chair Naraku was sitting in, and a table against the wall behind her head. Since there was not much to observe in the rather empty room, Kagome's attention landed on the slumbering form of Naraku.

/He looks ... almost innocent in his sleep. Nothing like the evil monster he is when awake./ Kagome mused, seeing the enemy that her group had been tracking for so long up close for the first time without worrying about her life ... yet.

He was dressed in a the casual traditional wear for males of that era, unlike the more elaborate kimono he wore when they met to fight the times when he was not in a baboon pelt. If she did not know better, she would have thought him to be a peacefully resting human.

Just then, Naraku tipped slightly to the side he was leaning towards, and Kagome could only stare with wide eyes as the great evil fell over off his chair smack onto the floor while still holding her hand.

She turned slightly to watch him as he woke up with a groan, rubbing the side of his head that had hit against the hard wooden floor, letting her hand go in the process. When Naraku groggily picked himself up, eyes half closed in sleepy annoyance, and climbed right back onto the chair after glaring at it as if it was responsible for his fall, Kagome could take it no longer.

Her giggles burst forth and filled the room, while she curled up on her side. Her mind told her she was crazy for finding her enemy funny, but in her current state, she chalked it all up to hysterics. Once she started, she seemed unable to stop, even when Naraku stared at her like she had grown another head after been snapped awake by her laughter.

"You must be more injured than I thought." Naraku muttered as he put a hand against her forehead. "Though your fever seem to be subsiding. I wonder if it burnt your head. Are you sure you're alright?"

Naraku's quizzical expression was almost enough to send Kagome off on another round of giggles, but she managed to curb herself just in time. She valued her life enough that she did not want to be killed right after being saved by her enemy because she laughed at him.

Calming herself, she accessed the graveness of her position. She was injured and weak lying on a bed, in Naraku's castle, with said hanyou staring at her from her side in a mysterious expression. And she had just laughed at him. This was just not her day.

Kagome opened her mouth, wanting to demand why she was here. She worked her throat for a few seconds, before she could produce any sound.

"Eh..." She managed to say. /Way to go, Kagome! That was just sooo coherent. He understood what you meant just fine. Can you make yourself sound any stupider?/

"Are you alright? How do you feel?" Naraku asked her instead, his eyes full of concern. Kagome was starting to feel ill at ease under his obvious affection. /That can't possibly be real, there's no way Naraku would worry about me./ She reminded herself.

"Uh..." She attempted again; she wanted to kick herself in the head.

"Here, have some water." Naraku put an arm under her and helped her into a sitting position, settling himself beside her, then took a cup from the table and held it up to her lips while supporting her against himself.

Too weak to hold the cup herself, Kagome was forced to let herself drink from Naraku's hand. The feel of the cool water running down her throat was heavenly in her feverish state.

"Good girl." He said after she finished the cup, and set the cup back on the table. Her mouth now moisturized, Kagome attempted to speak again.

"What do you want? What are you going to do with me?" Kagome demanded, but in her weakened state it did not sound nearly as demanding as she would have liked. Indeed, it came out breathless and raspy.

"You sound like I'll do something despicable. Would you have preferred to be left to die?" Naraku asked with a raised brow.

"Yes." Kagome answered curtly, glaring daggers at him. She had regained enough of her mind to remember who exactly she was talking to. With no other outlet for her hurt and anger, Naraku seemed like a good choice.

Naraku's red eyes glinted with an inner glow in the dim light, something unidentified flashed across their depths. Kagome shivered unconsciously when she saw the flash; she did not catch what the emotion was, but it chilled her to the bone.

"Too bad, you are much more fun when you are alive." Naraku said with a curl of his lips in what was not quite a smile. "Rest now, you will see what I have in store for you soon enough."

With that, Naraku settled her back onto the futon and swept out of the room.

Kagome strangely felt as if she had offended him in some way, but could not figure out how.

"Why would I care if I did anyway, he's our enemy." She muttered to herself, but the slight twinge of guilt would not go away.

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Naraku growled softly to himself on his way to prepare some food for the injured girl after leaving her room. When she had so readily stated that she would have rather died than be saved by him, he felt a surge of hurtful anger.

He had watched her and knew her well, better than maybe even her so-called friends, and knew her kind compassionate heart. He had thought she held at least some sympathy towards him from the look she gave him in the past, but he could see now that she really wanted nothing to do with him. To be so abruptly informed that he was the exception from her light had felt like a blow to his gut.

"She is only an obsession, she should not affect me this much." He growled to himself, but somehow it did not feel very convincing at all.¡¡

A whole chapter of Kagome & Naraku ... it was really hard to write. I literally forced it out pass the writers' block so ... hope it's not too bad.

Thanks for all the reviews!

- Kura

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