InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Side of the Moon ❯ Duty ( Chapter 6 )

Meg: Fire is bad…

Muse: Fire is Good! What are you on? You got off school!

Meg: O.o Ok, Fire is good. Fire is really good. ^.^

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Title: Dark Side of the Moon

Rating: R

Obsession: Inuyasha

Genre: Dark, angsty stuff. Lots of it. And a bit of romance.

Main characters: Kagome (duh!), Naraku, Miroku and Inuyasha (sort of). May be others later.

Summary: Check the first Chapter!

Feedback: Duh!!

Author's Note: You guys are so cool. I'm actually speechless. I don't know what to say except, THANK YOU for reaching the 1000 mark on Mediaminer.org! I love you! Thanks to Sandra E, Ana, SilverQuick, Miss Clearwrite, and Katrina Xaten, as well as everyone else that reviewed AGAIN! ^^ Responses are at the bottom!! Please enjoy the chapter!! This is late because of the fires here in San Bernardino. That is also why I'm updating right now, in the middle of the week. I've got no school! YAY! But I have to go back tomorrow! Waaa…

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Dark Side of the Moon

By: Meg

Chapter 6

She didn't want to be here. Inuyasha had been only an illusion. She supposed it made sense that he hadn't been truly alive. He wouldn't be sane if he were. The scenario would have been just like Kikyo: she would love him as one person while he was someone or something else. Naraku had been right all along; bringing Inuyasha back was impossible, and he hadn't really tried to prove it wrong. He just tricked her into thinking so. Her tear-blurred eyes looked towards the man lying on the futon only meters away.

Why? She questioned herself. Why had he chosen to deceive her? It was completely useless! Did he really think that she wouldn't have come back for Miroku as well?

Slowly she moved, crawling on hands and knees towards him. Her vision was still fuzzy. Her body was creeping towards him, lacking strength. She could barely move, as though it were against her body's wishes to go near him. When she was at his side again, she looked at the sweat on his face. She felt his skin. The fever was a danger to him. It needed to break, or he could die-again.

With a heavy heart, she resumed her previous position, keeping a cool cloth on his face while he rested. She needed aspirin, or something like it for his fever. Kagome looked around, nearly expecting to find a bottle of white tablets near by. Among the various jars and pots, she did not find any new bottles, but a few new leaves and herbs appeared beside her. A few of them she recognized from Kaede's lessons. She picked them up and dropped them into the newly appeared mortar and pestle. This hadn't been the only moment that Kaede's passed knowledge had come in handy, but it had seemed to be more helpful within the past year or so.

Finding something to occupy herself enough to forget her inner thoughts, Kagome passively ground the plants together with tired movements. Her hands plucked and ground, measured and counted. When she'd made a fair dosage, she noticed the tea set next to her. Kagome mixed her medicine with a cup of tea, and then laid Miroku's head in her lap. She tried to rouse him gently. Her efforts became successful when his brow knit together in a grimace. " You must drink this," she coaxed.

He let out a light, but feverish breath. She poured some of the tea past his lips, and, bit-by-bit, he eventually drank enough to satisfy her. The cup was set down, but his head remained in her lap. She watched him quietly, brushing his dark hair from his face and wringing the cloth in cool water for him.

"Kagome," he murmured, only he seemed more conscious and coherent than the last time he had spoken. His eyes even opened a little. " I'm not Inuyasha…"

Her hands paused over his slick face. Sadness welled up in her and her eyes grew distant. She was no longer looking down at him, but down in her own mind. Her eyes did not tear up, but there was sorrow dripping from them. They felt sore and tired from her earlier crying. " I know," she whispered back to him, unable to say anything else any louder without breaking to pieces.

He seemed to have found a small bit of peace then and she watched as he fell into slumber again. She laid his head down on the futon, letting him rest. She pushed herself to make more of the medicine he would require again later. Once she mixed it into the teapot, she noticed the various potions and jars that she hadn't needed disappear.

Also, another futon appeared near Miroku. A small smile came to her face, relieved. She was so tired. Who knew how long it had been since she had slept at all. The hour was now late, and the tears she had shed were many. Slowly, lazily, she went to the bed, fatigue closing her eyes before she even came to lie down. Her mind shut down, blocking any real thought or emotion. She was too tired even to dream. Her mind and body went to rest, where a blissful void welcomed her. There was no time, no feeling, like she was numb to the world. In a sense, it was true; Kagome's mind wandered through the empty, finding things that were all nothing. No sorrow, no memory. There was no Naraku, no illusions, no traps; just empty-- no dark and no light.

As her mind continued this sojourn in bare bliss, time did in fact tick by her. The nightly hours dwindled away, dying as the sun rose in the East. The morning light did not reach her window like day. The castle faced west and the miasma devoured the sunlight, lingering in the air like a morning fog.

When she remembered leaving the comfort of sleep, Kagome opened her eyes, her head resting atop her arm. Her eyes roamed over the room, remembering where she was. Her sight found Miroku and watched him sleep. His face was relatively calm, as one's profile usually is in sleep, but it seemed that feverish dreams did not escape him; the blankets and sheets around him were twisted and sprawled everywhere.

She sat up, yawning, and then went to him. She checked his fever, but his skin was still very warm. Her eyes roamed over him as he slept. He was still bathed in sweat and his tanned skin glistened like gold in the dim mixture of dying oil lamps and morning light. She saw that the scars and wounds that had been on Inuyasha's skin now colored his. Pity filled her eyes. He had gone through so much already by Naraku's hand. This time is was because of her. Naraku had used him, tortured him, and simply just to draw her back here. Why Miroku? Sango had been just as dear to her as he was. At least, he was when his acts of lechery didn't cloud her perception of him, which was rare.

She smiled faintly at the memories before reaching for the medicinal tea, which seemed to have miraculously kept warm though the night. She roused him again, and lifted his head. She fed him tea and lay him back down. To her surprise, he did not fall back to sleep right away. His eyes were half lidded and they gazed up at her for a moment before leaving. His mouth was bent into a frown as he looked about the room. " I am not dead," he said softly. " I should be."

" I'm so sorry!" she replied, soft, too." This is my fault!"

Her hands grasped his arm, slick with sweat and hot from his fever. His eyes went to her again before he shut them. " I should be thanking you, Kagome-sama," he corrected, but there was no apparent thanks in his voice. " You have saved my life, but how?"

She watched him close his eyes, making sure he wouldn't notice her hesitance. " That is not important now, Miroku," she replied. " And please call me Kagome, like before. I should think we're past formalities by now."

Kagome watched him, searching for an action that betrayed disbelief or that she had intentionally steered away from the question. He merely smiled faintly, though she could tell it was forced, and he relaxed to sleep. She pulled his covers from their disarray and covered his bare chest, up to his chin. " What about the others?" he asked. His eyes opened again, looking up, but his vision did not include her.

At first, she said nothing, not really sure if she should tell him directly or not. She wrung her hands together. " They're gone…still."

Sadness seeped into her eyes then. He let out a breath, willowy and faint. " What about you?" he asked. He turned his head to look directly up at her.

"Whether I'm really alive or not seems debatable right now."

He said nothing for a moment, and then turned to look at her and spoke, "Why are we alive? Where are we? Where is Naraku? Do you know-"

" Miroku," she cut him off, silencing him. Kagome's eyes were gentle and sad. Her hand found his beneath the covers of his futon, and without hesitation; he would behave, especially if he was injured so and when more important thoughts plagued his mind. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. " I do not know what is going on. I do not know why we are alive, and not the others. Or where Naraku is, but I do know that you are badly wounded, and that you must rest. You will need to recover as quickly as you can."

He looked crestfallen momentarily, and he broke their eye contact. She had known him for a long time. She knew that he had the tendency to close up and ferment emotions; after all, discipline, both physically and mentally, was part of who he was and it was evident in his voice; " Yes, Kagome, you are right. I should sleep. Thank you for what you have done for me."

Don't thank me just yet, she thought to herself as he shifted towards sleep. I have caused you something horrible-- something worse than death.

When she was sure that he had gone back to sleep, she returned to her futon to find more sleep for herself. As she lay down, resting her head on her arm, her peace was interrupted. A tug at her mind disturbed her. She could almost feel where it was, where it was going. It was familiar, and it reminded her of what she'd felt when she had been brought here by Naraku. Before she realized it, she was sitting up and trying to mentally reach out for the feeling's origin, but it was already moving towards her direction.

Her concentration was broken when the shoji screen door was pulled back from the outside. She flinched at the quick movement, leaving her previous thoughts behind and looking through the doorway. Lavender light from dawn was pouring through, continually illuminating the dull room, and revealing no one. She waited, for someone the show their presence, but no one did. Slowly and cautiously, she rose from her bed and crept towards the door. She looked outside, searching both ways down the long veranda. Her eyes went to the barren courtyard and found Naraku standing there, dressed as before-- without the baboon guise.

The pull of familiarity hit her again faintly. She felt the same as earlier; part of herself want to go to him, felt attracted to him. It was the same as only a moment ago when she had laid herself to sleep. Her senses where drawn, pulled, towards him. She narrowed her eyes at him not because of the image, but the revulsion at herself for feeling anything besides the strong desire to rid her self of him. She was mildly shocked from her reaction, but she was still, save for folding her arms. " What is it you want?" she called to him from the portico.

He said nothing, as she had expected. From her distance, his expression was unknown to her, but she guessed he was not happy with her. Grudgingly, knowing that he would not respond to her as so, she stepped off the colonnade of the building with bare feet and began to approach him. Her eyes were set forward as she walked, a hostile glare was directed at him. As she neared, she saw a pavilion come into her view behind him. With the diminishing distance between them, more things appeared beneath the canopy, but even before she could see anything, the smell of food reached her and her stomach growled against her wishes. Her arms unfolded themselves and her hand instinctively went over her belly, as though to stifle the sound. Her attention went to Naraku and she was surprised when she found herself already standing beside him. A wary eye inspected him for a moment before her attention went to what lay beneath the canopy.

Naraku studied her as she eyed the rich things before them, including the food. When she made no movement, he went ahead of her and sat down on the large rugs carpeting the floor, beside a table laden with food. She carefully watched as he did sat and also when he gestured for her to sit. " Do you really expect me to sit and eat with you?" she asked him, folding her arms again.

His crimson eyes went to her and some of her resolve faltered. " Sit down," His voice was calm and even, but demanded compliance.

He left no room for argument, so she made some. " No," she said defiantly.

Kagome could see his jaw tighten and his eyes darken with impatience. " I will not repeat myself. Do it or I will be sure that you do not stand again."

She frowned more deeply and sent a brief glare at him, but she did as he said, sitting opposite from him at the table. Not waiting for permission or another command, she began to help herself to the abundance of food. As she did so, she noticed his attention towards her, but neither said anything about it. " You will need suitable clothes," he said to her. " I will not have you walking around as you do in your era."

Once she had swallowed her bite, she quickly asked indignantly, " What is wrong with my clothes?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing. She dismissed his action and continued to eat, but before long another question formed in her mind. " How long are you keeping me here?"

" For as long as I want you here."

" I've come back. What more could you possibly need me for? Miroku will be fine."

" Good." He did not answer her other questions.

She continued to eat quietly, glaring at her food. Better to glare at food and eat it than to glare at her captor and possibly pay for it. When she had had her fill, she put her hands in her lap, and then looked about at the luxurious things around her. She didn't want to look at him, of all things. Kagome noticed that the trays of food vanished soon after she had finished and remembered the numerous healing things given to her. " How do all of these things appear and disappear when needed? And how do they know what is needed?" She did not look directly at him when she spoke.

" Do not let your eye wander off those whom you speak to." She looked at him instantly, reflexively. " You would do well to learn the ways of this time. Don't your scholars teach you anything?"

She looked at him squarely, mocking him. " They teach subjects broadly," she replied, his arrogance only further fueling her bravery.

There was a pause of silence, while she looked back at him as he wished her to. To her dismay, it seemed to satisfy him. She gritted her teeth in the silence. " The things you require appear because of those marks upon your neck. The servants of this castle do as I say, as well as those connected to me. Kagura and Kanna both had those authorities, but I could overrule their demands if I wished. You are the same."

" And Miroku?"

" Do you want me mark him?" he asked, his eyes shining with amusement.

Her eyes narrowed and he let out a small laugh. " Why have you marked me?" she asked him.

" You prefer the pain when I contact you? That can be arranged."

" You did not answer the question."

He smiled at her, wider than before. His eyes seemed to drink her in for the first time, remembering and judging her as she was in that moment. She noticed that he seemed happy with what he saw. Soon his mouth returned to its usual lack of expression and the amusement died in his eyes. " Go back to the Monk. He will be waking again soon," he told her.

She did not move at his dismissal and he instantly noticed. " You would rather stay with me instead?" he asked her, his mouth bending like a wire into a grin again.

Kagome quickly stood up, showing her distaste, and folded her arms again. He laughed lowly, softly. Kagome turned to leave, but his voice indirectly told her to pause and she listened. " I know that you have told the Monk nothing of what has happened. Keep it that way," his voice lost its amusement and went back to the tone she had come to expect from him.

Her arms fell to her sides again, but her hands were balled into fists as she walked away from him. As she hurriedly left the glow of the torches that fought off the ruminants of night and shadow, she felt the wind pick up behind her. The sky grew a little darker with miasma. Pausing her steps, she looked behind her and found that he pavilion was gone. There was only an inky fog lingering behind where it had been. The wind blew harder, blowing away the cloud of fog. Naraku was nowhere to be found, nor the pavilion, and the sky was darker than when she had first seen Naraku there.

Kagome turned around and walked back to the room where Miroku was resting. There, she found him already awake. He sat up in bed, eating sullenly. When she entered, she caught his attention and she quickly shut the door behind her. She went to his side quickly. " How are you feeling?" she asked him.

Miroku set the bowl he was eating from on his lap. He did not say anything at first and she gave him a worried look. " What's wrong?" she asked.

" I had dreams…that's all." His eyes seemed to turn inward with thought.

She remembered her own nightmares not long ago. Her hand went to his forehead to check his temperature. It was going down, but it wasn't gone yet. His vision cleared and he looked at her briefly before picking up the bowl in his lap and continuing to eat. " I woke," He began. "I wanted something to eat and then suddenly it appeared."

She looked at the tray beside him, burdened with various dishes. " Would you like some, Kagome?" he offered her.

She shook her head. " No, thank you. I'm not hungry," she replied, though her mind was elsewhere.

Kagome briefly returned to him long enough to remind him to take the medicinal tea she had prepared earlier. Then she crawled into her futon, desiring more sleep and some time to think to herself. So, then Miroku is marked, just as I am? She wondered. Then why hasn't Naraku spoken to him, as he does with me? Why does Naraku want to keep himself from Miroku?

Her eyes drifted to Miroku as he quietly, contemplatively sipped the tea she had given him. She felt pity swell in her. He couldn't die even if he wanted to…

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Responses:

RaInWaTeR: Yes, I have tribes! They live on the plateaus of my old board games. ^^

Evil Bunny: Update! Update! It's your turn now! ^^

Kitsune-Balloon: I checked your must-reads, but I can't find…myself. ^^;;

Sandra E: Well, worry not! There might even be smut too. I hope. *points to Muse * She can be Chicken-ish sometimes. But, DSotM is nothing compared to the greatness that is "Chasing Methuselah". Please update soon!

SilverQuick: Good idea. Maybe I'll use that one next time! ^^ By the way, I've read some of your stories too and I love them! ^~^

Black Rose from Death: Um…what was the question? ^^;;;

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Review…Because I love you. *__*