InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Daybreak ❯ Strategies ( Chapter 7 )

A/N: Inuyasha is not mine… just in case you're wondering.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 7- Strategies

 

 

Naraku rested one arm on the wooden rail and stared out over the balcony. It was getting cooler. Even more so than was usually expected in the mountains. He looked from his castle, built into the mountain face, out through the valley to the green sea of forests in the distance. It was times like this, when he was up so high above the rest of the world that he felt truly superior. This was his place. Above all the filth that littered the earth below him. Far away from any who were unworthy of his presence.

 

Mind you, without the filth life would be quite boring.

 

He smirked to himself as the clouds rolled grey above the mountain peaks. Yes… playing, toying with the filth was… amusing? Entertaining? He couldn't think of the right word, but it was one of his pleasures; to mess with the minds of his enemies until they emotionally crack. Just before he would physically destroy them, of course. And he had the perfect new plan to do just that.

 

He couldn't believe his luck when his reincarnation, no, Onigumo's reincarnation had stumbled in front of him, weak, battered and helpless. At first he couldn't work out why the human had the same burn mark of a spider on his back. That was the initial reason he kept him alive. Intrigue.

 

Um… would you happen to know a girl called Kagome…?

 

At that moment, Naraku had felt like chuckling to himself, a plan swirling around in his head. This was an opportunity too perfect to ignore. This was his way to get rid of the irritating human desires he had locked away, taking up space deep inside him. This was his chance to free himself from the binds of Onigumo. And free himself he did. Ironic, how petty human emotion was trapping someone as powerful as him.

 

And Naraku knew he would gain a new weapon from all of this. A powerful one in the form of Onigumo reawakened. It was clear straight away that Onigumo's selfish desires would be enough to begin the torture on Inuyasha and his friends. The wild thief reborn had agreed to work with the evil hanyou in return for satisfying his carnal needs; in the form of Inuyasha's new miko. Naraku was more than pleased with his new ally's enthusiasm, knowing full well that anything that happened to Kagome would greatly injure the half dog-demon as well. And Kagome, one of the only two people he feared, would in turn be tortured by her attacker bearing the face, the body, the being of her dear friend. He also knew that she wouldn't be able to ask for Onigumo's death while he inhabited the body of someone she cared for. It was a perfectly flawless plan. He had them in a checkmate.

 

Naraku's thoughts were rudely interrupted when Onigumo slammed open the door.

 

“WHAT THE FUCK, NARAKU?!” he roared.

 

Naraku turned to look at the furious human boy whose robes were torn to shreds, hanging around his waist. It looked like he had been taken for a horrible shock. His face almost made Naraku start chuckling again. Yes… life would be very boring, indeed.

 

“You have returned, Onigumo” he stated. The boy's eyes flashed in anger.

 

“Damn you, Naraku!” he said as he stalked towards him. “Why didn't you tell me the hanyou bastard could break barriers?!”

 

Naraku smiled to himself. “Did you use the fuda?” he asked, knowing the answer already. He was enjoying this.

 

“Yes dammit! But you knew he would break through anyway!!” he hissed. “I almost had her, you lying bastard! You did this just to spite me!”

 

Onigumo lunged in anger. In a second his neck was encircled by a thick scaly tentacle and was thrust back into a wooden wall with so much force, the wooden planks had cracked and splintered. Naraku stood unblinking five paces away, his scaled back appendage still holding the boy up by the throat.

 

“Do not forget, Onigumo, that I am your master now,” he said in an icy voice. “I gave you another chance at life, another chance to attain your desires…” he raised his eyebrows for emphasis. “And I can take it away just as easily. Remember, you are not completely necessary to my plans.”

 

Naruku felt Onigumo swallow nervously, despite no change in his glaring face. Though, he was no doubt in pain from being rammed into a three inch thick wooden wall.

 

“We are after the same thing,” he continued in his sinister voice. “The destruction of Inuyasha and his gang. We then split the spoils as promised: you gain Kagome and I, the Shikon no Tama.”

 

Onigumo sneered. “Hm. You really think you're still trustworthy after last night, do you?”

 

Naraku blinked, uninterested by the remark. “What you just came from was merely a test. It was necessary to calculate the situation before executing the plan.”

 

Onigumo relaxed his shoulders, attempting to regain a comfortable angle to breathe. The tentacle tightened.

 

“Did she sense the shard?” asked Naraku coldly.

 

“Not until I was within ten feet of her,” answered Onigumo darkly.

 

Naraku's eyes gleamed. “Good.”

 

He dropped Onigumo to the ground and turned away lazily as the boy began rubbing his neck and gasping. A tentacle reached into Onigumo's pants and extracted a small black jar. Naraku inspected the vial as he twirled it in his fingers.

 

“Hm. Ten feet will probably be good enough. This jar made of a shard of the fuyouheki stone…”

 

Onigumo looked up as he crossed his legs, still rubbing his neck. “I still don't get what you're up to. You said it only erased youki, youkai energy.”

 

Naraku didn't look up. “That's why she couldn't feel it until she was close enough. The Shikon no Tama is made up of the souls of youkai and an ancient miko. The jar cancelled out the youki of the youkai, meaning there was only the energy of the miko's soul radiating out of the shard, reducing the amount of the jewel's power being emitted. That was why she could only sense it when she got close enough.”

 

Onigumo scowled as he rose to his feet and crossed the room to a cupboard. He yanked the doors open and picked a robe to dress in. “So you needed me to return as soon as possible to deliver my report? Why didn't you send Kagura or Kanna to test it out instead of fucking up my fun?”

 

Naraku held out his palm in which the sacred jewel materialised. He slid it inside the jar and slipped it back into his jacket.

 

“I sent them to investigate the next part. Besides, Onigumo, would you really want the chase to be over so soon?”

 

 

*****

 

 

“I see,” said Kaede shaking her head. “What unfortunate circumstances.”

 

She bent over to pull out another herb from the garden. “How is Kagome taking all of this?”

 

Inuyasha kept his arms crossed above his chest as he sat on the fence surrounding her small hut. “She seems fine. She's gone back home for now. To tell her family about it.”

 

Kaede nodded sadly. “Coincidences can often be more painful than joyous,” she said wisely.

 

Inuyasha tightened his grip on his sleeves. “It's not a coincidence,” he snarled. “It's more like Naraku stooped to a new low. He messes with our friends just to get to us.” He gritted out the word friends in contempt as he thought back to the miserable human boy.

“He is the type who'll do anything to get what he wants,” the old miko agreed. She looked up to see the hanyou still brooding to himself, lost in thought.

 

“So where have Miroku and Sango gone to?” she asked hoping to distract him.

 

He shrugged. “Gone off to court each other I guess. Better expect to see Miroku returning with hand prints all over his face.”

 

Kaede chuckled.

 

“Shippou still sleeping?” he asked.

 

She looked back to the hut. There was no movement and no sound but for some small steady breathing. “I would say so. He seems very worn out from all the excitement of last night.”

 

Inuyasha nodded once and continued to look out over the green mountains in the distance. Suddenly a sweet scent caught his nose. He flipped his head around to the direction of the well.

 

“Kagome's back!” he said surprised.

 

“My, that was quick,” the old lady commented. “You'd best go and see her. She should not be left alone under the circumstances.”

 

He didn't have to be told twice. He kicked off the fence and ran off towards the alluring fragrance. For some reason he was eager to see her. More eager than usual. He had wanted to accompany her to the other side but she insisted he stay back and bring Kaede up to speed on the events of last evening. They would be needing her and everyone else they knew with worldly knowledge to help figure out this one.

 

Of course, he had told Kagome to wait with her family on the other side until he collected her, but it seemed, as usual, she didn't listen. Inuyasha sniffed the air as he ran through the trees, becoming a red blur. At least the confrontation with Hojo - no - Onigumo had allowed him to remember their new enemy's smell. And right now, it seemed all was clear. He burst through the trees to see Kagome hopping out of the well, her backpack by her feet.

 

“I told you to wait,” he said frowning.

 

Kagome looked up, surprised to hear Inuyasha's voice. “Oh, Inuyasha.” She waved and smiled. “Sorry, I didn't have to stay any longer so I thought I'd come back!”

 

“You're never this early, though.”

 

“Oh,” she said looking sideways. “So you don't want me back?”

 

Inuyasha stiffened at her choice of words. “W- What?!” he thundered. “We're not a couple! Stop talking like that!” He crossed his arms and turned away in a huff, desperately trying to hide his embarrassment.

 

Kagome rolled her eyes. “You always jump to the wrong conclusions,” she sighed.

 

Inuyasha's ear twitched. “What do you mean by that?”

 

“Remember that time when I said you were exhausting?” she said as she reached down to her back pack. “You started to get scared I was going to go off with Kouga.”

 

Inuyasha flicked his head away. “Keh! That's completely different!”

 

“Sure it is,” muttered Kagome, knowing full well he could hear her. Inuyasha grumbled something to himself as he waited to feel his cheeks lose their pink tinge.

 

Kouga. It had been a while since they'd come across him. No doubt he was still a stubborn mangy wolf with such an incredibly thick skull that it still wouldn't let Kagome's rejections through. Inuyasha felt the burning jealousy in his chest begin to rise. Funny, how he'd begun to feel the hot sensation more and more lately. It was all because of Kagome!

 

He looked over his shoulder to watch her pull her arms through the straps of the bag. Her little fingers delicately tugged the straps into a comfortable position over her shoulders. Her thick black hair seemed to have such a lustrous shine unlike anyone of his era. Like black marble. Smooth, and flawless. He watched her dark round eyes look down to her skirt as her hand brushed away some dust residing there. The green material floated around her smooth thighs with every pat of her hand. Inuyasha felt his gaze go lower as he trailed down her long shapely legs.

 

Without meaning to, he began to imagine running his hands down, then up them again, while feeling the warmth of Kagome radiating into his chest as she leaned into him. What would it feel like to have her look directly at him? To feel her hot breath on his chin…?

 

Inuyasha looked away before the day dream went any further. He was furious with himself. That was exactly the same thing Onigumo was after! Kagome! And here he was having a lecherous moment that was probably just the same as the one he wanted to protect her from! He was just as bad! …but…

 

He sheepishly stole another look over his shoulder to see her bending down, adjusting her shoe. It wasn't like he wanted to hurt her. Not like Onigumo, who didn't give a damn about anyone but himself. Inuyasha wanted to keep her safe. To have her so close to him she practically melted into him. He wouldn't hurt her…

 

He stopped himself. Yes he had. What about Kikyou? He had caused her so much pain there. He still did. Yet miraculously, she still wanted to stay with him. She was so forgiving. And he was given another chance to keep his promise to her; to protect her from all bad things. And now he couldn't imagine life without her. He knew he was the only one he could trust to protect her and keep her away from all danger. No one else would be responsible enough. At least not wanting to keep some part of her to themselves.

 

Watching her tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, he noticed how unusually soft and small her features were. She was an unusual beauty with unusual, but pure, thoughts. No wonder she had so many bad suitors after her. Anyone would desire her…

 

Sensing she was about to look up, Inuyasha turned his head back to its previous position. “So did you tell them about Hojo?” he asked. He heard Kagome sigh again and looked back to see her shoulders hanging low.

 

“Yeah,” she answered. She sounded exhausted. “I just gave them the basic details and told them we're looking for a way to get him back. But I don't know how we're supposed to do that,” she added. She looked away and softly smiled. “Oh well, I guess we're going to see him again anyway, if he keeps his promise…”

 

Although there was a light smile, her eyes remained glazed.

 

Feeling her distress, he was by her side in a heart beat standing less than one inch from her shoulder. She looked up in surprise at him. Her eyes had lost their distant look. She was staring directly at him in confusion.

 

“Kagome,” he breathed trying to find the right words, trying to ease her grief. “I swear upon my life, I won't let him touch you.” He took hold of her small shoulders and turned her body to face him. “I'll bring back your friend… but… I will never let anything hurt you…”

 

Fuck. He wasn't making any sense. But he kept his gaze locked on her, trying to will her into understanding what he was saying. Her eyes swam with emotion. She at least seemed to understand.

 

“Inuyasha…” she whispered. She rested her head forward onto his chest. “Thank you.”

 

She really was exhausted. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her and looked down at her wondering about strange little things. How little, but snugly she fit into his chest… How her smell seemed to be everywhere around him… How warm she was making him feel… He could feel the tingling heat spread from his chest all the way around his body to the tips of his fingers. She was safe here. It was only here he could truly relax knowing she was encased by him. He had only ever hugged her like this before: when he had nearly turned full-youkai after his human side was trapped in the mirror. He had pulled her into his arms in relief but mostly to make sure she really was safe. It was to reassure himself he wasn't dreaming.

 

He continued looking down at the top of her black hair when he felt her shifting. She looked up facing him and their eyes caught. It was the same longing face he often fell victim to in his day dreams. Her eyelids were half closed as she gazed up at him; her lips were slightly apart, letting out hot, damp, deep breaths that brushed against his skin. He was feeling unbearably hot and deepened his own breathing as he felt her chest rise and fall against his own. He looked down at her plump pink lips. If he could experience what they felt like one more time…

 

He leant down…

 

Suddenly a thunderous CRASH rocked the sincerity of the moment. In a split second Inuyasha had whipped out the tessaiga and jumped in front of Kagome, an arm out to shield her.

 

“Would you put that thing down? Your perceptive skills are terrible!” complained an old familiar voice.

 

Standing in front of them was Totosai's retarded looking three eyed bull standing brainlessly still with two figures on its back. The rider, being none other than Totosai in the flesh, looked miniscule in comparison to his larger companion sitting behind him. The companion had two thick antlers protruding from his head as well as a long drooping moustache hanging either side of his mouth.

 

“Isn't that…” started Inuyasha.

 

“What? You don't recognise me after everything I've done for you?” said Totosai outraged. “What an ungrateful little shi-”

 

“I know who you are!” yelled Inuyasha.

 

“Ah! It's Housenki-dono's son! The Jewel Wizard!” cried Kagome.

 

The jewel-making youkai nodded in greeting. “Nice to see you again, Inuyasha, Kagome-san.”

 

“What do you want?” Inuyasha asked the blacksmith rudely. He had suddenly remembered what he was about to do before the interruption and was cursing himself for letting his guard down. “You hardly ever come this far away from your mountain.”

 

“Yup, ungrateful as ever,” said Totosai, narrowing his bulging eyes. He turned to his passenger. “I told you he'd be like this. Even though we bring him that sort of information…”

 

That caught Inuyasha's attention.

 

“What information?”

 

“Oh, I don't feel like telling you now,” sulked Totosai as he pulled a large clump of wax out of his ear.

 

“Don't fucking come all this way and then say nothing!” Inuyasha shouted.

 

“I'm sorry for his rudeness, Totosai Ojii-san,” said Kagome stepping forward, her hands placed together in apology. “If you have information that would be helpful, please tell us.”

 

Totosai huffed. “You'd think some of your good manners would have rubbed off on him by now,” he muttered. He looked at the youkai over his shoulder “Do you want to tell them, or do you want me to?”

 

“Tell us what?” asked Inuyasha impatiently.

 

“Kagura, that woman of Naraku's, came to my lake last night,” said the Jewel Wizard.

“I think I know what Naraku's after. And it's not good.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: It's done! Woot! I managed to write this thing in one day, which is a big thing for me. Thanks to Shell6_is_awesome and kjpanny for new motivation) Seriously, the more you guys leave reviews and hound me, the faster I'll type. It's amazing what a little encouragement can do!

 

GoldenDust