InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Naraku's Prisoner ❯ A plan for Pain ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha. Under different circumstances I would but unfortunately I do not.

 

Naraku's Prisoner

Chapter one: A Plan For Pain

By Ethril Dragon

 

There were going to move on to the next village because Kagome hadn't been able to sense a jewel shard anywhere nearby. `Why did I listen to that monk?' Inu-Yasha pondered as they continued their slow pace. He was glaring at everything and everyone around him. He hated going into strange villages, because it brought up bad memories and the villagers always looked at him with hatred and fear.

A few days ago, while Kagome had been visiting her home, Miroku had gone out to gather information about the jewel shards. The day Kagome came back so did Miroku. Miroku returned with news of a jewel shard being kept in a shrine in a southern village. So now they were searching the southern villages for a sign of the shrine and the jewel shard.

“If you were lying monk, I'll kill you.” Mumbled Inu-Yasha, thinking no one else would hear his words.

Kagome winced as she walked. She didn't say anything to anybody, but while she had been home, she had tripped over her cat Buyo and had twisted her ankle. She could walk just fine, but it was swollen and was starting to bother her. She was going to have to take some pain reliever when they stopped to camp. She winced again as her foot came down, it was slowing her down a little and she was falling behind from the group.

Shippo was the one that looked back to see where his mother was. “Mom?” he jumped out of Sango's arms and hurried to his mother's side. “What's wrong? You're limping!”

Shippo's outburst stopped the entire group. Inu-Yasha turned, his eyes still showing the anger he had been feeling all day. Sango hurried to Kagome's side to see why she was limping. Miroku had moved closer to Kagome as well.

“It's nothing really! I twisted my ankle a little at home last night!” She laughed falsely, but when Sango knelt to gently touch the swelling, Kagome hissed in pain.

“We can't go farther. We'll have to stop for today. Kagome's ankle needs to be wrapped and the swelling brought down before we move on tomorrow.” Announced Sango. She didn't know too much about major injuries, but she knew what to do when someone broke, twisted, or sprained an appendage. It was part of her slayer training, so that if anything like that were to happen to her, she would be able to take care of herself. She wasn't good with wounds that needed serious attention and healing, but sprains were simple.

Inu-Yasha cursed softly. Today was not going well. First they had arrived in the first village and he had been welcomed with much loathing. The previous villagers had shown a distant hostility towards him, but had done nothing because of whom he was with. And now it was discovered that Kagome had an injury and had said nothing. “I swear wench, you get hurt to easily and when you do, you say nothing! Stubborn wench.” Inu-Yasha muttered, so that Kagome wouldn't hear him. Of course, some of his anger was focused on the fact that tonight there would be no moon in the night sky…and when he turned into a weak human.

Kagome had been hurt when Inu-Yasha had been mad all day, but now she was extremely hurt to see that his anger had risen when her ankle was noticed. By this time Sango and Miroku had helped her take a seat and camp was being erected off the trail and into a small clearing that could easily be protected.

Kagome moaned softly as Sango wrapped her ankle with a cool cloth. Her ankle felt like it was fire now. Miroku brought the bottle of painkillers she had asked for and a cup of water. Shippo was curled up in his mothers lap, sleeping though he had fought to stay awake to cuddle with his mother.

Inu-Yasha sat apart, not wanting to vent his anger on Kagome even though it wasn't her fault. The night was crawling towards them and he felt his form changed. He could feel his ears on top of his head retract and the human ones take their place. His claws also retracted along with his fangs. He sat there then, weak and in his human form. He had wanted to stay in their village in order to keep them safe during his weakness…now he could not guarantee their safety. Or at least the village they had been traveling to could have afforded some sort of better protection if just a little hostility.

“I'm sorry Inu-Yasha, it's all my fault we're here in the wilderness and not in a village somewhere.” Kagome said softly but loud enough to be heard. It surprised Inu-Yasha out of his angry musings enough to make him look at her with sadness. He hadn't meant to make her feel as if it were her fault that they were in the middle of traveling, outside, and on the night when no moon shone in the sky.

“It's not your fault.” He said grumpily. He should have left it at that, but couldn't. “We all know you're to clumsy to take care of yourself. We shouldn't have let you return home.”

Kagome went from apologetic and sympathetic for him to fierce anger. It hadn't been her fault Buyo had run into her path when she has been carrying groceries up the shrine steps. She stood up shakily, keeping most of her weight on her good left ankle. “What did you say?” she asked with a soft anger. She shouldn't have gotten angry so easily, but with the pain and Inu-Yasha acting the way he was, it was easy for her to let go and be truly angry for once.

“You heard me. It's not your fault you are so clumsy all the time that you injure yourself out of stupidity.” Inu-Yasha had also stood, his fists clenched hard and his human nails biting into his palm.

Sango quickly jumped into the defense of her sister, rising from where she was sitting by the fire. “Take it back Inu-Yasha! Take it back!” she ordered

Inu-Yasha ignored the demon slayer and turned away. Little did the others know, a soul stealer had appeared in the sky and he knew who was signaling him. He stalked into the forest without another word. He didn't worry about his own safety then, he wanted to be with at least one woman that cared about him even in death.

Kagome fumed with rage. She knew and the others knew that he wouldn't leave a safe place in his human form unless she was around. “I'm going for a walk.” She said suddenly and turned, walking in the opposite direction of Inu-Yasha.

“Lady Kagome, I do not think that is a wise decision. Inu-Yasha is in his human state and it is not safe in the wild at night.” Stated Miroku worriedly.

Kagome ignored him and stalked off, the sleeping Shippo in her arms. She didn't want to put him down, not yet. He brought comfort to her in some way. She looked down at him after awhile when she finally stopped walking. Recently, she had been dreaming of settling down and having children of her own. She had just reached her 20th birthday and her dreaming had become more and more persistent. She had taken Shippo as her son and he was always part of her dreaming. When she dreamt during the day, she imagined Inu-Yasha as her husband and they were in her time. But at night, her dreams were more real and were almost prophetic. Always it was in feudal times, but she couldn't see who her husband was. Shippo was there and she could feel a child inside her. She knew she was happy, but she never saw her husbands face, never. She knew that her feelings were very strong towards this man, and that he felt the same way. She knew he was a man that rarely let his true emotions show to the world, but he freely showed them to her, he was a kind man that wanted the best for his small family, his land, and his people. Every time he was about to speak in her dreams she would abruptly awaken and the mysterious man stayed that way in her dreams.

Kagome sighed and sat down on a fallen tree that had been there only recently. She could see where the stump was. The tree had fallen, probably during a fierce storm. She continued to look down at her little son as she daydreamed about the future. She didn't notice the presence behind her as it continued to watch her.

The creature behind the girl watched intently as the girl brushed the bangs back from the small kitsune's face. He saw her smile lovingly down at the child that he could only guess was her son even though he didn't have her scent mixed with his own. So he had to have been her adopted son. He frowned and moved his baboon mask over his head to reveal his face. Naraku continued to watch the girl until the sun started to show over the horizon. He didn't move or reveal his presence to her or to anyone else. He had been content just to watch her and to plan his next move. He wanted to hurt the half-demon that watched her closely and the small band that traveled with her, and the only way to do that was to steal her away when all were watching, to make sure they all felt responsible for her kidnapping. He smirked evilly for a moment, most of all, he wanted the half-breed to feel immense guilt for making the miko feel hurt, he wanted the mutt to blame himself for loosing the girl to him, Naraku. He pulled his mask back up and disappeared into the shadows. For now he had to wait to make his move. He plan was already taking place, the group was at odds with each other and the miko and the half-breed were fighting hard. It helped that he pushed their emotions a little. He wanted to get the most pain out of his plan before he stole the girl out from all of them. Manipulating the emotions of the group that sought his death was easier then he had first thought. All he had to do was find that little bit of anger they had for each other and drag it forward so that it dominated all else. He watched and waited for the hanyo to appear and yell at the miko. He knew the other two, the demon exterminator and monk would come to defend the miko, and that was when he would strike, when they least expected it.

 

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