InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Naraku's Prisoner ❯ Acceptance ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: I do not now nor will I ever own Inu-Yasha or Inu-Yasha related copyright things. Maybe someday when I become rich and famous I can buy the rights…yes, that's what I'll do.

 

Naraku's Prisoner

Chapter 7: Acceptance

By Ethril Dragon

 

Kagome yawned for the fifth time over breakfast, her spoon dropping onto her plate with a soft clunk. She rubbed her eyes and then picked the spoon back up. `This is getting to be to much,' she thought tiredly as she stared at her food before eating a little more. She was just so tired now, but she knew that if she tried to go and take a nap it wouldn't work. She would just lay on her futon and stare at the ceiling trying to sleep.

“Kagome, I'm starting to get worried. You've been so tired the last few days. What's wrong?” Kagura asked as she set her own spoon down and gently touched Kagome's shoulder.

“Mamma hasn't been getting much sleep,” Shippo said as he wolfed down his meal. Once he was done, he raced out of the room and towards the dojo to get ready for training. His trainer said he was slowly becoming better and they would be moving faster with his training. He was getting really excited. Maybe if he became good enough, he could have a match against Kohaku.

Kagura looked at Kagome worriedly as her friend failed to reply even as her son raced from the room. “Kagome, maybe you should relax today? You look dead on your feet, and trust me, I know what that looks like,” Kagura said, trying to make the tired miko laugh.

Kagome smiled tiredly and took another bite. “I know, but…I don't know, its just so hard to sleep at night now…” She said as she set her spoon down and leaned back in her chair. The only way she had been falling asleep recently was to just let exhaustion take over some time after midnight. Even when she exhausted herself during the day, she just couldn't fall asleep at night. What was wrong with her?

Kagura sighed and motioned for a servant to take their dishes. “Well, I think you should rest today Kagome. The last thing we need is for you to faint from exhaustion and worry your son,” she said as she helped Kagome to her feet.

Kagome nodded and began walking back to her room to try and sleep, even if it was just a half sleep. She yawned again and unconsciously walked right past her room. She barely paid attention to where she was going until she was standing just outside Naraku's garden. Kagome blinked a couple times and then looked around. She had never been in his garden without his presence, would she be in trouble if she went in now?

She sighed and took a step in, feeling no resistance she continued heading in. She was surprised, Naraku had explained to her about the barriers that surrounded his garden to keep unwanted people out, but why was she able to walk in without Naraku now? She looked around and felt her body slowly relax as she headed deeper into the garden. Her body started swaying slightly and by the time she reached the center of the garden she was ready to collapse. She yawned widely and laid gently down onto the bench, unconscious of the fact that there was some one else standing next to the pound.

 

Naraku paced his garden restlessly, his mind working at half it's usual pace because of his lack of sleep. Because he was part demon, he didn't need as much sleep humans did, but he still needed it. He ran a clawed hand through his hair and glanced down into the pound where his loyal koi swam lazily around his most prized possession. He smiled slightly as memories of that treasure surfaced. Such a prize it was, the demon comb. It had been his mothers and he could remember seeing her wear it on important days. `A demon comb, with a powerful demon trapped inside,' he thought as he leaned down to gently touch a koi fish.

It had been in his family for generations, given to his ancestor by a powerful demon. `Strange though. Why would a demon give a human mortal such a powerful object? And to think only a female of the family can unlock its powers,' he thought as the koi nibbled at his finger. Yes, the demon inside the comb only ever responded to a human woman's touch. He frowned as he tried to remember the story of the comb his mother had told him all those years ago.

 

*Flash Back*

 

“Onigumo, come here son,” A soft melodic voice said under the sakura tree.

The child Onigumo crawled into his mothers lap and looked up at the comb that was holding back her hair. His mother smiled and reached up, pulling the comb out and letting her beautiful black hair flow over her shoulders and down her back. “You want to see this?” she asked as she handed him the comb. She only wore it when they were out in public or when her husband was not home.

Onigumo nodded and gently took the comb. His fingers brushed against the teeth and he shivered. Suddenly the comb grew warm in his hands and he thought he heard a soft voice whisper to him.

“My son, that comb is very important. It holds great power of a demon lord,” his mother whispered as she covered his hands with his, the comb still in his hands. “It is said that the comb was given to our ancestor as a gift. The demon lord had fallen in love with her, but knew he could never be with her physically. So he had this comb crafted to always protect her. One day, there was a great battle and the demon lord was mortally wounded. Fearing he would never see his mortal love again, he fought against death to go to her. When he finally found her, she was sitting under a blossoming sakura tree.”

“Like this one?” Onigumo asked in awe.

His mother giggled softly. “Yes, very much like this one. Anyway, he found her under a blossoming sakura tree and fell at her feet. He whispered to her that he would always love her, and that he would always care for her and her future children. With that, he died. But the strangest thing happened. As he died, his soul left the shell of his body and entered the comb. Ever since that day, every woman of our family has always been protected by this comb,” She said with a little sadness.

“What about me?” Onigumo asked as he lifted the comb to catch the light.

“It will give you a little protection because you are my son, but when you marry, give it to your wife. It will know she is your wife and will protect her as strongly as it would if she was your blood relative.”

 

*End Flash Back*

 

Naraku sighed as he stood. Yes, now that he was a hanyo, he could sense the demon lord's soul inside the comb, waiting for its next mistress to protect. What would his mother think of him now, a half demon and in love with a miko?

`Mother wouldn't care, as long as I was happy,' he thought as he sighed. Even when he was the thief Onigumo, she had only wished for his happiness. Even as she died from old age she told him she only wanted to see him happy. She had given him the comb in hopes that one day he would accept a mate. `Perhaps soon,' he thought as he looked at the comb deep in the pound. Hopefully, the comb would have a new mistress to protect.

So deep in his thoughts, he didn't feel the presence walk past the gardens barriers and walk into the garden, at least not until she had stumbled into the center and lay down on the bench. He looked down at the miko in surprise as she fell into a deep sleep. `How did she come here?' he wondered as he looked around. He felt that his barriers were still strongly in place and that they had allowed her entrance. `Perhaps because I am already here,' he thought as he reached over to brush a strand of hair away from her face.

Suddenly, his eyes felt heavy and his body relaxed incredibly. He yawned and settled down under the tree next to the bench, his head drooping slightly. He looked at Kagome and felt his eyes grow heavy. `It's her presence. That's what I need to sleep,' was his last thought as his fell into much needed unconsciousness.

 

Kagome sighed in contentment as the strong arms held her close, one hand rubbing small circles against her growing stomach. She smiled and felt a small wind pick up to play with a strand of her hair. She reached up a hand to gently tuck the stray hair away. As she pushed it behind her ear, her fingers came in contact with a hard surface. She ran her fingers over the comb that was holding her hair back. The comb, which had been such a wonderful gift, had a single crack running along the red gem set in the middle.

She pulled the comb free and looked at the cracked gem. To think, this little trinket had been able to bring her so much happiness.

“Do you think our children will ever be this happy?” She asked gently as the hand rubbing her stomach stopped. She turned to look at her mate with a happy smile…

 

Her eyes opened slowly. The dream that had been haunting her was back, but this time there was more too it. `That comb…what was that about?' she wondered as she slowly lifted her relaxed body off of the hard surface of the bench. She stretched and smiled. She felt rested and a little more energized then she did earlier. That nap was just what she needed. She grinned as she spotted the koi swimming in lazy circles. She felt lazy to be honest, her body was still relaxed. `Such a nice nap,' she thought as she looked around. It looked like it was about noon.

She still didn't notice the presence that was now located under the tree next to the bench, her mind still feeling tired even with the nice nap she had had. She stretched again and stood, adjusting her kimono as she headed slowly out of the garden.

 

Naraku woke shortly before Kagome did and watched as the mortal beauty stretched and yawned. He stayed as still as he could as she stood and headed out of his garden, unaware that he was even there. He continued to stay where he was even after he felt the barrier open up to let her out. This worried him. He wanted to bring Kagome and Shippo here during the final battle so they wouldn't be caught up and get hurt. Would the barrier keep them in? `It should, as long as I will it too,' he thought reasonably as he stood up. Yes, he figured the barrier had let her in because it knew she was no threat to him and that he wanted her and accepted her. Hopefully, when the day came, the barrier would know he wanted her to stay in the garden.

He stayed in his garden a few minutes longer, giving Kagome enough time to head back to his palace for lunch. He himself was not hungry, though he felt more rested then he had before. He sighed and rubbed his head. `Ever since that night I've craved to hold her. Is it that craving that keeps me up at night?' he wondered as he walked the path towards the entrance of the garden. That had to be it. He had finally been able to sleep when she had been near him in the garden, so that was what he needed. `But she would not allow me to sleep with her again,' he thought sadly as he walked past his palace and towards the entrance of his palace. He needed to go for a walk, and possibly get rid of a few lower demons that were harming his lands and the people that resided on his lands.

 

Night time had come sooner then anyone really expected. Kagura hadn't let Kagome do anything all day telling her she needed to rest and relax. Dinner had been uneventful, Naraku had not been there.

“Mamma, can I go sleep in Kohaku's room tonight?” Shippo asked as his mother started getting ready for bed, she had already finished with her bath.

“If he says it's ok and you two actually get some sleep. You've had a long day of training and I want you rested,” Kagome said as she wondered how she herself was going to get any sleep.

Shippo grinned happily and ran from the room, his tail twitching excitedly. Kagome sighed tiredly and pulled off her kimono to replace it with her sleeping yukata. `Alright…time to try and get to sleep,' Kagome thought as she laid down onto her bed. Little did she know that was what she would think every night for sometime.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Kagome tossed and turned as she desperately tried to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in, but it was useless. It had been useless for the last several nights. No matter how hard she tried now, she just couldn't get to sleep. It had gotten to the point that Shippo had started sleeping either in his own futon or in Kohaku's room. Currently Shippo was in Kohaku's room again for the third night in a row.

Kagome growled in frustration and tossed off her covers. “What is wrong with me?” she asked unhappily a she flopped back down onto her futon as she closed her eyes to try and relax into sleep. It didn't work, nothing did. Ever since she had fallen asleep in Naraku's arms it had become impossible for her to fall asleep until she was so exhausted she just collapsed.

 

In another part of the palace, another person was trying to fall asleep. It was just so hard now, he missed her body in his arms and her sweet scent surrounding his senses. If things kept up the way they were, he would collapse on the battlefield from shear exhaustion. “I need Kagome,” Naraku whispered as he stood and left his room. He needed to wrap his arms around her, if only just to sleep. He wouldn't do anything other then wrap his arms around her, nothing else. He swore on his life that he wouldn't do anything else unless she asked. `I need sleep,' he thought as he stood outside her door. He slowly pulled open the door and looked at the upright figure sitting in the futon.

“Naraku!”

“Kagome,” Naraku murmured as he walked over to her and delicately wrapped his arms around her. He felt her shiver as he lowered himself onto her futon. It wasn't hard to pull her down beside him, to tuck her head under his chin, even to hold her the way he was. She wasn't resisting, though she was shivering. “Relax Kagome, I won't hurt you,” Naraku mumbled tiredly as his eyes started to close from exhaustion.

Kagome nodded, but her eyes were wide. Just before Naraku had entered her room, she had been wishing for him. Wishing that he could be here with her, holding her the way he was now. `Can he read minds?' she wondered idly to herself as her mind started to grow hazy. Her eyes drifted closed and she snuggled into Naraku's chest, finally falling asleep.

Naraku smiled to himself as Kagome fell asleep in his arms. He had swore to himself he wouldn't do anything, and he wouldn't ruin this moment for anything.

`This is so nice,' two minds thought before entering the oblivion of sleep.

 

The sound of birds filtered into the wakening mind of Kagome as the first rays of light shone through the window of her room. Kagome yawned and buried her face deeper into the silk covered chest. Her eyes opened slowly as her mind roused her further to full wakefulness. She tilted her head back and blinked in surprise to find that she had awakened before Naraku. His eyes were closed and his expression completely relaxed. His hair was spread out around him and his yukata had fallen open slightly while they had been asleep.

Kagome blushed as she gently touched his chest. His skin was soft, tempting her to run her fingers across it. Unable to fight the temptation, she ran her fingers from his chest up to his neck and back. She did this several times, entranced with the idea of touching someone like the way she was. Her eyes followed her fingers, so she didn't see Naraku's eyes open slowly. `I'd never do this if he was awake,' she thought with a sudden blush.

So content, Naraku felt so very content. He was warm, he had had a good night of sleep, and now he could feel soft delicate fingers running across his chest. `Wait…what?' slowly, very slowly, Naraku opened his eyes. To his amazement, it was Kagome who was running her fingers across his chest. Naraku kept still and relaxed, watching Kagome as she explored his chest with her eyes and finger tips. With each stroke of her fingers, Naraku felt his arousal grow. With each pass of her fingers his resolve to pull away from her weakened and his inner demon rose up. His will completely broke when Kagome leaned in to place a gentle kiss against his collar bone. In that instant, Kagome was on her back and Naraku had straddled her hips.

Kagome didn't know why she had kissed his chest, she had simply wanted…wanted to…Her mind blanked. She didn't know what she wanted, or at least she couldn't put what she wanted to words. Kissing Naraku had been an impulse, and thinking he was still asleep she kissed him. Now, she looked up at Naraku with wide eyes, her hands pinned by his. “Nar-Naraku!” Kagome gasped as he leaned down to lick the left side of her neck. She gasped as she felt him lightly nip at her ear and she tried to turn her head to look at him.

Her eyes met crimson red demonic eyes and Kagome shivered. Fear, and something else, welled up inside and she tried to pull away. She felt his hands tighten around her wrists as he pressed his body against hers. Her eyes went wide as she felt something very hard press against her. “Naraku!” Her voice rasped and she struggled weakly against his gentle ministrations. She shivered with each pass of his tongue against her shoulder, gasped as he nipped the delicate skin of her throat. But that was all he did, for several long minutes.

“Momma, Are you coming to Break…” A voice faltered at the doorway were the door had been quickly pushed open. A shocked and embarrassed Shippo muttered apologies and shut the door faster then he had opened it.

Kagome felt her face heat up in shock and embarrassment and felt Naraku tense over her.

 

Naraku had been quit content to just lean over Kagome, tasting her flesh again and again. He was encouraged to continue as she didn't fight. Her moans were music to his ears and the feel of her body shivering against his was delightful. Everything was going smoothly, she was willingly giving herself to him, when the sound of her son opening the door made him tense. His demon raged to go and punish the insolent pup for disturbing them, but to do that would upset his mate. He shouldn't upset his mate, not when he was so close to having her. His demon tensed over her still body as he felt his rational side fight to get back control.

“Naraku…are you alright?” a hesitant and soft voice caught his attention. His eyes burned as he opened them, unaware that he had ever closed them. The vision he saw, was enough to push away any thoughts of harming his mates pup. There she was, laid out under him, her sleeping yukata opened enough to reveal luscious breasts which were heaving with silent gasps. Her hands were pinned by his, her cheeks flushed and her eyes questioning. And yet, in her eyes he saw fear as well as her confusion at her arousal. `She should not fear me,' he thought as he gently leaned down to capture her lips. He felt her gasp against his lips and he slipped his tongue between the delicate folds to explore her mouth.

Kagome had been worried. When Shippo had innocently opened the door to see if she was coming to breakfast, she had been afraid of what Naraku would do. He had shown her nothing but kindness the last few months, but Kagura had warned her Naraku had a nasty temper. With soft spoken words she attempted to pull Naraku's attention back on her. Her plan worked, only a little too well. His attention was on her, completely on her, or more specifically on her mouth. Her eyes went wide before slowly closing. The kiss wasn't horrible, in fact it was comforting, like he was trying to relax her. She felt her body relax and he released one of her wrists. She didn't move, she didn't want to move. What he was doing, what they were doing, felt right to her.

“I don't want to force you,” his words were forced, but soft. His lips were barely touching her own. He pulled up slightly to look into her eyes.

At that moment, the moment when their eyes met, Kagome felt her breath catch in her throat and she felt something spark between her and Naraku. The memories of him raping her left her mind and her eyes widened. What she saw in the depths of those crimson eyes were not what she expected to see. Instead of lust and power, she saw pain and loneliness. “You won't be forcing me Naraku,” She whispered, her words were said from the depths of her heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I know I'm leaving it on a cliffy, but I don't care. I've rewritten this chapter probably 6 times and this is the only version I like. As you probably guessed, there might be a lemon next chapter.

 

Preview for Next Chapter:

 

“Naraku! It's beautiful!” Kagome exclaimed as Naraku swept Kagome's hair up and then slid the comb in place. `It's just like the one from my…my dream. Except it isn't broken,' she thought as realization swept over her. The mystery man that had always been behind her, holding her, it had to have been Naraku. The comb linked everything into place. `But that would mean I'm…' She couldn't be pregnant, not yet.

Before her mind could start going in confusing circles, she felt Naraku's arms circle her from behind. She leaned into his arms, almost too naturally. `Yes…just like my dreams,' she thought surprised that she wasn't as surprised as she should have been. It must be that in her heart she had always known it was Naraku she had dreamt about, though her mind had fought and denied it.

“It was my mothers, and it was her mothers before her,” Naraku said as he nuzzled his mark on Kagome's shoulder. It looked even more beautiful on her then he could have guessed. He looked down into the pound, his arms wrapped comfortably around his new mate. His demon purred in contentment as he felt Kagome lean against him. Never before had he felt so happy, or at least not since his childhood. He sighed, he could stay like this forever, but that was not to be.

 

“Naraku! My Lord we're under attack!” one of his soldiers yelled from outside the garden. Naraku straightened and clutched Kagome tightly before letting her go. He knew this day would come, though he wished it could have been later. He told his garden to allow the soldier in. In a moment, the crane demon was at his side panting heavily and a gash on his head. Kagome gasped, but Naraku pushed her behind him.

“Report,” he said sternly. His warm and content expression gone, his eyes hard.

“It is Inu-Yasha my Lord. The Inu-Hanyo attacks!”