InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 128

Pride (In the Name of Love) 128 / ??
Written by Jezz-Ra
Warnings - Not all warnings apply to all chapters. Yaoi, Het, Rape, Lemon, Violence, Language, Torture, Angst, Incest, Dark (at times). It's a massive story, folks, it's got a little bit of everything.
Disclaimer - I don't own Inuyasha, don't make money off it. Wish I did.

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// blah // indicates thoughts.

A/N - Ugh. My muse is being horribly uncooperative the past few days... I've felt my last few chapters have been drivel. That goes for BOTH of my fics that I'm attempting to update. Maybe I need to do something more philosophical and deep.
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Clothes shopping came first for the trio. Money was no longer an object for Kagome, and she was more than happy to indulge herself and Rin. Rin's eyes lit up when she found a particularly striking red dress, which Kagome urged her to try on. When she finally came out, Kagome gasped and Naraku flashed her a grin.

"Oh, wow...with the right hairstyle, you could knock any man dead with THAT dress..."

Rin blinked. "Rin does not want to knock anyone dead..."

Kagome giggled. "That's not what I meant.""She means you look absolutely ravishing. Sesshoumaru wouldn't stand a chance...you'd melt Lord Icicle's resistance in about two seconds."

"You think so?" Rin examined herself in the mirror, blushing a bit. She felt almost indecent - this dress was NOTHING like ANYTHING she had ever seen on anyone in her world.

Soon the girls had all the clothes they could possibly want - at least for the moment - and had even picked out about a dozen outfits that they thought Aliana would look absolutely adorable in. That completed, they went shopping for the boys.

Even Kagome had to admit, when Naraku finally got done dressing in some more modern clothing, that he looked absolutely stunning. In general, she had to admit to rather liking the kumo these days. He was mischievous and his continual flirting with Inuyasha was truly hilarious. It was hard to think of him as the very same horrific creature that had caused them so much grief in days gone by.

// And he CAN'T be evil like that again. It's strange... // Kagome eyed Naraku thoughtfully. "Say, Naraku..."
"Yes?"

"What can you tell me about...what Sairex did to you? I mean, I know you're different than you used to be and its kinda hard for us to accept. You were our biggest enemy."

"I know. As for what he did to me...hm. He'd be the one to ask, not me. From my perspective...it's like this. If I try to think about something too hard...or try to think too far ahead...my head starts to hurt. Eventually, it hurts enough that I can't think at all, or I simply lose consciousness."

"Huh. So how does that prevent you from being evil?"

Naraku smirked. "With all due respect, my dear priestess...being evil takes more effort and focus than being good."

"I can't say that I agree with that."

"Really, it does. When you're evil, truly wicked...not only do the would-be heroes hunt you down, but the average citizen passively or even more actively attempts to thwart you. To be evil and powerful is a constant battle of wits...a web of carefully woven fear to subdue the weak, and cunning and strength to dominate other challengers. Only one can be the most powerful...but the most powerful can be subdued by proper cunning, as was Lord Toga. You have to constantly and consistently be several steps ahead of those that would save others from you, else you will fall."

Kagome paused to think about that for a few moments. "It isn't easy to be good, either...attaining things and reaching goals through pure means can sometimes be very difficult. Earning respect and the rights to some things can be much more difficult than seizing it. Evil contains the seeds of its own destruction by its very nature."

"Not necessarily. While I will concede that some things are easier stolen or savaged, holding and maintaining your victory is another matter. When you fight on the dark side, even your allies are likely to betray you. You have no true confidants, no true comrades. You are ultimately alone. Everything must be done yourself, and you must take extreme care not to let even your minions know too much. You cannot allow yourself to be swayed by greed or deluded by power. You must be entirely and acutely aware of your capabilities at all times, and must not make a mistake. Should you err, you will not get the chance to correct it without a good deal of luck...and luck is fickle and unreliable. If you err, your so-called allied and supporters will tear you down before your enemies get the chance. So in this regard, yes, evil does contain the seeds of its own destruction...but only if you allow yourself to become complacent, foolish, or too trusting of anyone."

Kagome gave Naraku a half-hearted smile. "Heh. Y'know, that sounds just like the you I was used to."

"Perhaps. But it is an entirely moot point. I am incapable of the mental functions that would allow me to become great. I could mindlessly run around smashing things, but I would never attain any great power or be anything of a mastermind...simply a minion, and that holds no appeal for me. I can't plot anything much deeper or more intricate than what I intend to eat for dinner without my mind shutting down on me. I suppose, perhaps, it should irritate me that I lack the ability for deep thought...but I can't say I mind. My life has not been bad of late."

Kagome grinned. "Well, that works for me."

"I... cannot fathom why, but I am strangely and strongly drawn to you. I find myself often confused, with inexplicable urges that do not seem like something I should yearn for."

Kagome paused, mulling over that for a moment. Naraku had a serious look on his face, a slight frown on his lips. His eyes were shielded by the shades she had loaned him earlier, but it didn't take away from the gravity of his expression. "Well, I don't know how much you remember. You were originally a bandit by the name of Onigumo. You were injured horribly, burned and broken. A priestess by the name of Kikyo was attempting to care for you, to ease your final days and you came to love her...and if not truly love her, covet her."

Naraku watched her seriously, hanging on her every word.

"You traded your body to a horde of demons in exchange to be able to move and live again. That is when you became Naraku. You...weren't a true demon, though. You still had human in you...you were a hanyou, like Inuyasha. You tried mightily to rid yourself of your human heart and with it your love for Kikyo."

"I do not...see how this pertains to you, though...even if it does explain a lot of things I've wondered about."

"Heh...I'm Kikyo's reincarnation. She could be my twin sister."

"Oh. Well. It all makes sense now." Naraku grinned. "Thank you. I'm far less confused now."

"Glad I could help. Now...I DO have to ask you about Inuyasha."

"Jealous?"

Kagome chuckled. "Nah, not exactly. I'm just looking out for him because he's one of my dearest friends and I don't want to see him get hurt. Nothing personal. But you do know that, no matter what he says, he has a mate that he loves dearly?"

"The 'scrawny, flea-bitten wolf'? Ah, yes, I hear the affection in every growl and slash of their claws colliding."

Kagome giggled. "Eh, that's just how they work. Despite what they say and how they act, they really do care about each other. From what I gather, they're both strictly loyal, too. Kouga has told me before that the wolves mate for life, and loyalty is something Inuyasha has in spades despite his other faults."

"You all take me so SERIOUSLY...look. I tease the hanyou because it is fun. I flirt with him because truly, I would not mind a little fling, even if I do not expect any such thing. I do not intend to cause trouble for him or his mate. I just get...lonely. I can understand that no one really wants me around because of who I was and who I would be, were I not damaged. It isn't like I don't get the point. I surely don't expect it to change overnight, if at all. I would have left a long while ago so as not to bother you all had it been allowed. As much as I'm not wanted around, nor can I be allowed to roam free. The only one that truly understands that I can no longer be the threat I once was is Sairex. That is also largely able to be contributed to the fact that he has no prior knowledge of me. He doesn't have the long and tumultuous history the rest of us have."

Kagome found herself feeling guilty despite it all. "Well...look. It's alright. People change, I know. Even if your change was forced, you aren't who you used to be. I'm sorry that we've all been...treating you like nothing changed all this time. It's hard to get over the things you did."

"Like I said. I understand. I deserve it in any case. We can...stop having this conversation now. We have a lot of shopping to do and I think Rin is going to break your bank account if we don't leave this clothing shop soon."

Kagome glanced over and found that Rin had added many new outfits for herself and her friends to the cart and was currently browsing through a rack of flower-patterned sundresses delightedly. "Yeah, I see what you mean..."

They brought the bags out to the car rather than haul them about for the remainder of their trip simply because of how many there were. Kagome couldn't help but giggle as they walked throughout the building. Naraku was dressed to kill in one of his new outfits and his shades, and had one girl on each arm. The three of them were DEFINITELY turning heads.

Kagome decided a snack and ice cream were in order and the three of them sat down to enjoy their treat. It took a very long time for Rin and Naraku to decide what they wanted. The waitress alternated between drooling over the kumo and looking at him and Rin skeptically, confused as to why something as simple as the menu seemed to be utterly flabbergasting the two of them.

Kagome saved the day by simply ordering him a hot fudge sundae, and Rin decided on a strawberry one herself after a bit of urging from Kagome.

The kumo had no idea what to expect, and when his order arrived, he stared at it for the longest time. Kagome bit back a giggle - she would never get tired of her friends and their reactions to things that were so commonplace in her life.

Naraku took a bite and froze, staring at the treat. Kagome watched him curiously, blinking when he suddenly leaped to his feet. "Wh..." Her words stuck in her throat as he took a knee and clasped her hands in his own, his tone deathly serious.

"Lady Kagome, marry me. I cannot leave a world with things so wonderful as this behind. I want to stay with you forever. Please, say you will..."

Kagome didn't really know how to react, and she abruptly broke into a vicious blush as other people in the restaurant started cheering and whistling and applauding. "Naraku!"

The kumo couldn't help but flash her a grin. "What?"

"I more or less stopped living here to live in YOUR world, y'know..."

"Well, you're clearly insane. Do you SEE that thing on the table?" Naraku pointed at the sundae. "LOOK at it..."

"So you want to marry me because I bought you dessert?"

Naraku considered it for a moment. "Well, I suppose there might be other benefits."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I think I preferred it when you were chasing Inuyasha..."

"I don't think he looks as good in a skirt as you do."

Kagome and Rin both giggled at that. Rin eyed Naraku seriously. "Where did you ever see Inuyasha in a skirt?"Naraku smirked and tapped his temple. "In here. Trust me, it's a scary place." With a chuckle, the kumo slid back into his seat and lost himself to the bliss of his sundae.