InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Six Feet ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

Naraku hummed softly as his fingers made their way through Inuyasha's hair, idly smoothing out the tangles that he found there. Occasionally they made their way up to the hanyou's white, furry ears and stroked them but otherwise continued to make a trail between silvery-white tresses. The last thing he wanted was for Inuyasha to wake up right now. He'd fallen asleep some time before after having cried for several long moments. Every emotion that had lodged itself into the boy had come crashing out, draining him and leaving him exhausted. A ragged sigh escaped the silver-haired male every now and then, though he never woke from his slumber.

As he had cried himself out, Inuyasha had revealed some things to him that Naraku had either guessed about or had not known at all, things that Inuyasha had probably never revealed to anyone before. Each word the inu hanyou had uttered had been heart wrenching, from the moment he'd lost his mother to the miko's betrayal . . . to his desire for death, so he could escape the pain that had become his life. Soon after, the words ceased to tumble out and Inuyasha lay against his chest, trembling and clinging to him as if he'd become a lifeline.

Now they both sat there, Inuyasha sleeping and Naraku keeping him soothed, his mind going over everything the puppy-eared hanyou had told him. He'd tried his best not to move around too much - Inuyasha clung to him that much tighter, a whimper escaping him - but it couldn't always be helped. In order to keep them both comfortable, he needed to adjust.

It felt strange, being the one to offer comfort and to an enemy no less. Inuyasha had never comforted him in his time of need. No one had . . . except for that one time, when he had still been Onigumo, when Kikyou had given him comfort.

He'd been dying. Naraku remembered as much and knew that Kikyou had known that as well. However, it hadn't stopped her from tending to him, feeding him and cleaning him. She'd tried to make his passing as bearable as possible, had done so because she had believed it to be right. It didn't matter that he lusted after her and had been frustrated at his situation. She had still taken the time to comfort him when he'd needed it.

As they sat there, Inuyasha sleeping peacefully against him, Naraku realized that he had just slipped into that very same role as Kikyou had all those years ago. However, unlike the situation between him and Kikyou, he actually had a few things in common with the silver-haired male nestled snug against his chest. When he'd been Onigumo, he'd been betrayed by his so-called friends, had been left to die in a burning building then tossed down a cliff. Inuyasha had been burned, not in the same sense that he had been but still burned, by his friends as well. The hanyou's friends had fled from the truth, had turned a blind eye as to how it would truly affect him, all so the miko could have her little fling.

 

His fingers still stroking Inuyasha's hair, Naraku noted that he now felt a little strange. Not in a bad sense of the word but still strange. He felt . . . satisfied in holding the youth and in giving Inuyasha the comfort that he so desperately needed, like a void somewhere inside of him was being filled just by being there for the hanyou.

 

Such feelings would have normally scared Naraku. He didn't want to feel anything but the scorn that he held for others. He relished in the misery of others, took great joy in creating that misery. Now . . .

 

Now there wasn't anywhere else he wanted to be other than where he was. Inuyasha had needed someone, had needed him but for a reason neither of them probably couldn't explain. It had just turned out that way.

 

“What are you doing to me?” he murmured, nuzzling the top of Inuyasha's head.

 

“Naraku?”

 

At Kagura's surprised tone, he lifted his head to see her and Kanna standing in the doorframe. Kanna, as usual, bore no signs of emotion but Kagura's eyes had nearly popped out of her head at the sight of him holding their nemesis.

 

“Yes, Kagura?”

 

“Kohaku and I have done as you've ordered,” she murmured, taking a tentative step into the room. “And now Kanna and I are here . . . are we . . . interrupting something?”

 

“No,” he shook his head. “You're not. Come. Both of you. Sit by me.”

 

Kanna, ever the obedient child, quickly moved to sit by him, her eyes never questioning his motives. Once she had reached him, she sat on his right side, her large eyes gazing at the form cradled next to him. Kagura, however, hesitated, as if she weren't quite sure if she could trust him. Instead of threatening her, though, as he had often been wont to do in the past, he just nodded, indicating to her that it was okay. She took a few steps towards them, an obvious sign that she still didn't quite trust what she was seeing. Not that Naraku could blame her. He'd always been one for tricks and deceptions. He wouldn't expect her, or anyone else, to believe that something inside him had changed. He wasn't quite believing it himself.

 

'But time makes all things possible.'

 

“It's all right, Kagura. I'm not going to hurt you,” Naraku murmured. “Things are going to change around here. It isn't going to be easy . . . but they will change. I promise you that.”

 

* * *

 

'They're not going to get away, they're not going to get away,' Kouga chanted to himself as he took off in the direction that Kagura's scent had come from. Of course, Kagome had detected a fragment of the sacred jewel coming from the wind witch's direction as well, which the group had concluded the wind sorceress had Kohaku, the taijiya's younger brother, with her as well.

 

Their goals had not changed with Inuyasha's disappearance. They still wanted to get the young taijiya out of Naraku's grasp. Once they got Kohaku away, they could find a way to ensure that the boy would live and they'd have yet another shard of the Shikon no Tama. After that . . .

 

'After that, we get the rest of the Shikon jewel,' Kouga growled to himself, 'and we do this world a favour . . . We get rid of that bastard once and for all. He'll pay for what he's done.'

 

Kouga ran on, Kagome clinging to his back with Sango, Miroku, and Shippo riding on Kirara. Ginta and Hakkaku were trailing behind with the remaining members of the wolf packs. Hiroshi and Ayame . . . well, he didn't care where they were at. As long as they were close behind or taking care of the camp, Kouga didn't care . . . and the further he was away from blue-eyed inu hanyou, the better.

 

He wasn't about to admit it but something about Hiroshi truly had him unsettled. Kouga couldn't figure out what. Perhaps it was the fact that Hiroshi was hanyou and relation to both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. Perhaps it was the fact that Hiroshi and Inuyasha bore a very strong family resemblance. Or perhaps it was the fact that Hiroshi was an example of how Inuyasha could truly be. The only time warmth entered Hiroshi's eyes was when he happened to glance at Ayame. The only time he smiled was when he was watching Ayame. The only time he was anything remotely nice was when he was around Ayame. It was like watching an older, more intelligent, and colder version of Inuyasha, and it made the hair on Kouga's neck stand on end to be around the inu hanyou.

 

'Can't think about that now,' he told himself, inhaling deeply. His eyes narrowed as he did so. He could smell the wind demoness and the young male taijiya's scents but they were now fading away . . .

 

“Dammit!” he growled, coming a stop. His head turned every which way, trying to get a whiff of the two. They'd been there. Their scents still lingered but there weren't any traces of them. “Where'd they go?”

 

“I don't know,” Kagome replied, sliding off his back.

 

“Can you detect any of the jewel shards, Kagome-chan?” Sango inquired as the fire-cat landed next to them.

 

Kouga turned his attention to his intended, noting her face twisting into a look of thoughtful concentration. Then she shook her head.

 

“No. It's gone.”

 

“Damn . . . what the hell is Naraku up to this time?”

 

“I think I know,” came the quiet murmur. All eyes turned to Miroku, and Kouga heard a gasp escape the two females. In the monk's arms lay a pile of familiar red clothing.

 

* * *

 

“So . . . what exactly does this mean?” Ginta inquired quietly.

 

In the center of the camp lay the pile of red clothing that Miroku had discovered by a nearby tree. The clothes that Inuyasha had never been without. Kagome knew as much. She'd been rather hard-pressed to get him to change into anything else when he'd gone to her era. The fact that Kagura and Kohaku had led them to Inuyasha's clothing . . .

 

Along with Inuyasha's clothing there had been a scroll. Who had written it, they could only guess. Kagome had been the one to read it, had insisted upon it, and what she had read frightened her.

 

It had said that Inuyasha no longer wanted his fire-rat clothing, that the clothes themselves held too many painful memories for the inu hanyou to bear. They reminded him too much of Kikyou and Kagome, and their betrayals, both recent and from fifty years before. Inuyasha, according to the scroll, no longer wanted to carry those memories with him. Getting rid of them had been the only for him to sever himself from the past. The scroll had not been signed but she knew that each word had been written by Naraku. The dark hanyou knew no bounds when it came to trickery and deceit.

 

“What do you think it means?” Kouga snapped. Ginta immediately cowered from the enraged wolf youkai.

 

“It means that Naraku has Inuyasha,” Kagome murmured softly, sadly, and instantly calming the blue-eyed wolf. “Who knows what could be happening to him right now?”

 

Her gaze then landed on Hiroshi.

 

“You knew this, didn't you? You knew that Naraku had Inuyasha. That's what your brother Akira was telling you, wasn't he?”

 

“Hai,” he confirmed. “I did know. And I was going to inform everyone once they'd returned to the camp. It seems that Naraku has decided to tell you for himself.”

 

Kagome felt herself shaking. Tears formed in her eyes and she shut them, to keep the mental images, images of Inuyasha being tormented and raped, out. Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and Kouga pulled her into an embrace.

 

Everyone remained quiet for a while, the only sounds being the crackling of the fire and Kagome's sobs. Her sobs soon subsided as determination, strong and hot, filled her. When she trusted herself to speak, she pulled away from Kouga, her gaze landing on everyone there.

 

“We can't afford any more delays. We seek out Naraku. Tonight.”

 

* * *

 

Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open as a small stream of sunlight filtered into his room, and he let out a soft sigh. Another day had come.

He'd been doing that a lot lately, sighing. So many things had changed and so rapidly as well. An ache still echoed throughout his soul whenever he thought of the pretty, young miko from the future and her decision to be with his rival. He'd lost that battle . . . yet the ache wasn't nearly as sharp as it had been before. Things had changed . . . he had changed and he knew it.

He was slowly getting better. He was getting to where he could actually stand up and get dressed on his own without Naraku's help. His appetite had begun to return as well. It was nowhere near where it had once been, but Inuyasha found that he couldn't ignore his stomach when it growled at him. Kagura had joked that he was returning to the land of living . . . whatever that had meant.

Naraku and Kagura . . .

They were his sworn enemies, people he had felt that he couldn't trust and that would just as soon spit on him as to help him. Yet . . . they were helping him, had been for the last month. Why, he still didn't know . . . and he didn't care. They were there for him, encouraging him to continue living.

Of course, this had only been for a month. He'd been staying with the dark-haired hanyou for two, though he barely remembered that first month.

'Doesn't matter,' he told himself as strong, slender arms slipped around his waist and gave him a gentle squeeze. 'I'm wanted here . . . loved . . .'

It was still too soon for him to hope for a happy ending. His heart was still recovering from the shock of Kagome's betrayal. In many ways, he'd still love her, like he still loved Kikyou, but Naraku was slowly creeping in. Inuyasha knew it but wasn't about to stop it. Not in the least. Not after what Naraku had promised him. So far, Naraku had been good on that promise, shocking him and scaring him some.

“I do not want to get up,” came the groggy sigh. A small smile tugged on Inuyasha's lips and he turned himself around so that he and Naraku were face to face, their noses nearly touching.

“So don't,” Inuyasha stated. “Stay here. With me.”

To that, Naraku chuckled and pulled him closer. A light and gentle kiss landed on his lips, something which he returned. He didn't know what he would have done if Naraku had not taken him captive in the first place. His heart was mending, he'd been given stability once more, and it was thanks to this man.

“I wish I could,” he murmured. “But today's the day, koi. You know I can't.”

“So you're really going to go through with this?” Inuyasha inquired. Naraku nodded.

“Hai. I made you a promise and I intend to keep it.”

Reluctantly, Naraku pulled away from him and rose to his feet. It would be time for him to leave soon. Though he didn't want Naraku to leave, Inuyasha knew that what Naraku had in mind had to be done. It couldn't be avoided any longer.

“Good luck,” he murmured, pushing himself up. Naraku paused in the doorway and turned to give him one final glance and a rare, warm smile.

“Arigato, Inuyasha. Arigato. And I'll be back before nightfall. I promise.”

In a flash, the crimson-eyed man left the room, leaving Inuyasha alone. With another sigh, the inu hanyou rose to his feet as well, ready to face another day . . .