InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sleeping with the Enemy ❯ Betrayal ( Chapter 13 )

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Sorry for the delay of this chapter! I'm in the middle of moving right now. Excuses, I know…Anyway, I sat down and made myself finish this up so it could be posted, so I'm apologizing now for any little mistakes you might find in here.

 

Thank you all again so much for the support of this story! It keeps me working on it. I know not many people support a Naraku/Kagome pairing (actually, many people don't support a Naraku/anyone pairing) so getting positive reviews and feedback from you all really helps keep me writing.

 

Chapter Twelve

Betrayal

 

Kirara stood waiting; quietly watching and listening to her beloved owner argue with the stubborn half demon. The fire cat rolled her eyes then flicked her tails to show her growing lack of patience.

 

“I don't need a ride, I can walk just fine!”

 

“We'll move much faster on Kirara, InuYasha! Besides, it's only the two of us!” Sango gave an exasperated sigh and glanced over at her pet. Kirara gave her knowing look then moved towards InuYasha, lowering her head slightly in an almost pleading attempt to get him to agree so they could keep moving. The half demon watched her then gave a relenting grunt.

 

“Fine, I'll ride on her, but only because I don't want to listen to you complain the rest of the trip.” Sango stared longingly at the prayer beads around his neck. Sometimes she would give just about anything to have power over them.

 

“You're so stubborn sometimes; it's no wonder Kagome sits you so often.”

 

“Look who's talking, Sango. You're just as stubborn as I am. Maybe even more so.”

 

The fire cat again flicked her tails in annoyance. Sometimes she believed she was the most intelligent one in the group, followed closely by the small kitsune. After another minute of squabbling between the two she moved back to Sango and nudged her. The demon exterminator looked down at her and then sighed.

 

“Alright Kirara, we're going.” She climbed onto her pet and watched as InuYasha moved to do the same, still complaining the entire time. The large cat then took off quickly; being sure the half demon nearly lost his balance causing him to start a new tirade.

 

Sango chuckled quietly. “That wasn't very nice, Kirara.” The cat simply kept moving, smirking to herself as InuYasha went silent, no doubt brooding to himself.

 

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

 

Kagura walked into the gardens and smirked. It was dusk now. Naraku had spent the day avoiding the young priestess and the girl had been in the garden toiling over books, not paying attention to much of anything else. Soon she would see that Sachi escorted the girl to dinner then to her room for the night.

 

Once Naraku retired Kagura would leave. It would not be her first trip to Hebiakui. Actually, she would have to remember to thank the young priestess once everything was over and done. Had she not become such a part of Naraku's life, never would Kagura have been able to get away from him long enough to make her plans. As it were, he spent hours watching the girl in Kanna's mirror, giving Kagura much more freedom than she was accustomed to having. This only made her crave it that much more. Slowly she turned and went back into the castle to find Sachi and wait for the opportunity to leave.

 

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

 

Kagome sat engrossed in her school work until she heard footsteps. When she looked up she was greeted by the servant that Naraku had sent to her before. In the moonlight the demoness appeared even younger, maybe younger than Kagome herself.

 

"Dinner is ready. Master Naraku won't be joining you tonight."

 

Both relief and oddly disappointment flooded her at those words. She knew Naraku wasn't happy that she had denied him. Yet, the idea of sitting there alone with only a servant made her a little uncomfortable. She realized that Naraku probably had less than no desire to be around her now and that thought hurt for reasons she didn't quite understand. She pushed aside her feelings and followed Sachi inside where she ate a lonely dinner before retiring to her room for a very restless night of sleep.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Miroku sat in peaceful silence just outside of Mushin's hut. Hachi had wandered off to do some odd chores for the old man, while Mushin and Kohana had gone into the village. It was beginning to grow dark and the monk knew the others would soon be returning.

 

For so many years Miroku had traveled alone. His only purpose was to kill Naraku and perhaps find a woman that would bare his child. Now, he realized it had probably been months since he had even had a few moments of silence all to himself. He glanced around and then gave a heavy sigh. He was lonely. Somewhere in all the months since he met up with his comrades he had grown accustomed to them being near.

 

The silence only made their absence that much more pronounced. He missed Shippo's incessant chatter and InuYasha and Kagome's childish bickering and banter. Most of all he missed seeing Sango sitting with Kirara. Such a strong, yet gentle woman she could be. But Miroku was no fool. She wasn't his, nor did he ever believe she would be. Sango needed someone strong enough to carry her burdens on top of their own. As selfish as it was Miroku didn't know if he could be that man, as much as he wanted to at times. He then glanced down at his hand. He also knew that Sango had suffered enough loss in her life. He could never ask her to accept him and only leave her alone when the curse ended his life.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Miroku got to his feet and was greeted by Mushin and Kohana.

 

“How are you feeling?” Mushin questioned as he approached his surrogate son. The young man gave him a warm smile in return.

 

“I am feeling fine, Mushin, thanks to you.” Miroku let his eyes wander briefly to Kohana who was standing beside the old man smiling at him. Her long ebony hair was flowing freely around her shoulders and hung down to the middle of her back, contrasting beautifully against the simple blue yukata she was wearing.

 

“I believe you promised me a walk,” he said with a slight grin. Kohana gave a quick nod then looked at Mushin.

 

“Let me finish with my chores, and then we can go.” She turned to go when Mushin spoke up.

 

“Go enjoy your walk, child. You fuss over me and this hut too much as it is.” Miroku watched with a little amusement as a slight shade of pink crept into the young girl's cheeks.

 

“Alright, well at least let me put these things away.” The girl quickly went inside to rid herself of the bags she was carrying doing her best to avoid looking at either man on her way.

 

Mushin shook his head slightly. “Such a sweet child. She should be worrying about herself and not an old man like me.”

 

The monk gave a slight nod and looked towards the hut then back to Mushin. “I am sure it wasn't easy on her…losing both of her parents at such a young age.”

 

The old man gave a heavy sigh and looked to the hut as well. “Her father was a drunkard that spent every bit of money they had gambling. When Kohana was a child, her father did try to provide for his family but after his wife's death he began spending more of his time drinking sake than taking care of his daughter. Eventually, he began gambling and spending his time with miscreants. That girl did everything in her ability to see that he was taken care of.”

 

Miroku glanced at Mushin then back to the hut. He was beginning to understand why Mushin, himself, had given up his sake. Clearly, he wanted to help the young girl. Before anything else could be said Kohana stepped out of the hut and smiled at them both.

 

“Your things are put away, Mushin. I'll make dinner for everyone when we get back.” The old man simply gave her a sad smile.

 

“Just enjoy yourself, Kohana, I can see to my own dinner.”

 

She was about to protest again when she saw the look Mushin was giving her. Instead, she just nodded and turned to Miroku.

 

“I guess we should go before it gets too dark; or we might get lost and have to sleep out there all night.”

 

Miroku smiled and gave a slight nod, trying desperately to ignore the impure thoughts that were beginning to creep into his mind.

 

“Yes, we certainly wouldn't want that.” The monk said and began walking with her.

 

Mushin caught the look on the young monk's face then shook his head and walked into the hut. Perhaps encouraging Kohana to spend time alone with Miroku wasn't such a good idea after all.

 

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

 

Sango felt a sudden jolt as both Kirara and InuYasha seemed to sense something at the same time.

"What is it?" She asked and turned to look over her shoulder. InuYasha appeared to be focusing all of his senses and didn't answer her question. Before she even got a chance to turn back around there was a violent shove and Sango felt herself being thrown from her pet.

 

"Damnit!" InuYasha jumped off of Kirara, quickly grabbing Sango around the waist and landing gracefully on the ground.

 

"What was that?" The demon exterminator looked into the sky and then let out a gasp. Another feline demon, slightly larger than Kirara was viciously pursuing her beloved pet.

 

"Kirara!" Sango instinctively pulled her weapon intending to protect her, when InuYasha grabbed her arm.

 

"We're near her den; she's only protecting her young."

 

"She's going to kill Kirara!" InuYasha flattened his ears. Between Sango's frantic shouting and the sounds the two cats where making he could barely think.

 

InuYasha kept a tight grasp on Sango as he looked back up into the sky. He knew Kirara didn't stand a chance. The other cat was larger and had a mother's instinct to protect her territory and young. He winced as he saw the larger cat slash Kirara across her side before lunging at her throat. The half demon could barely keep a hold of Sango who was nearly hysterical now.

 

"I'm gonna distract her, you get Kirara and get her away from here!" He releases Sango from his grasp then leapt into the air, knocking the other demon away from the large fire cat.

 

"Kirara!" Sango called to her pet anxiously, seeing her bleeding heavily from a wound on her side. The cat watched the other demon for a moment before moving to Sango's side.

 

"Let's go!" She quickly got onto the fire cat, hoping to get them far enough away that they could stop safely and wait for InuYasha. Kirara took one more look up at the half demon who was now doing his best to keep the other cat distracted while not letting her rip him apart at the same time.

 

"He'll be fine; he'll come find us once we're away from here." She knew that InuYasha wouldn't back down until they were out of harms way and she also knew they couldn't kill a demon for trying to protect her young. It wouldn't be right to leave them motherless. Kirara seemed to understand this as well and quickly took off carrying her owner to safety.

 

InuYasha leapt away from the demon barely avoiding its razor sharp claws once again. Rarely had he fought a demon with such strength and speed, even those with jewel shards. He knew it had little to do with the demon's physical abilities but rather her maternal instincts. Not being able to fight back didn't help him any, but that would be a last resort. The half demon looked over as Sango and Kirara took off then turned and began to run in the opposite direction. He knew this demon wouldn't stray too far from her den, so leading her away from his comrades was his best bet of keeping everyone safe.

 

After only a moment the demon ended her pursuit of InuYasha. She had already hunted and had no reason to continue once he was no longer a threat. The half demon stopped and waited to be sure she was gone before heading to the north. He would need to stay away from the demon's territory to avoid another attack. Nearly ten minutes later he had made his way back to Sango and Kirara. The coppery smell of blood made him move faster. The blood was demon's which relieved him a little. He had feared the cat demon had turned from him only to go back after Sango.

 

The sight he came upon made his chest tighten. Sango was kneeling on the ground crying, holding Kirara to her. InuYasha had known the fire cat had been injured during the fight but he had not gotten a chance to see how badly. He also knew that when a demon such as Kirara was injured badly enough, they had to remain in their normal state in order to heal. She would be the one needing carried now.

 

InuYasha walked over to Sango and looked down trying to judge just how bad the injuries on her pet where, and then pulled off his hoari.

 

“Here,” he held it out to the girl without much fanfare and only offered more explanation when she looked up at him questioningly.

 

“Wrap her up in that so you don't get any more blood on ya. We don't need to be attracting any more demons.”

 

Sango nodded vacantly as she took the hoari then gently swaddled her pet in it, much like she would a baby. InuYasha watched, feeling guilty. He shouldn't have allowed this to happen. As strong as Sango was, she was still human. If that demon would have gotten to her, there was little doubt in his mind that she would have been killed.

 

“Don't worry `bout Kirara, she's strong. Once she gets a little rest she'll be fine.”

 

He looked away as Sango cradled the wounded demon in her arms. At least he hoped his words were true anyway. Without asking permission, InuYasha scooped Sango into his arms bridal style and took off moving swiftly, the smell of Kirara's blood nearly overwhelming him. The demon exterminator gave a started cry then pulled the cat closer to her. Right now their only concern was getting Kirara to the village so she could rest and be treated.

 

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

 

Kagura waited well into the night before silently making her way outside. Once she was certain Naraku knew nothing of her plans and would have a puppet or some other demon awaiting her, she removed her feather from her ebony hair and swiftly made her way to Hebiakui. She knew the serpent demon was expecting her soon so she wasn't surprised to see him waiting for her.

 

"I had a feeling you would be coming soon, Kagura. I had assumed you hadn't changed your mind."

 

Kagura smirked and stepped closer to the demon. Even now, Kagura was intimidated by him. How well the name Hebiakui, malicious serpent, suited this demon. He stood nearly six and a half feet tall and had piercing red eyes and black hair tainted with a drab brownish gold color. Though his skin was smooth like a human's his face held two black stripes on either cheek and the rest of his visible skin held an array of black marking resembling that of the Habu snake. However, this serpent's venom was much more deadly than any snake.

 

The wind demoness believed that part of his appearance was a result of the jewel shards he possessed. They were the reason she knew of him. Naraku had tried on more than one occasion to relieve the demon of the shards and found his puppets and demons defeated each time. Hebiakui's strength and desire for the jewel gave Kagura an idea…an idea that had led them to this night.

 

"Do know that if you cross me, Kagura, facing Naraku will seem like a pleasantry. The Shikon Jewel is to be mine."

 

Kagura's narrowed her own crimson eyes at his words. "I have no desire for the Shikon Jewel. I only want my freedom."

 

The serpent smirked and stepped towards her. "Then tonight we shall both have what we want."

 

Kagura nodded and pulled her feather a second time. Quickly she returned the two of them to Naraku's castle and led him to the room the dark lord was in. She knew that even if he were to wake now, he would be defenseless. She merely stepped aside and allowed the demon to enter the room and waited patiently for him to come back out.

 

Moments later Hebiakui slid the door back open and gave her a look of pure malevolence before holding up the unfinished Shikon Jewel that would now belong to him.

 

"He will be alive when the sun rises, though he won't live much longer. Do not waste your time, you have precious little."

 

With that, he handed her a small vile. Kagura already knew what had to be done. Hebiakui had infected several of Naraku's larger demons with his deadly venom. When Naraku's body finished regenerating the toxins would rapidly spread through him and overwhelm him entirely. In mere hours he would be paralyzed then soon death would follow. The vile held anti-venom. Kagura would trade it for her heart and freedom. She smirked, because even if Naraku took the anti-venom it would be too late. He would not live to seek revenge and finally Kagura would have her freedom.

 

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A/N: The name Hebiakui is a name I derived from the Japanese words snake/serpent and the word malicious. These are rough translations but they do the job. Also, the Habu is a real snake in Japan. I decided to use it as a "rough" base of what I would make Hebiakui look like.