InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sleeping with the Enemy ❯ Fated ( Chapter 25 )

A/N: Sorry for the wait guys. I'm doing ok with my health but I had a death in the family recently, so we've been kinda busy with family stuff. Anyway, this chapter has some “citrus” in it. If anyone is offended by it, please e-mail me or say so in a review, no need to report me. It's written tastefully and isn't extremely graphic, so I hope I won't lose another account. Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone!

 

DISCLAIMER: Chapter contains sexual content! DO NOT REPORT ME, PLEASE! If you don't like...don't read! (Note is for readers on FF.net)

 

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Chapter Twenty Two:

Fated

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Kagome woke and looked around the room before giving a sigh. She hasn't seen Naraku since he left her in the garden and realized now that this was her room, and would be for quite some time. Again she wondered if Naraku had ulterior motives or if he was sincere about her safety. After a few silent moments she realized she wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon and sat up.

 

`Might as well go outside and enjoy some fresh air,' she thought as she stood and pulled on a robe. As she opened her door and looked down the corridor it surprised her how familiar she had become with the surroundings. Never would she have believed she would gain familiarity, let alone feel comfortable, in Naraku's home. Yet she could easily make her way around in the dark and wasn't the least bit frightened by what might happen to her.

 

The floor felt cool beneath her bare feet, but she didn't feel like returning to get her shoes and continued on, stopping as she passed the room she had found Naraku in after Kagura's betrayal. It is the same room she had last been with him in as well, before he had sent her back to her friends. She didn't need to slide the shoji door open to know that he was in the room, she could sense him there. After hesitating for a moment she slowly opened the door and slipped inside. Though she was still confused about him, she did want to apologize for her earlier behavior. He had saved her life and she felt she owed him that much.

 

He didn't offer to acknowledge her presence at first so she simply stood silently watching him, able to tell that something was troubling him. He was sitting on the small futon wearing only a hakamas and hoari, far from the elaborate kimonos she was used to seeing him in. He looked as though he had been deep in thought and not pleasant ones at that. Finally, she took a few steps further into the room, sure that he was aware of her.

 

“Is this a bad time?” Kagome asked tentatively, hoping it wasn't her argument with him that had put him in this mood. He remained silent for a moment then spoke, though not looking at her.

 

“You're hoping that you can convince me to return you?” He asked.

 

“Well...eventually. I can't just stay here and never see my family again. But I came to say I'm sorry. You saved my life and I shouldn't have yelled at you,” she said with sincerity. The words caused him to turn towards her, his eyes penetrating into hers.

 

“Why would you risk your life to ease the minds of others?” He asked, honestly wanting to know why she would risk being in danger simply so that her family wouldn't worry about her.

 

“They're my family. I love them,” she said, not quite sure how to answer his question. She knew love wasn't something she could explain easily to someone like him and wasn't sure he could understand her reasoning.

 

“One time my brother disappeared. He just went to a friend's house but he forgot to tell us where he was going. We were all worried sick that something had happened to him. I guess...when you love someone, you don't want them to worry like that. If I don't go home, my mom will start to think I've been hurt or killed and I don't want her to go through that.”

 

He watched her for a moment then turned away again, thinking over her explanation. He'd seen her and her comrades fight in battles and risk their lives to save each other. He, himself, had never known such loyalty or emotion, nor had Onigumo.

 

“Is there something you want to talk about? I'm a good listener,” she said softly, hoping he wouldn't be offended by the offer. Naraku looked at her again, finding himself more and more intrigued by her innocence. Any other priestess would have done their best to kill him long ago, including Kikyo.

 

“How do you feel knowing that you're the reincarnation of the powerful priestess, Kikyo?” He asked in a dark voice. The question took Kagome by surprise and it took her a moment to answer.

 

“Sometimes I hate it. I hate being compared to her. I want to hate her...but...I can't. But I'm not Kikyo and I never will be,” she said firmly. Naraku smirked and looked over at her again.

 

“No...You're not Kikyo,” he said then went silent for a moment. “And I am not Onigumo.”

 

“No, you're not Onigumo. He died fifty years ago. You're Naraku,” she said reasonably.

 

“I still hold his heart, his scar...his memories,” he said quietly. Kagome watched him for a moment remembering what Kagura had told her about Naraku being haunted by dreams of Onigumo's life. “I'm reminded of him every day; even now his mark is still on my skin.” Kagome moved closer to the futon then sat down slowly.

 

“Can I see it?” She asked quietly. He looked at her suspiciously then slid the hoari off of his shoulders, revealing the mark he'd tried in vain to remove on numerous occasions. Kagome looked at the spider-shaped burn on his back, realizing just how much he truly was bothered by the mark and by Onigumo's presence.

 

`Maybe part of the reason he wants the Shikon Jewel so badly is to get rid of Onigumo,' she thought to herself. Though Naraku had always had a desire for power, there seemed to be something vulnerable now. She could see how badly he wanted to be rid of the memories of what was obviously a hard life. Clearly he viewed Onigumo as a weakness and it wasn't hard to see why he strived to prove how strong he was to the entire world.

 

She slowly ran her fingers over the burn, focusing her full attention on it. Kaede had always taught her to follow her instincts and right now it was to ease his pain. In a strange sense the mark and Onigumo's heart were the same to Naraku as Kikyo was to Kagome; a bitter reminder of their past lives.

 

The more she thought about it, the more she began to feel as though fate had somehow concocted a twisted web of irony. Without Onigumo, Naraku would never have been created, meaning Kikyo would have lived to protect the Shikon Jewel and Kagome, herself, might not have been born with Kikyo's soul. Without Kikyo's involvement with Onigumo, neither could exist as well. They were both forever indebted to the two people they despised most. Was it this same twisted fate that brought her to Naraku? Was that the reason she was sitting her with him, not fearing him? She was quite possibly the only being that could truly understand the turmoil that was buried deep within him...she realized that now.

 

After a moment of him sitting tensely, she rested her hand on the mark and closed her eyes, willing her powers to do what they will. Almost immediately her hand and the mark were both engulfed in a soft pink light that quickly faded. She opened her eyes again and sat silently for a moment, then removed her hand.

 

“It's gone,” she said simply, waiting for some reaction from him. When he didn't move or speak she moved around so she could look at him.

 

“Are you ok?” Kagome asked nervously. She certainly wasn't a skilled priestess and she was worried she had done more than remove the mark.

 

“Why did you do that, Priestess?” He asked quietly. Kagome stared at him for a moment, realizing for the first time that he simply didn't understand kindness and wasn't certain how to explain it to him.

 

“I wanted to,” she said softly. “I know how you feel. When you see that mark, it must be the same as when I see Kikyo.”

 

“Don't you believe it's foolish to put your trust into someone that has tried to kill you?” He asked her. Former feelings of possessing her were fading into feelings he didn't understand and he blamed his human state. The idea of harming her was almost absurd to him now and the thought of anyone else doing so was unquestionable. Possessions where the only things that he had ever felt a desire to protect, namely his shards of the Shikon jewel, and feeling such a desire over something that didn't belong to him was a bit unsettling.

 

“Maybe...but...you're not exactly trying to kill me now,” she said while looking at the burn marks on his chest; dainty burns, resembling her own hands. She reached out and touched them before concentrating her power as she had before. After a moment she looked up at him, not understanding why they remained while the burn on his back had quickly disappeared.

 

“It worked before. Maybe it's because I caused these,” she said, not knowing enough about her own abilities as a priestess to understand why she was able to heal one burn and not another. Naraku watched as she tried to heal them then stayed silent as she tried to figure out the reason it didn't work.

 

“Perhaps,” he said to her after she looked up at him and spoke. Kagome studied the marks again before looking back up at him. He was watching her intensely and it was only then that she realized that she was sitting on a futon, touching him while he was only half dressed. The thought made her blush and left her more curious about him.

 

Before, her hormones had been in control over her. She'd always believed that she would be in complete control of herself no matter what. Only after her time with Naraku did she realize how so many young girls could get themselves into trouble with older men. The biggest difference was she had felt dirty before. In her mind, what she had done was wrong, while her body disagreed. Now she felt different, even if she was betraying her friends. It wasn't merely physical pleasure she was interested in. She wanted to help and comfort him.

 

She let her fingers dance softly across his chest while thoughts of right and wrong still raged on inside her. How easily people labeled others for choices they made. Many would no doubt criticize and condemn her for being here, let alone feeling the way she was. Yet her guilt was eased by Naraku, himself. She didn't expect to hear him confess feelings or emotions to her, yet many of his actions spoke louder than his words ever could have. He'd saved her life when he could have left her for Kikyo. On more than one occasion he'd refrained from trying to get her into his bed and small gestures like letting her keep his pelt for warmth or simply sitting beside her and talking to her, let her know that somewhere inside of him he held the ability to care for more than just himself.

 

Finally, she just let her eyes meet his. He hadn't stopped studying her but he seemed more interested than intense now. Without giving her self any more time to mull over her conscience; she kissed him cautiously; hesitant at first, unsure if he would push her away. At first he returned her kiss nearly as tentatively as if he were unsure himself what he wanted to do, then he let his hand run over the silky material on her arm and rest on her back. Kagome took his gesture as an invitation and slowly moved herself so that she was straddling his legs. She couldn't help but let out a soft whimper when she felt his fingers entwine in her hair and pull it away from her neck and shoulder, clearing the way for his mouth to begin kissing and nipping at the sensitive skin there.

 

Naraku quickly found himself becoming aroused and realized that in his human state he had much less control over, not only his emotions, but his body as well. It only took him a moment to open her robe and let slip his hands inside. Underneath she was wearing some sort of gown from her own era. His fingers gracefully traced the contour of her body, starting at the small of her back until they made their way up to her ribs. Unlike before, he couldn't sense or smell her arousal but found himself very aware of the sounds and responses she had to his touch.

 

He could feel her hands running over his shoulders and back, occasionally entangling themselves in his hair. He was finding the sensation oddly erotic and finally pulled her robe off before letting his hands slide down and begin pulling her gown up.

 

`This is really happening again...' Kagome realized when she felt him sliding her gown past her chest then off of her altogether. She felt a brief twinge of guilt that she pushed away. Right and wrong wasn't always as clear as black and white and deep down she knew she wanted this. She was a priestess and if she were meant to harm Naraku her powers would have done so on the more than one occasion that they could have.

 

All of her thoughts evaporated when she felt his lips move from her neck down to her chest. Her fingers found their way to his hair once again as he began licking and kissing her sensitive nipples. The tingling sensation that started in her chest was starting to work its way down her body and she couldn't help wanting to be with him.

 

Naraku felt him self begin to literally ache and moved her off of him and onto the futon. As much as he prided himself for his control and demeanor, he couldn't yet contain his human lust. He quickly rid himself of his hakamas before moving over top of her. This time he kissed her much more feverishly, nipping at her lip and letting his tongue explore the inside of her mouth. It wasn't until he heard her whimper again that he stopped and looked down at her. It was the first time he'd been with someone that actually wanted to be with him, rather than using force or manipulation to get them into his bed. He couldn't fully understand why she would give herself to him, but rather than dwell on it he helped her slide her underwear off and went back to kissing and biting her neck.

 

The feel of her clinging to him and the sound of her moaning and whimpering was almost too much for him. He finally couldn't hold back anymore and moved into her and began a slow but deep pace; wanting to draw out the sensations he was feeling as long as possible. Kagome's entire body tensed and her thoughts of her friends and her conscience where gone. She was already feeling pleasure mounting inside her and found herself less timid than she had been before when she was with him. She began kissing him aggressively and pulling at his hair and back, trying to fulfill her own desires.

 

Naraku felt Kagome's body grow rigid as she took in a sharp breath. Within a moment she let out a cry and began to tremble beneath him. Her climax was so intense that it sent him into his own. Both stayed motionless for a couple of moments catching their breath then he moved off of her onto the futon, not saying anything. Kagome glanced over at him then reached for her robe and wrapped herself in it. Suddenly her body was overcome by an almost blissful fatigue and she felt her eyes growing heavy. Before she could even give much thought to returning to her own room she was dozing off, unsure if she would wake beside him in the morning.

 

Naraku lay beside her silently, paying more attention to his own thoughts than to her. When he looked back to her she was breathing softly, curled up in her robe. Again he wondered why she chose to not only give herself to him physically but why she trusted him. He watched as she slept peacefully then caught sight of the jewel shards around her neck. For the first time in almost fifty years, those shards weren't the only thing that consumed him.

 

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“Ginta! Hakaku!” The loud, gruff voice ripped Kagura from her peaceful slumber. She'd been at the wolf den for days now awaiting Kouga's return. Other than Ginta and Hakaku, she'd had very little contact with any of the wolves. Kouga had taken his strongest men and went out searching the area for signs of Naraku, and left the rest to guard the den. She was surprised that she was actually beginning to find the two bumbling wolves tolerable. They always spoke to her respectfully and did their best to see that she was comfortable.

 

She knew she could have easily left the den at any time, neither would have done anything to stop her besides warn her about Kouga's threat, one that she hadn't forgotten. She seriously doubted that Hebiakui would come to her aid and if she had ran, Kouga would have caught her and made things far worse for her. Now once again she was stuck inside the cramped den with him, wishing for death but knowing it wouldn't come.

 

“Go out and guard your posts,” he barked at them then looked at Kagura, who instantly got to her feet.

 

“Y-yes, Kouga!” Both said nervously and glanced at Kagura once more themselves, not wanting to see her harmed. Though they believed in loyalty to their fallen comrades, they couldn't help feel sorry for her, knowing what it was like to face Kouga's wrath. Kagura stood at her full height, doing her best to keep her dignity as she stared down the wolf leader. After the other two had cleared the den, he narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to her.

 

“I'm sick of your games! Tell me why you're here. And don't give me any crap about taking my jewel shards, we both know you can't,” he said.

 

“I came here to give you exactly what you want and you're too foolish to take it,” she spat back at him viciously. She could tell her defiance was finally starting to take a toll and before she could even react, he cleared the distance between the two of them and had her fragile throat in the grasp of his hand.

 

“What would I want from you?” He asked, using all of his restraint to keep from killing her instantly. He could feel her gasping for air and despite her attempt to remain poised, struggling to free herself.

 

“Revenge,” she whispered, the word barely reaching his ears. Kouga stared into her now brown eyes for a moment then dropped her to the floor.

 

“If death's what you want, I ain't gonna help you get it. At least not yet,” he said cruelly. “First I want to know why you're here. Puppets like you don't do anything without their master's permission.” Kagura's eyes darkened at the words and once again she stood to face him.

 

“I nearly succeeded at the task that both you and InuYasha have failed. I nearly destroyed Naraku. If it hadn't been for that foolish priestess, Kagome, he would be dead right now!”

 

“Kagome?” Kouga's mood changed from enraged to one of concern. The change made Kagura smirk arrogantly, knowing that for now she had the upper hand once again.

 

“She interfered with my plan,” she said simply.

 

“How stupid do you think I am? You wouldn't try to kill Naraku because you're part of him,” he replied.

 

“He may possess my heart, but I don't belong to him,” she said through clenched teeth. “I summonsed a serpent demon during his night of regeneration. He poisoned Naraku's demons while he slept and when his body was completed, he was dying an excruciating death. I asked for my heart in exchange for the anti-venom...though it didn't actually exist,” she said with a smirk. “Then the priestess found him and did something to save his life. I've been this way ever since. Now Hebiakui has the Shikon Jewel and he's far more powerful than Naraku ever was.”

 

Kouga stood silently taking in her words. Was it possible she was telling the truth? It would account for her human scent and appearance and would explain why she was so eager to be killed. Facing a quick death from him and his pack probably seemed blissful compared to the punishment Naraku would dole out once he got a hold of her. Then another thought hit him...

 

“Why was Kagome there?” He asked suspiciously. `If that mutt put her in danger again...'

 

“Apparently you haven't been told yet,” Kagura said with amusement. “You're precious Kagome gave her innocence to Naraku. Not only did she allow him to take it, but she came back to him a second time. I went to the well to get her myself.”

 

“You're lying!” He growled and grabbed Kagura by the throat again. This time she dug her nails into his arm and tried to free herself.

 

“Go...to...InuYasha. Find out...for...yourself,” she struggled to speak. Kouga stared at her for a moment then released her and turned to leave the den. Kagura gasped for her breath then followed him.

 

“Kouga,” she said then took another breath of air. The wolf stopped and turned back to her.

 

“What do you want?” He asked briskly.

 

“Hebiakui knows you have shards. He will kill you to take them,” she said. Kouga scoffed at her.

 

“Why you tellin' me?” He asked, knowing she would never help anyone unless it benefited her in some way.

 

“I have no means of defense. I simply hope you remember who offered you that information,” she said coldly. How she hated owing anyone, especially Kouga. But it was in her best interest to avoid angering anyone else. She was as good as human now and that meant she was defenseless. Kouga turned and left the den and Kagura. As much as he despised her he had more important things to worry about. If her story was true, it was very possible he could find and kill Naraku. But for now, he had to check on Kagome.

 

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“Why are you here, Kikyo?” InuYasha asked. As much as he hoped it wasn't true, he couldn't rule out the idea that Kikyo had done something to harm Kagome. The priestess stood silently for a moment then walked closer to the well.

 

“You're too late, InuYasha,” she said mildly. The half demon took a panicked look when he heard the words.

 

“What do you mean, I'm too late? What did you do to Kagome?” He felt his heart quicken.

 

`Kagome, please be alright. I'll never forgive myself if something's happened to you.'

 

“She's with Naraku,” Kikyo said bitterly. How her very own reincarnation could allow herself to be used by the very person that killed her was beyond infuriating.

 

“How do you know that?” Instantly InuYasha was in panic mode. He knew what had happened to Kagome the last time Naraku had taken her and he didn't want her to go through that again.

 

“I was here when he took her,” she said. InuYasha was quickly losing his patience, both with Kikyo and the fact that Miroku and Sango hadn't shown up yet.

 

“Why did he take Kagome?” He demanded. Kikyo stood silently for a moment before giving him an answer.

 

“He took her because he desires her,” she began. “It seems that she feels the same.”

 

“That's a lie! Kagome would never-” he stopped when Kikyo held up her an arrow.

 

“I used an enchantment arrow, just like this one. I assure you, InuYasha, she would and has. Only a tainted priestess would be affected by my arrows.” The half demon stared at her dumbfounded, unable to fully grasp what she was saying.

 

“No...no...He forced her...she would never-” he stumbled over the words, unable to even fathom what Kikyo was implying. Kagome would never betray him and the others in such a horrible way.

 

“A woman is still pure as long as her soul is pure. Purity cannot be taken, it has to be given. If he forced her...my arrow would not have affected her,” she said coldly. InuYasha stood in complete silence, not sure if he could believe Kikyo or not. Would she lie? What about Kagome? She'd changed so much since her time with Naraku. Had she really been willing? His thoughts were briefly interrupted when he heard Miroku and Sango land nearby with Kirara.

 

“InuYasha? Any sign of Kagome?” Miroku asked and quickly made his way over, not taking his eyes off of the undead priestess. He didn't know why she was here, but the half demon looked absolutely destroyed about something and he was praying it wasn't over news of Kagome's whereabouts.

 

“InuYasha?” Miroku said again and touched his friend's shoulder. As if the monk's touch was made of fire, InuYasha jumped then glanced at Kikyo once more.

 

“Keep looking for Kagome,” he said abruptly and took off towards the village. He didn't know what to think now or where to begin looking. But the first thing he needed to do was speak to Kaede. She would know more about Kikyo's enchantment and maybe she could offer him some input about Kagome and her behavior. He was praying Kikyo was lying to him and that Kagome was safe and not with Naraku.

 

A/N: Excuse the lack of editing. I'm doing good just to find time to write, let alone go back and re-edit the chapters properly and I don't have a beta.