InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sleeping with the Enemy ❯ Revelations ( Chapter 32 )

Chapter Twenty Nine:

Revelations

 

InuYasha moved into the village quickly. The sun was barely reaching into the sky but he knew most of the others would have risen and begun their daily routine by now, especially since he had made it quite clear that he had no intentions of waiting around for long.

 

“InuYasha?” Miroku saw his friend moving towards Kaede's hut with as much determination as he ever had in a battle.

 

“Not now, monk,” the half demon replied.

 

“InuYasha,” Miroku repeated causing him to stop. “What is it that you intend to do?” He watched the half demon closely, worried that he might attempt to leave on his own and get himself into danger.

 

“I need to ask Kagura a few questions.” The monk stood in silence for a moment and then nodded in a calming manner.

 

“You have questions about Kagome,” he said simply. InuYasha prepared to answer back harshly before he simply nodded.

 

“Yeah, some of this stuff ain't makin' any sense.”

 

“Perhaps, I should speak with Kagura. When it comes to matters of Naraku you don't always handle things in the most rational way.”

 

“I can handle it just fine,” he bit back.

 

“It's not you that I'm concerned about, InuYasha. If there is knowledge to be gained, it will need to come from Kagura and I fear your tactics will not easily persuade them from her.”

 

“And yours will?” InuYasha asked sarcastically, knowing how the monk typically handled women.

 

“Do not forget that she is still a part of Naraku and that my intentions are pure,” Miroku reminded him. InuYasha gave a reluctant nod. Even someone like Miroku had to have his limits.

 

“Alright, but if she doesn't start talking, she's gonna be talkin' to me,” he relented. Miroku nodded gratefully and turned to find the former wind demoness. The truth was, he simply didn't know what truths Kagura had to offer and it was quite possible that InuYasha wasn't ready to hear them. He found her standing alone looking over the lands. For a moment, he almost forgot that she had once been a demon that had tried to kill them. The way she stared out at the world with such longing almost made him wonder if the curse that bound her to Naraku was any better than his own.

 

“Kagura,” he said as he approached. “I need to speak with you.” The now human woman turned and smirked slightly.

 

“I thought you might,” she said. “You want to know what really happened to Naraku. How a demon had actually been able to get his precious jewel from him.”

 

“I want to know the truth, yes.” Again she smiled and shook her head.

 

“It's ironic really. Not even the most powerful demons could defeat Naraku. His demon blood was far too strong. Yet, a mere mortal girl could find her way into his human heart and bring his defeat so easily.”

 

“You mean Kagome?” Miroku asked, not entirely surprised by the revelation anymore.

 

“Of course,” she answered.

 

“But you haven't seen Naraku since he lost the jewel, how do you know what has happened?” Kagura laughed slightly and then walked closer to him. For a brief moment she was tempted to tell him exactly what had gone on between the two of them before Naraku had lost his demon blood, however she still needed Kagome in order to convince Naraku to give her, her heart.

 

“He rescued her from Kikyo, yet Kagome is here now with the young demon slayer and all of the jewel shards. Do not forget that Onigumo desired Kikyo and Naraku still holds that pathetic heart inside of him.” Miroku searched her face for truth and was relatively satisfied that what she was saying, as outrageous as it sounded, was true.

 

“Shouldn't you be reporting back to InuYasha?” Kagura asked with a smirk. She had no doubt that he was growing suspicious by now and given the amount of interrogating he had been doing recently, Miroku had no doubt taken it upon himself to take over the job.

 

“How can we stop Hebiakui?” Miroku asked.

 

“You can't,” Kagura answered and walked past him, leaving him to go back to the rest of them and plan their futile battle.

 

*

 

“Is something troubling ye, InuYasha?” The old priestess had gone about gathering her herbs and found the half demon pacing the area.

 

“What makes you think somethin's bugging me?” He nearly snapped.

 

“Ye've nearly trampled my herbs to the ground,” she replied.

 

“Huh?” InuYasha glanced down at the ground around him and then stepped over to the dirt path beside it. “Sorry,” he muttered.

 

“It's quite alright,” she answered. “It's not like you to become so concerned. I'm proud of ye, InuYasha.”

 

“Proud?” His head snapped back in her direction.

 

“Aye,” she replied as she lowered herself to the ground to start salvaging her ravaged herbs. “The fact that ye are showing concern just proves that ye are thinking ahead rather than rushing in blindly...as ye usually do.”

 

“Hebiakui has more shards than Naraku did,” he said.

 

“Aye,” she agreed. “And unlike Naraku he seems more determined to gain them quickly rather than torment ye and the others.” InuYasha nodded with worry. Naraku had always taken his time and enjoyed setting traps and toying with them. This new demon seemed to merely kill anything in it's path. “InuYasha. Have ye given thought to seeking out your brother's help?”

 

“What? I don't need his help!” Kaede had been prepared for the instant outburst and looked up at the half demon.

 

“Sesshoumaru is quite strong and more suited for this battle than humans,” she said reasonably.

 

“Feh, even if I did ask, he wouldn't offer to help. Sesshoumaru doesn't help anyone but himself.”

 

“InuYasha, if this demon gains all of the Shikon jewel, he will be more powerful than even your brother.” The half demon looked away, not willing to admit that he could use the help of a demon as strong as Sesshoumaru.

 

“I gotta find Miroku,” he said and took off before another word could be said.

 

*

 

Naraku opened his hoari slightly and glanced down at the marks that were still on his chest. They represented so many things. His weakness, his failure, his newfound mortality. And yet, he found that he couldn't despise them the way he had despised the grotesque marking that had graces his back for so many years. Again he wondered how Kagome had sensed him near the well and decided he wanted to know if she could do it a second time. Again he sent a puppet to wait for her not much further down the path. It took only a moment for her to come into view and almost instantly the girl slowed her pace and glanced the forest surrounding her.

 

“Hello?” She called out nervously. “If this is some sorta joke, it's not funny!” Her attempt at a threatening voice brought a grin to the puppet's face and a dark chuckle slowly reverberated through the air. Kagome froze the moment she heard the voice. How many times in her life had that voice been in her nightmares? There was a time when hearing that would have scared her more than anything else in the world. However, her heart instantly skipped a beat at the mere sound.

 

“Naraku?” She nearly whispered.

 

“How is it that you could sense me here, Kagome?” He purred as the puppet emerged from the trees, clad fully in the baboon pelt. The sight made her shiver softly but she just shook her head.

 

“I don't know, I just sensed you.”

 

“This is merely a puppet,” he informed her. “And it bears no jewel shard.”

 

“I could just—feel you nearby,” she answered again. Honestly, she had no idea how or why, simply what it was.

 

“Interesting,” he said, mostly to himself. For a moment Kagome stood silently, not particularly afraid of him, but not comfortable with the idea of speaking to a puppet, especially one wearing the baboon pelt.

 

“Kagura wants you to return her heart,” Kagome said.

 

“She will receive her heart in due time,” he said in a low growl. He had every intention of returning her heart when he would be able to let her suffer a painful death upon it's return.

 

“I better get going before InuYasha comes looking for me,” she said and looked towards the village. Naraku nodded slightly but said nothing so she turned and began walking but stopped again before looking down at her necklace. Suddenly, without thinking, she spun around and rushed back to him, pulling out a shard of her necklace in the process.

 

“Take this,” she said as she took his hand and placed the single shard in it. “InuYasha's eventually going to come looking for you.”

 

Rather than wait for him to answer she turned and took off towards the village. InuYasha guarded the shards like a hawk and she knew she was going to have to explain a missing one eventually. Hopefully, he would be far too preoccupied at the moment to notice.

 

Moments later, Naraku sat staring at the small pink shard as the rising sun began to reflect off of it beautifully. Unlike the others he had possessed, this one was nearly pure. He could feel his demons yearning for it's power as he sat staring at it. They wanted to use it to take control and feast on it's strength.

 

“Foolish girl,” he said to himself as his eyes continued to drink in the sliver of gem. How and why she would ever place so much trust into him was still a mystery. He then places the shard into his robes and silences his inner demons. One shard would not be enough to do more than enhance his powers but it would protect him if need be. He then stood and went to find Kanna. Despite himself, he wanted to see more of Kagome and if she couldn't be with him then watching her would have to do.

 

*

 

“Miroku!” InuYasha stopped when he saw the monk still standing at the edge of the village overlooking the fields. “What did you find out about Naraku?” The monk turned to look at his friend and then took in a deep sigh.

 

“Kagura says that, because of Onigumo's heart, Naraku began to have a fondness for Kagome.” InuYasha smirked, turning the idea out right away.

 

“Naraku doesn't have a heart, Miroku.”

 

“InuYasha. Fifty years ago, Kikyo cared for the dying thief, Onigumo. It is possible that some of his feelings for her still linger inside of Naraku. Since Kagome is Kikyo's reincarnation, it only makes sense that she might be a weakness to him.”

 

“Are you tryin' to say that he just let her go for no reason?” The monk looked at InuYasha and shook his head. There was no doubt in his mind that his friend would refuse to grasp the truth as long as possible.

 

“InuYasha,” he said cautiously. “Almost every man on the face of this Earth is vulnerable to females. It's the way nature intended it to be.”

 

“So he's gone soft? Good, it'll be easier to kill him then.” Again Miroku glanced at the half demon, not sure how much more delicately he could lay the situation out to him.

 

“Naraku is not a being that is going to surrender to anyone easily. Even if he gave in physically it would take much more to make him show that much mercy to—” InuYasha abruptly turned and spoke up before Miroku could finish.

 

“What are you getting at?”

 

“I believe Kagome may have developed feelings for him as well, InuYasha.” The half demon stood in stunned silence, growing more angry by the moment, though if the anger was directed towards Naraku or Miroku he wasn't certain.

 

“Kagome would never betray me,” he answered and left before any more accusations could be presented. He couldn't believe that Kagome could feel anything for that monster. Suddenly, her defensive words played in his mind. She had sounded so grateful when she spoke of Naraku saving her life. How could anyone be grateful to such a twisted creature? More importantly, why had Naraku saved her life if he didn't want the shards from her? Why would he bother with Kagome at all?

 

InuYasha stopped running and lept into a tree where he sat staring out into the forest.

 

“It's still possible that he's planning something,” he told himself. “He might have some sorta spell on Kagome.” His desperate mind started thinking up every plausible explanation for the things that had happened. Anything to avoid the idea that Kagome might have betrayed him. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to tear Naraku limb from limb. First he had killed Kikyo and now her body roamed the Earth, the only thing keeping it alive was it's hatred for InuYasha. And now he didn't even know if he could trust Kagome.

 

Suddenly a violence pulse from the Tetsusaiga nearly knocked him off of the tree branch. He looked down at it as it pulsed again.

 

“Just like you to be hiding in a tree, Little Brother.” The voice stunned InuYasha. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts of Naraku and Kagome that he hadn't smelled his brother. He quickly dropped to the ground and pulled his Tetsusaiga.

 

“I don't need to hide from you. I'll gladly cut your other arm off if that's what you want me to do.” Again his Tetsusaiga pulsed, only this time much more violently because it was out of it's sheath.

 

“If I were here to kill you, you would have been dead before you left the tree,” Sesshoumaru said. “I have made an interesting discovery.”

 

“Yeah? What's that?” Sesshoumaru just looked at the Tetsusaiga as it pulsed again.

 

“That I can control your sword.”