InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Way Ice Can Turn Into Sun ❯ Captivity ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9: Captivity

 

 

The next morning found Kumiko in a really good mood as she had slept relatively well considering everything and she felt good thinking that there was at least one person who cared enough to protect her at the risk of his own life. Even though something obviously suppressed her purifying powers, she didn't care at the moment. Memories of Sesshoumaru were still haunting her, but she kept them away...She wouldn't be so stupid as to think of someone who considered her a toy, she kept telling her herself and tried to ignore the pain in her heart.

A crazy thought lit her dark eyes as she stormed out of her room. She found the kitchen with little effort and saw the servants preparing breakfast for her and their master. She told them a few words and when breakfast was ready she ran out of the kitchen carrying it on a tray. She found his room and politely knocked at the door.

“Come in.” Came his low voice.

She complied and burst cheerfully in his room, laying the breakfast tray at his feet.

“You saved me last night...I had to thank you some way.” She said, smiling at him.

Naraku remained dumbstruck by her gesture. He was always prepared, but he didn't see this coming at all.

“I would have prepared it myself...” She continued “...but I still need you alive.”

To his own astonishment, he started laughing and asked her to sit down with him. This girl, she was different, she never stopped to amaze him and the more he spent time with her the stranger he felt.

“How's your wound?” She asked looking at him with worried eyes.

“It's much better, thanks to you.” He answered studying her face. “The food also tastes better.” He added.

She blushed and smiled at him happily.

“Could it be so easy?” Naraku asked himself. “Has she forgotten about Sesshoumaru?” He would test it now.

“Sit next to me.” He said softly.

She appeared to be dazzled by his request but didn't move from her place in front of him.

He got up instead, kneeled next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. The fact that he had her so close troubled him somehow and she looked at him astonished as he lost control of his eye color and they turned red for a second. He couldn't turn back now, even if she noticed, it was to late. He leaned to her and his lips touched hers firmly, almost aggressively as his hand tightened its grip upon her waist.

She struggled and tried to push him back while her eyes shined with anger. The sight of her like that appealed to him even more and he didn't let her go until he heard her cold voice:
”You are not human. Who are you?”

So the truth was out. He released her from his arms and lifted himself from the floor. His eyes were now blood-red and his expression mocking.

“I am Naraku.” He responded looking with satisfaction as her face showed a mix of astonishment, anger and fear.

“Nara…ku” She whispered, drawing herself back from him.

He could smell her fear and he enjoyed it as he approached her with determined movements.

“Stay back, you bastard! Don't touch me!” She yelled, feeling helpless in the lack of her purifying powers.

“Or what?” He grinned, his red eyes gleaming with malice. He kept approaching her and his hand reached toward her neck.

“Don't touch me!” She screamed again and a burst of pinkish-white light shot from her whole body and melted his arm. It instantly grew back as he gazed at her with surprise. She was more powerful than he had anticipated. He should proceed with caution in handling her, as it seemed her purifying energy escaped the seal when she was extremely frightened. He took a few steps back and watched her bitterly. It was getting complicated again.

“You...you tricked me, didn't you? Sesshoumaru never said that! It was all a part of your dirty little plan!” She snapped.

“I'm sorry to disappoint you my dear, but he did say that. I merely provoked the circumstances. This is the truth, there is no reason to lie to you now.” He said smirking.

She got up with teary eyes and made a move towards the door.

“You know you cannot leave this mansion. I will kill you if you try.” He said simply.

She remained silent, but gave no signs of resisting.

“Kanna” He called.

Kumiko's eyes snapped towards the door, where the little girl appeared.

“I should have known...” She whispered to herself.

“Escort my guest to her chambers.” Came Naraku's mocking voice.

Kumiko walked past Kanna, ignoring her completely and slowly returned to her room.

 

 

Naraku recalled Kanna after Kumiko was gone.

“You will pass on my orders to Kagura from now on. You will not tell her anything about my location. She cannot be trusted.”

Kanna lowered her head in acceptance and vanished.

Naraku thought about his plan. The stupidest mistake he had made so far was that moment when he lost control of his eye color. He still wondered how that woman could have had such an effect on him. No matter. He would kill her soon. But first Sesshoumaru had to come and witness him take his woman. It was really a stupid thing to do, putting himself in danger like that and he didn't do it usually. But now for some reason he felt an urge to wipe the superior expression off of the dog demon's face.

The taiyoukai was getting closer. It wasn't quite time yet. He needed to put up extra spells to hold Kumiko's purifying powers.

 

 

 

“Kagura.” A slow whisper attracted the wind youkai's attention.

“Kanna.” She frowned. “Where the hell is Naraku?”

“I cannot tell you.” The nullity youkai replied in the same low, almost unreal voice.

“So, what does he want now?” Kagura asked nervously.

“Find Sesshoumaru and delay him as long as you can. By any means, Naraku said.”

“By any means...” Kagura thought angrily. The allusion was more than obvious. She hated Naraku more than anything else.

The little girl disappeared whispering:

“Now, Kagura.”

Kagura's red eyes looked at the sky. “At least...at least I will see him one last time.” She thought...”And then I will be free of Naraku...free of this world.”

She tossed a feather into the wind and flew to find Sesshoumaru.

 

 

Kumiko lied down in her room on the floor, against her bed. Her eyes were dry; she had no more tears.

“Why is everyone lying to me?” She thought sadly. “Why do they all want to use me?”
”I'm not an instrument!” She shouted at the empty room.

She looked at her kimono...the one Sesshoumaru had given her. She hated it; whenever she touched it or looked at the fabric, it reminded her of him. And now the torn sleeve reminded her of her stupidity. She wanted to help the bastard; his stupid wound had probably long healed.

“This is all my fault, I'm so stupid...I just give my trust away to any idiot...demon sword my ass!” She thought bitterly.

She got up and went towards the bathroom to sink herself in the hot water. That would relax her a bit. She was worried about what Naraku wanted with her.

When she opened the door, she froze seeing Naraku inside the huge bath tub. His dark hair was falling wet on his wide shoulders and his blood red eyes seemed to glow in the dim light.

She turned her back on him, making a move for the door.

“You can join me...” He grinned.

“You disgust me.” She replied, reaching for the door's handle.

“Do I?” He asked, as the door snapped shut at a wave of his hand.

She tried to pull it open but his low voice stopped her:
”You don't want me to get up now, do you?”

She turned to him, her eyes burning with anger yet she remained silent.

“You once told me, or should I say Kagewaki, that you wondered why I have brought you here.” He said smirking.

She continued to remain silent with her gaze fixed on him.

“Well my little Miko, I will tell you.” He said slowly observing her every reaction.

She sat down on the bathroom floor waiting for his reason and remaining stubborn in her silence.

“As you pointed out before, my desire is the Shikon no Tama. The whole Shikon no Tama. That's where you come in. I don't suppose you know very much about the jewel or how it was born. Actually there are very few persons who know its story.” His crimson eyes were absent and he looked through her, his voice became lower as he continued.

“A long time ago, many youkai threatened human kind. Their numbers kept growing as they fed off the souls of the dead, the wounded and the weak. Armies of monks and youkai exterminators were sent to kill them but they almost all died trying. The only one who survived managed to kill thousands of them. She had the extraordinary power to extract a youkai's soul and purify it. The Miko of such enormous power and great beauty was named Midoriko. She was cornered by hordes of youkai inside of a cave and fought bravely purifying hundreds of them. However, her strength was leaving her and there were still many youkai left. With the last drop of power she managed to extract their souls and seal them inside her heart but she had no more strength to purify them. Midoriko ejected the heart out of her body and it became the Shikon no Tama. The battle between her and the youkai souls still goes on inside of the jewel.”

She looked at him with puzzled eyes for a second not as much because of the story, but because of the alien expression on his face. There was a certain softness in his tone and his eyes no longer had an evil spark.

As astonishing as the story was, she still confronted him in a high tone:

“That's all very interesting, but I don't see what it has to do with me.”

He grinned, the evil spark returning to his red eyes:
”You, my pure little creature, are the reincarnation of Midoriko.” He stopped to observe with satisfaction the effect of his words. The girl froze, her heartbeat getting faster as her eyes face bared a mix of astonishment and disbelief.

“You are the only one who can gather all the jewel shards because they are naturally drawn to you. That is why I have chosen you.”

“But...how...how did you find me in the first place?” She asked, still confused with all the information.

“It was pure luck. Inuyasha's woman, that other Miko, intrigued me because there was something weird about her. I followed her and spotted the well she used to travel in time. I felt your presence in her world, it was a light of such intensity there could be no mistaking it.” He answered honestly.

Kumiko still couldn't believe what she was hearing but it had to be true. He wanted her to gather all the shards for him so he could have the complete jewel.

She looked at him with a smirk of her own and asked:
”What makes you think I'd help you?”

“You will never go back home if you don't.” His tone was firm.

“Yeah right, and if I do, you're just gonna ship me back? How stupid do you think I am? You would kill me on the spot.” She shot, knitting her brows.

“I give you my word that you will be safely returned to your time.” He said.

“Your word means nothing to me.” She replied calmly.

His blood-red eyes narrowed with anger at the sound of the insult. He couldn't smell her fear anymore either. She had probably realized that he needed her unharmed. The damned woman was more stubborn than he had anticipated.

He raised himself from the bath tub, water dripping down from his body. She quickly turned around, closing her eyes and almost screamed:

“If you touch me, I'll purify more than your arm this time!”

Having said that, she wasn't actually sure she could pull it off since she felt the barrier that sealed her powers was still active.

He turned around and slipped his kimono back on with rapid motions, then passed her and opened the door.

She opened her eyes and looked surprised that he actually hadn't tried anything.

He spoke calmly:

“Return to your room.”

She ran out, relieved not to be in his presence anymore.

It was night and she walked on the balcony of her room letting the cold wind stroke her skin. All the things she had just found out were incredible and they were confusing her. She tried to remember something that had happened in her past life but failed and threw herself on the huge bed.

She tried to gather the Shikon shards concentrating on calling them. Nothing happened. “Well duh...it's not like the jewel shards are puppies...Or maybe it's because of the seal?” She wondered, but couldn't help feeling her eyes getting heavy so she fell asleep dreaming of a pure beautiful woman who bravely fought hordes of youkai.

 

 

A/N: So you're not all on vacation! :) That's good to know. If you liked it, please review, it really means a lot to me! And if you didn't...any and all criticism is welcome!