InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Way Ice Can Turn Into Sun ❯ A Step Away from Death ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 14: A Step Away from Death

 

 

Kumiko opened her eyes to find herself in the dark room, in which she had previously woken up. She stared around, trying to figure out her surroundings. She was lying on a large bed and no light entered the room through the tiny window. She tried to get up and walk around the room, but realized she was weak and the air in the room was somehow...suffocating. She stopped the tears that were threatening to flood her eyes. “I won't give him that satisfaction...” Se said to herself trying to get up again. She leaned on the wall behind her and pulled herself up.

Naraku...he had gone too far this time. She wondered if she could gather the shards for him, since she hadn't felt the purifying energy within her since she was kidnapped. For the first time she hoped it wouldn't return so she wouldn't have to help the bastard.

Sesshoumaru...she wanted to be back in his arms...she was safe in his arms.

If Naraku wanted to plant the seed of doubt in her mind, it didn't work. She had faith in Sesshoumaru. The tears wouldn't listen to her anymore and started to flow down her cheeks.

“I can't think of him now...I just can't...” She whipped the tears away from her face.

Leaning against the wall, she made it to the door and her eyes began to be accustomed to the dark. She slid the door open to find a pair of crimson eyes observing her every move. Naraku was sitting besides a window in a room as dark as the one she had left.

“So you're awake. Did you sleep well?” He grinned, not bothering to get up.

“Go to hell!” She shot nervously, but the outburst seemed to weaken her even more and she fell to her knees.

“What's wrong with her? She's drained of her purifying energy, but she wasn't supposed to be this weak...” Naraku thought, knitting his brows.

The girl was breathing hard and her hand grabbed on to her neck as she started to cough.

Naraku suddenly realized the reason for her state.

She couldn't bare the evil energy surrounding the house at the lack of her purifying powers.

“How could I let such a thing escape me? She was a step away from death!” He mentally yelled at himself for this mistake.

He rushed to her side and picked her up with quick movements. She made weak struggles but stopped when she realized what he was doing. He was taking her outside!

Naraku laid the girl on the rough ground outside of his mansion and with a wave of his hand the evil energy surrounding it dissipated.

She took in deep breaths of fresh air and started to feel her strength returning. She got up on one knee and inhaled more and more clean air. It was so refreshing compared to the poisoned atmosphere in the house.

The demon's blood-red eyes searched the near-by forest. His youki was hidden by the stone he had acquired, so Sesshoumaru and his half-mutt brother couldn't sniff him out, but without the strong evil energy protecting the mansion, other demons could attack the human-like inhabitance.

He couldn't count on his youkai to guard the mansion because such a gathering would most certainly attract the dog demon's attention.

He would have to take care of unwanted intruders himself as Hakudoushi was busy setting Sesshoumaru on the wrong path and Kanna was never much use with this sort of thing. Kohaku, Sango's little brother, who he controlled with a Shikon shard was unavailable too because he was guarding his human heart. Not that he couldn't handle it, but the girl couldn't be permanently supervised this way.

The only way was to keep her with him all the time and, as he gave it more thought, he realized he did not dislike the idea.

He turned to the girl that seemed to have forgotten about his presence and had her eyes closed, inhaling the cold air of the night.

He caught her wrist and pulled her up, dragging her into the mansion.

“No!” She yelled trying to struggle out of his grip. “I can't breathe in there!”

“Shut up, woman! I won't let you die just yet.” He replied in a low voice tossing her into his room.

To her surprise, the air was breathable so she relaxed a little and realized that she hadn't eaten for almost two days and she was extremely hungry.

But how to tell him that, she didn't want to ask him for anything. Her stomach saved her the trouble as it started to growl loudly.

He sighed and a bowl of rice and a plate of fish appeared at a wave of his hand.

She observed them with caution and seeming to think they were no threat, she began eating quickly.

Red orbs observed her from the other corner of the room.

She finished the food and sat as far away from him as possible. He made no move, but his gaze remained fixed upon her with an overwhelming intensity.

“Could you stop starring?” She shot.

“You're in no position to make demands.” He answered calmly.

“Why do you have to stay here with me anyway? Can't you have Kagura or some other minion of yours guard me?”

“Kagura has long left the world of the living.” A spark of anger lit up his eyes at the thought of her betrayal.

The girl interpreted it wrong and said calmly:

“Good. You'll be reunited with her soon.”

“She was not killed by my enemies, my dear.”

The girl turned questioning eyes to him and he added with a grin:

“I was the one who took her life. She had become too friendly to the dog demon.”

Kumiko's heart started to beat faster. “Kagura and Sesshoumaru...? No way, he's lying!”

She looked straight into his eyes and spoke coldly:

“Your words are poison.”

To her surprise, Naraku started to laugh and responded:
”You may find out soon enough that not only my words are poison.”

She took a quick look to the bowl of food she had just eaten and Naraku didn't miss her glance.

It amused him terribly to play with her like that. She didn't hide the multitude of emotions she felt and they were obvious on her face. He enjoyed her skip from sadness to anger and then fear.

“He can't poison me...he still needs me to gather the shards...or does he? I still can't feel my purifying energy.” The thoughts passed quickly through her mind as she looked at the empty bowl of food.

The Shikon no Tama...Why did he want the jewel anyway? He was powerful enough as it was. She decided to give voice to her thoughts.

“Why do you want the jewel?”
Her question surprised him.

“For power.” Wasn't it obvious?
”Don't you have enough power already?”

“A human cannot understand.” He replied firmly.

“If you explain it to me, maybe I will!” She shot.

“I have great power now, but why stop at that when I could have much more?”

“Even so, when you use some magic to make you powerful, that power will not come from within you. Inside you will remain the same resentful creature that cannot find his place in this world.” She stated calmly.

Naraku narrowed his eyes at the girl's insolence. Cannot find his place in this world...that was true, but it didn't matter. He would create a new world.

“You use big words considering your situation. I will be the strongest youkai in this world.”
”Sesshoumaru will always be stronger than you.” She replied.

In a split second, he was next to her, pining her to the wall, his red eyes burning with anger:

“Fool! I will kill him before your eyes after I have the jewel.” His low voice sent shivers up her spine.

Her heart was racing as his clawed hand clutched her throat. She was breathing hard and she heard his frightening voice once more:

“As for you, you should know your place. I can't kill you yet, but I can hurt you...”
He held her still as his mouth captured hers aggressively and his other hand pulled her into him.

His grip was suffocating her, it was like steel and she couldn't even struggle as the demon bit her lip until blood came out.

He then released her and let her drop on the floor. He watched the shivering girl and smelled her fear.

Naraku exited the room, sliding the door behind him.

What was wrong with him lately that he dreaded hurting her so much? He felt the taste of her blood in his mouth and knit his brows. This girl stirred something inside him that he didn't think he could sense. It resembled Onigumo's feelings for Kikyo, but it was more than that.

“But how? Do remainders of the filthy bandit's heart still linger within me?” He asked himself. It was impossible. If so, he wouldn't have been able to attack Kikyo. The bitch didn't leave this world yet though. He would soon be done with her and the half-mutt along with his miko bitch but more importantly he would destroy the arrogant dog demon.

 

A/N:

Reviewer response:

Mian: Hah! Naraku's an angel compared to me! I'm the evilest of the evil! ^_^ Don't worry, Sesshy will come for her, of course. I'm not that evil :) By the way: Why hate Naraku? He's hot :) -if you ignore the tentacles and other such things-

Megera: I'm glad you like. Kikyou will appear once more, but shortly. I have one more task for her. I'm sorry you hate her though. I don't :) The world of Inuyasha fans is actually split in two: Kikyou lovers and Kagome lovers. Or Kikyou haters and Kagome haters. One could say Kikyou gets in the way of Kagome and Inuyasha's pseudo-relationship thingy. One could also say that, now that Kikyou is back, Kagome should just but out and return to her one time. They were supposed to be together after all. Both points of view seem correct to me...so my advise is: have a threesome.