InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unforgiven ❯ New Moon ( Chapter 7 )

DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha does not belong to me.

A/N: Well, here's a chapter that many of you are going to love. Lots of romance for both InuKag and MiroSan shippers! Go enjoy….

"Unforgiven"

Chapter 7: New Moon

The only sound that could be heard throughout the dungeon was labored breathing. The snap of clothing against skin, and the rush of hot breath from between clenched teeth. Coarse cloth moved swiftly over sweat-covered flesh, as the body moved back and forth effortlessly. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Kagome was blushing. And why, she did not know.

After all, Inuyasha wasn't even very close to her. He was more than a body's length away, practicing martial arts while facing the back wall. But, she still felt like this was a scene she shouldn't be so engrossed in. They both deserved their privacy, even if they had been robbed of it entirely by being placed in this cell.

Inuyasha's eyes were as hard and focused as a blade, as his hands and feet cut through the air. He raised a fist and then snapped his knee in a front-kick, then moved his arm up to block an imaginary punch. As he moved, bouncing around on the balls of his feet, sweat had begun to pour down his limbs and his face. He had removed his outer jacket, and his thin undershirt was now plastered to his body. The bangs and a few other strands of his silvery hair clung to his face.

Kagome's eyes widened, as he grunted a little at the effort his muscles were putting in. His face looked so intense, as if he were pummeling his greatest enemy, or were trying to speak the most sincere words. She felt as if she were an uninvited guest, allowed to see into the vestiges of his darkest dreams. A small part of her was fascinated at the beauty of his body.

He normally was dressed fully in his long pants and jacket, to fight the dampness of the cell. Only when he practiced martial arts or washed his upper body, did he ever remove any clothing. And, she rarely got up the courage to even look at him when he did so. It was so improper for her…yet it was inevitable that she see him in this state. The thin material clung to his muscles, revealing that he was leaner than he looked, but was also strong beyond belief. He was tall, with defined muscles on his arms and his back and his front. As he moved and destroyed the imaginary opponent, they rippled beneath his ribs and shoulder blades, and glimmered with sweat in the dim light.

She bit her lip nervously. Why in the world was she now noticing these little details? About how the curvature of his face was so pleasing to the eye, and, that when he wasn't scowling, his eyes and mouth were very sensual. Perhaps being stuck in jail like this had made her insane, but she was entertaining thoughts and notions that had never before crossed her mind.

Kagome clasped her knees to her chest, as she wiped a bead of sweat off her face. No wonder Inuyasha had been forced to remove his jacket. Even in the dark cell, today had been stuffy and unbearably hot.

Suddenly, Inuyasha stopped moving, and reached up to wipe off the layer of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He looked over at her right away, and noticed she was staring at him before she even had the chance to look away.

A clawed hand brushing back his shaggy white bangs, his calmed face stared at her expectantly. She wanted to wilt underneath his intense gaze. He didn't often stare at her so openly. "Why were you staring at me?" It was a simple question, and he tried to make it sound less rude than it was.

Kagome searched the ground for a reason as she blushed furiously under his gaze. "N-no reason at all…"

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief, confused at how sullen she was acting, but didn't question further. Instead of moving to sit down at the opposite wall, like usual, he paced a little, running a hand through his hair. Kagome looked up at him. Why was he acting so restless?

Inuyasha knew Kagome was staring at him, but his body and mind were running wild at the moment. He could feel the change coming about in his senses and his brain. Within hours, he would be incapacitated…and it wasn't something he planned to reveal to anybody.

How will I hide from Kagome?

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"Would they be of any help to us?"

Sango looked at Miroku expectantly, as his lean body rested casually against the doorframe of their bedroom.

He thought for a moment, weighing the possibilities. "I do not know much about the prisoners…" he said. "But, I believe that we may be able to speak to them. I don't know what they believe or if they are even sane. But, there can be no harm in seeing them, can there?"

Sango nodded in agreement, brushing a strand of dark hair out of her face. "Will you ask Naraku's permission?" She asked, quietly.

"There is no other way. Going to a secret location like the dungeon without telling him would be a sign of betrayal to Naraku. He is paranoid about that kind of thing."

Sango looked a little fearful. "I heard what he said when he spoke to the troops. It felt like he was inviting everyone to view his thoughts…and it felt…." She searched for the words.

"…Horrifying?" Miroku suggested grimly.

Sango nodded, her face tightened up in worry. "Exactly." She looked up at the Commissioner with more than a hint of desperation. "Please be careful, Miroku. Don't get yourself into more trouble than you can handle!"

Miroku yawned widely, stretching his arms above his head, a smile playing around his lips. He moved lazily over to the bed, lowering himself to lie near Sango. She watched him innocently, as his eyes stared into hers. "I'll be as careful as the situation warrants." He was warmed, once again, by how openly she was showing her heart to him.

Their faces were only about a foot apart, as they lay on their sides. Miroku was suddenly struck with the familiar desire to be closer to her. He felt it often- most nights, in fact. She was so beautiful and so strong, and was always sleeping in the same bed with him. Half of him knew that she was young and torn apart by grief. But, he also hoped that she was feeling this undeniable attraction that he had felt between them since day one.

He lifted his hand, brushed her bangs from over her eyes with light fingers. His hand trembled a little. Normally, girls didn't make him nervous at all. They were a passion for him, but mostly just goals to attain. His body would call him to whoever looked the prettiest, and he would go from there. Now, he was feeling that calling not only in his body but also in his mind. Sango was so beautiful and so much more intelligent than any woman he had ever spent the night with.

Sango's cheeks became tinged with pink as his fingers brushed against her face. She tried to respect physical boundaries with him every time they were alone together. To act any other way was not helpful to her mission, and would only complicate things further. But, he tempted her more than he knew. He made her so afraid, but only because he was so unpredictable. Whenever they lay down together to go to sleep, she always moved as far away as possible, even if it meant hugging the edge of the mattress.

And now, she was finding herself openly facing him, seeing straight into his soulful eyes. She knew that she wouldn't be able to get up even if she wanted to. She was frightened and yet completely enjoying the soft way that his eyes regarded her. What was going to happen? What was he thinking?

"Thank you for caring so much about me, and for helping me."

She gulped, and was positive he would be able to hear the pounding of her heart. She nodded in response, and her breath caught in her throat as she noticed that he was moving closer to her. Softly, Miroku held her chin in his fingers. Rolling up onto his knees so that he hovered over her body, he leaned down and grasped her lips with his soft ones.

As their lips touched, Sango's entire body reacted immediately. Her eyes fluttered close, and a thrill was sent through every nerve in her body. The kiss was chaste, and their bodies barely touched, but Sango was left trembling in surprise when Miroku let her go.

Miroku, wordlessly, sat up to blow out the candle at their bedside, and then he lay down to sleep. Sango was muted in surprise, her fingers touching her lips. His back was now facing her, and she couldn't see what his reaction had been. What had the kiss meant? Had he felt the same shock of electricity as her?

She was also surprised that Miroku had done nothing but kiss her. He, who was so quick to make sexual innuendo out of any situation or to grope the forbidden areas of her body, had not suggested he wanted anything more from her than that simple kiss. She was utterly confused by now, hoping she hadn't done anything unconsciously to push him away.

Of course, she considered regretfully, every way I've treated him up until now would be something that would push him away.

She couldn't help but wish that Miroku would turn around and kiss her once more.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It had turned into nighttime, and not much more had happened since Kagome and Inuyasha's stare-down earlier in the day. Kagome's stomach growled loudly, and she clutched onto it, embarrassed. No matter how much food they were served, she never could force herself to eat enough to fill her stomach. The food was tasteless, sometimes rotting. She reminded herself to feel glad that they were being fed at all…though, it was hard to feel grateful for this kind of treatment.

She had cried, yes. It had been difficult to keep high spirits when she only saw a little bit of sunlight and had no knowledge of if she would ever see the outside world again. She had quickly discovered, though, that Inuyasha was not very receptive to crying women. He would yell at her if she cried and, though she understood he was just uncomfortable, it was never quite the way to cheer her up.

Kagome shifted, her bottom feeling numb after being squashed against the hard floor for so long. She squinted a little, trying to make out Inuyasha's outline in the shadows. It wasn't unusual for him to ignore her for hours straight, but, right now, she couldn't even see him. Acting even more reclusive than usual (if that was possible) Inuyasha had retreated into the corner that was completely covered in shadow.

Her heart hurt for him, thinking of the reasons that could have caused this sudden change. Perhaps some memory of his family? Was he feeling the weight of guilt of having murdered someone? Loneliness? Maybe he was thinking of a lost love…

She felt moved by the thought. Inuyasha, in love? With his disposition, she sometimes doubted that he was capable of feeling such emotion. But, every once in a while, she saw some flicker of tenderness and sensitivity that made her think again. He was such a puzzle…Kagome knew there were pieces missing from her perception of him that she might never understand. I wish I could understand, though….

Suddenly, she thought she heard a sniffle coming from the shadows where Inuyasha slept. Kagome tried to listen as hard as possible. Maybe he wasn't asleep….was he crying? It didn't sound too likely to her, but she was intrigued nonetheless. She was aching to understand the reasons that he sometimes acted so cold and distant, and others, acted so thoughtful.

She slowly pulled herself to her feet, feeling slightly more determined. Taking soft steps towards the corner, she tried to see through the darkness. There was virtually no light coming from the hole in the ceiling….and that hole cut through two floors, so there was normally little light. It must be a new moon…she thought.

"Inuyasha….?" She whispered, tentatively. Maybe he was asleep after all.

She was taken aback as a soft growl arose from the darkness.

"Are you…..Ok?" She took no heed of his hostile growl, and continued walking toward him.

Suddenly, his voice split through the air. "DON'T COME NEAR ME!" he practically roared. Kagome's throat tightened in confusion. The back of her mind tugged at her, saying that his voice sounded different than normal. Had he really been crying, then? Is that what made his voice sound so soft?

Kagome felt like crying for him. Whatever was making him act like this was also driving her insane. Because, if she were to be trapped with him, she knew she didn't want there to be any more secrets.

Taking a deep breath, she knelt onto the ground, moving closer to where Inuyasha was. "I said not to come near me, bitch!" With incredible force, he thrust out a hand to fling her away.

But, Kagome grabbed onto his wrist, determined not to let him go so easily. She was on the ground, her tailbone smarting from the fall, clinging to his hand still. She gasped, as she looked at his roughened hands. "Your…..your claws….What happened to your claws?" Where there were normally long, sharp talons, now were short stubs of fingernails. They looked almost…human.

Gawking, Kagome looked up towards the shapeless blob before her. She could not see his face at all. Inuyasha forcibly wrenched his hand from hers, clenching his fist in anger. He made a loud, furious growl of warning. Then, he moved just an inch over. Half of his face was lit by a small stream of pale light.

Kagome gasped softly. His bangs were inky black, not silver like normal. He had no pointy ears on his head…instead, they were like normal human ears. No fangs…and, most surprising of all were his eyes. Any trace of gold had disappeared, and left were orbs of coal. They were still intense and sparkling as always….but, they weren't anything like she was used to. He looked so young, too…almost her age…

His face was twisted into a bitter snarl, as he watched her reaction. "Didn't I tell you not to come near me? But, you stupid idiot- you had to come. And, now you know. Happy, huh? I'm a human for a night! Isn't it fucking great?!" His voice, a little less rough than his demon voice, was edged with sarcasm and anger.

"I…I'm sorry…" Kagome stumbled over her words, regretting that she had pushed so hard to see him. She had been so adamant about giving him privacy, and now she was violating his personal space….a time of vulnerability.

Then, she did something that she had tried not to do for weeks now. She started crying. She sobbed a little, not knowing why all the tears were suddenly letting loose. Inuyasha looked frightened and absolutely miffed, as he struggled for a way to get her to stop blubbering. "Eh…." He muttered, looking at her like she was the most confusing thing he had ever seen. "I…..please don't cry, Kagome…." He stuttered, at an abnormal loss for harsh words.

He furrowed his brows as he thought of a way to prevent any more tears from coming out. But goodness, weren't women plain volatile? One minute, she was yanking his arm, the next she was crying a river. "It's just…." His voice attempted to be soothing, but he had little to no practice with the art of sympathy. "I turn human every new moon…and it's something that's I can't let anybody know, because then I'd be in danger ….You're the first human besides my mother who has ever seen me like this…."

She sniffed through her tears, and she met his dark eyes with watery ones. "…Really…?"

He nodded, wary of another outburst. Inuyasha looked as if he would gladly have run away, had the cell door been open. Of course….it wasn't open. He awkwardly reached out a hand to cup over hers in an attempted gesture of kindness. "So…er….you don't have to cry anymore." His nervousness was more apparent on his human face than it ever would be on his half-demon features. He snatched his hand back quickly. If there had been less shadow, she might have also noticed that his human ears were turning red.

Kagome rubbed the tears from her cheeks, nodding. "Yeah….I'm sorry….I guess I just wished you would have told me. I don't care why you're here…I just think we should be able to work together."

He looked speechless as he comprehended the words. She slowly pulled herself up to the wall next to him. Neither of them were visible to the other…but Kagome was satisfied that, for once, they were sitting close like friends…instead of strangers. Inuyasha still looked towards her with wide eyes. She is so different from Kikyo… Inuyasha felt she was someone indescribable- weird, confusing, but best of all, she was unique. No one, not even Kikyo, had ever told him that his past didn't matter. It was his past and his race that usually got him into so much trouble.

"So….why were you crying?" Kagome asked, quietly, her voice warming to its normal tone.

His eyebrows fluctuated wildly as he scoffed at her. "Crying?! Who's crying?" He sounded offended by her question.

She looked doubtful, and looked over at the steel bars across from them. "I heard you sniffling…that's why I came to check up on you…."

He snorted loudly, the edge returning to his voice. "I don't cry. This human body can't stand the temperature in here, and my nose was stuffy. That's it."

Kagome couldn't help but tease him a little. "That's not what I think…"

Inuyasha glowered, trying to defend himself. "I'm not a little girl! I DON'T CRY!"

She giggled. "Sure…" She patted him lightly on his thigh then got up to move to her usual sleeping space.

He glared at her back with all his might, but she didn't turn back around.

She rolled onto her side to sleep, and he continued to stare at her.

He thought angrily about how infuriating the girl was!

Though, he couldn't help but notice how empty the corner seemed, now that she had left.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kagura shuffled softly from the shadows of the doorway. The Commissioner, who Naraku seemed to rely on more and more, had come for a visit. Kagura, of course, had been stationed right outside to listen in. Naraku could never be alone with any of his subordinates, the paranoid bastard.

Kagura smirked to herself. It was because, had Kagura not been there to protect him, they might attempt a murder. Does he realize that even I would attempt that murder, given the chance? Naraku had left behind him a trail of waste and bodies and plague as he had moved up the food chain. Many people would never forget that. The only reason he was still alive was because of his clever strategies. One day, though, she knew it would backfire on him.

"What did he want to talk to you about?" She asked, feigning laziness. In truth, she cared deeply what Miroku was planning. Who knew if she had a potential ally within the dark-haired human?

Naraku placed the tips of his fingers together in a gesture of deep thought. "He wants to visit the dungeons tomorrow, to question our newest prisoners. He said he had heard rumors within the ranks about secret backhanded deals with neighboring kingdoms, and that the two may have something to do with it."

Kagura huffed silently. If Miroku wanted to get near his most prized prisoners, why was Naraku looking so self-satisfied? "And you told him no…"

"Of course not. He is one of my highest-ranking officers. If he believes there is information to be found, I must let him find it." He smiled a chilling grin, his deep voice cutting through the stuffy air in the room.

Kagura felt confused at the answer. "But…"

"He will find nothing of use there."

She raised an eyebrow, wondering what was to follow. It wasn't like Naraku to let anybody under him run wild. He kept a tight hold on everything that went on around him, whether anybody realized it or not.

"But, nonetheless…" Naraku spoke, keenly. "You will follow him Kagura. Report back to me anything suspicious."

Kagura's mind screamed against the evil man before her, but she could do nothing more than follow the orders at this point.

"Yes, Naraku…."

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A/N: Stay tuned for Chapter 8: The Deal