InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wicked ❯ In Sleep He Sang to Me ( Chapter 11 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 11: In Sleep He Sang to Me

Naraku listened to the reports of his saimyousho, then laughed – Inuyasha was such a fool. He really should have been suspicious that a seemingly old woman, a human female no less, would know about youkai claims and bonds. He also shouldn't have taken such a potion from a stranger, only to turn around and feed it to someone he supposedly cared about.

Naive fool... but it worked all the better for him.

He was truly looking forward to gaining what he would gain once the miko ingested the tea – the things that he would be able to do not only to her, but to the arrogant dog who'd waltzed in and disrupted all his plans...

The truth about that tea was that it wouldn't break the claim the dog had on the woman – as Sesshoumaru had already told Inuyasha, the only thing that could do that was for a stronger male to defeat the one who'd made the claim. No, what this stuff did, was temporarily weaken the bond – enough so that when she drank it, he could sweep in, and take her right out from under everyone's noses.

He would make sure that the Inu Lord was kept busy elsewhere while he did so, of course, and once he had the girl, the torment could begin. Because such a claim began the bonding process between soon-to-be mates, any pain he inflicted on Kagome, would also be felt by the male... and if he played his cards right, he would be able to torture the Inu no Taisho so much just by harming the girl, that he'd be left weak and unable to fight – at which point he, Naraku, would sweep in, and destroy all of them...

He would be the undisputed victor, and the world would finally be at his feet.

This time, he would take great pleasure in facing his enemies head on – the only worthy opponent in that group of fools would be too weak to be any danger, and the rest of them would be easy enough to kill.

All he had to do now was wait for the miko to ingest the tea, and for the weakening to begin – it would take up to a week for it to be completely effective – and he would know once she had taken it in immediately – part of the spell had added a drop of his blood to it, and that would cause him to feel a light tingling when she did. He had to admit – that witch was a clever old hag. Perhaps he would leave her alive once he had the whole tama – she might come in useful again.

Once Kagome had the tea circulating in her body, he could watch the group, and set up an ambush accordingly – with the claim weakened, the Inu Lord wouldn't automatically know if she was in danger, and wouldn't be able to pinpoint her location until it was too late.

The spider grinned malignantly – he was well pleased with this latest scheme. The torture and pain he would soon be able to dish out to his enemies was most pleasing – and all he had to do was wait.

That was something he was rather good at – he'd always had a great deal of patience, after all.

Soon, little priestess. Inuyasha's foolishness will be your downfall. And then, once you and your dog are gone... it will be Kikyou's turn. And I will make the half-breed watch as I destroy her...

I will truly enjoy watching him writhe with the knowledge that it was his own stupidity that gave me the victory.

Inuyasha wa baka desu.

-wWw-

Something was going on with his son.

Mattaki watched the boy through narrowed eyes as they finally got away from the small group of farmers and headed into the forest, easily noting the thoughtful looks he was bestowing on Kagome on the sly – and his scent of excitement and poorly concealed fear.

He's up to something – but what? Is he truly foolish enough to challenge me? For his behavior can only be about my claim to Kagome – that is the only thing that would cause him to react this way. But I had been sure he would know better than to fight my claim... something must have happened to convince him that he could break my bond with my miko.

But what?

There was not much he could do, however, save keeping Kagome even closer than his shadow, and watching the boy like a hawk. Why can't he let go of her? Perhaps I should have a talk with him – see if I can get into his head and figure out what the problem is, because even if he wanted to claim her himself before, it is too late now...

In the meantime, though, he could do something else – work on strengthening the bond even more than it was already. He wanted her absolutely drenched in his youki, his claim branded into her soul, into her scent, into the very make-up of who she was, so that no one could ever dispute it – or sever it.

He eyed his son once more, noting his rather protective stance as he stalked along near the older miko, and frowned slightly – despite his obvious care for Kikyou, his gaze on Kagome was still possessive, and he immediately felt his youkai blood begin to boil. It was less than impressed with the boy's antics, and rather than seeing him as his son, was beginning to see him only as a rival.

That could be very dangerous for the young hanyou.

Inuyasha was very aware of his father's regard, and couldn't help the gloating smile that washed across his face – the Inu Lord had no idea that his hold was about to be broken, and he would no longer have a claim on Kagome. And once that claim was broken...

He was pulled from his gloating by Kikyou's voice, and he looked over at her, only to scowl at his friends – they were all looking at him suspiciously.

“What is it that has you acting that way, Inuyasha?” she asked, slanting one of her 'answer me now' looks at him. He flushed guiltily and looked away.

“Feh,” he said softly. “I'm thinkin' of ways to break the old bastard's claim on Kagome, that's all.” He jammed his hands into the sleeves of his suikan, his fingers nervously picking at the fine silver hairs on his arm.

Sango glanced at Kikyou, and sighed, suddenly irritated with their friends dense skull. “I want you to look at them, Inuyasha,” she said sternly, drawing hiraikotsu up almost threateningly. “Look!” She waited as he grudgingly did as she'd said. “Now – has it occurred to you that she might not want to break the claim? You're so set on doing so, that it hasn't even occurred to you to ask her how she feels about it, I bet!” She rolled her eyes at his disgruntled look, and said, “And anyway, it really isn't your place to object to anything she does – I think if she wants your help, she'll ask for it, baka.”

Miroku, who'd stayed silent, spoke up then. “Indeed, Inuyasha. It is her choice what she does, and if she wants to break the claim, unless you plan to fight your father, Kagome is the only one who can. If she truly did not want him, do you really think even he would be able to hold her? Not to mention, I believe that your father would bow out if Kagome were really adamant about not wanting him.” He sighed, then met his friend's gaze, a serious look flashing through orbs normally filled with mischief. “You tread on dangerous ground, Inuyasha, planning to come between the two. I fear the outcome if you do not step back and let Kagome handle this.”

Inuyasha flashed a quick glance at Kikyou; he could see her agreement with their words in her eyes. He growled, irritation flaring. They don't understand! Kagome can't deal with someone like him – she's too innocent, too naïve and trusting to ever be able to match that bastard! He'll overwhelm her...

“So you'd have me just abandon her like a coward?!” he hissed. “Some friends you are!”

With a desperately annoyed expression, Miroku clubbed Inuyasha on the back of the head with his shakujo, the rings chiming out an odd tune as he pulled away, rolling his eyes as the hanyou reached up and rubbed the back of his head with a pout.

“That is not what we are saying, baka. Try listening. It's how you learn. We said that if Kagome-sama wishes for help, then she will ask – and we will oblige. But she is an adult, and you should treat her as one, by letting her handle her own life. You, it is certain, are not her mate, or husband, and have no right to make such decisions against her will, and indeed, without even her knowledge!”

Kikyou didn't say anything – she was too busy watching Kagome – and her daiyoukai shadow. They were too far ahead to hear, but their body language was rather telling in some ways, and as a miko, she had been extensively trained to read people in that manner. It was a good way to tell those who spoke falsehoods, versus those who spoke truth. Too bad Naraku was so good at fooling people, even with body language, she thought wryly. If he hadn't been, then things might have turned out very differently.

Or then again, maybe not. Inuyasha and I probably would have both died, and Kagome would never have been brought here. It is better this way, I suppose. It was odd, and somewhat painful, to think of it that way, but it was true, nonetheless.

And maybe it was better for more reasons than just my own, if the way those two are together is any indication. I fear that Inuyasha is barking up the wrong tree – oh kami, I can't believe I just thought that – with his desire to break them apart. She held the laughter in... but barely – now really wasn't the time to dissolve into hysterical laughter, especially if the others wanted to know what was making her laugh so hard. She had the feeling Kagome would really get a good laugh out of her explanation.

But with what she was seeing from the young woman walking ahead of her, and the protective male pacing along at her side, was a true bond – and with such a thing, one cannot force the other into it. It is always mutual – even if it isn't realized at first by one or the other. Kagome was willing, even eager, to be joined with Mattaki – it was only her mulish tendencies that kept her fighting that knowledge, and even as they traveled, day-by-day, she could see the girl's resistance dwindling.

The Inu Lord was right about that – it was only a matter of time before Kagome gave in...

Once she did, nothing would ever separate her from the large male again.

Somehow, she would have to get a certain stubborn hanyou to understand that.

He was hardheaded, so it would be a challenge.

She chuckled to herself.

-wWw-

Mattaki cast his senses out, using his aura to scan the lands around them, for now, they were empty, nothing dangerous within miles.

His eyes narrowed at that thought. Nothing dangerous outside the camp, that is. So why do I have the feeling that we are carrying our curse with us? He moved his gaze from its fixed spot on the sky to glance at his son. The boy is up to something, that I know... but what? I am far more uneasy than I have been in some time.

Without even realizing it, his gaze went next to Kagome, lingering heatedly as they flared with desire over her slender form half-hidden beneath her odd bedding. In a flash, he was next to her, before he'd even thought about it, leaning down and whispering to her again, claiming her in her sleep as he spoke of passion and want, of mating and of being one with her. With barely a breath, he raised one hand and ran his claws lightly down her arm, smiling with satisfaction as she shivered, and moaned his name.

She knows my touch, even in her sleep, he thought, exultantly. She is mine! “You are mine, Kagome, remember... mine,” he whispered in her ear, gently tucking a lock of midnight behind a delicately rounded ear. His smile only widened as she said, in a breathy voice that no one else would hear, “Yours.”

“Dream of me, my sweet – let me show you what it is you hunger for,” he continued in that barely there whisper. “I will teach you not to fear the fire, little one, instead, you will welcome it, as you will welcome me.” He ran his tongue lightly along the rim of her ear, his eyes falling to half-mast at the tiny moan she let out then.

Ye gods, make it soon that you come to me, Kagome... “I don't know how much longer I can last. My desire for you consumes me, little onna...” he trailed off as her scent beguiled him, pulling him deeper into his obsession.

A tiny frown touching her face, Kagome wondered sleepily why she felt so hot, but as a cool breeze passed over her, she gave up the fight and drifted back into a deeper sleep.

That was all the Inu Lord needed, and with a sigh, he sat back against the tree next to her, and closed his eyes, following her down into her dreamworld. It was time to weave a fantasy that would soon have her begging for a taste of the same – only in reality. He left a portion of his senses awake, however – obsessed he may be, a fool, he was not, and he wasn't about to lose track of the outside world simply to seduce her in her dreams – he was quite capable of both watching, and seducing, after all.

He could feel her, she drew him like a beacon to the damned, and he followed the bright light of her soul to her – she was before the Goshinboku, communing with it. For a few moments he just watched her soul blanket everything in sight with her purity and love of life; she knew he was there, and he was content to wait for her to respond to his presence.

After a few minutes, she turned to look at him. She looked a little confused, and he approached slowly, watching her eyes as he did so. “Why are you here in my dream?” she asked. “Did I invite you? I don't remember...” she trailed off at his raised brow.

“We share a soul, koi – there is no need for invitations. If you put your mind to it, you could also come into my dreams.” He reached out and touched the sacred tree, an enigmatic smile crossing his face as he did. “Tell me, Kagome – would you like to see the past? My past? What it is that I have searched a lifetime and more for?”

“Searched... for?” she asked slowly, looking up at the tree, her brow furrowed. “I... think I was searching, too – but my conscious mind does not want to accept the answer that was given.” She glanced up at him, then. “I think that you... were my answer, were you not? But I'm fighting myself...”

His brow arched, and he smiled. “Hai, you are right. You are fighting me – or rather, I should say, not actively fighting, but resisting, passively.” He reached down with his other hand, and took hers, completing a circuit between he, the tree, and Kagome...

A symphony of sound, color, and emotion opened up around them, opening her eyes to the true wonder of the world. She could see his soul, feel it, hear it – she knew it, suddenly, as well as she knew her own – the darkness, and the light, and she found that it complemented her own so well, fitting to hers seamlessly. She realized with awe that, watching the two twine together, she couldn't really tell where one ended, and the other began.

That was the moment when she understood all that he had been trying to tell her, and while it was still overwhelming, it was because he was so intense – there was nothing weak or timid about the male she found herself a part of. And as the tree opened them to each other, it also opened them to the past, and she watched centuries unfold as though she were him. It was awe-inspiring – and yet, in him she could feel loneliness. Always, always, he was searching, looking for the one who would complete him, and never finding. She watched numerous faceless females enter his world for a night, for a few hours... yet none were who he was looking for.

She watched as he began to despair, finally allowing his council to chivy him into mating a powerful Inu female – for the sake of heirs, and his unhappiness in being tied to such a cold, power-hungry woman. She bore witness to his meeting with Izayoi, warm, comforting, the complete opposite of his official mate, her beauty one to make the gods jealous... but her heart belonging to another, and he, still not able to find that one which would complete him.

His death had almost been welcome to him, when it came, freeing him finally from the cold loneliness of his previous existence...

And then, he had been awakened... by something, his awareness returning to him – and there she had been.

For the first time, his beast had taken notice of a female, wanting to get close to her and wrap himself around her, take in her scent and curl around her protectively. She was witness to the euphoria he felt as he realized just who she was – that the one he had sought for so long was finally within reach...

As long as he could find a way back to the corporeal world.

By that time, she was in tears, so touched that she couldn't even articulate any of what she was feeling, and she knew then that she was done fighting him. Oh, she wasn't ready yet to be his mate, but she was ready to concede that she would be, and let him court her.

Mattaki couldn't even begin to describe the sense of relief, and triumph, that he felt as her resistance crumbled, and he thanked the spirit of the god tree profusely for its help in convincing the other half of his soul to accept him. With one last caressing stroke to the old tree's bark, he pulled his hand away, and the swirl of magic died, leaving them once more in her dream.

With a smile, he pulled her to him, molding her slight form to his body. He wasn't surprised to find that, though she was much smaller than he, she fit him perfectly, every curve and plain fitting like a lock to a key with his own hard edges and defined lines.

“You see, little onna,” he whispered into her ear, “you were made for me, as I was made for you. We complement each other, one's strengths playing to the others weaknesses. It is the way things should be. It is the way things are.”

Kagome nodded, goosebumps breaking out along the skin of her arms and her back at the feel of his warm breath brushing her sensitive ear. It was delicious.

She couldn't even remember why, at this point, she'd been so adamant about fighting him. Why wouldn't she want to be with him? Vaguely, the thought that it was too soon came along, but her sub-conscious scoffed – too soon? Her soul had been waiting for its match for all the time since it had been created, and was just now finding it. That wasn't 'too soon'. With an inward chuckle, she had to agree with that. Looked at that way, it wasn't too soon.

With that, she let go, happily sinking into the intoxicating seduction that Mattaki was spinning on her senses...

Even if this was a dream, she was going to enjoy it, she decided with a smile.

After all, what other girl had such an inhumanly gorgeous daiyoukai chasing them with such passion?

None... only her...