Naruto Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Stains of the Heart ❯ Chapter Eight ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter Eight

 

She is limping, cursing at someone that she is sure she does not know. Quickly, her legs grow tired, and she falls to the ground, toppling trees while she pants in her spot. She hears the distance sounds of a village, and growls in displeasure, cursing the name she cannot fully understand again. She hates the fact that though she is powerful, there are others more powerful than she. She is able to control things they cannot, and she is able to do things they cannot, yet she is weak. She is weak, and that angers her to the point that she feels the need to destroy something. She is not able to move, though, thus she cannot.

 

Resting her head against the ground, she continues to pant. Her body is growing weak and she wishes to simply lie there. She knows she must return to her safe havin, though. She knows she must return to her ancient tree and recover, but she does not think she has the strength to return. Once again she curses at another, knowing from the past that she should not have taken the challenge, but not caring. She has wanted to prove for so long that she is stronger, but the other trickster has managed to defeat her once again.

 

“There you are,” a voice growls. She turns to see a blurry image, and knows that this is the one that defeated her. She knows, and thus she growls in response, but the voice continues. “You were foolish to think you could get away,” they laugh, “In fact, you were foolish to think you could win.” Her name is said, but she does not hear it, her power is growing weaker and weaker and she knows in that instant that she is dying.

 

She growls a name. The one she's cursed so many times, but still does not understand it.

 

“You haven't been punished enough, though. You're too cocky for you own good, and I believe it is time you were given a strong knock in the head.” The voice laughs again, and she grows irritated by it. “So, I believe that you deserve a fate better than death. A fate that will keep you in this world.”

 

“Damn you,” she manages to say.

 

The voice chuckles. “Do not die on me yet,” he says.

 

She pants, hearing the distant sound of the other leaving. However, she knows from the sounds that the other is moving toward the village ahead, and growls again in displeasure. Resting her head against the ground, she slams her tails against the trees behind her, almost wishing she could see. She almost wishes she could do anything, but she knows that her time is growing shorter. She knows that, but she allows her ears to perk up when she hears another sound. It sounded small, like something much smaller than her was walking over the ground before her, and she snarls in warning.

 

“So, he has kept his promise.”

 

She snarls again at the new voice. She tries to lift her head, and finds that she has closed her eyes. She opens them, and finds that her blurry vision is slightly better, but not by much. She turns her eyes downward and narrows them at the person there. Trying to rise, she finds that her body is weaker than before, and takes a better measure by trying to snap at the person. However, she finds that she can barely open her jaws, and gives into the feelings that are beginning to surround her. Her breathing is growing weak, but she keeps her eyes trained on the person before her, a growl still moving through her chest.

 

The person narrows their own eyes, and she barely makes out as they begin to move their hands. She does not understand for a moment, as they say, “You cannot escape through death.” The person laughs strongly, and she catches the insanity lying there. “I shall finally have what I want, and nothing will stand in the way of what is rightfully mine.”

 

Her vision becomes hazier, and she once again snarls when a new feeling surrounds her. She does not understand it; she knows that she is more powerful than the small person in front of her. She knows that she should be able to destroy anything that they send at her, even when she is beginning to die yet she cannot. She feels the new feeling tingle down to her claws, and she once again growls at it. Then, she feels something she does know, something that she knows even she can use, though it is much different than what is surrounding her now. Chakra.

 

Trying to break free of the feeling, she tries to roll away, for her instinct scream for her to move. They scream that she cannot give in, that she is not this weak and she should not give in so easily. But she finds that the strange feeling has already completely surrounded her, and then she finds that her vision goes black. She screams, for she feels as if she is falling. She curses the name she does not understand again, cursing them for what is happening to her, for she finally understands. She understands that a jutsu has been cast upon her, but she does to understand what kind.

 

The sound of wailing fills her ears, and the feeling of death rushes away, but she cannot stand the new sounds. She tries to shake her head, trying to make the sound go away. She does not know how long it took for the blackness to fade, but she finds herself staring through strange bars. Her eyes begin to focus and she finally looks down upon a strange pup wailing just outside the bars. Her natural response, what she knows she has done many times before, is to kill the young one, and she tries to stop the wailing. However, she finds that she is confined behind the bars, for they will not move, and she snarls again. She feels the need to kill growing, something that she has grown accustomed to throughout the years of her growth, before she met the one who defeated her. Her claws hit the metal of the bars, and she finds at that instant that she can barely move.

 

Angered, she rears her head back, and howls. The answering call of the pup's wail fills her ears, and she turns her head down, to find that the pup is staring up at her. Growling, she once again feels the need to kill the young one, but finds that she cannot. Then, she blinks and is surprised to watch as the pup's face morphs, before her own chakra is drawn from her, and settles around the pup, doing something that she cannot see.

 

Then, she laughs. A bitter laugh that fills the strange new place that she has found herself within, and she knows what has happened to her. Deep inside, she curses again the name she does not understand, and she promises their death, along with the death of many. She promises it, and she knows that she will be able to do so in due time.

 

And in some strange way, she is happy is she not dead, but angered that she has found herself in a position she promised to never find herself within.

 

OoO

 

She sat up panting, a hand coming up to clutch at her hair once more. For a moment, she wondered why the dream was so different from others she's had before, but then shook her head. It didn't matter, but the feeling that hit her upon awakening did. Lifting her top lip in anger, she turned her head, and nearly jumped to the other side of her bed, surprised. Opening her mouth, she gasped. “G-Gaara-sama!” she said.

 

He simply stared at her.

 

Sighing a bit, she blinked a few times. Turning her head, she asked, “What are you doing in my room, Gaara-sama?”

 

“Why did you mutter of chakra in your sleep?” he countered.

 

“I did?” she asked.

 

He nodded. His eyes took in the sweat that had formed on her forehead, and the fact that she seemed quite shocked to see him. However, he'd noticed that she had begun to sweat long before she'd awoke, growling and snarling in her sleep. Then, almost as soon as she'd sat up, she'd snarled about betrayal and promised death to something or someone. He wondered again if she was a vessel to some demon, for it had been strange to watch as black markings flickered on the flesh of her face. She'd tossed and turned, and he'd thought he'd saw chakra fill the air, before the flickering happened and then she'd grown silent, her face returning to normal. After that she'd simply muttered and snarled, making him wonder more than he was used to. The damn woman was making him far to curious for his own good.

 

“Perhaps it was because of my dream,” she said. “It was strange, like I was someone else.” She stopped, and then scowled. “However, I do not think it has any meaning, since dreams are only dreams, nothing more.”

 

A voice chuckled in her head. She nearly snarled, but her eyes caught sight of Gaara, and knew that would not be a good idea at the moment. “Dreams are not always thus. I have found that sometimes your dreams have meaning.”

 

What are you talking about? She saw that Gaara was once again giving her a strange glare, like he was trying to see through her. She simply moved her eyes so that she was staring at a nearby wall, and listened to the sounds that entered the room. Gaara was completely silent, so it wasn't hard to hear the idiot snoring in the hall. She wondered if he'd hate her if she went out and actually stole one of his weapons in order to kill him.

 

“Perhaps someday I'll tell you,” the voice replied.

 

She growled at it. If you do not wish to tell me anything useful, then get out of my head.

 

“I'm afraid I can't do that, little girl. You're stuck with me,” the voice said. It was strange to hear it say something as quiet as that, almost like it was thinking over something. She wondered what it could be, but then decided that she didn't care. It was only someone or something trying to fuck with her, not something that she needed to care about. She cared for nothing, not even a voice that had been with her all her life, always wanting her to take the lives of others.

 

Not when I kill you.

 

The voice laughed then, it's normal volume returning. “I'd like to see you try, little girl. I'd really like to see you try.”

 

She snorted.

 

“Especially when you've been trying to do that for so many years now. You haven't been able to do so yet, what gives you the idea that you will be able to later on?” the voice stopped. “Better pay attention, stupid girl. It's not good to become so distracted.”

 

“Woman,” he said, again.

 

She turned her head. “Forgive me, Gaara-sama. Was there something you wanted or said?”

 

“You're strange,” he replied.

 

“I believe I have been told that by others,” she frowned. “I care not, though.”

 

Turning her head, she gave him a small glance from the corner of her eye, and asked her original question again. “Why are you in my room, anyway, Gaara-sama?” She watched him closely, remembering the power he had over the sand he carried with him, and mentally prepared herself for an assault. She did not know what he could do, but she would not die without fighting.

 

“Such a good little girl you can be,” the voice laughed.

 

She snorted.

 

“Not wishing to die is very good,” it continued. “For if you die, I die. Such a tragedy that would be, too.”

 

You'll die when I kill you. She mentally pushed the voice away again, listening to its laughter. She had grown accustomed to it, but she'd never known it to be a talker. Normally it only wanted something from her, but it never wished to carry on a conversation. Why it did after so much time, she was not sure, and it was beginning to become annoying. Soon, soon she'd be rid of it, for she'd kill the person who was trying to mess with her head. She'd come to the conclusion that it was some outside force playing with her, and she hated the fact that they'd gotten past her defenses so easily. She hated them, and she would kill them.

 

Her eyes hardened a bit, while the image of blood flashed behind her eyes. She forcefully pushed it away, and then turned her attention to the man standing in her room, obviously waiting for her to give him her attention. She wasn't sure why, but she had asked a question, so perhaps he was going to answer it. Turning her head, she waited.

 

“Someone needs to watch you,” Gaara stated.

 

“I thought that was what the ANBU posted outside my window was for,” she replied, her words sounding more like a statement than a question. “Or perhaps you're worried for your little friend outside this room.” Catching his eyes with her own, she said, “I will not harm him as long as he does not enter this room. I give you my word.”

 

“The word of someone just met means nothing,” Gaara said.

 

“Not if that person were trustworthy,” Kagome said, blinking. She was surprised that she wasn't having thoughts of killing the man. Usually she would after so much time around another, but it seemed that there was a certain case that was different. This man was strange, but she saw something in his eyes that reminded her of when she glanced into the mirror. Something that she saw in her own, and she silently wanted to know what it was that made them similar, if even in a subtle way.

 

“One does not know if that person is trustworthy unless they have a reason to trust them,” Gaara scowled. “I have no reason to trust you. No one in this village has a reason to trust you, thus no one shall.”

 

“Yet,” she replied. “Yet, for I will prove I can be trusted. You may not believe me, but you will in time.”

 

His eyes narrowed, “If you're given time.”

 

“Was that a threat?” she asked, her own narrowing in response to the challenge.

 

“Perhaps,” he muttered.

 

“Then perhaps I shall take it,” she growled. She waited for him to respond, but quickly realized that he'd turned his head away, and refused to. Scowling at him, she allowed herself to lie back, and turned so that she was facing away from him. Placing her arm underneath her head, she grabbed the red strand of hair she had with her free hand. Closing her eyes, she decided for that night he was not a threat to her, especially if he'd been standing there for so long and had yet to attack her.

 

Gaara watched her, and having done the same thing so many times, knew when she'd drifted back to sleep. “Perhaps,” he said again. He was content where he was at the moment, but he glanced around the room. His eyes fell onto the small nightstand next to her bed, and decided it was time to hunt. Hunt for items that she should not have, since it was quite obvious she was very good at stealing them from others.

 

OoO

 

Her eyes shut tightly, and she glanced around again at all the people surrounding her. The voice was laughing again, the noise louder with each passing second, and she was beginning to wonder just how much longer she could put up with it. She was beginning to crack; she knew that—she wouldn't be able to push away her desires for much longer. She did not know why, usually being around other people caused her to become rational enough that she didn't need to feed her need for quite some time, but something was wrong. She wondered if it had to do with the others the voice spoke of, when she knew the names of the ones the voice pinpointed them as.

 

For a moment she wondered if it had to do with being this vessel, it spoke of. She knew olds tales of Houkou, Kaku, Nekomata, and Sokou, the demons that had apparently once roamed close to where she'd once lived. She knew from the elders of her Clan, even when they'd spoken so disdainfully of her when they thought she was no longer within hearing range. She did not know of the ones called Shukaku or Kyuubi, thus she did not know if they were the same. She was not sure, she did not know, and it was grating on her, forcing her need to become stronger still.

 

“Weak girl,” the voice mocked.

 

Go away, she snapped, her voice filled with anger. She knew that it was somewhat the reason for why she suddenly wished to kill the others around her. All her life it had been trying to make her do so, and it brought forth the dream she had had. She couldn't put the pieces together, though, and she wasn't sure if it was more than simply a dream. It had to be simply a dream created by her subconscious, even when it had felt so real. Dreams didn't mean anything, she'd always been told that, but she'd always been lied to. What was the chance of that blasted man who'd once called himself her father not lying to her about that? She didn't know, and she really didn't care anymore, for he was dead, and she was glad he was.

 

Turning her head, she glared at the person following her. She almost wished that she hadn't come outside today, since then she would have been able to deal with her need in silence, but she had. Rushing back to Hokage Tower would not look good, especially when she was sure she was giving off angry vibes, not to mention anything else she was giving off. However, she felt another strong wave of need rush over her while she stared at Naruto, and narrowed her eyes. She had a strong feeling that he was the reason she felt the way she did. She had a very strong feeling that if she killed him the need would go away.

 

Blood, she whimpered. Blood.

 

She didn't understand, she was strong—no matter what that stupid voice said, she was strong. She was strong enough to have pushed away the need she felt for death and blood for so many years, even when it became stronger as she grew. She'd managed to keep herself under control, yet she could feel that control breaking to pieces. She felt it slipping through her hands, even when she tried so hard to keep a hold of it. She felt the need for the death of others; she did not feel the need for her own. She was not the type to shudder at the sight of blood, but her opponents had rarely ever struck her, so she did not enjoy the idea of bleeding. She should be strong enough to make the need go away, but it just continued to press again her instincts, causing her to whimper again.

 

Casting another glance over her shoulder, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Naruto was no longer paying her any attention. Silently, she laughed at the naïve man, the one who didn't know what a threat she could be. She let out a small chuckle, feeling the need to see the blood of her opponents spilled on the ground increasing. She gritted her teeth together slightly, and then shook her head a bit to try and once again shake it away. However, unlike so many times before, the need did not fade, but grew stronger again.

 

Giving a small cry, she brought her hand up and grabbed at her hair as a last resource, something she had done many times. However, even the familiar action did not make the need go away, it did not clear her head enough, and she felt her head pound from the inside. Tugging sharply at her hair, she cast another glance over at Naruto, and saw that he was still talking with his current companion. A small wicked grin formed on her lips, and she lowered her eyes so that they were covered by her bangs.

 

Stepping backwards quickly, she knew that no one was really paying much attention to her. Even if they were, they were mostly only villagers; they would not know what to do about her. Taking another step, Kagome stepped deep into the shadows of the building, and decided. If Naruto was going to be an idiot, then she was going to leave this ridiculous village for a short time to fill the need pumping through her veins. She was going to find someone, anyone, and if they weren't apart of Konohagakure, she was going to kill them. She was going to, and she'd make sure that their blood was spilled all along the forest floor. She would, and they would never see it coming.

 

OoO

 

He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he looked over at Naruto. He should have known that idiot was going to screw up and the woman he was watching was going to do something she wasn't supposed to. He could already feel her chakra signal fading away, and knew that if he didn't follow her, she was going to leave. He was positive that Tsunade wanted her to be watched, and the dobe couldn't do it, he would. First, though, it was always good to have backup, and knowing Naruto wasn't the best choice, he decided he'd find someone more suitable along the way. Someone that had been also been watching her.

 

Sasuke nodded, rushing forward. He easily moved to the top of the buildings, and saw that she was trailing east, and would most likely go over the wall. Frowning, he wondered what she was doing, but suddenly decided he didn't want to know. He could feel the bloodlust in the air, and it pressed down upon him so strongly that he was sure it had sent a shiver down many spines. Moving forward, he made sure to look down whenever he crossed a pathway.

 

Knowing it was quite some ways away; he turned his eyes forward to watch her. However, after a moment, he looked back down, and got lucky. A small smirk formed onto his lips, and he dropped down from the rooftops, landing on the ground in front of the one he'd been looking for. Bringing his head up, he stood in front of the other man, watching as his aqua eyes narrowed in question.

 

“We've got a problem,” Sasuke said.

 

Gaara blinked. “Your problems are not mine, Uchiha.”

 

“That woman that Naruto was supposed to watch,” Sasuke continued, seeing that he'd caught Gaara's attention, “she's headed toward the wall. I think she's going to leave Konohagakure.”

 

“Where is Naruto?” Gaara asked, his voice tightening.

 

“That dobe?” Sasuke shook his head. “He was talking with Kakashi when she moved.” His frown deepened, “I could feel the bloodlust in the air, I think she's going to kill someone.”

 

Sasuke blinked, and noticed that Gaara had already moved. Shaking his head, he went to follow the Kazekage. He had gotten lucky to find him, since he had been hoping to find him, but he wondered if that was the right thing to do. He probably should have watched her himself, and if she did anything that would prove harmful to the village, he should have killed her and reported the death. Knowing that he should have thought about that sooner, Sasuke moved forward.

 

He wasn't even sure why he was following her. He should have knocked Naruto upside the head and told him to go after her. Frowning at himself for thinking too much, he leapt from one rooftop to another, wondering how long it would take to catch up with that woman. Kagome, he remembered her telling them. A woman that was obviously dangerous, and cunning, and had an obvious dislike for his friend. A woman that needed to be watched, but not by his easily distracted friend.

 

OoO

 

KibaSin: There it is. Another chapter! Ok, so that was a terrible place to stop it, and I think I may have rushed the piece with Sasuke at the end, but I just wanted to stop the chapter so that I could go over a couple of things for the next one. I also think that by rushing the end I made Sasuke a little out of character, or maybe completely, I'm not entirely sure, since this is new to me. So, please be patient with it, I'll try to make the characters more in character, except Kagome, in chapters to come. Hopefully.

 

So Far Unanswered Questions:

 

Q: Is she going to be like this the WHOLE story? -Dattebayo

 

A: She will be like this most of the story. Not the whole story, though. There is a logical explanation as to why she acts like this, it has more to do with something that will come out later in the story, but I can't say just what it is at the moment.

 

Q: What did the Kyuubi do to make the Inu, inside of Kagome, very angry with Kyuubi? -Tashio

 

A: That will come out in small pieces, but I'm glad to see that someone noticed that. I try to leave subtle hints toward things.

 

Comment:

 

C: I'd like to thank everyone who is readying this story, since I get such great ideas and can continue because I know there are people who like the story. I know that it is a little scary and it does seem a little creepy, and some people don't like it, but it does have a very serious plotline, and kind of short pieces that stick together to form the whole story. I would also like to comment to Mizuko shadow user that I'm not really a humor type of person. I know that Naruto does have humor in it, but I'm used to more subtle humor and lots of drama/angst/adventure types of things. You'll have to be patient with me.

 

Kiba