Beyond the Darkness
:::

A/N: Here's chapter 43. Not much to say since I've got to update DWK. Enjoy, though. (: R&R pleeeease. -Michele

::Forty-Three::

Kagome Higurashi had just finished serving Shippo a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, weenies, and rice in a bento box when they all heard it. Faint barking and snarling echoed from across the forest. InuYasha's ears perked up and he sat still, trying to determine who the call belonged to.

"Do you hear that?" Miroku asked his companions.

"Sounds like a … dog. A giant one at that," said Sango. InuYasha and Kagome immediately exchanged knowing glances with each other.

"A dog? Do you think it could be Sesshomaru?" asked Shippo.

"Oh yeah, that's Sesshomaru alright. But why has he transformed into that damn dog?" hissed InuYasha and he bolted from the clearing.

"InuYasha, wait!" cried Kagome, but he'd already left the premises. By the time she'd turned back, Sango had already mounted Kirara, her two-tailed demon cat, who was now the size of a large horse, and Shippo was clutched on to Miroku's back, who was standing beside Kirara.

"Come on, Kagome. We don't have much time if we want to catch up to InuYasha," said Sango and outstretched a hand to her. Kagome nodded in agreement as she took her friend's hand and was helped onto Kirara. Kagome wrapped her arms around Sango's waist securely and the five of them sped off after InuYasha.

* * *

Nikala woke up to a wild throbbing in her head. Her entire body felt weak and sore when she tried to sit up, but her elbows buckled and she collapsed back on to the bed. She groaned and reached for her grown belly. Was her baby all right? Had Naraku killed it while he'd been squeezing her? Tears watered her topaz eyes at the thought. Where was she? She felt her body weaken from the strong demonic aura that filtered her surroundings.

"Oh, my dear, you're awake," chimed the voice of the nasty person who'd kidnapped her. Nikala glared at him through her semi-blurry vision.

"Why do you want me?" she hissed.

"Other than being so attracted to your otherworldly beauty, I don't want you at all," Naraku replied calmly.

"You're keeping me here because you're attracted to me?" she cried in disbelief.

"Not quite. You carry something of great value to me," he continued. Nikala looked at him strangely for a moment, and then suddenly widened her eyes in horror.

"No," she gasped, sitting up against the paper wall, wrapping her arms around her belly protectively, "you wouldn't."

"I'll do anything that'll make me stronger and I believe your fox-dog hybrid baby will contain all the power I need. Have you not realized that you are going to spawn offspring of Lord Sesshomaru, the most powerful demon in all of Japan? I intend to take whatever power that baby holds of Sesshomaru, and then I will become the most powerful demon!" Naraku cried triumphantly with a menacing chuckle.

"I would never let you do such a thing. You aren't laying a finger on this baby," Nikala sneered. Naraku walked over to her, showing her his face for the first time. He was actually quite handsome with a strong face, dark eyes, and long, black hair that was pulled into a half-ponytail. She bared her fangs at him, but inside she quivered, actually quite frightened about what he would do to her baby.

His fingers lightly grazed the skin of her legs before arching an eyebrow. "We'll see about that, my love," he said, and soon after, a young boy wandered in, as if he'd been secretly summoned. "Kohaku, bind this she-fox," Naraku ordered. Her eyes widened at the order and frantically looked back and forth from the two as Kohaku pulled chains from behind his back.

"What?" she cried. She began to scoot away from the both of them, scraping her back against the wall, trying to build her fox fire in her hands. Nothing was coming.

"The demonic aura is weakening her body and, on top of all that, she's pregnant. She won't put up much of a fight," continued Naraku as if she wasn't even there. Yet he'd grinned at her and added, "I will see you soon, my love." With that, he kissed her knee and stood up and left. Naraku was right; she couldn't do much of anything with her weak, pregnant body.

"Just … be careful with … my baby. Please," she said softly to the boy with watery eyes as she let him tie her up in the chains.

* * *

Sesshomaru had watched Nikala disappear and never in his entire life had his heart burned with such hatred. He was remembering how he was like before he'd met Nikala, before he'd met Rin. Back when he was just a selfish, vengeful soul. There was nothing he wanted more than Naraku dead by his own claws. Sesshomaru was determined to be the maker of Naraku's death, and he'd be sure to make it a messy kill.

Without even looking back at his companions, Sesshomaru leaped into the air and followed in the direction in which Naraku had set course and disappeared to. Jaken cried out to him.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Wait just a second! Where are you going?"

"He's chasing after Naraku, of course!" Rin answered and ran back in the direction of their campsite. "Come on! We need A-Un to follow him!" She disappeared into the mass of trees. Jaken sighed. He knew where Sesshomaru was headed, but what he really meant to ask was why he was going there in that state? Jaken knew fully well that when Sesshomaru was in his dog transformation, his energy drained incredibly quickly. Sesshomaru needed to be wise about his health and not get distracted by weaknesses.

After he finished pondering, Jaken scurried back to their camp, where Rin was already mounted on A-Un.

"Come on, Master Jaken!" she said again. "We need to follow Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken nodded and climbed — with great difficulty — onto the two-headed dragon. For once he was actually genuinely frightened for his lord.

* * *

Naraku sat in his room with his forehead in his hand, his eyebrows narrowed furiously. What had that act of seduction been about, calling her love and kissing her knee? Hadn't he been trying to get rid of his heart so as not to feel any of the love or affection he felt for the priestess, Kikyo? Why was he falling for the fox-demon woman now?

There was a rap on the paper door. Naraku's ears perked up, but his head remained in his hand. "Come in," he growled.

"The fox-woman is chained up now," said Kohaku monotonously. Naraku sighed heavily.

"Very well. Stand guard inside her room, should she try to escape," Naraku ordered.

"Yes sir," Kohaku said, "although I don't think she will."

Naraku arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And why's that?"

"She did not put up a fight when I chained her, just like you said," Kohaku continued. "She allowed me to do so just as long as I didn't 'hurt her baby.'"

"Well, keep watch on her anyway. I don't want to take any chances," said Naraku and his minion nodded in agreement. He turned on his heel and shut the door on his way out.

Naraku sighed as he continued thinking of the fox-woman. The only reason she was in his custody was because he wanted her baby, he tried to convince himself. There was no other reason, at least that's what he told himself. Was there really no other reason?

"There is no other reason," Naraku said out loud to himself through gritted teeth, gripping his forehead. "I'm not in love with her!"

Though, deep down, he knew he was lying.