Desires Beyond Blood

Change in Demeanor

Kagome blinked harshly away the filmy haze of shock that glazed her eyes. She could see and feel again, and she felt as if she'd never been injured in the first place. And she felt warm. Everything was warm and comfortable, and had she not been in her right mind, she would have stayed like that forever. But reality choked her in a death grip, and she remembered that she could not possibly be warm and comfortable and happy. Not in a place like this, so close to a person like that.

At the thought of Naraku, she jerked up and half-expected the pain to shoot to her ankle. It didn't, and she was relieved. But her relief would be short-lived. Chocolate brown irises met with dangerous ones, and for a moment she found she couldn't speak. Instead, she tore her gaze away from his penetrating one and flipped the sheet off her body, revealing her perfectly fine ankle, wrapped securely in an ace bandage -- though she didn't need it.

Her eyebrows knitted in confusion, and she tried desperately to piece things together. Naraku saved her the trouble and gave her the answers. "I healed you," he remarked almost passively. When she said nothing, only staring at her foot, but not at it at the same time, he frowned. "No thank you?"

Kagome slowly turned her head to the half-demon and instantly her eyes trembled at the look he gave her. His frown was in an evident upside down smirk, and she could see the humor lit in his eyes like a flickering fire. "Why?" Wasn't he supposed to be the creator of pain, of evil? Why did heal her, and furthermore, why was he smiling that frown? It irked her, and she... She wasn't scared. She felt safe, and her body sent warning signals flaring all over the place, trying to get her to remember just who she was dealing with. And yet, she couldn't shake the same feeling of comfort she felt a few moments ago.

Naraku could see the obvious relaxation of the lines on her forehead, and it sent hot chills coursing through his veins. What a wonderful sight it was. She looked as calm and reserved as she did when she slept, and he thought back on the times when he had watched her sleep, hoping that just once he could see her like that when her eyes were open. Not to get him wrong, he still liked the look of horror on her face, but this was nice, too. "Do you wish I hadn't?"

"You're not answering my question." Her voice shook with a new determination and strength, stemmed from her lack of fright.

"Fine." His frown turned into a real one, and his eyes held hers dully. "I did it to prove myself to you." While that wasn't the complete truth, it was still a lot of it, and he knew that she wouldn't be able to tell the difference between his truth and lies; she hadn't yet.

A look of slight bewilderment and confusion came to her countenance, and she tightened her fists. "Just let me leave," she ground out, harshly yet politely.

He finally threw on his infamous smirk and leaned closer toward her. "Is that even what you really want?"


Kagura, covered with a thin sand that had marked her scent, hung high above the sky in her feather, Kanna next to her. Her eyes pierced through the clouds and stared at the group. Slowly, her flying device lowered, just enough so she could make out the words of their conversation.

"Inuyasha, you need some rest. We are all worried for Kagome's safety, but if you keep this up, your body will collapse and it will take us even longer to rescue her," Miroku's assuring voice called out.

Sango nodded in agreement. "Yes, you can't just keep running around blindly like this." They needed a plan.

"Damn it! He has her! Naraku. Has. Her. You guys can lounge around and waste time, but I am going to save her." First Kikyo, and now Kagome? I'll kill that bastard, I swear it. If Kagome is hurt in any way, I'm gonna make his death slow and painful. Hell, even if she was in tiptop shape he'd torture him a little. He deserved to suffer, too. No, he deserved worse than that. He deserved to die a thousand times over, all by his claws.

The look on the group's faces were sympathetic. They wanted to get Kagome back just as much as he did--or maybe they didn't. But it was close, and they would risk their lives trying to save her. "How do you expect to save her when you don't know where his castle is?" Miroku glanced toward the sky. "I think Koga was right. He's probably masked his castle again so that it can't be seen, smelled, or sense in anyway."

At first, Kagura thought he was looking at her, but she realized she was still unnoticed. They know nothing on his whereabouts. This is perfect, and Naraku will be pleased. Though, some part of her wished that they knew where the castle was. The look in Inuyasha's eyes made her think that Naraku would indeed die by his hands if Inuyasha ever found him. But she had paid the costs before for trying to let someone else kill Naraku. Never again.

So, clutching her chest, she rode off slowly with the course of the wind.

"She's leaving," Miroku said quietly, strongly.

"You did very well Inuyasha, I'm impressed," Sango complimented.

"Enough of that! We need to follow her and quickly before I lose scent of her feather," he ground out. He had barely been able to control himself from jumping into the sky and slicing through the wind bitch's throat.


Kohaku knew that, going into this mission, he would be instantly found out. Sesshomaru was able to pinpoint Kohaku's exact location the moment he came into proximity. And Kohaku knew it. Sesshomaru was a very high-class demon, and he had to be careful.

"Boy," Sesshomaru called. "I assume you are here under Naraku's orders. Tell me where he is."

Kohaku emotionlessly stepped forward. He didn't know why Naraku sent him here -- surely he must've known it was a near-suicidal mission. He knew that staying and fighting would be futile -- the young demon slayer would lose. But, he cared not what happened to him. He was not afraid of death, and therefore would not run away unless instructed to by Naraku. However, he was in a quandary. Naraku had expected him not to be found out--as foolish as it may have been--and he didn't know what he should do in the course that he was.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, and he heard Rin behind him.

"Kohaku!" she cheered. She wanted to run and give him a hug, but she knew that Lord Sesshomaru would scold her and tell her to move from the way. He didn't like Kohaku, to her dismay.

Kohaku's eyes shifted to Rin. Faint recognition registered, and he remembered that before he had had to kidnap her. That was also when he had been instructed to kill her and had in turn been nearly killed, but spared, by Sesshomaru. But wa she so forgiving all the time?

"I asked you a question."

"I cannot reveal my master's location to you." His level of monotony matched even Sesshomaru's.

"Then you wish to die," he presumed. Instantly, he felt a slight twinge of regret, remembering the girl behind him, even if his face relayed no such emotion. "Jaken, take Rin and leave."

"Ah-Ah, yes me Lord!" the imp replied timidly. "Come, you silly girl!" he shouted and tried to get Rin to move.

Instead, she ran past him and over to Kohaku, standing in front of him. She shook slightly before her Lord's hard stare. "Please, Lord Sesshomaru. Kohaku is not bad -- please don't kill him!"

Sesshomaru's gaze switched from Rin to Kohaku.


Kagome sat, at a loss. What did he mean? Of course she wanted to leave! Didn't she? Yes, more than anything. I want to see Sango and Shippo and Miroku... And Inuyasha, she mused, nostalgia hitting her hard. "Of course I want to leave!" she spit back.

Naraku smirked at, not her answer, but how long it took for her to give it. The array of emotions that flashed across her face when he asked her, the slight confusion, guilt, anger, depression, everything. He knew that he, the poison, was started to spread throughout her. And now, she was beginning to show the first symptoms of his toxinous ways.


Author's Note: Sorry this is such a short chapter. It's kind of like a stepping stone, a transition if you may, from the last chapter into the next.

If there's mistakes, forgive me. I wrote this in a hurry. But good news is that I have my internet back, woo!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter:

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