Interview

Chiyo struggled to stay calm as she felt Naraku's eyes sweeping up and down her body. She chanced a glance over his shoulder, where she had left Kazuto in a heap. He was still unconscious. She looked back at Naraku, surprised to see him chuckling to himself.

"Your bodyguard proved to be inadequate." She said drily, at which Naraku's chuckle became a full-throated laugh.

"He is the best fighter to come through my ranks, so I'm told." He said gaily, "Apparently you surprised him? I sent him in here to make sure you were awake."

"I was awake. What do you want with me now?" Chiyo said, her voice cold. Naraku's smile faded and he cleared his throat.

"I just wanted to talk to you," He said, more serious now. He sat cross-legged on a cushion near her. Chiyo did not move from her spot on the dresser.

"Where is my father?" She asked.

"Don't know." Naraku said. "He arrived in Japan shortly after Kagura took you, but left some months later. I presume to go back home."

"If you think he left then you're a fool. He'll kill you for taking me."

"While I would welcome the exercise, I have no wish to duel with Sesshomaru," Naraku said. "I have something else in mind."

"Just let me go home," Chiyo said. "I don't deserve what you've put me through."
"You didn't deserve it," Naraku countered, "But I didn't put you through it either, not entirely. Eaton acted without my knowledge or consent. He was not to abuse you. I had no reason to think you were being held like a common prisoner."

"Well, you should choose your underlings more carefully."

Naraku grinned, "Yes, maybe a bodyguard you could murder wouldn't be a good choice."

"She just surprised me, my Lord," Came a muffled response from the floor. Kazuto groaned slightly as he sat up, rolling his shoulders and checking the scrape across his chest. "I'm going to have to get a new shirt. And you went right through my jacket!"

"Well that's what you get for sneaking up on somebody!" Chiyo spat out. Kazuto scowled at her.

"Maybe it would be a good idea if you chose someone else for this job," He said carefully to Naraku. "Someone she likes better."

"I wouldn't like anyone in here." Chiyo spat. "I don't know if you got the memo, but I'm a fucking prisoner here."

"You are not truly a prisoner," Naraku said to her in a low voice. "You could be something more."

Chiyo stared at him uneasily, but he went on. "And Kazumo-"

"Kazuto"

"Kazuto, I think you'll do just fine. Wait for us in the hall."

Kazuto got up, bowed, and left. Chiyo sat in silence for a moment, waiting for Naraku to make his move. Her heart was drumming wildly in her chest. If he tried anything, she would have to try to kill him. She would fail.

"Calm down, girl." Naraku said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I'm your prisoner," She said bitterly. "You can do whatever you want to me. Isn't that the point?"

"I'm not the monster I used to be." Naraku continued. "I'm holding you here, yes, but only to present you with an offer."

"An offer? You're going to set me free?"

Naraku motioned to the cushion opposite him. Slowly, Chiyo slid down from the dresser to sit closer to him. He sighed gustily.

"Like I said, I'm not a monster anymore. " He said. "After the incident with your father, years ago, I learned that I had to find a new way to live. The endless search for revenge was exhausted, the constant pressure to gain more and more power. The jewel helped me piece myself back together, and even now it gives me a strength unlike any other. But still, it's not enough."

"You're saying you're good now?" Chiyo scoffed. "I don't get it."

"I'm saying that I was through a long time ago with maiming and killing to get what I want. Also, what I want has changed over the years. I still want power, security, all of that. But I also want to be happy. I still want revenge upon your father. He's still my enemy. But I no longer want to kill him."

Chiyo shifted uneasily. Naraku's voice was soft and silky.

"But I will kill him," He went on. "If only to end the constant, nagging fear that he will come and find me to kill me first. That is, unless you give me a reason to spare him."

"What do you mean?" Chiyo gasped.

"I mean that I could be good to you, girl." Naraku continued. "I'm no saint, but I've saved as many lives as I've taken. My foundation here has been instrumental in disaster aid, in relief to impoverished areas. I've funded orphanages. I've provided a safe place for part-demons who don't fit into either world. Naname, the woman who is tending to you...she serves me because I saved her son years ago. I took them in when they had nothing. I'm not good, but I'm not bad either. I do what needs to be done to keep things moving in this country."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I know that my offer will seem like a trap, and I want you to understand that before you walk into it. If you stay with me, and consent to be my mate, I will let your father live."

Chiyo grimaced and looked away.

"No." She said.

"It wouldn't be as bad as you think," Naraku said softly. "I'm not hideous to look at. And I could love you, after my own fashion. You would bear my strong children, and together we would look after Japan. I would put you in charge of our charitable wing. You would have power to do real good in the world."

"You couldn't kill my father in a fight anyway," Chiyo said, feeling more uncertain than ever. "So why should I go along with this?"

"Because you know that your family has been living in the shadows for years, knowing I have the jewel. I'm offering freedom for all of them. Stay with me, and they can live normal lives, unfettered by the fear that I'll come for them."

Chiyo chewed her bottom lip.

"And if I refuse?"

Naraku smiled gently at her. "You won't refuse. You've already decided."

"I don't want to be with you." She said stubbornly. "I don't love you. I don't want you like that. What if I love someone else? Could you live with me knowing my heart belongs to someone else?"

"I believe I can win your heart with time," Naraku said smoothly. "And as for the other, I know there is no one else." He tapped his nose. "I may not have the senses of a dog demon, but I can still tell that you are untouched."

A weight settled over Chiyo at his words. She felt like the room were closing in on her.

"So because I am untouched, you want to be the one to...break me in?" She said, her voice cutting like a knife.

"I wouldn't put it that way but yes, when you are ready, you will be mine."

"What if I'm never ready?" Chiyo asked. Naraku smiled and leaned forward to brush a finger down her face from her temple to her chin. She leaned away from him, but he wasn't deterred.

"I can make you ready," He said, almost to himself.

Chiyo stared into his red eyes, and unbidden, the memory of her fantasy about Kazuto came back to her. She remembered the intense feeling of physical longing, the image of the two of them in bed together briefly making her feel hot.

Then she felt sad, unbelievably sad.

She was never going to have that moment with Kazuto.

She was going to share that with the man in front of her.