CHAPTER TWELVE: NARAKU
Kikyo stretched, her eyes still sealed shut to protect them from the morning sun, and huddled closer to her husband. The warmth of his skin against hers both enthralled and calmed her; it was part of what made sleeping next to him so special. Their legs were still tangled together from the previous night's activities, and Kikyo rested her head on Sesshomaru's chest, rising and falling gently with it.
It was so normal that it was almost a ritual. Neither of them even wore pajamas to bed anymore, two months into their marriage. There was no cue, no sign, it was simply done. It amused Kikyo, thinking back, that she had feared Sesshomaru's body so much that first night, and now craved it so hungrily. The time they spent together in bed, most especially when they woke up gradually together and talked, had become so precious to Kikyo. For this reason, it pained her to hear a knock at their bedroom door that morning before she had even opened her eyes, before Sesshomaru had lovingly kissed her forehead, before their morning had even begun.
"Rin," Sesshomaru whispered to Kikyo. Kikyo peeled open her eyes as Sesshomaru snarled.
"What's the matter?" she asked, sitting up slowly to find something to pull over her naked body.
"Onigumo," Sesshomaru hissed, climbing out of bed. He quickly pulled on a pair of hakamas and opened the door a crack, snatching the letter from Rin.
"It's for Lady Kikyo," Rin called as Sesshomaru slammed the door in her face.
"Was that necessary?" Kikyo asked, sliding her arms through one of Sesshomaru's haori. Sesshomaru's eyes bore into the contents of the letter, and his wife could feel his fury emitting from his body. Kikyo continued dressing herself, smoothing out the front of the haori before taking an obi out of the closet to tie, rather unceremoniously, around her waist. Sesshomaru finished reading before obliterating the letter in his hands, then glanced up to notice that Kikyo was making the bed. Sesshomaru did recognize that Kikyo's lazy mood had been killed, as well as the fact that there would be no talking her back to bed now or later as urges arose. She appeared upset with him, but Sesshomaru couldn't be sure. There was something about women, most especially this one, that confused him, though he'd never confess aloud. Rather than ask her what was wrong, he simply let her continue about her business, and when she finished, the dog-lord sat down on the bed silently.
"You aren't going to share?" Kikyo asked stoically, heading to the bathroom. She left the door open on purpose, and Sesshomaru listened as water from the faucet ran, then as Kikyo began to brush her teeth.
"You should let me kill him," Sesshomaru told his wife at last, purposefully removing all concern from his voice.
"Why?" Kikyo asked, toothbrush still in her mouth.
"Do not question me, Kikyo," Sesshomaru snarled. Kikyo spit into the sink.
"Get dressed please, we're going to visit my family today," she said, changing the subject. "You remembered, right?"
"Is that why you were in such a hurry to get out of bed?" Sesshomaru hissed. Kikyo did not respond, only continued brushing her teeth. Sesshomaru finally got up off of the bed and began to rummage his clothes for more humanly clothing. Kikyo returned and walked right out of the room as Sesshomaru finished dressing, grabbing her bow and arrows along the way.
"Are you going in my clothes?" Sesshomaru asked, catching up with her in the corridor.
"Is it a problem?" Kikyo rose an eyebrow in Sesshomaru's direction, challenging him.
"I... I like it," the prince confessed. Kikyo couldn't help but smile. Sesshomaru grew serious again. "About Onigumo-"
"Nothing more," Kikyo snapped.
"It's important, Kikyo," Sesshomaru insisted. "And do not talk to me that way."
"Don't patronize me." Kikyo turned off the corridor into a hallway, then entered the dining room. There was fruit on the table, as always, and Kikyo took an orange from the bowl. She sat down at the table while Sesshomaru watched her angrily. Kikyo did not even look back at him, only peeled her orange and began to eat it.
"He's threatened you," Sesshomaru continued suddenly.
"Isn't he always?"
"Kikyo!"
"I'm sick of hearing it, honestly..." Kikyo told him, avoiding his gaze.
"This time it's different," Sesshomaru insisted.
"I wouldn't know that," Kikyo said. "I promised I would no longer read his letters, and I did not, and I have no interest in its contents either." Sesshomaru wanted to argue, but he did not have the patience to. He decided that if Onigumo acted on his threat, he would kill him then, with right, to protect what belonged to him, his only Kikyo.
Kikyo and Sesshomaru did not talk much in the car on the way to Bakuto's residence. There seemed nothing to talk about, not after Onigumo's letter had arrived. Sesshomaru needed to remind himself that Kikyo was a strong and powerful priestess with purification powers capable of subduing even him. Yet he could not help but feel concern for her. Or perhaps he was just being possessive.
Sesshomaru had another thing to be concerned about. Kikyo was to make an appearance at her high school, Shizu Academy. She was to lead a demon safety talk, educating humans on how to remain safe in Tokyo, even amidst demons that had not yet been convicted. Kikyo had convinced him to come along to serve as an example of a demon who was generally safe to be around but still capable of the utmost terror. Sesshomaru wasn't sure whether or not to be insulted or pleased that Kikyo regarded his power as terrorizing. Still, as her husband he chose to accompany her. Sesshomaru, as the dog-demon he was, constantly sought after inconspicuous ways to show off his powerful bride.
After sharing lunch with Bakuto and Kaede, Kikyo and Sesshomaru chose to leave the car at the apartment and walk to the school campus. The air was fresh with a nice breeze going, and Kikyo thought it would be healthy, simple exercise for them. Also, Shizu was only a couple of blocks away, and it would have been a waste of gas to drive. They did not hold hands as they would have in Demons' Nook, but walked side-by-side, so close that their arms brushed each other. There wasn't much to talk about except for Onigumo's letter once again, and Kikyo would rather not have that on her brain just as she was planning to give a talk on how to safely coexist with the demon race.
"Have you planned out what you want to say?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Generally," Kikyo replied calmly. "There's hardly any point in planning though. In the end, demons can't be trusted, not with the way the system is."
"What do you mean?"
"The Demon Authority Division really has no authority at all. They cannot be relied on for protection, only to make an arrest after damage is done, and the damage is usually irrevocable."
"What are you saying then?"
"I'm saying that... I want to talk to your father, when we get back, to rewrite the system," Kikyo explained. "I think that the DAD should be able to arrest demons when they are making life-threatening advances. It's not practical to wait until someone is dead to help them."
"My father listens to you," Sesshomaru said. "Your plan might work."
"Who designed the system this way anyway?"
"Who do you think?" Kikyo didn't have to think hard.
"Masashi," she replied. "He wanted to preserve demon instinct. Demons get to feast on their humans, and their only punishment is to be banned to a paradise of demons."
"As you might imagine," Sesshomaru began "Inusan wasn't exactly in favor of the idea; he was a weakness for humans. Still, he wanted to be fair to the demon race he lords over, and chose to establish the law."
"If I propose an amendment, do you think he'll seriously consider it?" Kikyo wondered aloud.
"I do."
"Kikyo," Kagome breathed as the priestess and her demon husband entered the room. She exchanged a glance with Sango and Miroku, who appeared equally puzzled. They could only shrug as they watched Kikyo address their teacher and principal, and introduce Sesshomaru to them. Then the priestess addressed the class.
"Hello," she said timidly, feeling quite uncertain. "I've been asked to talk to you all about demon safety. I suppose before I begin, I should talk briefly about leaving Shizu, and what has happened to me in the last few months... if that's okay."
The class was silent. Kikyo made brief eye-contact with Kagome, then frowned at Sesshomaru, who appeared concerned. She could see his nose twitching, and he was sniffing the air.
"Sesshomaru," Kikyo whispered. "Onigumo attends this school, his scent will be all over-"
"Kikyo, you don't feel that?" Koga suddenly asked, standing. Kikyo had forgotten that Koga was just as capable of hearing such a whisper, as well as sniffing out whatever was bothering Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru's eyes darted toward the wolf demon, then he calmly approached the window and looked out. The class remained silent as Kikyo studied her husband with uncertainty.
"Get your bow," Sesshomaru instructed her. Kikyo rolled her eyes but went for her bow and arrows, feeling foolish while the class stared at them. Slowly but surely, however, Kikyo began to feel nauseous. Something must be wrong to cause so much alarm. Still, she didn't sense any demonic spirit...
"It's not Onigumo, is it?" she asked.
"It is," Sesshomaru replied. "But the scent is tainted with blood, a blended concoction."
"It smells like demon remains," Koga added. "Like someone glued them together and made a body."
"Not glued," Sesshomaru said, pointing. "He's here." Kikyo was now very concerned, and approached the window with Koga. She clutched her stomach in agony.
Approaching the school was a tall figure, eerie pale in complexion with long, ebony hair trailing down his back. From that distance, he appeared as human as any other individual, but there was something sinister in his demeanor, and his flesh reeked of toxic bile and aged body parts. He advanced slowly and calmly, evidently with but one objective.
"Should I shoot him from here?" Kikyo whispered, looking to her husband. He did not say anything.
"Kikyo!" a voice called from the doorway.
"Inuyasha, what are you doing here?" Sesshomaru demanded. The students all looked in the half-demon's direction, still confused.
"Some creep came looking for you," Inuyasha told Kikyo, entering the room and closing the door behind him. "He was let through the gate because he reeked of demon, but something was wrong. He smelled like that burn victim, uh, Onigumo, right?"
"What did he want with Kikyo?"
"It was Inusan who greeted him at the door to the castle," Inuyasha said quickly. "He managed to introduce himself as Naraku, but Inusan sent him away immediately afterward."
"Naraku?" Sesshomaru asked, turning to Kikyo. Kikyo shook her head.
"I have no idea," she muttered.
"I just wanted to get here before he did to tell you," Inuyasha said. The class stared in terror. They all broke into a fit of whispers as they tried to piece together what was going on. For the other students, everything about this situation was strange, from Kikyo's arrival with her husband, to the sudden alarm concerning their guest outside, to Inuyasha's arrival shortly after that. Miroku looked to Sango with a knowing look, and Sango, appearing to understand, nodded. Kagome frowned.
"What are you guys thinking?" she asked as Miroku stood. The two did not reply.
"Lady Kikyo, can we help?" Miroku suddenly asked. Sesshomaru did not even need to turn around.
"This is of no concern to you, monk," he replied coldly.
"He exorcises demons for a living," Kikyo insisted, glancing back at Miroku briefly. "He could be of use to us. And so could Sango, she's-"
"Naraku is nothing but a filthy half-breed," Sesshomaru said. "He can sell his soul to a horde, but his human blood will always swim in that manufactured body."
"Sesshomaru-"
"Stay here, Kikyo." Sesshomaru turned to Inuyasha. "Don't let her leave."
"Sesshomaru, I told you not to-" Sesshomaru disappeared out of the room without an ounce of effort. Kikyo started after him when Inuyasha grabbed her by the arm. "You're an archer with sacred arrows," Inuyasha said. "If Sesshomaru stops this Naraku character at the door, you'll have a perfect shot." Kikyo nodded, offering a weak smile as she turned back to the window.
"Don't worry about it," Koga said. Kikyo and Inuyasha both looked up at him, frowning.
"What would you know about it, wolf?" Koga frowned at him, then looked Kikyo in her eyes.
"You feeling okay, Lady Kikyo?" he asked. Kikyo nodded, puzzled. "You don't... feel a thing?"
"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha demanded. Kikyo shook her head again in response to Koga's question.
"Then don't worry about it," Koga said again, returning to his seat. "Sesshomaru knows what he's doing." The siblings exchanged a glance.
Kagome turned to hiss at her friends. "Why didn't you let me in on your plans?"
"You don't have your weapons here, and you can't help any other way," Miroku replied.
"We didn't want you to be hurt," Sango added.
"Sango doesn't have her weapons either!" Kagome retorted. Sango looked to Miroku.
"I bring Hiraikotsu to school everyday," she explained quickly. "It's kept down at the main office in case of emergencies, and so is my armor." Kagome bit her lip and sat up straight in her seat, waiting.
"If it isn't the demon prince," Naraku remarked as Sesshomaru approached.
"Onigumo."
"No, Onigumo is dead now," the guest insisted. "I am Naraku."
"I don't care how many demons devoured that body," Sesshomaru growled, "It will never change who you really are. And in fact, you are an even less desirable character than before."
"Desirable?" Naraku remarked. "What an odd word to use." Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes.
"You did this for Kikyo," he said. "Kikyo belongs to me. It would not matter, whatever appeal you think you've acquired with this ruse. You can never have her."
"This is hardly about Kikyo," Naraku said. "Not this time."
"What do you want then?"
"I intend to collect my dues." Naraku smiled wickedly. "The world will pay for the way it treated me. And then I will collect Lady Kikyo who guards Shikon no Tama, and taint that jewel with evil. To see pure terror in her face, to-"
"Another pathetic victim," Sesshomaru said, smirking. "Like all the rest, you feel like the world owes you something for the wounds you suffered. You're a fool, Naraku."
"Am I?"
"Did you honestly think that a demon body would suffice for the task you are proposing?" Naraku scowled. "You are still inferior to me, to my father, to many demons. I'm sure that even puny little Inuyasha could defeat you. We are of an ancient aristocracy, neither of us can stand to have our property threatened."
"Then why don't we hail your precious little brother?" Naraku suggested boldly.
"No sense in inviting him to a false appearance," Sesshomaru said, lunging at the man. With one smooth motion he tore open Naraku's chest with his claws, and Naraku completely disintegrated, leaving behind a small, wooden doll. Not even a drop of blood fell. Sesshomaru calmly stooped down to retrieve the doll with his hand, then started back toward the school, unhindered.
Kikyo could hardly believe her eyes. Immediately, it all began to make sense to her. It explained why Sesshomaru, Koga, and Inuyasha had all picked up on Naraku's scent, warped with demon remains, and why Kikyo had felt no demonic aura. It also explained the Inu no Taisho's behavior as well. He had no intentions of entertaining Naraku's games, and understand his trick instantaneously.
"What the hell happened?" Inuyasha demanded. "Did he kill him? There was no blood!" Some of the students gasped upon hearing mention of blood, or the lack thereof.
"What's going on?" A student demanded, clearly disturbed.
"Demon puppetry," Kikyo replied. "The puppeteer control the puppet using a doll with something personal attached to it, usually a strand of hair. That's what arrived at the school today. A false body." All of the students began looking at each other nervously.
"Are you kidding me? What's the point of showing off that new body if there was no actual threat to be posed?" Inuyasha demanded.
"There's nothing to fear," Kikyo insisted as Sesshomaru entered the room. "It was his way of warning us. He knows he's still not strong enough to confront even you, Inuyasha. He's weak."
"He'll be back," Sesshomaru replied. "And I will kill him."
"That may not be-" Kikyo started. She could see his soaring spirit in his eyes. They appeared close to a transformation, just as they had when they had last argued and he had injured her arm.
"Do not defy me in public, Kikyo," Sesshomaru hissed. "Remember your vows to me!" He turned to walk away when Kikyo grabbed hold of his hand.
"We'll have to reschedule," she told the class quickly, following Sesshomaru outside. Inuyasha followed them.
In the hallway, Sesshomaru quickly relaxed. Inuyasha smiled at Kikyo. Her powers of purification were often quite subtle to the naked eye, but the effects were powerful.
"I don't think you have to go back," Inuyasha said. "From that, they should have gotten a whole lecture."
"Demons really are much more complicated than humans think," Kikyo agreed. "But I think a formal discussion is still in order... for another time, of course."
