The Descent

'3:47 AM' The red numbers of the clock were the only source of light in his room. Naraku was on his stomach, stretched out, watching the time go by. He was exhausted. His fiery fury had been replaced with chilly bitterness.

'Bruce is delaying the process, but they won't agree to his terms. He should let me negotiate through him instead of forcing me to stand on the sidelines and watch him fuck it up.' he inhaled deeply through his nose. 'I won't let them have it.' He stood from his bed, giving up on the idea of sleep. He walked into his office and sat at his desk. His fingers lingered on the desk lamp switch, but they did not move. His eyes were fixated on the tubes.

"It's...glowing," Naraku whispered, gently lifting the third glass tube from the holster. He mixed a drop of the purple with a drop of the pink the night before. If Jade and her doctors could be believed, this substance attached to her injuries and helped heal them faster. He wanted to find out how, but as usual, one idea led to a thousand more questions. The mixture was clearly fluorescing now. Even his tired eyes couldn't mistake that property. Naraku flipped open his notebook and sat down to record this discovery. Now he knew these mysterious substances were meant for him to have and decipher. 'Even if Bruce fails with the negotiations, they won't get these back. They are mine...and Jade's. I made this with her blood and I made this all happen with mine.'

"Hm," his eyes closed and when he realized he was having a difficult time opening them, he assumed his body was finally ready to sleep. He finished the entry in his notebook and dropped the pen.

Naraku collapsed forward onto his bed and sleep took him immediately. He could hear her exasperated sigh and when he opened his eyes, she was standing with him in the forest they explored together for years.

"Naraku," she began, closing her eyes. "I refuse to play your games. I will go home if you're in that bad of a mood."

"I'm not in a bad mood," he insisted with a laugh. To be honest, he didn't remember being angry. He didn't even remember how he ended up at that spot. Kikyou turned and began walking away. "What?" he asked, following her quickly.

"I told you I refuse to play your games. Until you are able to speak to me as a person and not a plaything, don't speak." Kikyou said evenly.

"You're misinterpreting-"

"Don't tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about. You know exactly what you're doing." she interrupted quickly as she stopped walking to glare at him.

"I don't, though. Truly." Naraku told her in a soft voice.

"You're angry and instead of venting like a normal person, you bottle it up and then make fun of me and my interests."

"You think your interests are real, though." Naraku retorted as he looked away. He looked back at her when he heard a sniffle. Kikyou was pinching the bridge of her nose; her eyes were squeezed shut as they leaked a few tears. Naraku reached out and as soon as his fingers grazed her arm, she wrenched back from him.

"You aren't helping to convince me otherwise! You can be such a vile thing sometimes! I can't help but to think that you're possessed by some evil spirit! At least then your vileness makes sense!"

"I'm just an asshole."

Kikyou launched her book at his chest. It struck him harshly and landed in front of him with a thud. "My interests are the only thing keeping my parents from forbidding me to be around you! My interests are the only things keeping me from hating you!"

"Then hate me and allow your parents to forbid you from seeing me." Naraku said bitterly. "At the very least, you would no longer be lying to me about why you hang around me."

"You...are so...ugh!" Kikyou turned and stomped away, disappearing into the trees and the darkness of the oncoming night. Naraku watched her and when she was gone, only then did he realize he was frowning and clenching his hands into fists.

'That bitch,' Naraku exhaled slowly. 'I'm just an experiment to her.' Suddenly, his chest felt heavy. He knelt down and picked up her book, examining the page it had opened to when it fell to the ground. It had an ink drawing of a monstrous spider attacking a human monk. The Tsuchigumo; a spider that reached old age and became supernatural. It was deceptive, manipulative, and it often caused illness in humans before devouring them. The artwork was nicely done and very traditional - he could do better, though.

The sun had set behind the mountains completely by the time he returned to the village. A few lights shone through windows, including those at his house. Standing at the entrance of the old iron gate to his home was Kikyou. She cupped her hands in front of herself and kept her gaze at the ground. She did look up when she heard him approaching, but she quickly looked back down. She stepped forward after gathering her courage.

"Naraku, I shouldn't have sa-"

"Here." Naraku cut her off, holding the book out to her. Kikyou stared at the book wide-eyed, as if unfamiliar with it. Slowly, she reached up and took it with both hands. Naraku walked past her to the gate, the hinge squealing as he opened it.

"That was an awful thing for me to say. I was angry and,"

"Should I also disregard what you say when you're happy?"

"No." she sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. I understand if you don't want to forgive me."

Naraku turned back to her. "You should go home before your parents tell my mother that I kidnapped you...again."

"Naraku,"

"Go." he ordered strongly, searching his pockets for his key and walking towards his front door. He bypassed the kitchen where his mother and sister were talking and walked up the staircase. When he entered his room, he locked the door behind himself and fell face first onto his bed.

'Maybe I really am evil. That must be why she hangs around me; she wishes to cleanse me.'

A loud beeping noise began echoing through his room. He opened his eyes and instead of being in his small bed, he was in his king-sized bed. His white sheets and blankets were now black. Naraku turned onto his side and reached behind himself, slipping his hand under his shirt. When his fingers found the soft, thin skin of his scar, he knew it had been another dream.

After showering and dressing, Naraku drove to campus. He was irritated because he hadn't been able to work out for almost a week. He was also tired despite actually receiving some sleep. He walked into the lab and spotted Jade setting up a small experiment on the table.

"Hey," she said, waving to him. Naraku said nothing back. He walked up beside her and examined the beakers she had labeled. He picked up the beaker with a white powder inside it. The label read, "Borax."

"The slime experiment?" he asked dryly.

"Yeah. Halloween project." Jade took the beaker from Naraku's hand. He decided to let her have it without a struggle.

"I know a good one for fake blood if you're interested," he offered, remembering the day he used that mixture to traumatize children. Jade made an interested cooing sound in response.

'That was the day I met Jade.' Naraku realized, leaning into the table with his hands. Frowning, he lowered his head with his face hidden behind his hair. Why did he suddenly remember that? The door opened and Bruce steadily walked in, carrying two boxes stacked on each other, towering above his head. He slid the boxes onto the surface of the table and exhaled.

"Those are our vials, glass slide materials, pH strips, and some other things that we needed stocked again. Can you put them away when you get a minute?" Bruce asked, pointing at Jade. She looked up and nodded and Bruce nodded back. He pointed at Naraku next. "I still haven't heard anything, which could be good. They haven't immediately denied me."

"Forgive me for not jumping for joy." Naraku replied, his tone cold. Bruce rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, reaching up to stroke his beard.

"I'm doing all I can. I could just tell them forget it, he'll have it all in the mail by Friday."

"Hm." Naraku reared up and looked away.

"You look awful. Why don't you go take a nap and start working on your apology letter to the university? Our research methods class isn't meeting this week, but there's a seminar you need to attend this Friday; write and and turn in notes, conclusion - the usual."

"Sure, Bruce." Naraku exhaled heavily. He was too tired to argue.

"What else would you have me do, Naraku? Do you have any suggestions on how to make them change their minds?" Bruce asked exasperatedly, rubbing his forehead with his hand and he closed his eyes.

"Threaten them." Naraku answered simply. He glanced at Jade when he heard her giggle.

"Threaten them with what?"

"A weapon,"

"Is he fuckin'," Bruce looked at Jade while pointing at Naraku and then looked back at his grad student. "They're across the ocean!"

"Planes fly."

"You're out of your mind." Bruce retorted, tapping the side of his head with his finger.

"I'm a little irritable, yes. I distinctly remember a certain professor being the final vote for restricting graduate students from working jobs outside of the department."

"Look, don't you start,"

"Shut up. I'm talking." Naraku demanded as he leaned forward and placed his hands on the table to steady himself. "I have bills to pay, Bruce. I also have to find a new car since Jade destroyed mine. Insurance companies aren't merciful or understanding...or punctual."

"I know you're stressed,"

"Don't pretend to not be an insurance company of your own interests. Without my thesis, I don't receive funding and without my funding and thesis, your laboratory budget and payment take a hit."

"Yeah, well, one of us still has the other by the balls, and mine are feeling mighty breezy right now. What do you want from me?" Bruce's voice was tired and frustrated now.

"You handicapped me by forcing me to quit my previous job, so find something else in the department for me."

"Fine. Fair enough." Bruce sighed, crossing his arms. "Anything else, your grace?"

"No. You may leave." Naraku replied with a smirk as he waved his hand towards the door. Bruce glared at him for another moment before walking out heatedly. A soft clinking noise caught Naraku's attention and he looked to his side where Jade had sat down, moving her experiment out of the way to text on her phone quickly.

"Where did you work?" Jade asked as she looked up at him.

"I was a pharmacy technician."

"Sooooo you went from a legal drug dealer to an illegal drug dealer?"

"I was both. The pharmacy paid the big bills; the weed was a hobby that I turned into a small profit for play money."

"Oh." Jade was looking back at her phone. A text message had appeared and even from a distance, Naraku could see the giant, "HELL THE FUCK NO," response she had received.

"And you?"

"Hm?" Jade was typing a reply.

"Have you ever tried dealing?"

"Ahaha," Jade sat up as she smiled widely. "I tried it once and got pulled over for not using my turn signal, so I decided not to try it again."

"Is there anything you're not terrible with?"

"Video games. And I do bad art really good sometimes." Jade said boldly. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at her phone. Naraku could tell from the way she was twisting and turning her phone in her hands that she was anxious about something.

'Did I go too far with that last comment?' he wondered.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about your car. I wish I could remember it, I really do, but...I can help you with a new car," Jade's eyes widened when Naraku frowned at her. "If you want!"

"I don't want your pity money." Naraku grumbled.

"You see, I thought you'd say that. Stream with me and work for it."

"What?" Naraku's frown dissipated and now he stared at her with slight shock. Jade held a finger up as she stood from her stool.

"Hear me out," she began. "If you stream with me, you get a cut of the money, and,"

"Were you asking permission a few moments ago?" Naraku interrupted, solving the, "HELL THE FUCK NO," puzzle in his head. Her grimace answered him before she did.

"Yeah, but Koga doesn't want to rock the boat. So stream with me and you'll get a cut."

"One stream isn't going to be enough."

"But if you do multiple streams,"

"No." Naraku finally said. He saw the hope drain from her face. An ache began to swell in his chest.

'Why does this keep happening?' he thought frantically.

"Please," Jade insisted. "Just a few. Let me help you. I owe you something for what I did."

"You," Naraku paused, staring down at his hands. "I dislocated your shoulder. We're even."

"You did that to save me."

"Or so the rumors say," Naraku said with a forced smirk. He crossed his arms and turned towards her. "How do you know I didn't lie to cover for myself?"

"Because I saw you do it." Jade replied, now staring at her phone listlessly. "It's the one thing I do remember."

"I..." Naraku was at a loss for words. The scene was playing in his mind again. She tossed the block onto his car and then started freaking out again, holding her head and crying. His heart was pounding and for a brief moment, their eyes had met before he dove forward and grabbed her.

"You told me to stop before you ran towards me and then you grabbed my wrist." she explained, grabbing her left wrist with her right hand. "I remember. It wasn't a dream."

"What was I supposed to do? Let you jump?" he asked carefully.

"I mean, you could have," she answered. Naraku's hands balled into fists as he stepped forward.

"Why would I do that?" he asked icily.

"Hey, you've threatened me before," Jade argued.

"Fine. I'm too tired to argue." Naraku looked away and exhaled. His body felt like it weighed a ton and was no longer muscular. He felt like a blob of irritation and fatigue. Plus, she had a point. He had threatened her multiple times. He didn't remember ever wanting her to die, though.

"Since when are you too tired to argue?"

"Since now. I'll be in my office if you need to annoy me further."

"Okay, Grump."

When Naraku entered his office, he locked the door behind him and rested his face on his old wooden desk. The surface was cool and his face was heated. Part of him wondered if he was falling ill and the other part of him was still blaming all the alcohol he drank four days prior. Truthfully, he had no idea why he was feeling awful.

'The dreams...it's like I'm living that life again.' But they made him restless in the night and when he would wake the following morning, he didn't feel any more rested than before he slept. The ringing of his phone pulled him from his trance.

"Damn." Naraku exhaled. It was time for therapy. He had slept for nearly two hours? Reluctantly and slowly, he stood up and left his office.

When he sat in the chair, his therapist sat down across the room from him and scribbled the date at the top of his paper. Naraku closed his eyes.

"It's our last session together," the older man, Richard, announced. "Is there anything you-"

"I have a question,"

"Go on." Richard sounded unamused. He was expecting a demeaning statement, which was Naraku's usual game, but for the first time in years, Naraku was too exhausted even for that.

"You cannot report crimes I've committed in the past, right?"

"Correct. Unless it's a murder," his therapist now sounded concerned. Naraku nodded, but kept his eyes closed.

"I drugged my lab assistant with an unknown substance I've been working with. I was sure it wouldn't do anything to her, but I was wrong. She became very ill and went berserk to the point of nearly killing herself. It's part of the reason why I'm here, except no one knows what I did." Naraku inhaled through his nose deeply. "Since then, almost every interaction I've had with her has resulted in me feeling sick - my blood runs cold, I'm nauseous, my chest aches, and my heart feels like it will explode. I don't...understand why."

"You...don't know what it is?" Richard asked slowly, sounding skeptical. Naraku finally opened his eyes and stared at the man.

"No."

"You've never felt this way?"

"I'm not sure," Naraku began to think about all the times he bickered with Kikyou. She was night compared to Jade being day. Their only similarity was their mellow personalities.

'My dream - it was the time I made fun of her for believing in yokai. I was angry with my mother and took it out on Kikyou.'

"I suppose I have now that I think about it. It has been a long time." Naraku admitted.

"You'll keep feeling like this if you don't tell her what you did."

"No, I cannot tell her. Ever." he said back, shaking his head vehemently.

"If you-"

"Jade would never speak to me again if I told her and I can't-" Naraku cut himself off. There it was again! That unbearable pain was swelling in his chest! "I don't need her for her skills or for any games anymore. She treats me like a person, not a monster, despite everything I've done and said to her. It's...nice."

"As selfish as your decision is, it's understandable and it's sad, but if she has looked past everything else, why wouldn't she look past this? Is this the worst you've done to her?"

"She doesn't like violence and yet she became violent. It's the complete opposite of who she is. Even now, she still apologizes for it and tries to make up for it. She acts like she wronged me. If she found out that I was the reason she did those things, the reason she was so sick and injured and unable to work, I'm certain she would leave the lab, probably the city, if that meant staying away from me."

"Well, you can either let this fester longer or you can get it over with and roll the dice. I don't take you as the remorseful type, but the fact that you do feel it now is something. It might mean more to her than you realize." Richard explained after clearing his throat. "Maybe if you work your way up to it - is there anything you can do to make her happy? Something she likes?"

"I don't think so." Naraku sighed. He suddenly remembered Jade asking him to stream with her, to help him pay for a new car. She was risking the trust between herself and her friends, her online image, to repay him for destroying his car...which was his fault anyway.

"Come on, I'm sure there's something. It looks like you've thought of something."

"There is something."

"Then do it. I'm sure it's harmless. You owe her something in the meantime, but you need to tell her the truth, Naraku."

'I can't even admit to her that I like her, let alone that I nearly killed her.' Naraku could feel the tension throughout his body once more.

000000

Stifling a yawn with the back of her hand, Jade scribbled down the next bill total, its due date, and the smallest amount a month she was allowed to pay on it. She knew the bills would arrive eventually, but the amounts were outrageous. She was only four bills through her pile and her max total already exceeded three months of the total apartment rent between her, Sango, and Kagome. She had four more to go and then she still had more still on the way within the next week or two.

"Oh my God," she whined quietly. Even though she didn't have to pay the total amount of the bills at once, the monthly payments still added up painfully. By the time she was through this round, she would be essentially be making another car and internet payment on top of her actual car and internet payments. Jade slid a finger under the flap of the next envelope, gently tearing it open and unfolding the paper within. She felt her heart drop.

"Jade? What are you doing?" Kagome asked with a yawn, rubbing her eye. She had gone to bed an hour ago, but Jade must have disturbed her.

"Figuring out how many years I'm going to be in debt to school and the hospital," Jade said irritably, tossing the thousand-dollar bill on the table with the others.

"Oh. Is it that bad?"

"Why do we have insurance? What does it do?" Jade asked, her voice strained with frustration. "This one bill, this one," Jade tapped the paper vehemently. "It's a thousand dollars on its own!"

"What?"

"It's just the first MRI and I had another done, so I have another thousand-dollar bill on its way in a few weeks! These other bills combined are fifteen-hundred and some change combined, and the payments on them are about the same as my car and internet bills! I know the guys raised money for me, and it's helping, but even then, it isn't enough!"

"Hey, hey," Kagome placed her hand on Jade's shoulder. "It sounds bad, I'm sure there's something that can be done. You're going back to delivering, right?"

"Yeah,"

"Have you tried calling the hospital to see if they can write some of these off? They're normally lenient if you're a college student. If they don't write it off completely, they'll cut the bill into a lesser amount going by your income."

"I guess so. I'll call tomorrow." Jade replied defeatedly.

"Just tell them that you were in a coma, and that you can't afford all of this because the coma has prevented you from working for a while. You were physically incapable."

"Yeah," Jade covered her face with her hands and exhaled loudly.

"Come on, don't do bills and budgets before you go to bed."

"I sleep better when I have a general plan." Jade said, but she began gathering the bills and her plan together anyway. Kagome was right; there was no reason to get upset.

"Also, how busy are you tomorrow?" Kagome asked curiously. Jade looked up, trying to remember what day tomorrow was.

"Well, since Naraku no longer has anything for me to do, I have a couple of hours before I help with your class. Why? Need something?"

"Yeah, I'm taking an extra shift tomorrow, so I won't have time to grab groceries before. Sango gave me her end and I'll give you my end, more if you're still stressed about-"

"Nah, I can hold up my end."

"Alright. I'll text you the list."

"Good night. And thanks for the ideas. I'll give them a shot."

"You're welcome."

When Jade woke the following day, she decided to pull on her dark blue skinny jeans instead of her faded loose ones. She also wore a tighter fitting dark green shirt and a simple gray jacket to combat the slight chill in the air. She stood in the bathroom, staring into the mirror and turning her head to observe different angles.

'My eyes don't look sunken in anymore; that's good.' But Jade still added some foundation to her face to look less pale. Then she tilted her head, trying to figure out why she wasn't pleased with her look. Almost instantly, she could hear Naraku mocking her in her head about her plain hair. So, she parted her hair to the side like he did for her in Colorado.

"He's right, as usual." Jade said in a low voice while smiling. Lately, just the thought of some of his quirks would bring a smile to her face. He was an odd man, the oddest she had ever met, and mean, and bitter; yet she still wanted to be his friend. Under the cold, cruel exterior was someone who was hurting. Once she had realized that, she no longer held any long-term anger towards him, felt deeply offended by him, or nervous of him. He did scare her at the hotel, but he was upset, drunk, and he didn't hurt her...or wreck her car with a block of cement.

'I wonder if he was abused. Every time I touch him, he tenses up and almost acts like he's in pain. I probably shouldn't do it, then.' she thought as she washed her hands. 'Though he does it to me...damn, he's weird.'

When she realized she was running a bit late, Jade ran out of the apartment and to her car. She was just happy to be able to run again! She tried not to speed to campus, but she ran to class with a wide smile on her face. Jade sat next to Sango and stretched her arms. They felt good as new, almost better, and her gameplay had improved immensely. Her reflexes seemed quicker than before the coma, but Jade was sure that she was probably used to being slow. The only problem was her heart. Something shocked the organ deeply and it was having the most difficult time recovering. Jade wasn't given medications because of the crystals growing on her muscles and the fear that they would cause a horrible reaction. But those crystals were gone now, so maybe some medication for her heart was necessary.

"So, I've finally finished grading your midterm sketches of our guest model!" the professor announced, jerking Jade from her thoughts. "While I'm passing them out, go ahead and continue working on your sketches of a favorite item of yours."

"Oh boy," Sango said sarcastically, flipping her sketchbook open.

"Come on, staring at him wasn't that bad."

"You're used to staring at him - naked." Sango shot.

"I don't know why anyone thinks I'm talented enough to get that man to drop his pants for me. On a scale of one to ten with ten being the best, he's a fifteen and I'm a six, maybe a seven if I wear nice clothes,"

"There are some men who prefer women who aren't super attractive and he doesn't strike me as your typical man."

"So you agree that I'm mildly ugly?" Jade asked with a sly smirk, knowing that wasn't what Sango meant.

"Wh-What? No! I didn't say- I didn't mean to imply that! I was just saying that-"

"I'm ugly."

"Shut up, Jade! I didn't call you that!" Sango replied frantically, cringing slightly when she spotted a few classmates looking at her.

"Jade," a voice called. She turned her head and looked up at her professor. "You did a really good job. This is probably your best; you've really improved." He placed the folder on the table in front of Jade. Sango began snickering maniacally.

"Oh, yeah, thanks," Jade then lowered her voice. "Thanks for reinforcing Sango's crazy theory that my ugly ass can nail a hot guy."

"I didn't call you ugly." Sango insisted with a grin. "Open it; let's see how well you know his body."

"Hm," Jade opened the folder and Sango leaned over immediately. Jade scratched her head. Neither of the sketches looked that good to her. Her shading had improved, though.

"Of course you get bonus points for drawing pot leaves instead of his dick," Sango remarked bitterly.

"You're goddamn right. I don't succeed with quality; I succeed with creativity." Jade responded proudly, taking pictures with her phone.

"Are you sending those to him?" Sango asked after thanking the professor for her folder.

"Yeah. I know he's going to hate them, but I want to know how much."

"It's almost like you get off on him tearing you down."

"I get off on annoying and disappointing him." Jade corrected. "Let's see yours,"

"Alright," Sango opened her folder and Jade leaned over, pointing at the sketched dick.

"You didn't even try to emasculate him! Who's thirsty now?" Jade asked jokingly. "Look at the detail!"

"Sh-Shut up!" Sango laughed, quickly slamming her folder shut.

"Ahahaha," Jade was now staring at her phone. "He told me to burn them."

"Show him mine." Sango insisted, opening her folder again. Jade snapped the pictures and sent them immediately, informing him that they were Sango's.

"It's almost like you get off on him tearing you down, Sango."

"I'm going to let Kirara into your room when you sleep."

"Okay." Jade felt her phone vibrate.

'She clearly put far more effort into hers. Tell her that I also think of her when I touch myself.' was his response. Jade's snickers and giggles were too persistent, so she held her screen towards Sango. Sango's curious expression darkened to a scowl.

"I'm going to break every bone in his body twice." Sango said venomously. Jade's giggles only increased.

Jade finished the general outline of the arcade stick that she used in tournaments. It didn't take her nearly as long as she thought it would, and now that she knew her shading was better, she was ready to claim it as her best work, not the nude Naraku sketches. Jade cursed when she snapped the tip off her pencil once more. It was the fourth time that day. Sango used it for a few minutes and it worked fine, but once Jade held it and got lost in her thoughts, it snapped.

"I should have chosen something easier," Sango said in a low voice. She decided to sketch Kirara. Jade looked at it and shrugged.

"It looks okay to me."

"I can only imagine what you would be like as a professor grading stuff," Sango slouched her shoulders and let her head tilt slightly, "Hey brah, cool sketch of a joint - fifty bonus points."

"Hell yeah."

After class, the roommates went their separate ways. Sango was off to work and Jade was off to the store. She read the list Kagome sent her as she walked to the parking lot, glancing up to dodge people walking the opposite way on the sidewalk. Jade replaced her phone in her hand with her keys and when she opened the door, a hand reached past her head and slammed it shut.

"Where do you think you're going? We have a lab to teach." his tone was calm and heavy.

"Yeah, in two hours." Jade responded, finally looking over her shoulder at him. "How long were you following me?"

"Most of the way. You're not very perceptive. I was only a few paces behind you."

"Cool." Jade said flippantly. "I have to go now." Naraku closed the door again when she opened it.

"Where are you going?"

"To the store to buy some tampons and a Snickers, Naraku." Jade replied dryly. A small smile crept across his face.

"Touchy."

"For real, though; the store."

"I will accompany you." he said. He didn't even let Jade approve or disapprove as he walked to the passenger side door.

Jade decided to let him go with her. Now that he no longer had any material to work on or articles to read, he was bored and needed entertainment. She understood that, but she also wished he would just ask. Just once. Naraku was now scrolling through her iPod, investigating all of the music she had. The last time he did that, he wiped the entire thing, forcing her to re-download all of her music and lists again from her computer. He seemed genuinely interested this time; humming in approval or grunting with disapproval.

"Why does a boring person like you have rave music?" Naraku asked aloud. Jade turned to him with a smirk.

"How many of my videos have you watched?"

"Your humor is tame compared to the others' and you don't often lose your temper."

"I have more than game content."

"I watched the video about you building your current rig setup to receive maximum gameplay and streaming capabilities. You're nothing but a computer and laboratory nerd."

"Okay." Jade pulled into a parking space. She had thousands of videos and despite them being organized into playlists, she still had hundreds of those. She wasn't too shocked if he was still chewing through the initial bulk of it.

Jade grabbed a small cart and headed to the fruits and vegetables section of the store. She read the list and set out to grab the items Kagome wanted. She noticed that Naraku had disappeared, but she wasn't going to complain about that. Jade placed the lettuce, parsley, and carrots into the cart, alongside the cilantro, which she wanted to use to make some salsa. Next she found the apples, tomatoes, and grapes. Jade turned the corner of the isle and Naraku strode up to her with his hands in his pants pockets.

"Where have you been?" she asked him curiously.

"Don't worry about it." he replied, looking off to the side at nothing.

'Dealing.' Jade smirked as she walked past him. She had been around that scene long enough to know, even with someone as smooth and sly as Naraku. 'That's why he wanted to come with me.'

"Hm," she hummed softly, now staring at the different types and brands of tea. She knew the brand she preferred wasn't there; it was one of the reasons why she had yet to make any chili pepper tea. But, she overcame that barrier and decided to make some since the weather was cooling even more. Warm chili pepper tea was the best for chilly weather, as Mama often told her. "I suppose you'll do," she murmured, grabbing a box and moving on.

Naraku appeared on the other side of the isle and Jade snorted. He readjusted his black jacket and placed his hands inside those pockets, approaching Jade once more. He opened his mouth to say something rude, she assumed, but his gaze darted down into the cart. He reached inside and grabbed the box of tea bags.

"I'm judging you." he said aloud with a slightly disgusted expression. .

"I know."

"This type is bland."

"I need it to be. I'm making chili pepper tea."

"Ch...Chili pepper tea?" Naraku repeated. His entire demeanor changed; his piercing eyes were now innocent and curious and his tone lost its sharp edge and was now soft. He even held the box gently, as if he was afraid he would break it.

"Ever had it?"

"No."

"I make a mean brew. They don't have the brand I like, but I can make it-"

"You know how to make chili pepper tea?" Naraku interrupted pointedly.

"Yeah," Jade answered uncertainly. She knew he liked tea, but she didn't think he would be that interested in hers. She was expecting the condescending attitude, but even that was mild compared to his usual levels.

"I want to try it." he said.

"I can bring you some this weekend when I make it."

"I've decided that I will stream with you."

"Just to try my tea?" she asked skeptically. Naraku placed the box back into the cart and was now looking at her.

"No. I changed my mind yesterday; I was deciding how to tell you."

"You open your mouth and say it." Jade smiled. "What changed your mind?" Immediately, his eyes widened slightly, but he turned his head before shrugging. When he turned back to look at Jade, his expression was controlled.

"I'm that desperate, I suppose." he finally said. Jade looked down and sighed heavily.

'I know he's lying, but...fuck him and his mind games! I'm very stupid, Auntie. I know.' Jade began walking again, pushing the cart slowly.

"Okay." she replied softly.

"Okay?" he was now walking beside her, leaning forward to see her face better. "Are you not happy? I thought you…" he trailed off.

"It was just a suggestion, Naraku."

"I'm taking you up on your offer. Why are you upset?"

"You're amazing sometimes," Jade laughed, revealing more bitterness than she meant to. Naraku grabbed the cart and stood in front of it to stop her in her tracks. He wasn't acting intimidating, but he was far taller and stronger than she was; her body tensed up and waited for whatever would happen.

"I don't understand. I thought you wanted this." Naraku said slowly.

"I do, but you really don't and that doesn't make me excited; it makes me apprehensive."

"If I truly didn't want to, I wouldn't have given it a second thought."

"But you didn't want to for me or even for yourself; you're desperate. People don't make normal decisions when they're desperate."

"Why do you care about what I want? I'm doing what you want, aren't I?" Naraku asked. His tone wasn't mockful or bitter and his expression was anything but smug. The realization hit Jade like a truck. He wasn't playing mind games; he was genuinely confused. Most relationships were built on the idea of giving and taking, but his viewpoint was everyone taking meant everything was fair game to him.

"Naraku," Jade began as she inhaled deeply.

"What?" he asked frantically. "I'm doing what you want, I'm not making fun of you - do you want me to beg?"

"..." the truck of realization that struck Jade before switched gears into reverse and nailed her again. He was trying to please her! He! Naraku! Why?

'Something is different with him ever since the conference. Did it break him that much?' Jade wondered. Naraku never did anything without a good reason. What was his reason for giving in other than money? He was crafty and extremely intelligent, so she knew he would find ways to make money without her. So, did he really just want to do something with her to make her happy? 'For someone who can explain molecular structures and thermodynamics in great detail without missing a beat, he sure does suck at just talking to people.'

"Stop looking at me like that." Naraku grumbled, trying his best to glare at her, but the best he could muster up was a childlike pout.

"Is Saturday evening good for you?" Jade relented, deciding to leave the conversation of how relationships worked for another day. She saw the relief splash across his face.

"Yes."

"We'll do it then. We'll start at nine, so show up at my place at six or seven. It's October, so it has to be a game relating to scary things."

"Fine."

For the rest of the shopping trip, Naraku followed Jade around and said nothing. He continued the silence while they prepared chemicals and equipment for the class. He could tell Jade was unnerved by it, but for once, Naraku had nothing to say. He couldn't say anything worthy of his time or hers.

'If I act too strangely, she's going to suspect something, but if I continue to be cruel to her, I'm going to become physically ill. What other options do I have?' Naraku asked himself. A sharp snap broke the silence, followed by a gasp.

"Ow!" Jade hissed, holding her right hand with her left as she stepped back. "Are you fuckin'...ticklin' my balls right now? How did I do that?" she finally looked up and saw Naraku staring back at her blankly.

"That was an interesting expression. What did you do?"

"I was pulling the cork out of that test tube and I crushed it!" she explained frantically. Naraku slowly walked towards her and the broken glass on the floor.

"It was probably cracked already."

"No, it wasn't. I checked it." she replied with a pout. "I'm not blind."

"Then you must have been squeezing it mercilessly." Naraku replied, taking her injured hand and turning her palm up. Every finger had a cut and her palm received several deeper cuts. Naraku spotted a shard of glass still stuck into her palm and plucked it out while Jade was busy mumbling curses under her breath. To his surprise, she didn't react.

"This is bullshit. Why is it always my dominant hand? Why can't my left hand get fucked for once?"

"I know a way to guarantee that," Naraku replied.

"Did you just make a handjob joke?"

"What?" Naraku's eyes widened. He meant to imply that she use her left hand for tasks instead of her right. "I suppose I did. It wasn't my intent."

"It was a good one." Jade with a giggle. Naraku had walked away to grab the medical kit from one of the cabinets. "I can do it."

"You couldn't even reach the kit at that height." he retorted, opening the kit and grabbing the small bottle of peroxide.

"We have a stepstool."

"I'm too tired to argue." Naraku exhaled defeatedly. He began to clean her wounds anyway. It was true, though. His eyes stung with exhaustion and every blink teased them with rest.

"So, do you do this with everyone? I'm not complaining; just curious. You don't like helping people, so it's a bit out-of-character for you." she asked. Naraku locked gazes with her for a moment and when he saw that she wasn't mocking him, he cleared his throat.

"I do this with almost anyone. I don't really think about it. I just do it."

"Soooooo...conditioned?"

"You could say that." Naraku pressed the bandage on her palm. Her hand was so small the bandage almost completely covered her palm. "The cuts on your fingers are small. They don't need to be covered."

"Okay. Thanks."

When class started, Naraku told everyone to start their next experiment and sat at the desk, deciding to compromise with his tired body. Part of him almost wanted to ask Jade to handle the class by herself, but as smart as Jade was, she didn't know every detail and in case of an emergency, he had medical training. He watched as Jade checked the gas connection to the burner for the dudes' table at the back of the room. They almost always had an issue with some piece of equipment and while Jade didn't seem to mind helping them, Naraku was annoyed by how blatant they were to gain the attention of their internet heroine. Jade huffed and placed her hands on her hips. She grabbed the handle of the gas faucet with her left hand and turned it harshly out of frustration...and broke the handle.

"What? Whaaaaaat?" Jade shouted with disbelief, staring wide-eyed at the metallic handle in her hand. Naraku was on his feet and saw one of the dudes squeezing the flint lighter impatiently and absentmindedly as he waited.

"D-" The plume of fire erupted faster than he could speak. He shielded his face with his arms, hearing the frightened shrieks of students and stools falling over as people fled from the fire. Naraku's body froze up when he heard her voice screaming his name.

'Naraku! I'm over here! I'm trapped!' Kikyou shouted between coughs.

"She's dead, she isn't here, she's dead, she isn't here," he chanted in a whisper. The alarms began ringing in the room and in the hallways, drowning out Kikyou's cries, and as Naraku lowered his arms as the sprinklers began raining water on the students, their experiments, and their papers.

"What do we do?" someone shouted frantically. Naraku flinched when he finally remembered where he was. He wasn't home. He was at the school. He was in the classroom. He was the instructor.

"Leave!" Naraku ordered, pointing to one of the doors of the laboratory. He made his way over to the table where he last saw Jade and the two students she was helping. Jade was sitting up from the floor and rubbing her elbow. "Burns?"

"I don't think so," Jade said as she examined her arms and hands. Naraku grabbed her face and turned her towards him. That's when he noticed he was shaking. He quickly let go.

"Help me check these morons." Naraku knelt down next to the first dude. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were wide with shock, but Naraku checked him and found no burns, so he ordered him to leave.

"It's okay," Jade's soft voice was barely audible over the screaming alarms. She was helping the dude who started the fire to his feet. The hand that held the flint striker was visibly burned, but he was fine otherwise. The other two had already fled the room because they were standing at one of the sinks, well out of the fire's reach. Naraku flipped his soggy hair behind him. He felt all patience leave him when Jade walked the injured student up to him.

"You fucking idiot." Naraku stated coldly. "She was trying to fix the gas and you thought it was wise to play with the flint striker?"

"It was an accident." Jade insisted.

"Horrible things have happened due to accidents caused by idiots who weren't paying attention." Naraku replied, turning to leave the room and find Bruce to begin filing a report. He could feel a burning itch around the scar on his back and he could faintly hear her screaming his name again.

'Naraku! Wake up!' she pleaded. Naraku felt like he was being crushed! He could barely breathe and his body began trembling even more. He inhaled, gasped...

The next thing he knew, he was running. He ran upstairs to the main floor and burst from the building, tearing through the crowd of professors, students, and staff; pushing and shouldering anyone in his way. Voices ordered him to stop, but he shed his soaked lab coat and continued sprinting. Why? He didn't know. Where to? He didn't know! All he knew was that he couldn't be there anymore! The chilly air began to make his damp clothes unbearable. His exhausted body stumbled and Naraku stopped and held onto the first thing he could reach, squeezing his eyes shut.

'Focus on something else, something else,' he gripped the rough object tighter. 'Bark...a tree,' Naraku finally opened his eyes and steadily eased himself down into a sitting position, pressing his back against the tree. He wrapped his arms around himself and pulled his knees up.

"What's...happening?" he whispered shakily with frustration. Before he could stop himself, he whimpered and felt tears streaming down his face. They were the only warmth he could feel at that moment. They were a bittersweet warmth, unlike the awful hellfire that consumed his only friend.

'I couldn't save her! Why was she there?' He closed his eyes, inhaled through his nose deeply, and went far away inside; away from the cold, away from the tears, away from the crushing sensation, away from Kikyou's voice, and away from Jade's laugh. Only when he was surrounded by darkness in a deafening silence did he stop.