Disclaimer: Inuyasha characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Other characters are property of Dark Star.
Rating: PG-13: for language and just in case
Summary: [Nar/Kag] The ningen foiled his plans again! What was it about this human girl that allowed her to infinitely ruin his plots? He would find out for himself what she was really able to do…
Genre: Romance/Drama
A/N: How is everyone? Good? Good. ^_^ I'll have a mailing list address at the bottom of the page for those interested. ^_^ Onto the story…
True LoveChapter Nine: Recovery
January 2003
It was dark everywhere. Every chasm and space was filled with dreadful black light. And it was soundless. Oh, it was so silent, so silent that it overwhelmed her starved spirit. Her blue eyes felt to have no life in them. What once burned with fiery determination was dimmed to a lost hopelessness. Kagome was unsure of her position, of what was going on. It seemed so long ago that she had glimpsed the light of day, and yet, here she was, staring out the walls of the dungeon. But…she wasn't really…there. She was a bystander of some sort. Even so, Kagome could feel the not-so-gentle caress of Naraku's lips upon her own.
Thoughts reverberated off the walls of the black void. Disgusting and lustful thoughts of a different person, someone who wasn't her, but in a sense, was. Kagome's head spun in confusion as she felt herself strengthen, as she had the day before when the hanyou had removed youki from her body. His visits kept the energy at bay, so it could not overtake her spirit as well as her body.
Kagome shivered, bringing her arms about herself and whimpering pitifully to the unforgiving darkness. A figure solidified in front of her, a figure with a smirking mouth and flaming violet eyes. The sinister lips and deathly eyes would be forever engraved in her memory, she knew. Although the woman looked slightly familiar, Kagome could swear she never saw her in her life.
"Who are you?" she choked out. Her legs were clasped by tight arms to her chest. If only she could shrink away from this world…all her fears would disappear.
The woman responded with a mirthless laugh. "I am you, Kagome Higurashi."
"That's not possible," Kagome argued. She wouldn't believe it. This was all just a bad dream, starting from the time of Naraku's savage kiss. None of it was true. I want to go home, she pleaded mentally, eyes brimming with tears. I want to go back to Inuyasha.
"Anything is possible, bitch. Open your insolent mind up. There is so much opportunity you have with this hanyou, and you have not the damned courage to grasp any of it." A harsh slap to her face and then more taunting laughter. "Naraku had no idea how powerful his youki is, and there's nothing he can do that will save you and destroy me at the same time. I feed of his castle's energy, and none of his antics weaken me long enough to have effect. It's hopeless for you and only a matter of time for me before I can finally taste him."
The slut licked her lips pointedly and, with a final triumphant smirk, she vanished.
Kagome felt the disgust build in her while a frown twisted her lips. She would get out of this if it was the last thing she did. She would. Curling into herself, head on her knees, Kagome formulated her plan. Then, with a hint of a smile tickling her lips, she fell into the embrace of sleep. Tomorrow…I'll take leave of this place at last…
~*~*~*~*~
The smooth scratch of wood against wood echoed through the room after the shoji door had been slid close. Naraku let himself fall against the thick wood frame and slide down to a sitting position against the screen. A brief whisper of wind played through his raven-black locks before it died completely, as if his presence brought ill will to all which dared to come into contact with it.
Sunset had long passed and succumbed to the domination of twilight. Here, though, no stars shined; none at all. Naraku's realm was void of any life outside the keep of his castle. Nothing moved nor stirred under the weight of his hooded gaze. His stared flicked skyward, to study the stars that were not there.
"What shall I do with her?" he wondered aloud, running an absent hand through his wavy tresses.
"What are you keeping her for?" was the answer. Kagura stepped out of the shadows, fanning herself idly.
Silence. Then, the buzz of wings alerted Naraku to the arrival of his lookout. He sent a nonchalant glare to Kagura before responding.
"What I do is of no concern to you."
He left it at that as a giant wasp came to hover at his side. What have you brought for me? He asked telepathically. Dark lashes kissed pale skin when his blank eyes closed, allowing for the mystical insect to 'speak'. After it had relayed the message, efficiently buzzing away again, Naraku allowed his eyes to open halfway. Back to the well, eh, Inuyasha? He grinned inanely. You won't find her there.
Rising from his position, the hanyou sent one more look to the heavens, clouded and murky, before turning on his heel and re-entering his room. Naraku let his tense body unwind, sliding onto the large bed and shutting his eyes. His thoughts continued to roam for a bit before he surrendered to a light blanket of sleep.
~*~*~*~*~
Blood gushed in torrents from gashes all over her body. She cowered in a corner, a corner inhibiting her from any escape. Kagome looked up with fearful bright blue eyes. That girl stood before her, that girl. The girl with the beautiful amethyst eyes containing little flickers of blood red. The girl whose body so resembled her own. It was she who abused Kagome. Her clawed hand was extended, the crimson droplets of Kagome's life streaming freely from her fingertips. The air reeked of human flesh torn apart, of that rancid scent of drying and fresh blood.
Kagome couldn't understand. What had she done? She was out of the way, and she told the woman so. Her mirror only laughed harshly before advancing to her again. A malicious grin foretold of great suffering and torture, and the horrific bloodied hand raised to strike again, but…then…another hand, similarly clawed, slashed through her body. Kagome released a strangled cry of anguish and pain, feeling a spike of heat burn her entire body. Then, the feeling was gone; she was being cradled by someone she didn't know, whose voice was low and soothing. His embrace reminded her of many things, of love, of Inuyasha, of her family…of so many things she wished for she couldn't have. He wouldn't release her…not if the sky fell, not if Hell froze over, not if the whole universe crashed down around them; he would never let go…but somehow, she didn't feel as safe as she should have. His simple presence served to set her on edge. Who was he?
"Who are you?" she asked softly, feeling the gashes in her skin slowly heal themselves, "Why…?" The embrace tightened further, and Kagome started to panic. "Let me go!" she cried frightfully.
His hold loosened for half a moment before regaining its unyielding strength. Kagome could feel the cool breath against the crook of her neck. "I will never release you." Kagome began to kick at the man, trying to untangle herself from him. His arms restrained movement. The words whispered softly in her ear, tickling her senses. "You are mine…and no one else's." The words unspoken, she could still hear them clearly in her mind. Mine forever… More than anything, she needed to get away from him. Before she could do much anything, he clamped his mouth over hers in a forceful kiss, not allowing her to go anywhere. Tears streamed freely from her once vibrant eyes.
Kagome woke with a gasp, breathing laboriously and shallowly. Glancing around, she found herself to be in the same dark void she had last seen. There was nothing around her, nothing at all save for the silence which filled every nook and cranny. What was that all about? The dream sequence was not left forgotten; the scenes still flashed vividly in her mind's eye. She felt a reeling sense of danger and insecurity in this place, wherever it was.
She ran a tremulous hand through her hair before extending her sight to the world beyond. Judging from the light peeking through a barred window, it was just barely sunrise. A little time was still allotted to her before her plan would go in motion. Hopefully, she wouldn't fail. I can't fail. It's impossible.
The 'Dark' Kagome twitched in the heavy slumber. Her enhanced abilities told her of a threat very close, but she paid no mind. After all, what was there to fear?
~*~*~*~*~
When the feeble sunlight began to seep through the shoji screens, Naraku blinked away the remains of sleep. The night had been peaceful, without any dreams nor premonitions. Perhaps life was becoming a little easier? Never has life been easy, Naraku, and never will it be. He lied there, still. What was there to rise for? His life was occupied for the time being. The presence of the human girl made the course of events more certain. He would not have to plan anything, it seemed, for a long time.
As the wind rapped on his door, he decided with easy abruptness to make his visit to the girl a little earlier today. Why not? He had nothing else to attend to. Pushing himself up on both arms, he combed his fingers through the black hair he possessed. Ready or not, here I come, Kagome, he thought humorously. Dressed in white and midnight blue garments, Naraku padded softly down the corridors to Kagome's location.
His steps, though soft, echoed down the long halls. Long, empty halls with no life, no color. Shadows crept everywhere, in corners, up the walls, and across the floor. He was the one who controlled it, of course, and the dark youki was what kept everything he wanted to stay away to remain away. Even as he strode through across the smooth wooden floor, the energy leapt at him, only to be repelled and sent snaking back up the wall. Relishing his power, Naraku smirked and quickened his pace.
Upon hearing the snap of a bolt, the 'Dark' Kagome's head snapped from its rest. Violet eyes flickered with curiosity when Naraku slipped casually into the room, leaning back against the door once it was slid closed. An eyebrow flicked upward at him.
"You're early," she stated plainly.
Humorous, Naraku mused, she doesn't seem to be weak. The thought rose quite a few conclusions to be drawn. He ignored all of them. It didn't matter; besides, he didn't know of any other way to totally remove his energy from the human's system. So be it. Drawing closer to her, he brought a hand up to cup her chin, forcing her to face him. He swore, he hated doing this, but hell, it would have its results.
Kagome gawked. It was now! He had come way earlier than expected. She scrambled to observe the flow of energy from the body. The youki was leaving at a rapid pace, almost alarming. Kagome felt it, felt the body weaken significantly under Naraku's leeching influence. She breathed deeply, hoping for the best and expecting nothing. Holding her arms out, she concentrated what she had left of her energy onto destroying the dark energy; it was her only chance to survive.
Something was almost burning his mouth. Naraku frowned through the seemingly endless contact between himself and the girl. There was something different today…something was…trying to escape from him, from something. What's going on? He wanted to pull away, but upon finding his lips locked, the contact only increased when the girl somehow, for some reason, deepened the kiss.
A million things were happening in his mind. Someone was screaming, someone was chanting, he, himself, was caught in the middle of hearing it all. There was suddenly one, colossal shriek, and then everything was quiet. Cautiously, uncertainly, he pulled himself away, a burning sensation searing his lips. What the hell was that? His eyes roved over the trembling form of Kagome's body. It now lacked the writhing dark aura of his youki. Had the energy been successfully removed?
"Na…ra…ku," came a hoarse, cutting call.
The girl looked up, foreign blue eyes radiating a mixed relief and fear. He was shocked, to say the least, but his expression remained completely stable. A rueful smile crept across her lips before her head lolled forward in pure and utter exhaustion.
A/N: Hey! Sorry for a little bit of a late update. I don't think anyone's on this mailing list yet, so if anyone's interested, the URL is: http://darkstar540.notifylist.com/ If you want to be notified of updates for this story, or any of my other ones for that fact, just visit the site and look for the right story. This one is listed under: true_love, so if you want updates, just enter your e-mail address on the site. ^_^ So, about the story, is Naraku OOC yet? I sensed kinda an…imbalance in this chapter. I must say I like the first part a lot better than the last. Thoughts/opinions appreciated! ^_^
~*~*~Dark Star~*~*~
