Well, thus ends the streak of updating daily…sorry, but it's a toll on my imagination right now so I'll be updating probably once every two, sometimes three, days. That being said, I'll still try to write harder, and hopefully the stretch of time will give me more chances to create new ideas, lengthen/progress the story, and reread, fix, and tune up chapters ^_^.
LilacRose23: Yeah, I just got done watching Inuyasha 106 and I'm d/ling Inuyasha 107 now (go me! I don't care if it's subtitled or not, I'll pick my way through it…)…106 was very cool, but I'd still have to say episode 100 is my favorite ^_^.
Angelstars: Yeah, damn Fate giving Inuyasha a cruel life (well, not that I helped him get a better one in any way…yet…::gets happy-yet-evil look in eyes:: ^_^). And no, I've actually read only one part of the manga; I was in a bookstore in San Francisco, found the manga (in English…bleh), and read it: it was the one where Kouga kidnaps Kagome. Oh well, I like the anime better because I saw it first ^_^.
Kay Kylo: Yeah, go ahead and vote; officially, the poll's ended, but yes on lemon wins by about 14 votes still…hee ^_^. Sorry, but I'm sleepy right now, and for some reason this reminds me of the episode of Futurama where the delivery company's new bureaucrat is a strict girl with a kinky streak for slobs and she jumps on Fry and yells, "DIRTY BOY! DIRTY BOY!" Lol…that was a great episode…
Eartha: Yeah, sorry about that…I noticed that too, I'm gonna try to fix it soon. I'm just better at writing the whole angst, guilt-ridden dark and somber kind of thing, and I never meant for this to be a happy fic ^_^. Oh well, it should get better soon.
Sylver-Ajah: I learned basic Japanese in school, I've become more proficient by studying it on my own…if you want to learn Japanese on your own, buy something called "Living Language: Ultimate Japanese Basic". It's VERY good, I got it for Christmas and I'm still reading through it and learning stuff.
Raye-rei: Yes, 'kuso' does mean 'shit'; both literally and figuratively; and as for your question about youkai/youki, please bear with me.
Youkai is the Japanese word for demon, such as Inu Youkai (dog demon), neko youkai (cat demon), etc. You, the first character, is the one for demon. Ki, the second character in youki, is the kanji for 'energy'. It basically means demonic energy; if you've seen Inuyasha practicing the Kaze no Kizu with Kirara (NOT KILALA DAMN YOU CARTOON NETWORK!), those two swirling clouds that wrap around Inuyasha and Kirara are youki. Youkai=demon, youki=demon energy.
Youkai Chick Supreme: It's forbidden to go near it/it's inhabitants, in a sense; forsaken would make more sense, but I like the sound of forbidden better (both can be used like something from The Scarlet Letter, where Inuyasha's mom is shunned because she committed a sin in the eyes of the people, having a youkai husband). I have a friend whose weirder than you without drugs…trust me, you cannot weird me out ^_^.
Saiyan_Blurr: Yes, it was made up; they never mentioned how Inuyasha's mother died, and I thought of making it that she was killed by bandits. Then I thought, "Hey, wait a second…Onigumo used to be a member of a bunch of bandits…" and my thought process went on from there ^_^.
Well, that's all…phew, and one heck of a lot of review responses…oh well ^_^.
ATTENTION SHITE KUDASAI: POLLS FOR THE LEMON ARE CLOSED, AS ARE WONDERING IF I'M A GIRL: I'M NOT, I'M A GUY ^_^.
(a/n: So I don't get a bunch of people questioning me about this, let's just look at it this way: when he absorbs Kagura, it's really just a part of himself he's taking back, so although he can't shift and shape his own body anymore, he can take back the parts of him he expunged beforehand)
I don't own Inuyasha, just every episode of him…so in a way, I own him…just not legally…GAH! I CONFUSED MYSELF AGAIN!
Chapter 32
Far from the tormented shreds of memories and emotions that Inuyasha now personified, distant from the pain blistering inside Kagome's heart, across miles of starlight-studded fields and forests, hills and mountains, one would come across an old hut…nothing would be special about it, except there would be something almost tangible in the air; something dark, insidious…one could feel an evil presence wrapped around it like a blanket…for here was Naraku.
Inside this forbidding house he lay, suppressing his jaki, holding back his youki, so that he would not easily be detected…it was far more of a struggle than it had been a few days ago: the body of Sesshoumaru was far more powerful than he had ever dared dream…and not only that, but an unexpected bonus had come with this new body: memories.
When he had absorbed the body of the supreme youkai in the miasma chamber, he had found nothing…no memories, no feelings, no emotions, nothing but power—power that paled in comparison to the body he had stolen, but power nonetheless. It was not so with the absorption of the mighty Lord Sesshoumaru—every thought, every memory, every feeling he had…his life's experiences, lessons, and victories…all were at Naraku's command. And Naraku was utilizing this newfound knowledge to extend his power beyond the maniacal amount already granted to him…he now knew how Inuyasha fought, now knew the powers of the Toukijin and Tenseiga (both of which were still embodied inside of him, the Toukijin lending itself to his power; the Tenseiga trying to revive its master, but being overwhelmed by the youki and jaki…had Naraku still had the power to shift and meld his body, he would have expelled it, but alas: that power was his no longer), and—most importantly—knew the weaknesses of every demon of Western Nihon.
And so he lay, strength skyrocketing, poring and perusing every memory, wringing the remembrances like sponges for each tiny bit of information…
…and then he hit upon a single, insignificant (to Sesshoumaru's mind) memory: a memory of a moonlit night, stars dotting the heavens like pinpricks of light, moon lighting the landscape as he/Sesshoumaru stood there. Then, suddenly, a huge feather, drifting down—Kagura its rider, of course—to disappear…several Shikon shards pulsing in her hand as she offered Sesshoumaru an opportunity:
"Kill Naraku, and these shards are yours, Lord Sesshoumaru."
A flat denial ensued, followed by a sense of amusement that Naraku/his own creation was trying to destroy him…but that was all that Naraku needed.
Kagura had tried to betray him, and nobody—nobody betrayed the most powerful demon in all of Nihon and got away with it. A twisted smile formed upon the lips of Sesshoumaru's stolen mouth as Naraku envisioned what would be done to rectify Kagura's mistake…and low, soft laughter could be heard as a plan began to form in his mind…
'Yes…yes, that will do quite nicely for her treachery…'
Later that night…"Kagura…," Naraku's voice sounded from the inner chambers, piercing into her mind from where she stood, calling her against her will to her master's side…she wished she could refuse, to leave forever, but no: she could already feel the pain, the agony, of her heart being crushed to nothing in Naraku's rotten hand…
'Bastard…' she spat acidly in her mind, careful of his newly acquired youkai hearing, as she began the slow, depressed trudge down halls she had treaded so many times before, locked inside this house that she hated…it was only a few dozen feet down the hall to where Naraku was, but it felt like miles as she treaded down the hall, stopping in front of the door to the inner chamber, wishing she could flee…but no.
She pressed a hand against the door, began sliding it open…and had a split second to feel the enormous jaki swelling out from the room before yellow whips, more like ropes than anything else, tore through the door and wrapped themselves none too gently around her neck—a stolen tactic from Sesshoumaru, but effective nonetheless for Naraku.
It was a grinning Naraku, wearing the visage of an insane Sesshoumaru that stepped forth from the dust and rubble that now littered the hallway of his temporary home. Energy whips solidified their hold upon Kagura's neck as their poison began to seep in, dulling her senses, stupefying her, putting her mind into an aware torpor as he spoke.
"So, thought you would find help from Lord Sesshoumaru, did you?" Naraku laughed, purposely changing his voice to that of the absorbed prince, coldly. "Well, Kagura, here I am…" Fear bloomed in her eyes, pupils dilating in terror as she knew what was to come—and was powerless to stop it.
"Still want the mighty Sesshoumaru to help you kill Naraku?" He whispered, bringing the choking Kagura close to his face…close enough to where he could kiss her, if he so desired…
But no. With a final smirk, and a laugh that shook the foundations of the house itself, a bright light began to glow around his stolen form; Kagura tried to scream, tried to break free of the strangling tentacle-like energy, but it was no use. With a choked scream, she was slowly—inexorably—drawn into Naraku…first one hand…then her arm…then her torso…until, finally, nothing remained but her head…and a raspy, grating gurgle came out of her throat as her body was plunged into Naraku.
Instantly, as it had with Sesshoumaru, memories began flooding into Naraku's mind…memories he could remember as if he himself had lived them (and, in a sense, he had). They played across his mind, all suffused with a hatred for himself…a desire to be free…until he hit upon the one idea.
Unlike the memory from Lord Sesshoumaru, which had been nothing more than trivial, this memory was—or had been—at the forefront of Kagura's mind: it had been at the front of her mind since she'd found out bout it, no more than three months before; and it was now ever present in her mind as the new moon drew closer…
'This…this knowledge…' Naraku thought, eyes going wide in shock as he realized what power he now held over Inuyasha. 'It can't be…but it is…I can see Inuyasha, plain as day, yet he's…he's…'
"Human," Naraku whispered, the normally emotionless face of Sesshoumaru nearly slack-jawed in surprise as he fully understood how powerful this knowledge would be. "He becomes human at the new moon? My greatest foe loses his powers, his strength, and—above all—that damned sword at the rising of the new moon? Well, this does change my plans…," he smiled insanely, chuckling softly as he continued. "This changes my plans significantly…"
Heavens blazed overhead as the dark gears of Naraku's mind began to spin again, twisting…turning…coldly calculating how he would destroy his most hated foe, on his weak point…
And then he grinned sadistically again as he began thinking,
'He's already lost so much…why not make it complete?'
A waning half-moon illuminated the dark house as plans spewed forth from the dark depths of Naraku's mind, cold eyes of Sesshoumaru shining with gleeful malice as he plotted what he could do…what he could take…to make Inuyasha's suffering complete.
Well, I know it wasn't written as well as the others, so sorry for that much…but hey, it progresses the storyline, the idea's solid (in my opinion), and hey—it's an update! Lol.
Sorry about the unexplained five day absence…it's like I've been constantly surrounded by creative kryptonite: I've either not had the desire to write, been too tired to write, or just plain had other things to do. I'll try to get it on an update schedule again as soon as possible, but I highly doubt that it'll be once-per-day anymore…sorry!
Well, I have to go…please read and REVIEW and tell me what you think about my story so far…I may have a little more than 15,000 words left, so I'll just keep writing until it's done! Jaa ne!