Chapter 14: Naraku!
A cold mist rolled over the empty castle, forming ghostly shapes as it cascaded over the walls and through the courtyards. The castle had seen no human inhabitant in many years, humans knew to avoid the fortress at all costs, for none entered and came out alive. It was a death trap. Often bloodless corpuses were found outside the walls pale and cold. The legends surrounding the palace stretched back for generations. Stories of death and fear. None dared to see if the stories were true, they were all too afraid.
Naraku landed in the main courtyard sending the fog curling around his body. It was a risk for him to venture to such a place, as he still had human blood in his veins and human energy. The inhabitants of this castle only hunted human prey. He stood looking slowly around his cold eyes missing nothing, all around shadows stirred, flickering though windows and archways, blurring the sharp edges of the building itself. Naraku quickly headed for the main building. To stay in one place here was certain death. The main hall was long and wide. Old tables, long ignored were rotting along the sides of the main aisle. Naraku crossed the length of the hall to the large gilded throne. The throne unlike the rest of the building seemed well cleaned and polished. Naraku stopped at the base of the dais and knelt. "Oh Great Lord, I have a favor to ask of you." No answer. The room remained as still and cold, Naraku frowned worriedly. Surely the Lord of the castle was still here, there was no way he could have escaped. Naraku didn't move, he listened to every sound waiting for the Lord of the castle of to arrive. A slight gust of wind around the throne caught Naraku's attention. "Welcome Lord." Naraku whispered bowing his head. "Rise Naraku." A rough voice grated. Naraku slowly lifted his head to the throne. There was a wrinkled old man, his Grey skin was wrinkled and callused. His eyes were shut and the few wisps of hair on his head whipped around in the cold breeze. His robes were dark and rich but old and stale smelling. "Welcome Naraku, I have herd much about you these past fifty years." Naraku smiled. "IM flattered my lord but at the moment I have need of your assistance." The old man smiled exposing sharp fangs. "Go on." Naraku smiled, he knew he had a proposition the Vampire king could not refuse.
Rain struggled to pull her knife out of the tree. Seven had just unarmed her for the umteenth time that night. The blade popped out of the tree causing Rain to loose her balance and fall flat on her backside. "Ouch!" she grumbled. Seven laughed. "You should be more careful there Rain." She glared at him menacingly but his grin quickly spread to her face and she too started to laugh. She stood and faced him standing at ready. Seven nodded and motioned for her to attack again. She charged and once again they began the dance. She thrust and slashed as fast and hard as she could and yet he seemed to stay just out of reach. She lunged and Seven slapped the back of her hand sending the knife into the dirt. "Shit!" Rain swore as she lost her balance and fell to the ground at Sevens feet. "Jerk!" she sat up and rubbed her sore hip. "That hurt." Seven reached down and helped her up. "You put too much weight behind your attacks, the force should be in your hand not your feet." He picked up her knife and handed it to her. "Now try again to hit my hands."
He stood ready. Rain sighed and lifted the knife again. "Ready?" he nodded and she rushed. She swung the knife quickly careful not to lunge into the attack. The blade whipped quickly around between the combatants Seven weaving his hands around the blade and Rain trying to stab and cut. Rain didn't have the patients, she charged. Seven kicked her leg sending her off balance; quickly he spun her around and was holding her in his arms. "You try to hard." He stared down into her dark blue eyes then slowly he lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was short. Seven drew back and released Rain. "I'm sorry." He turned and started to walk away.
Rain couldn't find anything to say. She slowly brought up her hand to touch her lips. Had he just kissed her? "Wait Seven." She ran after him. She caught his arm and sung him around. "What do you mean your sorry? Are you married or something?" he smiled sadly. "No but I could only bring you pain." Rain rolled her eyes. "Oh please, that's the worse excuse i've ever heard." Seven sighed and sat down and leaned against an old tree. "I can't force my burdens on to another, my pain is to great." Rain sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "What do you mean?" Seven frowned "if I tell you then you must promise not to tell anyone, ever." Rain nodded silently. "Well then it's along story." "I am over 500 years old." Rain sat up and gasped. "How is that possible?" Seven smiled "listen, I will be born in about a year now, my mother and father are Sango and Miroku." Rain stared at him in disbelief. "That's impossible." Seven shook his head. "When I was a child Kohaku, my mothers brother brought me to meat the dragon blood, he gave me his soul in order to complete a quest, that quest was to come back in time and do three things, first rescue Kohaku who will eventually kill Naraku. Second give Inuyasha his new sword. And third encourage Inuyasha and Kagome to marry, their child will become a very important Hanyou." Seven hit his head on the trunk of the tree. "Unfortunately that requires me to live a very long time, I have been searching for a gate to the past for 500 years, I have seen all my friends die, everything I knew has crumbled to dust, I have wandered across the world, searching." A tear trickled down his cheek. "I cannot die, I have tried to die many times but the Dragon soul within me will not allow it, I am cursed and blessed, I am more powerful than almost any living being, but I am denied some of the things I want the most. A wife, a family." He looked down at Rain "so you see I cannot allow myself to become to attached to you, I wont be able to take another friends death." Rain reached up and caressed his cheek. "Its ok, I'm here now." Seven smiled. "For some reason that makes me feel much better." He hugged her and she returned the gesture. The sat for some time in each other's arms comforting each other and trying to forget the past.
It ended all to quickly. Seven quietly lifted his head and scanned the woods. "I don't want you to panic Rain." He whispered. "I want you to run back to camp and warn Inuyasha that we are being attacked." Rain nodded into his chest. "NOW!" seven yelled and pulling Rain to her feet pushed her in the direction of camp. "RUN!" Rain bolted into the trees heading for camp.
Seven stood quietly watching the forest for any sign of the attackers. Then they came. Four dark figures lunged at Seven from all sides. He attacked the forms quickly and savagely. The first one he encountered quickly had its neck snapped, the second lost its throughout to a well aimed kick. The other two backed off and faced Seven. "Who are you?' Seven growled. The figures hissed the two on the ground stood and shook themselves. "Foolish mortal, we cannot be killed so easily." Seven gasped. "Vampires! No wonder I couldn't smell you!" the leader laughed and attacked again. Seven jumped backwards landing at the foot of a tree, then he leapt up the trunk and ripped a branch from the trunk, after that it was a quick fight, Sven headed back for camp.
He arrived in time to see Sango killing off another Vampire; ashes were strung across the ground. "How many were there?' he asked. Inuyasha growled "only ten, not much of a challenge once you figure out how to kill them." Seven smiled "you cocky bastard! Is everyone alright?" Kagome nodded. "Miroku has a nasty gash in his side but other than that were all ok." Seven smiled. "That's goo." he stopped mid sentence. "Where's Rain?"
A cold mist rolled over the empty castle, forming ghostly shapes as it cascaded over the walls and through the courtyards. The castle had seen no human inhabitant in many years, humans knew to avoid the fortress at all costs, for none entered and came out alive. It was a death trap. Often bloodless corpuses were found outside the walls pale and cold. The legends surrounding the palace stretched back for generations. Stories of death and fear. None dared to see if the stories were true, they were all too afraid.
Naraku landed in the main courtyard sending the fog curling around his body. It was a risk for him to venture to such a place, as he still had human blood in his veins and human energy. The inhabitants of this castle only hunted human prey. He stood looking slowly around his cold eyes missing nothing, all around shadows stirred, flickering though windows and archways, blurring the sharp edges of the building itself. Naraku quickly headed for the main building. To stay in one place here was certain death. The main hall was long and wide. Old tables, long ignored were rotting along the sides of the main aisle. Naraku crossed the length of the hall to the large gilded throne. The throne unlike the rest of the building seemed well cleaned and polished. Naraku stopped at the base of the dais and knelt. "Oh Great Lord, I have a favor to ask of you." No answer. The room remained as still and cold, Naraku frowned worriedly. Surely the Lord of the castle was still here, there was no way he could have escaped. Naraku didn't move, he listened to every sound waiting for the Lord of the castle of to arrive. A slight gust of wind around the throne caught Naraku's attention. "Welcome Lord." Naraku whispered bowing his head. "Rise Naraku." A rough voice grated. Naraku slowly lifted his head to the throne. There was a wrinkled old man, his Grey skin was wrinkled and callused. His eyes were shut and the few wisps of hair on his head whipped around in the cold breeze. His robes were dark and rich but old and stale smelling. "Welcome Naraku, I have herd much about you these past fifty years." Naraku smiled. "IM flattered my lord but at the moment I have need of your assistance." The old man smiled exposing sharp fangs. "Go on." Naraku smiled, he knew he had a proposition the Vampire king could not refuse.
Rain struggled to pull her knife out of the tree. Seven had just unarmed her for the umteenth time that night. The blade popped out of the tree causing Rain to loose her balance and fall flat on her backside. "Ouch!" she grumbled. Seven laughed. "You should be more careful there Rain." She glared at him menacingly but his grin quickly spread to her face and she too started to laugh. She stood and faced him standing at ready. Seven nodded and motioned for her to attack again. She charged and once again they began the dance. She thrust and slashed as fast and hard as she could and yet he seemed to stay just out of reach. She lunged and Seven slapped the back of her hand sending the knife into the dirt. "Shit!" Rain swore as she lost her balance and fell to the ground at Sevens feet. "Jerk!" she sat up and rubbed her sore hip. "That hurt." Seven reached down and helped her up. "You put too much weight behind your attacks, the force should be in your hand not your feet." He picked up her knife and handed it to her. "Now try again to hit my hands."
He stood ready. Rain sighed and lifted the knife again. "Ready?" he nodded and she rushed. She swung the knife quickly careful not to lunge into the attack. The blade whipped quickly around between the combatants Seven weaving his hands around the blade and Rain trying to stab and cut. Rain didn't have the patients, she charged. Seven kicked her leg sending her off balance; quickly he spun her around and was holding her in his arms. "You try to hard." He stared down into her dark blue eyes then slowly he lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was short. Seven drew back and released Rain. "I'm sorry." He turned and started to walk away.
Rain couldn't find anything to say. She slowly brought up her hand to touch her lips. Had he just kissed her? "Wait Seven." She ran after him. She caught his arm and sung him around. "What do you mean your sorry? Are you married or something?" he smiled sadly. "No but I could only bring you pain." Rain rolled her eyes. "Oh please, that's the worse excuse i've ever heard." Seven sighed and sat down and leaned against an old tree. "I can't force my burdens on to another, my pain is to great." Rain sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "What do you mean?" Seven frowned "if I tell you then you must promise not to tell anyone, ever." Rain nodded silently. "Well then it's along story." "I am over 500 years old." Rain sat up and gasped. "How is that possible?" Seven smiled "listen, I will be born in about a year now, my mother and father are Sango and Miroku." Rain stared at him in disbelief. "That's impossible." Seven shook his head. "When I was a child Kohaku, my mothers brother brought me to meat the dragon blood, he gave me his soul in order to complete a quest, that quest was to come back in time and do three things, first rescue Kohaku who will eventually kill Naraku. Second give Inuyasha his new sword. And third encourage Inuyasha and Kagome to marry, their child will become a very important Hanyou." Seven hit his head on the trunk of the tree. "Unfortunately that requires me to live a very long time, I have been searching for a gate to the past for 500 years, I have seen all my friends die, everything I knew has crumbled to dust, I have wandered across the world, searching." A tear trickled down his cheek. "I cannot die, I have tried to die many times but the Dragon soul within me will not allow it, I am cursed and blessed, I am more powerful than almost any living being, but I am denied some of the things I want the most. A wife, a family." He looked down at Rain "so you see I cannot allow myself to become to attached to you, I wont be able to take another friends death." Rain reached up and caressed his cheek. "Its ok, I'm here now." Seven smiled. "For some reason that makes me feel much better." He hugged her and she returned the gesture. The sat for some time in each other's arms comforting each other and trying to forget the past.
It ended all to quickly. Seven quietly lifted his head and scanned the woods. "I don't want you to panic Rain." He whispered. "I want you to run back to camp and warn Inuyasha that we are being attacked." Rain nodded into his chest. "NOW!" seven yelled and pulling Rain to her feet pushed her in the direction of camp. "RUN!" Rain bolted into the trees heading for camp.
Seven stood quietly watching the forest for any sign of the attackers. Then they came. Four dark figures lunged at Seven from all sides. He attacked the forms quickly and savagely. The first one he encountered quickly had its neck snapped, the second lost its throughout to a well aimed kick. The other two backed off and faced Seven. "Who are you?' Seven growled. The figures hissed the two on the ground stood and shook themselves. "Foolish mortal, we cannot be killed so easily." Seven gasped. "Vampires! No wonder I couldn't smell you!" the leader laughed and attacked again. Seven jumped backwards landing at the foot of a tree, then he leapt up the trunk and ripped a branch from the trunk, after that it was a quick fight, Sven headed back for camp.
He arrived in time to see Sango killing off another Vampire; ashes were strung across the ground. "How many were there?' he asked. Inuyasha growled "only ten, not much of a challenge once you figure out how to kill them." Seven smiled "you cocky bastard! Is everyone alright?" Kagome nodded. "Miroku has a nasty gash in his side but other than that were all ok." Seven smiled. "That's goo." he stopped mid sentence. "Where's Rain?"