Chapter 3
The Rude Awakening
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She woke up to the sun shining brightly in her eyes. Sango looked around, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion and fear.
She was lying on a futon, with white sheets, intricately embroidered silk. The wooden walls and shoji screens were light, and the other furniture in the room looked to be valuable and rare.
She realized her clothes were missing. She nearly panicked, but forced herself to keep quiet, and as she sat up, she kept the silk sheets clutched to her chest. A voice from behind her made her jump.
"You're awake."
Naraku. Everything from the night before came rushing back to her, and she nearly panicked again. But she managed to keep her voice calm and demanding. "Where is my clothing, Naraku?"
"It was dirty and unsuitable for you, so I'm having it destroyed." He walked in front of her, and in the morning light, her mind registered how handsome and serene his face looked. Her body reacted, but she suppressed the feelings.
"Here are some more befitting clothes for you." he kneeled beside her and lay on her lap an off-white silk kimono, folded into a square.
Her eyes looked at the kimono, and then at him. He looked so kind and harmless. . . she had to force herself to remember his true nature.
"I assume you bathed last night?" he asked.
Sango nodded numbly as she vaguely remembered bathing in the hot springs with Kagome.
"I'll leave you to dress in solitary." he got up and left the room.
Sango still sat there, staring at the kimono. How had this happened? she wondered. Then again. . . why was she surprised? It *was* Naraku, after all. What did he want?
She made sure the screen was shut all the way, then got up and dressed quickly. The silk was soft against her body, and smelled faintly of jasmine. She got a. . . a *sensual* feeling from it, and it frightened her a little. She pushed the feeling down, and stepped out of her room.
She looked around the large room it lead to. The place seemed pretty big - probably another "stolen" castle. Her feet tapped lightly on the floor as she made her way into the dining room. She found him there.
He looked up at her from his seat on the floor at the table. "Please, join me."
Sango regarded him carefully, and hesitantly made her way over to sit across from him, as far back as she could and still be able to reach the table. "What do you want, Naraku?"
"Want?"
"Yes! Why did you bring me here?!"
"Please, don't raise your voice. I will answer your question. I want *you*, Sango."
Silence. And then, "Why?"
Sango could not believe it. What was he up to? Sure he was harmless now; otherwise he would've killed Miroku the night before for interfering. But what did he really want?
"Do you remember that night when your companion Kagome nearly killed me at my ghost castle? When I made your brother Kohaku try to kill you?" his eyebrows were drawn together seriously, and he positively glowed, the white light from the window behind him highlighting his skin and making his auburn eyes seem almost a bright red.
"How could I forget? What about it?"
"I was intrigued when I saw you give your poison gas mask to him, instead of using it for yourself. You continued to protect him, even though he was trying to kill you. Why? What emotions made you do that for him? You cared about nothing but the welfare of the boy, not even yourself."
"It's called love."
"Love. . . " he contemplated the word. "Yes. . . I vaguely remember love. . . it is what I felt for Kikyou, when I was a human. When I was Onigumo. Wait, no. . . I am wrong. . . what Onigumo felt for Kikyou was. . . fascination. Obsession. I guess I have never felt love. And for you, I'm not sure what I feel. That's why I brought you here. To sort out my feelings."
"I'm surprised you have feelings. I believe you to be heartless." she said coldly.
"No, I am not heartless, young Sango. I was driven insane with obsession for the Shikon no Tama. It was much like my obsession with Kikyou. But it is gone, now, and I've lost hope of ever possessing the jewel."
"Unbelievable." she said, her voice indifferent.
"I've grown weak, and have been growing weaker every day, slowly. I have few powers left, not even enough to kill someone. If I wanted to do that, I would have to do it by hand, which is unappealing to me. . . I expect I only have a few months left to. . . to exist." he said softly, sadly.
"This is a trap. I don't trust you, and I don't believe you. You're notorious for your lies, Naraku. Why should anyone believe you now?"
"Because," he said, pouring her some tea, "it really is the truth. I brought you here, because I want you to teach me. What is love, passion? Tenderness? What is emotion?"
"What makes you think I would want to be passionate with you?" she raised her voice, outraged. "What makes you think I could EVER love you?! You killed my family!" she stood, towering over him. "I should kill you right now! I have the right to!"
"So why don't you?"
"I WILL!" she lunged at him, over the table, and on top of him, her hands making their way to his throat. His touch on her wrists in return, was not one of fear, or panic, but was instead soft, and light. He did not protest. She clutched his throat tightly, yet he put up no fight. "Fight back! Be a man!" she growled.
His reddening face never moved, and still looked serene, and his eyes still peered at her lovingly.
She snatched her hands away from his neck and made fists. "Why?!" she began to beat on his chest desperately. "Why?! Why don't you fight back?! Damn you! Damn you!" Her anger slowly turned to desperation, and she began to cry, still helplessly pounding on his chest, her hair and bangs hanging in her face. "You killed my family! I hate you!" she cried. Slowly, she stopped her beating, and just sat here in front of him, silent with sobs.
Naraku watched her, his face now pale once again. He had red marks around his throat from her tight grip, and he expected slight bruising. "These tears do not suit you." he said, wiping her wet cheek with his fingers. "Please; do not cry."
She made and angry, frustrated sound. "I can't *not* cry, you fool!" She began to cry even harder.
Naraku found himself at a loss of a way to help her. So, he placed his hands on her face, and cradled it. She flinched, and she still cried, her eyelashes catching little drops of tears between them. "I am. . . I am sorry I killed your family."
"That's not enough!!" she yelled, jerking away. "I want you dead! You deserve it, you heartless bastard! I hate you! I hate you. . . "
He sat with her as she continued to cry. When her tears subsided, and her sobs became mere hiccups, she whispered in a tiny voice, "I am tired."
"Then come rest, dear Sango." he said, standing and bringing her with him to their feet.
Her subconscious admitted that his arm felt nice around her shoulders, and comforting. But she had only one thing on her mind: escape.
She shuffled ahead of him, as if she were truly as tired as she claimed to be. When they reached the large room that lead to the one she had spent the night in, she suddenly and, to Naraku's surprise, made a desperate dash for the door.
When she reached it, she slid it open and - it was as if she ran into a glass window. She could see the outside, hear the birds in the trees and feel the wind, but she could not go through the doorway. She made an anguished growl and beat helplessly on the invisible wall. "Let me out of here!" she cried. "Let me go! Why do you need me here?! I want to be with my friends, please! Just let me GO!"
"I feared you would try to escape," he said reluctantly, putting his hands on her shoulders. He turned her unresisting form around to lead her back to her room.
When they reached her door, she sniffled. "I hate you."
"Come rest." he pushed her gently to the ground and covered her up with the silk sheets. She closed her bleary eyes and rolled over, away from him. "I hate you," she muttered before she fell into a restless sleep.
~ ~ ~
Miroku watched InuYasha as he sat mirrored to him on the floor of their small hut. The hanyou was clearly trying not to kill something. He was muttering and growling unintelligible things, and his hands were in tight fists.
Kagome was crying silently to his left. Shippou was resting in her lap, unmoving and staring miserably into space.
Kirara was to his right. She sat completely erect, and still, in her small form. She would growl abruptly every now and then, and her tails would twitch.
Miroku felt a little guilty. He had just watched as Naraku had captured Kagome, just watched as he had walked up to her, and put his filthy hands on her. . . and he didn't do anything about it until it was too late.
"Grrr. . . I CAN'T TAKE THIS!!" InuYasha yelled suddenly. Everyone glanced up at him as he opened his hands very slowly and stared at his palms. They were bleeding from where his own claws had punctured them from fisting his hands. "Naraku. . . " InuYasha growled disturbingly. "Naraku is still alive. . . and he has. . . HE HAS SANGO!!" His eyes flashed red, and he caught himself and gripped Tetsusaiga's handle, for comfort from transforming into something irrational again.
Miroku ducked his head back down again, and didn't reply.
"Well?!" InuYasha snarled at him, making him flinch. "What are we just sitting here for?!" his head whipped to the side to look at Kagome. "Why aren't we out there doing something about this?!"
"Because," Miroku replied in a calm, anguished voice. "We do not know where they are. It's like trying to see something that is completely invisible."
InuYasha growled and slammed his fist sidelong into the wall behind him, drawing more blood from his palms.
"InuYasha," Kagome said roughly, "go wash your hands. Naraku obviously wants something from us, so he'll contact us soon. Go wash your hands," she repeated.
He got up swiftly and exited in a huff.
Kagome scooted closer to Miroku, and hugged his shoulders Shippou made his way around to her back, and jumped of to settle down in a corner. "We'll find her, Miroku. It's not your fault." Kagome told him. She placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, and got up to follow InuYasha.
Miroku still peered down at his knees. Kirara approached him, and purred, barely audibly. She jumped up in his lap, and curled up as he placed a hand on her head, and she joined him with the same expression of sadness and grief for their missing Sango.
~ ~ ~
Outside, Kagome found InuYasha sitting by the stream, letting his hands sit in the water. The day was hot, and he had removed his red robe, and was sitting there, donned only in his puffy red pants and white undershirt.
She joined him on the ground.
He didn't look up, but instead said to her, "The days are getting warmer."
Kagome nodded. Winter was over. Spring was arriving. "We'll find her, InuYasha. But we can't do that until we know where they are."
"I know," he grumbled. He took his hands out of the water and looked at them. The blood flow had stopped, and now there were deep wounds in the palms of his hands, four in a row, bruised purple around the edges. "Here I am, washing blood off my hands again. And all because of some stupid, power- hungry demon, *again*," he said sourly.
Kagome smoothed the hair on the side of his head, just below his dog-like ears. She let her hand drop to his shoulder, and kept it there, letting it rest, enjoying the physical contact with him, though she was still sad.
"What if he comes after you, Kagome? What will I do?" Softly.
Kagome looked up at him surprised by his verbal show of emotion. She inhaled deeply, her chest shaking nervously.
InuYasha continued. "It's bad enough that he has Sango, but *both* of you?" he shook his head, disbelievingly. Then, his voice became firm and demanding. "When we get back to the hut, I don't want you to leave it without my permission. And if you do leave it, I will go with you, and you will stay with me at all times, do you hear?"
Kagome's eyes were wide, and she nodded, understanding his need to protect her.
InuYasha stared back at his hands. "You can only go outside as long as you're with me. Miroku is powerless now that the hole in his hand is gone, and Shippou and Kirara. . . well, maybe Kirara. I. . . I need to protect you, Kagome. This has me scared, now. I will not lose you." he looked up at her, and his eyes were frightened and desperate.
She touched his face sadly, smoothing his eyebrows, caressing the soft skin of his cheek, wanting and trying to calm him, to remove his anguish. "Thank you for protecting me, InuYasha. Let me get some bandages for your hands."
She returned in no time, and he turned parallel to the stream, so that they're knees touched when she sat down in front of him. Held his hands out for her, and she took care in wrapping them gently. When she finished, she went to set her hands down once again, but he grabbed them back with his own, bandaged ones. "Thank you, Kagome."
She nodded once, nervously, unable to make a sound she was so nervous. He let go of her hands after a minute, and placed his hands on her cheeks. She closed her eyes at his touch.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her.
"Keeping you company," she replied, stating the obvious.
"No, I mean, *here*, in this time? Why don't you stay in your own, where it's safer? As a matter of fact," he said now, his mind working,". . . why don't you?"
Her eyes shot open. "No! Don't even think about it! I will not leave now, not when Sango needs me! She needs all of us, I will not desert her!"
InuYasha peered back at her with an amused smile on his lips, totally calm. "I should've figured you would say that," he said softly. He then pulled her face toward his, and leaned his head down to kiss her. He pulled away after a moment and said, "You're right. We do need you here. More than we know."
Kagome was speechless. Then after a while, she asked, "When did you become so emotional?"
"I've always been emotional," he said. "I've just never shown it. I'm not as heartless as Naraku."
Kagome just smiled at him.
"What is this, the best two out of three?" came Miroku's melancholy voice from beside them.
They looked up at him and pulled apart sadly. Miroku joined them on the ground. "Sorry, Miroku," Kagome said.
"Don't apologize; I was joking." he managed a small smile. "I was thinking," he said then, "We're going to need help."
"How're we gonna get that?" InuYasha's voice was gruff and business-like once again.
"I don't know. But I am praying." Miroku replied. "How are your hands?"
~ ~ ~
It was later that night when Sango awoke. She remembered very well where she was; how could she forget when she slept under warm silk sheets?
She still hated Naraku. For capturing her, for keeping her here. 'I'll show him,' she decided. 'I will make him fight me. I will destroy him for good, and when I do, I will make damn sure he is gone.'
As she peered into the darkness above her, she heard the shoji screen that lead to her room slide open quietly. Quietly. 'He thinks I'm still asleep. . .'
Sango shut her eyes to thin slits and evened out her breathing, pretending to be asleep. A dark figure soon appeared above her, Naraku she assumed, and his figure grew larger as he sat down beside her. And then. . . he just sat there. Watching her. It creeped her out a little. She then deliberately shifted, as if she were having a bad dream, and she drew her eyebrows together, to see what he would do. He immediately put one soft hand on her cheek, and caressed it. It was all she could do to keep her eyes from shooting open in surprise. What kind of reaction had she expected from him, anyway? Her chest grew tight, and her breathing became more erratic. It was easy to forget who Naraku was in the dark. When he was caressing you're cheek lovingly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Sango had to keep reminding herself. 'He killed your family. . . and he wanted to kill your friends. . . he probably wants to kill you. . . '
He put another hand on her other cheek, and held her face. Sango became worried. What if he was planning to kill her in her sleep? She decided to end it by opening her eyes.
"What are you doing?" she asked him flatly.
He pulled his hands away and looked at her. "Your face is very soft."
Sango goggled at him for a moment. How was she supposed to reply to that? "Um. . . thanks. . . "
"May I touch you again?"
"No."
"So be it. I'll leave you, then." He moved to get up, but stopped when she said:
"Wait - Naraku? What the hell do you want?" She sat up.
"I told you. I want you to teach me. I want you to teach me about love, and passion. . . I want to know what it feels like before I fade away."
"Fade away?"
"Yes. I told you," he repeated. "I am growing weaker. My powers are abandoning me little by little. . . I have only months left to exist. . . and I want to spend them with you."
Sango found herself to be much calmer this round. "Why me?"
"Because, you made me question emotions when you tried to save your brother. Love is alien to me. What is it?"
"Well, I - I can't really explain what it is. . . you feel it. In your chest. That's why you're heart breaks. When someone you love is. . . taken away from you," she said roughly, "your chest aches, and it literally feels like your heart is breaking. You feel love, you experience it, and you acknowledge it. You feel that you have to protect the person you love, because you can't stand the thought of any thing bad happening to them. When Kohaku was going to die from your poisons, I lost all logical thought when it came to protecting myself. All I could think about was his life. His safety."
"I didn't know it hurt so much."
"It does." She suddenly felt a wave of pity for Naraku. Maybe, now, he wasn't pure evil anymore. He was curious. The grasp of obsession had left him as nothing but an empty shell. That is, if he wasn't lying. But, he did say he was sorry. . .
"Are you. . ." she asked cautiously, "Are you really sorry about killing my family?"
"I wasn't at the time. But I sincerely regret it, now. If I had known it would cause you so much pain. . .so much grief. . . I would never have done it. I wasn't thinking straight. But I do have some hope, that you may forgive me."
Sango stared at him. "Forgive you? No. . . I don't think I could ever forgive you." Pain was apparent in his eyes at her words, and something twisted in her chest. "However. . ." she said, and he looked up anxiously, "I can learn to look past it. If you are being totally honest."
He looked at her, his eyes shining innocently, determined. "How can I prove it to you, Sango?"
She realized she didn't know. If she wanted to go through with trusting him, she would have to rely completely on her gut. If it was a trick, in the end, she would play the fool, and pay the price . . but his eyes. . . Her heart was telling her, this was the truth. And in that moment, she decided to believe him. "Never mind. I've. . . I've changed my mind. You seem so sincere. . . "
He said nothing, but looked at her, lovingly. As she stared back, his eyebrows drew together, as if he were confused. He put a hand over his chest. Then, he picked up her right hand, and put it over his chest. She could feel a. . . a heartbeat? Naraku. . . Naraku had a heart?
She stared at his chest with wide eyes, not believing what she was feeling. Naraku definitely had a heart. And it was beating rapidly. His breaths, she noticed, were short, and tight. As if he were. . . nervous. She looked up into his eyes, and saw that he, indeed, was nervous. She then found that her own heart was beating as fast as his. What was happening? She was nervous, too. . .
When he spoke, his voice was ragged, as if he were trying to keep it normal. "How does it feel when you love someone. . . but they feel no love for you in return?"
Sango pulled her hand away, and as soon as she did, she ached to touch him again. "It feels the same as heartbreak. And you feel physically hurt, because you can't touch them. . . because, they won't. . . let you. . . " she realized with wide eyes what she was saying. Was this what Naraku was feeling? Did he want her to describe love because he didn't know what he felt for her?
And now that he knew he felt love, he felt longing as well, because she did not love him in return.
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How was it? Darker? Yeah, I know. . . I want it to be dark. I like darkfics.
Any whoo, I'm so nervous about everyone's reactions! Will it not make any sense, is Naraku too out of character? Argh! I hope not. . . Review, please, let me know exactly what you think! Don't be shy! ^_~
I'll update very soon! C ya!
Honey Bee
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She woke up to the sun shining brightly in her eyes. Sango looked around, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion and fear.
She was lying on a futon, with white sheets, intricately embroidered silk. The wooden walls and shoji screens were light, and the other furniture in the room looked to be valuable and rare.
She realized her clothes were missing. She nearly panicked, but forced herself to keep quiet, and as she sat up, she kept the silk sheets clutched to her chest. A voice from behind her made her jump.
"You're awake."
Naraku. Everything from the night before came rushing back to her, and she nearly panicked again. But she managed to keep her voice calm and demanding. "Where is my clothing, Naraku?"
"It was dirty and unsuitable for you, so I'm having it destroyed." He walked in front of her, and in the morning light, her mind registered how handsome and serene his face looked. Her body reacted, but she suppressed the feelings.
"Here are some more befitting clothes for you." he kneeled beside her and lay on her lap an off-white silk kimono, folded into a square.
Her eyes looked at the kimono, and then at him. He looked so kind and harmless. . . she had to force herself to remember his true nature.
"I assume you bathed last night?" he asked.
Sango nodded numbly as she vaguely remembered bathing in the hot springs with Kagome.
"I'll leave you to dress in solitary." he got up and left the room.
Sango still sat there, staring at the kimono. How had this happened? she wondered. Then again. . . why was she surprised? It *was* Naraku, after all. What did he want?
She made sure the screen was shut all the way, then got up and dressed quickly. The silk was soft against her body, and smelled faintly of jasmine. She got a. . . a *sensual* feeling from it, and it frightened her a little. She pushed the feeling down, and stepped out of her room.
She looked around the large room it lead to. The place seemed pretty big - probably another "stolen" castle. Her feet tapped lightly on the floor as she made her way into the dining room. She found him there.
He looked up at her from his seat on the floor at the table. "Please, join me."
Sango regarded him carefully, and hesitantly made her way over to sit across from him, as far back as she could and still be able to reach the table. "What do you want, Naraku?"
"Want?"
"Yes! Why did you bring me here?!"
"Please, don't raise your voice. I will answer your question. I want *you*, Sango."
Silence. And then, "Why?"
Sango could not believe it. What was he up to? Sure he was harmless now; otherwise he would've killed Miroku the night before for interfering. But what did he really want?
"Do you remember that night when your companion Kagome nearly killed me at my ghost castle? When I made your brother Kohaku try to kill you?" his eyebrows were drawn together seriously, and he positively glowed, the white light from the window behind him highlighting his skin and making his auburn eyes seem almost a bright red.
"How could I forget? What about it?"
"I was intrigued when I saw you give your poison gas mask to him, instead of using it for yourself. You continued to protect him, even though he was trying to kill you. Why? What emotions made you do that for him? You cared about nothing but the welfare of the boy, not even yourself."
"It's called love."
"Love. . . " he contemplated the word. "Yes. . . I vaguely remember love. . . it is what I felt for Kikyou, when I was a human. When I was Onigumo. Wait, no. . . I am wrong. . . what Onigumo felt for Kikyou was. . . fascination. Obsession. I guess I have never felt love. And for you, I'm not sure what I feel. That's why I brought you here. To sort out my feelings."
"I'm surprised you have feelings. I believe you to be heartless." she said coldly.
"No, I am not heartless, young Sango. I was driven insane with obsession for the Shikon no Tama. It was much like my obsession with Kikyou. But it is gone, now, and I've lost hope of ever possessing the jewel."
"Unbelievable." she said, her voice indifferent.
"I've grown weak, and have been growing weaker every day, slowly. I have few powers left, not even enough to kill someone. If I wanted to do that, I would have to do it by hand, which is unappealing to me. . . I expect I only have a few months left to. . . to exist." he said softly, sadly.
"This is a trap. I don't trust you, and I don't believe you. You're notorious for your lies, Naraku. Why should anyone believe you now?"
"Because," he said, pouring her some tea, "it really is the truth. I brought you here, because I want you to teach me. What is love, passion? Tenderness? What is emotion?"
"What makes you think I would want to be passionate with you?" she raised her voice, outraged. "What makes you think I could EVER love you?! You killed my family!" she stood, towering over him. "I should kill you right now! I have the right to!"
"So why don't you?"
"I WILL!" she lunged at him, over the table, and on top of him, her hands making their way to his throat. His touch on her wrists in return, was not one of fear, or panic, but was instead soft, and light. He did not protest. She clutched his throat tightly, yet he put up no fight. "Fight back! Be a man!" she growled.
His reddening face never moved, and still looked serene, and his eyes still peered at her lovingly.
She snatched her hands away from his neck and made fists. "Why?!" she began to beat on his chest desperately. "Why?! Why don't you fight back?! Damn you! Damn you!" Her anger slowly turned to desperation, and she began to cry, still helplessly pounding on his chest, her hair and bangs hanging in her face. "You killed my family! I hate you!" she cried. Slowly, she stopped her beating, and just sat here in front of him, silent with sobs.
Naraku watched her, his face now pale once again. He had red marks around his throat from her tight grip, and he expected slight bruising. "These tears do not suit you." he said, wiping her wet cheek with his fingers. "Please; do not cry."
She made and angry, frustrated sound. "I can't *not* cry, you fool!" She began to cry even harder.
Naraku found himself at a loss of a way to help her. So, he placed his hands on her face, and cradled it. She flinched, and she still cried, her eyelashes catching little drops of tears between them. "I am. . . I am sorry I killed your family."
"That's not enough!!" she yelled, jerking away. "I want you dead! You deserve it, you heartless bastard! I hate you! I hate you. . . "
He sat with her as she continued to cry. When her tears subsided, and her sobs became mere hiccups, she whispered in a tiny voice, "I am tired."
"Then come rest, dear Sango." he said, standing and bringing her with him to their feet.
Her subconscious admitted that his arm felt nice around her shoulders, and comforting. But she had only one thing on her mind: escape.
She shuffled ahead of him, as if she were truly as tired as she claimed to be. When they reached the large room that lead to the one she had spent the night in, she suddenly and, to Naraku's surprise, made a desperate dash for the door.
When she reached it, she slid it open and - it was as if she ran into a glass window. She could see the outside, hear the birds in the trees and feel the wind, but she could not go through the doorway. She made an anguished growl and beat helplessly on the invisible wall. "Let me out of here!" she cried. "Let me go! Why do you need me here?! I want to be with my friends, please! Just let me GO!"
"I feared you would try to escape," he said reluctantly, putting his hands on her shoulders. He turned her unresisting form around to lead her back to her room.
When they reached her door, she sniffled. "I hate you."
"Come rest." he pushed her gently to the ground and covered her up with the silk sheets. She closed her bleary eyes and rolled over, away from him. "I hate you," she muttered before she fell into a restless sleep.
~ ~ ~
Miroku watched InuYasha as he sat mirrored to him on the floor of their small hut. The hanyou was clearly trying not to kill something. He was muttering and growling unintelligible things, and his hands were in tight fists.
Kagome was crying silently to his left. Shippou was resting in her lap, unmoving and staring miserably into space.
Kirara was to his right. She sat completely erect, and still, in her small form. She would growl abruptly every now and then, and her tails would twitch.
Miroku felt a little guilty. He had just watched as Naraku had captured Kagome, just watched as he had walked up to her, and put his filthy hands on her. . . and he didn't do anything about it until it was too late.
"Grrr. . . I CAN'T TAKE THIS!!" InuYasha yelled suddenly. Everyone glanced up at him as he opened his hands very slowly and stared at his palms. They were bleeding from where his own claws had punctured them from fisting his hands. "Naraku. . . " InuYasha growled disturbingly. "Naraku is still alive. . . and he has. . . HE HAS SANGO!!" His eyes flashed red, and he caught himself and gripped Tetsusaiga's handle, for comfort from transforming into something irrational again.
Miroku ducked his head back down again, and didn't reply.
"Well?!" InuYasha snarled at him, making him flinch. "What are we just sitting here for?!" his head whipped to the side to look at Kagome. "Why aren't we out there doing something about this?!"
"Because," Miroku replied in a calm, anguished voice. "We do not know where they are. It's like trying to see something that is completely invisible."
InuYasha growled and slammed his fist sidelong into the wall behind him, drawing more blood from his palms.
"InuYasha," Kagome said roughly, "go wash your hands. Naraku obviously wants something from us, so he'll contact us soon. Go wash your hands," she repeated.
He got up swiftly and exited in a huff.
Kagome scooted closer to Miroku, and hugged his shoulders Shippou made his way around to her back, and jumped of to settle down in a corner. "We'll find her, Miroku. It's not your fault." Kagome told him. She placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, and got up to follow InuYasha.
Miroku still peered down at his knees. Kirara approached him, and purred, barely audibly. She jumped up in his lap, and curled up as he placed a hand on her head, and she joined him with the same expression of sadness and grief for their missing Sango.
~ ~ ~
Outside, Kagome found InuYasha sitting by the stream, letting his hands sit in the water. The day was hot, and he had removed his red robe, and was sitting there, donned only in his puffy red pants and white undershirt.
She joined him on the ground.
He didn't look up, but instead said to her, "The days are getting warmer."
Kagome nodded. Winter was over. Spring was arriving. "We'll find her, InuYasha. But we can't do that until we know where they are."
"I know," he grumbled. He took his hands out of the water and looked at them. The blood flow had stopped, and now there were deep wounds in the palms of his hands, four in a row, bruised purple around the edges. "Here I am, washing blood off my hands again. And all because of some stupid, power- hungry demon, *again*," he said sourly.
Kagome smoothed the hair on the side of his head, just below his dog-like ears. She let her hand drop to his shoulder, and kept it there, letting it rest, enjoying the physical contact with him, though she was still sad.
"What if he comes after you, Kagome? What will I do?" Softly.
Kagome looked up at him surprised by his verbal show of emotion. She inhaled deeply, her chest shaking nervously.
InuYasha continued. "It's bad enough that he has Sango, but *both* of you?" he shook his head, disbelievingly. Then, his voice became firm and demanding. "When we get back to the hut, I don't want you to leave it without my permission. And if you do leave it, I will go with you, and you will stay with me at all times, do you hear?"
Kagome's eyes were wide, and she nodded, understanding his need to protect her.
InuYasha stared back at his hands. "You can only go outside as long as you're with me. Miroku is powerless now that the hole in his hand is gone, and Shippou and Kirara. . . well, maybe Kirara. I. . . I need to protect you, Kagome. This has me scared, now. I will not lose you." he looked up at her, and his eyes were frightened and desperate.
She touched his face sadly, smoothing his eyebrows, caressing the soft skin of his cheek, wanting and trying to calm him, to remove his anguish. "Thank you for protecting me, InuYasha. Let me get some bandages for your hands."
She returned in no time, and he turned parallel to the stream, so that they're knees touched when she sat down in front of him. Held his hands out for her, and she took care in wrapping them gently. When she finished, she went to set her hands down once again, but he grabbed them back with his own, bandaged ones. "Thank you, Kagome."
She nodded once, nervously, unable to make a sound she was so nervous. He let go of her hands after a minute, and placed his hands on her cheeks. She closed her eyes at his touch.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her.
"Keeping you company," she replied, stating the obvious.
"No, I mean, *here*, in this time? Why don't you stay in your own, where it's safer? As a matter of fact," he said now, his mind working,". . . why don't you?"
Her eyes shot open. "No! Don't even think about it! I will not leave now, not when Sango needs me! She needs all of us, I will not desert her!"
InuYasha peered back at her with an amused smile on his lips, totally calm. "I should've figured you would say that," he said softly. He then pulled her face toward his, and leaned his head down to kiss her. He pulled away after a moment and said, "You're right. We do need you here. More than we know."
Kagome was speechless. Then after a while, she asked, "When did you become so emotional?"
"I've always been emotional," he said. "I've just never shown it. I'm not as heartless as Naraku."
Kagome just smiled at him.
"What is this, the best two out of three?" came Miroku's melancholy voice from beside them.
They looked up at him and pulled apart sadly. Miroku joined them on the ground. "Sorry, Miroku," Kagome said.
"Don't apologize; I was joking." he managed a small smile. "I was thinking," he said then, "We're going to need help."
"How're we gonna get that?" InuYasha's voice was gruff and business-like once again.
"I don't know. But I am praying." Miroku replied. "How are your hands?"
~ ~ ~
It was later that night when Sango awoke. She remembered very well where she was; how could she forget when she slept under warm silk sheets?
She still hated Naraku. For capturing her, for keeping her here. 'I'll show him,' she decided. 'I will make him fight me. I will destroy him for good, and when I do, I will make damn sure he is gone.'
As she peered into the darkness above her, she heard the shoji screen that lead to her room slide open quietly. Quietly. 'He thinks I'm still asleep. . .'
Sango shut her eyes to thin slits and evened out her breathing, pretending to be asleep. A dark figure soon appeared above her, Naraku she assumed, and his figure grew larger as he sat down beside her. And then. . . he just sat there. Watching her. It creeped her out a little. She then deliberately shifted, as if she were having a bad dream, and she drew her eyebrows together, to see what he would do. He immediately put one soft hand on her cheek, and caressed it. It was all she could do to keep her eyes from shooting open in surprise. What kind of reaction had she expected from him, anyway? Her chest grew tight, and her breathing became more erratic. It was easy to forget who Naraku was in the dark. When he was caressing you're cheek lovingly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Sango had to keep reminding herself. 'He killed your family. . . and he wanted to kill your friends. . . he probably wants to kill you. . . '
He put another hand on her other cheek, and held her face. Sango became worried. What if he was planning to kill her in her sleep? She decided to end it by opening her eyes.
"What are you doing?" she asked him flatly.
He pulled his hands away and looked at her. "Your face is very soft."
Sango goggled at him for a moment. How was she supposed to reply to that? "Um. . . thanks. . . "
"May I touch you again?"
"No."
"So be it. I'll leave you, then." He moved to get up, but stopped when she said:
"Wait - Naraku? What the hell do you want?" She sat up.
"I told you. I want you to teach me. I want you to teach me about love, and passion. . . I want to know what it feels like before I fade away."
"Fade away?"
"Yes. I told you," he repeated. "I am growing weaker. My powers are abandoning me little by little. . . I have only months left to exist. . . and I want to spend them with you."
Sango found herself to be much calmer this round. "Why me?"
"Because, you made me question emotions when you tried to save your brother. Love is alien to me. What is it?"
"Well, I - I can't really explain what it is. . . you feel it. In your chest. That's why you're heart breaks. When someone you love is. . . taken away from you," she said roughly, "your chest aches, and it literally feels like your heart is breaking. You feel love, you experience it, and you acknowledge it. You feel that you have to protect the person you love, because you can't stand the thought of any thing bad happening to them. When Kohaku was going to die from your poisons, I lost all logical thought when it came to protecting myself. All I could think about was his life. His safety."
"I didn't know it hurt so much."
"It does." She suddenly felt a wave of pity for Naraku. Maybe, now, he wasn't pure evil anymore. He was curious. The grasp of obsession had left him as nothing but an empty shell. That is, if he wasn't lying. But, he did say he was sorry. . .
"Are you. . ." she asked cautiously, "Are you really sorry about killing my family?"
"I wasn't at the time. But I sincerely regret it, now. If I had known it would cause you so much pain. . .so much grief. . . I would never have done it. I wasn't thinking straight. But I do have some hope, that you may forgive me."
Sango stared at him. "Forgive you? No. . . I don't think I could ever forgive you." Pain was apparent in his eyes at her words, and something twisted in her chest. "However. . ." she said, and he looked up anxiously, "I can learn to look past it. If you are being totally honest."
He looked at her, his eyes shining innocently, determined. "How can I prove it to you, Sango?"
She realized she didn't know. If she wanted to go through with trusting him, she would have to rely completely on her gut. If it was a trick, in the end, she would play the fool, and pay the price . . but his eyes. . . Her heart was telling her, this was the truth. And in that moment, she decided to believe him. "Never mind. I've. . . I've changed my mind. You seem so sincere. . . "
He said nothing, but looked at her, lovingly. As she stared back, his eyebrows drew together, as if he were confused. He put a hand over his chest. Then, he picked up her right hand, and put it over his chest. She could feel a. . . a heartbeat? Naraku. . . Naraku had a heart?
She stared at his chest with wide eyes, not believing what she was feeling. Naraku definitely had a heart. And it was beating rapidly. His breaths, she noticed, were short, and tight. As if he were. . . nervous. She looked up into his eyes, and saw that he, indeed, was nervous. She then found that her own heart was beating as fast as his. What was happening? She was nervous, too. . .
When he spoke, his voice was ragged, as if he were trying to keep it normal. "How does it feel when you love someone. . . but they feel no love for you in return?"
Sango pulled her hand away, and as soon as she did, she ached to touch him again. "It feels the same as heartbreak. And you feel physically hurt, because you can't touch them. . . because, they won't. . . let you. . . " she realized with wide eyes what she was saying. Was this what Naraku was feeling? Did he want her to describe love because he didn't know what he felt for her?
And now that he knew he felt love, he felt longing as well, because she did not love him in return.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How was it? Darker? Yeah, I know. . . I want it to be dark. I like darkfics.
Any whoo, I'm so nervous about everyone's reactions! Will it not make any sense, is Naraku too out of character? Argh! I hope not. . . Review, please, let me know exactly what you think! Don't be shy! ^_~
I'll update very soon! C ya!
Honey Bee