CC: Finally, I've managed to write another chapter, though it took Spring Break and various threats from one of my friends to make me do so... Sorry about the wait everyone! Hope this lives up to the other chapters... I've changed the format on the other chapters because it was bugging me, as well as a few minor grammatical errors.
Disclaimer: This is... what? The sixth time I've written this? I think you've got the message by now.
A Psychological Breakthrough
He was doing it again. He was spinning in circles. Kagura wasn't quite certain when this had begun, or why he continued to do it. All she knew was that it annoyed the hell out of her, and she wanted it to stop.
Whenever Naraku was idle, generally waiting for one of his evil plots to be foiled by Kagome and crew, he spun in circles. It was a nervous habit, like speaking rapidly or picking one's nose, only this was *far* more annoying. It almost made Kagura want to scream.
Fortunately, she had more self-control than that.
"Why don't you check your book again, Naraku?" Kagura suggested. Anything to stop that infernal spinning!
"Ah, yes," he agreed, ceasing his motion. The sudden stop drew a sigh of relief from Kagura's lips. Naraku reached into the sleeve of his shirt and pulled out a single yellow-and-black striped volume. It was like Naraku's Bible, that little book.
"Ah, my friend," Naraku prayed to it. "You who were there in my greatest hour of need, serve me again. May you be there beside me, whether I be in sickness or health, and may you always be there to inspire me when my lesser mind fails."
Kagura groaned. Did he have to say that stupid prayer *every* time he pulled out that book?
Naraku opened the volume and flipped through it, finally coming to a stop on the chapter labeled "Chapter 9.352: The Foiling of the Plot" and read aloud.
"After putting your evil plot into motion (see Chapter 3.141), you must always give your opponent a chance to escape, thus 'Foiling the Plot.' This will always happen; it is inevitable, as the 'hero' possesses an uncanny ability to ravage (see Webster's Dictionary) the most well-laid schemes. However, do not lose heart. After the hero has escaped your clutches, you may do any (or all) of the following..."
With those words, Naraku cradled the book to his heart. Kagura just rolled her eyes. "Hmph. Villainy for Dummies. How ridiculous."
She strode away, anxious to leave her crazed master's presence. He was getting too disturbing for her tastes.
*
Hiei rocked back and forth on the floor of the closet. "So... tiny... can't... breath..." he mumbled, his eyes locked straight ahead.
"You said that already," Kagome informed him irritably.
"But it's so small..." he whined. Geeze. Lock a tough guy in a closet and he becomes a wuss? How strange... Kagome thought.
"Lets talk about something else," Kagome suggested.
"Like?"
"Tell me about your family," Kagome said with a shrug. She had always wanted to know a bit more about the boy; perhaps this was her answer.
"I don't really have one," he said rapidly, though not nearly as quickly as Naraku on caffeine had spoken as he looked around the miniature closet. "But I have friends. You've met them. There's only four of us, so our group is small. Like this closet."
Kagome rubbed her temples as she sat down beside Hiei. This was going to be difficult.
"So tell me about your friends, then," Kagome ordered, hesitantly rubbing his back. That was always pleasant when you were feeling terrified.
"There's Yusuke. He's the leader. And Kurama. I trust him. And there's Kuwabara..." Hiei stated, his fear gradually beginning to diffuse.
"Go on," Kagome urged him, not realizing that she would regret it in a moment.
"Well, Kuwabara is an idiot, so sometimes I call him Kuwabaka. And he is in love with Yukina. She is my sister. And he can sense things well for a human, but he is an idiot, so it really does not count, and I really dislike him, and..." Hiei would have said more, but he noticed the odd way Kagome was looking at him and shut his mouth.
Well. There it went. He had said more in those past few moments than she had ever heard him say before, and now he was silent again. Damn.
Not that it mattered to Kagome. At least he had stopped quaking like a leaf in a tornado. Now he resembled a leaf on a windy day, and he was considering her with a curious expression etched on his face.
"Tell me a bit about yourself," he finally ordered Kagome, breaking the silence between them.
"Wait. What about your story?" Kagome protested.
"I would much rather hear a tale I do not know," he answered with a glare that was vaguely reminiscent of the ones he had given her while they were in their own time.
"Alright..." Kagome said. Now how to begin? She could start at the beginning of her life, but that would be dull. She could start with her first fall down the well, though she had a strange feeling that he wouldn't want to hear about her misadventures with Inuyasha. She could just discuss her family in general... "Well, I have a mother, a brother, Souta, and a grandfather. I also have a father, but I don't really know where he is right now. Then I have my friends from school, Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi, who are constantly matchmaking. It's very frustrating..."
She trailed off, her eyes catching his reddish-brown ones, and she shivered. At that instant, she knew something. Something she hadn't even imagined possible.
"I have to tell you something, Hiei..." she began.
Suddenly, the closet door was opened, saving Kagome from any more tedious pondering. "You two are free to go," a woman sighed. It was Kagura.
Kagome blinked a few times before muttering, "Thanks, I think..."
"Just... go. So then he can stop waiting for you to escape. It's terribly annoying," Kagura drawled.
"We're free... just like that?" Kagome wondered.
"Yes. Now go!"
With those words, Kagura pointed to the door, sending the two of them on their merry way. Kagome led a still-quivering Hiei, arm around his shoulders, to the exit.
Once the two of them were outside, she turned to Hiei. "Now *that* was an interesting experience."
"Hn."
Great. Back to his talkative self. And she had been on the point of a major breakthrough!
"So..." she sighed. "Back to square one..."
"What did you need to tell me?"
Kagome's eyes widened. He had been listening? Had she been claustrophobic, she wouldn't have even been listening to anyone else had they been speaking with her. She would have been too preoccupied quivering in fear. Apparently, Hiei was different. That was bad for her.
"Nothing!" she laughed nervously, feeling shameful heat in her cheeks. "Race you back to Kaede's?"
*
"They have escaped, Master Naraku," Kagura announced to her master, bowing.
"Yes!" he squealed, but then, seeing the critical stares he was receiving from his evil minion, he became more sober. "Allow me to consult the Mighty Book!"
Reaching into his shirt, he drew out the yellow-and-black volume from before, holding it to the sky. He could almost imagine a light from Heaven shining down onto the booklet as angels praised it with sweet voices that were, well, angelic. He was so focused on gazing at the book appreciatively, he didn't even notice Kagura viciously attack it with a match after dampening it with some gasoline. All that he saw was the book suddenly bursting into flames.
"Nooooo!" he cried, immediately dousing the book, but he was too late. The book was already deceased, burned black and sooty. He clutched the little thing to his heart in mourning before dropping to his knees as he held the book to the sky and screamed, "NOOOOOOO!"
*
Kagura's eye twitched. How could her master be so... sophomoric and immature? She was tempted to tear the black veil of mourning from her face and jump up and down on it. Unfortunately, were she do this, she might quickly leave Naraku with more to mourn than just a book.
"It was a loyal book," Bob stated solemnly. He probably wanted to be here about as much as Kagura did, though he was doing a considerably better job of playing sad than she was. "And, um... it was loyal."
With those words, he stepped away from the coffin Naraku had made for the volume and stood beside Kagura.
Now Naraku stood before them. "This book was Precious to me. Yet it was beautiful. Too beautiful for this world, I suppose..." he began sobbing as he spoke. How ridiculous could one event get? Kagura snorted indignantly. Immediately, Naraku looked up. "Was that an indignant snort?"
"No, Master Naraku. It was an attempt to stop the tears from flowing from these eyes of mine," Kagura improvised. Her master came forwards and embraced her.
"I understand how you feel," he comforted her. She nearly snorted again but caught herself. She didn't want any more hugs.
*
Hiei sat in Kaede's hut, grumbling to himself. Kagome had refused to return home with him, though she had left him the shard with which he could do so alone. He wished that she was there with him; that way, he could complain to her.
Sadly, she had run off to go take a bath with her demon-slaying friend and left him behind to keep an eye on the devious monk who could be called by no other name than "Miroku."
He had heard a few tales of Miroku's exploits from Kagome when she had explained his mission to him: to prevent the monk from spying on the bathers. He hadn't realized just how cunning this fellow could be, though. Miroku had tried everything to escape Hiei's gaze, from simple distraction ("Look! It's a bald eagle!") to throwing the fox kit into his face and running.
Unfortunately, Hiei was too intelligent to fall for the eagle trick, and the fox kit... well, he had caught it before it had struck him and similarly caught the monk. Finally, Miroku had gone to sleep, snoring softly. That had made Hiei's task considerably easier.
Sighing, Hiei stood and stretched his legs, walking outside into the sun for a bit of fresh air. With a yawn, he stretched his arms to the sky... and froze as a sense of something bad reached him. He turned back into the hut, but he was too slow. The devious monk was already gone, leaving him alone.
He closed his eyes, smelling the wind momentarily before catching and following the monk's scent.
Within moments, he had caught up with the monk, only to find him speaking with Kagome's friend, Sango. Something was wrong.
"...and they took her away!" Sango exclaimed, waving her boomerang about in a menacing gesture no doubt warning the monk to keep his hands to himself.
"Who?" Hiei snarled.
"Kagome!" Miroku sighed as though it was obvious. "She's always the one they kidnap! They always go for the lovely young women..."
Hiei's eyes narrowed. "What happened?"
"Well," Sango said. "We were bathing, and suddenly demons descended upon us! A couple of Ice apparitions. Very pretty girls, really. Anyhow, they said something about needing a miko, knocked Kagome unconscious, and fled! Just like that!"
"Hn."
"Miroku, how can we save her?" Sango cried, turning back to the monk.
He stood silently musing for a moment before opening his mouth to speak, though Hiei spoke first. "I suggest we find and slay them all, thus teaching them a valuable lesson in stealing the property of others."
"We can't do that! It's ludicrous to attack them! They travel in vast groups! Even if they were weak, we would be overwhelmed by their sheer numbers!" Sango protested.
"We need an insider," Miroku suggested.
For an instant, Hiei suspected that the monk was about to do something awful, but he shrugged off the feeling an nodded along. "Hn."
"Someone who can infiltrate their ranks unnoticed."
"Hn."
"Someone female, as every Ice apparition I've ever seen has been a lovely lady."
"Hn."
"Someone small, but strong enough to defend herself should the need arise."
"Hn."
"Someone who can reign in her temper."
"Hn."
"Someone who is intelligent."
"Hn."
"Someone who cares for Kagome."
"Hn."
"But where are we to find such a woman?" Miroku finally sighed. "Sango is too tall to blend in properly."
"Yes. We would need someone of Kagome's stature," Sango sighed. Why did this speech sound rehearsed? Hiei was suddenly unnerved by the way the two of them were staring at him.
The three of them stood there motionless for a few moments before Sango finally said, "So... Hiei... how do you feel about skirts?"
That was it. He was leaving. He turned to go and found his way blocked by the hanyou friend of Kagome's, Inuyasha. Damn.
The dog grabbed Hiei and thrust the smaller demon over his shoulder with a grin before dragging him back to Kaede's hut, the petite fellow kicking and yelling the whole way.
*
Naraku looked up from the coffin of his book. He could have sworn he'd heard an inhuman scream...
*~*~*
CC: *staring at screen wide-eyed* Well. The Hiei thing was... unexpected.
Dancing Bagel: And you were smoking WHAT when you wrote this story?
CC: Heh heh... Well, thanks for the reviews, everyone!