Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own honor... wait, no., never mind. I don't own honor any more.
Dark Inu Fan, you've just made this story much, much more interesting. –evil laughter-
Well, I'm already dead for not updating forever, so... -cough- here you go...
Forever
Chapter 18: Onigumo's Heart
Kagome
She was filled with happiness, joy coursing through her veins as she kissed Inuyasha. But he pulled back at length, and gazed into her eyes. Kagome blushed and remembered her manners. She had to thank the stranger.
He was in the shadows, an awkward grin on his face. Kagome shrugged off the evil thought that bloomed inside her mind and smiled at him kindly.
"Thank you, sir..." she said, grasping Inuyasha's hand firmly.
His voice was frightening, ominously evil in reply. They were kind words, but a double meaning flowed through them, the man's tone strangely villainous.
"Oh, no, Kagome," he replied darkly. "The pleasure is all mine."
InuyashaSomething was wrong. He smelled strange. There was an odor to him that the hanyou recognized... but from where? He blocked off the nagging voice that told him to worry, assuming all humans in Kagome's time smelled that way... except for Kagome, that is.
She smelled of Sakura buds in the gentle wind, of the freshness of morning, and the cool dew on leaves. She smelled of her time, of the street and dust and of sweat... but sweet nonetheless. Never, never in his life or beyond, would he trade this moment. For anything. For riches, for power, for all his heart's desires... because all his heart's desires were here. Right here, holding Kagome, loving Kagome... this was where he felt right. This was where he lived, truly thrived.
Naraku
He grinned further at their confusion, as his plan unraveled bit by bit, each gear falling in place as he'd planned. Now was the time to grab that pitiful human girl and torture her, killing Inuyasha harshly, leaving him to watch Kagome's gruesome death...
There.
There was the moment. Kagome turned her head slightly to look at Inuyasha, her look of pure bliss, of pure love. Her neck... All he had to do was reach out and grab her neck, and she would be completely in his control.
But that look...
That love, that undying devotion in her gaze was given to Inuyasha. Inuyasha. Inuyasha.
No. Naraku shook his head, sure that the lovers wouldn't see him. They didn't seem to notice, so he continued to rage on within himself. This wasn't planned. This wasn't supposed to happen. But it did.
That pang in his chest, that awkward rhythm of his heart.... That cursed heart! The heart of that fool, Onigumo, still beat within the demon Naraku had become. But was Onigumo not desirous of Kikyo? He had rid himself of that mortal. Then why did his heart pound so?
Grey eyes turned to the mortal girl. Her. She was Kikyo. She bore the priestess' soul. She had to die.
But Naraku's hand wouldn't raise against her. He couldn't hurt the wench.
Cursing inwardly and scowling to himself, Naraku deemed it time to kill the hanyou fool instead. He raised his hand, and smiled evilly. No heart would stop him from killing that wench.
The pitiful hanyou had no chance to cry out.
Sango
She was with Miroku when it happened. They were walking through the wood, enjoying the beauty around them, and each other's presence. Miroku stooped to pick a flower for her. It was a beautiful flower, lines of pink and yellow and deep violet streaking the velvet petals.
She sniffed it when he gave it to her. It smelled of Sakura blossoms and daisies and roses and tulips and all the flowers in the world... every petal sending pure bliss down her spine. She wrapped her arms about Miroku and smiled, perfectly happy. If only this moment could last forever...
And then it came.
Or rather, he came.
It was a Sesshomaru. A weary expression of heart-sore wounds pasted over his face, eyes near tears. His hair was matted with blood, and the demon stank of the substance. He trailed it, and wounds of all manner traced themselves about him, enclosing him in poison, darts, arrows, daggers and sword wounds. He was weak. He was almost crawling.
Sesshomaru's girl and his imp were nowhere in sight. He was alone.
Sango and Miroku knew better than to trust Inuyasha's elder brother, but what harm could he do in such a state? He had helped them... it was time for them to return the favor. The monk and the exterminator rushed to Sesshomaru's side, placing him gently on the ground. But first thing's first. They had to know what happened.
"... Puppets... Naraku..." was all the youkai managed to say. And even those two words cost him dear. Blood spilled from his mouth, staining his lips with bile and the red substance. His eyes closed slowly, clenched in pain, then opened in horror. His jaw clenched, blood poured from his ears and nose.
Needless to say, he was a wreck.
Sango stared at Miroku in horror.
"So Naraku..."
"Is still alive." He finished for her, stroking Sango's cheek for reassurance.
Sango wasn't reassured. But this was no time for worry. Panic would come later. Now, they had to help Sesshomaru.
Glancing at the demon's grotesque wounds, Sango winced.
"This is beyond my power..." she muttered.
"And mine," replied Miroku. "We have to get him to Kaede."
Sango nodded deeply, and took her place at Sesshomaru's head. She held him by the shoulders as Miroku picked up the demon's feet. And so, inching along bit by bit, they headed for the village where they hoped that Kaede would be able to help him.
Sango didn't care one bit about whether Sesshomaru lived or died, but they needed more information off him. They needed more knowledge.
Naraku
The hanyou was unconscious in his grasp, limp momentarily. Kagome stared at him in terror, and backed away in fear.
"W-who are you?" she stuttered.
Naraku laughed, that deep, throaty laugh. That evil laugh that stroke fear to even the most courageous man's heart. Not to mention some weak human girl's.
He snapped his fingers, letting his disguise slink away with the magic that held it. Kagome gasped in further fear, but gulped it down. Her eyes turned red with hate, mad with fury.
"NARAKU!" she shouted, no longer afraid. Pitiful girl... love drove her to be blind. Didn't she see what he was going to do? No... no, she did not. Perfect.
Naraku raised Inuyasha by the neck, and let go of the hanyou. He did not fall. Instead, the hanyou hung in the air, limp and evidently dying, life draining from him at every moment of time. Kagome, struck down in horror and in hate, ran to the hanyou she loved so pitifully.
But she couldn't touch him. A forcefield... Naraku had created a forcefield, preventing the human fool to near the mere half-demon.
There. That pang again. Was it guilt he felt? This was no time for guilt. Was it Onigumo's heart? Yes... it was that fool of a mortal's heart, pained to see Kagome suffer so.
But Naraku swallowed that guilt and looked on in amusement as the life faded from Kagome's eyes.
Dun dun dun....
I am in total control now!
Again, sorry for not posting for so long... I was working on my other story... my LOTR story... yeah, I know, I really, really shouldn't have started it... but I couldn't help myself! I think I'll end this story on chapter 20...
I'm wondering right now... should I let Sesshomaru live or die? I don't really care what happens to the brute, so you decide... if you don't, I'll just kill him. Ok?
Push the magic purple button...