Handed over
A Lovely Night
Arayan
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters originally created by Rumiko Takahashi in the Inuyasha manga/anime.
The houshi cursed, loudly. All he had wanted was one simple night out on the village with that one last little innocent... But no, there were obviously more sinister creatures out that night than himself. Ones who would not wish him to fulfill his greatest desires, and pleasures. What was wrong with this world? He allowed a frustrated growl to easily escape from the weak confines of kiss-sober lips. Was there something so wrong with wanting women that he must be punished so for following through with the God's wishes? After all, was that not what they were? To have sex and create children? Ah, but if the world were this way he'd live as a king! A mighty and powerful king, one whose reign was neither just nor fair, but he would love himself nonetheless!
Ah, but life was not so! Not so! With a sudden glimpse of a mental image he could picture just what he was missing out on that night and perhaps forever more. For what good was a cursed man to any woman? However...if she were to simply...not know? It could...slip...his mind. All he needed was one fruitful night of love...making, and the world could be his. Again. For that was the deal.
It, as any other night, had been a very typical night where he had taken the chance to appear to be his usual, very sexy and desirable, self. And was he anybody to contradict the God's wishes? Especially after they'd granted him a body like the one he had? Hah! And so he had approached the beauty of one whose looks might rival his own had they been translated into a male version of this most definitely female goddess.
As fates might have it, and he cursed again, for the Gods were out to get him tonight, the young, strangely mystical vixen had approached with an all too assured sway of her satisfying hips. How did such a...potential opportunity turn so foul? he sulked bitterly to himself. After all, life was just not fair. Never was and never would be again.
Stashing a fierce glare in the opposite corner of the room as he stalked, pacing back and forth, the houshi determined how and when to deliver his decision, knowing full well that he would accept. The fiery mistress, had, after all his tempting thoughts, decided to contradict his innermost desires and, at the most foreboding possible moment that could have been chosen, revealed 'her true form.'
A second after his first flirtatious advance towards her and the moment between the first and second kiss of what had appeared to be a promising evening, she had pulled back, as if ashamed. Hah, right. Well...actually...it might be understandable, granted his good looks, charm, and downright appraisable skill in the 'arts.' If only something had not seemed more than a couple degrees askew. With some natural born talent for guessing at deeper meanings, he could only envision a crisis approaching.
Of course, while his imagination provided no worse than a simple few hours, preferably less, without his nightly session before he could find another suitable temple to bless, a much more sinister mind had been at work, the wheels of which clashed together their crudely bent spikes, rusted over and jagged in more places than a few as a devious plan was released from the lowest realms of high hell.
Appearing instantaneously before him, a malicious smirk graced the face that had once held lovely, seductive eyes, only to bare sickle-shaped, poison-tinted fangs, ready to tear his neck out if the houshi would not comply with this shapechanger's wishes as he might to a most arduous night of sex. "Houshi," he drawled, "I knew I'd find you here tonight." The light teasing lilt in the voice convinced tremors to take up permanent residence, at least for this eternity, throughout his entire body, from once eager lips to bare free toes. Since when did that phrase have negative connotations?
A painfully hard sense of arousal overwhelmed him, and yet he was held immobile, as the butterfly whose wings and antennae had been pinned solidly in place and most ready for manipulation. Arousal?! He would have jumped if he could. No way in hell was this bastard inflicting any such feel upon him. The twisted, warped little mind grinned maliciously once more, it was wonders what a little dark 'magic' might do in occasions such as these.
The red eyed character, a jovial man of sorts by all means...well, as long as he got his way that is, twisted a finger and traced it, in a thin, begging trail from his left to right canine. The marks to prove the teeth's descent into flesh were rewarded with crimson rivulets. Even as this strange figure did so, an acrid flavor emptied the houshi's own mouth of all other tastes but this one, the salty tang of life, blood, dripping from his own, human sized canines in perfect sync to that falling from the other's finger. In astonishment, the houshi realized that not a single drop of his captor's blood had come so far as any length closer to the ground than the finger. Every trace of the life source - which he had begun to question whether its name should be changed instead to death source - disappeared the instant it would have released itself from the continuous stream from its source to the air. And, therefore, fell into his own peculiarly quiescent mouth. Dreading giving any trickle the chance to find a way down his throat, the houshi found he was not given a choice to argue. It fell, not in trickles, but in cascading rivers through passageways hollowed out especially for this job.
A devilish handsome and devious grin was graced upon him as a hand lifted him up from where he was kneeling in servitude to a new 'master.' Standing without realizing the significance of his previous action, he picked up on the fact that the stranger now no longer even wore the clothes of the supposed innocent one and stood before him now garbed in a single fold of blackened silk. One simple piece, yet more adorned, magnificent, and intricate than any previously viewed piece of robe the houshi had seen. The unique material was twisted up and down, around and through as it created the most stunning piece of craftsmanship the houshi had ever seen.
If only the next interruption had not had to exist, "Now, now, Toy, you'll have plenty of time to admire my attire when I visit you next. For now, we have a deal that is need of proposing." A sinister undercurrent of mock longing carried the monologue, as the other was incapable of movement. "You see, I have for long desired you. Your body? Hah. No. But pleasure is such a simple thing nowadays. Power is so much more...lovely. Finding ourselves a little difficult to agree with are we? Well you must you know. Otherwise I believe the town is in need of a living, breathing, yet, immobile statue nowadays is it not? So enjoy our little conversation wont you? For I hate to make empty, even worse, idle threats, don't you? Well, don't you wish to know my name? After all, I know yours, Aishou, or is it Toy? But, then again, what's in a name? Only a twisted sense of pride, neh? Or no? Naraku. You may call me this. Only this. I do know what you are thinking. No, bastard is not quite...fitting, now, is it? Take a look at your hand now why don't you?"
His nerves were at hell's last stop. He did not think he could stand for another moment the condescension. Nor could he act upon a single thought. His eyes only moved in accordance with the command given him not a second earlier. His eyes would have opened in shock if they could. That bastard! he must have thought for the 247th time. Unable to recognize the exact knowledge that might be found relevant to a small gaping hole in his hand from the recesses of his mind, he had resorted once again to cursing the enemy out.
"Discovered the wind tunnel, the kazanna, have we? My little prized present to you. Enjoy it while you have the chance. Care to test it out? Such a small thing now. Tend to it and care for it and I'm sure it'll grow into a strong, feisty little thing. Don't worry." Oh, would the sarcasm ever end? "Well, I guess I should give you a chance to ask questions before I reveal what's behind the next curtain of my entertaining plot? Ask away." Turning his head to inspect his death-ridden claws, he awaited the presumed question with mock indifference.
"How in all f'cking HELLS do I make this cursed thing go away?! Why did you...?!" He was cut off, mouth frozen in mid-speech by a silent flick of his opponent's hand.
"I should have clarified. Ask one and only one question. And, well how nice of you to ask that one. That was exactly what I was going to talk about next. How kind of you to guess. My proposition? I will remove that tidy little air rip from your hand. For one generation. Yours. Ah, yes. The catch? You swear your next, last, and only son's undying loyalty in servitude to me. You get the opportunity to act as we both know you so desire, and I get a new slave. You don't keep track of your children anyways do you? So its not like you care. Just be careful of the mother." With those last warning words and the promise that he would return another day, preferably the next, the beast Naraku was floated away on a fluttering feather, leaving the Houshi to determine his decision, as if it wasn't obvious enough. What a lovely night. Things were definitely turning up for Naraku.