Kikyo crossed her arms, and tried her best to feel the breeze as well. As she reflected on the past evenings in Naraku's castle, the only thing she felt for him was contempt. She could never feel sorry for him, sorry that he had given up his life to the demons he wanted to become. He had only brought it upon himself.
When the breeze died down, everything grew quiet. Then, there was a mighty cry, and Inuyasha stood in the doorway. Kikyo stood, and ran to him.
"Inuyasha..."she began. "Inuyasha!" Inuyasha, his yellow eyes ablaze with angry flame, tore the paper screen apart, grasping the sheath of his mighty fang.
"Kikyo...Naraku held you prisoner here, didn't he? Ha, he didn't even have the courage to come get you. That's why you came here, hoping to defeat him personally." Kikyo shook her head. "I could not. It's almost as though he doesn't want to fight me. He refuses to kill me. All he's done is a few scratches. I've seen worse in my days." Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga out of its sheath and pointed it at the window where Naraku sat. "Heh, did you hear that, Naraku? You boast about having so much strength, yet you don't even use it on a mere woman? I knew it, you're weak."
Naraku said nothing, and turned to look Inuyasha in the eye. "Kikyo came here. I didn't even expect it. I just took her in until someone would take her back. But I've changed now! All I want is for someone to stay here with me."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you picked Kikyo? The very woman you murdered fifty years ago? You gave Kikyo those injuries, you know, that's how she died. Let's not forget that you impersonated me to cast betrayal between Kikyo and myself. You wanted her love, so you tried to separate us. That's not something Onigumo would do!"
With that, Inuyasha lunged at Naraku. Naraku leapt up from the window, leaving Inuyasha to ram into it.
"Coward! Stay still and fight like a man! Or is your almighty body too good for ya?" Inuyasha flexed his claws, and ran over to Naraku as he landed.
"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" Inuyasha cried triumphantly. Naraku stopped Inuyasha in midmotion, and glared as he released his poison insects.
The insects swarmed around Inuyasha, making him change direction. "Where are you, Naraku? I can smell you, but I just...can't...see!" Then, while Inuyasha was still temporarily blinded, Naraku grabbed Inuyasha by the throat and held a cloud of miasma around his claws.
"You are a half-demon also, yet you are so much weaker than me. How is that, Inuyasha? Are you truly a weaker half-breed, or are you just afraid to use your power to its fullest?"
He gripped Inuyasha's throat tighter, his claws piercing tiny holes on either side of his neck. "I thought so," Naraku whispered. Then, with a cruel laugh, he threw Inuyasha outside the window. Naraku leapt after him, pummeling him with miasma.
Inuyasha crashed into one of the incarnation cages. Then, growling, the incarnation crushed Inuyasha with large pincers. Naraku laughed with pleasure, and stuck a long katana through Inuyasha's shoulder. The pain was extreme, and Inuyasha finally fainted. Naraku waved his hand, and the half-breed disappeared in a cloud of thick smoke.
"It is not over. Somehow, Inuyasha will come back....and when he does, I'll be ready." And with that, Naraku straightened the collar of his baggy shirt and stormed back toward the castle.
Far, far away, in an abandoned forest, a young woman ventured. The woman was indeed Kagura, whose clothes were torn and hair was untidy. Her face was smeared with dirt and blood, and her fan was tucked into the belt that Kikyo had made before they separated. Kagura had stolen Kikyo's horse, which was following her at the exact moment.
Kagura led the beast through the trees, her hands aching from pulling on the leather reins. Kagura's large, red eyes reflected nothing but anger and frustration towards her old master. Rain began to fall, and Kagura slipped and fell into the mud.
She angrily pounded her fist into the puddle, and raised her head toward the sky. She wailed loudly with madness. "Naraku! I will kill you, Naraku! Mark my words! You will be murdered, I swear it!"
Kagura shook her head, and looked at the ground and at her muddy hands. "I promised myself I wouldn't be your servant girl. You kicked me out, even when I came from your own flesh. Naraku, you are a dirty, selfish, cheating bastard. You...will...DIE!"
Naraku went back to Kikyo's room, where she sat with her face in her hands. Naraku hoped that she was not crying, although there was a large chance she was. He walked over to her slowly, and felt a quick jolt of sadness as he saw Kikyo's shoulders rise and fall.
"You are crying, aren't you?" he asked. Kikyo removed her hands from her face. She did not look him in the eye, but she nodded.
"You warded off Inuyasha, and transported him back to where he came from. Why, Naraku? Why are you doing this?"
Naraku looked at the ground. "I did what I had to. Let me tell you, he had it coming." Naraku sat next to Kikyo on the floor, and to his surprise, she did not flinch or move away. She was probably too sad and shocked to do anything.
Kikyo stood up slowly. "Please...just let me go. You've had fifty years to deal with me. I need my old life back, Naraku. Don't you have a bit of mercy left over from Onigumo?"
Naraku did not shake or nod his head. Instead, he stared at his own large, pale hands. "Onigumo exists no longer. You have no need to think of him. Soon, you will learn to accept me. I am Naraku now. I despise Inuyasha, and I despise humans."
Kikyo blinked. "I am a human, yet you fell for me. Am I really that different from the others?" She finally looked him in the eye. It's a start, Naraku thought.
"Well, you're a priestess. Priestesses probably don't have a lot of freedom, which is what sets them aside from 'normal' women," Naraku said quietly.
Kikyo shook her head. "No...no, they don't. I would know, because I never really had a chance to spend time with Inuyasha. I just wanted to see my sister, and be with Inuyasha for the rest of my days. I guess I lived long enough, though. I never got a chance to be with them before, and I probably never will."
She tried to stand, but felt a sharp throb in her side. Kikyo fell back to the floor. "What's the matter?" Naraku asked. Kikyo waved her hand, not impatiently, just to assure Naraku she was all right.
Kikyo cried out in pain, and Naraku knew that something was wrong. Kikyo clutched her stomach, and Naraku shook his hands. "No, let me." Naraku picked Kikyo up gently, and carried her to his cot across the hallway. She breathed hard, and Naraku examined her face. "Nothing seems wrong there..."
Kikyo cried out again, and Naraku knew he had to hurry. "Just relax, and tell me where the pain is." His voice was soothing somehow, and Kikyo was surprised at Naraku's sudden acts of kindness. Kikyo raised her hand and managed to point to her waist. She gave a small, weak smile, and her head fell back against the pillow.
"P..Priestess Kikyo?" Naraku asked. Kikyo smiled once more, and grasped her waist lightly. "I'm all right. I'm just...ahh!" Naraku shook his head, and quickly cleaned his hands before examining Kikyo.
"You'll need to lift up your blouse. Don't remove it, though," Naraku said. Kikyo lifted her white top just enough for Naraku to see the wound. It was long, and went jagged and sideways. Naraku realized with horror that this is what he had done to her the other night, when he nearly cut her in half.
Naraku felt ashamed as he cleaned the wound. He pressed a damp cloth to Kikyo's forehead, and bandaged up the wound as professionally as possible. He wrung the excess water of the cloth into his copper basin, and leaned back against the wall beside Kikyo when he had finished. Kikyo sat up slowly, pulling her white blouse back in and tucking it within the sides of her red hakama. She smoothed out the creases in the bandages, and twisted her waist around to make sure they were bound tight enough.
"Kikyo, please forgive me. I...I was deranged that night. I had no idea...I'm so sorry. I want to let you know that I would sacrifice my castle, my incarnations, even myself for you. You were nearly sawed in half, and I would never have realized it until I heard your painful screams," Naraku said as quietly and sentimentally as he could.
Kikyo looked up at Naraku, and rested her hand on top of his. "Naraku...why are you keeping me alive? Why didn't you kill me while you had the chance?"
Naraku shook his head, pulling his hair out of his loose ponytail. never. It would bring too much grief upon my conscience." The young priestess continued to stare at Naraku. She longed for the truth.
"But, you could have done the same for Inuyasha. You could have wasted him, cremating him along with me. You were supposed to be so evil, but you showed me mercy that I never even knew that you knew."