Faithful By: RecklessAbandon and OtakuSailorV
Chapter 2:: Forged Alliances
She'd been there for days, just lazing around the castle. She had explored areas around the base of the castle, but had not dared make a run for it. every time she would look longingly at the forest, she would hear, or rather feel, someone watching her, and she would abruptly move on.
Naraku sighed. "Onna." He called to Kyoyume.
Kyoyume shuddered for a minute before going to him. She still wasn't used to his dark, thick aura, and the shivers never ceased running down her spine whenever he passed.
"I need a favor."
"Hai?" She asked half-warily.
"Watch Hakudoshi for me." He told her.
Kyoyume glanced over to see a pale faced, silver-haired boy watching her intensely from the corner of the room. His aura resembled Naraku's, as did his scent. But it wasn't either of those that made Kyoyume start at the sight of him, it was the fact that he looked like a mini-Naraku.
Naraku smiled, and disappeared.
"Hey, wait, um!" Kyoyume's ears flattened as she lost sight of him. "Kuso, didn't even wait for an answer!" Ears still flattened against her skull, she looked to the boy in the corner.
The boy looked at her, suspiciously.
Kyoyume went over and sat on her feet, watching him through half-lidded eyes. Her ears slowly moved back forward, off her blue hair, and twitched in the direction of every little sound. Finally, after a long pause in which they simply stared at each other, Kyoyume spoke up. "So, you're Hakudoushi, no doubt?"
"Of course." He replied coolly.
"Well, then, ok...I've never baby-sat before..." Kyoyume mumbled more to herself than to the strange boy before her.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Who are you?" He snapped.
Kyoyume, who had stood after mumbling to herself, turned toward him in surprise, ears forward, and pointing to herself. "Who me? Well, I'm Kyoyume, of course."
"Oh, I'm Hakudoshi." He told her, arrogance sliding into his voice. "Naraku's 'son'."
Kyoyume ruffled his hair playfully. "I already knew your name, kid." Kyoyume suddenly flinched inwardly though. Naraku's SON?? Who would...why would they...how?!
"Not his actual son of course...I don't have a real mother."
Kyoyume sighed inwardly, letting the immense questions of heritage fall away from her mind. "Well, that's very interesting." She commented with a forced smile. "Is there something you want to do?"
"No." He said snorting. "But I have a question."
"Ok..."
"Do you like my father?"
Kyoyume nearly fell over from the question. "No." She said flatly. "What gave you that idea?"
"You hang around this dump."
"I'm forced to hang around here." Kyoyume said with a tinge of anger, teeth starting to bear. "It's not like I have a choice."
"Oh...sorry, Naraku doesn't tell me everything ya know." He growled.
Kyoyume shook it off, forcing herself to calm. "If you don't want to do anything....then what now?" She asked, changing the subject.
"I wanna get to know you, seeing as I'm guessing your the new babysitter." He sneered.
'Oh....lovely!' Kyoyume thought, rolling her eyes. 'Another one that wants me to "entertain" them!'
"Well, tell me, Kyo-san, about you." He snorted.
Kyoyume sat down and leaned her head against one hand. "I'm a cat hanyou, for starters."
Hakudoshi nodded. "Cat hanyou...."
"I used to be a ronin, but now I'm a 'pet'." She continued.
"Not much a 'pet' more of a 'guest' if you ask me." Hakudoshi muttered.
"What? Am I not 'cuddly' enough?" Kyoyume asked grumpily, her eyes closed.
Hakudoshi plopped himself in her lap. "No, I think my father likes you." He laughed sarcastically.
"I'm delighted." Kyoyume snorted, not even noticing that he was sitting on her.
"Well...he could."
"Like me for what though? My hair? My GREAT personality? It MUST be the ears!" Kyoyume said, pulling on her black ears in mock delight.
"For being so hard to figure out."
"Oh, of course....he made that comment once...." Kyoyume said thoughtfully, tweaking her own ear in thought.
Hakudoshi reached up and tweaked the little black ear, like a little child would on a kitten.
Kyoyume obliged him by leaning her head down a bit so that he could reach the ear easier as she thought. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and let the child in her lap play with her black ears.
Hakudoshi let himself go, playing with the little ears, like a child, he perceived.
After some moments of ear-tweaking, Kyoyume moved her head so that he could no longer reach the twitching black ears. "Any more questions?" She asked, still ruminating on the last batch he had asked of her.
"No." He answered.
"Then how about a game or something?" Kyoyume suggested.
"Like?" He asked, stopping the ear-play.
"I dunno, what do you like to play?" She asked, picking him up under the arms so she could stand.
"I don't usually play. I just hang out here with Naraku and boss people around." He said shrugging.
"Ok...then.....boss me around." Kyoyume said, smiling.
"Food, now."
Kyoyume felt a glare coming on, but corrected herself when she remembered that she had just ordered him to boss her around. "Oh...um..." Kyoyume ran to the first place she could smell food coming from.
Hakudoshi smiled a little when she brought him the freshly cooked fish. "Thanks."
Kyoyume smiled and waited for some form of praise, even though the thanks was nice enough.
"Good work, Kyo-san. Hmm...now...oh...! Naraku's home." He said suddenly, after finishing his fish.
"Eh?" Kyoyume turned ears forward and eyes large in curiosity. "Really, I don't sense...." But she soon did, the wave of miasma slid in before the villain and made her shiver, every hair standing on end.
"I'm back." He said, verbally announcing his presence.
Kyoyume smiled as he entered, forcing herself to calm. She didn't want to appear afraid of him, especially in front of Hakudoushi.
Naraku smirked. "So, you are good, I'm supposing. Did you have a good time with the kitty-cat Hakudoshi?"
'The kitty-cat has a name!' Kyoyume thought in annoyance.
"Why do you call her kitty-cat?" Hakudoshi asked.
"She is a cat-hanyou, is she not? Or has she not told you?" Naraku half-sneered.
"...Yes, I was, just wondering." He said quickly.
Kyoyume blink-blinked, looking from one to the other as they spoke, random thoughts sorting through her mind.
"Did she keep you entertained, Hakudoshi?" Naraku asked suddenly.
Kyoyume was about to protest when Hakudoushi broke in. "Hai, Naraku-sama. She was a good baby-sitter."
"She was? Then she is useful for something, seeing as cooking is not her area of expertise...."
One of Kyoyume's ears twitched in anger, but she bit her tongue and let him insult her. 'I really don't have to stand for that kind of talk.' She thought to herself. 'But what other choice do I have? I'm not a good enough fighter to get myself out of here...'
"Are Kanna and the others still gone?" Naraku asked her abruptly.
'How should I know? I'm just a stupid cat.' Kyoyume thought sulkily, but she didn't dare answer in that tone. "I have no knowledge of their return."
"Okay."
Kyoyume's ears moved back and forth on her head rapidly. She made a slight face before standing and walking past Naraku. "Well, if that's all, then..." She trailed off, not certain if she should say the last fragment of the sentence or not.
"Where are you going?"
"Well, I was going to go out...but..."
"Out as in?"
"As in leaving this room..." Kyoyume said a bit impatiently.
"Okay."
Kyoyume raised an eyebrow, and exchanged a puzzled glance with Hakudoushi before she retreated out the door, still perplexed.
Naraku sighed, bored-like.
Hakudoushi eyed him from his place in the center of the room suspiciously.
"What are you looking at, Chibi-Me?" Naraku snapped, humoring Hakudoshi a little.
"I was looking at you." Hakudoushi said bluntly.
"Why?"
"I just find it quite curious that the cat hanyou is staying here..."
"Why?"
Hakudoushi stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts before going on. "Usually, you brainwash humans if they enter, and use demons by causing them to anger or promising them a reward. And you are trying to kill that other hanyou....so why is THAT hanyou here, she appears to have no purpose..."
"I personally, don't know why...she's just here."
Hakudoushi gave a small scoff before turning, and disappearing.
Naraku rolled his eyes. 'He poses a good question...why IS she here...?' He thought to himself, sighing.
Meanwhile, off in her own world, Kyoyume sneezed. "Someone must be thinking about me." She mused happily to herself.
Suddenly there was a shadow behind her. "Kyoyume." Naraku said from behind her.
Kyoyume jumped, her sharp nails biting into her crossed arms. "Oh, hai, Naraku-san?"
"I need a favor." He said smirking.
'AGAIN?!' Kyoyume thought angrily, but she forced a smile onto her face. "You must REALLY get a kick out of ordering me around."
"No. I just, need the favor, seeing as the rest of my servants are out, and Hakudoshi is not one for these kinds of tasks..."
"Ah." Kyoyume said. "So, what do I have to do now?"
He held out Kanna's mirror, seeing as Kanna had made her return with Kohaku, it showed the Inuyasha gang. "See them? Fight one or two of them, challenge whichever one you'd like, Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha or Kagome...."
"Ah-ha...I see..." Kyoyume said, examining them all. "Does that mean I get my sword back?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips.
Naraku nodded, smirking. Kohaku brought it over to her; he handed it to her with a swift bow, and exited.
"Oh, um, thanks!" Kyoyume called after him, disappointed that he had left so fast.
Naraku nodded. "Go, find them, fight them, and come back...if you're injured they'll be taken care of upon your return."
"Uh....ooookkkk..." Kyoyume said, eyeing him. "I guess I'll see ya then...."
Kyoyume wandered aimlessly, with only the scent and Naraku's brief directions. All he had said before she had left was was that she should head East, she would find them easily enough. Rolling her eyes, she peered over the hill just as a gust of wind hit her. Her nose twitched, and her fuzzy ears stood on end. 'That's his scent!'
Kagome stopped right before they began a hill climb. "I sense a jewel shard! Really close!"
"Really?!" Shippo asked, all excited as he climbed down her shoulder. "Are we standing on it?"
"No! It's just over the hill!" Kagome laughed.
"A Jewel shard so close and you haven't sensed it until now?" Inuyasha growled, obviously in a bad mood that day.
"It just appeared!"
Shippo, who had climbed down Kagome as she and Inuyasha had started to argue again, was now halfway up the hill. Lifting his head, he sniffed slightly. 'I would have sworn that I caught something's scent...'
"Let's just go get the shard!" Inuyasha finally snapped.
Kagome stomped up the hill after Shippo, a breeze at her back.
Kyoyume had just appeared fully over the hill when she saw the group.
'Ack!' Her mind jumped at the same time that she did. As soon as she had seen them, her cat-like instincts and reflexes had shot her up into the nearest tree before she had time to think. Breathing heavily, she sat in the tree and looked down on them as they wandered past, stopped, and came by her tree. Her heart jumped again and she went for her sword, stealthily pulling out the blade, her eyes reflecting in the silvery object.
Inuyasha quickly pulled Tetsusaiga out. "Come out, I can smell you CAT!" He roared in no general direction.
Kyoyume was about to drop down on him when the small kitsune waved at him. "Inuyasha, you shouldn't pull your sword out unless you're sure it's an enemy. You'll scare her." He said as if he were a grown-up instead of a child.
"What do you think I am?!" Kyoyume snapped falling out of the tree anime-style.
Kyoyume turned in the air as she started to fall, and completed the fact that cats always land on their feet. With a smirk, she pulled forth her long blade, her youkai side coming forth as she did so.
"Why are you here?" Inuyasha snapped.
"Does it matter? I have something you want, and I have no intention of giving it to you." Kyoyume said cockily, a smirk on her lips.
"...You smell, a little like Naraku...are you his bitch?"
Kyoyume's happier, light-hearted side started to waver suddenly as the sentence was spat out. "Heck, no! Ugh, you make me sick, die!" She growled, her youkai side overpowering the ditzy cat-girl once more.
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Who do you think you are?!"
Kyoyume's feral eyes narrowed even further as she growled out her answer. "I am Kyoyume, and if you wish, this can all just be a dark dream."
Inuyasha took a step back. "The ronin, Kyoyume, I see, well I'm Inuyasha!"
"How unlucky for you. Inuyasha, you die now." With that, Kyoyume started her lightening-quick attack.
Inuyasha barely dodged. 'She's too fast!' He thought frantically.
On the sidelines, Kagome and the others watched as Inuyasha barely dodged the ronin, Kyoyume's attacks, with no time to make an attack of his own. "Inuyasha!! In her ear!! The Jewel shards in her ear!" Kagome called frantically, forgetting her anger at him only moments before.
Kyoyume turned to the girl in a mid-jump. True, the jewel shard was in her ear, but how did that girl know?!
Kyoyume growled angrily and struck an attack in Kagome's direction. But before she could even see if she had hit or not, she turned back to her hanyou opponent.
Inuyasha growled, his wind scar finally summoned.
The ronin gasped as the attack came at her. Her mind gave a desperate scream, while everything seemed to slow down. She floated in mid-air, suspended in shock, heart racing, as the onslaught came.
Inuyasha paused as the cat's body hit the ground. "She...didn't...die." He panted, she was just in shock.
Her face was planted into the ground, her charred bits of clothes, fur, and hair lay limp at her sides. Her sword was darkened, but it still pulsed darkly with her energy, a sign that she was still alive. After several seconds of everyone holding their breath, her lungs suddenly opened, and she gasped for breath.
Sango stood up. "I'll finish her off." She offered daringly.
Inuyasha, gasping for breath himself made no protest visibly as the taijiya came forward, her katana drawn.
Kyoyume glared at her. "Are you sure that is a wise choice?" She asked.
Sango glared at her. "It will only hurt for a minute, besides, you have no intention of giving up the shard while you're alive do you?" She asked, quoting the hanyou.
Kyoyume smirked. "You're perceptive. I have simple orders." She told Sango. "Fight and live."
"Orders?" Sango asked quizzically, her arm with the sword poised over the hanyou's head.
"Orders." She repeated.
"Who gave you orders...?" It dawned on her right away, even as she asked the question. "Naraku..." She breathed.
Kyoyume smirked darkly.
Sango's arm came down, as the smirk appeared, her hatred for Naraku forced into the blow. But her blade bounced off of Kyoyume's, who was still smirking.
Kyoyume struck out, scraping Sango's side with her blade, the dark energy creating a sort of mild-shock, that would poison her system somewhat. "You'll never defeat me, slayer."
Then, using her blade as a cane, Kyoyume forced herself to stand again. With a small smile, she turned toward Inuyasha. "You're not bad, for a inu hanyou."
"...Shaddup cat-girl!" Inuyasha snarled.
"Don't be too mad now. You DID hit me." Kyoyume moved her arm so that her blade was out in front of her again. 'Damn, I should have cornered one of them, with all them watching like this...I can't fight this way...'
"What's your business?" Miroku asked suddenly.
Kyoyume smiled at him in such a happy way that it was eerie. "I'm here to kill you all."
"By whose orders?"
"No one of your concern." She said brightly.
"Naraku!" Sango snapped.
"The taijiya has a memory!"
"Shut up cat!" She snapped.
Kyoyume smirked at her. "Gladly. It's not worth arguing with lower-life-forms anyway."
"Why are you working for Naraku?"
Kyoyume stumbled for a minute. "That is none of your concern." She hissed, small droplets of blood starting to roll down her legs, and onto the ground.
Inuyasha struck with his sword. "THEN LEAVE!"
Kyoyume gasped as it started to come down. Stepping back just in time, it just barely grazed her left shoulder. Hissing in pain, she moved out of the reach of the inu hanyou's comrades and started her own assault.
Inuyasha growled at her.
"Hyaah!" She growled, swinging her blade downward and only barely catching her opponent on the side of his leg.
Inuyasha growled in pain and frustration. "This hit will kill you if you don't leave." He threatened, raising Tetsusaiga.
'Naraku said not to get killed but....I can't just back down now....' Kyoyume thought desperately. She only had a few seconds before he would swing, before she had to make a decision to swallow her pride, or take the chance to finish him.
Inuyasha brought down his sword, but she had dodged. "How in the-?"
'If I can just get close enough...' She thought as she ran up behind him, sword in place. "Yaa!" She screamed as the blade sunk into his side.
"AHH!" Inuyasha screamed out in pain.
Kyoyume pulled the blade back, and jumped back as fast as she could. She was breathing harder and harder from her own blood loss, she was beginning to feel dizzy. 'At least I...got him...' She thought to herself as he head swam.
"Feh, I'll leave her as is, she'll die from blood-loss alone!"
Kyoyume raised her sword, but felt the world suddenly spin. Her head went back, and she felt herself moving, as if in a dream. But she wasn't moving forward, instead, it felt like she was floating in mid-air, with her mind begging her to rest. Just as she was about to let the sleep take her in her air-born bed, she crashed into the earth in a pool of her own blood.
The Inuyasha gang left her in her unconscious state. But when Kyoyume awoke, she was back in the fortress, with Hakudoshi and Naraku standing over her.
"Ugh..." She groaned before her eyes had even opened.
"You did well."
"Uh." She said in reply.
"Don't move for a few days." Hakudoshi demanded.
"Ah-huh."
"Still dizzy I suppose?" Naraku snorted.
"No. Tired." Kyoyume snapped with her eyes still closed.
"Sleep." Naraku told her, standing and leading Hakudoshi out.
For the first time, she was glad to follow one of his orders. Without a word, she let sleep take her away again.
"Why do you care?" Hakudoshi asked him.
"She stopped Inuyasha from getting any closer to this castle. Should she not be rewarded with her life spared?" Naraku asked, glaring at his underling.
"But, it's more than that now."
"It is not more than that, and it never shall. She is only a tool."
"No. You don't see it yet. Its something else." Hakudoshi said, disappearing.
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Reckless:: Review people, review...
V-chan:: Thanks to those that did! You guys made us very happy!!
V-chan:: sorry if there was some confusion with the Japanese words ya'll. Here's a brief dictionary of the words we have used so far....
Hai = Yes
-san = Japanese honorific; very high honor; kinda means Mr. Or Miss
-sama = Another honorific; very, very high honor; means Lord or Lady
Chibi = Little, small, mini, etc.
Oyasumi = Good night
Onna = woman