Faithful
By: RecklessAbandon and OtakuSailorV
Chapter 8:: Hidden Hearts
Again it was silent during the early morning hours around the castle; everyone was sleeping.
An ear twitched and Kyoyume sat up, rubbing her eyes. "We can't sleep in today!" She yelled in Naraku's ear.
The hanyou made a face and slung one arm lazily around her neck, pulling her roughly back down. "Why not?"
"Cause we slept in yesterday...besides who knows what Jakotsu will do, he was asking me about redecorating." She said in a muffled voice.
"He wouldn't dare touch anything." Naraku said, keeping his eyes shut.
"And Suikotsu is supposed to come back today from visiting that Kikyou woman." She added.
Naraku grumbled, turning his head away from her.
"Wake up!" She insisted shaking him.
Grumbling again, Naraku sat up, his hair messy and out of place. "Are you happy now?" He asked a little grumpily.
She smiled, nodded, and began to play with his messy dark-brown hair.
Naraku made a small noise as she pulled one strand a little to tightly, and tweaked one of her ears in return.
She laughed a little. "You really should take better care of your hair...its all nasty."
"Would you wash it for me?" He asked slyly.
"No."
Naraku smirked. "Then it shall not be washed." He proclaimed.
An hour later, Kyoyume was grumbling angrily as she dunked Naraku's soaking wet head back into the hot spring. "You're gonna drown me!" He exclaimed as he came back up.
"Well, that's what you get for never washing your hair." Kyoyume answered.
She then pulled something out of her pocket. "I stole this from that miko-girl Kagome the day that Inuyasha thought he killed me...its called so-ap." She said reading the package; she ripped it out of the paper and began scrubbing Naraku's hair with it.
"Ow!! That hurts!!" Naraku complained, trying to grab the soap away from the cat hanyou.
Once he finally snatched it away he smelled it. "Smells fruity." He grumbled running it through his hair.
Kyoyume let a small smile touch her lips for a minute. "I thought you wanted me to wash your hair?"
"Yeah, wash my hair, not rip it out!"
"I'm trying to get the knots out. If you would comb it, it wouldn't hurt so much to wash it properly."
"I'm sorry I'm not that vain!"
Kyoyume rolled her eyes before dunking him again, holding his head under for some time before letting him up. "I think that got all the soap and hot air out." She said sarcastically.
He glared at her with a small smile and shook his head like a dog would do, soaking Kyoyume and making his hair poof out as he did so.
"How rude, treating a lady that way." Kyoyume commented, brushing her now puffy hair back and dunking him once again aggressively.
He came back up and pulled her into the hot spring.
"Mreow!" Kyoyume gave a terribly cat-like gasp of surprise as she fell in, water plugging her ears.
Naraku laughed as he got out of the spring, pulling on his baboon pelt.
Kyoyume glared at him from her place in the hot spring. "How rude." She commented again.
He pulled her out of the spring, and put his pelt around her shoulders, walking back up to the castle.
Ears dripping water, Kyoyume tried to squelched all of the wetness from her body. "I'll smell horrible now, thanks to you." She groaned.
"So? I could fix that." He told her smirking.
"I don't need anymore fixing from you, thanks." She said in return with a smile.
He glared at her half-heartedly and walked inside.
Kyoyume giggled and followed him, rubbing her ears and hair with his pelt.
Hakudoshi was at the doorway, conversing with Bankotsu. He looked at the pair as they walked in and snorted back a laugh. "You two look a little...wet." He observed.
Kyoyume smirked and shook her head, sending a shower of water droplets on both of them.
Bankotsu laughed and disappeared into the next room; Hakudoshi grumbled about being wet and followed him.
Sticking her tongue out with a smile, the cat rubbed her head one final time with the pelt before letting it sit on her shoulders again.
"Ew...wet cat smell." Naraku taunted.
Kyoyume pouted. "Well, it's not as bad as never washing your hair."
Naraku smiled a little, and walked right into a wall.
"N-nani?!" Kyoyume exclaimed.
Naraku rubbed his nose. "Ow..."
"What did you do that for?" She asked, startled.
"I didn't see it!"
"Are you sure you're not blind too?" Kyoyume asked, getting closer as she laughed at him.
"No, cause I can see you."
Kyoyume laughed. "But you couldn't see a WALL." She pointed out.
"Shaddup."
The cat laughed again. "Why should I?"
"Cause I said so."
"And you would do what if I didn't stop?"
He grabbed her by the nape of her neck and threw her onto the bed in the closest room, then walked into the kitchen to find Kanna.
"Hey!!" Kyoyume moaned, getting to her feet again slowly. "Get back here you!!"
"No."
"Ugh, wait until I get over there!!" Kyoyume growled, running as fast as she could to catch up with him.
He laughed at the cat's antics.
"Oh, you!!" Kyoyume cried as she tackled him to the ground.
Jakotsu, who had been sitting in the kitchen with Kohaku and Kanna, laughed at the two and walked out.
Kyoyume giggled as Naraku struggled underneath her. "Got ya."
Naraku sighed. "Yep."
"Beg for mercy and I'll let you up." Kyoyume teased.
"And if I refuse?"
"I shall stay right here and you shall never move again."
He grabbed the cat's shoulders and pushed her off. "Really?"
Kyoyume pouted. "That's cheating."
"No it ain't."
"Yes it is, you're taking advantage of the fact that you're stronger than I am." Kyoyume said, crossing her arms as she sat suspended in the air above him.
"Um...so?"
"So, you're cheating." She answered.
"So?"
"So, it's not fair."
"And I play fair since....?"
Kyoyume pouted again. "Just let me down then."
He sat up and set the girl down. "Sorry."
Kyoyume smiled.
"You do need to lose some weight though."
"I am not fat." Kyoyume said, crossing her arms again.
"Didn't say that. Said you're HEAVY."
"If you say I need to lose weight, then I must be fat." Kyoyume claimed.
"I was just kidding...."
"I know." Kyoyume said. "It's just nice to see you get frazzled over a sentence."
"Shaddup."
Kyoyume sighed and looked about, wondering what to do next.
"Fat cat." Naraku teased her. "Fat cat fat cat fat cat."
Kyoyume tackled him once again. "Must you always tease me like that?"
"Yes."
Kyoyume sighed. "Why?"
"Because it's fun."
Kyoyume sat up again, ears flat on her head in weariness. "I'm bored." She commented.
"...I agree."
"What do you want to do?" Kyoyume asked, quirking one ear in his direction instead of looking at him.
"Anything would be good."
Looking around, Kyoyume got up and noted that Kohaku and Kanna were still in the room. Slightly embarrassed, Kyoyume kept looking as if nothing had happened.
Naraku got up and slipped from the room.
Kyoyume sighed and turned to find him gone. "Hey...! Where'd he-? Ugh!" Kyoyume raced out of the room with a quick wave at its two remaining occupants.
Naraku was leaning against a far wall, his eyes closed lazily.
"Trying to get away from me?" Kyoyume asked with a small smile.
"No."
"Oh." Kyoyume said, leaning against the wall as well.
Naraku sighed. "Do you like it here?" He asked suddenly.
Kyoyume nodded. "I didn't at first, but it's much better than wandering like I used to..."
"Why?"
"Because I didn't know anything else besides wandering and I didn't like being told that I was to stay put in this castle for more than a day or two."
"And now it's better?"
"I've gotten used to it." Kyoyume said with another nod as she overlooked the entire place.
"That's nice."
"Why do you ask?" Kyoyume wandered, peering at him.
"Just curious."
"Really?" She asked with a small smile.
"Yes. I guess I'm just used to you here."
"What would you do if I left?" Kyoyume asked with a joking smile.
"Find you."
Kyoyume laughed. "And kill me, like you said when I first got here?"
"No."
Kyoyume laughed again. "That's good."
"Really?"
"Yes, I wouldn't want to be dead." She said.
"I wouldn't want you to be dead either."
Kyoyume smiled at him, a light touch of pink on her cheeks. "It's nice someone cares."
"Of course..."
Kyoyume kept on smiling as she turned into the wind and let it blow through her hair, ears, and clothes.
Naraku smiled to himself and put a hand on her shoulder.
A little surprised at the hand, Kyoyume blinked once in slight confusion but didn't protest at all.
The silence was strangely calming to them both.
Kyoyume took a deep breath and let out a contented sigh. "It really is nice out today." She commented wistfully.
"Yeah..."
Again the silence reigned, with only the outside noises to be heard around them.
"Hey...umm...you two...it's getting dark...."
Kyoyume's cheeks turned slightly pink as she turned toward the speaker. "Oh, it is, isn't it?" She said with a small laugh of embarrassment.
"Yeah..." Jakotsu said slowly.
Kyoyume laughed again nervously. "Ok, then..." She said, starting to walk away, face getting redder by the minute.
They walked inside. It was quiet, boringly quiet.
Kyoyume sat down with a sigh.
Naraku yawned. "Going to sleep." He said simply.
Kyoyume nodded once, her eyes starting to get droopy as he spoke.
They got in bed, and went to sleep, Kyoyume deciding Naraku was a good pillow.
Kyoyume woke the next morning to find herself in his arms again.
They both woke up and snuck around the castle, Kohaku, Kanna and Hakudoshi were curled together in a ball, Suikotsu was sprawled out on his back snoring, as was Renkotsu in his own room. When they came across Jakotsu and Bankotsu, it was definitely an 'aww' moment. Bankotsu was curled into Jakotsu's chest, thumb in his mouth, and Jakotsu was absently, in his sleep, stroking the younger mans braid.
Kyoyume stuck out her tongue at them to hide her laughter.
They then took the time to go back the their room, and cuddle back up into the bed.
Kyoyume sighed lazily as she snuggled closer to him.
Naraku held her closer and looked down at her. "Oh, you're my little blue kitty." He teased good-naturedly.
"Black." Kyoyume corrected, flagging one of her ears in front of his face.
"Black and blue."
The cat giggled and nuzzled him. "That's fine too."
"That's good. I guess I'm a monkey then?"
"Yes, you're a white monkey." Kyoyume said happily.
He smiled a little. "That's good."
"Very good." Kyoyume sighed, giving him a hug.
He hugged her back. "So..." He began just looking around the room for something to say.
"So, what?" Kyoyume asked, peering up at him quizzically.
"...What is there to say?" He mumbled.
"If there's nothing to say, then don't say anything at all." Kyoyume said brightly, stretching.
"Ah, good point." he said hugging her a little tighter and yawning.
"I have lots of them." Kyoyume giggled, letting him hold her.
But he had dosed off, muttering in his sleep.
Kyoyume pressed her ear to his chest and listened contentedly to both his heartbeat and his breathing as he held her close to him.
"Very cute." Jakotsu said from the door. "I think he just mumbled 'I love you'." He told her with a silly smile, walking away.
Kyoyume blushed, realizing that the door was open and that any passerby could see in. Wishing she could get up and close it, Kyoyume squirmed slightly to see if Naraku would let go of her.
Naraku loosened his grip, just barely, and opened his eyes. "I'm back." He mumbled.
"Greetings from the castle." Kyoyume said with a smile, looking sidelong at the door only briefly.
Naraku let go of her, knowing what she wanted to do.
Quick as she could, Kyoyume got up, closed the door and returned, hoping the blankets hadn't gotten cold in her absence.
Naraku sat up and stretched.
Kyoyume stayed bundled in the sheets, shutting her eyes.
"Sleep kitty...." Naraku teased.
He started to laugh, but soon noticed that she actually was asleep, her ears twitching sometimes as she slept.
He smiled a little at the sleeping hanyou and fell back asleep himself.
Kyoyume opened her eyes and stared blearily around the room, wondering what was going on and what time it was.
"Its about midday." Naraku mumbled absently.
"Oh..." Kyoyume sighed, rolling over to face him.
"Umm..." He mumbled absently tugging at a lose thread on the blanket.
"Yes?" Kyoyume asked, smiling softly at him.
He pulled her to his chest. "You make a nice blanket." He told her with a laugh. "Quite warm."
Kyoyume blushed slightly at both the way she was being held and his comment, but she smiled all the same. "You're warm too."
"That's good."
Kyoyume smiled again and let her forehead touch his, their eyes locked.
They stared at each other for a few minutes with no motion, and no noises.
The silence reigned for what seemed like forever. But, lost in each other's eyes, it appeared to them, that time had stopped.
Naraku leaned in and ever so slightly, their lips brushed together for half a second.
Kyoyume blinked once, her face reddening again. "Naraku-sama..." She whispered.
"...Whatever it is. I didn't do it." He lied, crimson in the face.
As if picking up his embarrassment, Kyoyume's own face lit up almost instantly. She could feel the heat escaping out her ears.
Naraku couldn't find anything to say, at all.
The feeling being mutual, Kyoyume just let her eyes wander around the room while she asked herself if she should be avoiding his eyes at all.
Naraku stared at a spot on the ceiling for the longest time.
Kyoyume blinked once as her eyes also wandered the ceiling and she felt her eyes moving back down to his.
"...Umm...sorry." He mumbled.
"No...It's ok." She assured him.
"Okay..."
Kyoyume, feeling slightly awkward now, stared around herself again; hoping to find some way to patch up the small hole that had been created between them.
Naraku sighed, and fell back asleep restlessly.
End Chapter