Faithful

By: RecklessAbandon and OtakuSailorV

Chapter 13: Why I Love You

It had been a week. Kyoyume was currently cuddling into Naraku's chest in the early hours of the morning, still sleeping.

Slowly his eyes opened and he smiled as he saw her.

She yawned and her ears twitched as she slept, looking rather innocent cuddled up in his arms.

He smiled again, and closed his eyes, wanting the moment to last forever.

Her eyes slowly opened and she tried to stifle a yawn.

Sensing that she was awake, he re-opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Good morning, little one." He greeted her.

"Good morning."

"Sleep well?" He asked.

"Hai."

"That's good." He said, sighing into her hair.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Of course."

"That's good."

"It's very good." He said, his nose buried in her hair.

"Yeah." She muttered.

There was a moment of silence between the two of them before Kyoyume spoke up again. "Should we get up?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Sure."

Kyoyume stood, straightening her kimono. 'I should probably change into a new one...' She thought as she brushed at a wrinkle.

Naraku sighed standing up and shaking some hair out of his face.

Stretching, Kyoyume sighed as well before going to the door and opening it. "Sunny day." She noted with a smile at him.

He nodded. "It is...for once."

Kyoyume smiled even wider. "Yes, it will be nice for some time, I hope."

"Yes."

Kyoyume took a deep breath of sunshine and sighed into the wind happily before starting out.

Naraku smiled. "How can you be so carefree?" He asked.

"Is there something that should be worrying me?" She asked curiously, turning about. "Besides, life is easier that way."

"I see."

"Jealous?" Kyoyume teased.

"No."

"Then why ask?" Kyoyume asked playfully, walking back over to him. "Hm? Hm? Hm?"

"Just wondering." He said sighing. "And I grow bored..." he added, lifting her up over his shoulders.

"Hey!" She cried, kicking her legs uselessly. "No fair!" She proclaimed, trying to get free of his grasp.

"What?"

"You can't just sling me around." She protested, though she was trying hard not to laugh at his behavior.

"Yes I can."

"Since when?" Kyoyume demanded.

"I'm the man."

"So?" Kyoyume asked, kicking her legs again and giving him a sharp tug on the hair.

"Ow! I can do whatever I want to you."

"Because you're the man, or because I'm your minion?" She asked, giving him another tug for good measure.

"I'm the man, and you're not my minion...."

"Ah, then because you are the dark ruler, and you get what you want, ne?" She corrected with another tug.

"No...because I am the man, and you're my woman, so I may pick you up however I want, you're supposed to be flattered."

Kyoyume stuck her tongue out as she smiled at him. "Ah, no one said I wasn't flattered. I was just shocked at the suddenness of such an act."

"I see."

Kyoyume turned her head so that she was peeking around the side of his face at him. "Annoyed yet?" She asked, tugging his hair again.

"Stop pulling my hair."

"Ok." Kyoyume said, releasing the strands and leaning against his shoulder, putting her full weight down.

He shifted her so he had her up bridal style. "Better."

Kyoyume sighed, allowing herself to be held. "Do you get enjoyment from frustrating me so?"

"Of course."

Kyoyume pouted, her ears laying to one side. " Hmph." She commented, crossing her arms.

"Don't 'hmph' me."

"And why not?"

"Because you love me too much to 'hmph' me."

"How are you so sure?" She teased good-naturedly, raising one eyebrow with a soft smirk that was twisting into a smile.

He frowned a little. "I could feed you to the wolves."

"You wouldn't dare." Kyoyume gasped.

"If you don't love me anymore...."

Kyoyume clung to his clothes as if she were truly scared, a smile on her face. "I love you then!"

"Reeeeaally?"

"Truly and honestly." She said, pulling tightly on his kimono, making a whining noise.

"Good!"

"No wolves then?" She asked hopefully.

"No wolves."

Kyoyume feigned relief, sighing and releasing her tight grip on him. "Yay!"

"Silly kitty."

"Meanie, threatening to hurt someone so innocent."

"Innocent? You?"

"Yes, me."

"Hah."

"I am SO innocent. Who else would you have in mind?" She asked.

"...You're not innocent."

"Maybe not under you're reasoning, but others would say I was." She crossed her arms in a huff.

"Right." He huffed.

Kyoyume stuck her tongue out at him. "You are simply jealous of how innocent I am."

"No, I don't like innocence."

Kyoyume smiled. "Why not?"

"It makes people seem too...weak."

"Ah." Kyoyume said, looking back at the rising sun. "Does that mean you hate me?" She asked jokingly.

"No!"

"No second thoughts?"

"No!"

Kyoyume giggled happily to herself. "I'm loved."

"Of course you are."

Kyoyume leaned against him as he held her. "What do you want to do today?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Sleep."

"You like to sleep a lot." Kyoyume noted. "Too much is bad for you, and no exercise will make you fat." She teased him.

"Then we'll exercise...."

"How?" Kyoyume asked.

"I dunno."

Kyoyume hopped out of his arms, and walked back into the room, closing the door behind her. There was the sound of something rustling around inside, and moments later, she came back out in a new kimono with a smile. "Race ya." She said before taking off.

He took off behind her and, outside as she was about to win. "LOOK OUT!" He cried laughing, she ran right into a tree.

Kyoyume rubbed her sore nose, small tears of pain forming at the edges of her eyes. "Ow..." She whined.

"Are you okay?" Naraku asked.

"Fine." Kyoyume said, one hand on her nose that had turned red. "Just a little scraped."

"Good...."

"You only won because of the tree." Kyoyume proclaimed, crossing her arms.

"I know I know...."

Stunned that he would agree with her on such a thing, Kyoyume stared at him for a minute, uncovering her red-tipped nose. "..."

"I'm sorry about your nose..."

Remembering her pained nose, she shook her head. "Nah, it's fine." She assured him.

"Okay...."

Kyoyume cocked her head to one side. "Another race, maybe?" She asked, unsure of what else to suggest.

"No...don't want another tree accident."

"Haha." Kyoyume said, flopping down in the grass lazily.

He flopped beside her and sighed.

"It's not even noon yet...." Kyoyume mumbled, looking up at the sun that shined through the trees.

Naraku rolled onto his side. "So..."

"So....?" Kyoyume pressed.

"How...are you?"

"Mmm, can't complain." She said with a shrug. "And yourself?"

"Fine."

"That's good, that's good." She said, nodding and shutting her eyes as the sunrays curved through the branches and landed on her.

"Yeah..."

Kyoyume sighed into the wind again, feeling totally at peace.

Naraku closed his eyes slowly, and slowly fell asleep.

Opening her eyes and noticing he was asleep, Kyoyume smiled and climbed up into the nearest tree, not liking the feel of the ground for sleeping. And, closing her eyes, dozed softly in its branches over his head.

No one disturbed them until the soft clopping of hoofs on the ground came near.

Kyoyume's ears twitched, and she was immediately aroused, listening and sniffing the air for signs of an enemy.

"Hey I was looking for you guys!" Hakudoushi called from the giant horse, Entei's back.

Kyoyume relaxed. "Oh, hello." She said with a smile, still in the trees. "Sorry if we worried you."

"Nah, Jakotsu was thinking something dirty..."

Kyoyume raised one eyebrow at him. "Ok...." She said slowly, glancing to see if Naraku was asleep still or not. "So, you came out to find us?"

"Hai."

"Ah." Kyoyume said. "So, uhm....how's everything been?"

"Fine." Hakudoushi answered.

"Awesome...." Kyoyume said, lazily hanging from the tree bough she was on.

"WAKE UP NARAKU!" Hakudoushi yelled down at him.

Naraku started, glaring up blearily at his 'son'. "Ah, I see YOU'RE here." He growled, getting to his feet and spotting Kyoyume in the tree above.

"Jakotsu was having nasty thoughts..."

"Well, that's not unusual. What of this time?" Naraku asked, kind of groggily.

"You two."

As if noticing what he was talking for the first time, Naraku wrinkled his forehead; not allowing himself to act embarrassed in front of the boy. "Oh." Was all he said.

"So WERE you doing that?"

Naraku glared at him, but made no answer. "You're very straight-forward." Kyoyume said through half-lidded eyes, twirling a leaf in her fingers.

"Well...."

"If you're insinuating what I think you're insinuating-" Kyoyume said. "Such a thing would be hard to accomplish when she is in a tree." Naraku pointed out to the boy, breaking in on what Kyoyume was saying.

"Yes, I'm insinuating what you think I'm insinuating."

"What he said then." Kyoyume pointed to Naraku below her.

"Yeah."

"Jakotsu's got a dirty mind." Kyoyume noted, turning over on the tree branch so that she was lying on her back.

"Of course he does, he kills people he lusts after."

Kyoyume shrugged and sighed at the same time. "I guess...." She mumbled to herself.

"Well, he does...he's weird."

Kyoyume laughed a little at that and slipped out of the tree, landing gracefully on her feet. "Well, what would you expect from a man who has been resurrected and died twice?"

"No he was always like that."

"Oh, really?" Kyoyume asked with a smile. "Well, I have no idea what to say then."

They all laughed. "They haven't changed a bit since their death."

They calmed down after a bit, and briefly the sound of birds overhead were heard chirping. Looking up, Kyoyume noticed the time. "It's about mid-day." She informed them all, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"We noticed."

"Oh." Kyoyume said, a bit embarrassed that she had pointed out something so obvious.

They laughed a little and Hakudoushi re-mounted Entei. "I'm going back in." He told them.

Kyoyume nodded. "We'll see you soon then." She said after glancing at Naraku to see if he was leaving or not.

They watched as he disappeared into the distant castle.

Kyoyume sighed, lazily flopping back down into the grass.

Naraku just sat down crossed-legged and looked down at the girl beside him.

Kyoyume smiled, closing her eyes against the sun as it passed overhead.

"Kyoyume...."

"Yes...?" She asked, opening one eye, the sun glaring on it immediately.

"Do you really love me?"

Kyoyume rolled over and smiled at him. "Of course I do."

"Why?"

Kyoyume thought for a moment, but broke a smile. "I'm not really sure, I just do."

"Oh..."

"You make me happy." She said after another moment of thought. "Why do you ask?"

"Just...wondering."

Kyoyume sat up and got closer to him, looking into his eyes. "Why would you think I don't?"

"I didn't."

Kyoyume looked at his eyes a little longer before flopping back down in the grass. "If you say so."

"You don't believe me."

"Yes, I do." She assured him, sitting up again suddenly. "Of course I believe you."

"Ok."

Kyoyume sighed after a moment of painful silence and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Do you love me?"

"Yes."

Kyoyume smiled happily. "That's good."

"I know."

Kyoyume smiled at him and leaned her head back against his shoulder. "You sound sad."

"I'm not."

"You sure?" She asked.

"I'm sure." He assured her.

Kyoyume sighed. "Ok." Her eyes wandered to the forest briefly before she shut her eyes.

Naraku smiled a little. "My wittle kitty..." he taunted softly.

Kyoyume smiled back, opening one eye just barely and twitching one of her ears. "Yes, I am."

"...I'm glad."

"You should be." She said, nuzzling his arm affectionately.

"Yes, I should be." He told her with a small laugh.

"Because I'll always be here." She seemed to promise.

"Really?"

"Of course I will be. I'll always stay here with you."

"That's good."

"It's very good." She agreed with a small yawn.

He rested his chin on the top of her head. "I guess."

She laughed slightly, a small chuckle that was mainly to herself. "More than a guess."

"Okay, that's good."

She sighed, taking her head from his shoulder and peering up into the sky again, watching the clouds roll by under the pale blue sky. "I wonder what it's like..." She mumbled to herself, eyes wide with wonder.

"What?"

Kyoyume smiled without looking at him, her eyes locked on the sky. "I wonder what it's like up there. Is it cold or warm like it is down here? Y'know?" She said, flopping back down into the grass and staring up at the clouds.

"I dunno..."

Kyoyume shrugged. "I think of weird stuff like that sometimes." She said, turning on her side and smelling the grass as she closed her eyes.

He laughed a little. "I'm a little off myself."

"Not to me you're not." Kyoyume said into the grass from where she lay on her side.

"I really want to sit on your stomach and tickle you 'til you cant breathe."

"..." Kyoyume was silent for a minute thinking that over, nose buried in the grass. "Oh, you mean, abuse." She joked

"I won't sit on you." He said standing up and hovering over her ominously. He then knelt back down. "But I will tickle you." He warned, tickling her like he had said.

"Hey!" Kyoyume called as she squirmed under his touch. "Help me!"

"No one here to save you now!" He laughed.

"Oh no!" She whined, bucking and kicking, trying to get away. "That's not fair." She exclaimed through bouts of laughter. "You always do this when I'm not ready."

"Of course! The element of surprise is a predators best friend!"

"Horrible!" Kyoyume exclaimed, trying to force off his hands. "Completely horrible to treat a lady so."

"What lady?"

"Horrible!" She exclaimed again. "Naraku, why must you be so cruel?"

"I'm not being cruel." He said stopping the assault.

Kyoyume held very still, acting as if she were dead.

Naraku, going along with the act, lifted her into a sitting position and whacked her on the back of the head.

"Yow!" Kyoyume called, grabbing her head immediately. "How horrible and cruel of you, to hit a dead person like that."

"You don't look dead to me..."

"A supposedly dead person." She corrected herself.

"You didn't look dead..."

Kyoyume crossed her arms, mumbling to herself, knowing she had been defeated.

Naraku smiled and pulled her into a hug.

Kyoyume hugged back. "Of course you want to hug me after abusing me so..." She chided him.

"I didn't abuse you!"

Kyoyume giggled, seeing the upset look in his eyes and hearing his tone. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

"It is the second time you have attacked me so, and you even wanted to hold me down by sitting on me this time. Totally cruel and abusive." Kyoyume joked, enjoying herself.

Naraku smiled. "Oh what can I do for you to forgive me?"

Kyoyume thought it over. "That all depends." She said with a grin.

"Please all mighty, tell me what I must do for you to forgive me of my abuse."

Kyoyume hugged him tightly. "Stay with me forever."

"I will."

Kyoyume smiled to herself. "Really?"

"Really." He assured her.

"Then all is forgiven." She said rather triumphantly.

"Good."

"So, no more abuse?" Kyoyume asked hopefully, looking him in the eyes.

"No."

"No more abuse?" Kyoyume repeated, confused by his answer.

"I won't abuse you anymore."

Kyoyume giggled happily. "Wai!"

Naraku smiled. "You giggled."

"Yes, I do it quite often." She said with a nod. "Do you not giggle? Or is giggling not 'cruel' enough?" She asked, joking again.

"Girls giggle, not men."

"Ah, I see." Kyoyume said, rolling her eyes, but laughed anyway.

He laughed a little himself. "Warriors don't giggle either."

She shrugged. "Guess I'm not a warrior then. Or maybe I am starting a new trend?"

"Maybe."

Kyoyume laughed, trying to imagine such a thing. "Nah, it wouldn't work."

"Yeah, unless the new generation of warriors were women seducing men to their deaths."

"Why would I train them to do that?" Kyoyume asked, quirking an ear and an eyebrow at him.

"I dunno."

Kyoyume smiled, shutting her eyes, and becoming calm for a few minutes. "It's a very strange idea." She said at last, eyes still closed.

"Yes...you aren't planning anything like that are you?"

Kyoyume smirked playfully. "Maybe..."

"Oh dear, you're going to kill me." He remarked jokingly.

"No, I will take you captive and torture you." She joked back, prodding him in the side with one finger.

"No! Anything but that!" He begged mockingly.

"Yes! And you will be sorry you ever threatened me or tried to look up my kimono, or anything like that." She replied, laughing.

"Hey! I have the right to do any of those things!" He protested.

"Oh, really? Well it won't seem that way when I am ruler!" She proclaimed with another laugh and a huge smile.

"Noooo!"

"Yes, and all the world will suffer!" Kyoyume's ears twitched in delight as she made up her story.

"Cool."

"No, no." Kyoyume corrected him, rolling on her side to face him. "You're supposed to be begging me to stop, not agree."

"But, I want suffering, just not me, unless, I might sound like Jakotsu here but, you're torturing me...specially." He joked with a wink.

"I'm torturing you?" Kyoyume asked, becoming confused. "Eh..."

"You didn't get it."

Kyoyume shook her head. "No, I didn't. Care to explain?" She asked, peering at him curiously.

"It's a special kinda torture." He said with a wink.

Kyoyume winked back. "Yeah....right..." She agreed, confused briefly before she suddenly go it. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Kyoyume grinned mischievously. "Heehee."

"Well? Should we experiment with this 'torture'?" He asked grinning in a very sneaky, perverted way.

Kyoyume blushed brightly at the look in his eyes. "Not as straight forward as Hakudoushi I see." She commented with a grin.

"I know, I prefer to be evasive."

"Ah-ha, I see." She said with another grin. "Though I'm not sure what you mean entirely by 'torture'."

"What do you think I mean?"

"Well, from that look in your eye, it's not a kiss."

"Well...that's not even the half of it."

Kyoyume smiled at him. "Truly the master of evasion." She informed him. "Though I think it has something to do with making me 'yours'."

"Oh! You're one smart kitty."

Kyoyume grinned at him. "I learned from the best."

He laughed a little. "Yeah, ya think?"

"I do think it has something to do with that, and you have already confirmed it yourself. " She laughed. "So, yes, I DO think."

"That's good," he commented.

"It is if I am not to be an idiot."

"Yeah..."

Kyoyume giggled at him, her cheeks starting to hurt from all the smiling and laughing. "Experimenting hurts my cheeks." She informed him with another small laugh.

"Aww..."

"No fake sympathy, please." Kyoyume laughed as she tried to relax her jaw, but the smile wouldn't fade.

He grabbed the laughing cat-girl and pulled her into his lap, causing her to laugh even more.

She sighed, the smile still on her face, and looked up to see him still grinning in that perverse way. "You are relentless until you get what you want, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"And what do you do to those that don't give you what you want?" Kyoyume asked playfully batting at a strand of hair.

"Kill them usually."

"I guess that means trouble for me, if I don't comply, huh?" Kyoyume asked, still batting at the hair with a smile.

"Yup."

Kyoyume was silent for a few moments, batting at his hair before he pulled away the strand, taking away her toy with a smirk.

"Don't pull my hair!"

"Aack! Don't kill me!"

"I won't."

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah...if ya give me a kiss."

Kyoyume pretended to pout. "Oh, of course. The 'I won't do anything if you give me...' line." Kyoyume rolled her eyes but obliged him with a kiss on the cheek. "Happy?" She asked, feigning disdain.

"Yes."

"Good." She said, turning her head away, trying to hide her smile, and failing.

He yawned a little, a clearly fake yawn.

Kyoyume turned her head back slightly so that she was watching him from the corner of her eyes. "Aw, sweepy?" She asked in a baby-ish voice.

"A little."

Kyoyume smiled, leaning against him and nuzzling his shoulder happily. "No you're not, you're faking."

"I know." He said with a smirk.

"Then why to try to fool me? I AM half-demon, I can sense these things." Kyoyume pointed to her noise.

"I'm not trying to fool you."

"Then what were you trying to do?" She asked, rolling over in his arms so that they were face to face.

"I dunno."

Kyoyume sighed in exasperation, closing her eyes and bowing her head slightly.

"Aww...don't sound so stressed."

"I'm not." Kyoyume brightened almost instantly. "That was just an 'in the moment' thing." She said with a grin.

"Oh I see."

"You don't believe me." Kyoyume stated, looking up into his eyes.

"I believe you."

"Ok." Kyoyume said simply, lowering her gaze again.

"Why do you keep your head down?"

Kyoyume's ears popped up at the question, and her head immediately rose again to meet his eyes. "I'm not sure." She confessed. "Is it all that important?"

"I was just wondering."

"Ah-ha." Kyoyume said, checking to make sure she kept her head in the same level after speaking. As if by nature, Kyoyume leaned her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

Naraku smiled a little to himself at her reaction. "Do you like it down there?" He asked looking at the cat-girl resting on his chest.

"Yes." She sighed. "Nice and warm." Kyoyume nodded slightly, fluffy ears brushing against him. "Comforting."

He laughed a little. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Kyoyume breathed, her head and upper body rising and falling with his.

He smiled again, and tipped her head up so their eyes met, and left a quick kiss on her lips before letting her fall back into her normal position.

She smiled, and cuddled closer to him. "Naraku?" She asked lightly.

"Hai?"

"Can I stay here, for always? And just be with you?" She asked, her eyes closed as she leaned against him.

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

Kyoyume smiled, sighing happily, her light breath hitting his skin. "Thank you..."

"And maybe we can have a few children in the process." He joked.

"Ok..." Kyoyume agreed drowsily, catching him off guard.

"Really?"

"Of course, I'm 'yours' remember? I'll do whatever you want." She said, opening one eye and smiling up at him.

"You're not really mine...yet."

Kyoyume mumbled something inaudible and shifted slightly. "So?" She asked. "Doesn't make any difference....."

"To some demons," he started. "It does, not to me..."

"Those other demons can stick it in their ears." Kyoyume grumbled, mostly to herself. "Besides, if I'm not 'yours' now, I will someday..."

"Someday..."

"Yes..." Kyoyume sighed. "Someday..."

"Maybe today." He joked.

"Maybe." She agreed, opening one eye fully and smiling at him again.

"We could just sneak off into the woods..."

"We could." She said, grinning playfully.

"Do you want to?"

"I'd do anything with you." She replied.

He laughed a little, standing up, picking Kyoyume up and walking into the woods. "Then lets," he offered.

End Chapter