Chapter 12: Naraku's Suspicions and More Clues
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but the storyline is mine.
Author's Note: Over 50 reviews:D Ok…so I didn't put the lemon in this chapter…but I can't just citrus is all up right off, you know? Teehee. But rest assured, I have no forgotten about it. I received a lot of great feedback with the last chapter, and that makes me glad. Me glad means story continues. Yay! But anyway, yeah, you might have noticed by now that some of the stuff the characters are doing is a bit OOC, but well, I have to make some adaptations, right? Right. : ) So….here's the new chapter! Yay:D Please review! I love hearing feedback, so anything you have to say will be of help. (Note: that doesn't include retarded flames that have no sort of constructive commentary. K? k.) Thanks for reading! azami
Last time: "Kagura…I think we should work together on destroying Naraku. The more people against him…banded together…the more chance there is to destroy him," Kagome said, with a more friendly tone, but then spoke rather seriously. "But as Inuyasha said, if you betray us, we will not spare you."
The wind sorceress nodded, "The next full moon…I will be sent by Naraku to attack you, and that is when we will commence. Do as you see fit. I care about nothing but seeing him in die." She chuckled darkly, and then lifted into the sky on a gust of wind, sitting atop her feather.
After Kagura took off so suddenly, Inuyasha was fuming because he hadn't gotten the last word in. Kagome sighed as the irritable hanyou stomped around outside, ranting about what had just occurred. "Who does she think she is anyway! Just going off like that!" Inuyasha continued to fume and Kagome sighed. She looked around and saw that they were alone. Everyone else had already gone into the hunt and surely by now they were sound asleep and warm by the fire. Kagome shivered and pulled the blanket she'd brought out up around her.
"That damn Kagura! Like I'm going to serve under that bitch's orders!" he continued on, still in a full driven pacing stomp.
"Inuyasha, stop being so irrational. If she can help us to defeat Naraku, we all have to work together," she said through a yawn. The hanyou looked to him young miko and saw how tired that she was. Yet again, she was showing him insurmountable patience by sitting and listening to him carry on.
"Yeah…I guess it's time to get some sleep," he said, putting his hands on his hips and looking upward. "But I wanna sleep up in a tree tonight." Kagome frowned slightly and then nodded.
"Oh…ok…,g'nite then…" she rose to her feet slowly and turned toward the hut. Inuyasha heard her move and looked down quickly, seeing her start to walk away.
"Hey! Where you goin?" he asked, frowning with his ears lowered. She stopped and turned back toward him.
"Oh…well, it sounded like you wanted to be alone so I was just.." Kagome began but was interrupted when Inuyasha took her into his arms bridal style.
"Feh. Yeah right. Like I'm gonna let you sleep that far away from me," he grumbled. With that he bounded up into the trees with Kagome in his arms, blanket and all. He settled them on a particularly thick branch to ensure that Kagome would feel safe. He leaned against the trunk with Kagome in his lap and wrapped his arms around her.
She quickly began to fall into sleep, but murmured just before she fell off. "I love you Inuyasha…"
Inuyasha kissed the top of her head and pulled her into him. "I love you too, wench…now sleep…"
At Naraku's Castle….
"So, Kagura, would you like to tell me what you were up to this time? Or do I need to squeeze it out of you?" Naraku said with a sinister laugh. Kagura held her head up, looking Naraku square in the face, and spoke firmly. "I merely did as you requested. I sought out Inuyasha and his friends to put your plans in motion."
Naraku stared hard into her, seeking out the depths of her being. "I suppose I could believe that you are speaking the truth, however your loyalty is questionable…" His voiced fell off as he chuckled again. "I don't know if I should be trusting you at all, Kagura,"
"Naraku, why would you question me? I have done as you asked! You watched it yourself!" she urged, her face filling with emotion. Naraku stared down his incarnation.
"Funny that you would mention that. You see…I was planning to survey you, however, it seems that Kanna's mirror had some sort of error….as if it's powers were rendered useless," Naraku said, "I wonder just how…and why…that happened." He sneered at her contemptuously. Kagura stood stiff with underlying fear. She cast her eyes to Kanna, who stand staring back at her. The child-like incarnation stood, her face as stoic and emotionless as always; however Kagura could see a very faint glint in the girl's eyes. This confirmed to her that her sister incarnation had not betrayed her trust.
Kagura looked Naraku in the eye and spoke firmly. "I have simply done what you asked. I went to Inuyasha and his friends and put them under the impression that I am in allegiance with them. They believe that your powers will be weak and will come to attack the castle. I have done exactly what you requested in order for your plan to be carried out."
Naraku chuckled, "Well, I suppose I'll believe you this time, purely on Kanna's merit. Unlike you, I know she wouldn't betray me."
Kagura smirked, "Yes, well now you can make your dead little miko friend happy and give her a chance to slay the hanyou and the girl. You know, Naraku, I never took you as one to play up to mortals…especially not one that's nothing more than a pathetic walking corpse."
Naraku's eyes flashed with anger, and he snatched Kagura up by the throat. She choked, struggling to get loose from his grasp. "Listen to me, woman, you are under MY control…and don't you dare speak of her in that way again." With that he let her loose, causing her to fall to the floor. The wind sorceress rubbed her throat and held back tears of frustration. "Now, I will finally have the glory of seeing Inuyasha put to death, just as he deserves to be." He chuckled and turned to leave the room.
Kagura smiled gravely as he walked away. What he wasn't aware of was that Inuyasha and Kagome already knew of Kikyo's plans to attack them. They were also prepared for Kagura's 'attack' and knew that Naraku would be expecting them. Naraku had no idea that they knew of his deal with Kikyo, and they were ready to destroy them both. "You're smug now, Naraku, but you will soon perish," she thought to herself.
Back with the gang….
Kagome was beginning to feel better as the days went on, and with their planned battle nearly a month off, this gave her time to put thought into her upcoming wedding to Inuyasha. She knew that her mother would want a traditional ceremony, and for the most part she was in agreeance with this. Her one major obstacle would be getting Inuyasha to comply to…well….just about anything. She knew that he cared about making her happy, but she also knew that he was more than reluctant to put on anything other than his kimono.
"It won't be THAT bad….jeez…," Kagome said as Inuyasha fumed over the thought of having to wear "one of those stupid suit things."
"That's easy for you to say! You're used to wearin that weird stuff! I don't see why I hafta dress any different!" he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes. "You know, Inuyasha, you can be a real pain sometimes." She shook her head at him, "But fine, we'll compromise. It's your wedding too, after all."
Inuyasha jerked his head up in surprise and looked at her. "You mean I don't hafta wear those 'shoe' things? Cuz I hate those the most. They make my feet all…squishy," he said, looking down at his toes as he wiggled them. Kagome covered her mouth, giggling at his display.
"Well, maybe we could dress in more traditional garb….like you could wear a formal wedding kimono… something that you might just wear in this era," she said, tapping her chin and thinking. Suddenly the idea of a very modest, feudal era style wedding was very appealing to her. "Yeah! That's it….and I could wear a wedding kimono made from silk or something…with a pretty floral pattern…" Inuyasha gulped hard, seeing that 'look' in her eyes. It was the look Kagome got whenever she became enamored with an idea. It was the same look she'd always get in the past when she thought of playing matchmaker for Sango and Miroku. Frankly, Kagome in that mode scared the hell out of Inuyasha. Luckily, Sango then entered the hut, and Kagome began prattling off ideas to her. This gave Inuyasha a chance to escape form the hen house, and outside to the fresh air.
Once outside, he found Miroku sitting on a log, looking as though he were meditating. Inuyasha crossed his arms over the chest and studied the monk. "Ha….he's actually doing something monk-like. Imagine that," he thought to himself. Deciding that he didn't want to interrupt this rare of occasion of spirituality, Inuyasha began to walk past Miroku, toward the forest.
"So you needed to escape as well?" Miroku suddenly said, his eyes still closed. Inuyasha stopped and looked him. Miroku opened his eyes and grinned. "Sango said that she wanted to go to talk with Kagome about things concerning the marriage ceremonies, and I opted to stay here and meditate. I suspect you ran for the trees as soon as they began, ey Inuyasha?"
"Feh. Yeah well they get all crazy when they talk about that stuff. I don't get it," Inuyasha said, plopping down next to the monk, looking slightly bewildered. "I never thought that mating someone would involve so much….stuff….other than…well…you know…."
Miroku let out a loud laugh, causing Inuyasha to jump. "Yes..well….I must agree. The ladies do become awfully excited at the mention of a wedding…but frankly, I'm glad to see Sango so enthusiastic. I was afraid that she would never marry me."
"Yeah, really. How did you trick her to into agreeing to marry you?" Inuyasha said, smirking.
"And just what does that mean, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, raising his eyebrow at the smirking hanyou.
"Ha! Come off it monk! You know as well as I do that you're a goddam letch. Don't try to play like ya don't remember all the smacks to the face every time ya pissed Sango off by messin around with other women!" Inuyasha scoffed.
Miroku shrugged, "Yes well, I cannot deny things completely, however Sango knows that she is the only woman I have ever truly loved. It's as simple as that. Of course, you on the other hand, it's a wonder that Kagome agreed to be your mate, seeing as you did go behind her back time and time again." The monk crossed his arms over his chest and stared down the hanyou. Just then, they both began to laugh.
"I guess we both have had our moments of indescretion," Miroku chuckled.
Inuyasha nodded, "Ain't that the truth…"
They sat in silence for a few moments when Miroku spoke again, "So, do you still doubt Kagura's alliance with us?"
Inuyasha furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. "Yeah, kinda, but I guess we have to go with what we can get. All I know is that I'm not letting anyone hurt Kagome."
Miroku nodded his head, and brought his hand to his chin. "Yes…well…we all agree that her safety to definitely an issue. With Kikyo's vengeful behavior toward Kagome, there is no telling what lengths she will go to in order to destroy you and Kagome both."
"Yeah, well, if Kagura's trying to pull one over on us, then she'll pay too," Inuyasha muttered.
"What I'm still confused with is how your father is involved, and how he knew Kagome's father. From everything Kaede has told us, it's obvious that there is a very profound connection between them," Miroku said, looking far off in thought.
Inuyasha looked down to the ground, thinking about what Miroku was saying. "Yeah, I dunno, but I need to know what it's all about. It'd help if Myoga showed up at a good time for once. I bet he knows something all about this. He was my father's confidant."
The monk nodded again, still thinking. "Do you think perhaps your brother might know anything of this?"
Inuyasha shrugged and scowled, "He might, but not like he's gonna be any help to me. Not like I want his help anyway."
"Yes, well, in order for us to find out anything further, we're going to have to seek out the information," Miroku said.
As Miroku concluded his sentence, Inuyasha slapped the side of his neck, and mumbled an "Ow."
When he pulled his hand down, between his fingers laid a somewhat flattend Myoga. "Well look who it is….nice of you to finally show up Myoga," Inuyasha said sarcastically.
"Hello, Master Inuyasha. I had heard that Lady Kagome had been dreadfully hurt, and I felt that it was my duty to locate you and see about her condition," Myoga squeaked as he returned to his normal shape.
"Funny how you show up when nothing important is going on, Myoga," Inuyasha snorted.
The flea demon narrowed his eyes, and crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, Master Inuyasha, I do have OTHER things to attend to aside from you and your problems, you know."
"Yeah well if you weren't such a coward then maybe you'd actually be of more help to us!" the hanyou growled at him.
Myoga, being the coward he is, then recoiled in fear at Inuyasha's harsh tone. "Well, you see, I have had…"
"Can it, flea. If you're coming around there must be something important you have to tell me. Now spill it," Inuyasha said impatiently.
Myoga took a deep breath and looked around him for extra ears and then began. "I've come in concern to your plan to mate with Kagome."
"What of it?" Inuyasha asked, his head cocked.
"Well, you see, being that your father knew you would mate with a mortal, he left me with particular knowledge that would aid you in your union. Your father and Kagome's father, Toshihiro, were close acquaintances. It was Toshihiro that educated your father in the ways of mortal life, and their customs. Your father sought his aid in order to court your mother. Your father had been told by his father of this legend, and when your father learned that you were to be protector of the miko that would be the sole guardian of the Shikhon no Tama, that is when he decided that you must have the Tetsaiga. There is another piece to the story, however, you must speak to Totosai about that. My concern is that you carry out the union as it must be done," Myoga said, sounding rather official.
Myoga opened his eyes to find both Inuyasha and Miroku looking down at him curiously. Inuyasha's brow was raised, as in waiting for the flea demon to continue. Myoga cleared his throat before he spoke again. "I take it that you would like to know just what I mean by that." He laughed nervously as the suspicious hanyou eyed him.
"Come out with it you little louse. What's this all about?" Inuyasha prodded.
"No need to be so forceful, Master Inuyasha. I am more than willing to tell you." Myoga straightened himself and then settled on Inuyasha's palm. "As I mentioned, there are particular ways that things must be handled. First of all, you must first be versed on the tradition of marking your mate. As you know, the youkai mate for life in most cases. Being that you are half human, you will be even moreso bounded to your emotions. However, the marking must take place during.."
A look of disgust spread to Inuyasha's face, while Miroku looked rather amused. "Ok! Ok! Stop there, flea! I don't need the talk from you. What I want to know is what Kagome's father and my father have to do with all this, and how my mating Kagome will have something to do with saving her," Inuyasha said rather seriously.
Myoga cleared his throat, "That, Master Inuyasha, is a subject you will have to take up with Totosai, and your brother, Sesshomaru."
"Eh…I don't need Sesshomaru. Fuck him," Inuyasha said, getting to his feet. "But who I will talk to is Totosai, and you're coming with me."
He then turned toward the hut to tell Kagome where he was going, with a great deal of protest from Myoga. Soon he bounded off toward the direction of Totosai's home. "I'll find out what this is all about…I'll do whatever it takes to protect Kagome and have my life with her. Even if it means a few lives might be lost along the way," Inuyasha thought to himself as he ran through the countryside. Nothing…nothing was going to keep him from giving Kagome her happiness.
Hmmm….Naraku seems pretty suspicious of Kagura…think he knows what she's up to? I dunno….and now Inuyasha must get to Totosai to clear up more of this mysterious "legend". Will he have to go to Sesshomaru? Eep…and yes…I'm sure some of you are curious as to whether or not I'm going to include some full-blown citrus…I'm thinking about it. ;) Guess you'll hafta read the next one to see if I do….;) Pleaseeeeeeee read and review! I dig hearing what people think, all around. Thanks!;) azami