A Father's Embrace
Chapter Forty
Manipulation
Maiki never thought it would feel so good to snuggle deeply into bed. The day had been quite a long and busy one, a day she was glad finally came to an end. From nearly getting killed and meeting her uncle, to dealing with an annoying old turtle yokai, to helping deliver a baby... she was more than exhausted. She was glad that her mother and Sango had volunteered to prepare supper that evening. If she had had to prepare dinner, she probably would have passed out while the cooking fire was going and Soten's home would have burned down.
But in the end, all the trouble was more than worth the outcome. Yuten was the most adorable baby she had ever seen. She smiled, thinking back to when Kazuki held the infant. At the time, Maiki was a bit annoyed that the teenage boy was so quickly named as Yuten's uncle. Actually, she admitted, she had been a bit jealous. Her mother helped raise Shippo in his earlier years, so didn't that make Maiki a sort-of sibling to the fox as well? It didn't matter that she had never met Shippo before that afternoon. There are plenty of long lost siblings who don't know of each other until later in life. And it was under this logic, plus the fact that Maiki had helped deliver the baby, that she insisted she was Aunt M'iki.
After everyone had gotten a chance to hold Yuten, Yasa ordered that Soten and the baby be carried to her bedchambers so that both may get some rest. Shippo was more than obliged to comply, gently lifting his mate with their child in her arms, and taking them away. By the time he returned to the dining room, he found that Sango and Kagome were already making plans for dinner. Using some easy-make noodles from Kagome's bag with some fresh vegetables from the kitchen, they were able to make a delicious stew.
Shortly after everyone had finished eating, Yasa checked up on Soten and the child once more before announcing that she was leaving. Koryu offered her a ride, stating that he owed his services to the tortoise who had aided his mistress, and she eagerly accepted. Maiki had breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she wouldn't have to escort the obnoxious old yokai back home. Koryu wasn't gone long, having the advantages of flight, and returned after only fifteen minutes.
It was definitely an 'early to bed' night for everyone, Maiki realized. It seemed that everyone had had a very busy day. So all had retired to their rooms at around the same time, Shippo showing Kagome to her own room, as well as giving a room to Sango and Miroku. Once entering her room, Maiki hadn't hesitated crawling into bed. And as her thoughts retraced the days events, she quickly fell into a soundless sleep.
Two rooms down, however, sleep would not come as soundlessly for a certain miko. Though she had already drifted off into the world of slumber, her dreams were plagued once more. She tossed and turned in her sleep, troubled by the images before her.
The frightening and angry red-orange glow swelled up around her, consuming everything in its path. The darkness of night made the fire seem brighter, hotter than it was. She tried to run from it, but everywhere she turned, more of the violent flames dashed up before her, cutting off her means of escape. The once-beautiful trees of the forest cried out in agony as the fire sadistically licked at their limbs. The once lush, green foliage had withered under the intense heat, the mighty boughs reduced to scarred black ash, laden with glowing red embers.
But Kagome had to push onward. For it was not the maddening fire that scared her. It was him. Behind her, the only place free of the consuming fire, awaited the monster that would surely kill her. She could imagine the amused sneer on his face as he patiently waited for her. Waiting for her to retreat from the flames, and into his deadly claws. But she would not give up. Beyond the wall of flames was her freedom. There, she could escape down the well and leave this nightmare behind her. If she could get to it quick enough, she could return home before the well was engulfed in these very flames.
Another crash of falling branches destroyed her next possible means of escape when someone called forth to her.
"Miko," replied the voice she had become familiar with. "Do not let the beast intimidate you. He feeds off of your fear."
Kagome's heart beat wildly in her chest. Adrenaline coursed through her. She could feel a small swell of hope rise in her gut at the sound of his voice. Her eyes darted around, searching for him. But she saw nothing more than the red blur of the flames. Trepidation grew, and so too, grew the fire. The flames were closing in on her with every passing second. She could feel the heat boring into her skin. Her eyes hurt, drying out from the unrelenting heat. With each frantic breath she swallowed, her lungs filled with more and more smoke, and she found it hard to use her voice.
"Where are you?" she pleaded into the night, coughing. "Please, help me!"
"You have to find strength within yourself, miko. I am too weak to fight off his spell..."
She spun around once more, becoming more frantic. "Spell? What spell? What is he doing to me?"
"Be not afraid of him, and he has no control over you."
"But I don't understand..."
"You are a miko... You have the strength to kill him... Do not let your fear consume you..."
She settled a moment, letting the words flow through her head. "I am... a miko... I can... defeat him..." But she started to doubt herself. "How? How do I beat him?"
"Remember your abilities." The words were almost like an order, if not for the calmness in his voice.
"My... abilities?" she repeated, staring down into her palms. A bow and an arrow appeared in her hands.
"You must destroy him, or else he shall kill us both!"
Her head snapped up when she sensed the beast's sudden presence. In the one direction where there was no fire, no flames to consume her, stood the creature with silver hair and blood red eyes. He snarled at her, flexed his claws, a silent promise to disembowel her. She lifted the bow and nocked the arrow, aiming for the monster's heart.
A flash of soft amber broke into her thoughts. She blinked, startled by the sudden image. She shook it from her head, tried to disregard it, but again, a glimpse of warm, golden orbs looked directly into her eyes. But it was so quick, so brief. Who's eyes did they belong to? Why did she feel a tugging at her heart at the thought of those eyes? She lowered the bow, relaxed her grip on the arrow.
"Kill him, miko!" the voice pleaded, demanded.
She wasn't sure what to do. She was frightened, uncertain. She wanted to listen to the voice, to be freed from the beast facing off against her, but her heart cried out against her mind. The voice continued to beg that she destroy the vile creature, but the words were obscured as confusion intensified. She barely heard the growl as the hanyo leapt at her with outstretched claws, ready to slice into her.
But before she could feel the death blow, the scenery shifted. She was no longer in the forest outside the well. She was now in a quiet meadow, sitting next to a gently flowing brook. The warm sun shone brightly upon the land beneath it, as butterflies danced in the tall blades of grass, and crickets sang to each other.
Warm arms gently wrapped themselves around her from behind. She could feel someone's face pressing into her hair, feel the masculine breath on her neck. She craned her head around just slightly, taking in the sight of black locks and pale skin. He pulled away from her after a moment, opening his lids to reveal burgundy eyes. And he smiled at her warmly.
She blinked, uncomprehendingly, confused by the sudden change around her. "What happened? I... I thought I was... about to... die."
"Shh... It's okay. You're safe now," he cooed in her ear.
"But how did I get here?"
He stared into her deep blue eyes, almost lovingly. "It doesn't matter how. What's important is the future. He still waits for us... lurking in the shadows..." He lifted his troubled eyes, staring off into the darkness of a distant forest. "...watching our every move."
"What does he want from us?"
He looked down to his hand, as he lifted and opened it to reveal his upturned palm. "This is what he seeks."
She looked down, and saw three shards of the sacred jewel resting there. She gasped. "He's after my Shikon no Kakera?"
He nodded grimly, holding her a little more tightly, protectively. "Not only that, but he is after your life, miko. He wishes revenge."
Her eyes snapped up to meet his. "Revenge? For what? What did I do to him?"
"I cannot tell you that. I used the last of my power to take the painful memories away from you. The memories of what he did to you... they would devastate you..."
Kagome felt inexplicable anger settle in her chest. She didn't know where it originated from, nor did she really stop to consider it. With determination, she spoke, "Tell me... What was it that he did to me. I have to know. I need to know why it is that I feel so afraid of him whenever I see him."
He looked deeply into her fiery eyes, concern etched in his own. "Are you sure? If I return your memories to you..."
"I don't care! I must know! If he did something to me, if he's now trying to kill me, I need to know so that I can defeat him!"
He nodded, resigned to reveal the 'truth' to her. "Very well..."
The scenery changed once again, and she found she had been returned to the forest of night, only it was no longer being consumed by violent flames. She was in a tiny clearing, quiet and serene. Too quiet, actually. She looked around, finding herself to be completely alone. At least she thought she was alone, it was too dark to tell. She looked up through the boughs of the many trees surrounding her, and was able to see a few stars in the velvety blanket of the night sky. But the moon was absent on this night, the reason her surroundings were blinded to her.
She refocused her attention to the forest around her, and tried to get her bearings in order. With the night as dark as it was, she was finding it difficult to recognize anything around her. She grew a bit uneasy. She should know this forest, the forest outside the village, like the back of her hand. So why was it that she didn't know where she was? She decided that staying put wouldn't get her out of the forest any sooner, so she started off in a random direction.
As she was about to push through the thickets and leave the small clearing, a strong hand grabbed her shoulder from behind and pulled her back. She nearly stumbled on her feet as she was carelessly spun around 180 degrees. She was startled out of her skin, and it took her a moment to focus on the individual now before her. His face was downcast, his silver hair obscuring his eyes. His clawed hands tightly grasped her shoulders. Upon seeing him, her feelings were jumbled. She felt a strange sense of deja vu, a sort of enthrallment at seeing him. But at the same time, she was terrified.
Slowly, he lifted his face to look at her. His golden eyes were cold, heartless as they bore into her. He clenched his teeth, parting his lips in a silent snarl, baring his fangs. His grip on her shoulders tightened ever more, and she thought she could feel the tips of his claws work their way through her clothes to lightly prick at her fragile flesh. And when he spoke, his words were soft, but dangerous, and she knew he meant business.
"Give me the Tama."
Her response was a silent blinking of her eyes. 'He... he wants the Shikon no Tama?'
He growled in annoyance. "Are you deaf, bitch? I said 'give me the tama!' I know you've hidden it somewhere! Now tell me where it is!"
He frightened her, terrified her. She tried to pull away, but he steeled his grip on her. "Let me go!" she wailed, pushing her palms against his chest.
Unintentionally, small surge of miko energy was released from her palms as she pushed him away. He stumbled backwards, surprised that she would defy him. Unfortunately for Kagome, the blast was minimal at best, and barely scathed his fire-rat haori. All that she had succeeded in doing with that accidental surge of power was to enrage him further.
"Stupid bitch!" he growled as he stomped towards her, grabbing her by the front of her school uniform. "You think you can fight me with that pathetic power of yours? Well, then... Let's see how well you can oppose me when the purity that fuels your abilities has been taken from you!"
If she had been terrified before, she was absolutely mortified now. She tried to fight him, desperately pushed at him, ineffectively prying at the steadfast fist that held onto her. He growled, annoyed with her futile struggle, and in a whirl of motion, she found that she had been violently slammed into the ground. She lay on her back, frozen by shock, too shocked to register the pain lacing through her back and head from the impact with the ground. She stared wide-eyed at him as he wrapped his left hand around her neck.
"Struggle, and I'll tear out your throat," he warned as he began shredding her clothes with the claws of his right hand.
She couldn't help the onslaught of tears that flooded her eyes as she waited for the terror of her fate to unfold. She clenched her eyes shut, and the hot, salty droplets escaped down her face. Her senses dulled, not paying any notice to what was happening around her. So absorbed in her own misery, she didn't immediately realize it when she was no longer on the cold forest floor, and was now sitting in someone's warm protective lap, slowly rocking back and forth as soothing circles her gently rubbed on her back.
"Shh... You are safe now, miko. You no longer have to face that awful memory."
She cried into his shoulder, feeling completely helpless, but safe within his arms. She knew he would protect her from that beast, the one that had hurt her so badly already. After several long moments, she settled down enough to ask him what was on her mind.
"Why? Why w-would he...? Why d-does he want rev-venge? What did I ever d-do?"
He continued to rock her back and forth, tried to comfort her. She could tell he was hesitating, trying to find the best way to tell her the bleak answers.
"You were, and still are, a miko. A woman of the shrine. He thought... He thought that if he... defiled... you, that you would lose your powers and abilities. And he thought that if you were to be rendered helpless, you would be unable to stop him from taking the jewel."
"B-but... I don't have th-the jewel," she replied, piecing information together. "He m-must've succeeded..."
"Not entirely," he corrected. "It is true, that after he hurt you, he stole the vast majority of the Tama, but you had these three shards hidden away. That is why he is after you, and why he wants revenge. Because you still hold the upper hand."
She looked up into his eyes, not entirely sure what he meant. "I do? How?"
"Because he needs the entire jewel to complete his transformation. With these three shards in your possession, you have prevented him from succeeding."
"But w-what am I going to d-do? He's t-trying to kill me!"
"There is only one way to be free from his curse, miko. You must kill him first."
A straggling tear fell from her eye, the last of the salty liquid she had to shed. "But... you said he... I don't have my abilities anymore," she mumbled solemnly, dropping her eyes to stare into her lap in shame.
"Do not believe that, miko. Yes, it was his intention of robbing you of your unique skills. But he failed at that as well. Your soul, though it aches from the crimes he committed against you, is still so very pure. All you have to do is remember the power you once had, call it forth, and it will be there for you."
She looked back into his eyes, disbelievingly. "I... I don't know. I haven't been able to use my powers in years."
He cupped her face with his right hand, and looked deeply into her eyes. "You are strong. You have the ability."
She stared back into his eyes, spellbound by his words. And she repeated him, "I am strong."
"He cannot harm you anymore than he already has."
"He cannot harm me..."
"You will destroy him, my miko, my... Kagome."
"I will... destroy him..."
Once again, the scenery shifted, back into the forest of fire and flame. Kagome stood with the pyre to her back, the red-clad hanyo fifty paces in front of her. All the terror and fear she had felt because of him was no longer there. His red eyes glared at her, reflecting the orange flames surrounding them. He growled, snarled, spittle flying from his fangs. But she did not run from him.
Slowly, she lifted her arms, bow in one hand, arrow in the other, and took aim. She concentrated, but her face was blank, emotionless. She could feel a bubbling deep within her body, her soul, boiling to the surface. The empty mask of her face shifted when she gritted her teeth, furrowing her brow, as the arrow flared to life with miko energy.
The silver-haired beast froze, eyes wide. The energy rolled off her in waves, barreling over him, choking him. She could see his fear, taste it. For once it was he who was afraid, and not she. She delighted in this feeling of power and control. No longer was she the helpless little shrine maiden in need of rescue. He was trapped, with no where to go. A sinister smile slowly spread across her face.
And she released the arrow.
He watched in horror as the magnificent violet aura of the arrow bore down on him, seemingly in slow motion. Agonizingly slow, it pierced through his flesh, burrowing straight into his heart. He clenched the arrow with his hands as he fell backwards from the force of the holy energy ripping through him. Collapsing hard on his back, he fell still.
Her eyes never left his prone body, watching for signs of life for several long minutes. She even went so far as to draw another arrow, just in case the first hadn't been enough. When he failed to rise, she slowly made her way over to him. She kept her arrow pointed at his body while she nudged his leg with her foot. She received no response from him.
A prickle at the edge of her senses caught her attention. She looked up to his right hand, seeing it half open. A few inches from said hand, lie the huge chunk of the Shikon no Tama. She leaned over, picked up the jewel, and stared at it. Finally, the beast was no more and the jewel was back in her possession.
Strangely, the jewel started to disintegrate in her grasp. She panicked, not knowing what was going on. Wasn't that the jewel? Didn't she just defeat that beast? Her surroundings melted once more, and she was surrounded by an empty whiteness. She looked down, noting that the hanyo was gone as well.
"Well done, my Kagome."
She spun around, eyes falling on the ebony-haired man. He looked upon her with pride.
"What happened?" she demanded. "Didn't I... just defeat him?"
His smile faltered only slightly. "Unfortunately, no. It was a necessary test, to see if you were ready. I couldn't possibly send you off to fight him if you were unable to summon your powers. I couldn't do that to you."
She nodded, understandingly. "I see."
"But you must be ready, Kagome," he informed her. "You shall be encountering the beast soon."
"How soon?" Her concerned eyes met his.
"Tomorrow. Your companions are leading you straight to him."
"What? Why would they do that?"
"They think you have betrayed them."
"Betrayed them? But I haven't!"
"They do not understand you, Kagome. When you left all those years ago, you had no choice, correct?"
She thought about the question a moment, uncertainty tainted her face. "I... yes," she answered, agreeing with him. "He... hurt me... tried to kill me..."
"To them, it appeared as if you had abandoned them and ran off with the jewel."
"But I can tell them the truth! They'll listen to me! They're my friends!"
"They will not be swayed so easily. From the beginning, this journey has been an elaborate plot to lead you to the beast, and your daughter is the one who has planned every step of the way."
"Maiki? But why would she do that?"
"Did you not hide the truth of her heritage from her until very recently?"
Kagome stopped short from her protest, realizing the truth of that fact. "Yes, but... I wanted to protect her.. so she could have a normal life..."
"She doesn't see it that way. She believes that you lied to her, betrayed her, forced her to believe that another man, a negligent and abusive man, was her father. She yearns to meet the one who truly sired her. And when she does, she will deliver you into the beast's hands, if only to see your downfall when he kills you in cold blood."
She was sick to her stomach. She looked away, eyes clouded with doubt. Would Maiki really do that?
"You must flee, Kagome, before they wake. If you do not get away from them now, they will surely lead you into the beasts murderous claws. You will be trapped, and helpless to stop them."
She looked back into his eyes, searching for any signs that he was telling the truth. Within his burgundy orbs, she found concern, the desire to protect her, his conviction, his determination. And she decided to believe him, noting that he had done nothing to deceive her thus far. She nodded slowly, speaking with her eyes that she trusted him completely.
He offered her a small, but warm, grin. "Now, my precious Kagome, it's time to wake up."
Slowly, her eyes drifted closed, and she faded from the dream world as her physical body began to stir. With her passing to the real world, Naraku's arms became empty and he allowed a smile of malice to spread across his face, ecstatic with the success of this crucial part of his plan. The miko would believe his every word now, follow his every instruction. Just like a puppet dangling from its strings, unable to move or do anything unless its puppeteer willed it of her. Naraku released a content chuckle, knowing that by sundown, he would be free, and the completed Shikon no Tama would be his.
A/N: I want to clear up a few things with Kagome's dream sequence before anyone jumps to conclusions. 1) I don't condone rape in any way, shape, or form. 2) The images being shown to Kagome are false. Naraku has replaced her real memories with fake ones in order to manipulate her. If she remembered the truth, there's no way she would believe him. (The truth of the past has not yet been revealed.) 3) This is not a Naraku/Kagome fic. Again, Naraku is manipulating Kagome, and is using sympathy and concern, perhaps even a sense of love, to reassure her and to gain her trust.
Again, sorry for the lateness of an update. I had many chapters prewritten up until recently. So now I'm posting as I'm writing, which takes a bit longer. Also, I apologize for any spelling/grammar errors as I did very little proofing after completing this chapter.