Naraku, Be Loved
Author's Notes: Hello and welcome to chapter two of my Naraku story. First I must inquire: is anyone reading? Whether its yes or no I am going to keep writing because I want to read this, and just like you guys I don't get to see the whole picture until it is finished. Still, it would be nice to see what people are thinking. Moving along... I am sure some of you have noticed that I do not tend to use a lot of "lingo", as I said in chapter one. There is more here (I found out that Hanyou is half demon so I can use that correctly now) and I will be refering to the "jewel" as Shikon no Tama from here on now that I have the correct spelling.
Warning: Some of the stuff in this chapter may seem a little ooc and au (author's universe, for those not familiar with that shorthand). This mainly refers to the later part of the chapter and the agreement that Tempest and Naraku make. I have taken liberties with the concept of Naraku having Kagura's heart and what that truly means. I hope that I do not offend in chosing an abstract view here.
Last and not least... enjoy. :) And review!
Chapter Two: Unbreak My Heart
Tempest opened her eyes and gazed in puzzlement at her surroundings. She was in a large room laying on a soft comfortable bed. It was morning and sunlight was streaming through a pass in the wall that had to lead to a balcony. The bed shifted and she looked to her right. What the hell...? There was a man laying next to her, he was naked. She felt her heart begin to beat faster and then it skipped a beat all-together: she was naked. What the hell had happened?
In an instant she was on top of him, her hands reaching up quickly to pin his over his head. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, nor the easiest. He had well muscled arms and her hands didn't quite reach around his wrists well enough to really secure them. Then there was the fact that she didn't weigh 140 pounds soaking wet. His eyes opened, flashing a feral red as he seemed to realize his predicument. Good, she thought, hoping he was scared.
No such luck. In one quick move he had reversed their positions without an ounce of effort, effectively pinning her to the bed while he looked down at her. He had the audacity to smirk. " You're feeling better. Good. "
Feeling better? What was he talking about? She did her best to look intimidating, her heart beating faster as she met his scarlet gaze with her brown one. " Where am I, who are you, and why the hell am I naked? "
Instead of being intimidated, he laughed at her. " I am Naraku, Lord of this castle. You have traveled through time and come through the bone eater's well. I have chosen to protect you. Your state of undress is due to the fact that you were burning with fever. I had to get your temperature down. "
Tempest frowned, moreso at her lack of control over her temper then at his words. Did he have to have a legitimate reason for everything? She let her gaze wash over him, something he wasn't doing to her. She would give him that. He was very handsome, long dark hair falling down his back and pale unmarred skin covering a well toned body. His hands were graceful, with long artists fingers which were tipped with claws.
" Claws? " She felt her stomach tighten as anxiety began to make it hard to breathe. " You freak, you have claws? How the hell did you get claws? Forget who ... what are you? "
His expression turned cold and he raised one of his hands in the air. It came down, claws spread, and dug into her skin. Tempest whimpered and pain sliced through her chest as she felt the skin tear. He smirked, his voice still perfectly calm, as if they'd been discussing the weather. " I am a hanyou, half-demon. So yes, I suppose that does mean I have claws. You, a pathetic human, have no business making fun of them. "
He slashed them across her shoulder and another cry of pain escaped her. " Naraku, please... stop. You're hurting me. "
His laughter was cold, malicious. It sent chills running down her spin as he continued to drag his claws against her flesh. She felt tears begin to prick at her eyes and held them back until his claws scraped over one of her breasts. She opened her mouth to try and plead with him, but through her tears he looked unmoving, as if he was lost in what he was doing and would not hear her even if she begged. Her voice might even make him more angry. She closed her eyes and prayed whether she made it through or not that the pain, at least, would end soon.
Rage hummed in Naraku's head as he continued to slash his claws across the girl's wounded body. Freak, huh? She'd be the freak when he was finished. No one would recoignize her. Maybe she wouldn't wake up at all. Hmm... Death by clawing, sounded unpleasant. Good. Slowly the scent of her fear evaporated, leaving his senses dulled. His rage began to ease, his controil returning to him and leaving him breathless as he looked at his handiwork.
He looked at her face and gave an internal shudder. Oh, no... What had he done? He'd meant to give her a few scratches, lick them better, and that be the end of it. But he hated the thought of being mocked by ... well, anyone. And he'd lost it. Were there demons in the future, he wondered as he lowered his mouth and began to lick a perticulary nasty mark across her neck. He was lucky she wasn't dead. He paused, letting that thought linger for a moment. He was lucky? No, she was lucky. What was it to him? He looked down at her wounds again and felt like he was going to be sick. Obviously it was more then he really wanted to consider.
He lowered his tongue and let it brush the valley between her breasts, the coppery taste of her blood filling his mouth. He could hear her breathing begin to be more peaceful and felt relief. She was no good to him dead, and this inscident was not going to bode well with his new plan for her. He had to make sure she did not end up hating him because of this. " She smells like wild flowers. "
" Hmmm... " He smiled as he heard a sound escape her throat and let his tongue begin to lap against her right breast. Tracing slow circles he worked her way to her nipple and took it into his mouth, twirling his tongue around it and sucking it until it became pert with want.
He lifted his head, intending to give her left breast the same treatment, but found her fist connecting with his face before he had the chance. " Pervert! What do you think you're doing? "
She tried to hit him again and he backed up so that her fist missed him by a long shot. Unfortunately the knee that connected with his groin was right on target. He backed away from her, biting his tongue to hold back a string of curses. " Do you want me to leave your breasts all scratched up? "
Her face turned red and she lowered her gaze. " Your tongue has a healing ability? "
" Yes. " It came out harsher then he had wanted, likely since he was still in quite a lot of pain. For a human she'd had quite a mean kick. He smiled an amused smile at the thought of it. " Now lay still while I tend you. "
He took his time healing her, allowing his tongue to linger where it was needed, and siometimes simply where he felt like letting it linger. After he felt satisfied that her breasts would not reject him should he ever get to touch them again, he turned his attention to her stomach, gently lapping at the deep gashes that stood out against her light skin.
" I'm sorry I called you a freak. That was unfair. " She looked like she meant it, which kept him from getting angry again. " It's just ... well ... no one has claws where I come from. But that's not really an excuse. You didn't made fun of me. "
The thought of anyone making fun of her sent fury coarsing through him. Why would anyone want to, though? She was beautiful, her skin soft and fragrant as his tongue brushed it. He was beginning to grow aroused, a rare occurance and one he had not contemplated when he had settled next to her the night before. A human had not had this effect on him since he had become a hanyou. He hoped it would not make her nervous. " Do you still hurt anywhere? "
He watched her shake her head and smiled laying down next to her again. " You said something about traveling through time... "
" Yes. When you came through the well you were brought back in time. I think its suppose to be five hundred years or something. " He rolled over so that he was looking at her. " You know, we've done some ... interesting ... things today, and I've yet to hear your name. "
" Tempest. "
" Well, my beautiful storm, we're wasting sunshine. " he said smiling. The name suited her very well, he thought as he tried not to chuckle. " You haven't eaten in quite some time. Are you hungry? "
(scene change add line here)
" The girl is nothing but trouble. If we see her again, she's gonna feel my claws. "
Kagome sighed, her frustration mounting as InuYasha said this for the third time in the last hour. She was sure the girl she'd seen riding on the cloud was Tempest, but how was that possible? Until now only she and InuYasha had been able to travel through the well, and that should have continued to be the norm. Did Tempest know something she didn't? Kagome did not like the idea one bit. Maybe she would let InuYasha make good on his threat if the situation seemed dire enough.
" If that was someone from the future, we have to get her away from Naraku. " Miroku said. " Not only would he be a horrible influence on her views of this time, but she might consider baring my children. "
There was a rather loud slapping sound as Sango's hand connected with Miroku's face. " You idiot, are you not listening? Kagome just said the girl is from the future. You would probably scare her half to death, or tick her off and get him somewhere really unpleasant. "
" Well, you could be wrong... Maybe... "
" Shut up, Miroku. She sounds like trouble. "
Ah, InuYasha, always the one to sound like he knew it all. He was probably right: she had started telling him about Tempest two weeks ago when the girl had first arrived, and he had taken an almost instant dislike to her. Then she had done a grade A performance on the battlefield yesterday, screwing up their plans completely. With Kagura down for the count they might have defeated Naraku had Tempest not used whatever magic she had and interfered.
" We're not killing her, InuYasha. We're rescuing her. " she said, wanting to remind him. She did not need him going into a rage at the site of Tempest. She'd really trust them then. Not. She did want Tempest to go home, though. Naraku knew of her existance. She would be in danger here if she stayed. Not to mention Kagome really really didn't trust her. She kept thinking that and wondered why. The girl hadn't done anything to her. It was just the 'leave me alone' attitude she had that was such a deterant. She almost reminded Kagome of Kikyo with her cold personality. Oh yeah, that had to be it.
" Well, lets keep moving. The less time she spends with Naraku, the better, if you ask me. " InuYasha's words for once echoed Kagome's thoughts exactly. She only hoped that he hadn't hurt Tempest. Much.
Tempest sat next to Kagura, stirring a cup of hot chocolate and then passing it to her new friend. " I think you will like this. Let me know. "
Kagura gave an indifferent shrug and sniffed the mug of divine chocolatey goodness as if she was afraid it was liquified dog crap. What was wrong with her? It wasn't just the way she reacted to the cocoa either. That Tempest could excuse on grounds that Kagura had probably never had any chocolate before. Whoa, that sucked! But it seemed like more bothered her then chocolate deprivation. " Something wrong? "
" Is there ever a time that something isn't? " The bitterness she sensed in Kagura's voice made an uneasy feeling settle in the pit of her stomach. " You really need to get away from here. You're not safe. "
" Huh? " What was she talking about?
" Naraku. He's dangerous. You can't trust him. " Kagura finally took a sip of the hot chocolate and smiled. Her expression then turned serious again. " I can smell your attraction to him. Nine chances out of ten, so can he. He'll use you, Tempest. He uses everybody. "
" You don't sound like you like him very much. Why are you here? "
" Don't you remember what happened on the battlefield? " The anger in Kagura's voice took Tempest by surprise. What on earth... " That isn't a ball he was squeezing, Tempest. That is my heart. "
" What? That's impossible. How can it pump blood if its ... ? "
" I'm not like you. I survive and everything. The one thing I am not is free. I could leave, but every time Naraku does anything to my heart, I feel it. "
" That's sick! " Tempest took a big gulp of hot chocolate to try and get the awful taste that the things she was hearing had put in her mouth to subside. She only succeeded in scalding the roof of her mouth and part of her tongue. " Ow. "
" Careful. "
" Yeah, really. " How embarrassing. She was the one who'd been drinking this stuff her whole life. " Well, I guess the closest I can come to understanding your situation is my link to my cards. If anything ever happened to them, I'd be in big trouble... "
" Hmm... " Kagura glanced around as if she feared she was being watched. " Enough of that, he may be watching us through Kanna's mirror. The last thing you want is Naraku knowing if you have a weakness. "
Tempest sighed. " I think he needs me... "
" Oh, no... You've got to be kidding me. "
" Huh? "
" I can hear that god-awful lovey-dovey tone. Forget it. "
" It sounds like he's never really been given a chance. I'm not blaming you, for you it would be almost impossible. But for me... There is just something about him that makes me want to be near him. "
" You have got to be kidding. " Kagura looked like she was going to be sick, " Believe me, I would leave if I could. You need to find a way to escape while you still have a chance. "
" That wouldn't be very hospitable. Besides, I won't leave you like that. That would be wrong. " She did not want to contemplate her real reasons for not wanting to leave. This new information on Naraku was unnerving, yet it did nothing to squelsh her desire for him from flaming inside her. " I will talk to Naraku about this. Maybe its all just a big misunderstanding. "
Kagura gave Tempest a look that read you're crazy but was silent the rest of the time they were at the table. Figuring that any chances at conversation with her were over Tempest got up and went to see what Naraku was doing.
Naraku watched as Kagura plead with Tempest, Kanna's mirror showing that his rebelious minion was trying to sobatage his chances of gaining a new ally. He had hoped to win Tempest's loyalty naturaly. Now that was no longer possible. He would never be able to fully trust Tempest again. She obviously cared about Kagura and there was no gaurantee that she would not choose the wind sorceress over him and betray him someday.
He could smell her scent drawing near him. It was coming. She was going to tell him how much she despised him and demand that he return Kagura's heart. Or so she thought. He decided she would not get the chance. Human or not, Kagura's would not be the only heart he held when the night was through. A knock sounded on the door and he turned to face it, taking no chances. He did not want to risk being attacked with her magic. " Come in. "
She entered the room as if she was in no hurry and walked over to where he was sitting. This was strange. Why wasn't she making her demand and telling him to do as she said or else? Her eyes looked all too big against her pale skin. She almost looked scared. He sniffed the air and there was no mistaking the scent of her fear. Normally the smell was almost an aphrodisiac on him, but from Tempest it held no appeal. He much prefered the smell of her desire. Unable to stand the way her apprehension was growing he placed a hand on her arm and turned to look at her gently. " What's wrong? "
She sat down beside him and moved close so that the smell of the flowery shampoo she had used on her hair made it hard to breathe. " I'm worried, Naraku. Kagura ... She seems very unhappy. "
" She always is. " He watched as Tempest's expression darkened and wondered if he had said something wrong. " She told you about her heart, didn't she? Foolish woman. I try to be fair, I really do. But she screws up the most simple of plans, and I get angry. "
" You have a quick temper... Is it because you're a ... what did you call it, han... argh.. half-demon? "
" Hanyou. " he nodded in agreement, " And yes, you're quite right. Although most of the time I don't really try. Anger tends to work for me. It gets things done. "
She shivered and he pulled her as close to him as he could, wrapping his arm around her to try and get her to stop shaking. The kimono she was wearing looked beautiful on her, the cream pattern with roses suiting her as he had thought it would. She had yet to say anything and he wondered how his words had made her feel. Someone like Tempest probably never lost her temper. Who wouldn't do just about anything to see her smile? He sighed as the thought seemed to nudge him. He was denying her something she wanted right now.
" Alright. I will free Kagura, but on one condition. "
He noticed how her eyes lit up at his words and could not help thinking that he would do anything to see them like that again. " Name it. "
" I want your heart instead. " He felt very pleased with himself. He would never hurt Tempest. It was a good deal he was giving her. Yet she looked afraid.
" I am human. I kinda need my heart, Naraku... " The solumn tone of her voice as she said this made him laugh. She totally misunderstood.
" Not that heart, your other heart. " Confusion still filled her expression and he sighed. " Lay back and I will show you. "
She did as he asked and he smiled. Innocent, trusting... He could hurt her if he wanted, and yet she willingly bared herself to him without knowing a real thing about him. Closing his eyes he let himself focus on her, on finding what he wanted. Strange... It was almost as though it was not there. Yet it had to be there... Someone like Tempest had to have one. Finally he found what he sought, the brilliant red orb glistening as it came into his outstreched hand. He allowed his magic to draw it from her and opened his eyes. A wave of horror rushed through him.
" Its broken... " He looked down to see Tempest trembling, lines of pain appearing around her mouth. He didn't need to do anything to this heart to cause pain. It could accomplish that on its own. Who had done this to her? Why?
No wonder it had been so well hidden. She had burried it, wanting to forget her pain. He couldn't blame her. It looked like it had gone through a great battle and the scars he saw made a mockery of anything he had ever done to Kagura. The thought reminded him of his agreement. To keep it or not? He looked at Tempest again and sighed. He would keep his end of it and pretend he had her heart. The idea of her suffering at all was maddening; for her to have suffered for nothing was out of the question.
There had to be something that could be done to help her. Seeing what had been done made even his quest to relinquish his own heart seem trivial. His human heart was an annoyance, but it did not cause him anywhere near the constant agony he had felt coming from her. Knowing that it would not hurt so much inside her body as it did here, he carefully put it back where he had found it, hoping it would once again leave her alone.
Her eyes opened and she looked at him terror-stricken. " What did you do, Naraku? What did you do...? "
Instead of being angry at her question he felt ashamed. She was right; this was his fault. He should never have asked her for her heart. Now she was suffering because of his selfishness. He lifted her from her resting place and began to carry her to her room. " Don't worry, Tempest. I'll take care of you. "
End Notes: Will Naraku keep his word? Is Tempest all right? What will Kagura think? Do Kagome and the others even have a plan for their rescue attempt? Stay tuned as Naraku, Be Loved continues!