Hello, guys...
Okay, I know, I know... I am VERY, VERY late and I'm really sorry! I was not only without much time, but also I was feeling a bit unmotivated (not only in translating, but writting as well). So, this week I had not much activities and could dedicate myself to do some things I like. For almost two years I wasn't drawing, for example, and a day ago I made this new cape for Web of Lies! I hope you like, even the characters have big heads and Hitomi and Naraku are looking like ladies. LOL ^^'
So, I'll leave you free to read chapter 11, and I'm anxious to know what you all felt about that.
Good reading!
Chapter 11 - Pity
"Poor Annabelle Rose..." he pretended to be mercyful and circled her waist with an arm. "From now on, I will take care of you" he said as his fingers caressed her long ginger locks, then his hand laid heavily upon her hindhead, inducing the girl to raise her face and look at him, forcing her to painfully contemplate his visage.
"Master Kagewaki!" the very same samurai group who tormented Annabelle in the past were still on the property, ready to protect Naraku with their own lives. One more reason for the foreigner lass stay inert.
"Annabelle returned to us, tell the maids to prepare her chambers" the usurper ordered emotionless.
"Where is Hitomi?" She asked weakly, looking him within the scarlet eyes, in hope to not forget who that man really was.
"Here" he pointed to his body, showing a dark smirk on his lips. "I am the castle master. Ask my servants and my guards, they can tell you" The mockery in his gestures made her feel nauseated, her body was still captive within his deadly embrace.
"Where is Hitomi?" She asked again, this time her tone was harsh. Her bandaged hand slippered over his hard chest, ascended to the clear kimono's collar and grabbed it. "Where is his body?!"
"Well, you are touching it in this very moment" cynical, Naraku persisted treating her like a fool, and sadistic, he pressed her wounded hand inside his. Some blood wet and stained the bandages. Her moaning of pain encouraged the wicked hanyo to squeeze her body against him even more, keeping her so close that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.
Finally, the illustrious visitor turned away from his grip and kept her injured hand close to her agitated breast.
"Please, tell me where he is!" Belle changed her ways of interpellation, suddenly the rage has left and melancholy took over that indecipherable blue eyes of hers. "I beg you..." she lowered her head, showing resignation.
"Oh, poor thing..." he faked sweetness in his voice, but it was hard to pretend empathy. The half breed demon couldn't stand much time without laughing of such an odd situation. Others suffering was his great delight. "He is dead, Annabelle. What could you do about it?"
"I... I just want his body, that's all. Give me his body and I'll do whatever you want in return" she gazed at him again. How arduous was to look at someone who belonged with her once and notice that the one in front of her was just a painful illusion, a facade. Inside that being there was nothing more than evilness.
Annabelle's offer sounded irrecusable. Naraku had in front his crimson eyes a creature provided by an unmatched power, even that woman shouldn't know the magnitude of it. Glazed on the moon hanging on her neck gleaming between her angler bosom, Naraku came closer once more and touched the delicate crystal. Inevitably, his fingers brushed against her soft skin.
"I want you to serve me, you shall be my slave. I want your power in my favor. Is this gem, isn't it?" He asked, his voice low, in a torturing and seductive rhythm.
As times before, the foreigner lady found herself bristly against her heart's will. Her hand, melted in blood, covered his and kept it rested over her pendant. Blue and Red blended without a single glance. One tried to unveil and disarm another, catching a struggle of strange sensations.
"Tell me where he is, and I'll be yours" as Naraku, she spoke low and surrounding.
Stunning Creature... His eyes and his grin widened. He was tempted to yield to those human instincts he so badly wanted to wipe out from within as if he had never known them. For the first time in his life, he shared his attention with a woman who wasn't Kikyo...
Hold on! A single human female was enough to cause him troubles, even she was dead! What was he thinking about?! His large smile faded, he pushed Annabelle through the necklace and with his mouth against her ear he said:
"There is no body, Kagewaki was swallowed by my miasma. That's all you can find of him in this world, the appearance that now is mine. Ku, ku, ku!" So he pushed her collar, undoing the knot that held it to her neck, catching the crystal moon in his palm. Could this jewel be as powerful as Shikon no Tama?
Annabelle wanted to believe Naraku was lying, however, he seemed to be the kind of person cruel enough to murder his victims and leave no trace of them. All her hopes vanished as if they had never existed and a unspeakable fury possessed that mourning woman. Her body joints stiffen. On the other hand, the crystal moon in Hitomi's counselor hand became opaque, intriguing him.
"You made a big mistake" the white light covered her and almost blinded that ruby eyes of his. In two steps, Annabelle made herself so near that she could sufocate him with her pure aura.
Before Naraku could move away, she held his wrist and took him in her arms, just as he did before. His every body part stopped to obey his command since then.
What is the meaning of it? Stupefied with her abiliity to corner him like he was an easy prey, Naraku felt the air escaping his lungs. Even his power to form barriers around himself was disabled. What is this power?! Those widened and trembling rubies locked on the dangerous beauty.
A purple cloud surrounded them. Miasma, the venemous reaper of Kagewaki Hitomi's life now was ready to take over Annabelle's as well. Yet, the scintillation around her was like a protective shroud, so the evil youki couldn't touch her. Poison had no effect, he realized. He would have to pierce her with his tentacles before her immaculate energy purify his soul.
"Argh!" he had no time to defend himself before being stabbed. Naraku felt a blade strike his back and cross his chest. Pain tore him apart, he felt as he was burning inside. Never in his life, the hanyo knew a weapon that could make him feel such a torment. That damn woman stabbed him while she embraced him! His body collapsed and began to twist itself, uncontrolled like an agonizing spider, and the more he struggled to get away from her, more his body persisted in disobeying him.
Another twinge of pain. This time the blade craved his chest. She hit him again.
The infernal burning inside intensified, his clothes began to disintegrate as his body stirred and transmuted. Eight black and long legs sprouted from his back, tried to strike the lass, but turned into dust as soon as they touched the white veil of light guarding her.
The suffering Naraku was already lying on the floor and the red haired lady was sitting over him. She was shaking while spinning the dagger within his flesh, tearing it apart. Annabelle cried, her shoulders up and down frantically.
The demon arms oscillated from human to scaly. His monstruous hand tried hard to reach her neck.
He failed.
Would that be the end of his? Would his life be taken by the hands of a paltry woman? His eyes were struggling to close, but the stubborn hanyo insisted on facing her. Annabelle ripped the dagger from his chest and jumped from his greasy body, she was clearly terrified. Her nervous legs couldn't gave her the required balance and she fell sitting on the dusty sand floor. She embraced that shaking legs and put her chin over her knees. Beside her, Naraku was still in pain, but never gave up on looking at her. What he saw, though, were a pair of azure eyes that didn't reflect satisfaction or wickedness. In fact, they seemed to be worried. She gasped, bathed in mucus expelled by the injured spider demon body.
Anna watched him changing to a lot of youkai rotting pieces, she gazed his pale skin being consumed by many burns and all those excruciating screams caused unbearable whistles in her eardrums. She tapped her ears and closened her eyes tight.
Naraku would die in suffer. Why wasn't she happy then? Why didn't she feel avenged? It was her chance to rid the world of that pestilence and she was hesitating?! Even she was covering her ears and closing her eyes, his suffering drove her into remorse.
Her clear and sad orbs opened and glimpsed his, plunged into despair, as his body was beginning to fall apart she made a decision.
"I cannot" Anna whispered, convincing herself to accept her own failure.
So, she gazed the cloudy sky, she gazed the mystical knife in her hands once so white and now darkened by Naraku's aura and closened eyes again. Taking a deep breath, she squeezed the dagger while her hands were covering it with her shine. Her power from birth finally broke that blade into pieces, making the weapon desapear in sparkles and turn back to it's origins.
At last, she gave some attention to her victim again. With her heart broken by her bitter choice, Annabelle threw herself over the hated white baboon, pressed his fatal wound with her shinny hands and touched his parted lips with hers.
Before he could protest, Naraku felt immediate relief. His eyes, once widened in despair, now was almost sealed. Some of this tentacles tried to strike the Scottish lady, but gave up when a thread of light poured from her mouth into his, sneezing inside his throat.
His lips opened wide and his head rose, making their mouths pressed against each other. That light entering him caused the great comfort sensation he had in his whole existence, in contrast with the calvary he lived minutes before. He felt cherished by the mildness of that unusual aura.
For the first time in his life, Naraku felt himself in peace.
All that mess made him confuse, although. He wanted to tear her apart for what she'd put him through, at the same time he wanted to keep her there, over him, he wanted to feel her warm radiance and that strange feelings it could bring for as long as time could last. Such power seemed to be able to reconstruct him in a different way, from outside and, maybe... from inside?
His skin was pale and soft again, bit by bit his features turned to be as Hitomi's. His arms calmed down and landed on the ground with palms facing upward. His fingers moved subtly, regaining control of their joints.
Naraku recovered only part of his forces though. Before he was stabbed by Annabelle's weapon, he was unlucky to be hit by an arrow thrown by Kagome that day when Anna found out about his new appearance and Sango fought against her own brother in his castle. He knew that if Annabelle wanted, she could heal him completely. However, she ceased the act and rose up slowly, tooking her weight of his body.
"Witch, where do you think you're going?" the terrified guards were trembling as they were holding their swords. They watched everything without any courage to intercede and even at that very moment they couldn't left their positions, frozen in fear.
Naraku sat down languidly, he was still feeling some pain inside, but he was safe, thanks to her. He looked for properly words, although he was sagacious and always knew what to say at the most inopportune moments, this time the hanyo wasn't finding a way to express himself. He didn't know how to act, his legs carried him to the girl without noticing. As she was slowly going away, the false Hitomi followed her like he was a sleepwalker.
"What do you..." he didn't even know how to ask her. "Why, Annabelle?" Then he held her by the arm and turned her to him, oblinging her to deal with his physical appearance one more time. She turned her face to the other side, the half breed held her shoulders and shoke her impatiently, till she opened her eyes and stared at him again. "Why did you waste your golden chance?" His vocabulary was recovered at the end.
"Because I wanted so." Her skin was cold and she was panting. "Farewell, Naraku" she tried to get free of his touch, but his impetuous hands pushed her closer instead. Barely cured, was Naraku already toying with her sentiments? Everything Annabelle wanted in that instant was find a whole where she could put her head within, she couldn't believe her costly failure.
"Or was it because you have seen your Kagewaki Hitomi in my place?" It can only be this, he thought. Humans emotions were inconstant, certainly Annabelle saw through him the image of her beloved and couldn't go forward. "Huh, of course you have." he smirked wickedly as his fingers loosen their grip and slipped back to her arms.
"No" glazed only into his eyes to not deal with her lost love features, she seriously answered him. "I saw you, the dephts of our essence... and I felt pity".
Pity? His injured and outraged eyes burned in anger. Did she think he, Naraku, was inferior to her? He clenched his hands tightly, placated with anger and prepared to teach that creature a huge lesson.
"You failed" a unknown blond woman came down from the skies, tenebrous mists surrounding her, and her sudden presence ceased any possibility of that discussion proceed.
"Don't worry, I'll keep my promise" Looking resigned, Annabelle raised one hand to her sister. Her feet lost contact with the ground. Hand to hand, the women floated away without giving any chance to be followed.
Naraku was still astonished and didn't have time to think about doing something. Even he was disappointed with the abrupt interruption and despites the hanyo knew he was out of risk, his body was still weak and he didn't have intentions of putting himself in danger so soon, not after receiving a new chance of life – or something like that.
Pity? How dare she?! She can send her damm pity to hell if she wants! He thought as he found her opaque moon pendant buried in the brown earth. He took the gem and fixed his eyes on it. Was it his impression, or did the object show him the place where Annabelle's twin was taking her?
They landed in front of a colossal tree, it high roots were wreathed by moss. Ailyn touched her forehead on that peeled trunk and caressed it with her hands. A portal has been opened. She entered first, Annabelle followed.
They were swallowed up into a gloomy swamp, illuminated only by fireflies yellowish lights. The two sisters walked together through the heart of those dark woods, both were lifting their long skirts to not get dity with mud. They arrived in front of a bed of stone, countered by weeds and little lilac flowers. Upon the cold rock, a transparent tunic and a silver knife waited for Annabelle.
"When the moon shines red in the sky, you'll know what you have to do" Ailyn guided her.
"No need to worry, I have no intention of resisting." Annabelle spoke while her relative was helping her to take her dress off.
What the hell is that? Naraku wondered, settled into Kagewaki's room, sitting comfortably with his back against the wall and watching the scene trough the glass shaped in moon forms.
To be continued...
So, the dagger Annabelle had in her hands, combined with her power, was a very poweful weapon and she simply WASTED it because she has a good heart. HOOOEEEEE!
Please don't hate her, that was a very important moment, especially for Naraku. You'll see.
Let's hope I can publish the next chapter soon!
Kissuuuus and thank you all for following and reviewing this fic. S2