Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

Note: There is an OC in this story. His name is Koimizu, which means Tears Of Love and he will be introduced in this chapter. His puposefully background shady will be play a part in the story.

PLEASE ENJOY YOURSELF.

Slowly the darkness subsided. He heard the rain falling. Thunder ripped through the sky, a flash of lightening lit up the place he was in. A cave?

Naraku felt his entire body ache as he tried to sit up.

"Be careful!" he heard someone call out to him and he whipped his head to the source of the sound. His eyes met with gold.

A boy stood in the entrance of the cave, holding in his arms a variety of herbs. As Naraku observed him, he immediately registered that the boy had been collecting them outside in the rain, since water dripped from his long black hair that was tied back with a white ribbon.

The boy walked up to him and dropped the herbs to his side. He pushed Naraku gently yet forcefully down. "You should not get up; you've been badly wounded," he said and he narrowed his golden eyes, giving Naraku a stern look.

In turn, Naraku slapped his hands away and sat back up. "Do not dictate me, boy-miko," he said. He stared suspiciously at him, silently wondering why the hell a boy was wearing the clothes of a Shrine Maiden.

The boy sighed but gave up. "Then would you at least take your clothes off when I've prepared these herbs for you? Or maybe you don't want your wound to be treated either?" He looked at the stubborn dark haired man, but Naraku turned his head away, ignoring him completely. He shrugged and started preparing the herbs.

Naraku frowned. Why did this boy help him? He didn't mind though. He could feel the boy's holy powers working as a shield to keep his evil demonic energy from leaking out, making it impossible for Kikyou, Sesshoumaru or InuYasha and his group to find him.

He cast a glance at the boy. "What's your name?" he asked.

The boy looked up from his work for a moment, before continuing with the herbs as he answered: "I'm Koimizu. If you're wondering about these clothes, I was a miko from a nearby village."

Naraku raised an eyebrow. "Was?"

Koimizu nodded. "The village was just attacked by a group of bandits. I fled."

Naraku gave a silent snort. "So you're a coward?"

Koimizu shook his head, his hands still working.

He started to explain. "I did not have the power to save my village." His eyes glazed over as he continued. "You see, my mother had been a kind and strong miko and the people around this area admired her. They wanted her to give birth to a daughter, hoping that she would follow her up. Unfortunately, that daughter never came. Mother died three months ago, killed by a powerful dark miko. The head of our village decided that I had to take over her place in order to protect them. But I've never been trained to be a miko. So when the village was attacked today, I ran away to look for help." He looked up and stared straight into Naraku's eyes. "And I found you…"

A look of surprise made its way up to Naraku's face. "You want my help?"

Koimizu nodded.

Naraku laughed. "Why do you think I of all people can help you?"

Koimizu shrugged. "Because you seem like a very intelligent person. I noticed that the moment I laid eyes on you." He stared down at his herbs again. "Would you take your clothes off, please?"

Naraku blinked. "Oh, you're ready?" He then nodded and took his armor off. "Go ahead."

The boy-miko nodded and crawled over to him.

Naraku restrained himself from cringing as he felt the herbs being applied to his wound. It stinged. He couldn't believe how much his powers had decreased after his heart had returned to his body. Not that he was weak, but InuYasha's combined powers with that future miko were enough to kill him. He had to rebuild his body again.

"Such a large scar…"

The murmur brought Naraku out of his thoughts.

He tried to look behind him where the boy was working. "See something interesting?"

Koimizu snapped out of his stupor. "Uhm… I…" He quickly shook his head. "No, it's nothing." He continued his work, ignoring Naraku, who went back to his musings.

If only his heart wasn't this treacherous. His heart had wanted to sell him out to Kikyou. But he had found out just in time about that plan. However, when he had taken his heart back into his body, it had started to absorb his strength. Kikyou had found out about it soon enough and had stated it within the presence of both Sesshoumaru and InuYasha. Right then, InuYasha had hunted him down and fought him. And now, he was here at the mercy of a boy-miko, whom he knew nothing about.

"Can you pull your arms up?"

The question pulled Naraku out of his thoughts. He did as he was told and raised them. Koimizu reach his arms around Naraku as he started to bandage him.

"Might I ask what your name is then? You know mine already."

For a moment Naraku was silent. Then he answered truthfully: "Naraku."

"Oh." The boy was silent as he mulled over the name. "So you're the famous demon that so many people are after."

Naraku turned his head to give Koimizu an icy look. "Now that you know, why won't you kill me?"

Koimizu, however, returned him a cheeky grin. "If I kill you now I won't get any profit out of my work." He tied the endings of the bandage.

When Koimizu was done, Naraku turned himself around to give the boy a better observation.

He immediately noticed that the sleeve of the boy's white kimono was ripped off. He figured that Koimizu must have used the sleeve to bandage his wound. He also felt a holy aura around Koimizu, which the boy-miko was probably not in control of, considering that he never had any training before he officially became a miko. Then there was a… flute?

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