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Chapter 11 - The Visit
I was sitting in the corner, listening to everything what was happening around me and taking in all the scents. I already figured out that there was one more demon slave in the house. I could tell she was a wolf demon, but what unsettled me was the familiarity of that scent.
First it was the priestess and now her family's slave. What connection could there be? I didn't see anything what could give me any answer. Naraku's influence in my life and my memories was way bigger than I would be comfortable to admit.
As I've been thinking about him, I had the feeling as if his smell reached my nose. Could it be my imagination playing tricks on me? I focused on that smell and realized it wasn't just an imagination. I stayed still though, even when I already figured out that he was heading here. In a short while there was a knock on the door and Kagome's mother went to open it.
"Hello! How... can... I..." She didn't even finish her question as she realized who she was talking to.
"Hello, may I come in?" Naraku started with kind voice and without even waiting for her to answer, he entered. She then just closed the door again and followed him completely speechless. He was unmistakably heading into the living room, obviously curious about me. As he entered, I stood up and bowed. I couldn't afford to let him think that I know anything.
Even though I didn't have to obey his orders more than anyone else, I still had to show proper respect. As he came closer, I noticed another smell on him, though, this one unsettled me more than his own.
It was the scent of blood, but the worst thing about it was, that it was somehow familiar to me. Again. I hated that this was happening to me and I hated the smell of this blood.
A small smirk formed on his face and I noticed I was clenching my fists. I relaxed again, but it was very unlikely that he didn't see that. I knew he was testing me again and I was irritated by that and by the smell, which seemed to be getting stronger every second, and which I couldn't place to a person whom it belonged.
"Uhm, what can I do for you?" Kagome's mother asked uncertainly. Naraku watched me a little longer before he turned at her.
"Who is his master?" He asked simply.
"My daughter. Is there any problem with him?" She started a little panicking.
"I would just like to meet her if that's possible." He continued in a kind, soft baritone.
"I think she's still sleeping, but I can wake her up." She suggested.
"Oh, you don't need to wake her up. I have enough time. Let's just wait until she wakes up on her own." He waved it off. I knew he just wanted to lengthen the time spent here so he could watching my reactions.
"Ok, can I offer you something until then? I'm afraid I don't have much, but I can go to buy something. I didn't expect any visitors, especially not someone like you, but I'm really honored by your presence." The woman kept babbling, obviously very nervous of her visitor.
"Don't worry about that, anything you offer me will be fine." Naraku told her. She bowed and went to the kitchen. When she was out of sight, Naraku turned back at me.
"Tell me Sesshoumaru, wouldn't it be easier to just really forget everything about yourself than keep this pretending?" He asked, not really expecting any answer from me. I stayed silent, there was nothing I could say at this without giving myself away.
"Well, it's your choice, personally I think this is way more amusing." He smirked and at that moment Kagome's mother returned, stopping our little one-sided conversation. She brought a tea and some biscuits and they both sat down.
Her nervousness didn't seem to cease a bit during the time Naraku spent here, quite the opposite, and as neither of them was saying anything, the atmosphere was starting to be very thick. The only one who seemed to be unaffected by that atmosphere was Naraku himself.
Just as the awkwardness of the silence reached its top and I started to think of going for Kagome just so this could stop already, our attention was drawn upstairs as she herself left her room and started to walk down the stairs.
The first thing I noticed about her when she entered the living room was pure shock on her face. I focused my vision on her. It was almost as if she sensed his presence in the house, but didn't believe he was really here until she saw him with her own eyes.
She immediately masked her emotion as a simple surprise which she then changed into that of respect and bowed respectfully. I knew it was just faked, but that was only because I already saw her pretending like this before. If I didn't, I was sure I wouldn't realize it at all and I hoped Naraku wouldn't notice either.
However, Naraku's reaction was also pretty unexpected. When he first saw her, I could tell that he was clearly surprised, but just as with Kagome, his expression also changed pretty quickly, though not as quickly as hers. His expression now showed a small knowing smirk accompanied with almost unnoticeable chuckle.
"So this is your time." He whispered so quietly that I was sure no one else was able to hear that. His words confused me but I didn't have much time to think about it as Naraku started to talk, this time for everyone to hear.
"You are the master of this slave?" He asked and when she nodded, he continued. "What's your name?"
"My name is Kagome." She answered, keeping her head bowed. At the moment I wasn't sure anymore if it was to show him respect or to hide her real emotions.
"Kagome, huh? Come closer." Naraku ordered and she made a few steps forward, still not looking up. When she was close enough, he took her chin into his hand and raised her head to make her look into his eyes. While his eyes showed interest, her eyes on the other hand showed absolutely nothing.
As he kept examining her, I was starting to become restless. It was one of the priority duties of each slave to protect their master and since I knew Naraku's real nature, everything inside me was screaming to protect her from him. However, those were still only my feelings and no matter how truthful they might be, as long as there was no solid proof that Kagome would be in danger, I couldn't do anything, especially against Naraku.
He slid his hand on her neck and even though she was still trying to hide it, I could see her discomfort of the closeness between them. He must have noticed it too, because his smirk widened a bit and I was starting to wonder if I would be able to react quickly enough if he really did something to her. They were too close for me to be sure about that.
If I acted too soon, me and the whole family would be in trouble. A slave attacking the Lord of this land without a proper reason would have a really bad outcome. On the other hand, if I acted too late, then I might fail to protect her.
It wasn't that Naraku would have to be worried that someone would accuse him for killing her. Firstly, there's hardly anyone who would dare to go against him and if he wanted to cover it up somehow then there were several ways how to do it. He would either kill the whole family and then put the blame on someone else or he could just say that this family did something against the law and this was just their punishment.
No one would doubt his words whichever way he would choose. No matter how did it look on the outside, the truth was that his word was the law and at the moment there was no one who could change anything about that.
Naraku moved his hand a bit lower on Kagome's chest, which started to rise and fall rapidly due to her fastened breathing. I could also hear her heart beating violently just under Naraku's hand and her eyes now started to show panic. Even Kagome's mother had panicked expression on her face and just when I was sure I couldn't stay away any longer, Naraku drew his hand away and turned to leave. Without a word of explanation or even a single greeting, he left the house, leaving us three standing in the living room just as we were the whole time.
We stayed there like this for several seconds longer, neither Kagome nor her mother said anything, even though the older woman was watching her daughter with worry in her eyes. Then, without any warning, Kagome suddenly shot out of the room and up the stairs. Without thinking, both me and her mother followed her, only to be stopped by the locked door leading to her bathroom.
"Kagome, sweetie, are you alright?" Her mother started worriedly. There was silence for a while before we've got an answer.
"I would just like to be alone for a while." Kagome said, her voice sounded as if she had a hard time speaking.
"Are you sure?" The worry in her voice only deepening.
"I am. Please, just go." Was again a tired reply from behind the door.
"Ok then. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs." The woman reluctantly started to walk away from the room and silently closed the door behind her.
"Is she gone?" I heard a silent whisper coming from the bathroom, surely meant only for me to hear. With this it seemed she had more faith in me than in her own mother and it unsettled me a little, but first I needed to answer her.
"Yes. It's only me here." I told her and the next second the lock on the door clicked, but the door itself didn't open. I hesitated for a moment and then slowly opened it.
I was sitting in my car, slowly getting used to the feeling I hadn't experienced for such a long time, yet which was the most natural thing for every living being. When I was preparing for this visit, I didn't expect it would be this beneficial. I was anticipating the meeting with Sesshoumaru in his new home, but I didn't expect to meet the priestess I was searching for as well, though, not that I have been putting such effort into that matter.
I was surprised when I learned that she was from the future, all that time ago. However, it gave me an idea for a perfect plan. Being from another time, moreover from the future, made her an ideal hiding place for my heart, and her departure to her own time gave me centuries of fearless life. It was all the more safer as she herself didn't know about this little set up.
At first I wasn't planning to draw it back from her, as I saw it only as a nuisance while it was inside of my own body, but the presence of her and Sesshoumaru at one place unsettled me a bit. Moreover, if I wasn't mistaken, that wolf girl was in the house as well.
Was it just a coincidence or did she gather them on purpose? She was the only person about whom I couldn't be really sure how much she knew about the world as it is right now. I knew that she wasn't traveling back to the past while I was in charge. I made sure that I was given information about any abnormality, especially considering young priestesses, and since she spent so much time with Inuyasha during her visits in the past, it would be impossible that no one here would notice her disappearances.
That knowledge left me with only two possibilities. After she returned here, she either forgot about what happened in the past, or came here with no knowledge about the settings of this world. Her body was still the same though, otherwise I wouldn't be able to retrieve my heart from her, but I couldn't be sure about her mind and memories.
Even when I tried to do some research about time-traveling, there weren't many who would know anything and those who did weren't willing to tell. Not even with my well-honed persuasion skills, which left me with very little about this issue.
I decided it would be for the best to keep an eye on her and gather some information about her on my own. Though, even if her mind hasn't changed, I didn't see her as a real threat. The only possibility for her to harm me in any way was just taken away from her, and even that wouldn't really endanger my life. Not anymore.