Itachi – Loved your reviews!

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JokerChapter 4

"Wander into the woods at night, and he will steal your heart." That had been told to wanderers to keep them from the surrounding wooded area, but, when a lone girl finds herself lost and in the midst of a storm, she stumbles upon an empty castle, staying for just the night, she soon learns the legend had been real…for the acceptation of his utter laziness.

The 'Curse of Fathers Time'...

…Huh? He asked me if I… loved him. I cupped my mouth in surprise – Was this something I wanted to hear?! Was it? My heart throbbed. I wanted to stay alongside him in the Black Castle, so he would have someone to be with…but…even so, did that mean I loved him? Did I? The want to just be near him, the want to speak to him, stay with him, and play with his hair while he slept. All of this, but do I…Did that mean that I truly loved him? In the short while that I have stayed at this Black Castle, did I fall in love with him? Truthfully, I knew nothing of the feeling called 'love', how did I know if this was a small feeling – something below 'love', something fake, and unreal… "I know that I may seem as if I am prying," Sesshomaru's hands gripped my shoulders, "But, I must know how you feel towards me." After sending him a questioning look, he spoke once again, "Since the day I granted you stay in the Black Castle of mine, I have felt…more alive, as you might say…and it causes me to wonder…" He took a short breath, and looked me in the eye, "It causes me to wonder if you are the love which I have stayed and waited for at this Castle of mine," He thinks I'm his…love… "Before I met you, Kagome, I was actually thinking to give up on keeping the title of 'Night Walker'…I felt as though my actions were going to be worthless if the women I loved would never love me back…for who in their right mind would love one such as I? A demon who has killed countless innocent people for such selfish reasons?" …I didn't know what to say. Right here and now, without any warning – the Night Walker…no, Sesshomaru was telling me everything he had thought. "But…Ever since I gave you access to this castle…I've had the feeling that my horrid acts are not going to waste, and now that I know that I've found you…my resolve has been restored…and I-"

Moving on pure instinct did I grab the hem of his shirt, stand on my toes, pull him down and press me lips onto his. Breaking out of his surprise did Sesshomaru start to take lead in the sensual display, leaning in, and deepening the kiss. His arms hooked behind me, as one hand pushed me onto him even more – He pulled away quickly, taking time to stare into my eyes before delving back once again, only to have his tongue sweep into my mouth to explore. I was nearly panicked – this was the first time I had ever been so bold as to kiss anyone…or to have them kiss me…but, by this kiss, I knew that my feelings were indeed the feelings of the foreign feeling of 'love' in which I was now experienced to. We both pulled away.

"Uh…Sesshomaru I-"

"I know," Sesshomaru placed a hand on my cheek, "…For I love you too…Kagome," His smile soon turned into an expression of upset; "…I want you to feel safe in my presence though, so I have proposed that I want to undo this curse." I looked up to Sesshomaru, who was now aware of my answer towards his confession. I was positive that I wanted to be with him because I really have fallen in love with him, but, undoing the curse? Was that even possible?

"In the legend," I spoke shyly, avoiding eye contact after remembering my…uh, unchecked actions, "It says the only way to rid you of the curse…is to eat the heart of the women you love, either way the outcomes-"

"I know this," Sesshomaru spoke quietly "If I stop eating human hearts, you will die, if I eat your heart, you will die, and if I continue to eat the hearts of others, you too may grow frightened of me…"

"But I would nev-"

"It is an emotion which chokes every human being even when they try to run from it, fear has it's ways," But was there really any other way to remove this curse from Sesshomaru? "It is common sense that there is another way to remove this curse, you simply ask the one who has cast it, and it will be done – according to the right circumstances." Is he meaning to ask…His father?!

"B-but your father was the one who cast this curse on you!" Doesn't Sesshomaru's father hate him? Inuyasha was with him more recently, and had to escape the place which his father resides just because he mentioned Sesshomaru's name, "What if he attacks you, Sesshomaru?!"

"I know that he will," He spoke quietly, allowing the cool breeze to mess with his silver hair, "You may even say that I plan on my father attacking me once I appear to him, according to Inuyasha, he still hates me. Apparently, while Inuyasha was there he heard father still crying over his loss…because of me…and that he may never get over what had transpired, so, it is okay if he still hates me, for I am prepared for it…it's okay with me; if I had not killed mother-"

"But you didn't kill her!" How could a father hate his son so much?! Wasn't cursing him for all eternity enough? Does he still need to harbor such unallied feelings towards Sesshomaru?!

"As unfortunate as it is, I must accept whatever 'sword filled words'* he has for me – and I will take on any fit of rage he wants to unleash onto me…so that hopefully, he will undo this curse, and us two can love each other without the need to kill others…without the need of me being the 'Night Walker'… so that we may be the lovers Kagome and Sesshomaru…" a small smile made its way onto his face, "Tomorrow, we will go to my father, and ask under what conditions that he will remove this curse."

..

Joker…

..

I lay in bed silently; eyes open, starring at Sesshomaru's sleeping figure. But I could not sleep once so ever. I was worried. According to Inuyasha, their father still held a deep hate for his eldest son, and being that he did, he may harbor the want to ruin Sesshomaru's life in any way possible. Would he force Sesshomaru into some type of decision that would leave him alone once again? Or what if he tries to kill Sesshomaru? …Or what if Sesshomaru himself decides to get rid of me..? What if he kills me, and eats my heart to ease his own life? The thought itself made my heart sink – I then felt his arms wrap around me, and pull me close to the warm, clothing covered body being his own. "It's okay, Kagome…" His clawed fingers guided my lips to his own; if only for a quick moment, until they parted, "…I won't ever eat your heart, even if it may break this curse which binds me to the name of 'Night Walker', I will never turn on you – Never will I become the 'Joker' and turn this promise into a fake act…" He kissed me once more, the act becoming deeper and more frantic, "…I love you – Know that I will never kill you. Never…so please…" He looked into my eyes for a time, than spoke once more, "Please say you too will not become the 'Joker', and run if I seem like something…different at the meeting with my father…please stay by my-"

"I'll always be by your side, Sesshomaru," Speaking these words was harder to do out loud then in my mind, but…aside by how embarrassing it sounded coming from me, aloud, I wanted to at least make sure that he knew I would stay by him, "Always…" I smiled; he too smiled back, pulling me close.

Not an hour passed by before I finally fell into comfortable slumber.

In a short while, the light of day seemed to wake us two quite easily since the both of us had reached the bath at the same time. We both stood at the bath door, confused as to who should bathe first – that is when Sesshomaru smiled, almost evilly, while sending a strange… 'look' of sorts to me, just as I was about to say 'You could bathe first' he spoke, "Let us bathe together then,"

"W-what?!" He just suggested us…bathing together?! Wouldn't that mean he would be – no! No! No! I was not ready to see him… na-naked! "N-no! Ab-Absolutly not!"

"Hn..?" He only gave off a questioning look in my direction, "But it is a natural thing for lovers to do, is it not?"

"I- I know that!. But…" Our small exchange continued for some time, but after many protest from me, and numerous counter attacks from Sesshomaru, (In the form of breath-stealing kisses), I had given up.

…And now here we were. The both of us.

..

Joker…

..

We dressed, ate, and stood in front of the large doors that lead to the outside. Nervousness was starting to bite my skin as I found that one part of my mind wanted the rest of me to stay inside – I was almost too scared to take a step outside, what if something happened? What if… What if something happened to him..? My thoughts were soon washed away upon Sesshomaru gripping onto my hand. I turned to face him, "It's okay, Kagome…" He said with the upmost honesty, "I'm here…" Just as we two pushed open the large doors to be welcomed by the rays of the sun, a blur of white hair made its way to … 'welcome' us first.

"Sesshomaru!" It was Inuyasha, did he run all the way over here from his Inn? Why was he here..? He was here now, and panting – he must've run pretty fast, he seemed exhausted, "Sesshomaru! Don't you dare do what I think you're gonna' do!" Inuyasha grabbed onto his elder brothers shoulders, gripping them tightly with his (Now showing) claws, "Don't even give me some bull-crap excuse that you don't remember the ending of the Legend of the Night Walker! You know what will happen if you go to the Ol' Man to take off the curse!" With this, I immediately turned to Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru?" I asked, in a shaky voice, "W-What will happen if you undo the curse..?"

"The Legend only states the ways of how I could undo the curse," Sesshomaru started, "Those being getting the curse removed by the one who's cast it, eating the heart of the women I love, or just ignore it completely, and letting my love die…but it not many humans of this land know of the ending…"

"What…What happens at the end..?" I asked with a thumping heart…

"If the curse is undone, there are two possibilities…" Sesshomaru took a breath, "I would either go through a moment of temporary madness, only finding peace and sanity after I have consumed the closest human heart to me, or I would go through a length of horrid pain, only finding salvation in human blood." I stood in silence. Was this all hopeless? "…But, as those two scenarios could play out, so can a scenario of none of the two happening, it is a thin chance, but…what if I am able to resist it? The reason the madness, or bloodlust would appear will be caused because I am a demon, the feeling of being freed would naturally cause my insides to run rapid – I would go crazy…but since it is my body, I should be able to control it-"

"An' what if you're not able ta' control it?!" Inuyasha shook his brother, his eyes filled with worry, "Don't do this, Sesshomaru…Please…you're the last piece of family I've got… don't do this…"

"And if I do not undo this curse, Inuyasha, do you not think that the people of this town, the town next to this one, and all the humans in the Old Country…Do you think they'll be safe from the Night Walker?"

"And what if the Old Man doesn't undo your curse?!" Inuyasha's voice shook.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru easily pulled himself away from his younger brothers grasp, and placed a hand on his silver hair, "I only do this for the better, little brother, it makes me so…happy to know that you genuinely care for me, and what father might do instead of help – you know that he may want to hurt me once I am in range of him, but so do I." Sesshomaru slowly started to walk past the now subdued Inuyasha. At this time I found it hard to move to Sesshomaru, as if my feet had planted themselves to the ground, I wanted to say something, anything to comfort Inuyasha – the highly cocky demon was now unusually silent, but I also wanted to go straight to Sesshomaru's side, to let him know that whatever decision he made, I supported him. It was Inuyasha himself who broke the blizzard forming in my mind.

"Go on, Kagome, don't worry about me," Inuyasha's voice was practically numb, he starred to the ground, "Whatever happens with the Ol' Man…just…just make sure that you two hurry back when it's all over." Before I could come up with any type of words to speak back to Inuyasha, he was already walking away, back into the forest.

"We should leave now, before night falls – hold onto my hand, I will transport us two there." Without a word did I rush over to his side and hold onto his gently outstretched hand…

In the dark of the forest, a hunter awaits,

A Demon is he, the Night Walker his name,

Kill a mere mortal, devour her heart,

A curse by his father, last 500 arc's,

Murder for he must, for his love to survive,

And now he has met her – His heart starts to smile,

His mind is now made, to Un-Do this curse,

But the consequence may be much…much…worse…

With a blinding light that soon faded, did I see our surroundings had changed; I looked to Sesshomaru who had already started to walk towards two large gates leading to a barren field which looked much like a cemented wasteland. Dead leaves cracking from the cracks in the ground hid the smell of fresh death, and human remains. I was in near panic when I found the smell had come from actual dead soldiers which littered the ground right in front of the castle which housed Sesshomaru's father. I thought that he was a demon whose family protected people, but this…I took another look around, spotting young women as well…what had happened here? "Kagome," Sesshomaru's hand had grabbed my own, as we two headed for the main door. Standing beyond the open doors was a man with silvery-white hair tugged into a tight pony tail which draped down his back touching his toes, tall and standing straight and postured, his face a cold stone decorated with regal markings and his eyes telling every word that was soon to be spoken in the now tense atmosphere. His eyes were gold.

This was him…the maker (and possible breaker) of the 'Curse of Father's Time'…

Joker… Chapter 4

End

T.B.C

Itachi – Another mini cliffy! Whew! This chapter's super late, so lemmie start by apologizing! FORGIVE ME! I've been super busy for such a long time, and never really had time for anything, I promise the next chapter will be posted in 2 weeks or less, I'm already working on it!