Bittersweet Lies

Author’s Note: Oh my…It’s been such a long time. ^^;; Heh. Sorry for the long wait. I have plenty of reasonable excuses for my lackadaisical behavior. I was just swamped with class work and didn’t find much time to write and on top of the my computer was misbehaving so I didn’t internet access for like a week (man, that was a slow week). And of course, I was plagued with indolence. But since classes are over, I can write to my heart’s content. Well, anyway, I want to thank all my reviewers. You guys make me happy! Keep reviewing. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own anything!!

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Chapter Three: Games

The morning sun rose slowly, casting its luminescent yellow glow upon the green earth. It brought with it not only warmth and light, but also hope and restoration. The horrors and atrocities of the night before could be forgotten for the sunrise promised a new day and a new beginning. Naraku sat at the windowsill watching dawn arrive lethargically. He turned his head and looked over at the other youkai sleeping soundly on the floor. Sesshoumaru had been out for two days. Their night together had been fun for Naraku but not an event worth remembering for Sesshoumaru. However, he would remember it. He would bear that day till his death.

As Naraku reflected on the night with delight, he realized that it had been too easy to force himself on the inu-youkai. What challenge was there to have Sesshoumaru weakened, trapped, bound and then taken advantage of? There was no personal glory in it for him. No. He wanted more. There was a certain allure in having the inu-youkai willingly come to him. He wanted Sesshoumaru to moan and writhe with pleasure underneath him, to scream out his name in the heat of passion. Now that would be the true challenge.

He glanced over at the sleeping youkai once more. Sometime after their little incident, when Sesshoumaru had blacked out, Naraku had decided to cover him with a blanket. It wasn’t meant to be an act of kindness. It was chilly and with the fire within the fireplace dying out slowly, he didn’t want the silver haired youkai to get cold.

And why should I care about the inu’s comfort? A voice inside his head asked him angrily. All he is, is a good fuck. He reasoned with himself. Well, I don’t want my toy catching a cold and dying on me anytime soon. Yes. That’s it. This is all for my benefit. He silenced the voice that told him otherwise and began to conjure up a plan in order for Sesshoumaru to willingly have sex with him. He was slightly dismayed when all roads led back to forming a trust with Sesshoumaru. Naraku laughed at the irony. The inu-youkai had been cynical of Naraku long before the spider demon decided to go and rape him. There was no way Sesshoumaru would ever trust Naraku. So, the question still remained; how was he supposed to get Sesshoumaru to trust him? After all, he had forced himself on the other demon two nights ago and Sesshoumaru wouldn’t…

Then an idea came to him as though a light bulb had magically turned on inside his mind. It was a wicked and devious scheme that only a demon like himself would come up with. His plan consisted of him using the rape incident to his advantage. Naraku figured that Sesshoumaru would be weak and vulnerable right now and any show of concern would be seen as an act of benevolence and sympathy, and if not that, then Sesshoumaru would at least consider it as a form of penitence. He laughed sinisterly at the thought. As if he were one to ask for forgiveness. Eventually, Sesshoumaru would trust Naraku enough, and then he would consent to being fucked by Naraku. He chuckled once more, the noise echoing through the silent chamber.

With his plan safely tucked away in some deep corners of his mind, he began to hum. He was extremely pleased with himself. From behind him, he heard some shuffling. Naraku turned around and found that Sesshoumaru was beginning to awake.

Oh, good. He thought as he slipped off the windowsill and meandered over to the waking youkai.

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes but closed when he saw a pair of feet in front of him. A growl rumbled from within his chest.

“Oh, come now.” Naraku said as he squatted down in front of Sesshoumaru. “You can’t sleep forever.” He could feel anger and aversion emitting off the inu-youkai. In one quick motion Sesshoumaru raised his hand and scratched at Naraku’s face. His claws met the skin on spider demon’s cheek and ruptured it causing blood to flow profusely. The movement had hurt Sesshoumaru’s badly bruised body in the process, but it was worth it to see that look of utter surprise and fury on Naraku’s countenance. The spider demon stood up and stepped away from the youkai on the ground. Rage boiled within him, but he controlled his temper. He knew that if Sesshoumaru were in any condition to move or stand that he would be dead right about now and that this act had taken all of Sesshoumaru’s energy. The wound on his left cheek had healed quickly, thanks to his demon capabilities, and now only blood remained.

“You should get washed up.” Naraku said indifferently.

Sesshoumaru glared up at Naraku. He hadn’t retaliated, which surprised Sesshoumaru slightly. On top of that, the way he acted so casually it was as if nothing had conspired between the two of them. What game are you playing now, kumo? Sesshoumaru thought.

“Oh, that’s right, you can’t move can you?” Naraku inquired with a smug smile. That was it! He would not give Naraku the satisfaction he sought. Sesshoumaru gripped the blanket around him, making sure he was covered up, and then stood up to his full height without so much as a single wince even though is body was aching.

“Don’t fool yourself, kumo.” Sesshoumaru said arrogantly.

“Very well, let me show you where you can get cleaned up.” He reached out a hand to inu-youkai.

Sesshoumaru growled ferociously.

“DON’T touch me!” Sesshoumaru hissed. He mentally berated himself for showing emotions. Naraku’s hand recoiled a little at the sudden show of aggression.

“I can teleport us there in a blink of an eye, unless you prefer to walk the very long distance.” Naraku explained. The inu-youkai felt his patience running thin. He wanted to tear apart Naraku limb by limb and he would have done so if he hadn’t known that it would be a loosing battle. He hated depending on others, but he absolutely loathed that he was depending on Naraku. Gritting his teeth together, Sesshoumaru gave the slightest, and barely visible, nod.

“Very good.” Naraku said as he slipped an arm across Sesshoumaru’s bare shoulder. Anything more intimate would have induced Naraku’s death warrant even if Sesshoumaru was weakened. Sesshoumaru’s skin crawled at Naraku’s touch. It was repulsive. “Hold on tight.” Naraku cooed.

“HURRY UP WITH IT!” Sesshoumaru barked impatiently and he got his wish. It felt as though he were yanked through dimensions. The suction feeling last only a few seconds but it had knocked the wind out of him.

When sensation ended abruptly, Sesshoumaru looked around and found that they were just barely outside Naraku’s castle and in a clearing. A few feet away from him was a hot spring. The steam rose out of it sensually and distorted the scenery beyond it. Naraku had let go of him.

“I’ll come back with some clothes for you.” Naraku said. Sesshoumaru turned around to find him already gone. The silver haired youkai dropped the white blanket and stepped into the warmth of the steaming water. The water stung his flesh horribly. When he was all the way in, he just sat there adjusting to the water temperature.

He was alerted to Naraku’s presence once again. Turning his head slightly, he saw the spider demon making his way toward him with clothes at hand like he said. Naraku placed it within arms reach of Sesshoumaru and then sat down watching him.

“What are you doing?” Sesshoumaru asked.

“I’m just waiting for you to finish so I can teleport you back to the castle.” Naraku said.

“Are you sure you’re not just keeping an eye one me?”

“Oh, I know you won’t run away.” Naraku said.

“Really?”

“Yes. One reason being that you’re too proud to run away and you won’t leave until my blood is on your hands.” Naraku said casually as if they were talking about the weather. “Another reason is that I still have your little human girl and you wouldn’t want to put her in any type of jeopardy so you will stay unwillingly if you have to.”

“Well, I’m glad you have that figured out.” Sesshoumaru said. “But I would much rather you not be here.”

“Oh, still angry about-” Sesshoumaru snapped his head around to face him. His eyes glowed red and he bared his fangs.

“No!” The inu-youkai interrupted. “I prefer my privacy!” Naraku sighed.

“Fine. As you wish.” He said and then vanished from sight. Sesshoumaru sat in the hot water for a time being, contemplating his revenge. He liked how his mind reeled from one form of torture to the next. There were so many ways to cause pain, and some he’d just invented while he sat there and thought. It consoled him during this dark time.

However, he soon realized he had to clean himself off. As much as he would love to cleanse himself of Naraku’s smell, he had been avoiding do so. It meant that he had to acknowledge what happened. After the event, Sesshoumaru hadn’t once looked down at his ruined body, reluctant of what he’d find and how he’d let this happen to his own body. Slowly he began cleansing his body starting with his upper body. He hands trailed over the claw and bite marks and washed the blood away from them. He was pleased to see his body recuperating well; scars were quickly fading. His hands moved lower down his chest and ran into rough and tender flesh. He stood up in the water to see charred burn marks in the shape of a handprints on either sides of his rib cage. A snarl escaped his lips when he remembered Naraku had used his miasma to burn his skin. Bastard, Sesshoumaru thought viciously as he continued with the rest of his body. He was hesitant when he came to his thighs, knowing how much damage he’d find there. Without thinking about it, he washed himself.

When he was finished he slowly stepped out of the hot spring and went to retrieve the clothes that Naraku had laid out for him. He noticed that Naraku had tried to get him a set of clothing similar to his old ones. Quickly he dressed up. He seemed to have regained some of his energy. If felt good to not have Naraku’s stench on him, and not have his body covered in blood. But there was still a lot of damage that still needed to be healed. He just hoped that it wouldn’t take too long.

Sesshoumaru looked back at the castle and then toward the gates that encompassed Naraku’s domain. It would have been so easy to just leave. To turn around and walk away. To prove Naraku’s speculations about him wrong. To return to his former aloof life of solitude and continue on his quest for the Tetsusaiga. But he couldn’t. Some part of him had changed. He no longer wanted the same things he once wanted and if he did, it would be for a completely different reason. To say that Rin had nothing to do with this change would be a complete lie. The girl had done more for him than anyone else he had come in contact with. He at least owed it to her to get her out of Naraku’s vile grip. He turned away from the gates and headed back for Naraku’s castle.

From within the castle, Naraku watched the situation unfold before him. He half expected Sesshoumaru to jump the gates and escape his castle. It surprised him, however, when the silver haired youkai turned away from freedom and headed back toward his castle. Your love for the human girl causes you to make foolish decisions, Sesshoumaru, Naraku thought. And then it angered him. Sesshoumaru would subject himself to all sorts of tortures just for that little girl.

Sesshoumaru pushed open the door to Naraku’s bedchamber, announcing his arrival.

“So, you’ve found your way back.” Naraku said.

“All I had to do was follow your vile odor.” Sesshoumaru retorted. “We need to talk.” Sesshoumaru found it somewhat of an illogical behavior that he would have a conversation with his rapist. It was not something most people would do. But then again, he would rather die than show Naraku the affect his antics had on him. He would not run and hide, he was better than that.

“Yes, but first we eat.” Naraku said as he notioned to the two plates of food on the ground. Naraku settled himself in front of one and began eating. He looked up when the inu-youkai did not copy.

“You don’t actually expect me to eat anything you give me, do you?” Sesshoumaru asked.

“Fine. It is your choice.” Naraku said as he returned his attention to his platter. It continued like that for some time. Naraku eating freely as if the vindictive inu-youkai were not there and Sesshoumaru staring down at the spider demon slightly agitated for his bold show of disregard to inu-youkai’s presence. When Naraku was finished he took both plates and stood up. He turned around to disappear.

“Have you been feeding Rin?” Sesshoumaru asked before the spider demon could disappear. Naraku turned around to face Sesshoumaru.

“Oh, yes. I’ve been feeding her weekly.”

“Once a week?” Sesshoumaru asked.

“Now is that too much or too little? I have absolutely no idea how much a human child eats.” Naraku said. Sesshoumaru’s eye twitched slightly at that statement. Naraku laughed at Sesshoumaru’s expression.

“Oh, come now. Give me more credit than that.” Naraku said with a smirk. “I’ve told Kagura to give her food everyday.”

“And has she?”

“I don’t know.” Naraku said. “I haven’t checked on her.” Sesshoumaru growled at this statement.

“For your sake, she had better be alive.”

“Alright then. Come with me.” Naraku said as he replaced the plates on the floor and walked off expecting Sesshoumaru to follow. Sesshoumaru stood mounted on his the floor in a vain attempt at disobedience. “Well, I figured you’d want to see that human girl of yours to check if she’s alive or not.” It could have gone either way. Sesshoumaru might have just remained there, despite the offer made. He continued standing there and Naraku was about to let the offer die until Sesshoumaru walked to the door.

“Aren’t you going to lead the way?” Sesshoumaru asked tauntingly. Naraku smirked and headed out the door. The inu-youkai was only a few steps behind Naraku as they walked down the gloomy corridors and winding stairwells. They walked down many hallways and passed numerous doors. In some areas of the castle the light would fade out and give way to complete darkness but sooner or later the darkness would be chased away by dim lighting. It continued like that for a while. Wandering, walking for what seemed to be an endless amount of time. It felt as if they were walking through a maze. Finally, Naraku stopped in front of a bleak looking door that gave no promise of amiability to the room beyond it.

He pushed open the thick door and they both entered the room. This room did not offer much refuge from the dimness. Sesshoumaru’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could see the interior of the cell. Death was unmistakably in the air. A few corpses were still changed to walls and only just beginning to decompose. Maggots rolled out of the nameless bodies’ eyes and mouth. Bones were strewn about along the floor. Off to the left he could hear rats scurrying away.

“Naraku.” He growled warningly. “You’re keeping her in here?”

“Yes, I should take better care of my cells, shouldn’t I?” Sesshoumaru walked away from Naraku and toward the opposite wall where he found Rin sitting on the ground with her knees pulled to her chest and her forehead resting on her knees. He knelt down in front of the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and looked up quickly. All fear was eradicated from her face when she saw Sesshoumaru staring down at her.

“Lord Sesshoumaru!” She squealed as she flung her arms around his neck happily. The lack of the display of emotion was common in Sesshoumaru so Rin was not perplexed when the demon lord did not copy her show of affections. “Are you here to save me, Lord Sesshoumaru?”

“Yes, Rin, that is why I’m here.” Sesshoumaru whispered to the girl. He looked the girl over to make sure she was not injured.

“Alright, enough of this reunion.” Naraku interjected. “Get up Sesshoumaru, you’ve seen the girl. You know she’s alive. This is all the time you get with her.” The inu-youkai let go of the girl and stood up. The confusion and fear Rin’s face was blatant.

“I will come back for you.” He whispered to the girl. His words put a momentary smile on the girl’s face. Sesshoumaru turned around and left.

“If you behave, you will get other chances to see her.” Naraku said tauntingly just as Sesshoumaru walked past him.

They walked back to the bedroom in silence. While it would have been easy to yank the chains off and break Rin out of the prison, he just could not risk it with Naraku standing guard and breathing down his neck. He still had no idea what the true potential of this new, full-demon Naraku was and he was not about risk finding out in front of Rin. There would have to be another time to save her.

Without him knowing it, they made it to the room rather quickly.

“Honestly, Sesshoumaru, you give the girl almost everything she wants.” Naraku said as he closed the door behind him. “But who is giving you want you want? Tell me, Sesshoumaru, what is it that you desire?” Naraku inquired.

“Nothing from your hands.”

“Really? Nothing at all?” Naraku asked. Sesshoumaru thought a moment before he could answer.

“Let Rin go.”

“I’m sorry, that is something I cannot do.” Naraku said. “I’m sure you can understand. But anything else, tell me. I’ll see if it is in my power to grant it.” Sesshoumaru could not comprehend Naraku’s game plan. What was it that the spider demon wanted? An alliance? A friend? A lover? A small smirk appeared on Sesshoumaru’s face at the humorous and unlikelihood of that last thought. But even so, Naraku was acting quite odd. More so than usual. In fact, he was almost acting, should he dare say it, nice.

While Sesshoumaru was deep in thought, Naraku walked over to the silver haired youkai provocatively slow in his steps. The inu-youkai stood unfazed by their dangerous proximity.

A knock on the door signaled the arrival of another and interrupted the duo. Naraku cursed under his breath.

“It’s Kagura.” She announced.

“What is it Kagura?” Naraku asked irritated.

“I’ve just come to inform you that that hanyou Inuyasha has entered your domain.” Kagura said.

“What? How did that happen?”

“Evidently he just walked here.” Kagura retorted. Naraku snarled menacingly.

“Fine, I’ll take care of this.” Naraku said as he headed for the door.

“Don’t kill him” Sesshoumaru said before Naraku left.

“What?”

“I ordered you not to kill Inuyasha.” Sesshoumaru repeated.

“A why shouldn’t I?”

“Because I say so.”

“You’re going to have to give me a more convincing reason than that.”

“Because he is my half-brother and I reserve the right to kill him.” Sesshoumaru said.

“Fine, I will not kill him for you.” Naraku said as he left the room.

The minute that Naraku was gone, Sesshoumaru left the room and retraced his steps to the dungeon where Rin was being held. For once his half-brother was being useful and provided the necessary distraction for Sesshoumaru to get Rin and himself out of there. Though the journey was long and filled with twists and turns, Sesshoumaru had found his destination without a problem. He stood in front of the bleak door relishing in the fact that he managed to find it. He took a step toward the door but could not manage to come in contact with it. There was some sort invisible barrier hindering him from reaching the door. He punched and kicked the barrier and found it intractable. Gathering whatever energy he still had, he channeled it into his right hand and lashed out his energy whip. He found it to be just as futile as his kick.

“It won’t work.” A voice called out. From within the shadowy corner emerged Kagura. “Naraku, is not stupid. He keeps all his leverage locked up tightly and protected.”

“Then how are you able to enter?”

“He doesn’t keep this barrier up all the time.” Kagura said. “Only when he leaves the castle. He’s so brilliant, but I hate him all the same.” She said calmly.

“If you hate him so much, then you won’t mind defying him and breaking out Rin. You are after all Naraku’s incarnation, created out of his very flesh. You must have the power to take down this barrier.”

“And have his wrath aimed at me? I don’t think so.”

“I did not think that you would be afraid of him.”

“I’m not.” Kagura said. “Look, there’s no way you’ll break into that cell. It’d be in your best interest if you just cooperate with the bastard and give him what he wants. He’ll eventually give you what you seek.”

“Really? Has he given you your heart yet?” Sesshoumaru asked. Kagura’s eyes narrowed at the assertion. Without waiting for Kagura’s witty comeback, Sesshoumaru turned around and walked away. You may have thwarted my plans for the time being Naraku, Sesshoumaru thought as he made his way back to the bedroom. But this is far from over.

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Author’s Note: *falls of the edge of seat* Man that took forever to write. This chapter was actually supposed to be longer, but I decided to divide it into two chapters instead. I know that nothing really interesting happened in this chapter, but I promise you, the next chapters will be a little more…enthralling. ^_~ Alright, now review! Please?