Chancery

Chancery

- Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate
prejudices - just recognize them. - Edward R. Murrow

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/I hurt all over./ Kagome
thought with a mental groan. /Though, I seem to be more aware of my body
now./

Kagome foc on on trying to observe
her surroundings with her other senses, as her eyes still refused to open. She
felt herself lying on a soft, smooth surface. The air around her felt cool
against her skin, which seemed to be burning. She could not hear nor feel anyone
around her in what she could only assumed to be some sort of a room. She could
feel a familiar aura around the place though, and it was setting her on edge.

//Where am I?/ She wondered
again, /How did I end up here?/

She tried to think back to the
events that caused her to end up like this, and felt the pain and anger at
Inuyasha's ultimate betrayal pour back into her, almost knocking the breath out
of her. 

/That's right, Inuyasha abandoned
me to die by the hands of Kik I d I don't think I'm dead ... so what happened
after I passed out? I remember ... someone picking me up./

Triggered by that thought, an image
of a red-eyed devil flashed in her mind's eye.

/Shimatta! Naraku! Am I in
Naraku's hands now?/

She started to panic, but her
physical body showed no indication of her emotional turmoil, the only indication
of her hysteria was the now uneven and shallow breathing she had.

Kagome tried to force her eyes open,
feeling her eyelids twitch with her effort, but they still remained shut.

/Chikushou ... Open! You stupid
eyes!/

At last, she could see pinpricks of
light between her lids. The vague light grew painfully bright as her eyes opened
wider, and she was forced to shut them in pain. Just as she was about to try
again, she heard the sound of doors sliding open and someone padding in quietly.

/Dammit, I can't be so weak while
Naraku could very well be right beside me!/

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Satisfied that everything was in order, Naraku
returned swift back to the miko's room. He loathed to leave her side, but he
must make sure of the smooth running of his castle once in a while. He arrived
at her room in moments, sliding open the door and walking to her side.

Naraku noticed that the miko seemed ...
different. Something was amiss.

Kagome forced herself to relax, so Naraku would
not know she was indeed awake. She was shocked by see seemingly tender
ministrations, caressing her face so gently and innocently. She was also very
disturbed by the concern she could detect in his voice.

/He could not possibly be worried about me, it
must be an act to make me let my guards down. I will not fall for it!/ Kagome
decided, her bodying lying unmoving and peaceful as if in sleep. Her breathing
had now calmed almost back to normal.

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Kagome pretended to sleep for a
while, but soon realised that Naraku was not going to leave her side anytime
soon. Her body had been gradually waking up since her consciousness retu,
,
and she had regained control of her body. Deciding she could not pretend to
sleep forever - her body was starting to cramp up badly - she tried to open her
eyes again.

This time, she was successful in
forcing her eyes open without any pain. Blinking in the sudden light, she
allowed her eyes to adjust. She turned her head toward where she felt Naraku
was, and was immensely surprised to see him lodged on a chair leaning to one
side, fast asleep, with her hand securely grasped in his.

Not sure what to make of the
situation, she took care not to wake him as she looked around the room she was
in. The room was spacious, rather dimly lit, with small windows on the wall
above her feet. There was only the futon she was lying on, the chair Naraku was
sitting in, and a table against the wall behind her head. Since there was not
much to observe in the rather empty room, Kagome's attention landed on the
slumbering form of Naraku.

/He looks ... almost innocent in
his sleep. Nothing like the evil monster he is when awake./ Kagome mused,
seeing the enemy that her group had been tracking for so long up close for the
first time without worrying about her life ... yet.

He was dressed in a the casual
traditional wear for males of that era, unlike the more elaborate kimono he wore
when they met to fight the times when he was not in a baboon pelt. If she did
not know better, she would have thought him to be a peacefully resting human.

Just then, Naraku tipped slightly to
the side he was leaning towards, and Kagome could only stare with wide eyes as
the great evil fell over off his chair smack onto the floor while still holding
her hand. 

She turned slightly to watch him as
he woke up with a groan, rubbing the side of his head that had hit against the
hard wooden floor, letting her hand go in the process. When Naraku groggily
picked himself up, eyes half closed in sleepy annoyance, and climbed right back
onto the chair after glaring at it as if it was responsible for his fall, Kagome
could take it no longer.

Her giggles burst forth and filled
the room, while she curled up on her side. Her mind told her she was crazy for
finding her enemy funny, but in her current state, she chalked it all up to
hysterics. Once she started, she seemed unable to stop, even when Naraku 
stared at her like she had grown another head after been snapped awake by her
laughter.

"You must be more injured than
I thought." Naraku muttered as he put a hand against her forehead.
"Though your fever seem to be subsiding. I wonder if it burnt your head.
Are you sure you're alright?"

Naraku's quizzical expression was
almost enough to send Kagome off on another round of giggles, but she managed to
curb herself just in time. She valued her life enough that she did not want to
be killed right after being saved by her enemy because she laughed at him.

Calming herself, she accessed the
graveness of her position. She was injured and weak lying on a bed, in Naraku's
castle, with said hanyou staring at her from her side in a mysterious
expression. And she had just laughed at him. This was just not her day.

Kagome opened her mouth, wanting to
demand why she was here. She worked her throat for a few seconds, before she
could produce any sound.

"Eh..." She managed to
say. /Way to go, Kagome! That was just sooo coherent. He understood what you
meant just fine. Can you make yourself sound any stupider?/

"Are alrialright? How do you
feel?" Naraku asked her instead, his eyes full of concern. Kagome was
starting to feel ill at ease under his obvious affection. /That can't
possibly be real, there's no way Naraku would worry about me./ She reminded
herself.

"Uh..." She attempted
again; she wanted to kick herself in the head.

"Here, havme wme water."
Naraku put an arm under her and helped her into a sitting position, settling
himself beside her, then took a cup from the table and held it up to her lips
while supporting her against himself. 

Too weak to hold the cup herself,
Kagome was forced to let herself drink from Naraku's hand. The feel of the cool
water running down her throat was heavenly in her feverish state. 

"Good girl." He said after
she finished the cup, and set the cup back on the table. Her mouth now
moisturized, Kagome attempted to speak again.

"What do you want? What you you
going to do with me?" Kagome demanded, but in her weakened state it did not
sound nearly as demanding as she would have liked. Indeed, it came out
breathless and raspy.

"You sound like I'll do
something despicable. Would you have preferred to be left to die?" Naraku
asked with a raised brow.

"Yes." Kagome answered
curtly, glaring daggers at him. She had regained enough of her mind to remember
who exactly she was talking to. With no other outlet for her hurt and anger,
Naraku seemed like a good choice.

Naraku's red eyes glinted with an
inner glow in the dim light, something unidentified flashed across their depths.
Kagome shivered unconsciously when she saw the flash; she did not
catch what the emotion was, but it chilled her to the bone.

"Too bad, you are much more fun
when you are alive." Naraku said with a curl of his lips in what was not
quite a smile. "Rest now, you will see what I have in store for you soon
enough."

With that, Naraku settled her back
onto the futon and swept out of the room.

Kagome strangely felt as if she had
offended him in some way, but could not figure out how.

"Why would I care if I did
anyway, he's our enemy." She muttered to herself, but the slight twinge of
guilt would not go away.

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Naraku growled softly to himself on
his way to prepare some food for the injured girl after leaving her room. When
she had so readily stated that she would have rather died than be saved by him,
he felt a surge of hurtful anger.

He had watched her and knew her
well, better than maybe even her so-called friends, and knew her kind
compassionate heart. He had thought she held at least some sympathy towards him
from the look she gave him in the past, but he could see now that she really
wanted nothing to do with him. To be so abruptly informed that he was the
exception from her light had felt like a blow to his gut.

"She is only an obsession, she
should not affect me this much." He growled to himself, but somehow it did
not feel very convincing at all.

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A whole chapter of Kagome & Naraku
... it was really hard to write. I literally forced it out pass the writers'
block so ... hope it's not too bad. 

Thanks for all the reviews!

- Kura

Mailing List: http://kura-sama.notifylist.coont>ont>