Red Roses Bleed Black

That day the group had been unsuccessful in finding another jewel shard. It turned out that the rumor had been just that, a rumor. There was no jewel shard around and weren’t any around for miles. Inuyasha was now in a terrible mood, glaring at everyone, especially Kagome. Alex frowned, watching Kagome sadly. She felt sorry for her, because she knew how much she loved Inuyasha, but she also knew that Inuyasha would never return that love, not in the same way at least. With a sigh Alex helped set up camp and helped Kagome make dinner.

Everyone sat around the fire eating and talking happily, everyone except Inuyasha, who was still in a really bad mood. After dinner was done Alex helped Sango clean up while Kagome went and got a bath. After everything was cleaned up the others got ready to go to bed, but not Alex. She hadn’t had a bath in a while, so she gathered up her things, borrowing some shampoo and stuff from Kagome, and walked to the hot spring nearby.

Alex stripped and climbed into the water, sighing happily as the hot water helped her muscles relax. She sat in the water for a while, just relaxing, then she finally cleaned herself up. Almost an hour later she returned to find everyone asleep, but it didn’t matter, she was used to coming back and finding them all fast asleep. Alex put her things up and returned Kagome’s things to her bag. When she was done she lay down on her sleeping bag and stared into the fire for a while. She tried in vain to fall asleep; finally she got up and decided to go on a walk.

As she left she grabbed her sword and tied it to her waist. Alex wasn’t stupid; she never went out alone without some kind of weapon on her. She looked back at the group and smiled sadly, then she disappeared into the forest. The first few weeks she’d been with the group Inuyasha had yelled at her for wandering off at night. He’d said that she’d get lost, oh how wrong he was. Alex had a great sense of direction and she always knew in which direction the group was. She rolled her eyes, remembering Inuyasha’s lectures, and shook her head.

After a half hour of walking Alex came across a small clearing. She stepped into the clearing and looked up at the moon, her hair catching its light. She closed her eyes as a breeze picked up and smiled. Alex loved the night; it always seemed to soothe her soul. After a moment she reopened her eyes and looked around. As far as she could tell there wasn’t anyone around, but that was fine by her. She didn’t want any company at the moment, especially a demon's. With another look around she drew her sword and got into a fighting stance. She practiced for several hours, hoping that it would tire her enough that when she returned to camp she could fall asleep.

As Alex practiced her sword fighting the nightly noises of the animals ceased. At first she didn’t notice, but then she stopped in the middle of her practice and looked around. By now the forest was deathly quite, something that was never a good sign. Alex held her sword at her side in her right hand, looking around. She was still unable to see anything, but then she felt something behind her. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she whirled around, bringing her sword up. Out of the darkness some kind of large wasp flew at her. Alex growled and brought her sword down on the bug, slicing it in half.

Alex stood poised, waiting for another attack, but it never came. The forest remained deathly and she had a feeling that something else was about to happen. She stood still for several minutes, then she felt a presence behind her. She whipped around, her sword in front of her, and found a man cloaked in a baboon pelt watching her. Alex stared at the person, which she guessed was a man by his height, her eyes narrowed. “Who are you?” The man didn’t answer, he just stared at Alex, his face hidden by the head of the baboon. Alex was starting to get a little creep out. She took a step toward the man, her sword still held before her, “I said, who are you?”

At first the man didn’t answer, but then he began to laugh, a sound that sent chills down Alex’s spine. She didn’t show that the sound bothered her, instead she sneered, and barred her teeth like an angered caged animal might. Alex wondered for a moment why her mannerisms were similar to those of an animal, lately she’d been acting like that a lot, which was definitely not normal. The others also seemed to have noticed, but hadn’t said anything to her, except for Shippou. Alex shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside. *I’ll worry about that later…*

She watched the man before her, a twinge of fear in her heart. She had no idea who he was, but something told her that she should know, like the others had told her about him, but she simply couldn’t remember. “Why Alex…you should have paid better attention when Inuyasha and his pathetic friends told you of me…” Alex could tell the man was smiling, the sound of his voice told her this. Her brow furrowed in confusion and she opened her mouth to speak. Quicker than she had thought possible the man slammed her back into a tree, knocking the wind from her lungs. Alex dropped her sword in surprise and winced in pain. She sucked in a breath of air, but coughed, and her head fell forward onto something soft.

Slowly Alex looked up to find the face of a baboon staring down at her. She growled, wincing slightly, and tried to push him away from her, but her hands were pinned to her sides by two clawed hands. She struggled for a moment, but was barely able to move because she was pinned between the man and the tree. Finally she settled down and decided to just stare up at the man, or demon, which she now believed him to be, defiantly.
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Naraku had watched Alex all day, waiting for her to leave the group so he could confront her. He would have liked to have done so while she was taking a bath, but he decided to wait. Instead he watched her little band of friends while she was bathing, casting a sleeping spell on them. When she returned she hadn’t believed anything was wrong and had settled down for the night, but, like always, she couldn’t sleep. Finally she’d gone for a walk, much to his relief. He had become worried after a while when she didn’t leave the group, he thought he might have to force her to leave or something, which would have messed up his plan.

Naraku followed her into the forest and watched her train for a while, until she noticed the quite of the forest. He smiled and sent one of his bugs after her. He was surprised that she sensed it's attack, but was pleased by this. He continued to watch her until he could wait no longer and made his presence known. He didn’t have to wait long for her to notice him, but her reaction wasn’t one he had expected. He knew that Inuyasha and the others had told her of him, but she must not have been paying attention or something because her sent didn’t smell of one that was afraid, instead he could smell anger rolling off her in waves. Also when she asked who he was, that’s when he knew for certain that she didn’t know who he was. He smiled a little under his mask at this, he could use her knowledge, or lack there of, to his advantage. When she asked him the second time who he was, he didn’t react at first, but then he laughed.

Naraku saw that she didn’t like the sound, but tried to hide it. She did a good job pretending, but it wasn’t good enough if he could see that she disliked it. “Why Alex…you should have paid better attention when Inuyasha and his pathetic friends told you of me…” He smiled at her reaction, but before she could speak he charged her, slamming her into a tree. He knocked the breath from her and caused her to drop her sword in surprise. He immediately grabbed her wrists, his nails lightly touching her skin. He stood completely still and waited for her to catch her breath. When her head fell against his chest his heart seemed to skip a beat. He frowned slightly behind his mask, his brow furrowing in confusion. *What was that?........* He pushed the thought aside and looked down at the girl he had pinned to a tree.

He chuckled softly when she tried to get free. He could now smell her fear, but anger was still mixed with it. He looked deep into her eyes, but could see no fear in them, only anger that was quickly turning to rage. He smiled, he had to hand it to her she was very good at not showing weakness, something he admired. After a moment he released one of her wrists, which she immediately placed on his chest. He ignored her hand, even with both hands she wouldn’t be able to move him. He moved his now free hand to her hair and ran it through her hair, causing her gasp and shiver. He smiled and continued running his hand through her hair, his claws lightly touching her scalp. After a few minutes she seemed to find her voice and just about screamed at him. “Who the hell are you?!”

Naraku frowned at the noise and tightened his grip on her wrist, causing her to growl and narrow her eyes. “I’m disappointed Alex…you should know who I am…” He took the baboon mask off and watched her reaction. Her eyes widened slightly and he could hear and feel her heart increase its pace. He smiled and leaned down, his cheek lightly touching her's. “I’m only your greatest enemy,” he whispered, his lips grazing her ear.
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When the man had release her wrist Alex immediately placed it on his chest and pushed. She pushed as hard as she could with one hand, but he didn’t budge. She gasped when she felt his hand slide through her hair and shivered involuntarily. She fisted her hand in the pelt and closed her eyes tight. Slowly she opened her eyes, an angry fire burning in them. “Who the hell are you?!” she just about screamed. The man didn’t respond, except for tightening his grip on her wrist which caused her to growl and narrow her eyes, her anger rising. Finally he spoke and took off his mask. Her eyes widened slightly and the anger left her eyes, to be replaced by realization and fear. *Naraku?! Alex you’re such a moron! You should have known.*

She gasped when he leaned down and trembled when she felt his lips graze her ear. She stood perfectly still for a moment, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She was speechless and she couldn’t think straight, not with him so close to her. Now Alex was in a serious fix. She was pinned to a tree with no way to get free by her worst enemy. *Wait a minute…why is he my enemy…hes never hurt me…GAH! What am I saying! He’s hurt my friends, that’s reason enough to hate him!* Another problem was the fact that Alex found him very handsome, more so than Sesshomaru. It was true that she like Sesshomaru, but Naraku was full on tall dark and handsome, he was also evil, which Alex also liked.

She closed her eyes tight, trying to fight back the sudden pain and sadness that was sweeping over her. She felt as though she was betraying her friends by simply thinking such things and she hated herself for it. After a moment, she regained her voice, but instead of being filled with anger it was filled with pain and sadness. “What do you want Naraku…I don’t have the jewel shards…Kagome does…” She still had her eyes closed, so she felt more than saw Naraku away. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked up at him, her dark brown eyes staring into his crimson ones. His face was emotionless and his eyes didn’t betray him, but her's did. Alex’s face was one of sadness and her eyes were filled with pain.
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Naraku watched Alex closely, now puzzled by her sudden change. One minute she was angry the next she was sad and in pain, but why? He stared into her eyes, watching the whirlwind of emotion in them. He felt a pang of sadness in his heart, which caused him to become angry. *Why do I feel so much toward this human…she nothing to me except a pawn {you keep telling yourself that} What?! Shut-up Onigumo! {HA! You do feel something for her! Otherwise you wouldn’t have snapped at me!}* Naraku growled and pushed Onigumo’s voice aside, returning his attention to Alex. He absently stroked her neck lightly with his claws, smiling a little when she trembled again.

“No…I know you don’t have the jewel shards, but they aren’t all I'm after.” He smiled, watching her puzzled reaction. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, “I’m also after something else.” He chuckled a bit when her eyes widened, but quickly stopped and whipped all emotion from his face. “I have an offer. You want to go home more than anything? Well I can help you get back, but in return for my help you must do one thing for me...bring me the shards of the jewel.” Naraku watched her reaction, his hand now resting at his side.
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Alex tried to pull away from him when he growled, but was unable to. He looked to be having an argument with himself, which would have looked funny, had the whole situation been different. After a moment he returned his attention back to her, causing Alex’s heart to speed up again. She hated him staring at her, it made her feel like he was staring straight through her and into her soul. She squirmed a bit under his gaze, but stilled when he touched her neck. She trembled and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to ignore the fact that she liked his touch. *AH! What the hells wrong with me?! {You like him} Do not! {Do to} No I don’t! Now leave me alone! {Fine, but I’ll be back!}* Alex looked back up to Naraku, a little confused by his comment. She trembled a little again when he stroked her cheek and her eyes widened slightly at his last statement.

Alex wanted to push him away and run, she didn’t know where she’d run to, but she knew it would be somewhere far from him. She couldn’t run, though, she was trapped, so she just listened, all the while fighting back tears. It was true, she wanted nothing more that to go home, but she couldn’t betray her friends, she wouldn’t. She shook her head, the anger returning to her eyes. “No! I won’t help you, I’d rather be stuck here than betray my friends! I’m not some back stabbing bitch!” This time Alex did scream and she slapped him, leaving a bright hand print on his face. Right after she slapped him she realized she’d made a huge mistake and gasped, fear replacing the anger in her eyes.
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Naraku watched her have an argument with herself, but was surprised by her reaction. He had expected her to say no, but he hadn’t expected her to slap him. He turned his head slowly, anger burning in his eyes. He grabbed her wrists and slammed them into the tree above her head. Alex cried out in pain and tried to pull her wrists free from his grip. He sneered, tightening his grip, and pressed his body into her more. Naraku brought his face close to hers, so close that their noses were almost touching. “Don’t try my patient’s girl. I can end your life hear and now.”
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Alex was wide-eyed for a moment, then narrowed her eyes, her anger flaring again. “Then do it! I’d rather die anyway! I’ve got nothing for me in this world, just a small group of friends that at the drop of a pen would probably fall to pieces!” She screamed, tears brimming in her eyes. Naraku blinked and loosened his grip on her wrist. Now he definitely didn’t expect that. This girl was definitely an enigma to him. He thought he knew her, but now he could see that he was very wrong. After a moment he released both her wrist, one of his hands running through her hair.

Alex let her arms hang limply at her sides as she stared at Naraku’s chest, fighting back her tears. She turned her head into his hand slightly, without even thinking, then suddenly she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest. Tears were now streaming down her cheek and she silently sobbed into Naraku’s chest. At first Naraku didn’t know what to do, he thought about stepping away and throwing her from him, but something made him stop. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair soothingly. *What am I doing?! This wasn’t supposed to happen! {Oh stop! You know you like holding her.} Onigumo shut-up! {Why don’t you just accept it, you like her and there’s nothing you can do about it.}* Naraku narrowed his eyes and pushed Onigumo’s voice aside and rested his chin on top of Alex’s head while she cried. *Maybe I can use this to my advantage…but how?*

After what seemed like hours Alex stopped crying, the pain in her heart lessening a little. She sniffled and looked up at Naraku. He stared down at her, still stroking her hair. After a moment Alex spoke, whipping the tears from her face. “I'm…sorry…I’m such a weakling…,” she whispered, bowing her head. The last part was meant more for her ears that anyone else’s, but Naraku heard her and tilted her head up, forcing her to look at him. “No…and my offer still stands…” Alex frowned and tried to step away from him, but he still had his arms around her waist. “I,” but before Alex could finish speaking Naraku silenced her with a kiss. It started out innocent at first, but it became deeper as Alex slowly began to kiss back.

Naraku licked her bottom lip, begging for entrance into her mouth. She granted him access and he tasted her mouth, and she did the same to him. Their tongues dueled for a bit, then Naraku pulled away and smiled down at her. Alex was breathing heavily and blinked, she looked up at Naraku, her eyes filled with confusion and something else. *Now I have her…* Naraku’s smile grew and he kissed her gently, “I’ll return for your answer in a couple of nights,” he said against her lips. With that he released her and disappeared into the night. Alex stood still for a moment before she fell to the ground, staring after Naraku. *What just happened?...*

After a while she got up and went back to camp. She grabbed some new clothes and quickly went back to the hot spring. She got into the water, without taking her clothes off. She knew that she had to wash Naraku’s sent off her before the others woke up or Inuyasha would smell him on her and ask her a million questions, and that was something she didn’t want to have to deal with at the moment. When she was satisfied that his sent was gone, she got out and stripped, dried herself off, and put on her dry clothes. She returned to camp and laid her wet clothes out to dry. Alex crawled into her sleeping bag and slowly drifted off to sleep, her thoughts filled with Naraku and his offer.

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Alright everyone enjoy. I hadn't planned on this chapter being so long, but I started writting and just couldn't stop. I also tried a different style of writing this one, doing one perspective at a time, then combining the two at the end. I look forward to more reviews and let me know if you like how I wrote this one.
TTFN!