The Ties that Bind Us

On the Nature of Time and Self
by: Ryoko (Naraku's Dark Soul)

Kagome had never eaten foie gras before, but she found it delicious. It was soft and buttery and practically melted in her mouth. It had been one of the least expensive things on the menu, which suited Kagome just fine. It didn’t matter to her how much money Naraku had; she still hated wasting any of it.

Naraku had ordered them some wine, but he hardly touched his own glass or his plate of…whatever that was--Kagome didn’t remember. It made her wonder if he, and by extension, demons, ate human food often. But then, she supposed things might be different for him because of his half-human heritage.

Kagome was feeling very self-conscious as she spread the foie gras over the accompanying bread.

“Do you like it?” he asked, once she had finished her second bite.

“Yes, it’s very good.” Kagome put the knife down. She had been distracted by the food and the ambiance, but refused to be put off any further. “How did you get my phone number and address?”

Naraku’s smile never faded. “I have my ways.” He swirled the wine around in his glass and took a sip. The liquid was as crimson as his eyes, and Kagome found herself distracted by it. She realized her mistake a moment later.

“That’s not an answer.” Kagome frowned and stopped eating.

“Not all answers are pleasing,” he returned, setting his glass on the table, his fingers trailing sensuously down the stem before he completely let it go.

“I…” Kagome started, her eyes riveted to Naraku’s hand. She shook her head. “It would be different if your answer was anything but an evasion.” She raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled.

“You are saying mystery does not add to appeal?” The question threw her and she fought to keep it off her face.

“Of course, but not in this case.” Kagome picked up her knife and began preparing a third piece of bread. “I’d prefer to know,” she added, her backbone firm and unwavering--until he smiled and she blushed.

“It’s not as complicated as you seem to think it is,” Naraku offered. He was still smiling. Kagome, who had managed to counter his obvious charm by looking at his wine glass, remained unimpressed.

“That’s still not an answer.” She was proud of herself for not giving in. Naraku chuckled his defeat.

“Your presence is, shall we say, unmistakable. It was not hard to find out the rest.” Ah, so that was it. Kagome felt silly. She had expected some kind of…well, she didn’t know exactly what, but something involving wire-tapping and bribes and… She was getting carried away again. This wasn’t some kind of movie, and Naraku was no ordinary businessman. But another thought had occurred to her. If there was any truth to his words--which she suspected there was. What reason did he have to lie?--where were all the other demons? If her presence was that obvious, why hadn’t they found and killed her? Or come for the jewel years before? For that matter, why hadn’t Naraku come for the jewel before she could even go down the well? Her brow furrowed and she put her knife down again, not bothering to eat what she had prepared. Naraku spoke again, as if he had sensed her line of thought.

“They are all gone, Kagome.” She blanched. How had he…?

“What do you mean, all gone? What about your uh,” Kagome was finding it hard to reconcile the idea of Naraku with--, “your employees?” He nodded and responded without pause.

“All my incarnations, and all under my control.” Her eyes widened. No wonder they hadn’t seemed very friendly. Well, the two she had met so far.

“Do you employ any humans? Or are they all…yours?” Kagome wasn’t sure how she felt about any of it, and anxiety began to gnaw at her and ruin the mood that had built up between them.

“Yes, but only where they won’t become a problem for me,” he admitted. He was still smiling, but it had a certain strained quality to it Kagome was able to recognize. She had exhibited the same kind of smile many times in the past, usually whenever one of her classmates asked about her illnesses. She recognized, then, what some part of her must have always known all along: that there was much, much more to Naraku than was apparent. He was still the same demon--man?--she had known from the past, the only thing between then and the present mysterious time. He had undoubtedly grown. His methods were different, but had he really changed? Kagome wanted to believe he had, but some small part of her disagreed.

He cleared his throat and she looked up, aware that she had become lost in her thoughts once again. She offered him a thin smile of her own.

“Do you not wonder why I never came for the jewel?” All the color left her face and her smile disappeared.

“I--,” she began, but he cut her off.

“I don’t need it anymore. I have not for a long time.” The revelation caught her by surprise, almost as much as the preceding question. Again, she tried to speak, and again, he cut her off.

“I would not be who I am today without the past,” he said, and his eyes seemed to grow sad for a moment. However, it was gone so quickly; Kagome was sure she had imagined it. “I had no reason to change any of it.”

And there it was. She could feel the knots in her stomach relaxing, could feel that small voice stifled. She smiled again, wider than before.

“Thank you. I think I needed to hear that.” She also was who she was because of the past. She had regretted it before, had lived in bitter despair, but she was starting to believe it was all for a reason. Her heart felt lighter than it had in ages, even after meeting Naraku again.

He offered her another warm smile, and bade her to eat again. She did as he suggested, and the rest of dinner passed in a haze of pleasant conversation, great food, and general good will.

They were on their way back to the limo when Kagome noticed something on the ground. It was a feather. A long, white feather.

As she watched, it began to turn red.

I'm concentrating more on content and less on length. Can you tell, I wonder. Reviews are appreciated and con-crit is my lifeblood as I have no beta. Thank you and enjoy.