Okay!!! So, I know a lot of you have been waiting for this update and I'm so so sorry that I didn't update this story in like, forever. I didn't know how to continue it so I had put it on hold.
A couple of days ago, I felt really nostalgic and started re-watching Inuyasha from the beginning. When I watched and saw the 'hero' of this story, aka Naraku, the gears in my brain began to chug away! So here it is, the third chapter after a super long wait for all you readers!
My humblest apologies for the wait. *dramatic deep bow*
Lol anyway, hope you enjoy!
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Ritsu pov:
"Stupid demon!" I yelled frustrated giving one last hit on its head with my katana. The deranged raccoon demon screeched as blood flew out from the slash I had given it on its head and fell to the ground almost lifeless.
Shaking off the remaining blood from the blade of my katana, I walked to the raccoon demon and plucked out the Jewel Shard that was stuck in the center of its forehead. With a sickening moan, the demon turned into dust and the only thing left was a heap of bones. I mentally gagged seeing everything of the demon turn into dust. Man, I had seen this so many times and it still made me feel disgusted.
I sighed shaking my head as I pocketed the Jewel Shard and sheathed my katana at my waist.
I turned around and walked away from the so called battlefield. This was a demon that had been terrorizing surrounding villages. Because of the power of a single Jewel Shard, demons lost their sanity and became nothing more than killing machines. In one way it was sad but most of the demons that got their hands on a Shard weren't exactly friendly demons to begin with anyway.
After a few minutes of walking, I made it to another clearing where Kagura was waiting for me. She was leaning against a tree, arms folded and eyes closed. When she heard my footsteps, she opened her blood red eyes to look at me with a glare.
"Took your own sweet time to kill off a stupid raccoon demon! How annoying. Honestly, why do I have to be babysitting a human brat?" She sneered out as she leaned away from the tree. She didn't look at me as she walked away from me and I followed her.
"Don't get huffy with me, Kagura. Master Naraku is the one who said you're responsible for transportation. I'm just here to fight the demons and get the Jewel Shards." I muttered just as annoyed as her.
What was her problem, seriously?! I barely knew her. She was Naraku's spawn, made from his flesh and blood and she actually hated being under his control. She always complained about wanting her freedom and hating the fact that Naraku had her heart. Well, that was definitely not a romantic reference even though I kind of thought of it that way when she first told me. But later on I learnt that Naraku literally had her heart, using it as a way of controlling her very existence.
Nonetheless, she was a strong wind sorceress who saw me as an insignificant dust ball at her feet. I got enough of her attitude back in the castle; well, she actually ignored me most of the time. But it was annoying to see her glare at me or degrade me by calling me a wench or whatever and I didn't need more of it on every Jewel Shard hunting mission we went out on.
Besides her, I've actually been getting along pretty well with the rest of the lot, including Naraku.
Kanna is kind of emotionless. She resembles a 5-6 year old kid in physique. She is Naraku's incarnation too so she's not the same as a regular kid. She always carries around a mirror which I still don't know what it's used for and she barely talks. Having any sort of conversation with her is pointless though her silent company is welcoming sometimes. Being with someone who doesn't talk is better than being alone, after all.
Kohaku is a demon slayer just like me. I don't know how and when he met Naraku but I can see that he's being controlled. I don't think he would have served Naraku willingly if he was normal. His life is sustained by the jewel shard that he has in his back. Most of the time, his eyes are dull and lifeless. Its a sign that Naraku is controlling him at that time. The rest of the time, he spends joblessly like me in the castle. He joins me for meals or when I'm sitting in the hallway looking at the courtyard and barrier surrounding the castle. I help him with basic chores sometimes too.
But he says he has no memories of his life before he met Naraku so talking to him is just as pointless as talking to Kanna.
Kagura....well, I guess the previous conversation itself is enough to say that we are not even on talking terms. She hates me. That's all.
I guess Naraku is the only person I talk to. When I first met him, it wasn't exactly under friendly conditions. He had threatened to kill the entire village that I lived in if I didn't go with him and agree to serve him. I was forced to call him Master, which I still have to do even now, and I took on jobs of defeating demons and humans who possessed Jewel Shards. Once I had the Shards, I had to bring them back to Naraku. As the days passed, he wasn't actually that bad to be around.
Well, he was definitely the type to kill people if he wanted something. He felt no regret whatsoever when killing humans or demons for his personal goals. In fact, when I was left behind in the castle for about two days when I first began serving him, he had returned after annihilating an entire village by summoning a bunch of his demons. After which, he had taken into custody the two Jewel Shards that they had in the village. I was a little troubled by that and I had refused to meet his gaze for the next three days.
He obviously didn't care about what I thought of it and I had to accept that this was going to be a common occurrence because he was a demon. I still didn't like it but things fell back to normal after those three days.
It's not that I didn't feel guilty. I felt guilty as heck because I was helping someone who was killing innocent humans and demons just so he could get the Jewel and become strong. But I had no choice. I had given up my freedom to save my village and now with this bracelet on my wrist as a contraption that bound me to him, I had to serve him loyally. You could call me a coward, but I didn't want to lose my life in a place like this. Despite knowing that there was probably no way to go back to modern Tokyo, I still hoped in the back of my mind that some miracle would happen.
Besides, I did sort of feel that Naraku too had a gentle side to him. After all, he tended to my wounds when I had been injured badly by an ogre demon a few fights ago. He had come to see me often and ask about my well being. Perhaps he was just being courteous but that gave me a good impression of him nonetheless.
"Will you stop day dreaming and get on?" I came out of my thoughts as Kagura called out to me annoyed like usual. Rolling my eyes, I walked to her and got onto her feather. I put on my air filter mask and we took off into the sky and back to the castle.
It usually took about ten minutes to get to the castle and until then I let myself just get lost watching the stars. Watching the stars or the clouds always gave me some sort of serenity. I didn't have to think about anyone or anything. I felt tiny in front of the vast space above and yet it was so calming to my nerves.
Sometimes I would get nostalgic as I thought about Tokyo, my family that I left behind when I turned up here. My mother, father, grandmother, and younger sister. I'm sure they were doing fine. They probably thought I ran away or something....if I ever do go home, I just hope that they don't hate me for disappearing for a couple of years.
Other times, I would think about the village; the last minute confession that I had gotten from Kazuki seeming to bother me more than it should. I did betray them....I don't think I could ever face them again after everything I've done.
I blinked, my thoughts disappearing just like the sky as we entered the barrier surrounding the castle. My view of the beautiful night sky was cut off and everything of the present came back to me. I sighed inaudibly and looked down at the open grounds in the center of the castle as it got closer to us. Once Kagura got close to the ground, both of us jumped off her feather. It shrunk in size and she put it in her hair, turned around and walked away completely ignoring me.
I deadpanned at her before rolling my eyes at her impossible attitude. I walked to the outside hallways of the castle that was free from the miasma. I took off my air filter mask and handed it to Kohaku who was standing there waiting for me. He took it from my hands and walked away to put it back in the hidden storage room in the castle.
Naraku didn't trust me very much. I had been here for about two months now and he still didn't allow me to keep an air filter mask for myself. When I left to find a jewel shard that he had located, I would be given a mask to get out and into the barrier surrounding the castle safely. Other times when I stayed in the castle, I was not allowed to keep one with me. I guess he was taking measures to make sure that I didn't escape. With the bracelet on, I couldn't escape anyway but he took more measure.
Oh well, guess I can't do anything about that, now can I? But most of the time, it was boring in the castle because there was nothing to do. Naraku was nice enough to let me use the existing library when I got too bored. It was the personal library of the Lord who previously lived in this castle. So there weren't just history records or battle records but also story books that I preferred to read most of the time.
After taking off all my weapons and handing it to Kanna, I made my way to Naraku's room. I knocked twice before letting myself in. As usual, he was sitting next to the window with one leg upright and an arm resting on his knee. He was looking out of the window, his eyes distant as if lost in thought and planning for his next move to get the next Shard of the Jewel. When I entered, he looked up at me passively. I gave a smile and sat down on my knees in front of him.
Yeah, I had actually gotten pretty comfortable around him that I smiled and spoke to him without much hesitance. He too seemed pretty friendly in return. He didn't mind being friendly as long as my loyalty to him was strictly maintained.
When I was satisfied that he had acknowledged my return, I pulled out the Jewel Shard that I had got from the raccoon demon and held it out to him in the palm of my hand. My smiled dropped as he reached out and took it from me and it instantly turned black as if tainted with darkness. Well, that's what Naraku was aiming for....to corrupt the Jewel, taint it with all the darkness in the world and use the power to become the strongest and most feared demon in the entire world.
Well, in feudal Japan anyway.
He was a half demon though. He was extremely powerful despite being a half demon and he wanted to become a full demon. If he did so, I doubt there would be anyone strong enough to stop him. I wasn't going to take any risk. I knew that I had no chance of fighting him so I would play safe and stay in his good books. After all, he didn't bother with me unless it was to get a Jewel Shard.
I shook my head pushing back those thoughts for the time being and I looked back at Naraku. Before I could speak, the door of the room was slid open and Kagura walked in. She glared at me and came to sit on her knees a little away from the two of us. It looked like she was in a bad mood and I just ignored her as I decided to concentrate on my conversation with Naraku.
Kagura pov:
How annoying! What did Naraku want from me now?!
I crossed my arms and walked to his room with a deep frown on my face. Ritsu had gone to give him the Jewel Shard that she had got after defeating the raccoon demon. I had done as he had told, taking her to and back from the location. Well, he had asked me to watch over her and protect her during any fight but I hated her and Naraku, so I obviously didn't bother even watching her fight, let alone help.
Was Naraku planning to chew me out for that? Ritsu had gotten a mild injury on her arm during the fight....tch! I hate having to serve a half breed such as Naraku! I hated that he held my life in his hands!
When I reached his room, I didn't bother knocking. I slid the door open and walked in giving a glare to Ritsu. She just shook her head and looked back at Naraku with a smile as I sat down in front of them. Damn! She was so infuriating!
How could she honestly sit there in front of him and smile?! Something was definitely wrong with her in the head! Why would a stupid human, of all creatures, want to be around a demon like Naraku? He's cruel, merciless, kills people, and manipulates people. Its obvious that she feared him and his power just like everyone else. Just feeling that sickening dark demonic energy was enough to send even most demons running with their tails between their legs. Ritsu should have tried to escape whenever she got a chance on missions!
She knows all of that and yet she sticks around, smiling in front of him no less!
True, she did sort of avoid him when he killed off one of the villages to get his hands on the Jewel Shard. However, things had fallen back to normal too soon after. Anyone would obey him because they knew he had the upper hand. But seriously, she could show a little more restraint and not be so annoyingly friendly with him!
"Good work, Ritsu. You were able to get the Jewel Shard without much of a hassle. You've gotten used to the job, I assume?" Naraku complimented her and I mentally scoffed as Ritsu shrugged with a smile.
"Eh, I guess so. I'm a demon slayer to begin with so I've been used to the job since two years. That raccoon demon was pretty good at dodging and even hit me on the arm....but it wasn't too difficult to handle." She said coolly. She touched the scratch that she had in her left arm. It had already dried up because it wasn't too deep.
"I see. Your skills are much appreciable, unlike some who are supposed to be a part of me. Even though they have been granted my own power, they are quite a letdown." Naraku glanced at me. I tensed clenching my jaw but narrowed my eyes defiantly at him. He merely gave me a smirk before looking back at Ritsu.
Ritsu huffed out a laugh looking down at her hands in her lap. The room was silent for a few moments and I was getting a little anxious as to what was going through Naraku's mind. He was watching Ritsu strangely....he wasn't annoyed, he wasn't curious. He was thinking. I always got a bad vibe when he looked at me that way.....what was he planning this time?
When she couldn't take the silence anymore, Ritsu looked back at Naraku smiling. "By the way, Master Naraku, I was wondering...." She started in a soft yet curious voice.
"Yes? What is it Ritsu? It seems you have something you wish to ask me." Damn that Naraku. Using that nice tone just because Ritsu was doing whatever he wanted.
I had to agree that she was a pretty good fighter and she was doing Naraku a great help. She had a decent amount of Spiritual power as well which made the searches for the Jewel Shards easier. Besides, she didn't mind helping him at all. Either that or she knew she had no choice and chose the easy way to stay out of trouble from Naraku. Whatever the case, I could see that Naraku liked her for how obedient she was. I didn't do my job with a 100% interest which is why I wasn't as 'good' as Ritsu in getting Naraku's goals accomplished.
"I'm kind of curious.....how many of the Jewel Shards exist? You keep sending me out to look for them and all the Shards are so tiny. How many do we have left to collect?" She watched him unafraid and Naraku just chuckled.
"I cannot be sure of that, Ritsu. I will know that we're done once I have the complete Jewel. Until then, it is your duty to keep looking for them." Ritsu's smile fell at that. She looked down with a sigh.
"Keep looking for them, huh...." She didn't seem too happy about that. I narrowed my eyes finding her sudden change in behavior suspicious. In fact, Naraku too seemed a little suspicious of how she reacted. "That means more fighting for me....." She pressed her lips into a thin line before looking up again.
"Can I see the Jewel?" I was quite surprised at how boldly she asked to see the Jewel. Naraku never let anyone take the Jewel from him and it was quite suspicious for her to be asking to see it. Naraku narrowed his eyes but I was even more surprised when he pulled out the Jewel from his haori and held it out in his palm for her to see.
She leaned forward taking support on her knees with her hands, parting her lips and looking with wide eyes. "Wow....Its really pretty!" She smiled tilted her head as she looked at it.
The Jewel was probably two thirds complete and glowed a dull violet, indicating the presence of the pure spiritual power within but dominated by Naraku's tainted darkness.
"Can I touch it?" She asked looking at Naraku with a rather happy smile. What was wrong with her? Did she have a death wish?! Out of all people in the world, she was asking Naraku if she could touch something that he desired for power! This wasn't going to end well, that was for sure.
"Go ahead." My jaw nearly dropped to the floor as Naraku accepted with a smirk. W-what the?! Why was he being so nice to her?! Yes, she did whatever he asked for but still! What was he plotting here?!
Ritsu reached out tentatively and took the Jewel into her hands. She smiled wider as it lost every last bit of darkness that Naraku's presence put in it and it glowed bright pink. The air around her and the nearly complete Jewel was so pure, it was sickening.
I glance at Naraku to find him watching her with a smirk. He looked amused.....not just amused but somewhat gentle. That was not like him at all! What was going on here?! I must be hallucinating.
"Its....small." Ritsu said after a few moments of just looking at it. She held it up cupping it delicately in both hands as she continued to observe it. "I was expecting it to be bigger.....its almost like holding a mere marble in my hand. Kazuki used to always tease me that my hand was abnormally small....but this jewel is just so....tiny." She chuckled sadly, probably remembering something of her past.
"Can something so small have so much power?" She looked back at Naraku as she gave the Jewel back to him. It immediately turned black violet with the darkness and he looked at it with that devilish look in his eyes.
"The Scared Jewel or the Jewel of Four Souls was formed when a very strong priestess named Midoriko fused herself with a Yokai, unable to beat it in battle. It is said that their souls exist within, engaged in an unending battle. Whoever possesses the Jewel gets that incredible power."Naraku explained before putting the Jewel back into his haori.
"I suppose I could let you on some details later. For now, I have an important task for you, Ritsu." Naraku got back to his business like tone and Ritsu nodded.
"Okay, fire away!"
I didn't like the smirk that Naraku had on his face. It always meant that he had come up with a new plan to fight against either Inuyasha and his group or Lord Sesshomaru. Those two were the only people who actually posed a threat to his plans of achieving his epitome of power. I was hoping that Lord Sesshomaru would kill Naraku so I could have my freedom and Naraku too knew that I had gone personally to ask for his help. He had punished me....I still cringe at the memory of having my heart squeezed in his hands. This b******.....if only I was strong enough to kill him myself.
Whatever the case, Ritsu wasn't strong enough to go against either of the opponents. If Naraku sent her into that sort of fight, he was a fool. He would not only lose a minion but he wouldn't be able to get rid of his enemies at all.
"I think it is time you met the Great Lord of the West....the dog demon Sesshomaru." Naraku said smirking madly and I looked to the side hiding a scoff that wanted to escape. Lord Sesshomaru was probably the worst opponent she could get.
Watching her fight against a full fledged Yokai with unmatched speed, senses and reflexes.....she wasn't going to last for more than five minutes. This was definitely a fight I wanted to watch. Seeing a human fall, the one who Naraku complimented over me, she deserved to die at the hands of a demon. This wench....
I was really going to enjoy this.
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Since I decided to get this story going again, my updates will be a little slow. Now that I have three stories ongoing at the same time, I will need a day or two extra compared to usual to update each story!
Thank you for your love and patience!
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