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Love\'s Consequences	By : Sylean Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Naraku/Kagome Views: 10437 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor do I make any profit from this story.

Chapter List
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Love's Consequences
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor do I make any profit from this story.
Warning: Spoiler alerts! Just make sure you've seen the whole series, Final Act and Movies included, for I touch upon pretty much everything at one point or another.
Warning: There will be lemons in this story later on. Also, there will be character deaths in this story at a later time.
Chapter 28: Hive Mind
(A/N: Finally, I have made it to the time period that the rest of the story will take place in. Since I am jumping so far ahead, I will be using plenty of flashbacks to further explore Kiseki's childhood and personality. I wanted to get this moving without so much background information.)
(A/N: +278 years. Kiseki is 200, looks 20.)
A blur of green and brown whizzed by Kiseki's peripheral vision as her heart thundered in her chest. Her bare feet moved at incredible speeds, carrying her as if the devil himself was on her heels. Glancing over her shoulder revealed nothing following her, but she knew he was there. She could feel it; she could feel the vibrations shooting through the forest floor with each step her pursuer made.
Breaching the canopy of trees in a move that could be considered foolish, she let her location be known. If she could not isolate his location, she would make him come to her; she would use herself as the bait to her web. A flowing kimono of the blackest silk fluttered in the sunlight; stitching highlights of silver webbing reflected the bright rays and ensnared attention. She was impossible to miss amongst the vibrant green forest. 'Come and get me,' she mentally challenged her pursuant; confidence exuding from her very being before diving back below the trees.
Casting an illusion in her wake; a replica of herself, she melded herself with the deep shadows in the thickest part of the foliage. 'Now to wait,' she pressed herself tight against the wood and kept her senses on alert. One wrong move and- 'There!' she caught a glimpse; fleeting as he skirted around the trees opposite her. Twisting her illusion with skilled precision; her duplicate turned in the direction he was last seen, lowering its posture to appear battle-ready. 'Just a little closer,' she caught a brief vibration from her right; no more than a single step landing on the ground. She readied her posture; legs bent and preparing to ambush. 'Take the bait.'
No hesitation; the instant clawed fingers grabbed for her illusion, she broke from her hiding spot. Springing her trap; she drew a blade and brought it to the throat of her attacker. She used just enough force to cut the skin for a single droplet to squeeze through. "First blood," she declared the criteria for ending this duel. Her chest heaved from the adrenaline rush as she waited for a reaction. Had she finally done it; had she actually won?
A sharp prick was felt at the back of her neck, followed by a low chuckle and mocking words, "Are you so certain about that?" She whipped around to see her father standing behind her smugly, a single crimson droplet hanging from the tip of a claw. Her eyes widened and she turned back around to the figure she held her blade to; she was so certain she had caught him this time. A second look and the large form disintegrated, leaving nothing but a small wooden doll behind; a demon puppet.
Kiseki sighed in defeat and sheathed her short blade, "I thought I had you this time." She stopped counting long ago; stopped keeping track of just how many failed attempts to defeat Naraku this made. They abided by limitations, of course; she was not to use her holy powers against him, and he was not to read her mind or hide behind a barrier. She had defeated pretty much everyone else that she had ever dueled, at least once, but had yet to accumulate a single victory against her father. He just knew her too well since he was the one who taught her; he knew her every trick.
"Never assume," he lectured before they began walking back towards the castle.
"Yeah, I know," she murmured to herself; letting her mind go over what she could have done differently to stay one step ahead, "Perhaps if I had…" She had already foregone wearing armor to increase her speed, relying on the protection of her handspun kimono instead. It acted much like the robe of the fire rat that "Uncle" Inuyasha wore; it protected her from minor strikes and repelled harmful elements. Being on the high-end of the demon-clothing spectrum, Kiseki's silk could also be imbued to self-repair minor blemishes.
She wore a type of hakama underneath; it was made of the same material, but rather than binding the ends around her ankles and creating the ballooning effect, she allowed it to flow free. When standing still, it created the illusion that she was wearing a common, full-length kimono. It was only when she took full strides that its true shape could be determined. It was another way of encouraging her opponent to underestimate her abilities.
"You have improved greatly," he complimented, her tactic would have likely ensnared any other demon beside himself. Her illusions alone were highly refined; she had even learned how to incorporate scent into the falsification. Not that he relied on scent, but it was effective against demons that did. Yes, if she had been facing anyone else they would have been blindsided, but she had not been facing any random demon; she still had a ways to go before she could take him down, "But you still have much to learn."
"No better time than the present," she shot a sideways glance before pushing off from the ground. She was bound to get the best of him eventually; he could only dodge her schemes for so long, right? Naraku chuckled at her eagerness before following at a leisured pace. He caught up to her a few minutes later; standing motionless. This time however, she was not trying to trap him; her gaze was fixed on the sight before her. A matter of more importance ended their "game" before it could really begin.
There wasn't much left of the caravan or its occupants, but what did remain was the same modus operandi as the previous cases; this was becoming a reoccurring problem. Hollow, human carcasses lay amongst the wreckage; gaping holes were torn in the abdomens. The skin and bone remained mostly intact, but there was no trace of the innards or blood. Not a drop stained the ground despite the extreme pain etched into the faces of the dried up men and women.
"Something needs to be done about this; this is the second time this month," Kiseki's voice hardened to keep from cracking; these gruesome sights affected her just as much as her mother, but she learned from her father how to keep it from showing. She was no stranger to death; there had been call to obliterate armies that threatened their home in previous years, but this… Urging her feet forward, she stepped carefully around the splintered debris and macabre bodies looking for any clue as to who had done this and why. Inuyasha's nose would be of much use for the pair, were he present, seeing as they did not specialize in using that sense.
"Third," Naraku corrected in the same apathetic tone; whether it was a front like hers or he just didn't care, she wasn't completely sure. He had a pretty strong suspicion as to whom the culprits were, based solely on the type of carnage left behind; it was atypical, even for a demon. There was one species, however, that he had extensive exposure to that left this signature behind; he did not wish to be correct in his assumption.
By rifling through the discarded goods, the decimated band was recognized as being a group of traveling merchants that frequented Okumo castle for trade. It was beginning to look like they were being targeted specifically. The other two incidents had been associated with his people as well. It was also peculiar how the wares had been picked over; the oils and spices had not been touched but the fabrics were scattered about and consisted of zero bolts of silk. The pieces were all there, but how did they fit together; what was the answer?
A tiny whimper caught their attention and Kiseki followed it to the overturned cart. Lifting the wooden heap, she spied a young child, no older than five, huddled in a ball. "There's a survivor here," she announced, calling Naraku over to her side. A survivor meant they could get answers. He was slow and weak, but alive. This attack must have taken place only a handful of days ago; had it been a week the youngster would have died of thirst by now. He shied away from her offered hand, but when promised a drink of water, came crawling out of his hiding place. Kiseki gathered up the child and took off towards the nearest stream.
He nearly fell in the rushing body of water in his eagerness to get at the liquid. Finally sitting up, he looked at the two demons that found him and cowered on the ground, "Are you going to eat me like those other demons did to Papa?"
"No," Kiseki smiled sweetly and knelt down to the boy's level, "we just want to know what happened."
"The bad demons hurt Papa," he whimpered.
"What did the demons look like?" Kiseki asked gently.
"They were scary," the boy fidgeted. "They were big and had sharp teeth." Naraku groaned impatiently but Kiseki held up a hand for him to wait. Sure, he could get the answers quicker by messing with the child's mind, but it was an intense sensation and the boy had already been through enough.
"What happened after the demons left?" Kiseki pressed, looking for just the right question.
"Papa and the others," he hesitated, "they kept screaming. I covered my ears; I couldn't listen." He mimicked the action of covering his ears. "They kept saying, 'It hurts; they're eating me.' And then giant bees came out of them."
"Let's go," Naraku turned to walk away. He heard all he needed.
"Don't worry," Kiseki soothed when the child's fearful eyes pleaded with her at the thought of being left alone, "you're safe now." She gathered him up and treaded beside her father.
"Taking in an orphan?" Naraku jeered playfully. Sometimes, she appeared the spitting image of her mother.
"There is a couple in the village that have been trying to conceive for years now;" she explained, unfazed by the jab, "I'm sure they'll want to take him in." A few minutes of silence later and the child had fallen asleep. She didn't want to broach the topic in front of him; he had been through enough, but she assumed, "I take it you know who killed them?"
"Hai, they are called Siamyosho," he affirmed, mind whirling around what to do about it. It was as he suspected. It had been a long time since he dealt with them; centuries since the insects heeded his commands. Back then, he only had a few hives; what may have seemed like an endless supply to his enemies was far from it. Without a queen to replenish their numbers, the last of them had perished centuries ago. The Siamyosho he controlled had only been the servants anyways; it was the rest of the hive, consisting of parasitic wasp demons in humanoid forms and their queen that were of concern. Now that they had a culprit, they could prepare to counter them, beginning with why they were targeting his people. "There presence is troubling."
(A/N: Approximately 20 years before mating Kagome; -20 years)
"Who dares intrude upon my hive?" an angry shriek resounded around the wax cavern Naraku had just strode into. It had been easy; pathetically so, to elude the few guards and explore the vast network of tunnels and cells in a disguised form.
"Queen Mahi (Paralysis) of the Siamyosho," he addressed the demoness named for the effect of her venom, "it would appear your colony is deteriorating." It was practically a ghost town compared to how it should be. Siamyosho used to be quite prosperous, but their current numbers would never be able to fend off an attack if their hidden nest was discovered.
"That is none of your concern," she snapped back, her wings vibrating in alarm. It was unnerving having an intruder so deep in her lair; unnerving that this person knew far more about the state of her kind than he should. They over hunted the local demons, and now had none to prey upon; they were indeed living in dire conditions.
"Perhaps not," he conceded with a wicked grin, "but I would think you to be wise enough to see an opportunity when it is presented to you." He disregarded the mounting number of guards that blocked his escape. He could take the entire hive out single handedly, if he so chose. But they had something he wanted; they were more useful alive.
"Opportunity?" she scoffed skeptically. What could this thing possibly have to offer her?
"It is my understanding that you require the bodies of demons to lay your eggs in, do you not? Yet I saw none being incubated during my tour of your nursery," she tightened the grip of her fists upon learning this creature had been invading every inch of her home, and none of her subjects had caught him.
Naraku easily discerned that this species used the bodies of others for reproduction. He found many cells filled with human carcasses in various stages of comatose, death, and deterioration; he even witnessed the smaller insects bursting from the bodies. There were certainly no shortage of humans for them to prey on, but apparently, their bodies were not sustaining enough for the worker demons. He also overheard word from the few caretakers of a lack of demons being brought down to that guarded level. Piecing the puzzle together, he gathered that this species of demon used the bodies of other demons to incubate their young.
"What is your point, Half-demon?" she remained on edge, even as he stood "unarmed," surrounded by at least half of her hive. Half-demon or no, the figure hooded by a white pelt exuded danger.
"Can it be that you lack the sheer numbers to acquire strong enough hosts for your young?" he mocked, looking around the room. "Your hive will only meet extinction if you can not find a suitable source."
"Perhaps I should use your body, and eliminate your annoying presence," Mahi threatened and her guards pointed a row of speared tipped pikes at him. They were most certainly coated in neurotoxins and highly lethal to most demons, but he was not "most demons."
He laughed lightly at the feeble attempt to intimidate him, 'These insects have no idea what they are up against.' "Killing me to serve as a singular host would be wasting a far more numerous supply," he carefully worded his offer. "I know of a densely packed source, and will bring these demons to you."
"Why; what benefit would this have for you?" the queen was understandably dubious; they threaten his life and he offers to help?
"This arrangement would be of mutual benefit, for all I require is eyes. These servants of yours," he motioned to the large insects swarming over the interior of the queen's chamber, "would be sufficient for my purpose." It would be much more efficient to spread the hives out over the land rather than traverse the distance himself over and over in search of the jewel.
If all he wanted was a few of the servant Siamyosho, she could afford that, especially if her gain was hosts that she had been sorely lacking, "What is your name, Demon?"
"Call me, Naraku," he grinned beneath the baboon mask as her pitch lost its biting overtone.
"Very well, Naraku," she relaxed her posture and her guards did the same. "I have none to spare at this moment, but if you can accomplish what you claim, I will grant your request."
His smirk widened, "Consider it done."
(A/N: Some background information, various oils and spices are natural repellants to wasps. This is why the spices had not been disturbed in the caravan. Also, parasitic wasps are one of the few natural enemies of certain spiders.)
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Love\'s Consequences