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In a New Light	By : Sylean Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Naraku/Kagome Views: 17606 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor do I make any profit from this story.

Chapter List
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In a New Light

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor do I make any profit from this story.

Warning: There will be lemons in this story, some non-con as well.

(A/N: Sorry this is so late. I have been sick and overwhelmed with schoolwork and other stresses.)

Chapter 36: Of Pacts and Visions

"So Kagome, where were you really?" Sango asked once she got the younger girl alone. Sango and Miroku had both guessed her disappearance had something to do with her demon lover, who they still assumed was Sesshomaru, and her returning unharmed all but confirmed it.

"I stayed the night in a cave, just like I said," she repeated evasively.

"Alone, or with pleasant company?" Kagome froze for a second, Sango was just too sharp, but then again, she still assumed the wrong identity.

"He said, he wants me to be his mate," Kagome answered shyly, skipping over the third degree that was bound to occur if she gave vague answers. Sango gasped and hugged her friend, happy for the news, before letting go. "And I was wondering, Sango, do demons only take one mate, or…"

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about there," Sango reassured her. "There are some species, such as foxes that are rather promiscuous, and wolves take one mate and several mistresses, but dogs only take one."

That was all good and well, but it didn't answer her real question, 'What about spiders?' "Hmm, so each species has their own tendencies?" Sango nodded in response. "What about other species, spiders, for example?" It was a risky move, but she could always claim she just wanted more information on Naraku, never knowing what tidbit could assist in "defeating" him.

"Spiders," Sango thought about it, "I've never heard of a spider taking a mate, just copulating and leaving. They might play with their food for a while, leading them on before devouring them, but they are not really the devoted type."

'That's not very comforting,' Kagome wondered if maybe she shouldn't have asked.

"When are you going to tell Inuyasha?" Sango asked. "He was rather worried about you; it's only right to tell him."

"I know, I'll try," Kagome lied. 'How could I ever tell him, or any of you, that I intend to mate Naraku?'

(A/N: Spoiler Alert! Episode 146: The Fiery Bird Master, Princess Abi.)

The jewel shard was in the border between this life and the next, that much Naraku knew, but finding the exact spot would require Kagome's eyes. The Gate in the Realm of Fire was impossible to pass, so that only left one option, Tekkei, a demon linked with the netherworld. She would have the power to create a pathway. This path could allow many to cross, if executed correctly. He could simply take Kagome with him, or even better, allow all of her companions to cross and use them to find and gather the shard, and then not be able to return. It would rid him of most of her alternate paths; take away most of those she might think of besides him. He could drag her out of that place using the amulet she wore; it would link her to him enough that if he expelled a large amount of power he could draw her back to the world of the living with him. He knew of no other way to return. But her companions would remain; he had no intention of allowing them to return from the afterlife.

It was a very satisfying idea, but first, he would need to secure the cooperation of Tekkei or her daughter. It should be an easy enough task, seeing as she was currently involved in a demonic war with plague-ridden beetles. Individually, they were of no threat, unless eaten, but as a whole, the colony could overpower the demon birds. This war would be difficult enough for the birds, but with Tekkei lying helpless in the cave, recovering from her poisonous meal, Princess Abi would be hard-pressed to defend the nest. Add to that their collection of human blood as a cure for the sickened matriarch which drew Inuyasha's attention, and this duo needed his protection far more than they realized. It should be plenty of leverage to gain their allegiance, but he was not expecting loyalty; full demons never kept their promises to half-demons. If they proved to be an exception, they would live, if not, he would enjoy dispatching them harshly.

Bluntly offering protection, few demons would accept such an offer regardless of how hopeless their situation was. It was a matter of pride. Protection would have to be an additional boon. The "primary" offer then, would have to be something else that princess Abi desires, perhaps her mother's health. Stepping out of the shadows and letting the fire from the burning village reveal his presence, Naraku presented his deal, "Princess Abi, the bird master."

"Yes? Who are you?" she acknowledged.

"Make me a path so I can cross over," his words specifically sounded untactful to gauge her reaction.

"How dare you order me around!" she threw fire at him in response to the slight.

'As expected, her pride would keep her from accepting protection,' his test revealed the insight he needed. "It wasn't intended as an order, it's a trade," this calmed her, and once her birds finished collecting blood, he followed her back to the nest. 'So, she wants her mother's input as well.' The featherless birds saw him immediately as an intruder and harassed his barrier weakly. He paid them no mind.

"Naraku, you said your name was," she addressed the odd being that seemed intent on gaining her alliance. "So, then what's in it for me if I agree to help you?"

"First answer me this, Princess. It is my understanding that you use your birds to collect the blood of humans. For what purpose? It your mother who lies inside the cave, am I correct?" At having revealed knowledge of her presence, the large eye opened and observed the visitor, moaning painfully at the effort required. "It seems she is on the verge of death."

"She ate a poisonous demon and fell ill but she is not dying," Abi defended, not wanting to admit the possibility to herself. "I'm feeding her human blood to help dilute the poison she consumed."

It was another flawless example of the truth being far more painful than a lie, "In that case, all you need to do is continue collecting blood, and hope that your mother recovers quickly, princess; before the plague beetles breach your nest. That's one option." Abi narrowed her eyes, not liking all this intelligence he had on them. "Or, if you promise to assist me, than I guarantee to help you gather blood even faster than you could ever achieve on your own," he had countless lesser demons that could be sacrificed, that each contained a far greater quantity of blood that was many times more effective than human blood, "and I guarantee you will have no interruptions from anyone." He formed a trident from the spikes of his shoulder and tossed it to her. "That is made from my bones, I shall lend it to you."

Her inspection of the weapon was interrupted when a gaseous poison rose from the valley below, causing the princess alarm.

"Abi, tell me where I can find your mother," the gravelly voice of one of three beetles demanded.

"Why should I tell you where she is?" she challenged back.

"She ate our father. We won't let her get away with it," the other two joined in.

"She did eat him, but it seems he wasn't very tasty," she mocked.

"What's that? We'll avenge our father, Princess Abi," they charged, but her fire consumed one of them and sent him plummeting down the craggy rocks.

"Brother!" the scream was more like a hoarse hiss.

"Do you fools honestly think you can defeat me?" she taunted, three of these demons was no challenge.

"We wouldn't have much of a chance against you, one on one," the sounds of far more than just two demons let her know the massive amount hiding below, striking fear into the demoness, "feel the wrath of our combined power," they began flooding the mountainside with their noxious breath, knowing it would force the birds to flee or die.

"Curse you," she flung more fire as a show of strength, hoping to scare them off. She couldn't leave, her mother would be found out and slain.

'Perfect timing,' Naraku decided he would use this intrusion as a demonstration and strengthen his offer. "Such weak poison," he scoffed as he lowered himself into it to confront the colony.

"What?" Abi exclaimed as he dove beneath the cloud. These demons, only one of them had her mother gravely ill, yet he was willing to take on this many alone?

"Who are you? Abi's ally?" the beetles questioned.

"You do not seem to recognize who I am. You shall now find out," his name and reputation had traveled far, but apparently these fools had missed the memo. His arm transformed into a living spear and he struck them all down swiftly before letting the clouds clear. This was not their entire colony, and they would certainly be back. If Abi was smart, she would realize just how precarious her situation was.

She stared down in astonishment as he turned to toss a Siamyosho hive to her feet, "Those insects will be of use to you."

"Somehow, I doubt that," she declined, trying to salvage her dignity.

He only smirked in response, thinking, 'You have no idea who you are dealing with, do you?'

Listening through the Siamyosho after he was out of sight, he heard them already planning on using him and then once they got what they wanted, "feeding him to the birds."

'Typical, it seems, they have already sealed their fate,' he thought as he headed off to set a different objective into motion, finding a safe location to place his heart.

(A/N: Spoiler Alert! Episodes 149/150)

With all the fear in the region of the demon birds, humans were journeying in great numbers, seeking refuge from a rumored "holy one." It only served to congregate all the remaining humans in one place; easy pickings, except that this holy one ended up being strong enough to break Hakudoshi's, and thus Naraku's, barrier as well as defend against these demon birds.

When Kagome heard about this, her immediate assumption was Kikyo, as was everyone else's, however she knew that Kikyo was alive, so her guess was more than a narrow-minded hypothesis. If Kikyo was coming out of hiding, than Naraku was sure to go after her. They had to find her first, not an easy task with all of Naraku's demons roving the countryside. He must have realized that this meddlesome Saint Hijiri, the holy one, could possibly be Kikyo.

The other thing Kagome was troubled by, was whatever the deal was with this Princess Abi, 'I wonder if Naraku has made a pact with her like he did with the Siamyosho queen?' It seemed like the most logical answer, but if that was the case, what was he after in this deal, what could she possibly do to help him? He was already so strong by himself and he shouldn't be helping her kill all these innocent people, it wasn't right.

After receiving directions from a group of people that the holy one had saved, they headed for a sacred mountain, with Naraku's demons hot on their heels. Stopping to battle them, from the outskirts, Kagome caught sight of a pair of soul collectors and ran after them, passing through a barrier. She had to find Kikyo.

Naraku knew Kagome knew something about Kikyo, so having his demons follow her group in search of the dead, but not dead enough, priestesses, was the most prudent move. But the instant Kagome passed through a holy barrier, she was beyond his reach, even the sensory from her amulet was blocked to him. It had to be Kikyo's doing.

(A/N: Spoiler alert! Episode 151: Kagome's Instinctive choice)

Stumbling over embankments, and prying her way through the underbrush, Kagome finally found Kikyo, suspended in the calm pool at the base of a waterfall, "Kikyo, are you alive?"

"Her life is fading. The miasma is spreading very rapidly," the two shikigami dolls, servants to Kikyo, informed Kagome in their master's place. "You must make your decision; whether or not you will save her."

"What do you mean decision? I don't get it. What is happening to Kikyo?" Kagome whimpered.

"After Mt. Hakurei was destroyed, she was struck by Naraku and fell into a dark river of miasma, but her body was made of sacred bones and soil from her grave, so the miasma could not dissolve her flesh. However, the miasma that entered her body has spread, her wounds have not healed, and the miasma is eating away at her. There is one who can save her; only you have the power," they explained, finishing each other's sentences.

'I'm the only one who can save Kikyo?' Kagome reiterated.

"You are her only hope; you hold her life in your hands," they stressed this point, urging her to chose.

'And you expect me to chose?' Kagome wondered, it was not much of a decision; her goal was already to get to her before Naraku, save her from him. "What do I have to do; what do I do to save her?"

"So you chose to save her?" the asked for clarification.

"Of course I do, I'm the only one who can help her, right? So I will," she explained like it was the most obvious answer.

"All you have to do is touch her; that will be enough to purify the miasma," they told her.

"Okay, so all I have to do is touch her," she stripped out of her pack and quiver.

"Please move quickly; the vessel in which her spirit is housed is damaged and it is becoming difficult to contain Kikyo's soul. If we don't purify the miasma before the sun sets, her soul will dissipate," they urged her to hurry.

"Got it," she stepped into the water but it stung horribly. Her amulet had gone silent since she entered the barrier, and the miasma in the water must not recognize her. 'This water hurts. Naraku's miasma is oozing out of her,' she noted before pressing on, determined to save Kikyo. When she reached out, she was pulled under, surrounded by the malice Naraku felt for Kikyo. It was dreadful, thinking of the man she loved harboring such horrid feelings. Her touch wasn't working, not even when she rubbed the purified soil from Kikyo's grave into the wound. All it did was plunge her further into the darkness and into a vision of Kikyo's past, the point in time where her soul could not get passed; the point in time where she was brought to believe Inuyasha had betrayed her. No matter how many times she had heard about their past, it paled in comparison to seeing it herself; to seeing the actual setups of Naraku against them, the harsh words he threw at the both of them to make them hate each other.

It was a horrible sight, but she could not allow it to consume Kikyo again, she would free her, she would break this cycle and let them live together. She would do everything in her power to give them the life that was cut short fifty years ago, give them a chance to love again!

Waking up from the vision, still submerged in the toxic water, the vision from moments ago already fading away, Kagome found her powers glowing as they cleansed Kikyo's body, 'Hang in there, Kikyo. Inuyasha really wants to see you again. You want to see him too, don't you? You can do it!' Using the last of her strength, she helped Kikyo through her ordeal before fainting against her.

Next thing she knew, she was on the bank near the waterfall, and Kikyo was looking at her even harsher than usual, "Why did you save me?" She could not fathom the reason. Initially, she thought Kagome might hesitate because of Inuyasha, but in the process of purifying the miasma, when Kagome was given a look inside her own soul, Kikyo also saw into Kagome's and the images there were far more disturbing. The younger priestess had taken to meeting Naraku in secret, and doing unspeakable things with him. Who was she loyal to? If she really was on Naraku's side, why would she heal his enemy? It made no sense.

"What do you mean?" she wondered at the harsh treatment. Kikyo had never been very friendly to begin with, but she could at least drop the attitude just this once. "You're the one who called me here, weren't you?"

"I know," was all Kikyo said, cryptically.

"Know what?" Kagome was so very tired of her riddles, but tried to be nice anyways.

"Did you see anything while you were in the water?" she asked calmly.

"Like what?" another riddle, but Kagome could not remember anything, only being pulled under, and then waking up on the bank.

"The moment that you purified the miasma, our souls touched. You saw in mine, and I saw in yours," Kikyo turned to look over her shoulder. "I know about your relations with Naraku." A startled, fearful gasp escaped Kagome at the accusation in Kikyo's tone. "What I do not understand is how you have managed to hold onto your purity after allowing such filth to taint you."

"He's not filth, take that back!" Kagome snapped back before the thoughts could even process.

"Astonishing, you actually love him," Kikyo realized that was how Kagome managed to keep herself pure of heart, for now; she actually wanted to be with him.

"What's it to you if I do?" she stated standoffishly.

"I see," Kikyo let the subject drop, "but there is something you should know, if the jewel is wished upon in its tainted form, its user will lose their soul and become a warped version of their former self."

"The jewel will… take his soul?" Kagome shuddered in fear for him.

"That is, if it has not already begun; I can feel its influence strengthening. You mustn't allow the jewel to become whole within his possession, at all costs," Kikyo forewarned.

"Than what am I supposed to do? Wait, where are you going to?" Kagome called after Kikyo as she walked off. The older priestess left her with another riddle to solve.

"Inuyasha will be here soon; he will be looking for you. I will go into hiding for a time; I must restore my strength," the dead priestess answered without stopping.

"Aren't you even going to see Inuyasha? Hey, Kikyo, what about Inuyasha?" but she got no response. Just as Kikyo had told her, Inuyasha soon found her. She sat on the rocks thinking over Kikyo's warning and the events that just occurred, 'The jewel will destroy Naraku? But if I ask him for it, would he trust me, or just think I'm trying to take it from him. He told me once before that I would give my shards to him; I doubt he would part with it that easily. The answer is singular, I have to find that last shard before him, and keep it so that he doesn't lose himself.'

"Kagome," Inuyasha said as he made it to the waterfall, drawing her attention, but her lack-luster attitude had him nervous.

"Kikyo already left, I told her stay and see you," Kagome told him, still buried in her own disturbing thoughts.

"Inuyasha, what will you do; go after her?" Miroku asked the question they were all thinking.

"Kagome, did something happen with you and Kikyo?" he asked, not liking her cold temperament.

'Yes, something did happen. She told me about how I might lose the one I love,' she was not paying attention to anything else, and her disposition had Inuyasha too concerned to leave either. She did recall snapping at him unfairly for interrupting her thoughts, most likely throwing misplaced anger at her inability to do anything, but could not recall what she said until Inuyasha came over to apologize and she beat him to it. 'I'm totally the worst. I was upset and took it all out on Inuyasha; maybe he hates me now.'

"Are you still mad at me?" he asked, keeping his back to her as he crouched on his haunches.

"No, I'm sorry," she said guiltily. "It wasn't your fault."

"Really?" he turned around, still on all fours. She nodded solemnly. "How's Kikyo? I mean, how did she seem?"

"Badly injured and unconscious, but then," she paused, "I managed to purify the miasma, so I think she'll be alright."

"You mean, you did that for her?" he asked unbelievingly.

'He probably thought I'd let her die too, all for "being in my way." What kind of person do they take me for?' she wondered. "Yeah," she confirmed. "Inuyasha, go after Kikyo. Don't worry about me." 'I know you are just as worried about her, as I am about Naraku.'

"I'm not going after her," Kagome looked up as he declared this, surprised that for once he wasn't going to. "So take back what you said earlier."

"Huh?" she tried to recall what he might be upset about.

"Don't pretend that you forgot already," he hollered. "You said you hated me a little while ago."

"Really? Did I say that?" he nearly fell over in shock. "Sorry, I guess I did forget."

Speaking out their frustrations, they returned to their version of normal, "Do you, do you have any idea how much that hurt?"

'There was no uncertainty in Kagome's heart when she saved me,' Kikyo reminisced as she walked down from the mountain. 'If there had been, the wound in my chest would not have healed. I can still feel her warm touch. Is it possible for her to be so pure as to withstand Naraku's evil; so pure that her love for him is real?'

(A/N: Kagome's secret is slowly coming out in the open, but will Kikyo tell?)
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In a New Light