Naraku in Love

Untitled Part 2

I awoke in a room full of incense in a soft bed. As soon as I took one breath I understood what the incense were for, but it was no use, no amount of perfume could mask the nauseating miasma and demonic aura that hung about the room. It was so intense that it made my head hurt and I felt as though I could barely move my body. 

I opened my mouth to call out to someone, but only a small groan escaped my lips. Just then the door slid open, as if on cue. The baboon pelted figure appeared. 

"So you've awoken," a deep, masculine voice cooed. 

I tried to turn my head to look at him, but every movement took so much strength and my body felt overwhelmingly heavy. The figure came nearer and knelt down beside, then with large, white hands, removed his hooded baboon mask. My eyes widened, I didn't know what I expected, but the demon before me was so...handsome. He looked like a young lord rather than a demon. His skin was a clear, porcelain white. His dark, curly hair was still tucked into his pelt, but I could tell it was long and a few tendrils fell forward, framing his face. His eyes bore a cool, calculated expression, and were the color of blood. On his lids he wore a blue pigment as would royalty. All together, he was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. I scoffed internally at myself, maybe it was my weakened state but I couldn't believe I had even thought that to myself. How could a demon be beautiful? Especially one as evil as him, this probably wasn't even his true form, just a farce he used to trick his victims. 

We stared at each other for a long while saying nothing. Finally, he reached down and pulled the sheet that was covering the top half of my body. I could feel cold air against my bare skin and realized I wasn't wearing any clothing on the top half of my body. If I had the strength to be embarrassed I would have. How humiliating, I thought to myself. 

"It seems as though your wounds are healing nicely," Naraku said. His expression was unreadable and he did not seem to notice how degrading the experience was. He didn't see me as a woman, so what did he see me as? Why had he brought me here? And where even was I? 

"I will have Kanna tend to these," he said, nodding towards my wounds. "It will take you a few days to be able to walk and talk now that you're awake. My miasma is too strong for you now, once you're healed we will discuss your purpose." 

I had so many questions, what did he mean by 'my purpose?' But my body failed me and I was still unable to speak. He pulled the sheet back up over my body, the gesture surprised me. It wasn't kind exactly, but it was more courtesy than I would have expected from him. With that he left and shortly I fell back asleep. 

Three days passed, a small girl clad in white came in to dress my wounds until I was able to sit up and eventually stand and walk. My arm and shoulder were almost completely healed as I found out I had been asleep for two weeks before the first time I had awoken in the castle. On the night of the fourth day, Kanna came to let me know that Naraku had summoned me. She held out a beautiful Kimono to me. It was stunning and I didn't realize she meant for me to wear it until she told me so. 

"These are not the clothes of a priestess, " I replied. 

"It is what Naraku has instructed," she said monotonously.

With that, she left. I stared at the kimono for a long while. I had never had the opportunity to wear something so fine, I ran my hands over the dark blue, silk patterns. There was even bits of gold around the sleeves. I remembered envying the girls in my village, wearing their new kimonos in the Summer, but even theirs paled in comparison to this one. It was too extravagant. But seeing as I had nothing else to wear, I put it on. Even simple tasks like dressing myself still hurt, though my wounds were mostly healed. When I had finished I examined myself with a hand mirror that had been left on a nearby table. I couldn't help it, I desperately wanted to see how it fit on me after all these years of longing to try one on. I gasped when I saw myself. My hair, which was normally tied back, hung free and long around my face and my dark skin contrasted with the colors of the kimono perfectly. I looked...normal, young, even beautiful. I looked how a girl my age should. 

I stepped out into the hallway, suddenly embarrassed at the thought of anyone else seeing my like this. It was unbecoming of a priestess. I suddenly felt ridiculous. Kanna was waiting at the end of the hall, she turned and walked into a room only a few doors apart from my own. I followed after her tentatively. 

When I entered the room, I found Naraku sat by a window, looking out with a thoughtful expression. He had one arm propped up on his knee and once again I found myself taken aback by his beauty. But I narrowed my eyes and looked away, I wouldn't be deceived by his façade, I knew what he truly was and what he was capable of. 

"Have a seat," he instructed without turning to me. 

I sat on my knees across from him unsure of what else to do. After-all, with this miasma I was pretty much at his mercy. After what seemed like a long time, he finally turned to me. He observed my face and then looked down at the Kimono he had given me. 

"Do you like it?" he asked with a smirk.

"Like what?" I asked, even though I knew he meant to kimono.

"The kimono, I thought it suit you better than those old priestess rags." 

"These aren't priestess clothes," I replied simply. 

He chuckled. "I can see into your heart priestess, it isn't as pure as you'd like people to believe. In truth, you long to be a normal girl. To dress as girls your age do, to wear makeup even. To fall in love. Am I right?" His voice was deep and sinister, but at the same time seductive and lulling. I detested myself for being even somewhat drawn to it. After a pause he continued.

"Serve me and you can live out the rest of your days freely, as you wish to be. I will give you the finest clothes and jewels in return. After you've helped me find the last fragments of the sacred jewel shards, I'll even let you return to your village and you can live out the rest of your days as a normal mortal woman, you can even get married and have some offspring." 

I scoffed. 

"It would take more than greed and finery to get me to help the likes of you." 

He smiled wickedly. "Fine. Then help me, or I'll burn your entire village down." 

I tried my best to remain composed as Kanna walked over with a mirror in her hands. In it I could see my village, the villagers looked peaceful, going about their everyday lives. It stung a bit to see them going about like normal since I had gone missing, but I knew that even if they seemed normal on the outside, I didn't know what they felt in their hearts. And besides, maybe they simply thought I had moved on and continued my travels. I clenched my fists. 

"So it was you who sent all the demons after my village, but why?" 

"To test your strength of course. I had to make sure you were a worthy vessel after all." 

"What do you want with me? You mentioned the Sacred Jewel, I have never sought nor seen it, I know nothing of where or how to find it." 

"You don't need to. What you do know how to do, is destroy demons, very powerful ones at that. I will tell you which ones possess the shards and you will kill them for me and bring me back the jewels." 

I was growing angrier by the second, but tried to keep my composure. "Why me? Don't you have some other henchmen to do your dirty work?" 

His eyes narrowed. "Finding good henchmen is hard to do. Finding ones that will be loyal to me and possess great power is even harder." 

"What makes you think I'll be loyal to you?" 

"I don't think you'd jeopardize the lives of those village people, after-all, priestess, isn't your duty to protect others?"

"I suppose I have no choice then. Shall I return to my room?" 

"You will sleep here from now on. Now that you're able to walk I don't trust you to be alone yet. We can't have you trying to escape."