Title: A Heart for a Heart
Author: Nikki Kiraga
Rating: PG-13
Genre: General, Romance
Warnings: Death, Tokijin mention, possibly inaccurate Naraku-parts
AU/Canon: Canon
Pairing: Sesshomaru/Kagura
Words: 1,307 [Excluding Prompt quote]
Summary: Naraku has a new plot to absorb Sesshomaru. Will Sesshomaru choose Kagura's life over his, or will Naraku finally get destroyed?
Note: Written for
feudal_tales Week 6 Naraku theme, Prompt 1. Prompt included as first paragraph.
Awarded: 3rd Place,
feudal_tales Week 6
Naraku quietly watched the scene play out before him. He had worked so long towards this day and now he would see it all come to fruition. He slowly stood and made his way to what he had long planned for. He grinned evilly.
Today, someone would die.
---
The cruel, wicked man stalked the halls of his dark, gloomy castle, an evil smirk on his face. He had set his sights on the taiyoukai Sesshomaru once more, but this time things would be different. This time he would not, could not, be overcome. He knew of the demon lord's connection to one of his incarnations, Kagura, and planned to use it against him.
Naraku whipped around a corner, forcefully sliding open the door that closed up Kagura's room. The woman looked up, confusion showing clearly in her crimson eyes. She stood slowly. "Yes, Naraku?" she uttered, watching him. She was always cautious with the man, but he had a particular gleam in his eye that made her worry. Did he find out a way to kill the hanyou? If he did, then nobody would be able to defeat him to set her free! Naraku spoke, but she didn't hear him, absorbed in her own thoughts.
The man watched her, anger starting to boil in his veins. She was ignoring him? She seemed to be thinking. It happened a lot, especially when he had his plans. Of course, he knew why. The woman wanted to be free, "free as the wind" as she said. However, because he had her heart, and with it the ability to kill her with ease, she had always obeyed him. He snarled at the woman, who was still lost in her thoughts. "Kagura," he said in a stoic voice, but his anger was evident.
Kagura's head snapped up, and she looked at him, a puzzled look on her face now. Naraku desperately wanted to roll his eyes. The woman hadn't heard a word he said. Well, she would not be his problem anymore soon, anyway. "Come," he commanded, turning and walking out. He headed back to his chambers, where the hearts of his incarnations were held. Kagura walked behind him, but froze when she saw the man take her heart from a vase. "Do you know what this is?" Naraku asked in an almost mocking tone. When Kagura nodded, he continued. "Good. Now then, we have somewhere to go."
Kagura seemed shocked at first. He was actually going to leave the castle, without using a puppet? Of course, he crushed that idea once he wrapped one of his hairs around a small wooden doll. Huffing quietly, she went to the courtyard with the puppet, and flew off on her feather with it. What was he up to? She wracked her brain, but couldn't think of what his plan could possibly be.
Naraku called in his younger, more emotionless incarnation, the white-haired child Kanna. The girl held up her mirror for him to see. As that priestess says, "Let the games begin." The man let out a blood-chilling chuckle, a smirk on his face as he watched the scene unfold through the mirror.
The silver-haired man looked up. Something was strange in the wind. A tiny glitter of hope formed in his heart. Could it be Kagura? It had been so long since he saw her. His eyes turned back toward his two wards, the green imp Jaken, and the human girl Rin. The two were in a field of flowers, the girl grinning as she put "flower jewelry" on the displeased imp. His eyes went to the large dragon the two used for transportation, and nodded to it. Ah-Un stood up, and stalked into the field, to watch over the two.
Sesshomaru stood slowly, and snuck deep into the woods, until he found another clearing. There, Kagura and the Naraku puppet landed. Sesshomaru growled, staring at the puppet, then his eyes snapped to the wind sorceress. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.
"Naraku" broke in, stepping forward. "Now, now, Sesshomaru. Let's be reasonable. I came to make a deal, and Kagura here volunteered to bring me," he said, chuckling softly when the demon glared at him. Though the other man's eyes were starting to bleed red, the puppet showed no fear, instead pulling out a small pouch. He opened it, and inside was Kagura's heart. He smirked when Sesshomaru froze. "This is Kagura's heart. It's hers, if..."
Sesshomaru growled loudly. "If...?" he pushed in irritation.
The puppet laughed once more, shaking his head. "If you give in, and allow me to absorb your body and all your strength. However, if you refuse," he stopped to grip the heart, causing Kagura to double over in pain, crying out. Sesshomaru took a step forward, then snapped his eyes back to the evil hanyou. Naraku loosened his grip, and wrapped the package back up. "She dies."
Sesshomaru snarled, looking from the woman he had grown to love, to the disgusting hanyou she just had to spawn from. He silently tried to judge how quickly he could steal the heart and get away with Kagura. Unfortunately, Naraku was right beside her, so he knew that there was no way. Especially considering the fact that in trying to save her, he would leave himself open to the enemy. He continued considering his options, snarling more and more with each second.
Slowly, Sesshomaru had made his decision. His beast had assisted him in it, though his pride screamed for him not to. Secretly clenching his fists so tightly that he began to bleed, he growled at the hanyou. Naraku grinned, watching the scene from his castle, knowing exactly what the other man's decision was. "Do not harm her," Sesshomaru warned.
The puppet smirked. Naraku had him now, and it was going to be so sweet absorbing a demon so powerful as Sesshomaru. "Does that mean you choose to give up your life for her?" he questioned.
Kagura's eyes went wide. She wanted to live, but she hadn't wanted Sesshomaru to die. She didn't even think that Sesshomaru cared enough for her to give his life. The human girl Rin, maybe. But herself? She shook her head, her eyes pleading with the man she loved. "Sesshomaru, don't do it!" she hissed, before clutching her kimono, as Naraku once again gripped her heart.
Sesshomaru growled again. "Yes, but do not harm her any further."
Naraku eyed him more carefully now. "Remove your swords, and I'll return her heart to her."
Sesshomaru fought the urge to sigh. He should have known that coward would've said that. Of course, he also had a feeling that the man he was talking to was merely another puppet. Sesshomaru slowly unsheathed the Tokijin, throwing it to the ground, then did the same with the Tenseiga.
Naraku slowly handed the bundled heart to the woman crouching beside him, then walked over to Sesshomaru, the two vanishing in a cloud of miasma. Kagura looked up in dismay, and screamed her lover's name, knowing she'd never see him again.
The puppet was destroyed once they arrived at the castle, and Sesshomaru slowly stalked inside, until he was face to face with the man he hated oh so dearly. Naraku smirked. "You're an honorable man, Sesshomaru. Don't tell me you'd break your word?"
Sesshomaru growled, looking as a slimy tentacle slid against his leg. "Just get it over with, hanyou."
Naraku chuckled. "Very well, then." He grinned, tentacles wrapping around the powerful demon, starting to absorb him into his body. Little did he know, Sesshomaru had his own plans.
Sesshomaru's hand turned green with poison, thrusting it through the hanyou's chest. He knew this one would not be a puppet, because Naraku intended to absorb him into his true body. Sesshomaru tore the man's heart from his body, smirking as he jumped back. "You should not have believed you could absorb this Sesshomaru."
Naraku stared at the demon. How could this happen?! He was not only overcome, but outwitted by the demon! This wasn't suppose to happen! He was supposed to win! With his last breath, he spat out, "Damn you!!"
Sesshomaru chuckled, letting the half-disintegrated heart fall to the ground. "Fool." He turned on his heel, and walked away.