The Demon's Love

XII

"What is it this time?" asked Naraku as Kanna entered his chambers.

Kanna held up her mirror. The image of Byakuya approaching the fortress appeared. "Byakuya has returned." She said.

Naraku smirked. "Excellent. Hopefully he'll have the jewel shard."

"What if he doesn't?" asked Kanna.

Naraku's smile became more evil. "Then he'll begin to understand why Naevia wanted to get away from me so badly."

He went to wait for his 'son' to arrive, anxious to have back the shard of the Shikon Jewel he had given to the traitorous boy. Byakuya flew in through the window, jumping off his paper crane and doing a flip for dramatic effect.

"Hello, Naraku, Kanna. Miss me?" he asked in a joking manner.

"That depends." Said Naraku. "Did you bring the jewel shard?"

Byakuya grinned and showed him the small pink jewel shard. "One jewel shard, fresh from a human's back." He waved the shard beneath his nose. "Ahhhh, it still smells of blood. Delicious."

"I'm sure." Said Naraku, holding out his hand. "Now give it to me."

Byakuya shrugged. "Whatever you say, boss."

He flicked the jewel shard at Naraku. The evil half-demon looked at the small fragment in his hand. He reached into his robes and pulled out the nearly completed Shikon Jewel. He pressed the shard into place and it fussed with the rest.

'Just three more pieces left.' He thought. 'All I need is the one in Inuyasha's possession and the two in Kouga's legs. Then I'll be able to become a full-fledged demon. I'll be more powerful than ever.' He smiled at Byakuya. "You did well. Now with them out of the way, I can focus on Inuyasha and the wolf."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "Um… 'them'?"

Naraku gave his son a curious look. "Yes, them. Naevia and Lucretia."

Byakuya crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Oh 'them', right."

Naraku narrowed his eyes. "They are dead, aren't they?"

Byakuya shrugged. "Well, the boy is. He died once I removed the jewel shard. But you never said anything about killing Naevia."

It happened so fast that Byakuya didn't even see it happen. Two of Naraku's tentacles were suddenly buried into his shoulders, pinning him to the wall. Byakuya could see Naraku's red eyes shinning with fury.

"Why didn't you kill her?" he demanded. "Are you getting soft because she is your sister?"

Byakuya shook his head. "Of course not. I would have enjoyed killing her, slowly and painfully. But you specifically ordered me to retrieve the jewel shard, so that is what I did." He grinned, even though Naraku's tentacles continued to dig into his flesh. "I can go kill her right now if you want."

Naraku held his son's gaze for a few seconds before retracting his tentacles. "Very well. But if you come back and she is still alive, your life will be the one that will end." He narrowed his eyes. "You say Lucretia died after you removed the jewel shard, but did you destroy his body?"

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "No, why?"

Naraku growled. "Then he is alive too. Kael would have used the Tenseiga on him."

Byakuya's eyes widened. "Right, his healing sword." He said, snapping his fingers. "How could I have forgotten?"

"Yes, how could you?" Naraku mocked. "I want them both dead. And when you kill them, make sure to destroy their bodies so Kael can't revive them. Or even better, kill Kael as well. Then I won't have to worry about that damned Tenseiga anymore."

Byakuya smiled and cracked his knuckles. "The more dead, the merrier."

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It hadn't seemed like it would be that hard at the time, but now it was proving to be more difficult than she thought. But she would have done whatever it took to get Lucretia back, no matter how hard. So when Kael had said that she had to tell Lucretia how she felt about him by the end of the week, it hadn't sounded that hard. But it was proving to be much more difficult than she had originally thought.

'I love you', three little words that were so hard to say. Rin didn't know why. She had no problem admitting that she loved Kael, Naevia, Jaken, Ah-Un, her human family, and other friends, but for Lucretia it was so much more difficult. Perhaps it was because it was a different type of love. What kind, she wasn't exactly sure, being too young to really understand her feelings, but she had an idea.

One of the things that was really bothering her was what Jaken had said: "You're just a child. What do you know about love?" That was a very good question. What did she know about love? Romantic love to be precise. She was too young to feel the physical desires of love, that would come later, though she wasn't aware of that, but that just made her love more innocent and pure.

Rin suddenly remembered her conversation with Naevia a while ago. 'What kind of adult 'things' did Lady Naevia mean?' she wondered. 'Hmm, well with Mama and Papa, they hugged and kissed a lot. There were also some boys and girls in the village who got married that did that too. Does Rin want to kiss Lucretia?'

She blushed at the thought. Yes, she did, but that was as far ahead as her young mind could think. She didn't know about the 'other' things couples did, and was too young to experience those urges.

'Lady Naevia also said that later Rin will feel different about Lucretia and want to do different things, but she said Rin is too young to feel those things yet. But what things did she mean? She said she would tell Rin when she was older. Maybe Rin should ask Lord Kael or Master Jaken.'

Smiling, she turned to the toad-demon. "Hey, Master Jaken."

"Hmm, what is it Rin?"

"What kinds of things do people that are in love do?" she asked innocently.

Jaken tripped over his own feet. He looked back at Rin with a look of horror on his face. "Wh-Wh-Wh-What? What are you talking about?"

Rin tapped her chin. "You know, like mommies and daddies, or people that are going to get married or are married, demons' mates. Lady Naevia said that they do things together, things Rin is too young to understand."

"Damn right you're too young!" Jaken shouted.

Kael stopped when he heard Jaken shout. "Jaken, is there a problem?"

The toad-demon gulped. "N-No, milord."

Kael gave his servant a suspicious look, but continued walking again. He made sure to keep his ears on the conversation.

Jaken cleared his throat. "You are too young, Rin. Way too young."

"But what is Rin too young for?" the girl asked.

The toad-demon scratched his head nervously. "Well… ah… uh…" What was he supposed to say? "Well, when two people love each other, they… um… Stuff happens."

"Yes?"

'I should not have to be the one who explains this!' "Well, where do you think you came from?"

Rin looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you know where babies come from?"

Rin giggled. "Silly Master Jaken, of course Rin knows where babies come from. The mommy and daddy have a baby. But first the mommy has the baby in her tummy until the baby is ready to be born."

Jaken rolled his eyes. 'At least she's not hung up on the whole stork nonsense.' "Yes, that's true, but do you know how they have a baby?"

Rin looked thoughtful. "Um… no. Rin never thought about it before."

Jaken smacked his forehead. "Rin, you're too young to understand this. You'll find out when you're older. For now, all you need to know is that when two people get married is that they have kids and live as one big happy family."

Rin frowned slightly. Now she had even more questions than before. She knew that when two people loved each other that they got married, or in demons' cases they were mated, and that they had kids, but she never thought out the second part. She didn't know how a woman got pregnant or anything that led up to it. She had seen pregnant women before and knew women that had babies, but she never thought about the process.

'Two people that love each other get married and have babies.' Rin thought to herself. She looked at Lucretia. 'Rin loves Lucretia. Rin wants to marry Lucretia, that Rin is sure of. Hmm, but babies. Does Rin want babies? Yes, when Rin is older.' She stole another look at Lucretia and blushed. 'And Rin wants Lucretia to be the daddy. Yes, Rin wants Lucretia and no one else! But Rin is still too young to get married and be a mommy. Maybe when Rin is ready, she will be old enough to find out what Lady Naevia and Master Jaken are talking about.'

Then a terrible thought struck her. What if Lucretia didn't love her? Sure they were best friends, and Rin was sure she loved him, but she wasn't sure about his feelings. But wasn't that why Kael wanted her to confess her feelings, to find out if Lucretia felt the same?

That had been three days ago. Three days since she had lost him and gotten him back. The day Byakuya removed the jewel shard in her back was the saddest day of her life, surpassed only by the day her family was killed. It was also the happiest day of her life because she had gotten him back. She had never been more relieved. The thought of losing Lucretia was unbearable. She didn't want to think about it. Having to confess her feelings earlier than she had planned was a small price to pay in order to get her Lucretia back.

But she still had yet to complete her part of the bargain. She had tried on a few occasions when they were alone, but she would always get too shy and embarrassed, and those were two things she hardly ever, if ever, felt.

'Rin must tell Lucretia! Rin wants to tell Lucretia!'

It was easier said than done though. Now she knew why Kael and Naevia were behaving the way they were around each other and why they haven't confessed yet. It was scary telling someone that you loved them, no matter how much they belonged together.

'And they do!' thought Rin happily. 'Lord Kael and Lady Naevia do belong together! Rin can't wait until they get married, or mated! Maybe soon Rin will have a little brother or sister!'

Which brought her back to her questions about having babies. So she was too young to have a baby, she understood that perfectly, but how would she have a baby in the first place? She decided to ask Jaken.

"I told you that you're too young to understand!" Jaken scolded her.

"Rin just wants to know how a baby gets inside a mommy's tummy."

"I am not having this conversation with you! And don't bother asking Lord Kael either."

Rin frowned. So neither Jaken or Kael would tell her. That left two people. Rin was too embarrassed to ask Lucretia and wasn't sure if he would know in the first place, so that left only one person.

Rin ran up to Naevia and tugged on her kimono. "Lady Naevia."

The wind-demon smiled down at the girl, unaware of what she was about to get in to. "Yes, Rin?"

"Where do babies come from?"

Naevia's reaction was similar to Jaken's. "Rin, that is not something you need to worry about for a long time."

Rin pouted. Why was everyone ignoring her question? What was she too young to understand?

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Kael resisted the urge to sigh as he watched Rin and Lucretia play. Truth be told, he was somewhat envious of them. His childhood hadn't been all that great. Before his parents' mating, his father had abandoned him and his mother for a human. Kael had always wanted his father to appreciate him, and he thought that perhaps if he was stronger that his father would accept him.

Apparently he had been wrong. No matter what he did, no matter how strong he became, no matter how many enemies he had slain, his father never acknowledged any of it. He was always with his human mate and his half-breed son, Inuyasha.

Kael rested his head back against the tree. That was all in the past. His mother was dead, his father was dead, and Inuyasha's mother was dead. Kael's power had never been seen in his father's eyes.

Or perhaps it had. Wasn't that why he received the Tenseiga instead of the Tetsusaiga? He already had all the power he needed and more. He could already protect the ones he cared for, and Tenseiga was used to save those he couldn't protect.

"Do you think it is right to force Rin to confess?" asked Naevia, bringing Kael out of his thoughts.

Kael glanced at the wind-demon before turning back to Rin and Lucretia. "I am simply tired of watching the two of them dance around each other."

Naevia chuckled. "That's a switch. Not too long ago you were against them being together." Kael didn't respond. "I guess you finally realized how much they love each other."

"This Kael does not believe in love."

This time Naevia openly laughed. "Oh, now I know you don't believe that. You can't tell me that you don't believe in love when you do love. Do you not care for Rin like your own daughter?"

"That is different." Kael insisted. "The love that this Kael speaks of is the kind between two people."

Naevia rolled her eyes. "Then what do you call that?" she asked, pointing to Rin and Lucretia playing together.

Kael narrowed his eyes. "A weakness."

"A weakness?" Naevia repeated. "Ah, I get it. It's not that you don't believe in love, you just see it as a weakness. Is that right?"

Kael hesitated before answering. "Yes. And it is true. Love is a weakness. That is why this Kael will not allow himself to love."

Naevia snorted. "Yeah, you've done a great job of it so far." She said sarcastically.

Kael glared at her. "Do not mock this Kael."

"I'm not mocking you. You can't say that you don't believe in love, because you do love. You're just lying to yourself and you know it." Again Kael didn't reply. "Why are you denying what you feel? What are you afraid of?"

"This Kael is not-"

"Stop fooling yourself." Naevia interrupted. "You know very well that this Kael is avoiding the truth."

"It is true."

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?"

Kael had had enough. He got up and began to walk away. But Naevia wasn't about to let him get away so quickly. She was going to get him to open up to her if it was the last thing she did.

Moving like the wind, she was suddenly blocking Kael's path. The demon lord glared at her, still managing to keep on his emotionless mask. "Move."

"We're not done talking." Said Naevia stubbornly.

Kael's clenched his fist. Had this been anyone else, anyone else, he would have struck them down by now. Hell, he would have done it a number of times by now. But not against Naevia, never against Naevia.

'Weakness.' He told himself. 'This is why emotions are a weakness, because they hold you back.'

"I want to know why you are so damn stubborn about this." said Naevia. "Why are you afraid to feel?"

"To show emotion is to show weakness." Kael replied.

Naevia rolled her eyes. "Yes, you've made that perfectly clear, which is why you hide your emotions. But you still feel them. Rin sees it and so do I. I understand why you would want to hide emotions from others, but why hide them from yourself?"

"It is a weak-"

"You already said that, but you haven't told me why. Why is it weak to-"

"Because I have seen it happen before!"

Naevia was stunned into silence. Kael had left her speechless for two reasons; the first was that he actually raised his voice and dropped his emotionless mask, the second was because he actually answered her.

"You've seen it before?" she asked.

Kael turned away. "I have."

"When?" Naevia asked, eager to hear more. She was on a roll now and she didn't want to stop.

"My father." Kael replied. "He was the strongest demon alive, perhaps the strongest to ever live. No one could match him in speed or power. He was to be mated to my mother, another powerful demon. But before they were mated, he fell for a human and mated her instead. He threw away his title and power for love. And then he died for it. He died saving his human mate and half-breed child. The greatest demon of all died because of love. This Kael will not make the same mistake."

Naevia was silent as she processed all this information. So that was the big mystery behind the great Lord Kael. In a way, she saw what he meant.

"So, you think you're going to be weak because you love. I get it." She smirked. "You're scared."

Kael's eyes widened as he looked at Naevia in open shock. "What?"

Naevia snickered. "You're afraid all your power will count for nothing if you allow yourself to love. So you're running away from your emotions and denying the truth." She openly laughed. "So I finally found something the great Kael is afraid of."

"This Kael fears nothing!"

Naevia opened and closed her fan a few times, smirking. "You're not convincing me."

Kael lunged at her. The next thing Naevia knew, she was pinned against a tree. Her eyes widened as she looked up into Kael's face. His eyes had turned red and there was a hungry predatory look in them.

Naevia's heart rate quickened. 'Oh hell, did I push him too far?'

Kael could smell her fear, but he could also smell her excitement. "Then allow this Kael to convince you."

He crushed his lips against hers. Naevia gasped and Kael seized the opportunity to force his tongue her mouth. She was surprised, but pleasantly surprised. If she had known that all she had to do to get this reaction out of him was piss him off, she would have done it long ago.

Kael hadn't been able to resist when she had gotten his heart racing. He just had to taste her, feel her lips against his. He had been resisting his desire to take her for a long time now and was unable to hold back any longer. The dreams he had been having had always left him unsatisfied and eager for more. Nothing was like the real thing. Naevia tasted sweeter than he could ever imagine. He couldn't wait to taste the rest of her.

Naevia returned the kiss with equal passion as their tongues dueled for dominance, which ended up with Kael winning. She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him closer as she deepened the kiss. She heard Kael growl and she smirked against his lips.

The need for air became too great and the two broke apart. Both were greatly tempted to continue what they started, but not with the others so close.

Naevia blushed as she realized that they were doing this out in the open. Rin and Lucretia might not notice, but Jaken would be able to smell their arousal.

'Oh well, I'll kill the little imp if he says anything.' she thought.

Kael backed away from her as he struggled to contain himself. "Does that convince you?" he asked, not even expecting an answer as he turned to leave.

Naevia remained where she was, trying to control her rapidly beating heart and heavy breathing. That had been incredible. The Lord of the Western Lands had just kissed her. She had wanted that to happen for a while now. But what if he had only been trying to prove his point, to show that he wasn't afraid?

No, it couldn't have been only that. The way he reacted was more than just proving a point, and she had smelled his arousal. He had wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

Naevia reached up and traced her lips, memorizing the feeling of his kiss. She couldn't hide the smirk that crept up on her face. 'Gotcha.'