Web of Lies (Naraku, OC, Kagewaki Hitomi)

Unveiling

...Finally, the sound of Annabelle's voice was released, bringing in it her most shameful statement:

"Yes." She confessed, her tone chocked, yet audible. "Yes, she is right. I have been with Naraku yesterday, and we..." Her eyes sealed tightly as soon as Inuyasha interrupted her, yelling even louder than before:

"So you are his ally!"

"No!" The woman fiercely shouted. "No I am not an accomplice of his plans!"

"I don't believe in you anymore!" The hanyo showed his claws to her. "How can you say you're not Naraku's ally if you and him..." The rest of his phrase was swallowed by a disgusted grunt. Inuyasha's head shook while his eyes were closed, he did tried not to imagine the two of them entangled, hidden in the woods and ready to devour each other, but he failed, and his anger grew even more.

A tear poured from the corner of her eye, then another, and another. Soon, Annabelle's face was soaked and her body trembling unceasingly because of her sobs.

"I fought against it, but it was stronger than me!" Her orange head lowered.

"You are our enemy then!" Inuyasha sentenced as he assumed an belligerent posture, even if his wounds were still open, weakening him.

"Kill me." On the other hand, Annabelle's gestures were simply to close her eyes and let her arms relaxed, totally vulnerable. "I will not fight back." She bit her lower lip, her every part shuddering while hearing the inuhanyo footsteps approaching.

Kikyo beheld her old love cease his parade ahead the weakened prey and raise those fatal, sharpen claws. His fingers quivered though, and then his hands closed into fists, already lowered by his body's sides. Inuyasha breathed slowly and heavily, his disappointment clear as summer skies. Yet, above all rage, there was some sympathy shinning into those yellow trembling globes. That was Inuyasha at last, someone who didn't stand to see a woman weeping so miserably. So, he passed through her, stopped by her side and stared at her visage one last time before leaving that place without a glance back.

Annabelle slowly opened her eyes and looked over every centimeter around. Her friend was already gone, there was only she and that priestess who was mysteriously gazing at her.

"You..." Suddenly Anna's sorrowful semblance assumed a discrete trace of indignation. "Did you have to do it like this?" She wiped her flooded face with the back of her hand. "They were all I had!"

"So you should have thought about it before letting yourself being seduced." Kikyo reprimanded her. "You allowed this to happen, assume the consequences."

"You have no right to point a finger to me" Annabelle argued back. "Thanks to your help, now Naraku has the jewel almost complete in his hands! You, indeed, have been helping him with his plans by everybody's back. For your sake, Inuyasha almost died last night."

"I have my reasons, I do what I do for a cause higher than you, higher than Inuyasha, even higher than myself" she stolidly answered, her timbre as inalterable as ever. "Since we are here now, why don't we put some things clear between us?" The miko approached.

Annabelle shivered to the bones and gave one step back. Her saliva hardly going down, how dry was her throat.

"There is no need for us to be enemies, girl. As long as you do not stand in my way" Kikyo said, "now, tell me sincerely, what is happening between you and Naraku?" Then she stood by Anna's side, looking into her eyes with such intensity that made her feel undressed.