This chapter was a doozy. There is some violence and a mild rape scene in this chapter. The chapter contains a lot of molestation, so you have been warned. If you wish to skip this part of the chapter, it begins at the margin. (The page separator - a.k.a. the line in the middle of the chapter.) This is a dark fic, as I wanted it to be, so hopefully it's enjoyable despite. And remember, I love constructive criticism, but bashing isn't tolerated - please and thank you.
Soooo, I'm sorry for the unnecessarily long wait, you guys. My depression has hit me like a rock and it feels harder and harder to focus on anything but living these days. I'm doing ok, but I am off my medication, so it's a lot harder for me to just... do things. Even today, as I feel my laziness and uselessness kicking in, I struggle to just go about my daily routine.
A/N: This chapter was grammatically checked and re-constructed. Hopefully, it all came out ok. X3
Chapter 004: Life Just Isn't Fair
She had regained her strength after a few force-fed meals, and within two to three days, she had become strong enough to walk. She, of course, didn't give any fuss about direction - she simply followed as he led. Of course, had it been her way, she'd be going straight back to the spot they had arrived at in the first place. Instead, she let him wander in circles, which gave her enough time to observe and think.
She thought of all the possibilities: forms of escape, how to get back home, her future, her friends and family. She thought of Naraku and what awaited him on the other side of the portal - if it could even be recreated or even still existed. She even thought of the world they were currently in, and wondered why it was the way it was.
"How come you want the jewel?" She asked finally, attempting conversation. What could she say? She's been hunted down by enemies before, and even managed to befriend a few of them. Who knows? Perhaps this mass homicidal murderer could help... lighten the mood. "I mean, I get it - it's powerful, it can grant you a wish, and you know, it'd be a really awesome collector's item, but really, what do you want it for?" Of course, he didn't answer her. His footsteps had paused for a moment, as if he actually considered responding, but in the end, he never did. "Where I'm from, my grandfather made a charm of the jewel. I didn't even know it existed until much later. I played with my cat with that little trinket. I suppose, thinking back on it, the charm was pretty cute - even though I told Grandpa I didn't think many people would buy it..."
Her voice trailed off for a while, before she noticed something ahead of them. "Oh my gosh, I think I see water!" She said as she zoomed past him. She bent down to her knees next to it and could just barely make out the silhouette of her reflection in it's murky surface. "Do you think it's safe enough to drink?"
He came close, standing next to her and leaning over to observe the water himself. "Perhaps it's poisonous and will kill you before you even get it down your throat," he joked, a wicked grin pulling at his cheeks. "Or better. Perhaps you will choke on it and die from your own clumsiness."
"Ha ha," she said, "very funny. I'm going to at least dip a finger in," hesitantly, she reached out, and before she could even touch the surface of the water, she was pushed forward. Both of her hands dipped fully into the murky water, disappearing beneath a cloud of whatever had settled at the bottom of it.
"Pity," Naraku taunted, watching as she inspected her now-wet clothing. It wasn't much, but some had splashed right onto her skirt. "I had so wanted to see your flesh burn from the mere touch. I suppose you will have better luck elsewhere."
"Oh man," she whined, pulling her hands back, which were now covered in a muck so black, she couldn't help but to wonder if the water had been contaminated with oil at some point. She shook her hands, but the muck stuck - she finally decided to take off a sock to get rid of it. It wasn't much, but it would do...for now. She didn't really know how she felt about drying and cleaning her hands with a dirty sock, but it was certainly a lot cleaner than the water.
She successfully managed to get it off her hands, but her sock, now dirty beyond compare, was a problem. Should she put it in her pocket? Should she just carry it in hand? Should she just leave it on the ground? It was when Naraku turned and walked back in the direction they'd come from that she decided to forget about the sock and follow before she got left behind.
"I don't know what to do," she finally confessed, "I don't have any clue as to how to get back. How did you make that portal anyway?" The questions were growing and she idly wondered if he'd ever actually respond to her. She, of course, knew that she would probably get an answer or two eventually, but she also knew that she'd only get answers to those he'd be willing to share. She just had to ask the correct ones. "Sooooo the tale of Onigumo. How much of it is true?" Naraku's back stiffened for a moment before he continued walking. He would be damned if he divulged any information about his person - this much was certain. "I mean, the tale says of a man who had been covered so badly with burns that he had to be cared for both day and night. He longed for the priestess named Kikyou, and eventually sold his soul to a demon. That demon would be you, wouldn't it? If you devoured Onigumo, then Onigumo essentially became a part of you, right? I mean, if that's the case, then you are Onigumo... but then, who's in control? You can't really have two souls living within a body - that's just madness. I can imagine how much the two of you fight just for control of one body, but I don't know. Maybe Onigumo became Naraku - that's always another theory. So how does it work?" As she thought to herself aloud, she could see his tense shoulders stiffen further with each passing word she spoke. She could very clearly see the discomfort and she knew it was only a matter of time from here.
"Wench," he growled out, turning towards her, preparing to strike her where she stood. She gasped, however, and the direction of her eyes looked beyond him, causing him to stop short of whatever action he was about to take. He turned, peering over his shoulder to see what she saw.
There, just beyond a small cliff ahead of them - or at least what looked like one - clouds were rolling in. But these were different. They were much darker and far more ominous-looking than the gray clouds above them. Their hair began to stand on end, as if the very air pulsed with electricity so thick, it actually made their hair appear to float. With every sense of danger going off in both of their minds they both turned tail and began walking in the direction they'd come from. "You think we'll make it back to the cave before the storm reaches?"
He was once again silent to her, never once indulging on her inquiries. She idly wondered how long he'd be silent to her and how long she'd be stuck with him. She shivered to think she was actually trying to have a decent conversation with one of her enemies, but she was curious! She actually, truly, wanted to understand why he is the way he is. She figured if she understood him more, then she could probably understand why he chose to take the course that he had.
She sighed, effectively catching his attention. "What is it now, miko?" he asked her, frustrated and quite and annoyed with her.
"Why won't you talk to me? Did you ever talk to any of your servants? Did you even have servants? I mean, there was Kagura, and Hakudoushi, and-"
"Woman," he replied, interrupting her, the irritation in his voice apparent. "You will cease your questioning."
With a roll of her eyes, she continued forward, choosing, for the moment, to remain silent. Of course, this didn't last long as her mouth opened yet again with another slew of questions. After a while, she gave up with conversation, choosing, instead, to just sing to herself and take in her surroundings.
The storm was rapidly approaching, to the point where Naraku had to actually grab her and full-out mad-dash to the cave. When they arrived, an enormous gust of darkened clouds flew by the cave opening. It was a harsh wind, one that could have very easily sucked them straight from the cave and hurled them across the land. Luckily for them, the cave was solid, and having a half demon around had the strength to easily keep them in place. It was almost like being amidst a raging twister. Of course, it would have been nice to not having a tentacle around her waist, but she made do.
"Do you think we'll ever make it out of here?"
And that was it- she was smacked and thrown straight out of the cave. "I warned you of your incessant questioning," he responded, finally invoking a reaction.
She had landed on the ground with a harsh thud, a groan escaping her lips from the impact. "You could have just asked me to be quiet," she mumbled, dizziness settling in.
"I also, warned you, that I'd make your life a living hell, did I not?" He said, a malicious grin spreading across his face as he caught a glimpse of her panties. "Tell me, are you still as pure as everyone thinks you are?"
That comment made her freeze in place and slowly look back to her capture. The fear settled into her eyes - she knew what he was referring to. Her chastity was most certainly still in tact, though she wondered for how long, she had no idea Naraku was that kind of guy. With a gulp, she let her eyes settle on his red ones, and noticed, for the first time in a while, the predatory gleam. She had, for a while, forgotten who she was with.
He stalked towards the entrance of the cave, a tentacle shooting out and wrapping around her ankle to drag her backwards toward him. With a gasp, she immediately began her struggle, her dull nails grasping at nothing but dirt and raking across the ground. Small rocks bit into her undersides, scraping along her stomach, legs, and arms, and drawing very thin lines of blood here and there. "Please don't," she said, her voice quivering as she tried to fight off the tentacle around her. She tried to call forth her own power, but it was useless. It almost felt like this entire area had dulled her own senses, including the one to be able to call forward the power needed to survive. "Please, I'm sorry I annoyed you, I won't do it again-"
A gasp escaped her as her panties were, literally, ripped right off her body. A tentacle slithered beneath her skirt and began to play with her. Naraku's grin widened as whimpers began to escape her. He knew he was going to enjoy this - toying with her and using her, breaking her and bending her to his will. It was something so appealing to him, he probably couldn't deny the want even if he tried.
He let his tentacle slide around her, up and down, around her thighs, spreading her open far enough for him to explore her. "I see, so you are just as innocent as I imagined."
She began to cry at this point, tears sliding down her cheeks and leaving dirt trails along them. She was angry with herself - that all she could do was allow him to touch her. She couldn't outrun him. She couldn't kick him where it hurt most. She couldn't even bite him and make a mark. She could only sit there and let him enjoy himself.
Naraku licked his lips and prepared for his entry. He let a single tentacle slide within her, exploring the tight cavern of warmth. He didn't allow it to go too far in. After all, he wanted to savor the feeling of defiling a miko. Who could pass up such an opportunity? It was when her body grew slack, however, that a frown marred his face. Had she impacted the ground so hard that she passed out? He huffed, setting aside his desire for her and tossing her unceremoniously against the wall of the cave. Pity, he thought. He would have enjoyed watching her squirm and beg. What was the point of raping an out-cold victim when you couldn't enjoy it to it's fullest? With a groan, he sat back, flinging his tentacle and clearing it of her womanly juices and sitting back against the cave wall. It would seem that her chastity would just have to wait for another day. With a grin, he thought about what a tight opening she had. He had stuck one of his thinner tentacles into her so as to not fully break her... yet. His grin only widened when he thought about shoving a tentacle so far up, you'd see it in her belly.
With a groan, he lowered his hakama and allowed himself to give in to his passion. Normally, a lowly whore would do for these times. Unfortunately, given the situation, he just had to make do. He allowed himself to get lost in his strokes and relieved himself right there against the cave wall. As his eyes closed in contentment, he idly wondered when the miko would wake again. Soon enough, he dozed off.
