{.x.o.} | Throes of Passion | {.o.x.}
{x}| Chapter 7: Glutton for Punishment |{x}
Bare… embarrassment etched into the modest maiden who was in sheer distress. No one was meant to see her like that—every part of her—but her Ishii-san… that's why she bit her bottom lip so tightly and she shut her hurt hazels in attempt to try and will her away from the misery that suffocated her.
In her imagination that kept her sane, she was far away, in a warm cabin hidden away in a forest with her beloved Ishii-san, he doted over her like always, and they were together—officially, married. They were allowed to display their affections, they wandered to the village not too far away for dinner and shopping, she'd cook him dinner each night, he had a job of some sort—it was always changing in her dream, nothing fit.
Sometimes there was an adorable little toddler trotting that looked so much like her one day and so much like him the next.
In her head she wasn't locked away in a damp and dingy cellar, no windows to tell her how long had passed or whether it was day or night and hands bound by cold iron pinned to the wall. In her dream she wasn't bare naked for all to see. In her fantasy… he never opened the door to walk down the crackly staircase.
But she wasn't ever allowed what she wished…
She turned her cheek to the monster once he touched her shoulder then allowed his fingers to glide down to her left breast.
"You know why you are here, don't you?" The red eyed devil taunted as he grasped her chin to tilt it up.
As she tried her best to do, she remained silent.
"I'll never understand what it is about mortals that make them think they are so selfless, you agreed to come here only to save that guard of yours, you are willing to die for the human race, why?" he whispered, she could feel his hot breath on her ears and felt a terrible convulsion of disgust twirl in her stomach.
"I'll break that pretty feature of yours," he assured, "you'll learn to regret it."
"Leave me alone," she whispered.
"Never," he chuckled, "your mine. I was created purely to taint you… oh; it's thrilling to finally have you in my grasp. To do with you as I please… and there is so much to do."
"Go away," she ordered in a meek hush as she shut her eyes tighter.
Had he raped her in her time down there, with no food and sometimes water? No. Did he come close to it? Often, more like he dangled the possibility over her head to taunt and haunt her with the what ifs. What would happen to her if…? Would Ishii-san still want her…? Would this and would that clustered her fragile mind.
"Your purity disgusts me," he retorted, and that was why he held no interest in truly violating her—at least, not sexually. "You are so close to the point of no return, Inuyasha did well."
She held her breath; his smell sickened her—musk, wood, and what she imagined cobwebs would reek of.
"Inuyasha enjoyed every moment of fucking you," he assured, finally causing her eyes to flutter open to look at him through the corner of her eyes. "Oh," he dragged out with a lopsided smirk, "you didn't know, did you? Your precious Ishii Genji is really Inuyasha, an inu-hanyou in disguise. Much like myself, he was created to taint you. He's done a good job at it so far."
"Liar," she hissed.
"No," he coaxed, "I can't imagine you've never noticed something off about him? His aura maybe? You've seen him fight, haven't you? Isn't he far more powerful than a mere mortal should be? You can't say you've never noticed something off about him."
Check, check, and check—the aura, the power, the agility, all of it… "but… yo-you are just lying. You are trying to upset me."
"From that tone, I'd say I'm achieving it because it's true," he smirked, "Inuyasha is on our side. He always has been. We've worked long and hard to position him there, never before have we been able to break the barrier, right? Only since he showed up."
"Liar," she muttered, "liar, Ishii-san is a good person!"
"Do you see this charm bracelet?" He asked as he grasped the only object he had not removed from her, "have you noticed how they have gradually glowed? It was a gift from him, was it not?"
"Shut up," she whispered.
"Each glow symbolizes a sin, each he has sparked in you—pride from your beauty, lust from your indiscretions, wrath from his lies, sloth from his help in your procrastination, envy from the night he took you outside the walls for the very first time. Can you deny these facts?"
How… how did he know that? How did he know all of those things? It couldn't be true, no, it couldn't. Ishii-san had to love her, just her, because… if he didn't, then no one did.
And how was she meant to go on then?
"If you love him then just die, it's best for all of us, he is a half demon, he will die if you complete your task," he declared.
"Lie… it's a lie, he's not," she muttered with a terrible tinge to her eyes before the tears flooded her.
"But he is," he forged a frowned as his red eyes shifted about her watery hazels, "how does it feel to know all those times you fucked, it was with a lowly hanyou? That it was just his job, but don't worry," he grinned as he patted her cheek, "he enjoyed it a great deal. There's this thing you do that really turns his head—"
"Shut up!" She cried as she closed her eyes, and clenched her hands together that were tightly chained above her head attached to the stone, cold, rigid wall.
"Unfortunately for you, that's not all," he began as he pulled out a letter from his pocket and unfolded it, "we have another spy inside the walls, another one close to your heart. A Shizumi Miroku?"
"Liar!" She shouted, "liar! Miroku would never!"
"Isn't this his hand writing? Read it, see how he planned all these events, he corresponded with the council to taint you. Here's one for example," he taunted as he dangled a three paged note in front of her face, "it was his idea for your precious Ishii-san to take you outside the village to spark envy, that masquerade party, wasn't that fun?"
She just shook her head and turned away, it was not possible. It could not be… not him, too, never him, why would he? What reason did he have?
But then, how would he horrid creature before her knew all those things if not…?
"Look," he ordered as he grasped her cheeks to turn her face to him, "look at it. Or would you like the other letters? The ones from your precious friend Taijiya Sango," the sparked her eyes to open. "Yes, her too, she's by far the most helpful, she's been part of our crew for a very, very long time. She's the one that distracts those who keep the barrier up so that we can come get you. Each time, she's our greatest asset."
"No, no, no, no, Sango-chan… never, no." All of them…? All that mattered…? No, that couldn't be.
"Here," he plopped a stack of letters down in front of her before unlocking her hands and allowing her to fall fully to the ground with a terrible smack. "Read them, tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that anyone in this damned world is worth saving, that any of them actually care about you… there is no such thing as a good person, you see? Your so called cousin and friend are mortals, humans, out to destroy other humans. We are not the monsters, just scapegoats; you creatures destroy each other far more than we ever could hope to. We needn't do a damn thing; you all will destroy each other without our help."
And that was the largest horror of them all… what if he was right? Then what was she meant to die for?
Worse yet, what was there to live for? Why did his words rang true to her soul?
… her crushed heart?
|-{x}{o}{x}-|
Was it her? Could it have been her? No… no, she wouldn't have done something like that without telling him. Right? That was a pretty lie. There was no doubt in his mind that she was the one solely responsible for what had occurred, both times, it had to be her who weakened the barrier and got word to the council where they had to enter and at what time…
It was his job to keep the barricade up and running, it was his duty—and each time it faltered somehow she had him off his game. Right before her stroll by the wall with Kagome the first time they had just had a rather mind-blowing session that left him in nirvana yet pondering what they would become instead of what was happening to the barrier's energy.
The second time…? When Inuyasha took Kagome out into the garden? She was with him, on him more literally, straddling him into hopeless, horny, oblivion. There wasn't even a shadow of thought in his mind that had been on the barrier's strength.
She was behind it… all of it, Sango, his dear, not-so-sweet but ever so sexy Sango.
That's what logic told him but it was overridden by his foolish heart that couldn't grasp the notion that she'd betray him like that, that he was but a means to an end to her but… that's obviously all he was, that's what all the evidence screamed. She never showed affections, just passion. There was a difference.
Why couldn't he understand that?
"Fuck," Inuyasha cursed for the thousandth time as they carried on their search, "nothing, nothing, nothing!"
"Inuyasha," Miroku countered, "you really shouldn't be up and moving—"
"Screw that! We need to find Kagome!" He barked, "it's been… damn it, what if…? Damn it! I knew we shouldn't have gone out there! I knew something was going to happen! Why are they going around us? We don't need their help! I'm close—"
"They must think we're not close enough," he muttered reluctantly, "I was speaking with my uncle the other day and he said that the stars were almost aligned. It took you all of spring to tackle one—"
"Are you defending them?" He snarled.
"No, of course not, it's only logical explanation." Ha, he could use logic now? He almost smiled at his own idiocy but it would merely hurt too much.
"Where the hell could they have taken her?" He scowled before leaping off again, long ago they had ditched the others searching team. Miroku could run for longer and faster than them and Inuyasha…? Well, they would wonder how he could leap so high.
Together, alone, they felt they stood a better chance at finding her. At least, that was what they had hoped…
|-{x}{o}{x}-|
Each ludicrous letter was so familiar, the hand writing, the wording, she could almost hear the voices in her head as she read over each of them a so many times. Her delusions were destroyed to give way to the dismal reality. There was no more fighting the jury in her mind, the truth was shoved into her face.
Ishii-san—no, Inuyasha, the name brought fits of convulsions to her already unsettled yet empty stomach—Miroku, Sango, they all… they… all…
For the first time since her arrival, she barely noticed the sound of the door opening and shutting. The dread that usually swelled up in her bare bosom was nonexistent to the sound of the crackling stairs.
"You believe," he stated, it was rather obvious from the way she clung to a letter, shock, revulsion, and so much more spewed across her beautifully dirtied face.
"Why…? Why?" She choked as she dropped the letter to look up to the man that casually strolled over to her with a tray of food and an odd, large, almost flat bowl upon it as well.
She'd refuse the food, as she always did. What if it was poisoned—would it matter? The water she took, as always, whether poisoned or not she could only last so long without the liquid of life.
"Money, mostly, humans," he chuckled wickedly, "it's so simple to coax you into doing something for money. They are willing to destroy their own race for money; do you not see the error in it all? Why waste your life for those who will only wreak havoc upon humanity anyway?"
"What's that?" She muttered for she had no answer to his question, she just nodded to the strange bowl as she took another sip of her cup of water.
His devious rouge eyes shifted across her nudity, it was the first time she did not try to be modest in his presence—did she no longer care? A smirk shifted up his lips, her innocence was fading.
"The man that you call your father, Shimizu-sama?"
"What?" she murmured as her hurt hazels left his for the bowl, "you going to tell me he is a traitor, too?"
"No, he's devoted to the cause," he assured as he began to swirl his fingers about in the misty water within the almost flat bowl, "so dedicated that he would steal an infant from her parents, so determined that he would kill the girl's true-blooded father that refused to let his daughter before some sacrificial lamb."
"Stop," she whispered while she shut her eyes, "stop… I'm not going to believe your lies."
"My lies?" He cooed, "tell me, what yet has been a lie? You should thank me; I'm being more truthful than anyone you've ever met."
Why did that make her heart skip a beat? Why was she suddenly inclined to believe each of his delicate words?
"Open your eyes," he ordered in a hush, and just like that she did to look down at the scene that mystically appeared in the misty water. Her father was arguing with another man, fervently, the other shook his head and made ever gesture with his hands to say 'no', then turned his back only for his eyes to widen in pain. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as his hazels shifted down to the sword that penetrated his heart, she watched as her so-called father took it out and pointed for one of his guards to grab the one that was crying helplessly holding a wailing baby tightly in her grasp—but it was no use, her child was torn from her before she was hit upside the head to pass out in a pool of her husband's blood.
"It's… an illusion," she muttered when another sting of tears pulsed through her.
"Is it?" he questioned as he flickered his fingers through it to make it disappear, "I just gave you a gift. Hasn't it always hurt you so, the awful way Shimizu-sama treats you? Hasn't he been cruel, where is the fatherly affections?"
"How is that a gift?" he jeered between clenched teeth.
"Now you know that your father, your real father loved you, that he would have never put you through this, that he was willing to die to protect you, to go against the ruler's word," Naraku rationalized as he lifted a hand to brush her tangled tresses off her face while a streak of tears cleared a path from her eyes to her chin. "How do we know this? We tried to get to you first; we were only a few steps behind."
"You would have killed me," she choked.
"And you would not have to go through any of this," what an obviously tantalizing thought for her.
He wasn't imaging things when he felt her face lean into his touch before she threw the cup of water to the side and let the glass shatter.
"No one really cares for you, what an empty life," he rubbed in, "so tell me, why go back to Inuyasha," he paused to watch her cover her mouth to keep from gagging, "Miroku, Sango or anyone else when they are all on my side? Or even those who are not? You know the only reason they care for you—it's more like they care for your life, not you. Never you. So why return? Why be so selfless and die for a race that will only self-destruct?"
"What?" She cried as her eyes locked with his and brows furrowed, "you want to kill me? Is that it? Then go ahead! I don't care! You've made it all but too clear that no one gives a damn about me, so who'd care if I were to do? Me, not their sacrifice!"
"You have it all wrong," he murmured when he brushed her cheek, "I have no intention of killing you but merely tainting you to the point of no return then releasing you back into the wild. My whole existence revolves around you, what purpose would I have if you were to die?"
"You just want to screw me, is that it?" She hissed.
"Not yet," he countered, but once she was tainted she'd be oh-so-delicious. "What would it matter? One hanyou has already plunged into your core, what difference would it make to have another?"
Her core was sickened severely by the idea yet… wasn't?
"I can't say I care for you," he confessed as he stroked her cheek, "but I am obsessed with you."
She heard the implications—not the sacrificial her, but her-her.
Was he telling her the truth…?
"Am I supposed to be flattered by that?" She grumbled to cover up for the shiver that coursed through her as he leaned closer to hover his hot mouth above her neck—she could feel his breath against her.
And it wasn't an all over appalling idea…
"Take from it what you'd like," he replied before he discontented himself from her to leave her void and cold once more. She watched as he stood and existed without another word or glance to her.
Why did a fragment of her want him to stay?
"I want my clothes back!" She shouted to him before she heard the door shut.
Apparently, he heard her… after an involuntary nap there was a somber dress waiting for her.
Where'd the bump-bump come from?
Either way, she ignored it and slid it on. There were no chains to keep her from walking up the stairs and checking the door—shock coursed through her when she realized it was unlocked?
Why?
When she opened it up she saw a living room, finely furnished, and Naraku right there reading a paper sitting by the fire.
"Why?" she whispered as she stepped out, he didn't even bother to look at her.
"Why not? Where will you go?" He inquired, he had done well, very well, if he might think so himself. She was a beautiful butterfly caught in his web, there was no escape, the more she struggled the deeper the thread would tear at her wings. He would soon drain her of her essence; soon watch as she withered away—oh, and how the idea enthralled him in all the wrong ways.
His crimson stare shifted up to her as she walked around some before sitting down on one of the chairs, a smirk slid into place at that—she was entangled, suffocating as his web wrapped about her.
|-{x}{o}{x}-|
Swiftly, she stiffened at the feeling of a pair of callous hands grasping her hips. Her breath hitched as she shut her eyes and clenched her hands upon the desk she had been leaning against while she looked over random documents that she discovered spewed across it. She bit her bottom lip as the coarse creatures moved up then down, feeling every bit of her curves.
"What?" She whispered as she tilted her head to the side to look at the man with a wicked smile.
"You know what," he replied before he yanked her rear to feel his hardened self.
There was no protest after that, no fighting, no request to stop, it happened. He parted his pants enough to pry out his pulsing need, he pulled away the cloth that cover her core before pushing her down so that her luscious bosom would be pinned to the desk before he plunged into her. It was he who picked the pace, who pried her hips to meet his tough thrusts, it was to his pleasure that his hands squeezed her bottom, that he showed such interest in the area as he hit her harder. He was never gentle…
Never would be, either.
Did she receive no pleasure for the encounter? She was but a human, the sensation sparked a building pleasure in her to edge her close to the peek but she didn't reach it—not like she did with the only other she had been with… he paid heed to pleasuring her equally, if not more, to what he received from their encounters.
The violator moaned shameless as he came to his light-headed heaven, the place she never reached when it was his hands that roamed her rear, his length that plunged into her…
It wasn't a horror show, it wasn't as if she was defenseless, she was a woman. A strong one, an independent—ha, if only—one that could defend herself. She would never call herself a victim, she wasn't. She was a player, a master, the one that pushed the pawns around, not one herself.
She could reject him, she could have said no, but it was to her benefit to allow it, each time the young lord held such a whim. For Takeda Kuranosuke had been enchanted in Taijiya Sango since as far back as she could remember, and when did it not come in handy to have a soon-to-be lord twirled around her finger?
He held lust for her, but love, too. There was no denying that, he told her always how he would forever be waiting for her to accept the proposal that he gave her each time they met—marry me? Why not become his wife? Royalty? Why not let him pay for everything, for her to just rely on him for everything?
Simple, she had too much self respect… if you could call it that anymore.
"Why?" he sighed as he held her in his tender embrace, "how many times must I ask?"
"Apparently at least once more," she whispered back. "This is counter-productive, I'll have you know."
"Are we really supposed to be looking for her?" He inquired as he brushed her brunette bangs off her forehead to plant a kiss there instead. "I was under the impression we were meant to pretend that this is a recovery mission."
"True, but we are barely pretending, hm?" She replied as she pushed away but to appease him she returned the gesture and pressed her lips to his cheek.
"Sometimes I fear my heart is but a toy for you," he muttered and let his brown almost green eyes watch for any falter in her features but none came.
An expert in lying, deceit, and so much more stood to dress before walking back over to the table he had taken her on, twice, and returned to looking at the map.
"Why do you do it?" he asked as he rested his arm on his risen knee, with no intent of dressing or getting up from his comfortable position.
"Do what?" She coyly rejoined.
"This, why ask me not to really look for her when Shimizu-sama ordered me to do the opposite? Do you not like Shimizu Kagome or…?"
"Am I traitor?" she taunted with a smile as her mahogany orbs glanced to him, "have you ever met Shimizu Kagome?"
"A few times, she seemed nice enough," he shrugged.
"Ha," she dryly muttered, "she's nice alright. She's perfect, so selfless, so…" she shock from the rage that swelled, "aggravating. Anyone is a sin compared to her. And naïve! She's so foolish, thinking the world is some wondrous place when it's really a horrid mesh of misery."
"Rare," he murmured to earn her full attention, "that I get to see a real glimpse at you, my love. Usually you keep a mask up to deflect me but that was the real you, wasn't it?"
"Does it scare you?" She whispered.
A smile answered her along with a shake of the handsome young lord's head, "I accept all aspects of you."
Moron, fool, he knew only what she wanted him to—why were men so easy to tame? Sex, to show them vulnerability, to submit to them, and they'd be like putty in her hands—the obedient pawns they thought she'd be. Idiots, all of them. None as much as the violet eyed monk, he had seem more cracks of her front, more glimpses into her the real her, yet he still allowed her to play him?
Was he truly that dumb? Or was it something else…? But what could it be?
|-{x}{o}{x}-|
It was just for a moment, she only got one peek of the faded sunlight through the high tree tops, he had turned his back on her for but a moment… something was sparked in her, the flame of survival perhaps? A crack in the insanity that ensnared her? Whatever it was, she unhinged the front door and ran out into the seemingly endless forest. Her bare feet were stubbed and cut by too much debris for her to actually care. The way her legs ached, her stomach begged for food, and lungs burned for air went on unnoticed by her as she kept running and running farther away.
Where was she going? She had no idea. Who was there to run to? No one.
That lonely thought loomed over her as she hit the branches and vines out of her way as she rushed further and further, deeper and deeper, until a root finally tripped her up and she collided with the ground to feel scraps form all over.
She hissed back a wince and shut her eyes as she rolled over onto her back to stair up at the dark tree tops—where had that sun gone with all its glowing hope?
Slowly, her lids began to shut, barely; she noticed the large ominous shadow that cascaded over her before she passed out…
… Something woofed around her and it smelled wonderful, it called her out of the darkness and forced her eyes to open. A hut, that was all she knew at first. She was within a hut, but why? How? Had he caught her? No, if he had she would be restrained, right?
She took a deeper breath in before she sat up to look for the source of the scrumptious scent; a smile took her when she saw the roasting fish over the fire. That was only until her senses snapped down on her, who was cooking fish?
"You're up," a startled low voice muttered. She glanced to the door to see a pair of blue glowing eyes but whoever it was refused to enter.
"Who… who are you?" she stuttered as she crawled back to the corner, "what do you want with me?"
"To help," he guiltily replied, "I saw you out in the forest and thought… you needed help."
"Why?" she grumbled, "why help me?"
His answer took some time, "… Why not?"
"I won't let you trick me," she declared as she got to her feet wobbly, instantly she regretted it from the throbbing pain that the scarred things screamed at her but she tried her best to ignore it as she rushed to the door to open it. She regretted that, too, because a monstrous creature was out there.
He was huge, tan, bulgy and beady blue eyed monster that stood above her. Fear took her as she gasped and covered her mouth to stubble back against the hut, yet… the same seemed to happen to him, too? He lifted his scar covered arms to block his face from her and cowered away.
He was… scared of her?
"Wh… what are you?" She shakily inquired.
"A hanyou," he shamefully replied.
A hanyou… a hanyou like the bastard that betrayed her, a hanyou like the creature that caged her?
"Get away," she ordered as she shut her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself, "stay away from me!"
He must have heeded her cry because once she opened her eyes the creature was gone, only a bowl filled with ointment lay at her feet. A herbal mixture she knew, one to help heal wounds—like the scrapes all over her aching feet, legs, and arms?
Why…? Did he make that for her? No. No, she wouldn't be fooled twice. She just wouldn't…
She pressed her lips together before she stepped around the bowl and rushed forward to the edge of the forest, "wait! Wait! Come back, please!"
At first, she didn't think he heard her cry or simply ignored it but eventually he slowly inched his way out of the darkness, "yes?"
"What's your name…?" She murmured, his eyes widened as he stared at her in astonishment, "what?"
"No one has ever asked me that… no human, at least," he explained, "it is Jinenji."
"I'm Kagome, thank you for saving me, Jinenji-san," again, wonder washed over his face. She bent her brows together and lips downwards, "what..?"
"No… no one," he stuttered as he looked to the ground, as if it was instinctive to him, "has ever showed me… such respect."
The suffix, that was what he must have meant, a small smile lifted her lips, "I'm sorry for screaming at you… my head is… not right," not anymore, "do you live here alone?"
"Since my mother died," he muttered.
"I'm sorry to hear that… that fish smells good," she waved towards the house to wiggle his eyes back up to her, "shall we eat?"
"Together…?"
"Why not? You made it."
"The sight of me doesn't disgust you…?"
She shook her head, his aura was pure—more so then even hers, so why not trust that? And the way he cowered, as if her—a mere, fragile, mortal could hurt him—was touching yet tragic all at once. How many had harmed him to cause such a reaction, such fear?
"I'm the one covered in dirt and in these rags. I should be the one ashamed."
Her small, feeble attempt at a laugh sparked a smile to rise on his oddly shaped face, "then let's go in, it is about to storm."
|-{x}{o}{x}-|
The rain poured down upon the duo as they sped through the muddy forest, the droplets felt like bullets at the speed they carried on but neither cared in the least bit—both their minds were focused, Kagome. They had to find her, too long had passed what if…?
They couldn't think like that, Miroku's violets ventured to Inuyasha to see if he was thinking the same thing he was and with a nod he got his confirmation. They could see smoke wafting up from not too far away; they had checked each hut, house, and village they had come across so why stop now?
Once they reached the door Miroku took the lead to knock and put on a friendly smile to prompt the residence for any information, but that faltered the moment the familiar female opened the door. All their breaths dissipated as they stared at each other, his violets on her hazels before the moved to the astonished auburns. After all their searching the finally found her.
"Kagome," Inuyasha started with relief, "thank—"
"Go away!" She demanded before she slammed the door in their faces.
"Kagome?" Miroku called out over the raging storm, "Kagome! It's Miroku and Genji, we've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Liars, traitors, monsters!" She replied from through the door, "stay away from me!"
"Kagome?" He muttered as his confused gaze went to the equally as lost hanyou, "what is it?"
"You work for the council, both of you! I know it so don't bother lying to me!" She cried out as she clenched her fists, "neither of you really care so stop pretending! I'm not even your cousin, Miroku! You… your," she choked, "your name isn't Ishii Genji… you're not even human… it's all been a lie!"
The hurt hush at the end went by Miroku's ears unheard but not Inuyasha's, he stiffened right away.
They had told her…?
"Kagome…" Miroku sighed, "please open up, we can explain."
"How?"
"I do it for you!" he proclaimed, "all of it!"
"How can you say that?" She shrieked back.
"I don't want you to do and neither to Genji! We want you to live! To have a life! We played no part in your kidnapping, either time; we had nothing to do with this! We don't want you to be hurt in any way! I swear! Perhaps you are not blood but that doesn't mean I grew up not caring for you as one!"
His words were so sweet… but he had always been a charmer, so she sniffled back tears and looked over to the huddled hanyou in the corner. He was different, he was damaged just like her, he had helped her. Fed her, dressed her wounds… his scars were from those who did not understand him, did not care to.
"Who are they?" Jinenji inquired.
"Terrible people," she muttered.
"Would you like me to make them leave?" He offered.
"Could you..?"
He nodded before he rose up, but not completely straight since he was too tall for the huts roof. He went to the door and slipped out it to stand ominously above the two, instantly Inuyasha grasped his sword and unsheathed it to point at him.
"Who are you?" Inuyasha scowled, "what have you done to Kagome?"
"She wants you to leave," Jinenji replied, "so please go."
"Not until you give her back," he snarled.
"I don't want to hurt you," he apologetically muttered before he grasped him by the collar and threw him away and into the forest, "so please leave."
"Why you!" Inuyasha growled as he got up, "just wait until I get my hands on you!"
"Ish," she stopped herself as she ran out of the hut to stand between him and Jinenji. With spite she rephrased it and earned his full attention, "Inuyasha."
The way he reacted… the shock, the wide-auburn eyes. It was true…? Why did it hurt so much more to have him confirm it?
"Leave!" She ordered, "Jinenji-san has been kind to me, he saved me. Don't you dare lay a finger on him. I hate you both, so go away. I want nothing to do with you or your lies!" To emphasize her resolve she tore off the charm bracelet that he had given her and threw it at his feet. "Everything is a lie!"
"No," he muttered, "no… Kagome—"
"Don't insult me any further by pretending it mattered to you!"
"It did!" Every moment of it had, every encounter, every word, every look, every part of it.
"Kagome, let us explain," Miroku requested as he intervened between the two. A lying lover would be too hard for her to forgive, but blood—at least someone she had always thought was—could be.
"I don't want to hear it," she muttered as she looked away. "You'll just lie again."
"You look in need of a proper place to stay, let's go to the nearby village, you can shower, rest then we can talk—"
"Liar," she grumbled, "you just want me to go back to h-him… you'll make me…"
"No," Miroku stated as he placed his hands upon her shoulders, "I will never let them take you again. It is my fault that happened, it is… I wasn't paying enough attention to what was going on. I should have made sure the barrier was working properly, for that I am eternally sorry. I love you, Kagome. I do. I have always thought of you as family, I have never thought what they were doing to you was right, that's why I joined with the council.
"If you were tainted then there would be no need for them to sacrifice you and the demons would not see you as a threat. You could have a life. I swear to you, on my father's grave," that finally won her attention, "that all I have done is what I thought was best for you. Granted, some misery has entailed but it is so you can live. I had nothing to do with you being kidnapped either time and neither to Ishii—Inuyasha."
She swallowed and looked up to Jinenji instead before the floor.
"Please come with us, we need to protect you, it's not safe here. We'll get a nice warm, inn room."
The rain washed away some of the dirt from her but she could use a shower… and what did it matter? If she stayed then Naraku would find her, if she went then something else terrible would surely follow, so what mattered…? So she shrugged and turned to look up at Jinenji, "you have been very kind to me, thank you for everything, Jinenji-san."
"You're welcome, Kagome-san," he replied with a bow of his head.
"Perhaps when this is all resolved I can come visit you to show my gratitude properly?" She inquired and truly smiled at the obvious delight that brought him.
"Please, feel free."
She refused to allow either man to touch her, or to hear another word, as they led her out of the forest and to the village. Probably in hopes to appease her they picked the finest inn in all the town to house themselves in and, of course, gave her a room of her own. She slammed her door in their faces right away so she could shower and sleep off the horror the played over and over in her head.
|-{x}{o}{x}-|
The shower was divine, steaming, and cleansing. With each hot pelt she felt her sanity slowly slither its way back. She did not want that thing to touch her but… then again what did it matter? Had he not have been more truthful with her than anyone else? Granted, he was evil… right? But he was telling her the truth, not once had he hurt her. Traumatized her, yes, touched her often—her thighs, her cheek, her breast, everywhere—but not harm her, and he not once took it to the extreme level. If not for the fact that he had stripped her of her clothes then she wouldn't—wait. Stop.
She couldn't think like that.
It didn't matter… nothing did.
As soon as she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her mind moved to the topic she had tried her best to ignore—now what? She was stuck between two that disgusted her—two that hurt her so, but one far more than the other.
That sickened her to the core as she slid on her tattered dress, she had been violated over and over and over again by someone who's task was to taint her… someone that did not love her… someone she did not even know what he was.
She slipped out of her room and down the stairs to the saloon to sip away at drink after drink after drink, perhaps it was a bit excessive—a bit more then that—but the hazy that wrapped her mind made her giddy instead of gloomy.
Too bad, the more she drank the less that yummy fish was willing to stay down. Unfortunately, the more she gulped down the easier it was for her to trust the absurdly unattractive man that had been so gracious to buy the drinks. It was he that led her outside the inn to vomit in the alleyway; at least he held her hair back for her, right?
"Come on babe," he grinned as he tugged her, "let's go to mine."
"Sure," she chimed as she wobbly followed him only to feel a hand grasp her arm and yank her to harden abs.
"Hey!"
"What the hell's wrong with you?" Inuyasha snarled at the plump man, "you think it's alright to take advantage of a girl when she's in her helpless state?"
"What about you?" Kagome retorted, "huh?"
Mutely he took her took her up to her room and led her in. He wasn't surprised at all that she pushed her way out of his grasp to stumble into the bathroom to throw up once more. "Kagome…?" He inquired after she washed out her mouth and found her way out of the room.
"Go away," she grumbled only to stumble to the side; he had to grab her gently to keep her up.
"You—"
"Don't lecture me!" She ordered as she waved him away, if he had let her go she would have fallen over.
"I wasn't going to," he assured her as he led her to sit down on her bed, "I'm not going to try and reason with you when you're drunk."
"Asshole," she snickered as she plopped down, "like it's my fault."
"No, no, it's not," he tried to soothe as she knelt down in front of her, tenderly taking her hands into his.
"You're a liar," she sniffled.
"I am," he admitted, "I am, I lied about what I am, I lied about my name, I lied about a lot but not how I feel about you. I wasn't playing you."
"Liar," she muttered as she blinked her teary eyes clear, "but… I'll believe all your lies, just pretend you love me."
"Kagome…" he murmured as he leaned over to try and meet her hazels that kept avoiding him.
"Please," she whimpered once she shut her eyes, "just make-believe, close your eyes and pretend you love me. I'll be anything you want me to be, just please, pretend you love me again. Hold me, make me feel better, please."
Guilt had already consumed him, her words only made it swallow him further, so he did just as she wanted and rose up to wrap his arms around her. It allowed her to rest in her embrace and whisper, "I do love you."
Instead of comforting her, it sparked her to hopelessly sob in his arms.
For that and the trust he would never earn back, he hated himself all the more…
All the same, once she cried herself to sleep in his embrace he lied her down on side so she could sleep and if the mass amount of alcohol decided to upset her stomach further she wouldn't choke to death. He sighed silently as he stroked a few of her loose strands out of her face, she looked so peaceful if only for a moment. With a frown he reached into his pocket to pull out the charm bracelet she had discarded earlier to hold it around her wrist.
Was it wrong of him?
Maybe. Just as he thought, though, the sixth charm started to glow an ugly green. Gluttony, an excessive drinking appeared to count. That just left one... and then what?
A/N: Ah, yes, the whole Kagome's feelings for Naraku thing, let me explain before someone gets their panties all in a twist, it's called Stockholm syndrome. Google it if that means nothing to you. Did I tricked someone into thinking that the Sango x Takeda scene was Naraku & Kagome? I also really like Jinenji so I felt like adding him in there, he even served a purpose--not all hanyous are monsters.
I think that from now on the chapters will mimic this one in length (on the longish-side) because this story will only be ten/eleven chapters. Hope no one minds.
Thank you to all those who have reviewed, it's really wonderful :)
Please continue to review. It inspires me to keep up with this story instead of neglecting it for other ones, really, I love reviews and it takes but a minute.