Part XI – Onigumo/ Naraku
Depending on who you asked, evil could be a number of things. Some would say that lying was evil; others would say that seducing a neighbor's wife was evil. Others still would claim that stealing, cheating, or murdering was evil. For Onigumo, who did all of those things and more, evil was merely a tool, a means to an end.
He hadn't become a bandit for monetary gain, though greed was a fundamental aspect of his nature and he did enjoy the perks money could buy him. Nor had the opportunity for violence been a major factor in his decision. He liked to see others suffer, though he rarely enjoyed getting his hands dirty. He preferred to watch to active participation.
Onigumo had become a bandit because he wanted power. It was the source of his greed, his justification for inflicting pain. When you made someone suffer, you held power over them. And money was simply the easiest way of gaining power. It was everywhere and often ripe for the plucking to a man who was willing to take it.
Power was like a fine and heady wine, it intoxicated and soon Onigumo had become so addicted, he could no longer keep his need checked by caution. He took risks, committed more elaborate crimes and finally rid himself of the man standing between him and complete power over the other bandits in the group. As he reveled in success, he became convinced that power was his fate. He may not have been born a noble, but there were other ways to gain power and he had found that fate, much like fortune, smiled on the bold.
Even crippled and burned, confined to a small cave and dependent on the kindness of a miko, his belief in his fate had not been shaken. As if to make up for his body's failings, his greed grew to exponential dimensions during his time as an invalid. At first, it had been his desire for the miko Kikyou that had motivated him. His imagination ran wild with possibilities, not just on how to gain power over her, but also how her power would be useful to him.
But when he learned of the Shikon no Tama, the legendary jewel, and its ability to grant the holder any wish, his breath nearly stopped within his mangled chest. He had known that power was his fate and it seemed that fate had, from the start, led him to the jewel, the key to achieving his goal, the means of satisfying his greed. Why else would he have been washed up on the shores of the very same village that just happened to be the resting place of the Shikon no Tama? Why else would Kikyou, who just happened to be the miko charged with protecting the jewel, be the one to care for him?
His greed mixed with his lust and became a powerful motivator and he set his not inconsiderable mind and amount of time available to him to find a means of possessing the jewel.
And the miko.
He was not very surprised when the spider demon spoke to him. It was, he was convinced, merely another message from fate, more proof of how he was meant to gain power. By then, his greed had made him quite mad, so Onigumo did not hesitate to offer his body to the spider and any other smaller demon in the area. The price of his humanity was small in comparison to what he would gain. And besides, he had already sacrificed his humanity many years before.
When Naraku opened his eyes, they burned with Onigumo's greed. He wasted no time by lingering in the cave; he had been given the means to accomplish his fate. It was time to satisfy his ambitions and take what was rightfully his.