Naraku sat on his throne like chair, smirking as he watched Amara struggle with her bonds through Kanna's mirror. No matter how hard she tried to free herself, she couldn't. She was too weak from his touch and having cocooned her unborn child in her powers...all of them.
"Are you just going to leave her chained up?"
Naraku rose a black brow at Kagura before turning his red gaze on her.
"You want me to free her?"
"No."
Kagura scoffed as she fanned herself. Even with her powers limited and her strength drained, Amara was fierce and there was no doubt in Kagura's mind that the Priestess would take them down if she were to get free. To protect those she loved...Amara would do anything.
"I just assumed you would be enjoying yourself with her. As much as you want to hurt her...you've left her alone instead."
Pursing his lips he narrowed his eyes at his incarnation. He had said he wouldn't harm her till three days had passed...but he was merely prolonging what was to come. Inuyasha wouldn't kill Kikyo and even if he did he wouldn't make it here before the deadline. Getting to his feet, he left without a single word. He would amuse himself with his captive.
Sweat rolled down Amara's temple as she sagged back against the cold, stone wall. She had been working to break the chains around her wrists for hours, but all she managed to accomplish was hurting herself. The skin around the metal cuffs was torn and bleeding, the blood dripping to splatter the stone floor. She had to get free...she had too..
"You realize that you will be with me for a long time, right?"
Amara glared in the direction of the voice, her eyes spitting emerald flames.
"Inuyasha will come for me."
"But he will not kill Kikyo."
"That wont stop him from coming for me."
She didn't expect him to kill Kikyo...regardless of his threats...Amara knew he couldn't...it would kill him to do so and she wouldn't be the cause for his pain.
"Does it hurt...knowing he will sacrifice you and your child to keep a woman you despise alive?"
He came out of the shadows to stand right before her. Gulping, Amara shrank back, but the wall cut off her retreat.
"He's not sacrificing us...he will come and he will save us."
Naraku tsked as he caressed her rounded belly, delighting in the pain that simple touch caused her.
"So much faith in a man who has two timed you for well over fifty years."
Clenching her teeth together, Amara growled and kicked him in the shin, the action not really causing him pain, but effective enough to make him step away from her.
"Your attempt to darken my heart towards him will not work. I love Inuyasha and nothing you say or do will ever change that."
Quirking a brow at her, he used his tentacles to secure her legs in place as he approached her once again. Gripping her upper arms he burnt away the material protecting her skin with his miasma. The moment his skin touched hers she cried out in pain and he relished in the sound. Releasing one of her arms, he grinned at his hand print burnt into her skin, then trailed the tips of his fingers across her chest, up her throat and over her cheek. Her skin reddened along the same path his fingers took, his evil marking her. He leaned in so close their noses almost touched, the proximity made Amara cringe and jerking her head back to get away, she smacked it against the stone wall, sending pain through her skull.
"So, what you are saying is no matter what I do to you...how badly I hurt you...you will not resent Inuyasha? You will continue to love him even when he could so easily prevent it by doing one, simple thing? That knowing his love for you and your child isn't enough to do the one thing that would save you both...you will still love him unconditionally?"
Pain lacerated her heart at his words, but she refused to give in to it. She knew it was his way of manipulating her and she would not give him that satisfaction. Inuyasha loved her and their baby.
"Just because he may not commit murder like you want him to does not mean he doesn't love me. I will never hold him responsible for the things you do to me...because it's YOU who is doing them and you are the only one I will cast blame. Inuyasha loves me and I love him...you can not destroy us like you did him and Kikyo fifty years ago...our love is true and unbreakable."
"Then I will just have to break you."
His claws grew into sharp, poisonous talons before he pierced her skin, deep. His claws sank into her right upper arm and left shoulder, the poison miasma leaking from them immediately entering her bloodstream.
"The only way to save yourself from my poison is to purify it or take the remedy and since there is no remedy here you only have one choice..."
"No.."
"You will have to pull those powers protecting your baby away to heal yourself...or else you will fall deathly ill..."
Amara shook her head in adamant refusal. No, she would NOT endanger her child to help herself. She's fought off poison before...she can do it again.
"I see that determined look in your eyes, sweet Amara.."
Combing his fingers in her hair, he cupped the side of her head in his palm and lifted her gaze to his. Red bore into pained and tormented emerald orbs, a smirk lifted his lips.
"But just so you know, as long as my poison resides inside of you, your wounds wont heal...you will weaken by the hour and soon enough you wont be able to fight me even a little.."
Fear caused her heart to skip a beat as he pressed his body flush against her, his free hand moving to rub her belly once again. His skin burned just slightly as it came into contact with her belly, but he paid no mind to it, it wasn't enough to do him harm.
"which also means I can do whatever I want to you and you will be powerless to stop me."
His lips covered hers then without warning making her eyes grow wide. She attempted to turn her head away, but he held her fast by gripping her hair in his fist. A fang grazed her bottom lip before piercing the tender flesh. Immediately blood bubbled up from the wound and he licked it away before pulling back. Her lip still bled from his bite and that's what he wanted. Giving her one last look, he faded from sight. Now that she was alone, Amara sank to her knees as fear churned her stomach. What was she going to do? Placing a protective hand against her belly, she swallowed the lump in her throat.
"I wont let anything happen to you, Little one...not while I still have breath in my body.."
She sure hoped Inuyasha would get here soon and save them both...for if she were to die there was no saving their child...
Three Days Later
Inuyasha, Miku and Sesshomaru all three stood in an open clearing where Naraku's castle was...or where it was supposed to be. Twisting around, Miku turned panicked sapphire eyes up to Sesshomaru then to Inuyasha.
"Where is it? You said this was where it was at..."
Inuyasha shook his head as his own panicked gaze stared at the empty landscape. His heart thudded against his chest painfully.
"Inuyasha what are we going to do? Today is the dead line.."
"I don't know Miku...this is supposed to be the place...I swear..."
Naraku tricked them...he fucking set them up! He moved locations knowing Inuyasha would never find it in time. Tears burned the backs of his eyes as he tightened his hold on Kikyo's body. He killed her...he killed Kikyo and couldn't even save Amara!
"Damn you Naraku...damn you!"
Inuyasha's shout carried out through the invisible barrier that concealed Naraku's castle from sight. Down in the dungeon, Naraku lifted his head from Amara's breast, blood soaked his lips and ran down his chin.
"Kanna."
Immediately she was there facing her mirror towards Naraku to show him his visitors. Naraku's eyes widened slightly in shock as he noted Kikyo's limp body. Inuyasha actually did it...he killed Kikyo. Turning to look at Amara, he smirked, her blood still coating his lips.
"Your beloved Inuyasha has surprised me...I didn't think he had it in him to do as I said..."
Amara barely heard those words. For three days Naraku has bled her and drank from her, effectively weakening her to the point she could no longer stand on her own two feet. Her lids opened slowly and she pierced him with a malevolent glare. Inuyasha would hate himself for the rest of his life for taking Kikyo's.
"Rot in hell..."
Laughing, Naraku bit into the soft, tender flesh of her breast again, making her wince. It was so painful...each time his fangs pierced her skin, it was like he was injecting her with small doses of miasma. Curling her fingers into a fist, she hit him in the chest, but it was useless, she only managed to hurt herself. As he finally pulled away and released her, she slumped back to the floor, her vision going in and out.
"Three days of inflicting pain upon you and weakening you...and still that barrier stays strong around that baby. Perhaps I will keep you a while longer just to see how much more you can take before protecting your child becomes to much for you..."
What he didn't know...what she would never tell him was that it wasn't her protecting her baby anymore...it was the child itself. Her ability to hold up the barrier drained out of her two days before. Even this early on, the baby held great power, especially if it was able to hold up the barrier protecting it and she was beyond grateful for that. The last thing she was able to do before passing out was lay her palm over her stomach.
"Well Well Well...what an unpleasant surprise."
Inuyasha stopped his pacing at Naraku's voice. He, Miku and Sesshomaru looked around, but couldn't see him either.
"Naraku...I did as you said...now release Amara to me, now."
Laughter surrounded them, then Naraku appeared right where Inuyasha had laid Kikyo.
"And do you feel remorse for taking her life?"
Inuyasha clenched his fists to stop himself from attacking as Naraku lifted Kikyo's corpse into his arms.
"I didn't enjoy it, if that's what your asking. No...it had to be done...even if you hadn't taken Amara...Kikyo would have forced my hand one day by coming after Amara and our child.."
Naraku grinned and it was then Inuyasha noticed the blood coating his lips and dripping from his chin. All Inuyasha had to do was scent the air to realize the blood belonged to Amara. Rage beat at him and he took a step forward.
"Where is my mate?"
Naraku quirked a brow at Inuyasha's growled demand and the way his eyes flashed to red. His demon was surfacing.
"She is inside my castle, where she's been for the past three days."
"Give her to me. I did as you said, I brought you Kikyo, she's dead. Now give me my family!"
Naraku pursed his lips. Keeping his word wasn't something he did, but then again, he had already broken it by hurting Amara. As much as he wanted to keep her and play with her some more, he would return her...till that child was born anyway.
"Very well. Take her back...she hasn't been much fun anyway."
Naraku vanished from sight and the barrier around his castle lifted. Inuyasha ran for the castle, not surprised when demons came out to fight. They tore through the demons and splintered the wood doors apart. The moment they were inside the smell of blood surrounded them. Inuyasha and Miku shared a wide, panicked look.
"Amara."
They whispered simultaneously before quickly following her scent all the way down to the dungeon. Not hesitating, Inuyasha kicked open the door, knocking it from it's hinges and burst inside. He searched the room till his amber eyes found her. A lump formed in his throat and his heart beat frantically. She lay there, not moving, blood seeping from her to soak the ground. He couldn't even tell if she was breathing.
"..No.."
Rushing to her side, he knelt beside her, not caring that his knees were now covered in her blood and pulled her to him. Cradling her head to his chest he rubbed his cheek along her head and let out a breath of relief as he felt her heart beating. Relief then quickly turned to impotent rage as he noted the chains around her wrists and ankles. Growling, he cut them away from her and paused as he saw the wounds around her wrists. She had tried so hard to get free...
"Amara.."
"She's alive."
Gathering her into his arms, he lifted her up off the ground to cradle her to his chest. The top part of her kimono parted to show the still bleeding bite wound on her breast. His eyes widened and he felt his face go pale. No...he made it in time...three days..Naraku wasn't supposed to touch her...but the evidence was there...the bruises in the shape of Naraku's hands on her upper arms...on the inside of her thigh. How could he let this happen to her? Why couldn't he protect the woman he loved? The backs of his eyes burned with tears as he pressed his lips to her temple, he just wanted to keep her safe...
"Inuyasha...her wounds need tending before she bleeds out.."
It didn't seem as if Inuyasha heard Sesshomaru's words. He just stood there, silent in his misery and pain. There was once a time Sesshomaru would have berated his brother for the show of emotions, but that was before he had met Miku. Swallowing hard, he pulled Miku into his arms and held her close. Now that he had Miku, he very well understood his brothers feelings, his actions. If anything were to happen to his beautiful Miku, he wouldn't know what to do. As he held her, he tried again to get Inuyasha moving.
"If you do not get her to Kaede's soon, she will die Inuyasha."
That did the trick. Inuyasha Kissed her head one last time and lead them out of the dungeon and back outside. The whole time, he was plotting out Naraku's death. The bastard would pay for what he had done to Amara, he would die painfully, without mercy.