Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and co…

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Chapter 20: Tastunai's Punishment

The shikon taijiya's landed in a village near Naraku's destroyed castle. All the villagers were still looking in the direction of the dragon cry and the blast.

They then all turned when they saw the blood covered girl and man standing there and walking toward them they all started to back away.

"A youkai!" they all cried as they ran back into the hut.

A miko stood in the middle, a basket of herbs clutched to her chest. She squinted at the girl in the youkai's arms and recognition filled her eyes.

"Kagome-sama." She dropped her herbs and ran toward Inuyasha. "What have you done to her, vile beast?" she accused Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was slightly surprised as she growled at him. "She was injured by something else, not me." He said sternly. "Help her."

"I will." She said as he eyes softened on the girl. "Kagome-sama."

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"How dare you!" Naraku yelled at Tastunai as he lost his usual cool and threw all the things in the room, at her, some including knives and katana's.

Tastunai stood, in her usual kunoichi outfit and her long hair in a high ponytail. Her bangs fell over her eyes but she didn't lower her head. She let the knives and sharp objects slice her up. "Why are you mad at me?" she asked when he finally ran out of things to use except for the katana at his side.

"You were the one who ripped open Kagome-sama's arm, you're the one who didn't listen to me when I told you to bring her here and kill her!" he yelled.

"Actually you told me to bring her here because you had something to show her." She pointed out.

"Quiet!" he bellowed as he flicked his hand and powerful pressure pushed out cutting her lightly.

Kagura stood behind the door, listening in horror. "How can she be so calm?" she whispered.

"I will destroy you like I first intended!" he yelled.

"Then why did you bring me back? Why did you ask Urusue's daughter to remake me with the remains of my Kunoichi body? Why did you go through all the trouble to ring my soul back?" she questioned in a deep and dangerous voice.

Naraku stopped his rampage. "I…"

"You're not so high and mighty when the truth is thrust in your face. You loved me and wished for me to be with you. You killed me to show that you had no more feelings for me but then, without thinking you brought me back to life." She said in her dangerously low voice.

"I…don't love you any more." He said in a voice that told he knew he was lying.

Tastunai and Naraku didn't speak for a second. Kagura strained her ears. There was a thump.

Tastunai had fallen to her knees.

"Tastunai?" Naraku looked down at her.

Her face was white and frightened. "Who are you to say that?" she finally asked.

"What?"

"Who are you to say…that Onigumo doesn't love me anymore." She said in a shaky voice. She had her face lowered now as her shoulders shook.

"Is she crying?" Kagura whispered as she heard a faint sound like a sob.

When Tastunai lifted her face there, instead of sadness, was a laughing face. It would've looked normal if there weren't tears trailing down her face.

"Tastunai…Onigumo is…me." Naraku said in a very timid and un-Naraku way. "I…I love Kikyo now."

"How? She's dead?" Tastunai asked in a calm and collected voice again.

"I…um…" he paused.

Tastunai stood up again. "I'm out of here." She said as eh wiped her eyes. Then something sharp stopped her. She froze at the spot.

Naraku or should I say Onigumo slinked his arms around her and held her. It wasn't a bone crushing killing embrace. It was one from lover to lover.

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"Kagome-sama. Please hold on. These wounds aren't that bad." The miko reassured the sleeping girl.

She poured herbs in her open wounds and bandaged them.

When the miko emerged she had a grim expression.

"How is she?" Inuyasha asked.

"She'll make it. A lot of blood loss though. My dear Kagome-sama! Who could've done this to you!" she cried as hse made a dramatic gesture.

"Your dear Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked. "Are you by any chance a les--?"

Sango elbowed him. "Thank you." She said gratefully.

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"You will get your punishment, Tastunai." A voice said from above.

Tastunai wretched herself out of Onigumo's/Naraku's grip and looked around.

The wall burst out, yet again, and there stood a kugutsu.

"You sent a kugutsu to kill me?!" she yelled at the real Naraku.

"No this one's free." He said as he backed away.

She jumped out of the room and into the open courtyard. The kugutsu unsheathed a sword and attacked. Quickly she unsheathed her katana and blocked his vicious attack.

"You will die, Tastunai!" the kugutsu yelled as another came behind her.

She blocked the second's sword with her katana and dodged another attack from first. She ran as fast as she could toward a tree and propelled off it, slamming into the seconds stomach and slicing the bottom of first's baboon cloak.

Five other kugutsu's surrounded her and she was trapped, some with vines from underneath their cloaks sliced her hand, knocking the katana out of her hands.

Finally it was all over…

The first reformed itself and with its katana stabbed her right in the stomach.

She doubled over holding the katana.

They thrust outwards and she was pushed backwards. They all threw her into the air and threw all the katana's.

At that very moment Kagura's fire tornadoes cut up the katana's and she landed in front of them, her eyes red with anger and her body shaking. "How dare you try and kill the one you love." She said through clenched teeth. She pulled her feather off her hair and it grew and caught Tastunai.

"Kagura…why did you…?" Tastunai asked.

"Shh. Let's get away from here." Kagura said as they started to ascend.

"Kagura!" Naraku yelled as he pulled out a round dark red orb. He squeezed it and Kagura screamed like someone had impaled her.

Tastunai sat up quickly.

"You can never leave Kagura, Tastunai! I won't let you!" he yelled as he squeezed a different shape, that shape of a doll in his hand.

Tastunai winced at the sharp pain in her heart but followed through with her attack as she pulled off her fan from her back and flung it, freezing the whole area, all the kugutsu's and Naraku.

"Let's…get out…of here." She panted as she turned the feather toward the away she remembered Kagome and her group had run.

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Not a lot of Kagome and their group but I got out what Tastunai is to Naraku. Now he loves her instead of Kikyo!

Anyway, I thank you all for reviews and…yeah.

Next chapter:

Chapter 21: The Dragon's Aftermath