Chapter 37
(Beware readers this chapter has some pretty gross stuff in it. I hope it dosen't offend. LadySesshoumaru41)
Naraku's fatal mistake...
Naraku returned to his monastery in the mountains above the gorge. It was good to be home. He entered the gate and approached the door. Something wasn't right. 'Something.... what was that?' Naraku wondered to himself.
He sniffed the air. "Someone has been here. I can smell him." He spoke to himself as he walked throughout the monastery sniffing and noting. "There were others here as well but the scent of this one is strong."
He entered his own chamber. "NO! He took a human woman here, in my sanctuary. I will destroy him for his insolence." He knelt at the spot were Sesshoumaru and his wife Katame had been weeks earlier. He could smell the seed of the demon and the filth of the woman he had taken.
Naraku had no mate. He despised all women and now that he was a demon he would not allow a woman to live and breathe in his sanctuary. Especially if she is mating with a demon. He took the in the scent deeply. He would find this wretched woman and draw out her mate. He would destroy the demon that dared to enter and defile his domain.
The hunters and demons were out scouting about a group of villages nearby. Katame had opted to stay behind. She felt she needed to catch up on some chores. Samotoyame was left behind as well to help his mother and to provide a small measure of protection.
Katame had gotten pretty good with the sword and her husband Sesshoumaru was pleased with her progress. She would be able to fend off most men and some demons. The weaker ones of course, but at least she could put up a good fight if she had to.
Samoto was at the fire, heating some water for his mother when he heard her scream.
She was down by the river washing the clothes the men and boys had been warring. She hadn't brought her sword with her. Samoto ran as fast as he could but he was too late. He arrived at the river in time to see his mother carried away by the demon Naraku.
"Get your father Samoto. Go get your father!" It was all she could get out before she passed out from the herbs he had pressed to her face.
Samoto ran as fast as he could to his father Sesshoumaru and told him the news.
Katame woke to find herself chained hand and foot her hands were fastened to a pole in the yard of the monastery. The demon Naraku was standing over her.
"You are awake. This is good." He bent over and sniffed at her. Yes, this is the one. I can smell her mate on her. "I want you to do something for me woman."
"What do you want from me, Naraku? You are Naraku aren't you?"
"Ah, so you know of me then. Good. I want you to scream." He leaned over her and tore off her clothing. "Come now woman, scream for me. Scream your mate's name. I would know who it was who it was that defiled my sanctuary with your filth. SCREAM!" He yelled at her.
"You will know my husband soon enough Naraku. I'm not going to call him. He already knows what you've done. He will kill you when he gets here."
Oh? I beg to differ my lady. You will scream long and hard, I guarantee it. And what is more, I will kill your mate as well as you for your lack of respect.
Naraku descended on Katame and raped her fiercely. All the while demanding that she scream out her husband's name, to call him to her.
Katame was strong and refused to give in. But that didn't matter to Naraku. He had made her bleed. He knew that the demon could scent her blood from miles away. He smeared her body with her blood. Then dragged her to a standing position and attached her chain to the top of the pole. Her feet could barely touch the ground.
Naraku was not going to give up he would have her scream and if not the blood would call loudly enough to her mate. He took out his whip and beat her with it.
"Scream for me my dear and maybe I might stop."
Katame could stand it no more. "Sesshoumaru!" She cried out. "Sesshoumaru!" And then again once more just as she passed out from the pain.
She didn't need to call for Sesshoumaru knew where Naraku had taken her. 'Fool' He cursed himself. 'He must have smelt them in his home. He should have never left his scent there. He put Katame in danger.' He could smell her blood. He hoped he would not be too late.
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru landed in the courtyard of the monastery. They saw Katame chained to the pole.
Inuyasha looked at his brother. You go take care of Naraku I'll get her out of here. Don't worry, she'll be fine. Inuyasha took off his coat and wrapped Katame in it. He broke the chains that held her with his strong claws, and carried her off to were the others were waiting. He laid her by the fire. "Inumouru, Samoto. Get me some water. Kagome I will need some of those medicines and bandages you carry with you." He looked over at Miroku who was watching. "You stand with your back to her. Shippo bite him if he even dares to look at her."
"Yes sir." little Shippo stood with his fiercest face on. Ready to bite if Miroku even thought of looking at favorite human, Katame.
Inuyasha wanted to wash the blood from her and clean and treat the stripes the whip had left. He was very worried. 'How could a girl like her possibly survive such treatment?'
Back at the monastary, Sesshoumaru faced Naraku out in the courtyardyard.
"You will die for this outrage! Naraku." Sesshoumaru stepped forward. "Now!" He lept forward. His eyes blazing red, he drew his great sword and began to attack. Sesshoumaru was a tremendously skilled demon with the sword and he came at him hard and fast.
Naraku was hard pressed to keep up. He used all his skill to try and evade the angry lord's wrath. He let fly a blast of energy toward his opponent but missed. Sesshoumaru was too fast and He had no time to summon any of his magic.
Sesshoumaru had him franticly trying to defend himself. Finally he was struck. Naraku went down in a heap. Sesshoumaru was instantly upon him. "You will pay dearly for what you have done to my wife, Naraku. You will have no easy death from me." Sesshoumaru pierced him through the shoulder with his sword pinning him to the floor. The magic of the sword however would keep Naraku alive.
Sesshoumaru wanted it that way. He would not allow this would-be demon to die so soon. He would make him suffer. Suffer as he had made his beautiful Katame suffer. Naraku would scream and beg for his death long before it would come.
At the camp Inuyasha and Kagome were trying to treat the wounded Katame. She was going in and out of consciousness.
"Aiiiieeee. NO! No, no." She smacked and pushed away at Inuyasha. She was not aware of who he was. She had him confused. She had suffered like this before. Sesshoumaru had done this to her. No wait, it wasn't him. It was someone else. "Get away. Stop." She cried.
Inuyasha grabbed her and held her tightly until she passed out again. "She is too badly hurt. Kagome don't you have anything in that bag of yours that can help her?"
"No she has to be awake for me to give her anything and she keeps passing out. Why is she fighting you? You're only trying to help her."
"I don't know. All I can do is hold her and when she calms down enough then maybe I can clean her wounds."
Sesshoumaru bent over Naraku. "Did you enjoy my wife?" His voice was like ice and his eyes were red as flame. He stripped the helpless demon. "Now, you shall learn why I am called terrible. You will not die until I have had my fill of your pain." He reached down and grabbed hold of the genitals of the demon and ripped them away.
Naraku screamed and writhed in pain, but he could not free himself from Sesshoumaru's great sword. "Before we begin I want you to have a meal. You will need to keep up your strength." He pushed the bloody mass into Naraku's mouth. "Eat it. Now!" Naraku heaved and wretched but Sesshoumaru would not let the demon throw up. He had to chew and swallow the hateful meal.
"Good." The terrible lord rose to his feet and stood over the terrified demon. "Now, I believe you have a fondness for a whip. I just happen to have one of my own. You don't mind if I use it, do you?" Sesshoumaru mistreated Naraku well into the night. Finally he remembered his wife and the pain she was in. He wanted to see her and make sure she was safe.
He pulled his great sword out of the broken and bleeding body of Naraku. "Now, you may die." He plunged his hand into the demon's chest and tore out the still beating heart. "You won't be needing this any more." He told the dieing man-demon. "I will take this, it will serve as a warning to all. Touch not the wife of Sesshoumaru." Naraku's eyes glazed over and he was dead. Sesshoumaru made sure Naraku was dead before removing the demon's head then flew off to his wife.
Inuyasha was again trying to help Katame She had let him hold her but as soon as he tried to clean the blood off her she would scream and struggle.
Miroku was still standing with his back to the action but was hearing every thing.
Sesshoumaru arrived to find Inuyasha again being hit by a half conscious Katame.
"She won't let me help her." Inuyasha told his brother.
Sesshoumaru knelt by his wife. "Katame!" He called her name.
"No!" She cried and struggled and whimpered and then went quiet. Sesshoumaru seemed to sink.
"What's wrong Sesshoumaru?"
"Look at her Inuyasha. I did this to her."
"Don't be silly Naraku did this, you couldn't help her. It was already done when we arrived." Inuyasha didn't understand his brother's meaning.
"No, Inuyasha. I did this to her before, when we were first mated. I did this to her, I raped her and covered her with her own blood. I did this to her before. No wonder she won't let you or I near her. Her mind is probably confusing all the different abuses she has endured over the years."
"Katame." He spoke softly to her as he took a soft cloth and washed her face. "You're safe now. I won't hurt you. Come now, let me clean you." He gathered her into his hands and began to wash off the blood.
Katame cried out again this time Miroku couldn't keep his eyes away. "Yeoowww." Shippo bit him on the hand. "I wasn't looking at her. I just..."
"Yeah you did, you're not supposed to look at her, you were told. And I was to bite you if you did. And you did."
"Miroku!" Sesshoumaru rose his eyes coldly glaring at the monk. "You have been looking too long at my wife. I will have your eyes, monk."
"Sesshoumaru, Katame needs you. Let me deal with this." Inuyasha put his hand on his brother's shoulder. Inuyasha took his friend aside. "I told you not to look at her. Now look what has happened, now I have to take your eyes."
Miroku backed away from his friend. "Inuyasha, please. I swear to you I wasn't looking at her like that. You must believe me; I was just concerned that's all. I looked because she was crying. I didn't mean anything by it I swear to you."
Inuyasha was still coming for him. The monks mind raced. How could his friend do this to him? "Inuyasha, please. I'm begging you, as your friend. I didn't mean any harm, I swear to you. Please, Inuyasha not my eyes. You can't take my eyes. A blind man is a burden to everyone. How will I live? What will I do? I'll be useless as a demon hunter. Please isn't there some other way? There has to be another way." The monk fell to the ground.
He had fought many battles beside this Half-demon. He knew that there would be nothing he could do to stop him from taking his eyes. He had to appeal to his mercy. Inuyasha wasn't known to show it very often but perhaps this would be one of those times.
"I warned you."
"Yes I know and I'm sorry, Inuyasha, But please, not my eyes. Can't you do something else? Isn't there some other way I can apologize?" His face was full of tears the poor monk was genuinely afraid. And well he should be. Inuyasha wasn't a very understanding sort of demon. What's more he had warned his friend about looking at Katame.
Inuyasha thought for a moment. He wasn't sure that he would be able to save the monk's eyes. But he did believe his friend's words. Miroku wasn't lying to him. "All right I'll talk to Sesshoumaru. Maybe he'll accept something else. But you had better pray hard, monk. He may just want to take your life instead. Stay here."
Sesshoumaru had managed to clean off the blood and had Katame in some clean clothes by the time Inuyasha came back. "I don't smell the monks blood I take it he still has his eyes."
"Miroku is a friend of mine, Sesshoumaru. I know he overstepped the boundary, but he swears it was only out of concern for Katame that he looked. She was crying and he was worried."
"You believe him." Sesshoumaru was not impressed. "I want his eyes, Inuyasha. He was watching Katame long before this."
"I know, and I did warn him. But he has no family and a blind man alone would be lost. He begged me to spare his eyes. Is there not some other way for him to apologize."
"Inuyasha, you are far too lenient with him." Sesshoumaru thought a moment. "Fine! Beat him. But I want to hear his cries. Take him away from the camp so the women don't hear. However I don't want you to go light on him. He has looked at my wife for the last time." Sesshoumaru looked at his sleeping wife. "If I am not satisfied, that monk will lose more than his eyes. Tell him that!" Sesshoumaru was in a foul temper. He would have rather dealt with the monk personally but his wife needed him.
Katame called out in her dreams. "Ahhhh Sesshoumaru. No! No, no. Please.... I'm sorry." Sesshoumaru's heart was breaking. She was remembering, not this night's horror but the horror he himself had brought upon her. She was remembering him. Remembering how he used to enjoy hurting her. He felt terrible in fact he felt misserable. For all his great strength and abilities, he was unable to protect his human wife from the grasp of Naraku. 'Damn!' He thought, ' I should never have allowed that wretch to die so easily. He deserved to suffer more for this.'
Inuyasha returned to find the monk was indeed praying. "You can stop now. I don't know what you prayed for, but it a seems to have worked. Sesshoumaru has agreed to let you to keep your eyes."
"Thank you, Inuy..."
"Don't thank me! You're not going to enjoy the alternative. Come with me." Inuyasha took the monk far enough away from the camp for the women not to hear but well within demon hearing range. He went to the edge of the clearing and selected a thick bamboo pole.
"What are you going to do?" The monk's eyes went wide as he started to back away.
"Come here Miroku, and kneel down. Sesshoumaru wants you beaten. But he thinks I'm too soft and if he doesn't think I've done this right, he'll kill you. So you had better scream loud and long, Miroku. Your life is depending on it."
Miroku didn't have to fake it. Inuyasha was hard on him, as hard as he dared. He didn't want to hurt his human friend but if he didn't, he knew that his brother would do far worse. When he was finished he spoke to his friend. "That's enough. Now lets get you back to the camp." Inuyasha helped him to his feet.
"Wait a minute, help me do this will you." Miroku took a strip of cloth from his robe and bandaged his eyes.
"Why are you doing that for? Sesshoumaru will know you still have your eyes."
"I know that, but at least this way I can't make the mistake of looking at her again if I have my eyes bandaged. Think of it as a safety precaution. Now give me your arm and guide me back."
(Sorry if I'm dragging this out, but we are almost to the end of my story and I don't want to rush it. I'll update soon. LadySesshoumaru41)