InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Once Upon a Time ❯ Trials and Revelations ( Chapter 42 )

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42. Trials and Revelations  

Only four days passed before the delegation arrived at the village. The six youkai were welcomed by the villagers, although the five prisoners they escorted were locked into a storage building until they could be tried by the village leadership. Due to the nature of the crime of which they were accused, the testimony was given to the village leaders privately. Those called to give testimony included Kohaku, Inuyasha, and Kaede. The village headman himself decided that there was no real need for Kagome to testify: the consensus was that she had suffered enough because of these men--it would do her no good to be forced to relive the attack.

After these witnesses told what they knew the accused were given the opportunity to defend their actions. Surprisingly, only one of them chose to make any attempt at a defense. This one, clearly a follower by nature, claimed that he had taken no part in the actual attack. At one point, he said, he had tried to dissuade the others from continuing. The other four not only admitted their actions, but were openly defiant about them as well.

After this part of the testimony, the village leaders recalled the hanyou to help determine the facts of the matter. He confirmed the fact that one of the group had not in fact participated.

The decision was rendered quickly. The surviving four who had taken part in the assault were to be banished to a small island offshore to the east. There was considerable debate regarding the fate of the fifth member of the group. Although he had not actually taken part in the attack, he had done virtually nothing to prevent or stop it.

Although the village leaders were unwilling to allow him to roam free and possibly become a danger to other members of the community, a brief message from the household outside the village boundaries settled the matter. He would be given over into the custody of the hanyou in the hope that he would one day make some form of restitution for his part in the incident.

The youkai delegation remained in the village to escort the prisoners to their destination.

Inuyasha returned home after the men had been sent off to their prison. Leaving the man in the care of Kohaku for the moment, he returned to their room to check on the progress his mate was making. He opened the door and stopped in his tracks, watching as she finished dressing. “You’re looking better,” he murmured.

She turned in surprise, a smile lighting her face. “The ribs are still a little sore, but I think I’ll get over it.”

He went to her, wrapping her in his arms, greedily inhaling her scent. Her recovery had been phenomenal, but he could not bring himself to act on the passions it created in him. This was creating a serious problem for him. He had continued to share a bed with her, but had restricted his physical contact to simply holding her while they slept for fear of bringing back the horrors she had experienced. He was rapidly becoming more frustrated than he had thought it possible to be.

She relaxed in the warmth of his embrace until she felt him stiffen slightly and pull away just the slightest bit. She had been fearing this reaction. How could he want to be with her now, after what had happened? She lowered her eyes, turning away from him. “You don’t have to touch me.”

His eyes narrowed in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You know what happened as well as I do. I know that you can’t leave me, but I won’t force you to stay closer to me than necessary.”

He closed his eyes, shaking his head at the obvious misunderstanding. “That’s not it at all. It’s not that I don’t want to be with you--gods, I want that more than anything! I know what those bastards did. How could I do the same?”

She was starting to understand what had happened. “Do you really think that what happens between us is the same? It’s kind of like the difference between a lover’s touch and getting hit by a truck.”

“I didn’t want to start anything before you were ready for it.”

“Before I’m ready?!? I’ve been going nuts trying to figure out why you haven’t been very…close lately. I figured that you might not want me after that.”

He crushed her to him, loosening his grip when he felt her gasp at the pressure on her injured ribs. “I think,” he said, breathing in the scent of her growing eagerness, “That you’re pretty close to ready right now.”

She reached up with her left hand to stroke the fur of his ear. “Then maybe you should do something about it.”

He placed her carefully among the cushions, fumbling a little in his haste to undo the ties of her clothing. Looking at her, he could still picture exactly where each bruise, cut, and other injury had been. He bent down, his lips to her ear, and murmured, “This may take a while,” as he set about trying to erase the memory of each of them. Her gasp when his fingers strayed over the mark he had left on her right shoulder showed him that the spot was still extremely sensitive: only the slightest pressure was necessary to ignite her passion.

In the end, it was his realization that the scent of her arousal and ultimate fulfillment was nothing at all like the scent of fear that had been on her when she had been found that allowed him his own release. Listening to her deep, even breathing at his side, he wondered exactly how he had failed to notice it before now. Well, he decided, the past few days of lost time were his own damned fault, but there was no reason why he couldn’t make up for it now.

Pulling her closer so that her intoxicating scent could surround him like his warmth enveloped her, he drifted off to sleep, satisfied that the wound that had been opened between them was finally healing.

He woke suddenly to the faint feeling of something moving against him. Looking down to where his hand rested against his mate, he realized that he was actually feeling the movement of the pup. Well, my son, he thought, it looks like you approve.