InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Seven Feudal Fairy Tales ❯ Filthy Ways ( Chapter 13 )

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and other associated companies. This chapter includes the threat of rape and general violence, be warned.

 

 

Chapter 13: Filthy Ways

 

 

`It must be a dream. Right now, I'm asleep in my sleeping bag with Shippou cradled in my arms. At any moment I will wake up in our camp for the night. Next to me will be Sango, sleeping happily with Kirara. Miroku will be leaning against a tree not too far away with a little bit of drool seeping out of his mouth. And Inuyasha, he'll be reclining against another tree with his sword leaning against his shoulder. I'll scream myself awake from this nightmare at any moment and they'll all wake up with a start and rush over to comfort me. I'll tell them about the scroll and the poem. I'll tell them about the fairy tales. About the wrestling match with the mean rabbit and about rowing up a river in a rice bowl. About the rice farmers and the ridiculous princess who was stupidly involved in their plight. And about the tai youkai who carried me around over his shoulder and made me feel like a fool. They'll all laugh at the silliness and give me gentle embraces and kind words of reassurance. Maybe even tease me. Inuyasha will laugh the hardest and fantasize about how nice it would be if Sesshoumaru was palm sized. It will happen, at any moment now. Any moment.'

 

Kagome's eyes fluttered open, hoping for the dim, orange glow of embers of a dying campfire. For the soft, auburn hair of her adopted, kitsune son nestled against her chest. For the familiar shapes of her sleeping friends unknowingly waiting to make her feel better.

 

“Trees,” she muttered, followed with a soft sigh of resignation.

 

“Wretched things that they are with their clawing branches. Fine silk is not meant for such abuse,” the princess remarked, her voice scathing as she examined yet another tear gracing her once beautiful dress. “Do not worry Issun, I shall ask father to burn this forest for its impudence when I return.”

 

“Hime, please…” the school girl began, looking up at the flustered profile of the princess before sighing again. “Never mind.”

 

Behind her the low, deep chuckle of the bandit echoed in Kagome's ears, its sinister tone drowning out the soothing rustle of leaves in the interwoven branches of the forest above her. The hair stood on the back of her neck and she twisted around to stare at the man uneasily. He strode slowly behind the stumbling princess, his movements smooth, like a predator stalking its prey. His dark eyes slid over the hime's body watching every swaying motion greedily until he was caught by the school girl's angry glare. A grin of crooked, decaying teeth spread across his face as he returned her stare and then leisurely licked his cracked lips in anticipation for delights to come.

 

Kagome tore her eyes away and faced forward once more, focusing on the winding trail nearly hidden amongst the overgrown foliage surrounding them. A burble of acid rose in her throat and she gulped it down hard, quelling another urge to throw up. She wanted to retch. To expel all of the anxiety that bubbled and churned in her belly. She would feel a little better, but the princess undoubtedly would not be pleased with the new stain on her already ruined clothes, besides there was something about throwing up on royalty that seemed rather uncultured.

 

Taking several, deep breaths to waylay her stomach for a few moments, Kagome glanced around the princess' shoulders, searching for the familiar silver, black and red of the youkai lord. The empty, pink fabric of the kimono was all that greeted her and she watched her vision grow glossy and wet. He had disappeared sometime when they had first entered the shadowy and twisting forest. One minute he was meditating and the next he was gone. Patiently, she waited for him to return from wherever he had wandered off to. She waited for him to nimbly land next to her without a sound and to settle down gracefully on the hime's shoulder, continuing his ambiguous training with a shrug or his usual, indifferent grunt. She pinched her eyes shut, rubbing her palms roughly over them, angry at her tears, at her weakness and at her dependence.

 

“Issun, you have been so quiet, my great protector,” the princess remarked, dragging the school girl away from her silent wallowing in doubt and fear, her bold voice eliciting another disturbing chuckle from their guide behind them.

 

“I just don't feel well. I'm sorry, hime.”

 

“Do not trouble yourself,” she replied, “You must be experiencing that pre-battle anxiety the soldiers speak of. If these revolting brutes are not willing to listen to reason, then you shall ease your nerves with their blood soon enough.” Kagome stifled the sick laugh that pressed against her lips at the princess' words, gripping the thin needle she held firmly in her hand harder.

 

“Hime?”

 

“Yes, Issun,” she answered jovially.

 

“If anything happens, I'm sorry. I-I only wanted to help. And—“

 

“Issun, I have faith in you. I have no reason to worry with you and your blade at my side. You have nothing to fear either. You are a great warrior.”

 

“I-I'm not a great warrior,” Kagome spoke shakily, staring up into the light, brown eyes of the smiling princess. “I'm just small and weak. I can't protect you. You-you need to run. Maybe I can stop this one, slow him down enough for you to escape back to the road. I-I could—“

 

“Hush,” she interrupted gently, holding a single, manicured finger up to the school girl's face. “You are Issunboshi. The battle is yours. It always has been.”

 

“We have arrived, my lady,” the bandit spoke up suddenly, his gruff voice grating next to the soft, dulcet tone of the hime.

 

“Shall we, Issun?” the princess said with another smile and walked confidently with her head held high through the last of the thick underbrush into the small clearing. Several, heavy tents spread out before them, the marbling discolor of their material from years of use blending them unnaturally well with the mottling of the surrounding trees. They were snugly huddled together around smeary, black fire pits, whose flames burned bright under the lowering sun of the early evening. Sitting listlessly on stumps of long since fallen trees and empty, wooden crates were other bandits, patiently waiting for their pilfered meal to finish cooking. They chatted genially with each other, breaking out into deep, raucous laughter at a well-placed joke or an ill-placed blunder.

 

Their voices gradually quieted as they noticed the unusual company in silken finery approach. Glancing around wearily, some paused to inspect their pipes, wondering if their snuff was not the benign variety they had thought it was. A few stood up, stumbling back over the makeshift seats on which they had sat, mumbling about angry spirits of those they had wronged.

 

`It would have ended without a single word,' Kagome thought resentfully as she watched the panicky men slowly giving into their fear of supernatural retribution.

 

“Oi, men!” the bandit behind them called out, his tone hard and commanding. The school girl closed her eyes as she saw the men straighten up at the sound of the voice, mumbling in confusion to each other. There was no way out now. “Get back in your seats, you superstitious idiots. There's no such thing as divine vengeance, otherwise we'd have been dead a long time ago.”

 

“But, boss, what the hell's that, then?” one called out from the safety of the trees bordering on the far end of the camp.

 

“It's our guest.”

 

“Guest? That's a guest?” they murmured amongst themselves, looking doubtfully at the young woman in the elaborate kimono before them.

 

“This is the daughter of the emperor, our hime,” the bandit leader went on with a grin, unable to hide his amusement. “She has come to speak to us about our, what was it?. Our filthy ways. My lady, if you will.”

 

“Of course,” she replied, after he bowed low before her, much to her pleasure. This was going better than she had planned. “Listen here, my countrymen,” she began, looking them over individually, contented with their rapt, albeit puzzled attention, “It has come to my notice that you all have been committing revolting acts against the farmers and merchants who live with us in our great nation. I am here today to ask you to cease these abominable activities, although I'm finding it harder to blame you as I see the squalor that you live in.”

 

“Squalor?” a man piped up, his brow crooked as he raised his arms wide, gesturing to the camp. “This place?”

 

“Yes, of course. What other place is this disgusting. To think you have pillaged so much and yet you still live in tents and sit in soot. Shame on all of you.”

 

“Shame on us?”

 

“Is there not a spring or even a creek nearby for you to wash in? Never have I been in the presence of such filth. None of you have taken a bath for a month at least. Repulsive.”

 

“There, there, my lady,” the head bandit spoke up, as angry murmurs filtered through the men, “There are no good women around here to keep us from falling into such ruin. You know how we men are.”

 

“So, it would seem. A good woman would never allow this contemptible level of disarray.”

 

“Perhaps, if one would be so kind to accompany us, we would no longer be inclined to our filthy ways.”

 

“That is a consideration,” she remarked thoughtfully, noticing the nods of agreement passing through the gathering of men whilst ignoring their growing smiles and insidious chuckles.

 

“It also appears that we could change our ways rather immediately.”

 

“Hime!” Kagome yelled in warning at the princess as the bandit leader closed the distance between them in two, quick strides, grasping her around the arms firmly, leaning close to her ear.

 

“I think with you, we could change our ways tonight,” he whispered, nuzzling her hair, inhaling deeply.

 

“Release me, you beast!” she screamed, trying to twist out of his iron grasp.

 

“Oh my lady, I do love a good fight,” he spoke huskily, releasing one arm to reach around and grasp her jaw roughly. He pulled her face back towards him and to his waiting lips. “Let's see if you're as sweet as you look.”

 

“I am not for you to taste,” she commanded as the wet spray of spit showered his face. He laughed heartily, joined by the malicious grins and laughter of the waiting men, each wondering when they might get the chance to taste her as well.

 

“A good start, my lady. But we are truly in disgusting shape and filth takes time to cleanse. Wash us clean as only a woman can.”

 

“Release her!” a thin voice screamed at him, startling him from his second attempt to taste the full lips of the princess. He looked down to find a tiny boy leveling a needle at his face, his breaths heavy and rapid.

 

“I forgot,” the bandit leader said, nearly laughing again, “Your protector will save you. He's slain hoards of demons and our like would be nothing but fodder at his blade.”

 

“If you release her now, then I will allow you all to live,” Kagome demanded, hiding her fear in her voice, but not her body as her arms and legs quaked under the bandit's stare.

 

“Little boy, you will have to slay me then.”

 

“So, be it.”

 

A searing pain jolted through the leader's eye and a howl of agony ripped from his lips. He let his untasted prize go as he groped feebly at the slick wetness slipping down his cheeks, oozing from his tightly, shut eye.

 

“That little bastard stabbed me in the eye,” he half groaned and half yelled. “Grab her and find that little shit!” A sea of men who had already risen at their leader's unexpected cry of pain, descended on the princess, grabbing her arms and waist as she struck out vainly with her fists. Their grubby fingers slipped hungrily over her body, almost forgetting their purpose. Another man screamed, pulling back his offended thumb after his wandering hand grazed over the soft mounds of the hime's bosom. Nimbly, another man reached down, snatching the small figure hidden within the thick obi bound around the princess' torso.

 

“I've got him, boss,” he yelled triumphantly, pinning the troublesome arms of the boy down in his closed fist, along with the vicious needle.

 

“Let me go!” Kagome screamed, before biting down on the calloused skin of her flesh prison. The man's grip tightened at the prick of her teeth and she gasped as the air was pressed from her chest. “Want me to crush - it, sir?”

 

“No, the leader yelled, swallowing at the groans aching in his throat and holding his hand soothingly against his eye. “Let it watch and when we're done with her, I'll kill it myself. Where are the rest of the men anyway?”

 

“They're out on a raid. They should be back any minute.”

 

“Good. Bring the hime over here. I was going to be gentle before and take my time as a delicacy like this deserves, but it seems I'm not in the mood anymore.”

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama!” Kagome cried out, tears streaking down her cheeks as she watched the screaming princess being dragged over to the waiting leader, her clothing ripping from the fumbling hands of the eager men. “Please, come back! I need your help!”

 

“Shut up, you little shit,” the man holding her snarled, tightening his grip once again.

 

“P-lease,” she coughed and wheezed, choking on the saltiness in her throat and the arresting of air from her lungs. “I-I'm sorry I got into this and I'm sorry I did this without thinking. I di-didn't want this to happen and I didn't think things would go this fa-far. I know that having pity for someone, ha-having compassion for their troubles doesn't mean I have to involve myself. So-sometimes things are just too big and it's not fair for me to p-put it on someone else's shoulders as well as mine. I only want to help, to-to make life better for those around me and n-now I understand the responsibility that comes with that. I wish I could do it over again. So-so please, just this once, save her for me.” The frantic screams of the princess and cheers of the bandits filled the empty air as her hope faded away with every struggling breath.

 

“You will save her yourself, miko,” a deep, baritone voice replied nonchalantly above her. Twisting her head around as far as she could, the blood shot gaze of the school girl settled on the white figure standing motionless upon the crest of her imprisoner's helm, staring down at her plainly. An airy laugh of relief shook her body as she watched the youkai lord casually unsheathe Tokijin from the obi at his waist. Then leaving only a slight stirring of air in his wake, he was gone. A silver flash glinted across the man's throat and a thin line of red grew across his tanned skin. Eyes wide with shock and pain, he felt at his neck, his hand wet with the steady flow of blood pouring from the near horizontal cut.

 

Landing next to her so suddenly that he seemed to have been conjured out of thin air, the tai youkai's blade swept down at the man's thumb, deftly carving it from its socket. The school girl watched in horrified fascination as the sword swiftly finished its grisly amputation, the flat of the blade grazing her shoulder with the final motion. Kagome quickly clambered out of the relaxing fist as the thumb fell cleanly away. Climbing onto the back of the hand, she felt an uneasy drop in her stomach as the man slowly stumbled, the life fleeing from his veins.

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama?” she called out plaintively at the demon who unhurriedly swung his sword with a down and out motion, freeing the blood from the shining blade.

 

The man fell jarringly down to his knees, nearly knocking the unsteady school girl from her perch. Casting about for a way to keep her balance, she watched in earnest as Sesshoumaru re-sheathed Tokijin in its place, inwardly wishing she had requested a saya to go with her needle.

 

“Are oou dun, vet?”

 

“Hn,” he grunted with a slight shrug, his stance unwavering as the body beneath him swayed, threatening to fall one final time, “Shall we?”

 

“Jush tosh me ofer oour shoulver and ret's go!” she yelled through the needle anchored between her teeth as she gripped the dying man's arm guard desperately with both of her hands. A soft, rich chuckle was her answer.

 

“Very well.”

 

A/N: Have to earn that mature rating sometime…