InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Price Paid ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Warnings: Yaoi, Consent under Duress, Anal, Fetish (tentacles and breathplay)

 

Disclaimer: The characters Inuyasha, Naraku, Sesshoumaru, and any others in this fic are owned not by me but by the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi. Credit for the inspiration of this story belongs to the marvelous Avarwen and her oneshot `Was It Worth It?'

 

Important A/N-This is a continuation of Avarwen's `Was It Worth It?' which absolutely must be read first. Both because it is crucial to the storyline and because it is a remarkable piece of fiction. Here's the link

 

http://mediaminer.org/fanfic/view_ch.php/126692/434686#fic_ c

 

 

~*~

 

Chapter One

 

 

He did it again, Inuyasha smirked as a bright childish giggle rose from the grassy hillside spread before him. The white-maned hanyou was perched in a tree--looking to all the world as if he were asleep--watching the little kitsune kit frolic around Kagome's bare feet. As much as the fluffy youkai pretended he was all grown up, the inuhanyou took quite a bit of pleasure in watching the kid revert back to the childhood that'd been stripped from him. Inuyasha knew first-hand the horrors of growing up too quickly after the death of parents, and it pained him every time Shippou was forced into another battle or left to care for the well-being of one of his caretakers.

 

Not that that meant he wouldn't tease the little runt about scampering and giggling like a brat, however. Inuyasha's smirk grew wider as he imagined all the ways he'd be able to manipulate the kid with this new info tonight. Maybe he'd get an extra fish or two before Kagome sat him.

 

But for right now, the hanyou was content to simply watch the pastoral scene as Kagome studied, book resting against updrawn knees and the wind gently lifting her hair and skirt. Her bare toes were digging into the grass, ornamented by a hyperactive kitsune who was using the girl as some kind of jungle gym. The white stick hanging from the small youkai's mouth was probably mostly to blame. Inuyasha wasn't sure why the young girl hadn't noticed those damn suckers always turned the already-annoying little runt into a terror. And someday, the kid was gonna trip and fall and get that stick lodged in his throat.

 

But for now, watching the two of them was peaceful. At the base of the hill, a small stream wandered through the hilly but mostly treeless countryside. Sango was crouched next to the sparkling blue ribbon and doing something domestic--probably washing clothes. It was amusing to Inuyasha that such a warrior-woman could be so blatantly `womanly' sometimes. She was even more so than Kagome. Beside her, watching but doing very little to actually help, was the monk. The two were talking, Inuyasha could hear the faint murmurs even from where he sat, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

 

He probably could if he tried, but for now, they offered a pleasant background melody. `White static' Kagome had called it once when he'd mentioned how the sound of nature was always there and he always heard it but never actually heard it.

 

But he didn't need to hear their words to see they were bickering in that sweet way they always did--before the monk blew it anyway. Sango's open position and the slight blush that occasionally dusted her nose gave away that their fights were more about courting than fighting, something Inuyasha did not now nor would ever understand.

 

The hanyou shifted slightly on his branch, wincing a bit as he relieved pressure on some sore areas only to apply pressure on others. Deliberately, he impressed the images around him on his mind. The sight of Kagome as she studied, frustration making a small crease in her brow as she chewed lightly on her stylus. The flashing of baby fangs as Shippou let out a wide grin, his tiny pink tongue struggling to keep the red candy from falling to the ground. The peace that sometimes settled on Sango's visage when she turned her face into the wind and let herself, for just a moment, forget about her dead comrades and her baby brother. Those rare moments, when Sango wasn't looking, and the mask fell from Miroku's face, letting hope and love infuse and soften his otherwise careless façade. These were all images that were very dear to the hanyou, images he made sure to engrave on the backs of his retinas so he could recall them when he needed to remember. Because, sometimes he needed to remember what he fought and suffered for.

 

He let his lazy gaze rest on the girl from the future. He loved her, he really did. But…she was too good for him. He was a hanyou. His life had been hard and dirty and it had left him stained. Hell, he thought ruefully as sharp twinges shot through his spine and reminded him of his latest nightly encounter, I'm making myself worse every day.

 

But she lived a world that was so different. Not just like the villagers with their wholesome families and regular food and schedules. In her world, Kagome washed every day--with special soaps. They ate in a room where even the floor was clean enough to eat off of. Even the door handles had covers so that hands wouldn't get dirty. With the experiences Inuyasha had lived through--and still did--there was no way he could not pass his taint to her.

 

Once, he'd tried. He'd loved Kikyou and knew he didn't deserve her but he'd tried anyway. And she'd died. He couldn't do that to Kagome.

 

But just because he couldn't have her didn't mean he couldn't protect her.

 

The sun was dropping in the sky, falling behind the young woman and gilding her with a soft golden silhouette. Soon, it would be time for supper. The day had been lazy, as many were anymore. There were no shards left unaccounted for and the others thought Naraku was in hiding so there was little pressure to pursue what they couldn't find. This slow pace gave Inuyasha plenty of excuse to rest. His nightly excursions took a lot out of him and he knew that soon there'd be no energy left.

 

“Inuyasha,” the girl called over to him. Her voice was low and controlled as she tried to gently lull him from the sleep she thought he was in. “I'm gonna get supper started.”

 

“Yeah, ya lazy dog,” Shippou began as he hopped over beneath the branches of the tree, “ya gonna come down and help or ya gonna sleep up there all day?”

 

“How the hell am I `spose to sleep with some damn runt squeaking and yapping over there?” Inuyasha answered the good-natured taunt. “Ya'd think I was running some kinda goddamned nursery or somethin'.”

 

Shippou puffed out his chest as Kagome sighed and headed back to their camp. “Yeah?” the kid challenged, “Why don't you come down here and say that, ya weak hanyou? Think you can take on a real youkai?”

 

That was all Inuyasha needed. Dropping gracefully from the tree, he landed with one fist on the runt's head. He didn't miss the flash of playful amusement that skittered across Shippou's eyes before he cried out for Kagome and bounded off. At a more sedated pace, Inuyasha followed, Sango and Miroku behind him. Kagome would probably sit him soon and then he'd have some Ramen and the day would be complete.

 

If only it would stay that way.

 

~*~

 

It was a pleasant night, Inuyasha thought hatefully as he bounded through the treetops. It was cool, but winter was holding back a little this year so the air didn't bite. Instead, it tasted sweet as nature went through its final period of growth before a blanket of white sleep draped over the land.

 

And Inuyasha hated that it was so fucking nice. It would make him feel better if the night were dark, instead of lit by a pregnant moon and field of stars. If only the air were cold or damp. If he were going to be doing this kinda shit, it'd be nice if the world at least acknowledged that he was suffering.

 

He kept running and leaping, trying to get as far from his sleeping companions as possible. He'd made it to a forest at least, and was grateful he'd have some cover for what was soon to happen. Guess that's better than out in the open where anyone can see, he mused and thanked the gods for at least that much of a small favor. Once he was deep into the woods, he slowed down. It wouldn't do to go too far and end up bypassing the area completely before…

 

“Inuyasha…” a deep voice echoed softly around the branches and the startled hanyou missed a step, lost his pace and balance, slid across the forest floor, and crashed gracelessly into the base of a tree. He untangled his limbs and rose up to a crouch, hoping he'd at least be able to stand before his tormenter knocked him down again. His lip twitched while the inuhanyou repressed the urge to bare his fangs as a form approached and began to take shape between the trees.

 

Red eyes gazed at him lecherously and unblinkingly. They were a dark sick red, like the setting sun when the clouds were thick. An omen that the night would be haunted with disaster and death. It was somehow fitting that Naraku carried this omen with him continuously.

 

Rage and hatred wracked through the smaller man's body as Naraku approached, backing him up against the tree. The desire to kill this beast was so strong that Inuyasha had to ball his hands into fists to keep from making an attempt. He would fail, after all, and then their agreement would be void. There was no way he'd let all his suffering be for nothing. He kept his gaze fixed on the small hollow at the base of the creature's neck, knowing he wouldn't be able to hold back a snarl if he looked up into those smirking eyes.

 

One hand came to rest beside his head, entrapping the smaller hanyou against the tree as the form of the monster before him pressed up against Inuyasha. The air within the enclosed space filled with the light tinge of deadly miasma that always hovered over Naraku even when he wasn't releasing the poisonous gas. The other hand brushed knuckles gently across Inuyasha's cheekbone before drifting along the jawline and tilting his face up.

 

Sharp fangs dug into Inuyasha's lip while he struggled to keep a blank visage as he gazed into those deadly red eyes. “Have you thought about what I said, my pet?” the darker man asked, amusement dancing cruelly in his deep voice. The smaller man choked on a cry as dull fingernails flexed their grip and gouged into the flesh of his chin. “Are those humans worth this?” the man continued and Inuyasha was relieved when that terrifying gaze dropped from his in order to watch the tiny streams of blood that dripped from the new wounds. “Even now, you're sacrificing yourself for them and they probably assume you're amusing yourself with other matters.”

 

The hanyou's heart grew heavy because he knew it was true. If his companions ever noticed he disappeared during the darkest hours of the night, they would surely think the worst of him. They would think he was abandoning his duties to protect them. He could picture the shadow that would cross Kagome's eyes as she imagined him with Kikyou encircled within his arms.

 

But the images he'd stored so carefully from earlier arose. Kagome, eyes sparkling as she laughed at some joke of Sango's that only girls understood while she handed him his cup of Ramen. The puff in Shippou's chest as he emulated Inuyasha even as the kit pretended to detest his surrogate brother.

 

And Inuyasha knew he had to be here, even if his companions--the only friends he'd ever had--wouldn't understand. Letting his resolution steel his eyes, Inuyasha returned Naraku's gaze with fierce determination. Only to have Naraku chuckle softly in response while that hand dropped from his chin and, following the line of the smaller man's throat, worked its way into his clothing.

 

Inuyasha dug his claws into the bark of the tree behind him as Naraku's cold hand mapped out the lines of his chest. Cruel fingers pinched and pulled at the sensitive skin of his nipples, eliciting tiny winces from flesh that was still bruised from previous abuse. Only after the peach aureoles were worried to a deep blush did Naraku let up on his curious assault. With a skilled jerk, he flipped the hanyou, pressing Inuyasha's face into the rough bark of the tree.

 

“You're so much more amusing this way, Inuyasha,” the taller man murmured into a furred ear as he positioned a hand beneath the inuhanyou's chin and tipped the head back, arching the young man's neck uncomfortably. “Why did you ever insist on becoming my nemesis? This is far more fun.”

 

Inuyasha kept Kagome's innocent smile in mind as Naraku positioned his head to lie back on the taller man's shoulder before hands drifted back down his chest.

 

“Was this the reason?” the darker hanyou asked maliciously as his thumb ran over the tiny white indention left by Kikyou's arrow. Inuyasha shuddered violently, which only made the taller man chuckle again--a sound that reverberated from the darker man's chest to vibrate through the smaller's form. Hands continued to move down through the opened fabric of Inuyasha's haori, weaving between the line of Inuyasha's body and the rough bark of the unforgiving tree until they came to rest on the ties of his hakama.

 

“Such a perfect little whore,” the man murmured into Inuyasha's ear before sucking the appendage between his painted lips and biting down on it. The sharp unexpected pain dragged a choked cry from the inuhanyou's throat, which only caused his attacker to bite harder.

 

The thin cloud of miasma that hovered over the two hanyou was starting to affect the young man. It wasn't enough to kill him, even with prolonged exposure, but it was enough to make his head feel as though it had been stuffed with thick balls of fabric. His nose and tongue grew numb until that taint was all he could smell. He couldn't hear anything outside Naraku's voice and the beating of his own heart.

 

But just as Inuyasha expected hands to open the ties of his hakama and the true punishments to begin, Naraku pulled back slightly before spinning them both around. With his senses and mind clouded by Naraku's poisonous presence, it took a moment for the inuhanyou to regain his bearings. He was pressed with his back to Naraku's chest by a strong arm around his torso, the dark hanyou now standing between Inuyasha and the tree, and his golden eyes were staring blindly out into the forest.

 

“Congratulations,” a disgusted sneer rose from the darkness that his eyes couldn't quite pierce. “You've managed to astound me; I wouldn't have thought you were capable of sinking any lower, hanyou.”

 

“Good evening, Sesshoumaru-sama,” Naraku greeted as the youkai stepped from the shadows, his icy golden gaze remaining fixed on Inuyasha's. “As much I enjoy your company however, you have managed to interrupt my entertainment.”

 

Inuyasha felt himself flush as Naraku cupped his chin from behind, lifting his face as if to present for Sesshoumaru's viewing. Never in his life had he felt such shame as when his elder brother took in the state of his opened clothing and the familiar way in with Naraku held his body. That hard golden gaze left a tangible trail of revulsion that filled the young man with such shame that he had to ball his hands into fists at his sides in order to keep from striking out. Although whether it was at the icy prince before him, at the perverse tormenter behind, or at himself, he wasn't sure.

 

Fingers slid up over his jaw to press against his lips and Inuyasha saw Sesshoumaru's eyes narrow as that golden gaze followed their path. Please no, he begged silently, not in front of Sesshoumaru. But as usual, his prayers went unanswered.

 

“Suck them in, pet,” Naraku purred. Inuyasha watched as Sesshoumaru held his breath, waiting for the inuhanyou's response. He could hear the unspoken command along with the promises of pain and retribution the inuyoukai would inflict if the young man had truly allied himself to the creature that was an enemy to both of them. His brother's blatant disapproval awakened some surviving traces of pride and the inuhanyou pursed his lips and clenched his jaw.

 

But Naraku was undeterred. “Are you denying me, Inuyasha?” he asked softly, amusement entwined with deadly threat coloring the question. “Are you already willing to break our pact?”

 

Mention of the pact, however, tore away at Inuyasha's resistance and reminded the young inuhanyou of why he was here. Why he had given Naraku the power to use him and humiliate him. A glimpse of Kagome, hair gilded gold by the sun, appeared from behind his eyes. He'd promised to protect her and he'd agreed to do anything to keep her safe. He closed his eyes to shut out the golden gaze of his sibling and opened his lips to accept the fingers.

 

Naraku proved his perversion as he moaned in appreciation when Inuyasha sucked two fingers into his mouth, wrapping and stroking them with his tongue. It didn't seem to matter to the dark hanyou that they had an audience as he pressed his swollen groin against his captive's back.

 

“Just look at him, Sesshoumaru-sama,” Naraku said, pride and pleasure oozing through his being. “Would you have thought such a crass, unmannered, ill-bred creature could be so obedient and satisfying?” Heat crept up Inuyasha's chest and neck, leaving his face flushed. Inside his mouth, the fingers began to shift. The skin on his tongue was becoming rubbery as the digits became boneless and fluid. The hanyou gagged and choked as he realized Naraku was transforming the appendage, creating a tentacle rapidly filling his mouth and working its way down his throat.

 

The boneless appendage warred momentarily with his tongue, until Inuyasha let the wet muscle lie helpless on the bottom of his mouth. The white-maned hanyou sucked in a deep breath through his nose just before the rubbery flesh reached the back of his throat and cut off his supply of air.

 

“Good boy,” Naraku murmured approvingly into the young man's ear as the flesh began to pump rhythmically, mimicking the more erotic undulations that were their usual pastime. “See how well he takes me in, Sesshoumaru-sama,” the dark hanyou continued, “so easily and willingly. And he is perfectly willing,” Naraku laughed. “He allows this; he wants this,” that dreadful voice continued and Inuyasha trembled from the effort it took to avoid sinking his fangs into the wet length between them.

 

“So if you've come to rescue your little brother--a touchingly fraternal sentiment--I'm afraid that's not necessary. Unless, of course, you'd like to take his place…” Inuyasha choked on the slippery appendage at Naraku's suggestion and the thrusting flesh paused mercifully until he was able to regain control.

 

“I'm tempted to end such a perverse display,” Sesshoumaru growled and curiosity forced the inuhanyou to wrench open an eye and he saw, with some relief, that the white youkai had drawn his sword. It took only a moment to come to peace with dying by his brother's hand as long as Naraku was destroyed with him.

 

“You could certainly try,” Naraku agreed amicably. “And I'm certain you'd be successful in destroying this lovely little puppy,” the dark hanyou pointed out, finally withdrawing the saliva-slicked tentacle. “But are you so certain you would be able to destroy me?” Inuyasha dropped his chin to his chest, a heavy white fringe of bangs hiding him from the world, as he understood Naraku's meaning. It was one reason why Inuyasha was unable to defeat Naraku himself. There were very few among the dark hanyou's enemies who hadn't shredded through that mishmash body of his. But it would take something more than slicing his flesh to kill Naraku.

 

And apparently, Sesshoumaru realized it as well as he resheathed his sword.

 

“Have you changed your mind and decided to join us, Sesshoumaru-sama?” Naraku gloated, his perverse voice betraying his knowledge that he'd won in this little encounter. “I'll even let you play with him. He's really quite good, you know.”

 

“I've neither the time nor the stomach to further engage in this sickening conversation.” Once more, Inuyasha felt his body heat and his skin tingle as another full body flush rose when his sibling's disgusted golden gaze drifted over him. With his eyes cast down toward his feet, the hanyou heard rather than saw as Sesshoumaru silently turned and disappeared back into the dark embrace of the trees.

 

His heart sank. He'd never expected his brother to be his savior but for a few moments he'd hoped that Sesshoumaru would at least kill him. Death would be preferable to what was about to happen next.

 

A hand, transformed back into that shape from the thick appendage that had been pulsing down his throat and still wet with the hanyou's own saliva, trailed slowly down his abdomen halting only when cool fingertips teased the heavy cloth of his hakama. “Too bad,” Naraku murmured not sounding at all distraught. “It would have been rather amusing to have two inuyoukai at my pleasure. Oh well, I suppose you can make up for your vaulted brother's absence.”

 

Inuyasha dug his fangs into his lip, holding back on a warning growl as Naraku finally worked his hand into the inuhanyou's hakama and began to fondle the flaccid flesh within. Inuyasha rarely hardened on these excursions and never because he was aroused by the dark hanyou's touch.

 

“Sesshoumaru,” the white-maned young man growled out as Naraku's hand abandoned its attempts to awaken Inuyasha's sex and worked its way around the slim hips to cradle a round buttock.

 

“What was that, my pet?” Naraku asked as he slid a dry finger down the crease that led to the tight entrance he was about to invade.

 

“I want to add Sesshoumaru to our bargain,” Inuyasha bit out, trying not to tense as that finger worked its way into him, his body fighting him as it tried to force the invading digit out.

 

“But what would you barter with, little hanyou?” Naraku purred, his voice warm and sticky against Inuyasha's ear, “You've already traded over everything I could want. You've got nothing left.”

 

When a second and third finger was added, Inuyasha failed to hold back the grunt as the uncomfortable pressure within his body bordered on unbearable. Naraku's other hand pulled at the ties of his hakama and the material dropped to a red puddle around his feet, quickly joined by his juban and haori. The untransformed and still sheathed Tessaiga fell to the ground with a muffled thud and left only the heavy weight of the rosary around the hanyou's neck.

 

Turning the inuhanyou back to face the tree, Naraku began to open his robes and soon Inuyasha felt the blunt tip of the shape-shifting hanyou's exaggerated length against his stretched entrance. Sharp claws dug deep trenches into the bark of the tree as the thick hard flesh eased its way into his body, stretching and tearing the sensitive tissues along its path.

 

Strong hands closed around slim hips as Naraku guided the smaller form until he was firmly and deeply embedded in the trembling frame. “Your body was wasted before this, Inuyasha,” he breathed into a flattened fur-covered ear. “Truly, I believe I will never tire of dominating you this way.

 

“However,” he continued as his pace remain slow and leisurely, his chest wet with a slight sheen of perspiration pressing against Inuyasha's back, “I cannot grant you protection for Sesshoumaru.” One hand left his hip and trailed up to his throat, stroking the sharp lines as he tipped that white-mane back onto his shoulder. The inuhanyou tried desperately to hold back any pain or shame that might reflect in his eyes as he was forced to meet that blood-red gaze. Long tendrils of unruly black hair snaked over his shoulder as Naraku looked down on him, sticking unpleasantly to the smaller man's damp chest.

 

“Your companions are no true threat to me, tormenting them is merely a pleasant diversion. And since you've agreed to provide me with a more pleasant pastime, I no longer have need of them. Your brother, on the other hand, continues to be an annoyance to me. Eventually, his stubborn persistence will force me to battle and consume him. I wonder,” Naraku continued, “if he will be nearly as tasty.” A gruesome smirk distorted his painted face before those tormenting red eyes released Inuyasha's gaze and sharp teeth sank into his ear.

 

Fingers tightened around the inuhanyou's windpipe as Naraku's pace became more brutal, nearly lifting the hanyou off his feet with each painful thrust. Inuyasha's vision began to blur as the lack of fresh oxygen heightened the effect of the miasma already in his system. Blackness began to creep along the edges of his sight and his world narrowed to a small patch of stars blinking through the shifting leaves. But as his sight faded, every nerve in his body became more sensitive.

 

Blood began to pound painfully behind his eyes until Inuyasha finally let them drift shut. A slight adjustment from Naraku, however, made the lids fly back open as an explosion of pleasure coursed through his over-sensitized body. As his mouth dropped open, trying to suck in air, a dark lusty laughed blanketed his ears.

 

“Can you come for me, Inuyasha?” Naraku smirked when the inuhanyou's sex pulsed to life as each thrust hit that spot dead on. Heat was pooling quickly in his groin, tightening his balls and making his length pulse painfully. The screaming in his lungs was overwhelmed by the fuzziness that filled his head and all Inuyasha could feel was the pleasure/pain as Naraku tore into him so hard and so deep the smaller man was afraid he'd soon taste blood.

 

“Now, pet,” Naraku growled in a voice filled with anger and malice that the inuhanyou wasn't even remotely able to sort out at the moment. A hand closed tightly around his sex, squeezing painfully before giving it a rough tug and Inuyasha nearly passed out as the stars above filled his vision and he released onto the rough bark of the tree.

 

Immediately, Naraku released his throat and the sudden influx of air was as heady as the recent loss of it. Inuyasha's legs gave out beneath him and only Naraku's arms around his chest and waist held him standing while the dark hanyou continued to thrust hard and fast into his body, each movement coming more painfully and more erratically than the last until hot seed found its way into his bowels.

 

Inuyasha felt barely conscious as Naraku softened within him after the dark hanyou found his own climax and the bastard released his grip, letting the inuhanyou crumple to a heap on the forest floor. Shame and humiliation coiled and settled in Inuyasha's stomach before spreading through his chest and weighing down each limb until the young man was sure he'd never be able to raise from this patch of earth.

 

He'd just come for his greatest enemy.

 

A monster who'd killed and cursed his way through the lives and families of each one of Inuyasha's friends.

 

His clothes were still where they'd fallen, less than an arm-length away, and Inuyasha managed to grasp them before pulling them against his chest--without uncurling from his current huddled position.

 

Above him, Naraku was redressing, which mainly just involved adjusting his robes as the dark hanyou hadn't even bothered to completely undress.

 

“Why?” Inuyasha managed to croak out from his abused windpipe. A booted toe came into the inuhanyou's line of sight as Naraku used his foot to push away the lock of white hair that was hiding his face.

 

“Why what, Inuyasha?” Naraku asked, sated satisfaction making his words almost soft.

 

“Why do you want this? Why me?” The effort to speak was painful and Inuyasha guessed he'd have to take extreme care tomorrow to hide the bruises that were bound to adorn his throat but he had to know why. He was nothing special, just a hanyou. A creature that most wouldn't deem worthy to lick the soles of their feet. How in the hell could Naraku want this from him?

 

The evil hanyou crouched down beside his fallen form and Inuyasha shrank back from the monster's touch before he could stop himself. “Has no one ever advised you to never question your good fortune, Inuyasha? If I wanted nothing from you, you and your friends would be dead now. Probably quite painfully.”

 

Cool fingers brushed over Inuyasha's back, pushing aside the damp white strands that were sticking in cooling sweat and the inuhanyou couldn't quite restrain his shudder of revulsion. These are the hands that took Kikyou's life, he couldn't help but think.

 

“You are so wonderfully beautiful like this,” Naraku murmured as he pushed the young man over on his side and placed a cruel hand on a marred cheek. “So much hatred lying just below the surface,” he elaborated. “I am aware that every time I touch you, with every tremble and shudder that flows through your body, you're filled with the darkest of malice and hatred and it is lovely. The rest of the time you jaunt about, rescuing those pathetic human creatures and proving to the world that even a hanyou can be redeeming and yet, beneath it all lays your deception. Because inside you festers a darkness that rivals my own and I see it with every touch.”

 

Golden eyes glared hatefully into smirking red as that hand stoked his cheek, giving truth to Naraku's words as he resisted the urge to sink his fangs into the limb. “And to humiliate you was among Onigumo's deepest desires and having you here, obedient to my word and to my touch, soiling you so that soon even the friends you're trying to protect will no longer recognize you, gives joy to that part of me in which Onigumo still resides. So, you need not fear, my pet, that I will tire of you any time soon. For now, your companions are safe and I will give you one night to rest. But when the moon peaks in the sky the night after next, I will meet with you again.”

 

And in a swirl of dark silk, black hair, and miasma, the dark hanyou was gone.

 

It was a long time before Inuyasha rose to his feet on shaky limbs, leaning back against the tree that had been witness to his latest disgrace. The sickly scent of Naraku's poisonous presence had not vanished and after a few moments, Inuyasha realized it was coming from himself. A bath would help but the inuhanyou couldn't shake the fear that after much more of this, the stench of Naraku would become a brand, a mark that would never wash away.

 

TBC…

 

~*~

 

Annoying A/N-This story was born from the creation of Avarwen's `Was It Worth It?' Yes, that makes it a fanfic of a fanfic. And yes, I'm that much of a geek. I want to thank the wonderful Miss Avarwen for granting me permission to start this little project.

 

If you have any suggestions or remarks please leave a review and/or come visit me at my livejournal http://silenceofheart.livejournal.com/