InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unworthy One ❯ Chapter 14 - A Punishment of Your Own Choosing... ( Chapter 14 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

**Not for Kikyou Lovers! This story contains violence, sexual content and rape! You are WARNED**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor any of the associated characters. But it ain't because I don't want or wish to do so.




Chapter 14 - A Punishment of Your Own Choosing...


For awhile the two children continued to talk to Kagome. It didn't seem to matter to the two that she just sat there and didn't respond. Somehow, deep in their hearts, they knew she heard them. They told her stories, made up songs, hugged her frequently, and every little bit they would give her some tea to drink.

Kikyou got that same look in her eyes as before. The dark heart that she had harbored for so long, working on a plan that was meant to destroy her re-incarnation. If she could not destroy her physically, there were other means. She had not spent all of that time with Naraku and not learned anything. Things that she knew well, how to use and fully intended to do so.

"You know," Kikyou spoke as sweetly as she could, trying to make the children feel comfortable about her presence. "It would make her feel better if you picked some of those flowers for her. You know the ones, those fragrant ones that we followed on our way here. They have grown quite nicely, and they would make her happy."

Shippo didn't trust the ex-priestess. He had seen and heard of her vile schemes, and seen her kill Inuyasha in the last battle. But she did have a good point about the flowers. Kagome loved flowers, and those ones that had followed the blood trail left by his adoptive mother did smell wonderful.

"If we hurry, we would only be gone a few minutes. There are lots of them around. In fact, there are some right over there by the edge of the forest, so we don't even have to leave her sight," said Rin.

"Okay," said Shippo finally. He turned to Kagome, and gently leaped up onto her right shoulder. His little paw reaching out to stroke his adoptive mother's face, he spoke to her, "We will be just over there, mama. We are going to get you some flowers to make you feel better. We promise to stay in sight, and be back in a few minutes."

With that said, both kids dashed off to the patch of desired flowers, leaving Kagome only with Kikyou to keep her company.

Kikyou waited to make sure that the kids were out of earshot. Her plan was working all too easy. She didn't have much time, as the Youkai Lord was due back any time now, and the kids would not be long as well.

"You must be so proud of yourself," she spoke just loud enough for the little Miko to hear her. She didn't care if there was any visible response. All that mattered was that her vile words reach the wretched creature's ears. She smiled as she thought of what her words could do to the girl.

It never even occurred to her to wonder why she felt a need to abuse someone she barely knew. She never once considered that Kagome had never done anything to her. All she thought of was how this 'thing', had taken her looks, her body, her youth, her soul, and the hanyou that she had planned to make her slave so many years ago.

"You have them all bowing to your worthless beck and call," she said. "You have all of the attention that you ever wanted." Kagome just sat there as listlessly as ever.

"But you know," Kikyou continued, looking quickly over to see where the children were, "I wonder just what you have done to deserve such royal treatment. Surely such a worthless, wretched, weak, and pathetic thing like you, could not possibly have done anything to deserve the attentions of a Great Lord, such as Sesshomaru. And look at the others. Do you really believe that they are doing these things for you out of compassion?

If it were not so ludicrous, it would be laughable. A whimpering little thing like you, with no background to speak of, and not even any proper training for someone who flaunts herself as a Miko, believing that such a high and royal personage, could ever really care for the likes of you," she continued. Kikyou was warming up to her little rant. Warming up enough that she forgot to pay attention to her surroundings. She forgot that she didn't have the abilities that she once had, the ones that would otherwise have alerted her to the environment around her, and what in contained.

"Of course," she spoke quietly, reveling in what pain she knew her words were creating, "considering that you have tainted your purity with his unclean blood, and willingly given your body to that beast, he is probably just keeping you as his pet. You are nothing. You are nothing but a youkai's whore. You will never amount to anything more.

You thought to take away everything that was mine. My looks, my place as miko in my own village, my Guardianship of the Shikon no Tama, and my Inuyasha. You could never be worthy of so much, you worthless, pathetic, useless thing. I should be the one to have the attention, and I shall have it," she continued, unaware of those standing right behind her. "Yes, I gave myself to Naraku. He had the power, until you interfered. If you had not stuck your nose where it was not wanted, I would have had it all, including that easily manipulated baka hanyou."

She was gloating now, spilling all unknowingly for all to hear. "I would have had that worthless half breed as my ningen slave. My little lap dog, eating out of the palm of my hand, while Naraku kept a place for me in his bed. You could never have been as good as me. Inuyasha knew it, or rather he believed it every time I had him with me. Did you really believe that he could care for a low life like you?"

Before Kikyou could open her mouth to say another word, she found herself lifted by her throat, claws slowly digging into her skin, breathing became more and more difficult, as a growl so bestial rang in her ears, it was almost deafening by it very closeness. Kikyou shook with more fear that she had ever dreamed possible. When she looked up into the blood red orbs that glared back into her own, she saw death, but not a death she might have expected.

"Let her go Sesshomaru," spoke the barely contained rage of an angered Inuyasha. He had heard much of her words, and it awoke the anger that he already had from his earlier revelations provided by his brother. At first, Sesshomaru was reluctant. The bitch was trying to cause more trouble for his mate. This could not be tolerated. He took one look, however, at his little brother's face and with an evil gleam in his eye, relented.

By this time, Jaken and Kaede were landing, bringing with them the miko that they had been sent to fetch. Sango and Kirara were, also arriving, having found a suitable shelter for the group just a piece up the river. As they landed, they saw an enraged Youkai Lord, holding a once respected priestess by the throat off of the ground, his eyes glowing like blood red rubies, and a growl that shook the earth emanating from his chest.

As they approached, they were all surprised to see the Taiyoukai turn with the onna, to his little brother, and viciously throw the ex-miko on the ground at Inuyasha's feet. He turned from them, and went to his mate, where he sat and pulled her into his lap and held her close to his heart. He was still growling viciously, fighting for the control he was reknown for, and letting the scent of his mate help to bring him back to the reality that he so desperately needed to cling to in his rage.

They all turned, as Inuyasha spoke to the shuddering body at his feet. "So Kikyou, you admit freely of the crimes that you have committed these past almost five years. Tell me, were you planning some of them even before you died? Stupid, am I? Easily manipulated? Tainted blood, 'eh? Tell me Kikyou, did it not occur to you when you let Naraku fuck you that his blood was more tainted that even the lowest youkai living? Or were you to busy thinking of Onigumo?"

These things he spat at her, too angry with her to feel the hurt that he knew he should have felt. But the truth was, that he was beyond that pain and hurt. He had spent the last five years hurting for a love that had never truly been. A love that had been based solely on a selfish desire housed in the tainted heart of a miko who could have had so much more.

"You have the nerve to tell Kagome that she is just a copy. You have the gall to tell her that she is the worthless, pathetic, weak, and useless one," he growled in barely contained rage. "The truth Kikyou, is that you are jealous of what you could have had, if you had not been coloured by your prejudices and the barriers that you built around yourself. You are the worthless one. You are the one who is pathetic, weak, and useless. When you had the power, you could have chosen to help us, and thus save yourself.

But has Midoriko said, you chose to take the dark path of your own volition. No one made you choose to live off of the dead souls, who now suffer in hell because of your own sins. No one made you choose to try to take me to hell, or to decide to help Naraku. No one held a knife to your throat when you crawled into his bed. Those decisions, just like the one to kill me at that last battle, were all yours," Inuyasha spat. "You are almost as disgusting as that vile hanyou was. It is your blood that is tainted, Kikyou. I would wish that you never came back, Kikyou. The soul you seek, has not been yours for over 55 years. You gave up your rights to it when you accepted your death so long ago.

The life you led was never taken from you," he continued. "You could have had it and so much more, but instead of trying to help the good, you chose to help the evil. You sealed your own Fate, Kikyou. It was Kagome that in her purity of heart, and willingness to sacrifice all that she was, chose to give you life again. It was Midoriko, who thought that there was something in you worth saving, and granted Kagome's wish. Just as you did five years ago, you have chosen the path you are now about to follow, and you make this choice of your own accord, and it will be without me."

At those words, Kikyou looked up from where she had been thrown. Blood was streaking down her neck, from the five puncture wounds created by the claws of the Youkai Lord. She paid little heed to the pain that seemed to engulf her throat, not noticing that the wounds hurt more than they should have. In her anger at being caught, she failed to take note of how difficult it was to still breath normally.

Kaede, seemed to realize that there was more to her sister's injuries than at first met the eye, and with what little sympathy that she could find for her, she took Kikyou some water. She took the time to clean up the wounds on her neck, and applied some of the salve that she had with her.

Kikyou never took her eyes off of Inuyasha, the hatred and anger more than evident. She opened her mouth to ask what he planned, only to find that nothing came out. She tried again, only to get a small gurgle. It was now that she noticed the pain that seemed to engulf her entire throat. She choked, and gagged, the now noticed pain becoming rapidly unbearable. Her face had turned red very quickly, and was starting to turn a bit blue from lack of air.

She looked for help and sympathy from those surrounding her. But the looks she was given gave her nothing. Even from her sister there was just the barest amount of pity. Kaede gave her some warm tea to ease and soothe the pain that overwhelmed her. She clawed at her throat as the pain continued to increase, but still no one showed her any compassion or sympathy.

What had happened? What was causing the pain? Why could she not speak and why did her throat feel like it was on fire? The only thing to happen was that Youkai who grabbed her by the throat, but he had not squeezed tight enough to have caused this kind of pain, nor would that have caused the deep seated pain that was obviously inside her throat, not outside where his claws had punctured her skin.

Wait! Punctured! An Inuyoukai of great power. One of his capabilities was the ability to emit poison from his claws at will. An ability that he had total and complete control over. He could produce as much as or as little as he wanted to, and use it for any number of reasons. Is it possible that he......?

She let the thought trail off, not wanting to believe what she was sure was true. She abruptly turned, and looked at the Taiyoukai, sitting across the fire from her, holding protectively, her re-incarnation. There was a knowing gleam of evil in his eyes. A hint of an evil, knowledgeable smirk graced his ethereal features. He knew! He did it! It was deliberate and everyone knew.

"Hai, Kikyou," spoke Inuyasha, bringing her attention back to the hanyou she had spent so many years betraying. "It was the smallest amount of my brother's poison. Just the tiniest amount, injected directly into your throat. What you feel now, is just a small part of the pain that Kagome experienced. Do you feel it burning, Kikyou? The feeling like something is being eaten away? The possibility that your ability to speak is no longer something you are capable of? This too, is just a small part of the pain and suffering that Kagome has experienced."

Inuyasha had a similar evil glint to his eye. One that Kikyou had never seen him possess. She shuddered in fear, and then again, when she noticed him sniff the air, completely aware that he could smell her fear.

"Hai, Kikyou," he told her. "You have never known the pain that Kagome has. Pray that you never do. Hai, you died! More than once! But compared to the pain that your 'copy' has lived through, you have experienced nothing. She sacrificed everything that made her who she is, because of her belief in those that she loved with all of her heart."

He hung his head briefly, the pain evident in his voice.

"A heart that I broke, when I let what I thought you held for me, blind me to reality. Even when I was baka enough to run after you time and again, she was always there for me. Would you have sacrificed your life for me, Kikyou? Did I ever mean more than just a way out of your responsibilities, Kikyou?" he asked her. "Death would be too easy for you. It is the cowards way out. You do not deserve such an end....at least not yet."

He looked her right in the eye, as he spoke again.

"You wanted an 'ordinary life', to be an 'ordinary onna'. Well, that is what you will have Kikyou. But it will not be as simple as you believe it to be. You never truly appreciated the freedom you actually had as a miko," he told her with complete sincerity. "We will have no further dealings with you. You are nothing to us. You are not worthy of our generosity or compassion, something that we have tried for the past five years to give to you, only to be stabbed repeatedly in the back for. As you didn't want our compassion and help, we no longer offer it to you."

He grabbed the blanket that he had tossed to her the night before. Just as he had then, he did now again toss it at her. The pain had eased enough that her breathing was no longer labored, but she could still feel the burning in her throat.

"The pain will ease in time," Inuyasha spoke as he stepped to one side, and pointed in the direction of the forest. "Take only what you now possess, and leave us Kikyou. Leave us and seek out your desired 'ordinary life', without your powers, without anyone to bow to your whims, without your voice to twist the minds of those you meet. There is a deer trail just beyond those trees. It may or may not lead you to sanctuary. If it does, fine! If it doesn't, it is no mind to me. But know that if I ever lay eyes on your again, your miserable existence will be mine to do with as I see fit and you will not be fond of my choices."

With that, they all turned their backs on her, with the exception of the Youkai Lord, who was still holding tightly to his mate. She looked in Kagome's direction for just a moment thinking that she might have leave to beg her forgiveness and seek her aid. The Taiyoukai saw her look towards the hapless girl, and bared his fangs at her, his eyes still blood red and glowing. She heard him flex his claws, the very ones that he had pierced her throat with. As she watched, he brought those same claws up for her to see her blood still clinging to the sharp tips.

Slowly, like a beast feasting on the flesh of his prey, he licked the blood from each claw, letting his tongue run across his lips in pleasure at the taste of it. She truly shuddered in fear then. Slowly, she stood grabbing the blanket that Inuyasha had seen fit to give her, and marched off down the path she had been directed to, and disappeared into the forest beyond.