InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Violation of Honor ❯ Chapter 6 - An Offer She Can't Refuse ( Chapter 6 )

Violation of Honor

By Rinseternalsoul

**Disclaimer: I do this for free. I'm not affiliated with Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha, and only write free fanfiction for my love of twisting her character's to my dark, demented will. May the smut live on.

Chapter 6 - An Offer She Can't Refuse

A/N: Thanks to everyone for the great reviews that I've so far received for this story. There has been a lot of interest in it, and so far, everyone has had only good things to say, which leaves me smiling.

There have been a couple of questions, one of them from a very generous reader, Flightoffancy on AFF.net. She asked: "Is any of what you say of Nobunaga true cause it sounds really good." First, thank you Deb, for supporting me through all of my stories, especially this one. Your review was inspiring and left me feeling happy and confident. As for your question, 'Yes', most of the details concerning Oda Nobunaga's reign are taken from actual historical facts. If you would like to read more about him, here are the sites that I used for reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oda_Nobunaga, http://www.samurai-archives.com/nobunaga.html. He was a fascinating figure from Japan's Feudal Era. A ruthless Daimyo and military genius in his time.

The second question has come in from numerous readers, and to sum it up, they all want to know when Kagome and Sesshomaru will meet. Normally, I wouldn't answer that, because it would take away from the surprise, but, since so many of you want to know, I'll tell you. In chapter 8. Try to be patient. I know that it's taking longer than usual, and I'm sorry, but the events leading up to that moment are very important to the plot.

Deciding that Oda Nobunaga didn't exactly look all that fearsome while moaning in pain, Kagome pushed her fear and personal prejudices aside - it wasn't very priestessly to turn her back on someone in need - then got busy doing what she does best. Healing. First, and with the help of his men, she stripped his shirt so that she could get a better look at the wound. It looked pretty bad, but after she poked around it, she determined that he was lucky, because the sword that went through him, had missed anything vital.

She balled up a ruined obi lying by his side, and pressed it against the wound, then sent after some boiled water and clean rags for bandages. While two of the men watching left to carry out her request, she leaned up and got the injured man's attention.

"Konnichiwa. My name is Kagome. I'm going to try and start the healing on your wound. It won't mend all the way, but it will kick the process off and hopefully staunch the flow of blood. Okay?"

Nobunaga bit back the pain, and stared at the unusual priestess kneeling by his side. "You speak with a strange tongue," he rasped.

Kagome just mumbled, "Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm from out of town." She didn't wait for his response before she placed her palms, one on top of the other, over the bleeding stab wound, and focused her healing energies. "You'll feel some warmth," she whispered, as the power flowed through her arms into her palms and over his skin. She heard him inhale sharply, but didn't let it distract her, while she continued to focus on her task.

The wound was deep and it took a great deal of strength for her to pull it together at all. Her healing energy flowed. She could almost feel the muscles and tiny veins weaving together and mending deep within the injury. It drew a lot out of her, causing her brow to bead lightly with sweat. She wasn't sure how long she had been there, but at last she had no more to give. She pulled away, her bloody hands falling down limply as she tried to recover some of her strength.

Healing in this manner was reserved for the worst case scenario, since she had only just acquired the ability in the last two years. Focusing the power within her to a gentle healing pulse instead of a torrent of raw unleashed purification, was more difficult than she ever thought that it would be. It took a great deal of practice and many hours devoted to intense meditation before she could separate the healing from the purification energies.

If she had been trained from birth, as Kikyo and Kaede had been, she might have mastered the skill long ago. Being born in a future where miko's were not needed put her at a disadvantage, but for a late bloomer, Kagome had to admit that she learning fast. She hoped to one day be able to fully heal a wound such as this one.

The soldiers looked over her shoulders and made noises that revealed how impressed they were with her skills. Even Nobunaga, seemed happy with the results, though he quickly discovered that he wasn't completely over it when he tried to move. Kagome, tsk'd, and helped him up, then busied herself cleaning the blood away, and wrapping him with a makeshift bandage that went around his midsection to just under his chest.

Once she had it secured, she sat back and surveyed her work. "Not bad," she mumbled her approval. Then she looked up at the stunned man, and smiled. "Now, don't think that you are ready to jump around fighting or anything. You still have a lot of healing to do, but I think that you're safe now. Just make sure that you change the bandages every day, and keep it clean. Drink plenty of liquids, and you should be fine."

Nobunaga was impressed with the beautiful young priestess, and he found her frank manner of speech a stimulating change from the sniveling masses that always surrounded him. It was intriguing. She looked him right in the eyes, as if she were his equal, with big lovely blue eyes the color of sapphires. He found it refreshing, and decided at that very moment to make her his family's chief healer.

He looked her over slowly, carefully, and she blushed very nicely. A powerful healer and a unique beauty. She was exquisite, and he wanted to keep her, deciding that she would brighten his palace halls with her sunny disposition. Nobunaga then looked up, sweeping his eyes around his tent, and found every single one of his soldiers ogling the girl, and for some reason it angered him fiercely.

He would keep her, but not out here. She would be in too much danger here, and he didn't want her hurt before he had a chance to know her better.

Nobunaga sharply barked out an order that sent his men packing out of the tent at top speed. They were not allowed to watch her body with such lust in their eyes. She belonged to him now.

"Kagome," he said, testing her name out on his tongue for the first time. It was smooth and sweet, just like he imagined that her mouth would soon taste. She smiled again, and waited for him to say something. Oddly enough, for a moment, he was unsure of himself. Would she hate him if he forced her to stay with him? Did he care?

No, he determined. He did not care. He had to have her.

"I am indebted to you priestess. From this day on, you shall be treated as a queen. My personal bodyguard will escort you to my castle first thing on the morrow."

Kagome's smile fell in confusion. "Huh? Oh, you mean as payment?" She laughed softly and waved it off. "Don't worry about that. I'm a miko. It's what I do. I'm just glad to help." After pulling herself to her feet, and brushing off her red hakama, Kagome began to turn and leave.

"You do not understand, Kagome. You will work for me now, as my personal healer and priestess. I will see to all of your needs. You will never want for anything again."

Kagome froze in her tracks. Oh, that didn't sound good at all. Slowly she turned around, and gave a curious little smile. "You are offering me a job?" Please let him be offering, not insisting.

Nobunaga chuckled, but stopped with a grunt of pain. "Ungh," he hissed, I see what you meant about it not being healed completely." He held his hand to the burning wound and gave himself a minute to catch his breath. When he opened his dark eyes Kagome was still standing there, but looking somewhat anxious, like she was thinking about darting out the door. "I hope that you will eagerly accept my offer, Kagome, but either way, I have made up my mind to keep you."

Her reaction rather threw him off balance.

Kagome felt the force of her fury spreading through her veins like an inferno. How dare he?! Pompous jerk! She balled her fists tightly and held her arms stiffly by her sides. "You egomaniac! How dare you tell me that I have to give up my life just because you decide you want me for a sidekick! I came here, of my own free will, to help you, and this is the thanks that I get? Humph! I am going home now, Oda-sama. Your men can stay here, where they are needed. I can find my way back home by myself." With that, she turned and headed to the door.

"Guards!"

Kagome's heart nearly stopped when the two men outside shoved their way in and grabbed each of her arms. She struggled for a moment, until sanity clicked back in, bringing her to realized how futile it was. Struggling physically against two big scary soldiers was useless. It wouldn't get her anywhere, and she needed to save her energy to escape at the first opportunity. She was still pretty angry though, so she wisely kept her mouth shut, because if she opened it now, she would really get herself into trouble.

"Satoru, You will deliver the miko to my castle. Give orders that all of her needs should be met, but she is not to leave." Nobunaga, then lay back on his pallet, with a groan. He didn't look at Kagome again, because he didn't want to see the anger in her bright eyes. She would be a good healer for his family. He had a sense for these things.

Satoru!" Nobunaga called as an afterthought. His personal guard returned, leaving the miko outside with the other soldier. "Give me quill and ink," he demanded. Setoru handed him the quill and paper. Nobunaga scribbled his orders for those at the castle with instructions for Kagome's care and handling, added his signature and seal, then rolled it closed.

"She is not to be 'damaged' in any way," he told Setoru sharply. "Losing her virginity will destroy her miko powers and she will be useless to me." He narrowed his eyes meaningfully. "I will personally have the head of anyone who touches her body in a perverse way. Understood?"

"Hai, Nobunaga-sama!" Satoru saluted, then accepted the missive with his orders.

Nobunaga grunted his dismissal, and lay back to rest. He had two more strategic positions to acquire and then he would lead his men home. After that, he would spend some time with his new priestess. He was confident that she would come to see things his way, eventually. They always did.

An hour later, Kagome was beginning to fear that escaping wasn't going to be as easy as she had, at first, hoped.

This is just my darn luck! I can't believe this is happening to me. Kagome blew out a puff of air, sending a stray tendril of her dark hair flying, temporarily, out of her face. Only I could get kidnapped by Oda Nobunaga. Inuyasha is going to kill me when he finds out. Well, that is, if I survive that long. Kagome ranted to herself as her horse was lead mindlessly over the countryside. Her guard, Satoru, held the horses' reigns, since her hands were tied to the saddle horn like she might try to jump or something. Well, she probably would have. Too bad they thought of it first.

After a few hours she began to twitch, not only with the need to stretch her legs, but to take a 'bush break'. Her bladder was killing her. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore so she cleared her throat and spoke up. "Um... Satoru-sama, I was wondering, well, I really need to take a break."

Satoru instantly pulled up the horses and helped her off.

She was pretty surprised that it had been that easy. Inuyasha would have pushed on for at least two more miles, complaining every step of the way about having to stop because of pathetic humans. When her feet touched the ground she wondered if her legs would give out, they were so shaky. She moved around for a minute, trying to get some feeling back in her butt. Riding a horse wasn't just fun and games. Finally, she was ready to go visit the bushes, but her hands were tied, so she held them out. "Can you untie me? I mean, it's going to be kind of hard to go with my hands tied like this." Not to mention, hard to escape.

Unfortunately, his agreeable nature ended there. He flat out refused to untie her. Grumbling about inconsiderate men who never had to squat to pee in their life, Kagome headed into the edge of the forest to find a nice spot to go. After struggling to get her clothing untied she finally managed to get free. Priestess attire was not convenient in any way. To top it off, she felt horribly exposed, because she had to completely remove her hakama so that she didn't soil it when she went.

And she really had to go baaad.

The whole thing was a pretty miserable experience that left her missing the conveniences of porcelain toilets that flushed using the marvel of running water. A sink would have been nice too.

After taking nearly twice as long to pull everything back into place, Kagome looked around, and quickly debated on her chances of getting away.

Chances be damned, she was getting the heck out of here.

Kagome took off, running as quietly as she could, darting around the low-lying brush and thickly scattered trees. She was sure that Satoru had discovered her absence by now, so she dared not stop to get her breath. Sharp thorns grabbed her clothing as she ran, ripping it all over, but she dared not stop. If she could just get away, she's work on cutting the leather ties around her wrist with a sharp rock or something.

When her foot caught on a root that was growing low, and hidden by a bunch of dead leaves, Kagome went sprawling hard to the ground. With an 'oomph', the air was knocked from her lungs, and she was sure that she saw stars. She rolled to her side, trying to recover from the blow, when she realized that someone was standing over her.

At first, Kagome panicked, because she was afraid that Satoru had caught up to her, but the voice that greeted her was welcome indeed.

"Are you alright, Kagome? That looked like it hurt."

Kagome sucked in a breath and started to push herself up. "It did hurt, Shippo. Where did you come from?"

"I've been fol..."

Shippo's explanation was cut off when something hard slammed down on the back of his head, sending him plummeting to the ground with darkness moving in fast. The last thing that he heard was Kagome screaming his name.

She couldn't believe it! Satoru had come up behind them and knocked Shippo unconscious with the hilt of his sword. Poor Shippo never even saw it coming! "You jerk! You stupid, barbaric, jerk! That was my friend, I'll have you know!"

Satoru stood up, looked at the fox boy curiously for a moment and shrugged. "Looked like he was attacking you from where I stood."

Kagome was so upset that she couldn't even form words. Shippo was bleeding on the back of his head! "Jerk!" She shouted again, for good measure.

"Quiet wench," Saturo growled, before leaning over, scooping her up, and tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

"Ow! Put me down! What are you doing? You can't leave Shippo like that!" Kagome screamed and kicked, but Satoru ignored her, and continued to hold her over his shoulder with ease. By the time they made it back to the horses, he was only just beginning to get winded. Kagome, however, still had plenty of air to shout her complaints in his ear.

Satoru, however, had a cure for her mouth.

He pulled out a piece of cloth, and wrapped it tightly over her mouth in a gag. Kagome was furious, scared, and muffled. It ticked her off that he would just leave Shippo, when some wild animal could kill him while he was defenseless. It also ticked her off that there wasn't one thing that she could do about it. Now, her mouth was gagged, and she was completely defenseless to boot. She eyed her bow and quiver longingly, which were teasingly tied onto the back of Setoru's horse and completely out of her reach.

If she could reach it, could she kill him?

Setoru was human, after all. And he was just following orders.

No, she decided. She couldn't kill him, even if she could somehow get her bow back. She had no weapons. Nothing to scare him with. Nothing to cut the bindings on her wrists. Even her dagger had been confiscated before she was put on the horse for the trip to Nobunaga's home in Kyoto. What was she going to do?

Things were looking pretty bad, and she was running out of ideas.

Resigning herself to the fact that she couldn't do anything at the moment, she tried to think up a plan for when they stopped again. Unfortunately, the image of Shippo lying there hurt, kept creeping up and ruining her train of thought. Against her best efforts to hold it in, a tear slipped from her eyes, and then another. There was no one to help her now, and no one to help Shippo.

Kagome silently cried for her young injured friend, while her horse slowly swayed from side to side.

This was what the old woman had seen. Madam Seto had somehow known that this would happen.

Why hadn't she warned her?

Or maybe she had. "Don't blame yourself, girl, if things go bad." The old woman's words rang in her ear.

Setoru wasn't so easily tricked a second time, even going so far as to accompany her to the bushes. Kagome's face flamed in remembrance of the guard standing there with only his back turned, while she emptied her bladder. It was so embarrassing!

Later, when darkness crept, they stopped for the night. Kagome had hoped that she might have a chance to escape while he slept. Unfortunately, that idea was destroyed when he tied her to himself, before they lay down to rest.

She didn't think that she would ever get to sleep with him breathing down her neck. He never touched her in a bad way, though, and for that she was grateful. Finally, exhaustion won out, and she slept.

The morning introduced her to a stiff neck and deadened fingers that had lost all feeling during the night. She wiggled them, trying to get the blood flowing, but refused to ask Setoru to loosen them again. He'd refused the last thirty times, so she figured it wouldn't work anyway.

Her back hurt, and her hair kept falling in her eyes, while her butt ached with increasing pain. She was not used to riding a horse for so long, and the saddle was rubbing her raw. Setoru told her that they would arrive at the castle in three more days, but Kagome wasn't sure if she would survive without hip replacement surgery and a donut hole pillow.

The Feudal Era really sucked.

After stopping to eat some leftover squirrel that Satoru had roasted over the fire the night before, they again mounted their horses and headed out. It was nearing dark when the first sign of trouble popped up. There was the sound of a bird calling in the forest nearby, and for some reason, Satoru stopped their horses, and listened. Kagome noticed that he looked a little stiff, and she wondered what he thought that he had heard? She released her powers to scan the area for demons, but there were none worth concerning themselves over, so the threat would have to be human if there was a threat at all.

Setoru withdrew his sword and pulled her horse closer to walk by his side. He was on high alert, as he looked around at the tree line and the dark forest beyond. He didn't say anything, but Kagome knew he felt that something wasn't right, and that made her extremely nervous. If they were attacked, she was completely at their mercy. She couldn't fight back. Heck, she couldn't even scream for help because of the stupid gag.

They walked through the narrow pass slowly. The sound of their horses' hooves clomping along was the only sound in the air, and even the horses seemed nervous and jumpy. Their ears kept flicking around as if listening to something that they, as humans, were unable to hear. Their nostrils flared, while their big brown eyes searched the trees warily.

It was then that Kagome noticed the silence. There wasn't any other sounds coming from the forest around them. There were no insects singing, or frogs croaking. Just the lonely clomping of hooves. Something definitely wasn't right.

Suddenly the shouts of men erupted all around her and her horse reared up on its hind legs. She barely stayed astride. The sound of metal on metal, as Setoru fought against the attackers, was nearly drowned out by the numerous cries of the men closing in on them. Kagome couldn't do anything but hold on, and even that was taken from her when someone dragged her down from the saddle.

In minutes, Setoru was dead, and Kagome was being untied.

"Priestess, are you well?"

Kagome took in a deep breath and worked her stiff jaw where the gag had been for so long. "Yes, thank you. Who are you?

The man talking to her was busy unwrapping the leather band from her wrists when he replied, "My name is not important, miko. Just know that we are friends, who are not the friends of the Oda Clan. Now, perhaps you will tell me why a lovely young miko such as yourself, has been taken prisoner by them?"

Kagome gave a halfhearted laugh. "Well, it's a long story actually. Just suffice it to say that I helped a jerk, and this is how I got paid for it."

Her savior chuckled and stood, graciously helping her to her feet as well. Kagome looked around, while rubbing her wrists. She winced at the sight of Setoru, dead and bloody on the ground. She really didn't like the guy, but she hated that he had been killed. It was a senseless waste of life, but just another in thousands that would lose their lives to the warring between clans.

Around her, Kagome counted ten men, all wearing makeshift armor, and carrying weapons that had seen better days. They were dirty, and looked half-starved, but at least they had set her free. For the first time in days, she began to relax.

"We are rebels against the war of clans in this area. Their fighting is killing our women and children, burning our homes and fields, and killing our livestock. We have all lost our loved ones to this damnable warring, and now we will do what we can to help innocents and stop the fighting."

Kagome smiled with a sadly warm look in her big blue eyes. "That is very noble of you all, and I for one appreciate your help very much. I was forced to help an injured soldier and instead of letting me go afterward, he decided to keep me as a bonus prize. That jerk," Kagome growled angrily. She looked up when all the men standing around her took a step back in caution of her temper. With a soft laugh she brushed her anger off and asked the men, "So guys, where are you headed from here?"

The leader, or at least the guy that kept talking to her, pointed back in the direction that she had come from. "Oh good! If it's okay with you, I'll tag along for awhile."

The men all looked at one another with emotions ranging from confusion to doubt, but in the end, the leader smiled a little and nodded. "You are welcome to accompany us, miko-sama, but be warned, we might run into some trouble along the way. We would not want you to get hurt in our battles."

Kagome nodded understandably, but then reassured them. "Don't worry, I've seen my fair share of fighting. I can handle it."  

Did I say that I can handle this? Kagome thought frantically, as she darted between a henhouse and a barn. The soldiers were hacking away at one another, while she tried not to be noticed in her bright red hakama and a white shirt! The wagon being used by Nobunaga's platoon was currently driverless, and parked just across the way. If she could slip beneath it, she could use it as a half way point to reaching the woods beyond.

The villagers here had deserted before any of the fighting started. She wasn't sure if they were forewarned of the approaching army, or if they had left for some other reason. For that she was thankful. At least she didn't have to worry about getting them to safety. She could focus on herself.

The men with guns had taken up position behind a line of fence near a stable, and a few were returning fire from the window of a house. The ones fighting with swords were panting and grunting with each heavy strike. Dust was flying everywhere, and a few men were already dead. Her position wasn't safe, and she couldn't hide in a building, because the Oda soldiers were setting fire to the huts on the outer edges. It wouldn't be long until the fires spread.

With one deep breath, Kagome prepared to make a dash for it. She made sure that her bow was secure and kept low to the ground, while she ran from her hiding spot out into the dirt road and then underneath the wagon. The horses were jumping around and snorting in fear, but the driver must have set the brake, because the wagon kept them from running off. Kagome felt sorry for the horses, but she was glad the wagon was there to help in her escape.

Just as she was ready to move from beneath the wagon, three men stumbled out from behind a shed nearby. Kagome clenched her fists. "Darn, it," she grit out. She lost her chance, because she would be spotted for sure if she ran now. She remained where she was, ducked low and hidden in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity.

The fires were raging around them now, and pieces of smoldering debris was floating down from the burning houses and barns. Kagome noticed that there was smoke rolling from the wagon above her, and knew that her time had run out. If she didn't get a move on, the wagon would come down on top of her.

Before she could leave, though, she had to set the horses free. They could die from the flames if she didn't. She scooted up to the hitch and took a minute to figure it out, then pulled the pin that held it together. The horses reared and took off in a full gallop as soon as they felt it pull free, leaving Kagome spitting dirt out of her mouth and rubbing more of it out of her left eye.

Grumbling about ungrateful horses and dirt in her hair, Kagome quickly scooted back to the rear of the wagon and prepared to take her chances. She crossed her fingers and shot out from beneath the wagon at full speed, however, before she had even made the halfway point to safety, the wagon exploded!

Kagome never knew what hit her.

After a fierce bout of pain to the back of her head, everything went black.  

"Colonel, I found something!"

"Let me see," Colonel Watanabe ordered his fist lieutenant. The young man brought over a scorched and half burned scroll that looked like it had been in pretty bad shape even before the fire. Some of it crumbled when he tried to open it, but there was a portion still readable.

Watanabe sucked in a surprised breath and looked down at the battered and unconscious miko lying near the campfire. "This missive was written by Oda Nobunaga." He looked back to the scroll and read what he could of the damaged kanji. "The miko was to be delivered to a castle and held, I assume as a prisoner, but the portion is ruined that says what castle. There are instructions not to harm her, something about losing her powers if her virgin state is breached. That is all that I can make out, besides Nobunaga-sama's personal crest, of course." He shook his head.

"What will you do with her, Colonel?" the first lieutenant asked.

Watanabe considered it for a moment and looked around him before stopping to stare out towards the west. If the miko was being delivered to a castle near here, it would have to be the Setuyama-Jo, because that was the only one nearby being occupied by Nobunaga's allies. "At dawn I will send two men to escort the miko to Setuyama-Jo, as Nobunaga-sama wishes."

When morning arrived, Colonel Watanabe was disappointed to discover that the miko was still unconscious. He knelt by her side and looked over the wound, before wrapping her head again with the bandage. Her pulse was beating strongly, and her breathing was normal, but she was slow to wake. Head wounds could be problematic, because what might appear as minor injuries, could actually turn out to be quite serious.

It was unfortunate, however, that their time had run out, and they would have to move out later that morning. Awake or not, she would have to be taken to the castle. He hoped that she would recover. She was a pretty young thing, and besides, Nobunaga-sama would not be pleased to learn that she was injured so gravely. Watanabe had witnessed his Daimyo's anger, and it was not something that he wished to see again.  

She was going to be sick. Kagome tried to push the bile back, but for some reason she was hanging upside down, which was making her head pound like it was being systematically crushed in a vice. Against her best efforts, the urge to vomit wouldn't be denied, and she barely had time to lift her head up before it came out.

Someone cursed. A man. Kagome blinked, and someone shoved a cloth in her face. She groaned and slowly took the cloth to wipe her mouth and face. She was then pulled off of the horse that she was draped over by strong hands that caught her when her legs gave way. The man helped her to the ground, and thankfully, being upright helped to ease her nausea a little. It didn't do much for the raging headache, though, because once the blood started rushing back, it felt like Shippo was jumping up and down on the back of her head.

"Easy there, miko-sama. You've got a pretty bad head wound."

"Duh," Kagome grumbled, as she tried to sit up.

She looked around to see who she was with and where, but saw only darkness. She could feel the heat of the sun on her face, but couldn't make out a thing. What was going on? Slowly, she moved her hands up to her eyes, while her heart began stammering a mad beat in her chest. When she felt her eyelashes tickle the tips of her fingers, she blinked again.

Her eyes were open.

Oh my GOD, she began to panic. "I... I can't see!" Kagome nearly screamed. The strong arms around her shoulders tightened fractionally, holding her still.

"Calm down, priestess," the unknown man said. "I am Lieutenant Kouchi of Oda Nobunaga's army. Allow me to look at your eyes."

Kagome wanted to cry when he told her who he was. She was again a prisoner of Nobunaga's soldiers. She wanted to ask about the men that she was with earlier, but was afraid to give away too much about herself. She didn't want them to think that she was familiar with the rebels, thus making her one of the enemy too. Things could get really bad for her if that happened.

She felt rough fingers brush her cheek before touching her eyelids. She saw none of it. Everything was black.

She was in a strange place with strange people in the middle of war torn Japan, alone, with no friends, and blind! The horror of her new reality pushed her into breathing with sharp, panicky breaths. Her hands sought for purchase and her feet began to shift nervously. Panic was rising and there wasn't much that she could do to stop it. She had thought her situation couldn't get much worse, but it had, and now she was going to be at the mercy of strangers in the Feudal Era! Dear God!

Fortunately, Kouchi saw the onset of panic in the miko's blank, staring eyes. They were a beautiful midnight blue, an odd color for one born of this land, but those lovely eyes were not responding at all. The impact from the explosion must have rendered her blind. His heart went out to her, but duty called, and he had no time for pretty, hurt girls. His infantry was waiting for him to join them for their next confrontation against the area's various rebel militia.

Duty called, but seeing the fear on her beautiful features made his heart clench. He wasn't such a bastard as to not show some compassion to the girl, so he pulled her closer and rocked her, just like his mama used to do. Her gasping little sniffles finally eased just a little and she seemed to be in control of her emotions again, so he pulled back. "You were injured when the powder keg on our wagon caught ablaze. Some of the debris hit you hard on the back of your head. You were lucky to have lived through it at all. Two of our men died from the explosion alone, and it took out one of the rebels. I'm really sorry about your eyes miss, but I've got my orders to deliver you to Setoyama-Jo, and that's where we're headed. I expect to arrive by nightfall, so prepare yourself for the ride."

While Kagome appreciated the information on what was happening, she was also perturbed that he couldn't bother himself to take a break so that she could adjust to the fact that she was now BLIND. She shrugged out of his lap and stumbled to her feet. It was weird, not being able to see if she was near something or about to step in a hole. She allowed the anger at her situation to stomp down the pressing urge to fall to her knees and cry in hysterics. If that happened she may never be able to stop.

"Fine," Kagome said, and as much as she hated to ask, she added, "Can you please take me somewhere to... ah... um... empty my... bladder?" How embarrassing?!

Kouchi wanted to laugh, but he knew the girl would only blush more, his partner, however, couldn't seem to hold the chuckle in. Then to his shock, his friend started jumping up and down and pointing like he had the greatest idea ever thought up. When he pointed to a spot just ahead of him and made a squatting motion, Kouchi figured out what he meant.

He wanted him to lead the miko to believe that she was hidden from their view, so that she could take care of her personal business while they watched.

"You Hentai!" Kouchi mouthed to his friend, but when the guy put his hands together, falling to his knees in a begging posture, he nearly burst out with laughter. He turned back to the miko, who was holding her arms out with shaky hands, and then looked back to his longtime pal, Nijito. Neither of them had seen a naked woman in months, and he found the innocent chance for a little fun way too tempting to pass up. Finally, with a sneaky grin tossed in Nijito's direction, Kouchi turned to take the miko's arm.

Kagome couldn't believe her bad luck. She was so scared that she was shaking, but knew that breaking down wouldn't do her any good right now. She had to keep her head together. She was thankful that the lieutenant seemed like a kind man. It helped to suppress the terror of being with strangers and unable to see them.

He lead her slowly over scattered dry leaves then curved around before stopping. He assured her that he would be waiting for her to call him, but well out of sight. As she untied her hakama strings, she prayed that neither of the soldiers with her were anything like Miroku, otherwise she was sure that they would peek. Since they were military, however, she hoped that they had enough honor to give her some privacy to pee.

When she finally lowered the hakama down her legs she got goosebumps all over from the cool air. She slipped them completely off to keep from accidentally soiling them, since she couldn't see.

She lay them on the ground and then stepped over a little ways and squatted down with her legs spread wide to keep it from splattering on her feet. That would be gross, and she had nowhere to clean it off if that happened.

She was holding the tails of her top up around her waist, and was pretty sure that she was safe to go. Kagome wanted to moan at the feeling of letting go. She couldn't imagine how long she had been holding it, and the relief actually made her shiver.

Not willing to chance being caught with her pants down, Kagome shook her bottom a little to get that last drop, before she stood and carefully made her way over to her hakama. She felt around them, trying to figure out which side was the front, and once she found it, she nearly fell over trying to step in. Being unable to see or gauge distance was throwing her off balance, and making her movements feel clumsy. It took some struggling to get everything tucked and tied, but she finally managed, then called out for the lieutenant.

She heard him approach by the loud crunching of dry, dead, leaves beneath his feet, and when he reached her, she noticed that she could feel the heat from his body when he got really close.

"Shall we go, priestess?" Kouchi asked, with a voice that was much huskier than usual. He cleared his throat and tried to loose the lusty tone that had crept up on him as he had watched her relieve herself. As perverted as that had been, he had grown hard and wanting as he had watched her slide the red hakama over a slender waist before revealing a tiny dark triangle of soft curls. He nearly shot his seed when she spread her legs and let the stream flow from between her smooth white thighs. Hell, he'd been forced to reach out to stop Nijito when the fool started moving toward her as if he were in a trance.

If it weren't for the missive warning them away, written in Oda Nobunaga's own hand, the miko might have been beneath them right now, while they pumped themselves into her soft body.

Unfortunately, the Daimyo, Nobunaga-sama, was not a forgiving man. Invoking his wrath would be suicide.

It was for the best, anyway. Kouchi had, so far, always been faithful to his wife back home.

With a silent curse and a shifting of his swollen shaft, he left her standing by the horse while he checked the ties. He looked up to find Nijito standing just behind the priestess, smelling her hair and half leaning on the horses' rear flank. Kouchi shook his head and spat on the ground. He should never have agreed to that stupid stunt. The girl was a miko, and blind at that.

The war was making him crazy.

He punched Nijito on the arm to distract him, and his friend winced, then stepped back with a helpless shrug. The lieutenant then moved to mount his horse, before pulling the woman up. Once she was settled and Nijito mounted, he kicked his horse, and tried to ignore the warm heat of the lovely female body pressed up against him.

The sooner he was rid of the miko, the better.  

A/N: Poor Kagome! In chapter 8 Kagome and Sesshomaru will finally meet, but prepare yourselves, it isn't going to be the glorious moment that you have all been hoping for. Muahahaha!

Please don't forget to review! Thanks!

Rinseternalsoul