Chapter 3 - sexual abuse

"Are we safe yet, Miroku?"

It had been hours since the abduction of Kagome. The group had been travelling south and was now in the mids of the woods, a clearing not far away. Miroku used his eyes and senses to determinate wether it was safe or not. Contended, he nodded.

"Yes Shippou. We may as well set camp here." With a glance towards the dejected hanyou, Mirkou added: "We have a lot to discuss."

The group sat down in the clearing. Nightfall came sneaking upon them, colouring the sky in a beautiful way that seemed out of place concerning the group's mood. Miroku, Sango, Kirara and Shippou sat close together, Kikyo was opposite them. They didn't mean to single her out, but she simply didn't belong with anyone but Inuyasha. And, perhaps, in a twisted way, Kagome. Inuyasha sat on his hunches a bit away, back partly turned towards the group. Sango and Miroku left him be and ordered Shippou not to call out for him. This would not be easy for Inuyasha After a few minutes of silence while tending a cook fire, Sango spoke up.

"Kikyo-sama... would you please tell us what you ment with your earlier remark? You said that Kagome-chan likely isn't dead."

Kikyo nodded and faced the demon slayer. She was glad it had been the woman who had asked her and not the houshi, although she didn't know why.

"Naraku used a barrier to hide Kagome from Inuyasha. There's no other explination as to why Inuyasha couldn't see her - unless he was focusing entirely at me." Kikyo smiled a meek smile. "I wouldn't mind if it had been so...”

Inuyasha refused to comment that. It only hurt. He turned his head, gazing out somewhere no one else could see, clearly frustrated with mixed emotions. Just before Kikyo was going to continue, Miroku cut in.

"Why would Naraku use a barrier? There was no way Inuyasha could have saved you both anyway, was it? So he could just have killed one of you off without hiding it." Inuyasha winced and snapped his head to glare at Mirkou. Miroku saw that and added: "I know it's harsh, but that's the truth."

Kikyo averted her eyes. Now she knew why she didn't want to face the houshi; his eyes reflected the same self-loathing she had felt before her death. Someone tainted, different from anyone else. Someone who couldn't rejoice as everyone else. He had the same look like Inuyasha. Kikyo refused to linger on to those thoughts. Birds were chirping good night as night approached, a strange sound in all the sadness.

"To try to kill us both would only show who Inuyasha would instinctivly would try save. That is not in Narakus interest to know. The more strings a spiderweb has, the stronger it is."

Kikyo paused and Inuyasha glanced at her. She was sad, he could see that, and he recognised her expression.

// She and Kagome looks the same when they're hurt. No... when I have hurt them .//

“The more the strings tangle, the stronger the web.” Kikyo finished, causing Inuyasha away from his selfloathing for a moment to ponder the question.

"So you're saying that Naraku won't to anything that could solve the conflicts between the three of you?" Sango asked.

Kikyo nodded.

"If anything he'll increase them. That's why I think Kagome is alive. The same goes for your little brother."

Sango went pale. She suddenly understood how right Kikyo was. As long as she was chasing after Kohaku, Naraku could play her as he wanted, using her to entwine more threads in his spiderweb. And she could do nothing but play along, bound by love. At his side, Miroku knew he and his family was in the same trap. Generation after generation on a wild hunt that they deep down knew they couldn't win. And still...

Miroku glanced at Sango. He knew he wouldn't stop, even if he was being manipulated by Naraku. Because if he did, he would end up dead - and never have the life he dreamed to have, never have the wife he wanted, never have the wild kids that would probably drive him insane. Miroku looked down and saw Shippou sitting with a finger in his mouth.

// If we don't defeat Naraku, there's no future for Shippou or the ones like him either. The small, friendly ones will be killed. //

It simply had to be done.

Kikyo turned to Inuyasha, knowing he was both watching and listening even with his back turned away. She knew he too understood what his friends now knew, but she also knew he needed help to see Narakus new trap. Kikyo raised her voice.

"Inuyasha. There's a risk that girl wasn't aware of the barrier, just as we weren't."

"So?"

The answer was short and pointless and dumb, truly showing how upset Inuyasha was. Obviously Inuyasha realised that himself, and he turned his head to meed Kikyo's gaze.
Kikyo continued.

"So to that girl, it must have looked like you ran to save me, completely ignoring her. You didn't even call out to her." Kikyo's voice sounded almost accusing to her own surprise. But then again, who if not her could understand how the other girl felt?

Inuyasha felt his heart sink in his chest and he turned around angrily.

"IT WASN'T LIKE THAT!"

Kikyo rose, refusing to meet the fuming hanyou's gaze any longer.

"I'm only telling you how that girl must have seen it."

"I understand," Mirkou said, "Naraku will keep Kagome-sama alive and use the darkness in her heart to make her his puppet!"

“What?” Inuyasha snapped his head towards his friends.

“Don't you see?” Sango asked. “Kagome-chans weak point is your feelings for Kikyo-sama, that's no secret to Naraku. He set this up to break her spirit.”

“Once done, he can use her powers to find all shards... and to fight us.” Miroku added bitterly.

Inuyasha made a sound in his throat. He didn't know what to say.

"So Kagome will be Naraku's slave?" Shippou yelled.

Kikyo straightened her back, preparing to leave. She had said and done all for this time. Now with the new information, she had to make her own scheme to achieve all of her goals...no matter how hard or hurting. Kikyo looked straight into the wood, her back at the group when she declared:

"It's all up to that girl to win this battle. All I can say is that, if she still is as pure as she was when she healed me... then perhaps she has a chance."

With that, Kikyo headed for the woods, her soul collectors following her. Inuyasha didn't watch her leave. For the moment, he didn't care what Kikyo did. She was safe. Kagome wasn't. And there were too many thoughts and emotions in his head, all fighting and causing a blur, making him angry. Suddenly, an uninvited image of Kagome hanging bleeding from Narakus deformed limb came to Inuyashas mind.

// "You didn't even call out to her." //

Kikyos voice rang in his head and Inuyasha shut his eyes closed, fisiting his hand and slamming it into the ground, cursing loud and growling as he did.

// I didn't see her! Kagome, I didn't see you! If I had, I'd have come for you, you know I would! //

Suddenly stopping his beating of the ground, Inuyasha hid his face beneath the shadow cast by his hair.

// You must know that, Kagome... //

But still, Kagome's face as she was hit by the tentacle haunted his mind. Agony, doubt... but no surprise. She hadn't been surprised in seeing him saving Kikyo, neglecting her. No... she had looked like that was something she knew would happen and yet refused to believe in as it did. A sudden burst of anger made Inuyasha slam his fist in the ground once again, harder this time. The one hit made a hole in the ground and Inuyasha felt his knuckles start to bleed.

// Kagome...if that's what you believe, Naraku will use you. He'll fill you with evil miasma, toying with your heart and mind until you are no longer you. You know better than that, dammit, you do! You must...! //

Her lifeless body hanging like a fruit from the tree of Death...

"KAGOME!!!!" Inuyasha screamed in agony towards the starfilled skies.
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Kagome felt nothing but pain. Her world was pain. Not only did her aching, broken body hurt, but her heart, her guts, her mind and soul. Everything was hurting from inside out and there was nothing, not ever, that could heal her.

"It hurts so much, doesn't it..."

That sneaky voice. Kagome knew it by now, knew it was Naraku. When she woke up the first time, she had hoped despite all logic that it would be Inuyasha. She had listened with ears only wanting to hear that one voice, and so she had - until the pale, dark-haired, red-eyed man appeared. Now she knew where she was everytime she woke, and she knew she was alone.Â

"Completely alone..." Naraku agreed with her thought. "And why is that?"

Kagome glared at the discusting being in front of her. She knew what he was trying to do, and she wouldn't let him. Still, her mind betrayed her.

// I'm alone because Inuyasha chosed to save Kikyo. He chose Kikyo! //

"That hanyou chose his beloved after all, didn't he? Well, I shouldn't ask, I was there..."

Kagome felt hatred and despair fight within her, both trying to break free.

// No!!! Until I hear those words from him, it's not true! As long as he hasn't told me, it's not true! And even if it was, he wouldn't have left me unshielded like that. It cannot have been Inuyasha! //

Kagome tried to break free from the tentacles nailing her to the wall, sacrificing her body to try to save her mind. I hurt, it hurt a lot but it was, as always, an useless effort. Naraku stepped forward, leaning in. Kagome could feel his breath on her skin and she felt sick. She couldn't move. She couldn't talk. She could hardly breathe, and this discusting beast was forcing himslef upon her mind and body, making Kagome feel tainted even if she knew it was all him, not her. She made a face when Naraku let his right hand caress her left breast. That was all she could do.

"I'm surprised Inuyasha didn't even try to save you, though... you are a part of Kikyo after all."

Enjoying the pain and hurt from the girl, Naraku leaned in even more and licked Kagomes cheek while his left hand squeezed her right shoulder, making the wound, now filled with miasma, to bleed again. Kagome tried to scream but she was gagged, and she came short of air trying. Biting together, Kagome focused on one thought, the one though she wouldn't let be stained, her last hope and her one sorrow contained in one name

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