Revenge, Said She by Sweet and Sour Suki

Part 1: Vengeance --- Escape From Naraku

~*~*~*~*~ Kami help me! I have to escape him once and for all! Please...please...someone help me! I can't take this abuse anymore! InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, why aren't you here to help? I can't believe all of you are gone... you were all taken from me... and I swore I'd kill the half demon that took your lives without a care in the world! But look at me now! I disgust myself! I hate myself! My friend's murderer is on top of me, and what are you doing about it Kagome? Nothing! Get out of your shell! GET OUT OF YOUR SHELL! KILL THE BASTARD! ~*~*~*~*~

Kagome suddenly began pummeling the man that was grunting on top of her, her wounds forgotten and her pain pushed from her mind. There was only on thing left to do, avenge her friends' death! The chains that were keeping her attached to the bed she was lying on exploded with her miko powers that she had slowly been gathering, waiting for the opportune moment. She sat up fully and pushed her hands against the demon's chest, the demon that had ruined her life. With a painful scream, she let loose all of her power into the one blast, and the man went flying across the room, only to collided with the opposing wall. Gasping, Kagome swung her legs over the bed and limped quickly towards the door.

"You won't get far, my little priestess. Remember, I own you!" The man rasped from his corner, slowly getting up with a menacing grin plastered on his face. Not having the strength to speak, Kagome tried to put all of her remaining powers into her legs, so she could run as fast as humanly possible. Even that would hardly be fast enough for the infamous Naraku. However, with a sudden burst of speed, Kagome sprang to life, and sprinted away from her attacker and rapist, breathing heavily already as she ran for her life down the dark hallway. She couldn't feel Naraku chasing her, and silently wondered if she had hurt him enough to delay the chase even for a few moments. She needed all the time she could get.

~*~*~*~*~ Please Kami; give me the strength to continue! I must survive another day! One more day to kill this man! That's all I need. Just help me escape now because I need to live! InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, my little Shippou... I won't allow you to die in vain! This demon will be brought to his knees before me, begging for his life before I am through with him! ~*~*~*~*~

Kagome crashed through the outer double doors, suddenly being able to breath the night air. How had she left the castle so fast? Was Kami really on her side?

Not slowing down for anything, Kagome made her way into the dark and demeaning forest, knowing any place was better than where she had just emerged. She could almost feel Naraku's rage from where she was standing, realizing that Kagome really had gotten away from him this time.

Stumbling through the thick brush and scraggly branches, the girl wished she had her clothes with her. The trees and plants seemed to grab at her, trying to stop her headlong rush, scratching her everywhere and leaving red lines and welts all across her body. At one point, she tripped and fell, then laid there and considered not getting up, just sinking into the soft mud she had fallen in.

Then she remembered her friends' faces as each one of them, one by one, had been slain by the evil Naraku. Miroku had died protecting Sango, as had Kirara. Sango had died from protecting Shippou, InuYasha had died from protecting Kagome, and Shippou had been killed out of his innocence for no reason at all. Kagome had been spared, as Naraku had loomed over her, watching her grieve with a smirk on his face, watching her sob as she gazed at her closet friend's mangled and torn bodies.

He had already retrieved the jewel shards from around her neck, and had been gazing at her in an uncomfortable fashion, even though it had gone unnoticed by Kagome. Right then and there, Naraku had come up with the decision of not killing this beautiful Miko; oh no... he would use her for his own perverted purposes. Her constant meddling would now come at a price, and he would torture her for every plan of his she had managed to stop.

That's when her nightmare had truly begun. At first, Kagome was too shocked to do anything, and she curled up in a ball in the corner of her mind, blocking everything out. Sometimes, she tried to fight back, but to no avail. Her cries and pleads of pain only satisfied him more, and she would not give that to him. So she folded back into herself, creating a shell with no spirit. But then one night, after three weeks of this abuse, she had had more than enough. Secretly, she had been saving her Miko powers, and they had been bubbling inside her, wanting to get out. That little plan had saved her, for now. Was she going to throw all of that away?

~*~*~*~*~ No. ~*~*~*~*~

Slowly and painfully, Kagome got to her elbows, then her knees, then to her feet. Standing there for a minute to catch her breath, Kagome closed her eyes and shoved past images from her mind, and then placed a barrier there that could not be broken for the time being. Right now, she just needed to forget, but keep that one feeling, that one thing that kept her going at his point: revenge.

~*~*~*~*~ Now run. ~*~*~*~*~

The girl took heed of what her brain told her to do, and only hoped that her body would correspond to her mind. Yes. Now she was running again. The pain was immeasurable, and her limbs seared with fire. The space between her legs hurt the worst, having been violated more than twice each night for then entire time she had been with Naraku. She felt as if she would rip in half from the constant running. But she had to survive. Had to kill that bastard hanyou. Never again would she succumb to such a mockery of all that she knew. Never again would she try to hide in her mind. Never again would she be a coward, and never again would she be helpless when her friends were being murdered before her eyes.

Running, running, running, right now it was all she knew, all she felt, and all she was. The moon shone down upon her, lighting her way, helping her. Kagome didn't know how long she had run for, but everything had stopped hurting now. For some reason, all of her body had become numb, and it was easier for her to run without the pain. Deep down, she knew this was not a good thing. She knew that her body was trying to die on her. But her mind was so alive now. She couldn't die. She had already come so far...

Finally, a sanctuary loomed before her, dark and cold. Kagome didn't care. Where there was shelter, there was bound to be people, people that would help her, bring her back to life.

The girl smiled insanely, loosing all of her senses, she crashed through the outer gates of the estate, and towards the huge front doors. Her naked body now dragged slowly, and all of the pain she had been holding back suddenly hit her full on.

Groaning, Kagome crawled up the few stone steps, leading to the door. If only she could just reach up and knock... that's all she needed to do... just knock on the door, ask for help... almost there... so close... so close yet, why does the door seem so far away? She'd never get there in time...

Suddenly, a young girl's face came into her blurry vision, and Kagome sighed in relief. Yes, someone was here to help her. She would survive. She would kill Naraku...

"Help...me..." She managed to say in a hoarse whisper, reaching towards the young girl who stepped back frightfully, but then came closer with a look of pity.

"Please..."

And then everything began to fold in on her. The trees overhead, the stars, the moon...the darkness...