Crumble

Summary: Piece by piece she was worn down, a shell of who she had once been. Locked away in this hellhole her only companions were the small child that slept curled next to her and their protector who stood guard at their cell making sure they were safe…

AN: Contains MAJOR spoilers for those who have not seen the movie DO NOT READ unless you are fine with stuff being spoiled for you. Thanks.
~W.K.

She had no idea how long she had been in her cell, the days all blurred into weeks, the weeks into months. For all she knew she could have been there for years, it didn't just matter. Time meant nothing here, no one had ever left this horrid place unless in a body bag.

She shifted on her cot so thin she could feel the bars of the metal frame thought it. The heat was as usual horrid and her throat was parched, she mused she was probably hungry as well. The hunger pains had faded after a few weeks though while she had them they were painful beyond belief.

Now, now she felt no hunger, though the blaring thirst and horrid heat more then made up for it. Her body was slick with sweat, her plain white tank top, stained gray form months of going un washed, clung to her. Her plain tan pants, which were far to short and a bit loose, hung on her body kept up by a piece of rope.

Her hair was a ratted nest on the top of her head a few pieces fell to frame her face and stick to it because of her sweat. On her feet were a pair of sandals old, worn and a size to big they were hers. She had so very little that she could call hers anymore. She had never been a materialistic person but it would have been nice to have something to call her own.

Around her she could hear the other inmates chatter and fight. There wasn't much else to do, most exchanged tales, a few gambled and even more fought. They were all just waiting to die. Eventually someone would try and scale the wall, to claim their freedmen from the pit. All failed, some were injured others were lucky enough to die, the fall was usually so fast that they didn't feel any pain.

"Kagome!" She sighed lightly at the gruff calling of her name turned to face the caller. Her face was blank as he leered down at her; she was the only female left in this hell hole. There had been another but she had been met a horrid end at the hands of the men who had been cast into the pit to die. The only proof that she had ever been there was the child she left behind, said child was asleep on her cot.

She gazed down at the child forced to masquerade as a male lest the same fate befall her when she came of age. Her hair was a crew cut and her body was covered by large bulky clothes. She absent mindedly brushed the sweat that gathered on the child brow in a show of affection. After her mother's death she had been saved by Bane and put in her custody.

She had taken on the responsibility with gusto, before she had been cast into this hell, betrayed by her own country, she had been seen as an elder sister to the children who used to visit her families shrine. She loved children and it saddened her that she would not have any of her own, no. She would not want to have any, not here. Not after seeing the hell the child that slept next to her had endured, would have to keep enduring.

A small frown marred her face as her fingers subconsciously ran through short cropped hair calming the child as she moved in her sleep. With lazy semi dull blue eyes she turned her gaze back to the male who had called her name, he was annoyed she had ignored him and was glaring at her. She could care less, this particular male had always gone out of his way to make jeers at her and say less then polite things to her.

"What do you want?" Her voice was low and strained, she was in no mood to deal with his perverted comments. The man merely leered down at her and as he opened his mouth to say something most vulgar he yelped in pain as a hand grabbed the back of his neck and applied pressure.

Kagome watched with bored blue eyes as Bane, her silent protector, slammed the man's face into the bars of her cell before tossing him away. The others around them cheered, loving the sight and smell of blood, yet he ignored them and merely glared down at the fallen man who now held a hand to his broken and bleeding nose.

"Leave." His voice was a low growl and slightly muffled by his the mask fashioned out of cloth that he always wore. She had asked him about it once but he merely ignored her question. She had never brought it up again, for all one had in this place was their reputation and their past. Everything else had been stripped of them.

"Bane." Her voice was a low mummer as he turned to face her, she offered him a small smile as he unlocked her cell and entered it locking it behind him as he made his way to sit by her, his hand reaching for hers. Large warm calloused hands gently held her own as if afraid he would break it. She merely held his tighter.

He was the only one allowed to enter her cell, something he had made sure everyone understood. She was his just like he was hers, and this small child was theirs to look after, to love, to nurture, and to one day set free.

Until then they were all they had and they would not let anything get between them. This was their world, all there was to it, and one day they knew it would crumble around them like everything else had.

Until then they would cling to this illusion and each other.