Can I keep you?

(A/N: Hello, hello everyone! I just want to thank all of the kind people who have reviewed this story so far. I'm really surprised actually, I mean, 70+ reviews for two chapters? O.o I'm so flattered! I don't think I've ever gotten that many for two chapters before! *runs around the room happily* I love you reviewers and it just encourages me to write even harder when I know that people actually like my work and what to read more. Thank you sooooo much! Anyway, please enjoy the latest chapter!)

Chapter 3: Claimed.

The room was dimly lit and Kagome's head was swimming. She didn't know where she was or how long she had been unconscious but she wished more then anything that her head would stop pounding. She groaned and slowly sat up, rubbing her forehead as she gazed around the room, letting her eyes adjust.

"Tch, finally awake are you?"

Kagome yelped in surprised and hit her head on the large wooden bed board behind her. She whimpered, taking a moment to let the room stop spinning and then mustered up enough courage to speak. "W-who's there...?"

Someone snorted and she could hear the sound of footsteps then the whole room became engulfed in light.

She blinked a few times again allowing her eyes to adjust and was surprised when she saw the last person she had ever expected to see again. It was Inuyasha. He had changed so much since the last time she had seen him all those years ago, of course, it was to be expected him growing up from the young boy he had once been but he barely resembled the Inuyasha she had once called her friend. The things that stuck out to her the most were the change in his personality and in his eyes. He seemed much colder and distant then before, but why? More importantly why was she here?

Inuyasha turned to her and a frown appeared on his face when he had noticed her staring at him. She was about to turn her gaze away when she noticed the bandaging wrapped around his stomach, chest and left arm. They were stained with red blood. The one around his chest seemed slightly undone and she realized he must have been trying to change them a moment ago.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice clearly showing her concern.

Inuyasha's frown turned quickly into a deep scowl as he marched over towards the end of the wide bed and plopped down without saying a word to Kagome. She was hurt by this and a little angry that he was still giving her the cold shoulder. He was most likely the person who had brought her here so the least he could do was reply to one measly question. "Why am I here? Did you bring me here?" she asked.

No reply.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! The least you could do is say something, anything or just nod!"

Still nothing. Inuyasha seemed too preoccupied with unwrapping his bandages to care about the girl behind him. Kagome frowned and kicked the sheets off of her. She wasn't about to be ignored so easily. She got on all fours and crawled to the end of the bed and glared at Inuyasha. "Tell me why I'm here. Did you kidnap me?" she demanded.

The golden-eyed teen beside her lifted his head and glared right back at her. "Shut up, will you? I'm busy!" he commanded with such authority Kagome blinked in surprise. She was taken aback for a minute or two but after allowing herself to regain her composure she once again tried to get her questions answered. "I will not shut up! I have a right to know what's going on here!"

Inuyasha stopped unwrapping his bandages and stood from the bed. He quickly turned to Kagome and roughly grabbed her by the arm. She cried out in surprise as she was flung from the bed to the floor, landing with a loud thud. 

"Slaves don't have rights. You will do as I tell you or you will be punished, is that clear?" Inuyasha said coldly to her. Kagome's body began to tremble but not from the bitter coldness of the floor or because she was hurt but because she was afraid. She was also very confused. "What are you talking about? I'm not your slave…"

"Now you are. I've claimed you as my own and by law you are now my personal slave."

"What about my family? I may be a human but I have a life too you know!" Kagome shouted. Why was this happening? Just the other day she had wanted to see Inuyasha more then anything else but now…she couldn't stand him. 

"You have no family. You have no life. Your only purpose is to serve me. You will do nothing unless I tell you." Inuyasha turned his back to Kagome and made his way towards the door to the room. "Get yourself cleaned up. I will come back later." He told her just before he left and slammed the doors behind him, leaving the mortified Kagome lying on the floor.

.  .  .  .

"Sango!"

Sango looked up from her current task of hand cleaning the floors to see a young housemaid like herself make her way towards her. "Yes?" she asked.

"Sango, did you hear? Master Inuyasha brought home a young girl last night."

Sango made a face. What did it matter who and what Inuyasha brought home? It was none of their business. They were just servants. "So what?"

"She was a human."

Sango blinked in surprise. "Really? That's new. Where'd he take her?" The other girl tilted her head in thought before replying. "The other servants and I saw him take her to his bedchambers. We didn't see either of them come out until this afternoon. Master Inuyasha looked pretty upset when he did come out. The rest of us are worried about the girl but we're too frightened to go check…"

Sango looked thoughtful. Inuyasha had never been the type to just bring home a human and take them straight to his bedroom. At home he was much more civil to the human servants then his other family members but out on the streets he had refused to mingle with them at all afraid a youkai would begin to tease him about his "love for the human filth." In any case she knew she had no right to just barge into her master's bedroom. She knew she would be severely beaten if she was caught but she was also a little concerned about this human girl.

Sango sighed and got to her feet. "I'll go. Will you clean the floors until I get back?" she asked and the other girl nodded, smiling happily. "Sure!" Sango smiled back and headed off down the hallway towards Inuyasha's room. She was careful not to make a sound as she quietly inched towards the door. She reached out for the knob and opened it without making the door squeak. Sango tiptoed into the room and breathed a sigh of relief when safely inside. She looked up and surveyed the room but found no trace of any human girl.

Sango frowned a little, worried that maybe something had happened to the poor girl. Suddenly the room leading into the bathroom opened, catching Sango off guard. She gasped and dove for the nearest chair to hide behind, her heart pounding painfully against her ribcage.

"Hello?" the voice was feminine. There was the sound of a sniff and bare feet tapping against the wooden floor. Sango waited a minute or two before she peeked from behind the chair and saw a girl roughly around her age standing in the middle of the room with a towel draped around her slender frame. The girl sniffed again and began rubbing her eyes a little, it was apparent that she had been crying. "Hello?" she said again.

Sango stood up from her hiding place and showed herself to the girl, smiling as she laid her hands on her hips. "So, you are real."

"Who are you?"

"Oh, my name Sango. Pleased to meet you, I'm a servant here."

"…So, you're not a slave?"

"A slave? Hell no, I just work here to help my family get by." Sango replied with a shrug. "Anyway, what about you? Are you a friend of Master Inuyasha's?"

The girl sighed and shook her head. Unfortunately, she didn't know what she was to Inuyasha let alone what was going to happen to her.

Sango stared at her a moment. "So, what's your name?"

"Kagome Higurashi."

"Hm, nice name." Sango smiled. "Okay, Kagome, if you aren't a friend of Inuyasha's then what are you doing here?"

"I'm not really sure. I assume I was brought here but I haven't been told much yet except…"

"Except…?"

"That I'm now supposedly Inuyasha's slave."

Sango let her jaw drop. "What? Really?" she was in shock. She had heard Inuyasha say he would never get a slave because of reasons he kept to himself. Why now? She looked at the Kagome and saw something, which was the proof of Inuyasha's ownership. On the nape of her neck was a healing mark, one that could only be made by a youkai assuming ownership of a human slave claiming them as their sole property.

Kagome frowned slightly, laying her hand over the wound. It appeared that she had seen it before but she hadn't known what it meant until Sango had begun to stare at it.

"I know it's none of my business but do you have family?" Sango asked. Kagome nodded, the look of grief growing on her face. "Yes, I have parents and a little brother named Sota. I was supposed to pick him up yesterday from school…"

Kagome stopped herself from finishing her sentence. She had suddenly realized what had happened that day; she had been late getting out of school. It had been her first day attending the all-human school. She had been standing on the sidewalk waiting to cross when she was attacked behind by Hiten. Had Inuyasha come to her rescue that night?

"Are you okay?" Sango asked, tilting her head slightly. Kagome blinked and looked at the other girl. "Yes, I'm sorry…"

"No need to apologize. You just went quiet and then began to pale. I was starting to worry. I guess you aren't used to all this…"

"You could say that…"

"Hm, well, I think I've neglected my work for long enough. I need to get back. Would you mind if I came back to check up on you again later?" Sango asked. Kagome nodded her head. She would very much appreciate some company especially from Sango. She seemed like a nice girl and she knew they would get along well. "I'd like that."

"Good! Then it's settled. I'll see you later then." Sango smiled and headed towards the door. She turned and waved at Kagome then left as quietly as she had come.

Once alone in the room Kagome let out a deep sigh. This was already turning out to be a strange and exhausting day. She could only wonder what was ahead of her but one thing was for sure. She would find a way to get through to Inuyasha, even if it killed her. She wanted to know what had caused him to change so much and what had happened to the boy she had once known.

To be continued…

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter but I promise I'll try and update more often. ^^; Please leave comments!!