1WARNING! This chapter contains rape and strong violence.

Kagome hung from her chains, wondering how long she'd been down there. There was no way to count the time, she was locked in a never changing world of darkness. She could tell that she had missed a few meals at least, from the way her stomach was rumbling. As if food is my top priority right now. She shivered in the cold. They could've at least given me a blanket or something! Its freezing in this place! She tried to reach out to her miko energies for the umpteenth time. She could feel them there, but it was like reaching through one a 10 foot wall of plexiglass - so close, yet so far away.

Slowly, the door started opening. She hid her face from the sudden light. "Inuyasha! I knew you'd find me!"

"Heh heh...not quite, miko." Naraku chuckled quietly at her optimism. She was going to be so much fun to break.

"Let me go, you bastard! Your ass is as good as dead soon as my friends get here!" She tried to kick at him, but he just swatted her away like a fly.

"I seriously doubt that, girl. The only way you're getting out of here is if you agree to find the Shikon Jewel shards for me."

"I would never help a monster like you!" She spat at him, nodding satisfactorly as it landed on his face.

Naraku was in front of her in a second and slapped her hard across the face, making her see stars for a full minute. "I was so hoping you would say that." He unfastened the chain from the wall and watched as she dropped the two feet to the ground, the rest of the chain falling heavily on top of her. He took up the loose end and dragged her across the rough stone towards the last door at the other end of the hall. He opened it to reveal a flight of stairs descending into darkness and kicked her down, enjoying the sound of her screams as she fell.

- - - -

"Alright, we've waited long enough. Everyone wake up!" Inuyasha jumped off his branch and started shaking everyone awake.

Miroku was the first one to gather his wits. "You have found a way to track her then?"

"I found Kagura's scent. Its faint and over a week old at the least, but that's all we got for now."

"A week? But Kagome's only been gone for 3 days. Are you sure this will work?" Shippou climbed up onto Inuyasha's shoulder. He'd never been more than a foot away from someone else since Kagome'd been taken.

"I don't see as we have any other choice. It's not as if Naraku is going to leave marker-posts for us to follow." Miroku straightened his robes and offered Sango a hand up, which she took.

"Kirara?"

"Mrar!" The fire neko changed into her larger form and the two humans hopped on her back. Inuyasha stayed on the ground, following the scent as it seemed to wind this way and that, but always northwards too. Kirara scouted up ahead above the tree line, looking out for any youkai foolish enough to get in their way.

- - - -

Naraku followed Kagome down the stairs at his usual slow pace. It amused him the way this stupid girl actually tried to get up. Did she think she might run away? How foolish. He shoved her back down to the stone floor and continued dragging her over to the far wall. As they crossed the room, Kagome could see all sorts of chains and torture the devices, some of which she couldn't (or wouldn't) imagine a purpose for. Naraku walked slow, making sure she got a good look.

"This is where those who don't obey me go, human." He allowed himself a small smile as he smelled the fear scent spike coming from her.

"Do what you want to me, you evil bastard! I'll never help you!" She spat at him again, earning her another hard slap. Naraku made sure to use his claws this time.

"Oh, yes, I do believe I will do exactly as I please." He threw her against the wall, laughing. He unclasped her wrists, only to spread them above her head in new shackles attached to the wall. Then he bent down to do the same for her legs, but she kicked him in the face.

"Such a fiesty bitch you are. We'll definatly have to do something to fix that." He snapped the offensive leg to the side, breaking her knee cap and the proceed to finish shackling her to the wall. He relished in the loud screams coming from her.

He went over to a table setup nearby that was laid out with all sorts of delicious implements. This was just the beginning so he decided to start with something simple. He picked up a leather cat o' nine tails and cracked it in the air a few times.

"Let's see. That was three times you tried to attack me. Hm... I think about 30 lashes should be sufficient, don't you agree?" He didn't give her a chance to respond and began whipping her, the nine tethers leaving huge gashes in her skin and eventually tearing small chunks of flesh away. Naraku grinned even fiercer with each scream she cried, feeling his loins stir at her pain.

He replaced the whip on the table after his thirty lashes. After all, he was a man of his word, yes? He glanced over at the girl, who was still screaming her head off in her pain. This was all so delicious. At last her cries subsided, leaving her snuffling quietly. "Will you now find the shards for me, whore?" He grabbed her by the chin and jerked her head up painfully, forcing her to look at him.

"Never..." Kagome managed to get the words out between her clenched teeth.

"Very well then." He picked up an iron rod. Crude, but it will do. He broke her other leg. He wondered if anyone outside the castle walls could hear her screams. He bet they could. The scent of her blood mingled with the sound of her screams and the smell of her fear... it was all becoming too much for him and he decided to forgo all the other wonderful and delicious forms of torture he'd had planned for her. "Tell me, Kagome. Has Inuyasha ever taken you? Not that it matters." He dropped his pants and thrust himself into her. Every thrust of his banged her bruised body against the wooden wall, making her see stars.

Kagome could feel the darkness creeping up on her as she was being ruthlessly violated. She screamed but that just seemed to give the monster more energy. "Inuyashaaaa!" was the last thing she cried out before the darkness claimed her.

Naraku frowned as her screams ceased when the stupid girl lost consciousness. With a roar, he released his seed into her. As his other senses reasserted themselves, he sensed that a battle was being fought not too far off by another part of him. He wondered which of his 'children' it was, and went back up the stairs to the main part of the castle to prepare.