Chapter 5: Sadness Consumes Us All

A/N: Yes, another chapter. I know it's been long, and I apologize. -gives you some of my Italian Ice-

Inuyasha: No! I WANT RAMEN!

Me: You Stupid hanyou, I have none! Damn, I told you this already. Will you listen? NO! Inuyasha, SIT!

Inuyasha: Ha, stupid bitch. You can't sit m-

Kagome: INUYASHA! SIT!

BAM!

Sesshomaru: -Snickers in the background-

Me: Heh, -anime sweat drops- happy reading!

Peering out over the distance or what I could see of it, in my demon form, I narrowed my green cat-like eyes and crouched low to the ground. I licked my lips silently, and got ready to attack.

My prey never knew what was coming. The deer I was stalking only twitched its fragile ears and looked to its left. But it was too late. I had pounced.

I am Rei, the Tiger Demon, and I devoured my meal quickly, feeling the warm, metallic blood trail down my throat. The meat, flesh and skin came off in chunks that I barely chewed. I hadn't had a meal in over four days, and I was desperately hungry.

Other then eating and trying to survive, I only had one other thought that rested deep inside of my mind. 'Kill Naraku'…

Naraku had killed my stepfather, a powerful lord. I was heir to the throne, as my half brother, Riku, was younger. But when my birthday rolled around, which was very close to the time he died, and I had become 16 and of age, I willingly and hurriedly handed it over to my brother and became dedicated on killing Naraku.

Even now, as 16 I was only 15 when Naraku had taken over my stepfather's body and had tricked everyone into believing he was our stepfather. But I knew better. Even when my brother and I were hidden, chained, starved and abused, in the dungeon, I still knew. I knew it was not my stepfather.

And I knew that if my mother were still alive, Naraku would never have gotten away with it. My mother was a full fledged tiger demon, as am I. She was married previously, and when my full tiger demon father died she remarried into semi-royalty and had Riku, who is a hanyou. Our mother was the wisest, and most brilliant woman I had ever met, or what I could remember of her. My mother had died a horrible death when I was only 7, but that was what all my stepfather had told me. Whenever we walked into a room, I knew when he was talking about her because he would stop talking abruptly, smile and ask us how our day was.

Naraku even lured more people into his deadly and wicked plot, turning more people against him. There was a small village not too far away. They housed a large quantity of Demon Slayers that Naraku had hired.

Sango, I believe her name was, was the only survivor. Her brother and father had died during the slaughter. Her brother Kohaku had been put under a spell. Naraku controlled him and made him a mindless killing machine. He slaughtered his own father, sister and fellow slayers. Sango had tried to fight him off, tried to knock him out of it, but it was useless.

Kohaku hadattacked her. And when the spell had dispersed, he approached his dying sister, only to be struck down by our guards, who were ordered to kill him when Naraku had told them too. Damn him!

I swear…One day I will kill you Naraku…

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When Kagome awoke she was still in the hell hole they called a cell. Sitting up, she once again took in her surroundings. Sesshomaru was gone, and she figured as much. She was shivering, and she knew she had an extremely high temperature. There wasn't any food, and she felt a headache start to take over. She just knew she was going to die. That's when she heard the door again. She scurried up against the wall and held her knees to her chest, shivering violently. She heard small, soft footsteps and waited, holding her breath until it came around the corner. It was Rin, Sesshomaru's charge.

"Lady Kagome," her little voice purred. "What are you doing down here?" Kagome smiled and slowly stood up. 'She remembers me.' She thought. Walking softly over to the wrought iron bars she saw Rin's face scrunch up at Kagome's state. "Are you sick, Lady Kagome?" she asked. Kagome nodded. "Please Rin. Go find Sesshomaru's Healer and bring him down here. I don't want to die." She said in a weak, scratchy voice.

Rin nodded and hurried out of the dungeon.

She heard Rin's little feet pitter patter out of the dungeon and before the door could slam back shut, Kagome was consumed by darkness.

--

When Kagome woke againshe was no longer in the dungeon. She could tell that her temperature had gone down, and she was no longer cold. Sitting up she looked around the room. She appeared to be in the same room she had been in before, and she had on the same kimono she did before.

At that moment someone knocked briskly on the door but didn't wait for her to answer, only to come in and walk hurriedly over to Kagome's futon. "Ah I see you are awake my dear." said an older, sharp woman. She had her hair pulled behind her head in a complicated and elegant bun and she wore a long, golden kimono that touched the floor. She had in her hand something that looked like herbs.

Kagome watched the lady approach and waited for her to put her hand on her forehead before she spoke. "Where is Sesshomaru?" she asked, her voice no longer scratchy and weak. "You have been asleep for nearly three days. Sesshomaru is currently away on some business and will not be back until later tonight. Here is your medicine." She said really fast, making Kagome wonder how she kept up with all of that. "I see." She responded, getting a strange look from the woman.

"Why are you so sad child?" She asked, her head tilted sideways and her sharp, business like manner gone. Kagome sighed. "It's nothing. I just wish to see my family again before…Before…" she couldn't get the rest out and instead broke down and started to cry.

The woman sat down on her futon and hugged Kagome tightly. "It will all be alright." She whispered, rubbing her back in a motherly fashion. But when a crash was heard from down the hall they broke apart and looked at the door. A very furious Sesshomaru was standing in the doorway.

He spread tension throughout the room quickly and sharply, making Kagome shudder. The Healer immediately got up and bowed in respect. "How dare you remove her from her cell when I am not present, or without my permission?" Sesshomaru asked his voice unnaturally calm.

The Healer bowed deeper, only to get on her knees. "My Lord, please forgive me. She was in need of serious medical attention, and on the verge of death. She needed a warm place to rest and some food to restore her strength." The Healer pleaded nervously.

Sesshomaru growled fiercely. "You could have brought her a blanket and fed her down in the dungeon. Never again shall you do such a thing without my consent. Do I make myself clear?" he said, his face twisting with malice and his voice full of anger and hatred.

The Healer looked up at Sesshomaru with round, fearful eyes. "But she would have died down there!" She said loudly. "THEN SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT TO DIE!" Sesshomaru roared, making Kagome tear up. "Filthy human, control your disgusting emotions beforeI rid this world of you!" he demanded, but she shook her head vigorously.

Sesshomaru stepped forward, pushing the Healer out of the room. He would deal with her later. "What is it, wench? If you have something to say, then say it." He said calmly, looking down at Kagome as though she was something vile on the bottom of his shoe.

"You are evil! You don't deserve to roam this earth! You should go to hell and rot all alone, you cold hearted bastard!" she yelled. Ouch. That would hurt…And it did. Sesshomaru's eyes glowed red and he smacked her hard across the face, knocking her to the floor.

Resting a hand on her reddened cheek, she felt a single tear slide down the other. "You selfish bastard…" she whispered. Again Sesshomaru's eyes glowed red. "You will never talk to me like that again. You are below me." He said as his hand rose in threat to another slap. "Go ahead. Slap me again." She whispered. "I dare you." She said viciously, staring him in the eye. "Don't tempt me." He warned.

Getting up off of the ground she ignored the burning and stinging on her left cheek and got close to Sesshomaru. "Inuyasha WILL come for me. I know so, and nothing you can do or say will ever change that." She said, her voice quivering with evil and hatred. Once again she was punished. She put her hand on her left cheek again and could barely stand the new stinging that lingered on the same spot, made by the same hand. She knew Inuyasha would come though. Even though she doubted before, it dawned on her that he had always come in the end…Always…

"I told you. You will NOT speak to me like that!" Sesshomaru said his hand back down by his side. And that's when Kagome cracked. She was still standing so she didn't have to move but maybe and inch, and Sesshomaru wasn't ready for what was about to happen.

Kagome lunged towards him, slapping biting kicking and screaming. Sesshomaru growled and grabbed her tightly, pinning her arms to her sides. Her bare arms stung with an ache she was sure to leave bruises, but she was proud of the fact that Sesshomaru would have a bruise of his own on his right cheek by tomorrow.

"You foul wretched creature!" He yelled, shaking Kagome senseless. Kagome looked up at him, sadness and loneliness in her eyes. It took him by surprise. 'Her eyes…' he thought. 'She looks broken…like she needs to be hugged…' But he took that feeling and buried it deep down in his chest, yet it didn't stay there very long.

Kagome pulled away from him and the feeling welled back up in his chest. He grabbed her arms again and pulled her in a tight, warm embrace that he would surely scold himself for later. But she didn't want it. She pushed him away quickly and fiercely and then smacked him. He looked at her with wide eyes and pushed her down onto the futon quickly and abruptly.

"You stupid bitch." He said coldly, venom dropping off of his words like a running faucet. He then turned around and walked out of the room leaving behind a very confused and very lonely Miko.

And yet, leaving her there all alone, when he got back to his study he plopped down in his big comfy chair, he couldn't help but feel lonely. I guess a little bit of loneliness consumes us all sometimes…