Chapter 3

Aftermath

I don't know if any body but Flaming-Mystic-Queen and SeaWrath2004 have been reading this, but I have finally finished this chapter. I would like to thank the two above. I really liked the reviews. Maybe next time you could give me something to HELP ME make my story better if u don't like it. Anyway, I'm sorry it took so long to update... my computer wasn't working for like a week, so yeah. I hope it is worth the wait. Let me know! PLEASE REVIEW!! So here is Ch. 3. Hope you enjoy.

Thanks to inuficcrzy...thanks first of all for reviewing more than once. It makes me REALLY happy!! When I first started writing this chapter, I wondered the same things! Lol I hope this chapter is ok. Please tell me what you think!

The sunlight was almost completely faded into blackness. Dark lavender and sapphire rays began to take over the room of which a hanyou and a young, shaking, girl were locked in. The ebony haired girl's sobbing had begun to stop, and her breathing had become slower.

The hanyou, his silvery long hair falling over his shoulders and covering his face, was still breathing roughly. His fists were clenching and unclenching in the wooden door that they still rested on; his deadly sharp claws making small ruts in the wood as they ran over and over it. Every so often a 'damn it...' would pass his slightly swollen and bloody lips.

"Inu...Yasha...?" The young woman's voice was raspy and nothing more than a mutter. If not for the hanyou's keen ears, he would not have heard her cry. He slowly lifted his head from his chest, his golden-hazel eyes clouded over slightly. Hate and rage still flickering in those haunted eyes. His head did not turn to look at the woman.

Kagome closed her eyes, still also clouded, but hers from the fear she still held and the tears she had shed, and swallowed painfully. "Why... What made this happen...?" She tilted her head back slightly, resting it on the wall behind her. Her sobs began again, only quieter this time, her throat and chest still sore from her hours of crying before.

Inu-Yasha cringed slightly at the sound of Kagome's tears again. "Will you STOP THAT?!" The hanyou yelled, whirling around. The woman gasped, drawing her fist up to her mouth, as he got to his feet. "Just SHUT-UP! All you do is cry!" Inu-Yasha was shaking in rage after Kagome again sobbed lightly through her fist.

The hanyou roared and punched the wall of their cell sideways as he threw his head up to the ceiling. A loud crunch echoed through the room as part of the wall broke, and part of Inu-Yasha's knuckles smashed against something much harder than the wall. "Kuso..." He muttered slightly loudly as he pulled his now bloody fingers from the wall.

Kagome lifted her head higher and slowly put her hand down, back onto her knees. "Inu...Inu-Yasha? Are... are you... alright...?" She was hesitant to ask, afraid of another outburst from the hanyou. Inu-Yasha sighed and brought his head down to finally look at Kagome, her knees anyway. The hanyou wouldn't allow himself to look into her pain-filled eyes.

He had allowed this to happen to his precious Kagome.

He should have been able to stop this from having ever come into her mind.

He should have kept that fucked up youkai from touching her at all.... But he couldn't do that. He had no right what so ever to be around her, to say that he would protect her, even love her...

"Inu-Yasha...?" Kagome whispered again. Inu-Yasha closed his eyes and turned his head away in shame again. He pulled his haori off and tossed it to the young woman. It fell at her feet, one of the red sleeves brushing against her foot.

She looked at it for a second before slowly reaching over her knees and taking the red firerat cloth into her soft hands. Inu-Yasha clenched his hands into fists as Kagome rapped the cloth around her small, bloody, and bruised frame. She looked herself over slightly before lifting her head to the hanyou sill standing in front of her.

"Kagome I..." Kagome's eyes widened slightly at the sound of Inu-Yasha's voice. His head was still turned away from her, his eyes flashing under his eyelids. "I'm.... I don't know what to say, or to do. Kagome..." He turned his face to her, and opened his eyes. She gasped in shock at the feeling hiding behind his gold orbs.

"Inu-Yasha... its not... I mean..." Kagome lowered her head and looked away from the hanyou as her voice failed her. Inu-Yasha turned his head away slightly before walking toward Kagome slowly. He reached one hand down toward Kagome's shoulder hesitantly. Kagome lifted her head as Inu-Yasha's slightly shaking hand made contact with her arm.

"I'm... sorry Kagome...I should have been able to protect you... You have no reason to trust me, and I understand if you don't want me near you anymore." Inu-Yasha again couldn't bring himself to look at Kagome's face, instead keeping his eyes at her bent knees. Kagome gasped slightly and her eyes filled with tears.

"No Inu-Yasha! You can't!" Kagome fell forward so she was kneeling higher up. "Look at me, Inu-Yasha. I need you... you can't go away..." Kagome's voice was dropping again. She slowly lifted her hands up to Inu-Yasha's face. She rested her slightly bloody palms on both of the hanyou's cheeks. The young woman pulled his face down to hers, so their noses were almost touching. "I'll die without you......" Kagome whispered.

Inu-Yasha's eyes still rested just below Kagome's eyes, just to the side of her nose, on her still damp cheeks. "Don't say that. You wouldn't die without me." Inu-Yasha began to turn his head away, tearing it from Kagome's grasp.

"Inu-Yasha! No, please don't go!" Kagome was allowing small rivers of tears to flow down her cheeks again. The hanyou stopped abruptly at the sound of Kagome's voice. He sighed slowly, closing his eyes again. "Please. Inu-Yasha..."

Inu-Yasha's eyes began to sting, but he would not allow the tears to fall. (I know that's sort of OOC, ok, totally OOC, but it works here.) "Kagome..." The hanyou turned his head to her, his eyes opening. He quickly fell to his knees in front of her, wrapping her into his arms tightly. She stiffened in his arms, his touch feeling slightly of the youkai before. "I'm so sorry... You shouldn't have been hurt.... not like this..." Inu-Yasha tightened his grip on Kagome as she relaxed slightly, recognizing Inu-Yasha's voice and embrace.

"Inu...Inu-Yasha..." She rested her face in his silver hair as tears filled her eyes again. "Don't leave me... please don't leave me..." Kagome shook her head slightly, the hanyou's hair brushing softly against her face.

"Kagome, I could never leave you." The hanyou began to stroke Kagome's hair and back. "I couldn't leave you..." His voice faded as he rested his hand on Kagome's head, running his palm slowly down her silky hair.

Kagome's light sobs slowed and she stopped her body from shaking as her hands bawled into fists in Inu-Yasha's white shirt. Her breathing became slow and steady; her eyes slowly falling closed. Her grip tightened on Inu-Yasha as she fell into a light sleep. "Don't leave me alone Inu... Yasha..." Kagome's voice passed through her lips softly, her mouth still feeling the throbbing of the youkai's lips against her own.

Inu-Yasha sighed slowly as he continued to stroke Kagome's hair. 'What's gotten into me?' The young woman still resting against his chest hadn't moved in her sleep, her chest rising and falling with his own. "Kagome..." Inu-Yasha muttered as he moved his left hand, moving it from Kagome's back to her bent knees. The hanyou stood up, lifting Kagome into his arms.

He glanced around the small cell, thinking where a good place would be to set Kagome down and let her sleep peacefully. He decided on the corner furthest from the door, the one just across from where he was standing with Kagome. Keeping her where that youkai had been hours before, didn't seam like a good idea. He slowly sat her up against the wall, hesitating afterwards about taking his white shirt off. Inu-Yasha laid the white shirt on the floor to cover a place for Kagome to lie.

Kagome winced slightly as Inu-Yasha's warm body left hers lying on the floor. The hanyou stood up straight again, his golden eyes continued to watch Kagome lay there, her body tensed slightly. He thought about her question from earlier... "why?" Inu-Yasha couldn't be sure why this was all happening; why some woman had captured them, and was so far doing a good job of torturing them, was still lost to his mind.

The hanyou's fists clenched at his sides as he thought about being made to watch Kagome be raped by that nameless youkai. "And he got away..." Inu-Yasha growled the words deep in his throat. Inu-Yasha's ears perked up as Kagome moaned lightly in her sleep, moving her legs closer to her chest. Inu-Yasha relaxed slightly as Kagome began to sleep silently.

The lock on the door to the cell suddenly unlatched, the noises echoing off of the silent walls and in Inu-Yasha's ears. The hanyou whirled around, his back now to Kagome, ready to fight again. Ashura, her black hair waving slightly in the wind she had just created by opening and closing the door, walked forward one step. "You," Inu-Yasha growled and took a step forward. Ashura smiled slightly.

"Yes, me. What happened to your little girl there?" Ashura looked over at Kagome over Inu-Yasha's shoulder. He growled and took another step toward Ashura. Her brown eyes slowly turned back to Inu-Yasha's face. "Not gunna tell me?"

"You already know you—" Inu-Yasha was now mere inches away from her.

"Watch your mouth." Ashura slapped the side of the hanyou's face. He turned back to her, his teeth bared.

"Damn you..." He stared into the woman's deep brown eyes, daring her to touch him again. The woman grinned, accepting his challenge. She slowly raised her hand to the hanyou's cheek. He stiffened.

"You don't really think you can protect her do you?" Ashura grinned before leaning up slightly to press a kiss on the hanyou's lips. "Mmmm," she pulled back and licked her lips, the salty taste of blood still lingering slightly on her tongue.

Inu-Yasha stumbled backward, shock clearly visible on his face. "Wh—What the Hell...?!" He watched as Ashura walked up to him again.

"Now, I just wanted to see what it was like before it was broken." Ashura grinned as she held her hand out, palm up, a small amount of powder on it. "Good-night." She blew the powder into the hanyou's face. Inu-Yasha winced and blinked quickly.

"What?" His eyes began to drop, and a familiar sensation came over him. He slid to the floor, his back resting against the wall. Inu-Yasha fought against the sleep that was taking hold of him again. 'Damn, I can't fall asleep... who knows what will happen to Kagome if I do...' Inu-Yasha struggled to get to his feet, that thought strong in his head.

"My, my, aren't we just the strong mutt today." Ashura knelt down slowly in front of Inu-Yasha. "I tried to make your last moments easy on you, but you have to be difficult." She reached into her hair slowly.

"My, last moments?" Inu-Yasha questioned skeptically. His head began to fall forward, the hanyou having more trouble keeping his mind focused. The only thing filling his mind was anger. He glared up at Ashura again.

"Yes mutt, that's what I said." The woman pulled a small, light blue barb out of her hair. She twisted it around in her fingers slowly; Inu-Yasha watched her every move. "Ja ne mutt boy." She quickly drove the sharp end of the barb into the hanyou's neck, making the end go deeply into his flesh.

'Damn it...' Inu-Yasha clenched his teeth as a slight gasp left his lips. He fell forward, being unconscious before he hit the floor with a thud, smearing blood onto the floor from his lips and neck.

Kagome stirred on the ground; she smiled at the warmth she felt next to her. "Hmmm, good morning Shippo." When the little youkai didn't respond, Kagome reached her hand out and felt around for him. Her fingers brushed against something warm and she opened her eyes happily. "There you—" Kagome screamed and pulled her hand back to her quickly, sitting up as she did so.

Her fingertips were covered in dark red blood. The darkness of the cell, its coldness, the blood... the young woman's world of happiness crashed down around her. The youkai flashed in her mind. She began to shake again as she pulled her knees up close to her chest. Her dark brown eyes darted around, looking for the youkai who haunted her mind.

There was nothing there. There was no one there. "Inu-Yasha...?" Kagome looked down at the soft cloth she was sitting on, now stained on one corner with blood. 'Where did he go?' The young woman slowly reached down and ran her hand slowly across the white shirt. She froze as a thought crossed her mind. 'He didn't leave me did he?' Kagome's heart began to beat quicker. 'No, he wouldn't do that.' She told herself. 'Right...?' She dropped her head slightly, her eyes filling with tears.

Kagome jumped and then cowered slightly as the door to the cell was unlocked loudly and opened. The young woman frowned and jumped to her feet as Ashura walked through the door. Kagome was surprised that the woman left the door wide open, revealing the dark hall outside. "What do you want? Why have you kept me here?" Kagome glared at the woman as the older woman rolled her eyes.

"Like I would tell you that," Ashura looked back out the door as she replied to the younger woman's questions. "I hear that you and that youkai had a "thing" earlier." Ashura turned back to Kagome as the younger woman's face paled. Ashura laughed at Kagome's expression. "Oh, by the way, I think this is yours?" The woman reached outside of the cell, dragging something motionless back in through the door.

"Inu-Yasha!" The young priestess said as Ashura roughly threw the hanyou to the floor just in front of her. Kagome ripped her eyes from Inu-Yasha's motionless body to Ashura as the older woman laughed.

"He was fun. Clean him up so we can play again." Ashura's mouth twitched slightly upward. She turned around and walked out of the cell again, slamming the door behind her. The lock fell with a loud noise, the sound echoing through the cell. Kagome stood stunned by the sound for a second before shaking her head. She fell to her knees at Inu-Yasha's side.

"Inu-Yasha...?" Kagome shook his shoulder lightly, crouching close to his face. She grimaced at the cuts and blood covering his pale face. Kagome knew that those would be gone in a matter of hours; it was the large hole in his stomach, wide open gash in his shoulder, and the broken leg that concerned her. "Inu-Yasha can you hear me?" She tried again. There again was no response.

Kagome sighed lightly and looked around the small cell. The room held little that would help her take care of the hanyou's wounds. Her eyes fell on the window giving them the little light they had. She got back to her feet, determined to find a way to help Inu-Yasha.

The window held things that surprised the young woman. She reached her arm through the bars, feeling around for the sticks she had just seen. "Ouch," Kagome pulled the two sticks back, blood now dripping down them from her palm.

The sticks would make a good splint until Inu-Yasha's leg could be set properly. Kagome set the sticks next to Inu-Yasha's knee as she knelt down at his side. She turned her eyes down to her palm, wondering why it was bleeding so badly. "A nail...?" Kagome stared at the small piece of iron sticking out of her bloody palm. 'How did that happen?' She looked at the two pieces of wood lying next to her. 'I've got to help Inu-Yasha...' She thought as she yanked the small piece of iron out of her palm.

"Ow," Kagome winced lightly as blood began to gush out of the now completely open hole in her hand. Kagome bit her lip as Inu-Yasha suddenly moaned. His head turned so his face was away from her. The silver ears twitched as the hanyou became more aware of where he was.

"Kagome...?" Inu-Yasha's voice was quiet. Kagome leaned over and looked at Inu-Yasha's clouded-over eyes.

"Yeah Inu-Yasha?" The young woman rested her non-bloody hand on the hanyou's non-bloody shoulder.

"I didn't mean..." Inu-Yasha fell silent and his eyes closed again.

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome again began to worry when he didn't respond. "Inu-Yasha...?" Kagome tried again, shaking his shoulder again lightly. He moaned again and rolled his head back so he was facing Kagome again.

"What do you want?" The hanyou questioned. He sat up and moved his neck from side to side. 'Damn that woman.' Kagome was staring at him. Inu-Yasha stopped moving and looked back at her. "What are you staring at?" He looked himself over once. "Oh, I guess I am something to look at...." He reached down and snapped his broken leg back into place. Kagome winced at the sound. When she opened her eyes again, Inu-Yasha was getting to his feet.

"What are you doing?! You shouldn't be up yet!" Kagome grabbed Inu-Yasha's arm and steadied him as she herself got to her feet.

"What happened to your hand?" Inu-Yasha took her right hand into his own. Kagome pulled it back

"It's nothing. Now go sit down." Kagome walked with Inu-Yasha to his shirt still lying on the floor. "Here, cover up before you catch cold." Kagome reached down and picked up the shirt, handing it to the hanyou. He only looked at her.

"Me? Catch "cold"? You do remember that I am—"

"Yes, yes, I know you're part demon, but listen anyway!" Kagome threw the shirt over his head. She stomped to the window again. Inu-Yasha pulled the shirt off of his head and watched Kagome reach through the bars as he pulled his arms through the sleeves of his shirt, tying it when he had both arms through. She was shaking again.

"What are you doing?" The hanyou rubbed his shoulder as he folded his legs under him and sat down. The shoulder was stiff, blood still slowly oozing out of it. 'Damn.' His hand went to his stomach. The hole there had not stopped bleeding either.

"I'm getting this grass..." Kagome concentrated on what she was reaching for again. She smiled as she drew her hand back. "Got it!" She stepped back and then turned toward the hanyou who was staring at her funny.

"What's grass for?" Inu-Yasha didn't get a reply.

"Open your shirt." Kagome knelt down in front of him, her left hand full of grass.

"Put it on, take it off, make up your damn mind." Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes as he opened his shirt again. Kagome ignored his attitude as she took a small amount of the grass into her right hand. The hanyou blinked as Kagome put the small handful of grass into her mouth and began to chew on it. "What are you doing now?"

Kagome put her right hand to her mouth, spitting the now wet grass onto her fingers. She winced slightly as the juice leaked down her fingers and into her palm. She looked up into the hanyou's eyes. "This might hurt a little, but it's the best antibiotic I have right now." Inu-Yasha only blinked in response.

Kagome reached up and drubbed the grass and juice she had just created on Inu-Yasha's open shoulder. The hanyou sat silently watching until a stabbing pain shot down his arm. "Alright, enough with the rubbing!" He jerked away from Kagome. She sat with her hand still outstretched.

"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure your wounds didn't get infected." Her eyes lowered to the ground. Inu-Yasha looked away and began to rub his shoulder unconsciously. The bleeding had stopped now, but it was still to stiff to move very well.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it...' Inu-Yasha closed his eyes.

"H-here Inu-Yasha." The hanyou's ears twitched at her voice as he opened his eyes and turned his attention back to Kagome. She held out another handful of chewed grass. "Put this around your stomach." Kagome still wasn't looking up from the floor.

:Kagome?" Inu-Yasha ignored the hand she held outstretched to him. Golden eyes searched the young woman's face. "Kagome, are you alright?" The hanyou leaned forward slightly. Kagome looked up at him suddenly, a fake smile on her face.

"Fine, now hold still." She reached out again and wiped the juice and grass around the outside of the gaping hole in the hanyou's stomach. He jumped slightly at her quickness. 'How could I have been thinking that Inu-Yasha would leave me? I was thinking about things like escaping with out him while he suffered.'

"Kagome?" Inu-Yasha's voice broke through the woman's thoughts. "Kagome, what's with the guilty looks?"

"Hu?" Kagome looked up from the floor she had been staring at. Inu-Yasha watched her carefully. "What Inu-Yasha? I was thinking and didn't hear you." The hanyou didn't respond right away.

"Did something happen again? You're shaking." He finally replied. Kagome was surprised; she hadn't realized she was shaking.

"No, nothing happened." She smiled slightly. "Are you feeling any better?" The hanyou blinked at her sudden change.

"Yeah, better..." Inu-Yasha leaned his back against the wall. He winced slightly at the small pain from his stomach. His eyes fell closed slowly; his breath passed his dry and still bloody lips slowly.

Kagome watched as the grass she had put on the hanyou's wounds took effect, putting him to sleep. Her eyes lowered to the ground when she knew he was fully asleep. 'The poor guy, I can't believe that I thought he would leave me.' Kagome could have cried. 'I have to stay right here and watch over him until his wounds heal.' Kagome crawled to the hanyou's side, placing herself between Inu-Yasha and the door.

'We've got to get out of here, and soon. This cell won't help Inu-Yasha heal any faster.' Kagome's stomach growled and clenched. 'The loss of food won't help either.' Kagome rested her back against the wall and leaned her head back, sighing lightly. 'We've got to get out of here...'