Disclaimer: I own nothing but the thoughts in my head (I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing)!

A/N: I am sorry if I can't update very often for the next three weeks. The reason of my delaying: exams. As soon as summer holidays begin, I can really get going with my writing, and everything will be updated frequently. Well, here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Three: Behind Locked Doors

The sun began to sink lower from its high perch in the sky, signaling that early evening was fast approaching. Noon had definitely passed, and yet, there still was no sign of Kagome.

The impatient hanyou crouched on the rooftop of Kaede's home, watching intently for any signs of Kagome's return. She had promised to be back by noon, and now it was almost evening! Was she lying, or was something happening that was preventing her from coming back?

There was also the looming anxiety of the recent news Kagome had told them. The thought of her sharing a home with a convicted murderer wasn't so comforting.

"Where is Kagome Inuyasha?" the kitsune asked from below, breaking his train of thought. The hanyou instantly became annoyed at the small demon, but he looked away to restrain himself from venting his anger on Shippo.

"She went home this morning," Inuyasha grumbled.

"When did she say she was going to come back?"

"By noon…"

"So why isn't she here?"

"Stop asking so many questions!" Inuyasha stood up on the roof, making him even more intimidating to the child demon below. His nerves had been taking a good racking now. It was time to find Kagome.

Inuyasha jumped down from his perch and began to run in the direction of the Bone-Eater's well.

"Wait Inuyasha, where are you going?" Shippo called to him, but Inuyasha was already out of sight. Shippo sighed, as he turned around and went back inside Kaede's home.

Kagome sat on the edge of her bed, staring anxiously out her bedroom window. It was getting late, and she knew Inuyasha would probably get worried. She would have left and been back on time if it had not been for the locked door, which was not the only thing disallowing her to leave.

"Hopefully he'll come and get me," Kagome thought. Inuyasha usually would, he always came when she was late. For hours, Kagome had been telling herself that he would come, but it was getting late. Maybe he forgot about her? Then again, he didn't come to get her when she was gone for the past week. Perhaps he just wouldn't come? "He has to come…He just has to."

Looking away from the spot at the window, Kagome glanced at her alarm clock. It read 5:45 pm, meaning she had been locked in her room for over six hours now. How long was he intending to keep her in there? She felt a slight rumbling in her stomach. She hadn't eaten anything since the morning, and there was no food in her room.

Looking back and forth from the clock and the window was only getting Kagome more anxious. She decided to rest her eyes for a moment. She slumped back onto her bed and closed her eyes.

"I hope Inuyasha and the others are okay…"

A sudden noise at the window made Kagome bolt upwards from her bed. She turned her head to see none other, but the silver-haired boy, climbing through her window. A heavy anxiety was instantly lifted from her chest as she stood up to greet him.

"So I wait all this time for you, and you're sleeping?" he accused, tucking his hands into his sleeves.

Kagome wanted to begin yelling at him with her excuse, but she mentally stopped herself. "Ssshh, don't make so much noise Inuyasha!" she half-whispered, "You shouldn't let my father know you're here…"

Inuyasha eyed her quizzically, when something on her face caught his eye. A deep, bluish imprint of a hand was sitting on the lower jaw of Kagome's face. He had immediately recognized it, as he had seen so many of these types of bruises on Miroku's face when he became lecherous. But how did Kagome retain one herself? Inuyasha stepped closer to examine her face more.

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked him quietly. She hoped desperately that she wasn't blushing.

"Who gave you that bruise?" Inuyasha demanded, ignoring her first question. He pointed to the black and blue mark.

Kagome, not noticing anything there before, ran to her mirror by her closet. She lightly touched the wound with a shameful face; as if she knew where it had come from.

"Who gave you that?" Inuyasha persisted.

Kagome looked down to the floor. "Nobody." Kagome was silent for a bride moment. "I...I fell on the stairs," she lied yet again, "but that doesn't matter right now. It's just a small bruise anyways. We have to get going before-"

"Kagome!" A loud voice echoed through the house. "Who are you talking to?"

Kagome instantly looked horrified. "Um…I'm just talking to myself!" She called back to the voice. She then turned back to Inuyasha and whispered frantically, "Inuyasha, we have to go now!"

Inuyasha ignored her comment as he was staring at the door where the voice was coming from. "Is that him? Was he the one who gave you that?" he asked loudly. Kagome could see his clawed fists in tight balls. She had to stop Inuyasha from doing anything. If her father found out anyone was there…

"Shh…Inuyasha please let's just leave now." Kagome grabbed onto one of his arms and tried pulling him towards the window, but he proved too strong for her. Inuyasha pulled away from Kagome and strode over to the door. He tried turning the knob, only to find it was locked.

"Is this why you're still here? Did he lock you in!" Inuyasha demanded even louder, ignoring her plea to whisper. Kagome hesitated to answer, instantly looking away from his glare. He was angry, but not at her.

"Kagome, who is with you!" the voice echoed once more up to Kagome's room.

"N-nobody is up here!" Kagome yelled back.

"I'm hearing another voice up there!" it said.

Kagome panicked when she heard heavy footsteps coming closer and closer to her room. She frantically grabbed Inuyasha's arm again and tried desperately to drag him to the window, but he still didn't budge.

"Come on! We have to leave now!" Kagome began to break down in tears.

"I want to see this guy, eye to eye." Inuyasha said without looking at her. He pumped his fists, readying himself to break down the door. He brought up one fist and went in to break down the door, but stopped in mid air when he smelt tears in the midst of them. Inuyasha turned to see Kagome kneeling on the ground, silent tears running down her cheeks.

"Kagome, what's the matter? Why are you crying?" Inuyasha kneeled down beside her.

"Inuyasha, if we go right now, I'll tell you." Kagome whispered through silent tears. Inuyasha nodded, signaling for Kagome to climb onto his back. After Kagome pulled herself onto his back, he quickly ran to the window, pried it open and jumped out mere seconds before her father burst into the room.

"I know that bruise came from a hand Kagome," Inuyasha spoke somewhat gently, after they went through to the other side of the well. "Miroku has those kind ofbruises plastered on his face every other day when he tries to hit on Sango."

Kagome smirked slightly at his comment, but remained in a solemn silence. Kagome wassitting on the edge of the well, watching the sunsink lower into the trees ahead. Inuyasharemained sitting at her side, watching her carefully.They were safe, and away from her fatheron the other side of the well.She never knew that someone so closely related to her could have such a bad temper.

"You can't keep lying to us Kagome," Inuyasha sighed. "We can't help you unless you tell us the truth." Inuyasha jumped out of the well, bringing them both into the evening air of feudal Japan. He set Kagome down gently on the rim of the well, and then he sat down beside her. "I promise not to tell Miroku or the others if you tell me right not what really happened."

Kagome looked hesitant. What was going on in her time was obviously something painful to be reminded of. Her brown orbs began to swell with tears, but none began to flow yet.

"It's not really something I like talking about," she mumbled, avoiding his steady gaze.

"Please Kagome?"

Kagome looked up into Inuyasha's eyes when he said this. Never. Never had she heard him utter these words to her before. The tone of his voice had not been heard from his lips to her before either! It was caring; sympathetic…his usual armor of ego had been temporarily removed.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But I don't want to tell Sango or the others just yet."

Inuyasha nodded in understanding. He watched Kagome take a deep breath before she began to speak.

"The reason why I couldn't come back when I said I would…was my father. I tried sneaking in my house to grab my textbooks and leave, but he caught me right before I could get to the door. He didn't want me leaving the house again, but I refused to listen to him. So, I tried leaving, but he locked me in my room…"

"So he didgive you that bruise, didn't he?" Inuyasha asked, trying to keep his temper down for Kagome.

She nodded shamefully. She subconsciously ran her fingers along her jaw line. The pain from it had slightly dulled into a throb at the touch. She winced lightly, immediately setting her hand down at her side. To her surprise, her hand hit something warm. The object she touched grasped her hand firmly, but delicately. Kagome looked down to her hand, only to realize that it was smothered by Inuyasha's hand.

Kagome began to blush. This was definitely unusual for Inuyasha to act like this! Instead of pulling his hand away, he takes hers in his. Sub-consciously, Kagome had wanted this to happen for so long.

After a long, awkward silence, Inuyasha spoke again. "So, why did he want you to not leave the house?" he asked, not removing his hand from hers.

Kagome shrugged. "Not sure, but I think he didn't want me to tell anyone about his conviction a few years back. I think the idea of me telling someone he was once in a mafia was making him nervous."

Inuyasha nodded his head, deep in thought. Following another moment of pause, Inuyasha asked her, "Do you…love your father?"

Kagome looked at him curiously. "Why do you want to know that?"

"Just answer the question Kagome." Inuyasha was beginning to be forceful again, causing Kagome to tense up.

"Well, I'm a little mad at him for decisions he's made…but of course I love him! He's my father, right? Aren't all children supposed to love their fathers?" Kagome thought back on her answer. Wait, did she love her father? He was, after all, a murderer. He did lock her up in her room. He was definitely no ordinary father; the kind of father she dreamed of having as a little girl seemed so far away to her father now. Kagome would have never guessed she would find her father in such condition as he was.

"Are you sure?" Inuyasha interrupted her train of thought.

Kagome was hesitant. "…W-why…Why are you asking me all these questions? It's none of your business!" she blurted loudly.

Inuyasha immediately took his hand off hers and balled it into a fist at his side.

"I'm asking these questions 'cause I can't stand seeing you hurt! Dammit Kagome, haven't you realized that yet!"

Kagome couldn't tell whether he was blushing, or just so mad he was turning red. She sighed, giving up trying to start yet another argument. "Can we just go back now? I haven't eaten anything since this morning."

Inuyasha, thinking she would reply by an insult or argument, opened his mouth to retort, but closed it after realizing she didn't want to fight. He quickly stuck his fists underneath his crimson sleeves and looked away.

"Fine, let's go." He said gruffly, turning away from Kagome and walking in the direction of Kaede's hut.

Kagome silently followed behind him, as he led them both through the forest. As twilight was setting into the late autumn skies, a light chill filled the air. Kagome could tell that winter was very close by now. She began to see her breath in front of her when she walked. She mentally kicked herself for forgetting to grab her jacket before they left.

"KAGOME! KAGOME HELP ME!" A familiar voice echoed to her ears. She looked around, but all she saw was the snow. She was standing in the middle of a snow storm. She couldn't see anyone or anything but snow. The wind howled against her ears and carried millions of snowflakes that temporarily blinded her sight.

"Where are you! Souta? Where are you!" Kagome shouted back to the voice. She had to find him. He sounded in trouble. He sounded scared. Kagome had to protect her little brother from whatever was causing him to sound so alarmed. But where was he? Souta was nowhere in sight!

Kagome flailed her arms wildly through the blizzard of white, but could find nothing to grasp. She got cold quickly, and wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. She found herself in nothing but her school uniform, which was much too light to wear outside. She saw her breath as she began to shiver. She had to find Souta and get out of the blizzard as quickly as possible.

Then, a figure appeared in the distance. Kagome ran towards it, bracing herself against the deadly cold winds. She called Souta's name as she quickly waded through the thick blanket of snow, hoping the figure would respond to it.

As the figure became closer, she noticed it was Souta! He was down on his knees in the snow. Souta's face was down; she couldn't see what was wrong until…

"Souta there you are! What's wrong with-" Kagome was interrupted when Souta looked up at her. She noticed a deep bruise on his right cheek, and she instantly knew where it had come from. The bruise was unmistakeably familiar,but that wasn't all.

Souta looked at her with a terrifying grimace. He held up his hands to his face…They were covered in blood! The crimson liquid dripped from his hands to the white snow in puddles. Kagome knelt down beside him and examined his hands to find the wound. But there was no wound! This was not his blood!

"Mama…" Souta whispered through cold tears and shivers.

Kagome screamed as she jolted upward from her sleeping bag. After realizing it was all a dream, she wiped the sweat off her brow and caught her breath. She was still in Kaede's home. The pitch black of night swallowed the entire area around Kagome, making her almost oblivious to the others who awoke startled to her scream.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Kagome heard Inuyasha's voice come from the darkness. She was met by a pair of glowing, yellow eyes that almost frightened her.

"Yeah, I just had a nightmare. It was nothing more than that," she sighed, trying to relax, but found herself still tense. She noticed the air was colder than it usually was. She regretted again for not bringing her jacket.

Kagome huddled back into her sleeping bag and tried going back to sleep, but she couldn't stop thinking about the dream. It was so vivid, she could feel the snow and everything! It looked—and felt—so real! Kagome wished with all her heart that this dream would never come true!

"So, what was that dream about last night, Kagome?" Sango asked the next morning. "It must've been really scary to make you scream like that."

"For a moment I thought you were being attacked or something." Inuyasha told her.

Kagome sighed, "It was scary, but I know it's just a dream. I dreamt that my brother Souta and my mother were hurt."

Kaede, who had been listening half-consciously while stirring stew, stood up from her spot to scold Kagome. "Dreams like that are not something to be taken lightly child," she said calmly, but in a somewhat chilling tone. "A dream like so is a dark omen…"

A/N: It's finished! Finally! I finished the 3rd chappie! Muahahaha! Sorry about the wait, but since exam week is approaching at my school, I need all the study time I can get, and I barely have any time for my stories ( a real sob story yes. Forgive my excuses). Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and let me know what you think! Expect not to see anything updated for a while (stupid exams). Sorry! Please don't lose faithin me!