Chapter 2: Kagome's Worry

Sitting alone in a small room, the sounds of a cracking whip followed by Kagome's screams of pain echoed off the walls and Sango winced every time they entered her ears. 'Why does she do this to herself?' Sango wondered, thinking of how often Kagome had been disobeying their master Sesshomaru. At first her punishments were small, less painful things, but now they were worse and getting worse each day she did something wrong to displease the intolerant man.

Kagome's lifeless figure walked past the room in which Sango worked day and night, the back of her dress opened and small drops of blood ran down from her scared back from the sharp tip of the whip.

"What's going on in her head?" Sango whispered, raising a finger to press against her soft rosy lips.

Kagome didn't even hear her or even noticed her body, hidden in the dark shadows. Her mind was only focused on the pain she was enduring.

"Poor girl." Sango said softly, her violet eyes dropping to the ground as Kagome's body disappeared from her view. She would have gone up to see her, to help her out if it wasn't for the chains that held her in her place Sesshomaru had locked on her ankles.

Brushing her finger over the sharp blade of the new weapon she had to make for her master she tried to picture the way things used to be. Everyone was so happy, but now they all seemed lost. Sango picked up the hilt of the weapon and held it in the dusty light that came from the small lantern that she worked by. She designed it to look like the same weapon Kohaku had used. Her once beautiful hands now scarred from frequent accidents with sharp edges surrounding her, she gripped onto the hilt and swung it around. It felt so good to have a weapon in her hands but she immediately put it down as she remembered what they were being used for. She hated having to make these weapons knowing that they were only being used to bring harm onto Inuyasha, her friend, her companion, her comrade. 'Comrades are supposed to help one another!' She sighed and lifted her legs into her chest. Resting her head on her knees her eyes wondered to all the blood stained weapons surrounding her that Sesshomaru had returned after his game. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye as she shut her eyelids and drifted off to sleep.

Kagome walked in silence down the long hallways, her eyes trying to dry her tears before they gathered up and fell down her cheeks and gazed ahead of her, having her feet dragging along the wooden ground below her. The pain on her back intensified and she clenched her fists tightly to take it away. She was so tired of being here, locked away in a castle with a maniac. More than anytime ever before, she just wanted to go home. What was her family thinking? Did they think she was just gone on a long trip fighting demons to save the feudal Japan? Did they miss her at all? She brushed away those thoughts quickly as she made her way into Inuyasha's room looking like a zombie, minus the gross stuff.

Miroku sat at Inuyasha's side as he lay stomach up, still asleep from the poison and tended to his wound from earlier. Raising his eyes to meet her distant ones as she stood beside him, he tried to smile even though it was impossible at times like these.

"How is he?" Kagome asked concerned, kneeling down to look over his scarred chest. It hurt her to see so many and she felt guilty for practically causing each one of them.

Miroku sighed and covered the cut on Inuyasha's chest with a bandage. He was the only one who didn't have a tough physical job, his was more emotional and he tried his best to stay as happy as possible so to keep everyone else's moods from dropping into total darkness and lost faith. "He'll awake in about 3 hours or so." Noticing Kagome suddenly wince in pain, he looked over her bare back, slashed with fresh blood and cuts. "Punishment again Kagome?" She nodded, shutting her eyes tightly and holding her breath and he frowned. "Looks rough this time round. Lie down, I'll fix it up for you."

Kagome opened her eyes and smiled, happy that he could help her. "Thanks Miroku." Slipping her dress slowly and gently over her shoulders so not to hit her cuts, she let it fall to rest on her hips.

Before when Miroku spotted a naked woman in front of him, he'd stare and often try to grope her body. Now he was a changed man and knew when it was a somewhat appropriate time, even though there never really was one. Turning his gaze away from her, he waited until she had planted herself onto the mat he had laid out for her. Hearing her let out a long sigh, he turned back around and looked over what he had to care for. "You got it bad this time huh?" he said noticing how deep her cuts were as he brushed her hair over her bare shoulder.

Kagome pressed her cheek against her arm and looked over at Inuyasha. He was still deep in sleep and covered in sweat as if in terrible nightmares. 'Inuyasha.' She whispered in her mind, sympathy and sorrow in her saddened expression as she watched his muscles tighten. She nodded her head slightly and swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yeah."

"What did you do this time?" He asked, gathering his medical materials he needed. Talking to her was the best way to take her mind off the stinging pain he would place upon her fragile body.

"I dis-" her voice was stolen by the burning sensation of her skin as Miroku dabbed her wounds with medication and she grit her teeth. "-obeyed Sesshomaru."

Miroku smiled, he knew she was only doing this as a way to relieve her anger that was locked up inside her. "All done." He exclaimed after he had sat her up and wrapped a bandage around her wounded back and chest. "You should rest here. I'll be back soon to check on both you guys ok?" He smiled and with his last words spoken, left the room.

Kagome sighed and peered at Inuyasha who lay sleeping beside her. Ever since his encounter with Sesshomaru, dealing with the Shikon Jewel, he had been beating himself up over it. The reckless, fight-loving Inuyasha was now alone, almost scared for everyone's life except his own. Had he given up hope? Kagome nor did anyone know what he felt, only he did but he wouldn't share it with them, let them know his hidden emotions. Leaning over him, she pressed the palm of her hand over his forehead and sighed. "So cold." She whispered. She couldn't do a thing to help him as he fought his pain through his nightmares that came every night after his hunting. Laying back down on her stomach, she closed her eyes. If only she could get home. She would take Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku with her, freeing them from this hell forever and they'd be happy again. But it wasn't possible. She no longer possessed the jewel and the well was now filled with icy cold water that even Inuyasha couldn't swim through.

How much she wanted to see Souta, feel her mom's tight hugs and listen to her grampa's antics and continuous legends she never really cared to hear, but not she was willing to listen. No one knew how lonely she was without them being by her side, to tell her everything was going to be ok. Just thinking about them easily upset her and so, she allowed herself to be drown in a pool of darkness of haunting dreams of what was to come the next days.