A/N: I am so sorry it took this long to get a chapter up, but after I expressed to my readers that I was having a hard time with this story continuing, I was encouraged to keep trying. The result was months of not knowing how to continue it right. I've rewritten this chapter probably 20 times now. Finally, it is something I feel comfortable putting up. I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter Fifteen: In the Enemy's Grasp

On the other side of the portal, everything was dark. Naraku appeared in one of the rooms of his castle, floating about ten feet in the air. As they made it through, Sango couldn't hold onto Kagome any longer and she slipped. She fell to the ground and looked furiously up at Naraku. The evil half-demon lowered himself to the ground and smiled at Sango, the evil look in his eyes sending shivers up her spine.

"Let Kagome go!" Sango demanded and charged him suddenly. No longer invisible, one of his large tentacles swung across and struck Sango in the side. She fell and rolled along the ground until her body hit a sturdy wall. Sango shook as she tried to lift herself from the ground, holding her ribs when pain shot through them. She winced and looked up from her spot on the floor, glaring angrily at the half-demon before her.

"I'll deal with you soon." Naraku said and walked Kagome over to a bed to lay her down. Naraku was treating Kagome gently and even brushed her hair from her face. The sight was disturbing and only made things clearer that Naraku had some sort of plan up his sleeve.

Sango took a look around the room to realize where they were. The room was large and in the center was a "U" shaped stairway that led to a huge bed that sat against the wall. It looked like some sort of royal bedroom, like what could be expected of Sesshomaru's bedroom, but with more darkness. Other than the bed, a few dressers and cabinets, and candles to light up the room, it lacked anything that made it feel like a real room.

Sango was finally able to bring herself to her feet and slowly walked toward Naraku. There was a look in Naraku's eyes that made things worse: infatuation, attraction, desire… Sango couldn't figure out which one it was, but the thought of Naraku and Kagome being a couple was terrifying.

"She will be mine." Naraku muttered as he leaned over and pressed his lips against Kagome's forehead.

"S-Stop that." Sango demanded through pain as she stepped toward him again. "Kagome will never be yours."

"That is where you're wrong, Sango." Naraku turned toward the hurt demon slayer. "I'll erase her memories again and this time everything will work out. I hadn't expected Sesshomaru to interfere before. That was a miscalculation on my pa-"

Kagome stirred from her sleep and sat up, catching the attention of the other two. Sango tried moving over to Kagome's side, but Naraku stopped her with one of his large tentacles. He pushed her back much more softly than before and turned to Kagome, while using the tentacle to keep Sango pinned. It was obvious Naraku did not want to turn Kagome against him for this upcoming plot.

"What are you doing?" Kagome shouted at him when she noticed Naraku barring Sango from her. "Let her go!"

"She won't be harmed as long as you behave." Naraku held a hand out toward Kagome and smiled. "Come with me, Kagome."

The darkness in Naraku's eyes was powerful enough to pierce Kagome's soul. She took his hand out of fear and was suddenly pulled to her feet. She whimpered as he began dragging her over to the corner of the room. Kagome pulled back from him, but his grip was firm.

"Let me go." Kagome begged, trying to pull away from him.

"Shut up." Naraku jerked Kagome forward and suddenly threw her into the corner.

"Stop it! Let her go, you bastard!" Sango shouted and rushed at Naraku as she unsheathed her katana. Naraku instantly reacted with a strong strike at Sango's body, swinging one of his large fleshy tentacles at her. Sango tensed as she was struck and sent flying across the room. Her body slammed into the floor hard enough that the wood broke. Naraku struck again, bringing the same tentacle down on Sango's chest. Sango screamed in pain as her body was crushed, knocking the breath from her lungs. Sango struggled to breathe, the pain too much, even when Naraku's onslaught stopped.

"Don't hurt her!" Kagome screamed, begging for Naraku to stop.

"Silence." Naraku demanded, grabbing onto Kagome's hair and forcing her to look at him. "This time, you won't get away from me."

"What are you going to do to me?" Kagome asked, her voice shaking in fear.

"You'll see soon enough." Naraku forced Kagome to the floor by her hair again. He stood over her and pushed her body harshly into the ground. He pressed his foot into Kagome's back to pin her down. As this was done, he pulled out a strange dagger. The blade was hard to see, especially in the darkness of this room. It looked like air swirling around so quickly it formed a visual blade. Naraku placed this blade to the back of Kagome's head and began muttering words that neither Kagome or Sango could understand. When Naraku began lowering the blade to Kagome's head, Sango began yelling and begging him not to. She tried to move, but couldn't. Kagome turned her head, but Naraku forced it back into place.

"Please… don't do this." Kagome begged as well, but Naraku didn't stop. Whatever incantation he was muttering finished and he pressed the blade into Kagome's skull.

Sango shrieked in fear as she watched Kagome's eyes dilate and roll to the back of her head. Though the blade entered her head, there was no blood. There was no wound or any visual injury at all. Kagome's body fell to the ground and Naraku pulled the blade back. He stood up and put it away, picking Kagome up a moment later and laying her back in the bed.

"Kagura." Naraku called out and Kagura came in a few moments later. "Throw Sango in a cell."

"Fine." Kagura walked over to Sango and nudged her with her foot. "Get up. I don't have all day."

"Kagome… What did you do to her?" Sango looked Naraku directly in the eyes.

"The same thing I did last time. I've ripped her memories away." Naraku looked back to Kagome, gently caressing the unconscious woman's face with his hand. "Once again, she is a blank slate. I will teach her who she is, who she loves, and who her friends really are. And when she helped me gather the rest of the sacred jewel shards, I will become full demon and she will bear me a son."

"That's what this is all about?" Kagura asked in disgust. "You want her as your mate?"

"Tell me, Kagura… What is more powerful than a child birthed by a reincarnated priestess and a demon crafted by a wish upon the Sacred Jewel?" Naraku said and smirked. "Once the child comes of age, I will place my consciousness into his body. I will finally live a full life and be unstoppable."

"You're despicable." Sango spat angrily, pushing herself to stand.

"Despicable, but clever." Kagura complimented as she grabbed Sango by the hair.

Too weak to fight anymore, Sango was dragged out of the room by Kagura. When Sango struggled to keep up, Kagura pulled her hair harder and yelled to get her moving. Sango looked back to Kagome once more before her friend left her sight and she was taken to Naraku's dungeon.

Kagome slept for hours, a full day passing her by before she finally opened her eyes. Naraku rarely left the room, hovering over her like a vulture, watching every move she may have made. When he heard her stir, he rushed over to her side and sat down, taking her hand in his and quickly bringing up his new façade. As he was about to lay it on and do his best to convince her he was on her side, her noticed something familiar. The look in her eyes was void, almost lifeless. She looked like Kanna.

"Kagome, how are you feeling?" He asked kindly, but got no response.

Kagome laid in the bed silently, not moving a muscle in her body, but her unfocused eyes pointed forward to the ceiling above the bed. Naraku asked her again, but there was no change.

"KAGURA!" Naraku suddenly shouted, his anger echoing throughout the wooden walls of his castle.

"Yes?" Kagura came in quickly to make sure he wasn't waiting too long.

"Find the priest." Naraku ordered.

"What? Why? I'm sure he's moved by now. Your last encounter-…"

"I. Do. Not. Care. Find him." Naraku hissed through his teeth. "I believe the curse may have backfired."

"Is that possible?" Kagura questioned.

"It may have stripped away more memory than I intended." Naraku explained and then glared at Kagura. "She's behaving like a mindless doll. A corpse has more personality. Now, go, Kagura."

"If you insist." Kagura rolled her eyes and left.

Once Kagura left, Naraku watched Kagome. The anger rose within him. His plan was falling apart and he wasn't sure how he could fix it. He wrestled different ideas in his head, most of them not working out how he'd prefer, so when his rage finally hit it's peak, he slapped Kagome's face. Her head turned, a tear sprouted, and she curled up into a fetal position. It was the most lively she had been and that angered him even more. He decided that she'd be perfect to take his anger out on and began hitting her more. He pulled her hair and dragged her off the bed. She hit the floor with a hard thud and he threw her across the room. He brought out his power and struck her with his large fleshy tentacles over and over again. He could hear and feel her body breaking and she began to cry out and scream. When he was about to land a final blow with as much strength as he could muster, he stopped.

"That's better." Naraku said.

Kagome was looking at him with tears in her eyes, a life having returned to them. Her eyes were not longer the image of his voided incarnation, but of a normal person. Kagome's body was trembling on the ground. Her arm began to move until she was reaching out to him, as if she were trying to reach him, but then her body gave out and she fell unconscious in the middle of the floor. Naraku wrapped a tentacle around her and walked out of the room, down a couple halls, down some stairs, and into the dungeon he was keeping Sango in. He slammed the door open and went to her cell.

"Congratulations." Naraku said as he opened the metal cage. "You get her back after all."

Naraku threw Kagome's broken body into the cage. Kagome rolled along the floor, her body contorting enough to show Sango that she was horribly hurt. The room was so dark it was hard to tell. A single torch above her cell door is all that gave her light, besides a small window that she couldn't fit her head through. Sango moved over to Kagome, scared to touch her friend.

"What… did you do?" Sango asked, tears welling in her eyes.

Naraku chose not to answer. The horrified look on Sango's face was enough. He turned and walked out of the dungeon, closing the cellar door behind him and leaving it a couple shades darker.

"Oh… g-god…" Sango said through sobs as she adjusted her friend to lay comfortably, "Kagome…"

Touching Kagome was hard for Sango to do. Each time Sango moved her she could feel the broken bones in Kagome's body moving unnaturally and it was tearing her heart apart. This was a type of broken that Sango had never seen before. It was like her skeleton had been shattered beneath the skin. Sango got Kagome to lay flat on her back and that was about it. She didn't feel right being near her, so she just kept her distance, watching Kagome sweat and struggle to breathe on the cold floor.

The first time Kagome woke up, she screamed and she cried. There was nothing more she could do. Her mind was blank, no memories to remind her that Sango was there for her. She had no hope to hold onto. Kagome's inability to show anything toward Sango made things worse. Sango found herself crying too, curled in a corner, and holding her hands over her ears to try to drown Kagome's cries out. What felt like hours went by before Kagome finally tired herself out and fell asleep. Sango prayed she wouldn't wake up again. The amount of pain her friend was in must have been immeasurable.

Days went by and Naraku never came. Kanna would bring them food, but that was all the company they'd receive. Kagome woke up a few times and after the second or third, wouldn't scream anymore. She was getting use to the pain now, something that broke Sango's heart.

Finally, the door to this dark and damp dungeon opened and Naraku stepped down the stairs, a man Sango didn't recognize following him. Naraku stopped in front of their cage and looked back to the strange man. He opened the cage door and pushed the man in, causing him to fall to Kagome's side.

"Fix it." Naraku demanded.

"How am I supposed to fix this?" The man said, his eyes wide in horror as he saw Kagome's condition. He went to try and touch her, but didn't dare actually make contact. He recoiled from her broken form.

"You've got healing powers and you know about this curse. Fix it now, old man." Naraku said.

"You…" Sango spoke up angrily, "You're the one who gave him this curse?"

"Gave? No, my child. He stole it, killed many to get it." The Priest shook his head and glared back to Naraku, "The injuries this child has are wretched. It would take at least a week for me to heal her completely, along with ingredients I no longer have since you burned my temple to the ground."

"What do you need?" Naraku asked.

"I'll give you the list, but this won't be easy." The Priest said. "I'm surprised she has not succumbed to her injuries already. I suspect this is because you seemed to have intentionally prevented her from losing blood, though, she may be bleeding inside. I do not know."

"Please… save her." Sango begged.

"I will try." The Priest nodded.

"And what of her memories? The curse? How do I fix it?" Naraku asked.

"I warned you that the memory curse is not easily broken." The Priest stood up and shouted at Naraku, "You sheer away a piece of her soul each time this is done, not just her memories. You described this young woman as a priestess, or the reincarnation of one. You've probably destroyed her power because of it. The entire plan you spoke of, you've destroyed it yourself through foolish action."

"Insolent Priest, I suggest you answer my question. My patience is growing thin." Naraku narrowed his eyes angrily. The priest took a step back and then sighed, realizing he couldn't fight.

"Break the blade." The Priest said.

"What?" Naraku replied, an eyebrow raised.

"If you want her memories to return, her soul to be whole again, you'll need to break the blade that you used to take them away in the first place." The Priest explained further, "It will not be an easy task, so you will have to decide how important your plan is to you."

"My plan is more important than anything." Naraku exclaimed in determination.

"If that is true, then to break the blade, you will have to use the power of a holy person and a demon to shatter it." The Priest explained, "Using their power to disrupt the energy within the blade will cause it to shatter and release any energy, memories, and souls that it has collected over the years."

Naraku took the time to think on the method the Priest explained. He knew it would be difficult to enact this plan since the only demons powerful enough for that were Sesshomaru and one of the other three leaders within the lands. He knew immediately that he couldn't do it. He was, indeed, a half-demon. The only holy person powerful enough to take on this endeavor was this Priest, Kagome, or Kikyo.

"Then you will stay in my castle until this is done." Naraku said.

"If you think I can break it, no. I am not powerful enough anymore. My staff was broken in your initial assault and diminished much of my power." The Priest shook his head as he explained.

"So, Kagome or Kikyo." Naraku muttered.

Naraku and the Priest kept talking amongst themselves as if Sango wasn't even there, and then they walked out of the room. Sango realized they were ignoring her presence and chose to stay silent. Because of that, she now knew what to do to save Kagome from this horrible fate. As long as the Priest could heal Kagome's body, Sango would work on healing her mind and soul.

.

.

The days that passed Inuyasha and the rest by were filled with doubt and sadness. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha decided to call a truce until they could get Kagome back, for the children's sake. Rin and Shippo barely spoke. They couldn't help but think about Kagome and Sango being with that monster. Rin had nightmares every night. This was something that Sesshomaru did not know how to handle, so when Shippo chose to stay near her, and this proved to comfort the girl, he was secretly thankful.

Another morning came and the group woke to an uncomfortable silence. Everyone packed up camp and began searching for Naraku's castle. They had been pushing themselves so much in the last two days that Kilala could no longer walk. She sat on Miroku's shoulder. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru seemed fine, but Inuyasha was exhausted and Sesshomaru was becoming frustrated. They both were pretending to be completely fine to make sure the other only saw strength within them.

"My feet hurt." Rin said in almost a whisper.

"Rin." Sesshomaru stopped and turned to the young girl. As she looked up to him, he bent down and picked her up, choosing to carry her along. However, he noticed something at her feet. There was a small bit of blood at the bottom, so he gently turned them so he could see. "How long have you been walking with these cuts on the bottom of your feet?"

"Since yesterday… I stepped on some sharp rocks." Rin explained.

"You should not be walking while injured." Sesshomaru said and sighed. She had been walking barefoot since he met her. He never thought to put something on her feet, which was stupid since he had something to protect him in that manner. "I'll have some footwear made for you as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Daddy." Rin said and laid her head on his chest.

"Never thought I'd see you become a Dad." Inuyasha said, though he never looked back to his brother. There was a tinge of jealousy in his voice, especially after Rin's exclamation before. He couldn't help but wonder whether something more was going on between Sesshomaru and Kagome. If there was, would Kagome really choose his brother? Or was it just a result of her losing her memory?

"I never planned on having a child." Sesshomaru replied calmly, "I'm not sure it is something you truly can plan. It is something that just happens. Whether it happens by bond or blood, I cherish it."

"Hey, Inuyasha." Shippo hurried up to pull on the man's pantleg.

"Yeah?" Inuyasha looked back to Shippo.

"I have a question about all of this." Shippo crossed his arms and thought hard. "Naraku tried to convince Kagome that they were close, like we all are. Do you think he's trying to get Kagome to love him instead of us? What kind of plan requires someone like Naraku to have Kagome love him?"

"I don't know, Shippo. If I'm being honest…" Inuyasha took a deep breath and sighed, "That's what terrifies me the most. I can't imagine what Naraku has up his sleeve… The only thing I can be thankful for is that, if he truly needs Kagome, he's keeping her alive and he won't hurt Sango because that will anger her. He can't convince Kagome they're friends if he hurts her at all."

"That's what I'm hoping for as well." Miroku said sadly, his eyes to the floor.

They all continued walking, but there was very little talking after that. They had little to go on to find Naraku. The fact that he escaped through a portal gave them no direction. The half-demon monster was obviously becoming more powerful, so they were going to need to be extra careful now.