Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha and Co, nor do I own any of the songs on here, GooGooDolls does. Any and all poems on here do belong to me though.

Chapter Six- Strung Out

Sesshomaru stared at his msn messenger, willing Kagome to get on. It had been a few days. He knew she was grounded but not for how long. She still snuck on to update her blog but he had not been able to catch her on during any of those moments. Sometimes he had missed her by mere seconds.

Her latest blog bothered him.

Unfiltered

mood: Open book

Who am I?
A poison in your veins
I miss the cold
Every day is a fight
Am I alive?
Screaming
Screaming
How long has it been...
I'm falling
I'm falling
Every time my hand reaches out
Something else pulls me back
Who am I today?
Looking into your eyes
Can I say it...
Please help me...
Can you hear me screaming?
I feel so lost...
Every day is a fight
Please come save me
Darkness consumes
Where's the light?

Sesshomaru's back stiffened as he heard soft footsteps behind him. "Forgot to knock?"

His father let out a sigh. "Sorry…the door was already open."

The silver haired youkai turned to face the older man. "Is there something you need?"

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay…you've holed yourself up in here a lot…even more so than what's usual for you." The great Inu youkai looked at the screen behind his son. "Did you type this?"

Sesshomaru glanced back. He had forgotten to minimize his screen. "No. A friend did."

"He sounds…rather disturbed," he remarked while carefully reading over the lines.

"SHE is not disturbed. She just has a really hard life," Sesshomaru said through clenched teeth.

InuTaisho's eyes widened in surprise. He had never seen his eldest son so frustrated before…or showing so much emotion. "I didn't mean to offend, son. This friend…seems very special to you. How do you know her?"

This was not the conversation he wanted to be having with his dad right now. How was he supposed to tell him that he hadn't even gotten the chance to meet her yet? He didn't need the whole internet lecture.

"She's just someone I chat with," he responded lamely.

"So you've never met her?"

"No," Sesshomaru replied in a rather defiant manner. He looked over at his father, expecting to be judged. Instead he just saw concern. He briefly contemplated about telling the older man of Kagome's situation.

"Father…I want to help this person…but this Sesshomaru is unsure of how to go about it," he admitted grudgingly.

"Well why don't you tell me a little about it? Perhaps I can give some helpful advice."

Sesshomaru let out another sigh. He and his dad never had heart to heart conversations…to do so now was sort of off putting. How could he even admit to such helpless feelings? To voice such seemed impossible.

"No. I don't think Kagome would appreciate me telling another about her problems."

"Kagome, huh? That's a pretty name. Well, what if you just gave me a vague outline? You don't have to be specific about her problems. Wouldn't that be okay?"

Sesshomaru briefly thought this over, wondering how he could word it in such a vague way. "I am unsure how to go about helping this person because I don't know how to get her away from the things that make her type up such depressing blogs," he motioned to the monitor behind him.

"May I ask how old this girl is?"

"A year younger than myself but she lives in the states…there you are not considered an adult at that age," Sesshomaru replied tonelessly.

"I take it then, that this is a situation she cannot walk away from by her own free will?"

Sesshomaru nodded.

"Okay…and how serious would you say her situation is?"

The silver haired youkai rubbed a hand over his eyes, suddenly feeling wearier. "It's hard to say. She doesn't always tell me everything and can even be cryptic at times. If I try to push it too much, I'm worried…."

"That you will scare her away?"

"Yes."

InuTaisho stared off in deep thought. "It is hard to give advice with such little information. Would it bother you if I checked out this blog site?"

Sesshomaru shrugged. "It's not a private blog. It is publicly posted."

"And what name does she go by on there?"

"TaintedMiko," he replied, watching his father's expression closely.

"She's really a miko?"

"Yes, do you have a problem with this?" Sesshomaru's usual monotone had an underlying threat to it.

The older youkai chuckled. "No, no problem at all son. I'll look up this blog and see what I can glean from a professional point of view. As a psychiatrist, I might be able to pick up on certain things that you were unable to."

Sesshomaru nodded, murmuring thanks before the other man left.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Kagome curled up in a ball on her bed while listening to the radio. She hadn't gotten to chat with Sesshomaru in a while. They were never lucky enough to be on at the same time. She felt numb and tired. The raven haired miko pulled her sore arms around herself. She reveled in the pain that the pressure against her arms created. It wasn't a pleasant feeling…but it was better than crying. She would never cry again.

She wondered what Sesshomaru was doing right now. Was he hanging out with friends? Doing homework? He always complained about homework. She smiled, remembering bits and pieces of their conversations. They could tell each other anything.

Just then, Kaon walked in without knocking. "Put on something lighter, I want you outside raking the leaves."

Kagome slowly got up from her bed. "I'm fine. Long sleeves will keep the sun off my arms. I burn easily."

"Fine, I don't want hearing any complaints about how it's hot outside and you're not allowed back inside until the job is done," he handed her a large, black trash bag, "I want all the leaves in here."

Kagome wordlessly grabbed the bag and left her room.