Chapter 13

I took a deep breath.

"Ares." I began. "Ares, the God of War. I beg you to heed my prayer. I pray to you. Guide me home safely to where I belong. From this nightmare of a hut in the woods. To help me escape this monster of a man... this monster of a half. I-"

"MONSTER OF A HALF!?"

I heard him yell from outside the door. Had he been there this entire time? I could hear him rushing to open the door. It swung open hard banging against the wall. Dried leaves rushed in. I took my chance to look past him and see if I could find anything I could use to tell Sesshomaru where I was. He stood in front of me blocking my view. I looked up at him. I could see the fury in his eyes. He raised his hand and I braced myself for impact. His hand came down hard, connecting with my cheek.

I fell to the ground. The taste of blood filled my mouth. He grabbed my hair, yanking me up to look at him.

"I am the monster? You prayed to him." He bit out. "It does not matter if he heard your prayers. He will never find you Kagome. I will make sure of it. I will drag you to the underworld if that is what it takes."

"He will find me and when he does you better pray to the Gods that you die before he gets a hold of you."

"I will die, you say? Since I have such little time left on this earth. I should take my fill of you before then, yes?"

He grabbed my dress trying to pull it up. I kicked him with my free leg shoving and hitting him.

Fight Kagome.

I screamed until my throat felt raw.

Keep fighting. Don't stop.

He clamped his hand over my mouth. While I struggle against him, one of his fingers slips into my mouth. I bit down hard. He screamed, and it rang out. The shrill sound pierced my ears. He tried to pull it from my mouth. It only made me bite down harder. I could hear it. My teeth were crushing the bone. His blood leaked into my mouth. He slammed his fist into my eye knocking me back into the ground. Spots of white light flooded the eye he'd hit. The room was spinning. I crawled over to the wall leaning against it. The vision in my left eye was narrowing. I could feel it beginning to shut. He'd sunk to the floor. Teeth clenched and clutching his hand to his chest. I could see the finger hanging on by a piece of flesh.

"You bitch!" he spat. "You will pay for that!"

He struggled to stand. I braced myself for another fight. Fortunately, he'd grabbed his things and left. I went over to the door. The chain was long enough to let me only two steps out of the doorway. I shivered as my feet touched the cold ground. I needed something that was enough to tell him where I was. Or at least close enough to me.

A dirt path.

I smelled the air, my eyes went wide.

Salt water.

I was near the sea, but that was all I could gather. I went back inside and pushed the door shut trying to shelter myself from the cold. I leaned against it and slid to the floor. I clasped my hands together. It was not much, but it was a start.

"Ares, God of war. I beg of you to heed my prayer. I pray to you to be rescued from this hut at the end of a dirt path, by the sea. Please...save me. Hurry, I beg you."

I had won.

For now.

I was well aware of all the terrible things that humans were capable of. The terrible things that could be happening to her at this very moment... the terrible things that had already happened. While I sat here helpless. My mind ran wild with the most gut-wrenching of scenarios. Beatings, rape, torture. The endless possibilities made me sick. My father's words echoed through my mind. I would no longer want her after what they had done to her. How wrong he was. The heavens nor hell or anything in between would make me cease to want her. I could not help but wonder. Has this been my fault? Would she have been fine if I would not have crossed her path? Was it my greed that set off this domino effect? I watched as the sun peeked over the hill. The moment it sat high in the sky, I was off. I would waste no time trying to find the woman my father had shown me. I rushed into town. I scanned every mortal's face I'd come across. An hour had passed and nothing. I was begging to think he had sent me on a wild goose chase. Or so I thought. My neck craned to the side as I saw her. The woman in the mist. I pushed through them, quickly making my way over to her. I grabbed her shoulder. She slapped my hand away, turning to face me. Her angry expression had disappeared once she'd seen me.

"Sesshomaru?" she'd said.

"You know who I am?"

She nodded.

"Kagome has spoken about you many times. She described you in great detail. I have never seen someone who looks as you do. Is something wrong? Is Kagome here with you?"

I balled up my fists. "No. That is why I have come looking for you. She has been taken. I need your help to find her... to bring her home."

I could see the color drain from her face.

She cared. That was good. She could be of use.

I could see the hesitation on her face.

"Follow me."

I followed her into the weapons shop. She closed the door after me. Closing the shutters on the windows.

"You are a God. What help could I give you? Would the others not be able to help you, back on Mount Olympus? Your companions... your father?"

"I have no one; only Kagome."

"How did you know to come and find me? Much less what I looked like?"

I was tired of her endless questions. She was wasting time.

"Zeus... My father showed me your image. He told me I would be able to find Kagome with your help."

"He's willing to help."

"I begged for that sliver of information. He will do no more."

"Kagome is my friend. I will help in any way that I can. Where should we start first?"

"She prayed to me, giving me clues as to where to look. I do not know this area well, but you do."

"Smart girl."

She went behind the counter grabbing something. She came back with a map, spreading it out on the table.

"Ares, God of war. I beg of you to heed my prayer. I pray to you to be rescued from this hut at the end of a dirt path, by the sea. Please...save me."

"She is in a hut in the forest by the sea. The hut is at the end of a dirt path."

I watched her search the map.

"Here." she pointed. "The forest is vast. The majority of it is too dense to walk through, but here it would be possible. Also, it is the closest part to the sea. Its other end sits at the base of a mountain."

"Are you positive t-"

A man walked in. "Sango, is your shop closed today?"

The moment he set his eyes on me, I could see the fear in them. He took a step back. I grabbed him by the collar.

My eyes narrowed. "You know who I am... what I am. How?"

He said nothing.

"I will not ask you again."

"I cannot... he will kill my family."

I grabbed him by the throat slamming him to the ground

"If you do not tell me, I will kill your family while you watch. It is in your best interest to tell me what happened. Now."

He looked over to Sango, she averted her gaze immediately.

"Alright! Just please do not hurt me or my family."

I let him go. He sat up. I could see the uncertainty in his eyes.

"He came to us and said he had a job for us. We were supposed to take the girl and deliver her to him... but things happened that were not meant to."

"What happened to her?"

"Two of the men he'd employed... one was rough with her. He hit her a few times. The other he..."

My throat felt dry.

"What did he do to her?" she asked.

"While we transported her, he touched her in a place he should not. He killed him for it."

I was too late. He... possibly they had touched her. I had failed her.

"Tell me their names," I said through clenched teeth.

"I do not know their names. I only know their faces."

"My patience is wearing thin. You will find them and bring them back here. If you fail, I will make good on my promise about your family. Do. You. Understand."

He nodded.

"Now go."

I watched him rush out the door. I sat down burying my face in my hands. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her.

"Don't blame yourself for this. It is not your fault."

"How could I not blame myself? She is alone, hurt, and frightened. I was supposed to protect her."

"I hate to say this, but terrible things happen. We will find her."

"You do not seem as upset that she is gone."

"I am, but I am used to hiding my anger. Kagome is my friend. The only friend that I have. When the time comes. I will make them pay."

I noticed her hand shaking. We sat in silence waiting for them to return. I could see her beginning to grow impatient.

"If they do not hurry-"

I could hear them approaching the door. I hid behind it, letting them all file in; like lambs to the slaughter. I slammed the door shut. They jumped and turned to look at me. Their faces fell as their eyes set on me. Some glared at the man who had led them into this trap. Sango pulled a weapon from its shelf standing beside me.

"You know who I am," I said. "Good. Tell me what I need to know and I will do you the courtesy of killing you quickly."

They frantically looked at one another.

One of them will break.

"If you kill us you will never know where she is."

"You all have the information I need. However, all I need is one of you. The rest of you are expendable "

The fool stepped forward.

"You can not force us to turn on one anot-"

I snapped his neck. His body hit the ground with a thud. I could smell the fear on them. The moment the realization that he was dead seeped in. Wide eyes, panicked breathing, tears.

"I do hope that none of you will continue to waste my time. Or do I need to kill more of you?"

They all continued to stare.

"It seems you all fear this boy more than you fear me. Another grave mistake on your part. Sango, step outside."

She did as she was told. I could hear her locking it from the outside. I pulled a sword from the wall.

"Who will speak first?"

Again, there was silence. I grabbed the man closest to me. I drove the sword upward through his chin. Blood spurted through the top of his head, splattering them and the walls. I pulled the sword from him, letting his body drop. The remaining men avoided my eye contact with all but one. our eyes locked and he began to shake. I took a single step forward, and he pissed himself. I continued over to him. I peered down at him.

"You fear me now. That is good. You have learned. Now, where is she?"

"Do not tell him! Remember what he said! He will kill us even after we tell him!"

I threw the sword. It speared him through his mouth, pinning him to the wall. His body hung lifelessly. His companions looked at him, quickly turning back to me.

"Your dead companion is not wrong. I will kill all of you, but I am a kind God. I will leave you last."

"I will take you to her!"

"YOU TRAITOR!"

He lunged for the man. I pushed him out of the way, grabbed him by the throat, and squeezed. I watched as he struggled. His pale skin turned blue. Until his windpipe was fully crushed in my hand. I turned back to him.

I leaned in close. "Take me to her. Now."