Prisoners by WildcatYST

The Beginning

A/N: Welcome to my first fic to go up on Dokuga! This is a story I wrote years ago (which is still up at fanfiction.net) and I've recently decided to finish it up. I pretty much went AWOL last time, but I've been working past where I left off. The plan is to post a chapter every week or so. Please let me know what you think! Comments and criticism are always welcome!

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Kagome felt her arms begin to ache. She had drawn her bow so many times to shoot at enemies that her muscles were becoming weak. Just when she thought the demons were gone, another wave would attack her friends. She could hear Inuyasha screaming attacks and slashing through his enemies, but the sound was growing more and more distant.

I can't keep this up much longer. Kagome felt exhaustion quickly overwhelming her body.

Before being ambushed, it had been a normal day on her shard hunting journey. Inuyasha had demanded ramen and fought with Shippo over the last few bites. Miroku had groped Sango and been smacked with a very heavy boomerang at least five times before breakfast was over. Yep, normal as normal could be.

Kagome had sensed a shard in the deep forests ahead of them and it did not take long for their group to find the demon possessing it. It had been a swift battle against the giant frog demon. Before they could even congratulate themselves on their victory, dark figures attacked from the forest. They took humanoid demon forms and moved like shadows through the group. Sango and Miroku were soon separated from Kagome and Inuyasha. From there, Kagome lost track of her hanyou friend and had to fend for herself. She thought it was strange that they were not even trying to harm her. It was as if they were separating her.

I'm out of arrows! Kagome's mind went blank. What would she do? Now, she was truly worthless. She had no defense and was helpless as the shadows surrounded her.

"That's the one. Bring her." A deep voice ordered the rest of the figures. Kagome didn't even have time to turn to face the source of the sound before her world went black from a blow to the back of the head.

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"Inuyasha!" Miroku called as he fended off the last of the shadow demons. The hanyou quickly came into view upon the monk's call.

"Where is everyone?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Kirara and I are fine." Sango's voice announced her arrival to the group. She jumped off the fire cat and rested against her boomerang.

"Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha asked impatiently.

"I can't find her!" Shippo's high pitched voice rang out.

"Damn it! I'll find her." Inuyasha snorted irritably. He did not like taking time out of shard hunting to track down that clumsy girl. His nose led him to a spot not far from where he battled the shadow demons. Upon looking around, he found no trace of her. His eyes glanced around with more worry than he would like to admit. He sniffed around again, but could not pick up which way her scent left this area. It was mingled with the scent of the strange creatures that attacked them. Footsteps caught his ears, and he turned hoping to find the raven haired miko. Instead, a worried looking Sango and Miroku met his gaze.

"Did you find her?" Sango asked. Inuyasha shook his head, not wanting to admit defeat. He was really starting to worry.

"Lady Kagome!" Miroku called out. There was no answer. The group fanned out to look for signs of the miko. Sango searched through the thick greenery for any sign of her friend. When she reached a small clearing, she saw what appeared to be footprints. They were rather far apart, indicating that someone had come running through the clearing not too long ago. But what she saw shining in the fading sunlight made her breath come short.

"Did you find anything?" Miroku's voice came from behind her. Sango did not turn around as the monk came up beside her. His eyes fixed on the object on the forest floor and he placed a hand on Sango's shoulder.

"What are you two doing!" Inuyasha's voice shouted at them. "We need to look for Kagome!" He looked at the two in anger, and then followed their eyes. What he saw made a part of his heart clench.

Kneeling down in the grass, Inuyasha picked up what was left of Kagome's crushed bow. He gripped the pieces tightly in his hands.

I never told her. He thought, as anger and guilt swelled inside of him. I promised to protect her. His heart ached at the thought of losing her. She can't be gone. He refused to believe that he lost her to the weak beings that attacked them. Sure, there were many of them, but they were not very strong.

Inuyasha shot to his feet and started to run. He followed the footprints into the forest, leaving the calls of his friends behind him. His feet carried him at speeds he had not known he was capable of. He gripped the pink bow in his hands and pursued the trail of his prey. Into the night he ran, leaving a trail of tears behind him.

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Kagome awoke with a start as cold water splashed across her face. Her eyes took a moment to focus and her mind a moment longer to register what was going on. The last thing she remembered was running out of arrows amongst the enemy. Where was she now? What was going on?

"Get up." A gruff voice ordered. Kagome did as she was told, too afraid to argue. A hand grabbed her around the arm and she winced as sharp claws dug into her flesh.

Her captor was very tall and built like a wall. His skin was pale, but his eyes and hair were jet black. Intricate black markings covered his neck and he was dressed all in black. He dragged Kagome a few feet along a pathway through the forest. She didn’t recognize where she was and fear began to take over. Her hands were roughly chained together and she was thrown onto the back of a giant lizard creature, which reminded her of a scaly horse. Kagome trembled as the creatures surrounded her and escorted her through the darkness.

"Don't move. Don't speak. Don't think about escaping." The orders came from the apparent leader of the group. Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat and bit back a whimper.

A few hours into the journey, the caravan came to a stop and she was pulled roughly off of her lizard mount. Calloused hands wrapped a blindfold around her eyes and lead her through the forest. She had no choice but to follow them. Kagome was blinded and had no way of defending herself. She could only hope that Inuyasha would find her before anything bad happened.

Kagome felt her feet hit stone and she struggled up stairs without the use of her sight. A hand gripped her tightly as it led her up the stairs and into a building. Her body ached and she was terrified, but the hand pulled her along through winding corridors and down more stairs. When the creature finally came to a stop, he tore the blindfold off of her and opened a door. He pushed her roughly through it, and she stumbled to keep her balance.

"Welcome to Arago's castle. Enjoy your stay." The voice snickered and slammed the door shut behind her. Kagome trembled in the small dungeon room. Her hairs stood on end as cold air rushed in through the small, barred window. She felt her knees give out from under her and she welcomed the relief of sitting on the rock floor. Leaning her head against the old wood of the dungeon door, she looked directly across the room.

Kagome gasped. A pair of golden orbs stared blankly in her direction. A growl escaped from the delicate looking lips of the captured man. But this was no ordinary man. Inuyasha’s half brother, Sesshomaru, was sitting across from her with his hands bound above him in chains. He was dirty, weak, and his bared teeth told her that he was angry. But more than that, Kagome looked into his eyes and realized he was not seeing what was in front of him.

She stared in front of her as a growl filled the room. Trembling, Kagome pressed herself as far back as she could against the door. Holding her breath, she thought of what to say or what to do. All she could do was stare before her at the Lord of the Western Lands, broken and blind before her.