Haunted By You by Silver Standard Society

Beaten

2011 A/N: So this is a re-post of a story I wrote in 2003 and finished in 2006. It's currently still online on FF.net but I wanted to share it with my new Dokuga friends. Enjoy. 

Please note that I have not changed ONE thing in this story, including grammar/spelling. It's an as-is re-post. ^_^ 

*~~*2011 A/N End *~~*

Hello! Welcome to part one of a very long two-part fic! My first, actually. So please take the time to read and I need constructive criticism. Not flames...I don't know what's wrong with this part...

*** *** *** ***

She watched with cold eyes, as he approached her confidently, his trail of cronies following. She stiffened when she saw the smug but angry look on his face and heard the excited whisper of his friends behind him. They had all come to watch what he would do to her. How he would punish her.

Without a word to one another, she stood from her seat and kept her head low to avoid his eyes. They all stopped before her and grew silent. One person let out a snicker but it was quickly withdrawn. A scowl threatened to arise on her lips but she held it back as well as she could. She could feel it. Feel his stony gaze upon her bowed head as he finally spoke to her.

"How dare you," was all he said as he lifted her heard and gave her such a slap that it sent her sprawling to the floor a few feet away from him. She took it silently and closed her eyes momentarily, trying to process it in with all else that had happened to her. Then she looked at him, tears stinging her furious eyes as she got up and placed herself in front of him once more.

They laughed. Those idiotic men he called friends, laughed.

"She wants more, Sesshomaru." One snickered. "She IS bold,"

Sesshomaru looked down at her with such coldness that she had to look away. She bit her lip as he cupped her chin gently and lifted her head to look at him again. The tears she had in her eyes threatened to fall so dangerously that she dare not move.

"Is this what you wanted?" he asked loudly so that his whole circle could hear. They held in their laughter to listen intently. What was he doing now?

She didn't answer. She didn't do anything. Just stare into his eyes. His perfect amber eyes that seemed to dig into the depths of her soul and take all her secrets from her. The eyes that made her want to embrace him and never let him go when all he did was given her a quick yet sharp glance.

She hated his eyes.

"You want to feel the taste of my lips against yours, do you not? The feel of my touch on your skin?" he asked. All were silent. He gave an impassive yet deadly serious look as he bent near her and whispered in her ear.

"You wanted me to whisper in your ear that I love you. That I yearn for you with all my heart and soul." He said, his words making her shiver. He had to bend so low to speak to her that she could see his little band of followers over his shoulders. They all stared at her, some quietly holding in laughter as Sesshomaru continued to whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

And that's all they were. Sweet nothings. He mocked her. Every bitter sweet word he was saying was sounded so full of sincerity that she found it painful to believe it wasn't real. Unable to bear it any longer, her tears escaped as she pushed away from him and stared him, defiantly, in the eye.

"No..." she uttered as she placed her arms by her sides, standing stock- still.

Scowling as she cried, she didn't wipe a single tear away as she clenched her fists and shakily exhaled. She pushed herself to speak. To say something, anything that would hurt his pride in some way, but she couldn't even open her mouth. He gave a charming and amused smile and her heart melted like a fool.

"Does what I say hurt you, Kagome?" he asked. He took a step closer. "Do my words rip at your heart and soul?"

She didn't answer, only stared at him with hatred as he advanced even closer to her. She wanted to move, tried to move but her body would not listen. Silently and angrily she braced herself.

His next move was unexpected. He grabbed her chin and forcefully pressed his mouth against her, kissing her with such passion it didn't seem real at all. At first she hit his shoulder and struggled to pull away, but he grabbed her with those strong and powerful arms and held her as he continued.

She clenched her eyes shut as tears continued to fall with new vigor as she continued to thrash uselessly in his grip. She managed to wrench an arm free and slap him against his cheek. He gave no reaction, only continued kissing her, biting her lower lip a bit sharply so that she would give him entrance. Just as he predicted, she did open and he slid his tongue inside, enjoying himself fully.

Kagome slapped him again. Harder this time as he bit her lip, forcing her to take a painful gasp and allowing him entrance. Slowly she realized that her hits had no effect as he continued to gently explore the inside of her mouth, unfazed by her actions.

So she dropped her arm and allowed it.

She gave into him, slowly starting to kiss back as he moved his arm to hold her face in his hands, gently rubbing his thumb against her cheek.

He then suddenly broke away and stood up straight and gave another cold and heartbreaking smile, his companions gaping at what they were witnessing.

Kagome bowed her head slightly as she began to openly sob. How had she come to love such a cold man?

He removed his hand from her face and backhanded her harder than before. She stumbled back; knocking over a small table that held a vase filled with flowers and making it shatter as she fell on top of both the table and the vase.

The men behind him began to howl with laughter as she sat up and looked around her, looking at her now wet attire and feeling for another bruise on her cheek. She took her time standing up as she desperately tried to withdrawal her sobs.

Why did she deserve this?

The laughter quieted down as Sesshomaru began to speak. "You still don't understand," he said as he watched her stand. "You dare think that you are deserving of my love?" he asked. "You dare think you are worthy of me?"

She stared almost blankly at him. The last of her tears drying on her cheeks as she directed her attention towards the door that led to outside. Her freedom was right behind Sesshomaru and his twelve mocking men.

"Look at me," he demanded sharply. When he was sure her full attention was on him, he spoke again. "You are nothing to me. All you're petty fantasies of you and I together are insulting." He said. He wiped his lips with his hand.

"This," he said emphasizing their kiss. He made a careless flinging motion as if throwing something. "Means nothing to me. You mean nothing to me. And for you to have the audacity to tell of your child's play feelings to me only makes me more disgusted with you."

Kagome closed her eyes. She felt the sensation of fresh tears bubbling up. Everything hurt now. Her soul was shattered, her heart was broken, her body was bruised, and her pride, integrity, and confidence were destroyed. She took a step, walking towards him again but he turned and began to walk away, his associates laughing as they followed.

She watched them go and waited until she heard the door slam. Yet even after that she didn't move. Why did he do this to her? Why did he go out of his way to hurt her so bad?

She winced as she felt the bruise by her eye which had now begun to bleed. She looked at her hand to see it now smeared with her own blood.

Look what he does to you, she thought. Do you not see how he hates you?

She looked at the closed door once again and gave a bitter smile. Even after all this her feelings had not been altered. She STILL loved Sesshomaru.

"Fool," she muttered before collapsing on the floor and crying. She was such a fool...

*** ***** **

Did he feel bad about it? Did he feel guilty about humiliating her like that? Did he hate himself for making her cry and hurting her?

No. He felt horrible about it, he felt ashamed about embarrassing her so cruelly, and he did not hate himself. He loathed himself.

But she had asked for it. He tried to convince himself that she deserved to be beaten. She was a peasant. She was a simple little commoner who had dared to walk into his Manor, acting like she owned it. From the moment he saw her he knew she was trouble. She was loud and impolite. She treated everyone the same as if all people were equal! The nerve! How dare she think that he, Lord Sesshomaru, could be spoken to as if he were someone of less importance.

She owed him. After all he did for her; she would owe him for life. Her father, an honorable warrior had fallen in a civil battle. So he, being fairly reasonable, periodically sent a good sum of money to the widow to provide for herself. Though what he gave her was not enough to support her two children, so he took the oldest one in to work in his manor for money.

Kagome had been a load of trouble since the first day.

No manners, no class, no style, no respect, nothing! The young woman was as empty headed as a newborn child. Even after he had servants explain the rules to her over and over again she always managed to inadvertently break them all. And when he himself had sat her down and chastised her behavior she only went on doing as she did before, completely ignoring his orders.

It was that sense of stupidity that had caused him to disgrace her in front of those men. The stupid and drunk men who only knew him through business and trade. Such idiotic company for him was unthinkable.

Tonight had been a success for a civil war that his lands were engaged in. The servants in the villages a few miles away had taken up arms against his soldiers in an attempt for freedom from his rule. The battle had surprisingly lasted a bit longer than two months. Yet this morning there was a report that the last of their "radical" leaders had been executed and that the villages had given in. So tonight he invited his wealthiest business men to a celebration. Normally he would have enjoyed being by himself but he decided one night of change wouldn't kill him. A way of thinking he had adopted from Kagome.

It was this night that she came to him, telling him she had something urgent to say. That through their past two months of acquaintance she had realized something vital about him and her. But he brushed her off without hearing her out and left to be a proper host.

Sure the two months had been strange. When she first came she couldn't stand the sight of him and he couldn't stand to be around her. Though as time slowly progressed he developed a sort of tolerance for her and her behavior and she began going out of her way to talk to him about things that didn't really interest him. The weather or the stables or how a servant had been treated. Did she think that he really cared?

He must have found it shocking that, after a while it was he who would stop to talk to her about simple and unimportant things. He had allowed him self to befriend her which was very unlike him.

Maybe she took his feelings for granted. Perhaps she had mistaken his enjoyment of having her for a little company and displaced it as love. It was likely that he had led her on. He had once told her that he could only smile for her. That no one else could provide him with a sense of relaxation because there was no one else as unique as her. Again, the things he did and said to her were so unlike his regular self. He felt so different around her. He felt happy.

But it still wouldn't excuse her from what she did at his little celebration. Coming into a room filled with drunken lords (excluding him since he looked down upon alcohol) and sitting down as if she were simply one of them. Heads turned to stare at him, to see what he would do to such a rude servant who dare not even ask his permission before entering.

He told her to go to her rooms but she refused. She said that she was angry that he had brushed her off to join these men and she came to see what was so important. Again, heads turned to stare at him. Would he tolerate a servant declining his orders? A woman servant, no less.

Then she started to talk. Started telling him what she needed to say and that she would go when finished. Stupid! She expected to tell him that she loved him and he would be happy? Anger arose inside him instead. What did she expect him to do? The whole situation was improper.

"You may go, though I want you in the fore chamber in less than three minutes. Your behavior will not go unpunished this time." he had said to her.

And that look. That look of pure disbelief and shock in her eyes made it look like she just wanted to die. She visibly paled as she nodded and walked out, all of the men watching her go. When they were sure she was out of earshot they began talking excitedly about her. About her level of disrespect and what form of punishment she would receive. He knew by then, they wouldn't miss it for all the gold in the land. And he, so angry at her for coming out to the open at a time such as this, allowed them to view everything.

Though now as he walked towards his chambers, he felt each one of his steps grow heavier with guilt. His words, the ones of love, had sounded so real and sincere because they were. He knew that. Had always known it. Though he ruined everything when he told her she meant nothing. And then he hit her.

Twice.

He stopped and turned around, beginning to head towards the room again. His guests had departed early, clearly soaking up enough entertainment for one night and bidding him a proper farewell. And now it was time to really see the damage he had caused.

His walk turned into a run as he turned down countless halls and went through countless doors. Where had he left her again? Ah yes, the fore room of the dining hall. He took a final turn and stopped at he doors. He placed his hand on the door to open it but froze. He heard voices from inside. She wasn't alone...

*** *** *** ***

"You don't have to move," Inuyasha said as he picked her up and laid her down on a loveseat couch by the corner. "Just rest here for a minute."

Kagome stared at him as he laid her down gently and began to gently pick out pieces of shattered glass and a few leaves from her clothes and hair.

"What happened?" he asked, softly. He had always been concerned for her. Ever since she had come to the Manor he had placed some type of brotherly protection over her. He had always stuck up for her and bullied those who wanted to bring her down. Many servants disliked her because she was allowed to get away with her careless actions. And when Sesshomaru began taking a little interest in her, his nightly female companions were not happy. They did almost anything to get her in trouble.

Kagome just smiled at him. "I'm thirsty," she said.

Inuyasha produced a flask. His clothes looked as if they were for travel and near him lay a huge bag that seemed to be full of provisions.

"You're leaving," she said softly as he opened the flask and placed it to her lips. She took a sip and immediately spat it back in the flask.

"That's brandy!" she said in a disgusted tone. Inuyasha took the flask back and smelled it. He made a face.

"Oh, wrong one! You didn't have to spit it back in though." He said as he just threw it over his shoulder and produced another one. He opened it and sniffed it before handing it to her.

Kagome took this one and looked at it carefully before taking a long drink, washing out the taste of alcohol with fresh water.

As she drank Inuyasha explained. "I'm going on a trip to lands of the east to help negotiate some trading for some ancient artifacts my father wants me to collect for him."

He then realized she had successfully managed to change the subject. "Now who did this to you?" he asked. "And no lies. You know I'll take care of it."

Kagome looked away. "No one. I'm clumsy. I walked into the table and knocked myself over." She lied as easily as if she were breathing air. Though Inuyasha saw through it.

"Was it the servants or Sesshomaru's concubines?" he asked as he took the flask from her and took a handkerchief out from his pocket.

"Since when did you carry handkerchiefs?"

"Don't change the subject,"

She crossed her arms over her chest and bit her lower lip. Clearly she wasn't going to tell. "I told you, I fell."

Inuyasha sighed. When she was this stubborn not even he would argue with her. He wet the handkerchief and placed it against the wound above her eye.

"Ow! It hurts you know!"

"Don't be such a baby, Kagome." He said as he wiped it clean of the blood. "I'm gonna take you to my room and summon a doctor. After that I've got to leave. I should have left hours ago."

"It's night now. Why didn't you leave already?"

Inuyasha stood p and picked her up, even though she tried to stand on her own.

"Stop it, I've got you." He said as she angrily frowned at him. " I had a feeling something was going to happen so I stuck around." He said as he walked towards the door. He kicked it open and, seeing that the hall was empty, proceeded to his rooms.

"Now will you just relax? The doctor will fix you up and you can stay in my rooms until I return. Which shouldn't be in a few months, by the way. I'll have to tell Sesshomaru to keep a better eye on you-"

"No!" she yelled, clinging to him. "Don't do that! I don't need his help"

Inuyasha looked surprised."Kagome what in hell has gotten into you? First you don't want me to know who beat the living bejesus out of you and now you don't want Sesshomaru to look after you. Are you trying to get yourself hurt by others or is it Sesshomaru who did this?"

Kagome looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I want to come with you," she said. "Please, Inuyasha let me come. I swear I won't be a burden."

"No. You're not even ready. Besides you can't handle the outdoors and you need rest right now." Inuyasha said as he climbed a stair case. "Now shut your mouth and rest. As soon as I get you on the bed I'll call for the doctor and get Sesshomaru to come see you."

Kagome made a slight whimpering sound before hiding her face in Inuyasha's shirt.

"Are you scared?" Inuyasha asked. "You're gonna be ok, Kagome just relax. Your bruises don't look to serious."

"I'm not scared." Kagome whispered back. She held tighter to him as he kicked open his bedroom door. Soon he'd get the doctor. Then Sesshomaru.

And she was petrified.

*** *** *** ***

Sesshomaru watched her as she slept. She looked so peaceful. Her mouth was parted slightly as she took deep and even breaths and her hair flowed behind her in soft dark waves. The bruises on the face were painfully noticeable however as he looked at it. The one above her eye seemed a mild blue and was horribly swollen. A small part of it had been stitched up neatly. The other bruise wasn't clearly seen because she was resting on it but if he took an educated guess he'd say it was a horrid shade of dark purple.

He had left moments before Inuyasha had opened the door and proceeded to call for the doctor ahead of time. By the time the man had arrived, Kagome was half asleep. Inuyasha had left when the doctor was done but left him a warning that she got picked on constantly.

She turned away from him, making it seem like she had innocently turned in her sleep, but by the way her breathing suddenly turned from deep and even to fast and irregular he knew she had awoken and seen him.

"Look at me," he said patiently. "It's rude to turn away from you're Lord."

"That's what I'm afraid of. Looking at you," she said, still facing away from him. "Besides...what makes you think I'm worthy enough to look at you?"

"Don't be pert, Kagome."

"What else can I be? Quiet? Respectful?" she asked calmly. "I can't. I can't be the way you want me to be Sesshomaru. I-"

"Lord Sesshomaru," he corrected.

Kagome tensed. "Well excuse me." She said quietly "I guess your strikes made me take a brief lapse of sanity. You're really full of shit you know that?"

Sesshomaru looked away, out the window. Was she trying to hurt his feelings or get him angry? "Only unattractive women swear."

"Why would you care?" she asked bitterly. He should have known she'd act like this. He had hurt her in more ways than one. She gave a sigh and closed her eyes. "Forgive me, my Lord. I was disrespectful to you and directly disobedient. You had every right to beat me to a bloody pulp because I was in love with you. It was wrong of me for I am your servant. I am below you. I will always-"

"Being a little too over dramatic are we not?"

"No." Kagome said. She noticed that it was daylight by the way the room was so bright when it seemed it had been midnight black just minutes before. How long had she slept? Slowly sat up only to lie back down and pull the covers up to her chin, blushing madly. She was naked underneath.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked.

"Servants are getting you new ones. You have a bruise on your left hip from falling over the table and I find it unhygienic for one to wear the same clothes in two days." He responded.

"Oh..."

"Kagome," he started "About what happened last night..."

For the first time he was at a loss of words. He turned back to her to see that she was staring intently, though she quickly looked away, slightly blushing as she shifted underneath the sheets.

"Before you say anything I think you should know I'm quitting."

"Come again?"

"I'm leaving." Kagome said softly. "I haven't thought about it fully but I've decided to leave. I'm tired of this place."

Sesshomaru sat up straight. "Where do you think you can go?" he asked.

Kagome shrugged. "I'm not sure. All I know is that I need to leave. If you must know, I do have miko capabilities. I can join a village healer or something. I want to learn how to provide for myself.." She looked at him just as a servant entered with a bundle of clothes. She set them down at the foot of the bed and with a low bow she backed up and left.

Sesshomaru said nothing as he watched her slink under the covers towards the end of the bed. He watched in mild amusement as she dressed under the covers and emerged looking about before getting off the bed.

Sesshomaru stood. Could he do it? Just let her go? He looked at he still very noticeable bruises on her flesh as she began limping around. Her thigh must hurt a lot. He looked down at his own two hands. He had caused this. Caused her such pain when she already had enough going on in her life. Her father had been killed in battle and in such a short time she had to be separated from a grieving family. Under a week at the most.

He stared at her as she smiled triumphantly as she walked to the door.

"I'm going to get something to eat!" she yelled happily as she opened the door. Sesshomaru walked up to her.

"I'll find you later. I've business to attend to." He said as he walked out.

"Don't forget! I don't work hear any more!" Kagome yelled after him as he walked down the hall. When she was absolutely sure he was gone she went back inside the room and shut the door, slinking against it and crying.

That was it! She had to get out of here! Two months of hell was all she could take! She didn't care where she went or what she would do as long as she got out. She had to get out. To get away from him.

Get away from him or be haunted by the pain he caused her for the rest of her miserable and love sick life.

*** **** **** That's it! I'll start working on Part 2 in a few days. It took me 3 days to complete this. Thanks for reading it all!