Unbroken

I paced beside the river, nibbling on my lip, completely worried. Darkness had taken over and every time that I tried to figure out where Sesshomaru was, he blocked me. The others stood not too far away, watching me, waiting for me to tell them where we would be heading. Kagome looked concerned for me, she had never seen me like this. I felt lost, unsure, and scared.

I stopped my pacing and closed my eyes and focused on the connection that Sesshomaru and I shared. I concentrated so hard that I began to see a thin golden thread that glistened softly. I followed it, scared of what I might find.

Sesshomaru appeared to be asleep and in his current condition, he couldn’t block me from his mind. I began to poke him, metaphorically, trying to figure out where he was. I felt him stir and a picture, or lack thereof, flooded my mind. He still slept and I was thankful for this tidbit of information he gave me, even if it wasn’t on purpose. The room was completely black, there were slits for windows at the top of the wall, showing nothing but darkness except for the occasional star.

I froze, snapping back to where I stood. Something about that room was strangely familiar. A chill suddenly ran down my spine as my mind flashed back.

I was chained in the middle of the floor, upside down, and highly uncomfortable. I was completely naked and a man stood in front of me, touching between my legs, a low chuckle escaping his lips.

I shook my head violently, forcing the memories away.

“Angel, are you okay?” Kagome walked to stand by my side, concern filling her voice.

I looked at her, not really hearing her. My mind was trying to wrap itself around where Sesshomaru was being kept and that I would have to go back to that dreaded place. “I know where he is.”

Inuyasha, who had been leaning against a rock with his eyes closed, opened them and looked at me. Kilala immediately turned into her large feline form and Sango and Miroku climbed onto her back.

Shippo jumped into Kagome’s arms. “You sure?” He asked.

I nodded my head and continued. “Yamino has taken Sesshomaru to the same place that I was being held before Naraku turned me and made me do his evil bidding.” I looked Kagome straight in the eye as I said it.

Her mouth fell open. “Do you think this is because of Katsuro’s bond to you that she would do that?”

“I doubt that has anything to do with why Yamiko would place Sesshomaru in Angel’s prison.” Inuyasha spoke, unmoving from where he sat. “It’s to frighten her, to keep her from going.”

“He’s right. Yamiko wants me to stay away from Katsuro but she made a mistake. She shouldn’t have made my mate a prisoner.” I paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “And I know that Katsuro aided her.” I looked around the group of the people I called my friends. “We have to go there. We have to kill Yamiko.”

“What about Katsuro?” Sango asked. “What if he has been so fully corrupted that he cannot be saved?” I knew that she was thinking of her brother, Kohaku.

“I’ll have to find a way to fix that.” My voice was quiet, thinking of the possible outcomes of this mission.

I turned and faced the river. It was a good five day journey to where Naraku’s old castle had been. At least I now knew where he was. I also knew that we had to be quick. I was not comfortable with knowing that Sesshomaru was locked in the same dark room that I had been raped in.

“We have to hurry.” I thought out loud. “I do not trust Yamiko to keep Sesshomaru around forever.”

“Sesshomaru is a powerful demon lord. He can fend for himself.” Inuyasha crossed his arms.

I quickly turned and faced him. “If you want to stay, fine. I will go by myself if I have to. I am NOT leaving Sesshomaru in the hands of that… that….that BITCH!” I took a quick calming breath. “I know you and Sesshomaru are not the closest brothers in the world but sometimes you have to put aside your differences and fight for what you know is right. If you choose to stay, I won’t hold it against you, but if you choose to help, I will greatly appreciate it.”

I turned back to the river and looked off into the distance. I knew where I had to go, but getting there quickly would be the problem. We had to cross over the mountain range to get to Naraku’s castle and that, in itself, would take a day.
Sango walked over to me, Kilala at her side. “You took Kilala with you once before and I will let you take her again. She will cut your travel time in half. Miroku and I will follow on foot but you need to find Yamiko quickly.” She placed her hand on my shoulder.

Kagome gave me a big hug. “We will be there as soon as we can. Be safe, Angel.”

I hugged her back. “Thank you. Both of you. See you guys soon.”

I ran my fingers over Kilala’s soft yellow fur, took a deep breath, and climbed onto her back. She took off and I looked over my shoulder at the group of people on the ground. I smiled, knowing that they had my back, even if Inuyasha was a pain.

The air that rushed around me was cold but I ignored it. I had to travel as far as I could without falling asleep. I had to get to Sesshomaru soon, regardless of the consequences.

Sango was right, we did travel a lot faster this way and by the time morning came, we were near the mountain range. Kilala landed, tired. Morning had come and gone, the noon sun warming my skin. Kilala and I found a nice, cool, shaded spot to lay and we curled up together, Kilala staying in her large form.

I wouldn’t say that I slept but I did doze off. I was fully aware of the birds chirping in the trees, the rustling of the leaves, the breeze on my skin, and Kilala’s steady breathing.

My mind was too busy to allow my body to fully sleep. I kept reliving all of those weeks that I had been locked up as a prisoner in Naraku’s castle, how I had been used, abused, and how he had managed to take over my mind as well as my body. A cold chill passed through my body and I woke, feeling stiff.

My mind was tired but my body wasn’t and as I stirred, so did Kilala. I sat and stretched, my arms reaching for the sky. Kilala stood, stretching, then looked at me. The sky was already becoming dark. I seriously needed to get off of this weird schedule.

I climbed on her back and she began to jump up the jagged mountain side, leaping from rock to rock. The climb seemed to take forever and by the time we reached the top, the gibbous moon was high in the sky.

I took in the view, my body shivering from the cold air. Naraku’s castle stood nestled in a large opening at the far end of my field of vision. All I could see of it was a black dot in the center of a large clearing. Kilala flew to the base of the mountain.

“Let’s sleep here tonight, Kilala.” I climbed off of her and rubbed her back, knowing that she was in need of a full nights rest. “We need all of our energy for tomorrow.”

We found a small cave in the side of the mountain that went far enough back that we could be out of sight of both demons and predators. I laid down on my side, using my arm for a pillow. I was thankful it was still warm enough out that we wouldn’t freeze. Kilala, who had turned back into her smaller self, came and curled beside me. We both quickly fell to sleep.

I woke to the sound of birds chirping. The sun was shining brightly and the wind was blowing towards us, which was a good thing. It would keep our scent from reaching Yamiko. Kilala stretched and together we exited the small cave. She turned into her larger self and I rubbed her head.

“We need to walk from here on out. I don’t want Yamiko to see us coming.”

I looked up and realized that it was barely noon. We had plenty of time to get to Naraku’s castle before sundown. The two of us began to walk quickly in the direction that the castle stood and the closer we got, the more unease I felt. Kilala had to of felt the same since her fir was standing on end.

I ran my hand over her back, calming her. The sun continued to slowly move across the sky soon, before is began to set, I could tell that we were very close to our destination. Kilala was on high alert and I drew my scythes, preparing for the worst.

When we broke through the think foliage that guarded the clearing, my heart thudded to a stop. My brain refused to accept that I was here for a reason, to rescue Sesshomaru. But instead, all my brain accepted was that I was an idiot.

I stood, staring at the black stone castle that had once been my prison.