InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Zuiichi Takara ❯ Chapter 8: Nightmares ( Chapter 8 )

A/n: Happy Belated Merry Christmas and Early Happy New Year. Okay here is the next chapter of Zuiichi Takara. Enjoy! Don’t forget to review!

*Zuiichi Takara*

By: Kage Otome (Shadow Maiden)

Chapter 8: Nightmares

As she dreamed she felt, she felt as she did when she was but a mere child. Helpless, alone, scared, weak. How she despised that feeling, it made her feel useless. Why would she feel this way? What would, could, cause this, never before in at least two centuries had she dreamt like this, nightmares of her past that she worked so hard to bury. To hide. She didn’t want them to know, how much it affected her, how much agony she had been in. How hard, sometimes, she tried not to cry.

In her dreams there was no where to hide.

In her nightmares---she faced the monsters alone.

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(Dream/ Nightmare)

A young girl with blue-black hair tied in a high ponytail was running heedless of the protruding branches and other various foliage that she darted through further injuring herself--that was me, when I was younger. All I knew was fear, no pain, no hope, no nothing...Just fear. And for good reason---I had done it, I had finally betrayed mother.

Heavy footfalls followed me and my emotionless mask marred only by the angry bruise forming on my left cheek and the slight cut from being whipped by a tree branch. Of course I should have avoided that branch. I could hear the heavy breathing and loud footsteps of the men mother had sent, no doubt to detain me. Somewhere beneath my fear arrogance welled up.

Mistake one.

One must always be cautious in such a situation, a simple mistake was all it took to fail. And fail I did. I let my arrogance take over by scoffing thinking what fools they were for sending such mindless brutes after me. Unknown to me there was a silent hunter on my tail in addition to the ‘mindless brutes’, hearing my scoff he darted toward the left, leaping over a fallen tree and landing just as silently. Spotting his prey he darted toward the young kage kitsune otherwise known as myself. Tackling me from the side, he saw the surprise that I couldn’t hide before I bit deeply into his arm.

He didn't’ release me.

I was caught.

All it took was one mistake...I’d learn from this. But first, I was going to be punished. I began to shut down my senses, withdrawing into my mind. The deeper I went the less I felt. And that’s exactly what I wanted. Mother was after all a very cruel youkai.

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She had been brought before her mother. Her mother...She was a beautiful youkai with hair darker then the midnight sky and eyes like flames, crimson and ruby in color. Smooth alabaster skin, and a lovely slender figure full with womanly curves. What marred this picture of perfection was the cruel, twisted smirk on her face. Of course it didn’t help that across her face, diagonally lay a long shallow cut that was even then repairing itself. The young girl, Kagome herself did not make any move to defend herself as the blows came.

After all she’d expected them. She stood her ground and took all her mother had to give. Not once did she flinch, not once did she cry out, not once did her face or body waver from it’s still, unemotional facade. Karui snarled at her daughter however before her claws could rake their way across her face she was stopped by a rather large male youkai, a tiger. He had black stripes decorating his body. Around his waist were rather tight hakama’s, he wore nothing else. His long orange-gold hair gleamed under the torches as he stroked her face. She could still remember the feel of his rough calloused hands touching her face.

“No, Karui. I will punish her myself.”

Kagome remembered this youkai well. He was the leader of the band of outlaws her mother had promised her to, in return for their aid against the Kage Buzoku. He was a rather high leveled youkai which when she was young puzzled her, normally bandits consisted of a group of middle and a few upper middle class youkai and a few lower youkai to bend to their will. But there was also normally one high classed youkai behind the whole operation. She just didn’t expect it to be an ex-general to Lord Inutashio’s army. He had been exiled for attempted assassination on Izayoi. Inutashio-sama’s human mate and the mother of Inuyasha. Not that she knew that at this time.

His name was Bukari. He was if anything just as sadistic as Karui. Kagome didn’t move or make a sound, because she knew this was the one that she really needed to fear. After all, now that she belonged to him, Karui couldn’t harm her unless he allowed, but all he had to do was snap his fingers and she would be killed. He literally held her life in his hands. Closing her eyes she tried to picture a better place, a happier place....But she couldn’t. After all this is the only life she’s ever known for the entire 6 mortal years (60 youkai years)she’s been on this earth. Bukari tossed her onto his bed before staring at the young youkai. She was rather pretty for her age, it wasn’t that she was such a stunning beauty, she was still but a girl, however something in her eyes made him pause, that had to be her most unique feature.

Such unique eyes.

Kagome shuddered in pain as he backhanded her sending her into one of his massive walls. An evil light entered Bukari’s eyes.

“I think it’s time to introduce you to the pleasures of flesh...”

He laughed wickedly before advancing on her.

(End of Nightmare/Dream)

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Sweat poured down her face as she thrashed about in the large bed, sending the covers flying, claws tearing down the blankets and sheets, everything in her mind was so vivid. It was like she was a child again---alone and unprotected. Weak and naive with no way out of her misery. More then once as a child she had considered taking her own life since Inari-sama wouldn’t. She had prayed, oh she had prayed to the goddess, hoping she’d take pity on herself and end her suffering. When it didn’t work she pleaded to the other gods, to strike her down in battle, in war, in something. They didn’t.

It wasn’t until she was older that she understood why they didn’t. She still had a purpose in the world. She was still needed, after all if she hadn’t lived, would she have saved the kit? Or met Kuronue, Yusuke, Sango---all of them. They’d be dead, and she’d be dead many times over in fact. They’d all saved each other, in more then one way. They gave each other a reason to live, other then duty, and in Kagome and Kurnoue’s case, stealing.

Kuronue tried his best to calm Kagome down as she thrashed around in her sleep. He’d thought she’d stopped until she suddenly bolted up, her back ramrod straight. She came up so quickly he didn’t have any time to move away, their faces hit each other with a loud ‘konk’. Groaning Kuronue rubbed his forehead, Kagome sure did have a hard head. Looking down at her, he was surprised to find her panting, her eyes full of pain of fear. Of helplessness. He’d never seen her like this, she didn’t even feel the impact of their heads hitting.

“Kagome...”

She looked up at him and couldn’t quite hide the emotions running rampant.

“Don’t let me fall asleep...”

“Don’t let me fall asleep...”

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Kuronue held her.

He never wanted to let her go.

True to his word, he didn’t let her fall asleep, even as the sedative Kurama gave her began to take effect. He kept her up, anyway he knew how, tossing ice water over her head, pinching her, anything he could think of, including telling her that someone had stolen her bounty. That got her up real fast. If there was anything Kagome despised it was people who stole what she was after. Made her real mad.

“Why don’t you want to fall asleep?” Kuronue asked softly once they were alone.

Kagome turned around in Kuronue’s arms, before looking into velvety violet eyes. He was so beautiful. Stroking his cheek with her hand she tucked her head under his chin as she curled up against his chest. She didn’t want to burden him with her past, she didn’t want him to know how weak she was. She had been careful to tell him only what he needed to know. She was abused, she survived. But then again, neither of them had in all their years told each other their entire pasts. She supposed it was for fear of being rejected. Eventually they’d have to, just not today.

“When I dream, my subconscious brings to me what I hide when I’m awake...”

Kagome paused.

“In dreams---there is no escape.”

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A/n: Well, that’s it for this chapter. Did you like? No? Review!