InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Destiny ❯ Shadow's Fall ( Chapter 3 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Nightscare0 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance / Suspense | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.10.2005 | Updated On: 08.10.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 258 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance / Suspense | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.10.2005 | Updated On: 08.10.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 258 | Status: Work In Progress
A/N: Okay don’t beat me, I know it’s been a while. I have a definitive story plot for Dark Destiny, and as much as I’d love to, I am not gonna rush things. It’s rather difficult to come up with new concepts and story plot ideas that haven’t been run into the ground already, so bear with me pretty please. However should any of you have any suggestions, questions or comments, I would love to hear them. And as always, I humbly thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read. I love you all!
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Chapter 3 - Shadow’s Fall
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“Awww Kagome do you have to cling so much? You’re pulling out my fur!” Shippou yelped as he squirmed in Kagome’s tight embrace. Breaking from her reverie, Kagome looked down for the first time and noticed Shippou’s apparent discomfort. Releasing her death-grip on the small kitsune, she mumbled an apology as he bounded from her arms and ran ahead to hop up onto Miroku’s shoulder. Turning around, the kitsune regarded her with a look of concern. Something just wasn’t right. As a matter of fact, something hadn’t been right with the young miko for days now. She had this far-away look in her eyes. Her face was pale, her once jubilant eyes had dark circles underneath, as a matter-of-fact her whole demeanor had changed. Whereas there had been a bubbly young girl full of excitement and life before, now resided a shallow shadow of her former self. She was quiet and withdrawn, barely speaking a word to anyone unless a question was directed towards her. To put it in a nutshell, she looked like hell. It was a rare occurrence indeed to get a ghost of a smile from the young miko nowadays, and even the normally obtuse Inuyasha had started to notice something was up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He had approached her about it earlier that morning only to be met with half-hearted assurances that she was fine, well maybe a little tired. She had said she wasn’t sleeping well, but he wasn’t convinced. Especially since he hadn’t been “Sat” in days, the only exception being when he teased and tortured Shippou. Well now come to think of it, she had been really attached to the little brat as of late. Obsessed was more the word. The only time she ever let him out of her sight was to bathe, and well, to answer the call of nature. Even then she always hurried back which was very unusual, because she was known far and wide as a woman who enjoyed her personal time in her baths. He had even tried to get a rise out of her by starting an argument, but she had only mumbled an absentminded “mmmhmmm” before dismissing him completely. This was certainly new. Deciding it wasn’t worth it, he let it go. He just shook his head and walked away from her. Hoping that she would snap out of it pretty soon, he just wrote it off as that PMS thing that Kagome once told him about. Regardless, Inuyasha decided to head for the nearest village in hopes that a real bed and some down time would bring her back to herself. Gathering the group’s supplies together, he announced his intentions to them all, but even that hadn’t gotten a response from the brooding young girl. Sighing he shook his head, and the group broke camp. Worry niggled at Inuyasha’s mind, but he pushed it away with determination. She would come around soon enough, he was sure of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Far up ahead the monk and the taijiya were deep in conversation about said miko. “I just cannot understand it Miroku.” said Sango, her tone hushed to avoid being overheard. “Kagome has been acting so strange lately, and she won’t open up to me at all.”
“I agree. Lady Kagome’s countenance has been rather sullen of late.” he replied thoughtfully as they trudged along.
Sango took a glance behind her to see if Kagome had heard them, but her caution was in vain. The young girl had fallen behind again. Weariness marred her normally bright face, her brows drawn together as if she was deep in thought, and the only sound that could be heard from the strangely silent miko as she trudged along was the occasional yawn.
Sango slowed her pace to allow Kagome the chance to catch up. She reached out and gently grabbed Miroku’s arm as a signal for him to slow down as well. When he looked at her and nodded his head in silent agreement, she leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Poor thing, she just looks so ragged!” She looked far ahead to where Inuyasha had stopped and was covertly sniffing the air. ‘Just like a man’ she thought. ‘Doesn’t know where he’s going, and STILL won’t stop and ask for directions’ She brought her attention back to Miroku when she realized she had missed what he had been saying to her. “I just bet HE had something to do with Kagome’s condition!” she confided to him.
Shippou snorted atop his perch on Miroku’s shoulder. “If I know Inuyasha he has everything to do with it.”
Up ahead the hanyou in question twitched his ears. He had heard everything in their conversation, and he didn’t like where it was going. He growled softly to himself and whipped his head around. “Will you guy shut the hell up!” he shouted. “When something happens I am always the first on everyone’s shit list. For once I didn’t do anything dammit!”
Shippou rolled his eyes. “Yeah sure.”
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and gave the little kit a fierce look that sent Shippou scurrying behind Miroku’s head for cover. Satisfied that he could still scare the crap out of the insolent pup, he mumbled “Feh whatever.” and turned to walk on.
Meanwhile, Sango’s brain was still working overtime trying in vain to figure out why her dearest friend had become so melancholy as of late. Even though Inuyasha may deny it, he’s still the most probable candidate. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time he put his foot in mouth where the little miko was concerned. Her face started to flush a little red at the thought of Inuyasha possibly being the one to upset her sister-like friend. ‘Let’s see how much sniffing he does when I shove that nose up his rear end’ she thought with smug satisfaction. Other various violent images flashed forth throughout her mind, most of which consisted of the excruciating painful detachment of the hanyou’s most valuable hanging appendages.
Miroku glanced over at Sango when it was becoming apparent that her nails were gripping his arm rather painfully. He was about to say something when he noticed that she was obviously distracted. He followed her gaze to where Inuyasha stood up ahead, and he could tell by the small sadistic smile on her lovely lips, that whatever his dear Sango was thinking about could not fare well for the poor unfortunate hanyou. Not being one to miss a prime opportunity to explore the pleasures of the flesh, he slowly lowered his palm to caress her firm yet supple backside. He had approximately two seconds of pure unadulterated pleasure before the most excruciating pain pounded through his poor skull. Wincing, he brought the offending hand up to massage the newest throbbing lump he now sported on his head. When his vision finally cleared, he raised his eyes and gave the red-faced Sango a mischievous lop-sided grin. It had definitely been worth it.
“Hentai!” she screamed. All thoughts of mutilating Inuyasha fled, and was replaced by Miroku taking his place.
“My apologies my dearest Sango, but I simply cannot help myself. Your body is truly blessed by the great Kami’s above, and as a man of the cloth it is my duty to see to it that such holiness is treasured to the fullest extent.” he replied to her with a straight face.
She was so angry she positively couldn’t see straight. Giving the monk a glare that could turn milk sour, she huffed and stomped off to walk with Kagome. Shippou, who up until that time had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal, just shook his head at Miroku. Deciding it would be safer to travel with Kirara for the remainder of their short sabbatical, he jumped onto the giant cat’s back and promptly snuggled himself into her fur. Finding a rather comfortable spot, it wasn’t long before he found himself dozing off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was twilight when Inuyasha and his band of weary travelers stopped at the gates to a small village. “Finally” Kagome groaned softly to herself as she reached down to take off her shoe. After removing the offending article she gently shook it to remove any loose pebbles that had managed to work their way in during the course of the day. She had been so preoccupied with thoughts of her reoccurring dream she knew she had been neglecting her friends. She did notice however that sometime during their travels today Sango had come to walk beside her. But by chance when she glanced up at the older girl, she could tell that Sango was definitely not in the mood for pleasant small talk. Well that suited her just fine, because neither was she. Kagome felt guilty for not opening up to her friends, but somehow the dream just wouldn’t leave her alone. How was she supposed to explain it to them, when she didn’t even understand it herself? Every time she closed her eyes, visions of that dark-haired man consumed her every thought. ‘Who was he? Had she met him before? She shook her head. No she would definitely remember a man like that. A man with that much danger and sensuality oozing from every pore would not be someone easily forgotten. But that left the question then, who was he? And more importantly, why was she being plagued with these disturbing dreams? Just thinking about the way his eerie luminescent violet eyes had fixed intently upon hers sent a cold shiver down her spine. A shiver of what? Terror mayhap? Or perhaps a slight tremor of anticipation? Whatever it was, Kagome knew for sure it was not something she wanted to delve into further. One thing was for certain though, he gave her the creeps. Shaking her head to clear the traces of the mystery man from her already befuddled mind, she turned her attention to the village they had arrived to. She was just so tired. A nice bath and a warm place to sleep were all that mattered. Maybe later she would talk to Miroku about her late-night hauntings. After all he was a holy man, maybe he might have some insights into her little predicament.
A couple of hours later the small group found themselves nice and snuggled in one of the village’s nicest lodges, thanks to one of Miroku’s cunning and oh so miraculous exorcisms. The master of the lodge had been so surprised and impressed by the young houshi’s ability to detect the malevolent spirit that had been haunting his home for years without his knowledge that he insisted upon cooking a celebration banquet in honor of his newfound guests. After everyone had finished eating, they reclined on their bed mats and began to unwind for the night.
“You know one of these days someone’s gonna catch onto your little game Miroku, and I ain’t gonna be around to save your sorry ass.”, grumbled Inuyasha as he picked his teeth with one of his claws.
Sango leaned back on her mat, and propped her head up with her hand. She stretched in languor. Being fed a nice meal and having a comfy bed to sleep in for the night had certainly dulled her earlier anger towards the too forward monk. Eh, who was she kidding. She could never stay mad at him for too long, and she knew it. She regarded him with a small smile. “Even though I am thankful that we are able to sleep inside and get a filling meal, I have to say, I don’t exactly approve of your methods houshi.”
Miroku sighed as he leaned back and rested his hands on his staff. He appeared to be deep in thought. He got the same lecture at every village they stopped at, and yet although his friends didn‘t approve of his ways, it was well worth it to have a roof over their heads for a change. Actually, he had hoped that the rich master had an equally rich and beautiful daughter he might get acquainted with, but alas such was not the case. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. Bringing his thoughts from that land of buxom beauties back into the present, he contemplated his answer for a moment before replying. “Consider it not trickery my dearest Sango. For it was not my intent to trick, but to teach. An evil spirit could have very well been haunting his home, and now thanks to me he knows what to do about it. Besides, a man with such obvious wealth and good fortune, what could it hurt if he bestowed a little kindness on a few poor travelers?”
Inuyasha smirked and rolled over on his mat to face the wall. “You’re so full of shit monk.”
Shippou giggled as he snuggled closer to Kagome on their shared mat. “And how long did it take you to think that one up Miroku?”
Miroku grinned, trying desperately to feign innocence as he lay down fully with his hands tucked beneath his head. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re all talking about.”
Sango raised herself slightly of her bed mat just enough to chuck one of her sandals at him. She watched with amusement as it found it’s home upside Miroku’s head with a hollow resounding thump. He groaned. She laughed. “Will you hush up and blow out the candle already? Some of us would like to get some sleep tonight!”
Kagome listened to their playful banter as she lay on her mat. It brought a small smile to her lips. Thank god some things never change. She tried to settle her thoughts as she snuggled Shippou closer to her body’s warmth. She had tried to find time to talk to Miroku earlier, but unfortunately there never seemed to be ample time where he was alone. Inuyasha and Sango always made sure to keep close tabs on him whenever they entered a village. Lest his wandering eyes, or more importantly his wandering hands get him into trouble. Not to mention that the more she thought about it, the stupider it sounded. Who ever heard of being haunted by nightmares? Someone had once told her that the trick is, to be aware that you are dreaming during the nightmare and not only can you change the outcome of the dream but wake yourself up as well. Well she would just have to test out that theory now wouldn’t she?
Finding herself a rather comfortable position on her mat, she repeated to herself ‘It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream, it’s just a . . . .’ Her voice trailed off as she slowly allowed the blessed relief of slumber to overtake her exhausted and overtaxed mind. Soon all that could be heard throughout the room were the soft snores of the occupants, and occasional mumbling from Shippou as he twitched in his sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kagome opened her eyes. She knew instantly she was back in her dream world. The field, the blood, the death, it was all there just as it had been many times before. She turned franticly. Naraku’s evil laughter and the sounds of a thousand saimyoushou pounded through her skull. The sickly sweet stench of miasma permeated throughout the air, and quickly overcame all of her senses. There across the din lay her beloved Shippou. Nothing had changed!
“I want to wake up!” she screamed. “This is just a dream, this isn’t real.” she kept repeating to herself, as she took in the sights around her. She repeated her hopeful mantra praying that it would work. The sights and sounds continued to unfold around her as she watched the endless reel of her nightmare being played out before her very eyes. One by one her comrades fell to the evil that was Naraku. She became desperate, would nothing wake her from this horrid dream?
*FLASH*
She found herself running through the by now familiar forest. She knew she should stop, run the other way, but it seemed as though her legs had a will of their own, and nothing would keep them from their destination. Branches once again tore into her delicate skin, leaving rivulets of blood to make trails down her arms and legs only to fall to the forest floor below. She ran through the dense underbrush, her lungs laboring in protest with every breath she took. Somehow she desperately clung onto the hope that maybe, just maybe if she ran hard enough, or fast enough that somehow she just might get away. He was pursuing her, she knew this. She wasn’t going to be make it, she knew this too. But that didn’t stop her from trying her best to elude the inevitable. Once again her foot found the familiar tree root that always proved to be her undoing. She fell. Her eyes widened in panic, and her heart thumped wildly about in her chest. Then came the oh-so familiar sound she had been dreading. The simple snap of a twig. She tried to rally her strength for one final last ditch effort to escape, but to no avail. The man with no name.
He was here.
He had caught her.
And she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was going to die.
She screamed.
And he chuckled.
There before her stood the object of her nightmares in all his splendorous glory. He stood tall and poised, his ebony hair sleek and cascading down his back. He was dressed in an elegant formal haori, navy blue with what appeared to be gold threaded dragons running down the sleeves. His hakama pants were jet black, and looked as though they were made to be of the finest silk. If she wasn’t so terrified right now, she probably would have reached to touch them to see if they felt as soft as they looked.
However, that’s not what captivated her attention. Violet eyes blazed at her from underneath midnight lashes, and she was unable to keep herself from being drawn in by the intensity of his gaze. His was the face of an angel, or demon, or perhaps a little of both. His skin was the color of fine porcelain, unlined, and un-aged. She found herself drawn to gaze at the delicate blue stripe that ran vertically across one of those piercing eyes. What should have been a mar on his perfect skin, only accentuated his unearthly beauty.
But there was a coldness in those eyes that petrified her. She trembled under his scrutiny, feeling chills run down her spine. She cowered there holding her injured ankle close to her body, unable to take her eyes away from the creature that was slowly walking toward her. Her every thought was consumed by that of escape, but her body refused to budge. Her limbs felt like they were encased in ice, and kami help her, she felt so very cold.
“Wh-who are you?” she pleaded softly. The words came out almost a whisper, and she was not surprised to see a cloud of vapor escape her lips with the effort. Trembling had long since worsened into uncontrollable shaking, as her body tried desperately to conserve whatever body heat it had left. So cold. So very cold.
He lowered himself on his haunches until they were face to face with each other. Slowly he reached down and hooked his finger under her chin. Looking down into her angelic face he replied “You can call me the Shadow Man.”
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Chapter 3 - Shadow’s Fall
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Awww Kagome do you have to cling so much? You’re pulling out my fur!” Shippou yelped as he squirmed in Kagome’s tight embrace. Breaking from her reverie, Kagome looked down for the first time and noticed Shippou’s apparent discomfort. Releasing her death-grip on the small kitsune, she mumbled an apology as he bounded from her arms and ran ahead to hop up onto Miroku’s shoulder. Turning around, the kitsune regarded her with a look of concern. Something just wasn’t right. As a matter of fact, something hadn’t been right with the young miko for days now. She had this far-away look in her eyes. Her face was pale, her once jubilant eyes had dark circles underneath, as a matter-of-fact her whole demeanor had changed. Whereas there had been a bubbly young girl full of excitement and life before, now resided a shallow shadow of her former self. She was quiet and withdrawn, barely speaking a word to anyone unless a question was directed towards her. To put it in a nutshell, she looked like hell. It was a rare occurrence indeed to get a ghost of a smile from the young miko nowadays, and even the normally obtuse Inuyasha had started to notice something was up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He had approached her about it earlier that morning only to be met with half-hearted assurances that she was fine, well maybe a little tired. She had said she wasn’t sleeping well, but he wasn’t convinced. Especially since he hadn’t been “Sat” in days, the only exception being when he teased and tortured Shippou. Well now come to think of it, she had been really attached to the little brat as of late. Obsessed was more the word. The only time she ever let him out of her sight was to bathe, and well, to answer the call of nature. Even then she always hurried back which was very unusual, because she was known far and wide as a woman who enjoyed her personal time in her baths. He had even tried to get a rise out of her by starting an argument, but she had only mumbled an absentminded “mmmhmmm” before dismissing him completely. This was certainly new. Deciding it wasn’t worth it, he let it go. He just shook his head and walked away from her. Hoping that she would snap out of it pretty soon, he just wrote it off as that PMS thing that Kagome once told him about. Regardless, Inuyasha decided to head for the nearest village in hopes that a real bed and some down time would bring her back to herself. Gathering the group’s supplies together, he announced his intentions to them all, but even that hadn’t gotten a response from the brooding young girl. Sighing he shook his head, and the group broke camp. Worry niggled at Inuyasha’s mind, but he pushed it away with determination. She would come around soon enough, he was sure of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Far up ahead the monk and the taijiya were deep in conversation about said miko. “I just cannot understand it Miroku.” said Sango, her tone hushed to avoid being overheard. “Kagome has been acting so strange lately, and she won’t open up to me at all.”
“I agree. Lady Kagome’s countenance has been rather sullen of late.” he replied thoughtfully as they trudged along.
Sango took a glance behind her to see if Kagome had heard them, but her caution was in vain. The young girl had fallen behind again. Weariness marred her normally bright face, her brows drawn together as if she was deep in thought, and the only sound that could be heard from the strangely silent miko as she trudged along was the occasional yawn.
Sango slowed her pace to allow Kagome the chance to catch up. She reached out and gently grabbed Miroku’s arm as a signal for him to slow down as well. When he looked at her and nodded his head in silent agreement, she leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Poor thing, she just looks so ragged!” She looked far ahead to where Inuyasha had stopped and was covertly sniffing the air. ‘Just like a man’ she thought. ‘Doesn’t know where he’s going, and STILL won’t stop and ask for directions’ She brought her attention back to Miroku when she realized she had missed what he had been saying to her. “I just bet HE had something to do with Kagome’s condition!” she confided to him.
Shippou snorted atop his perch on Miroku’s shoulder. “If I know Inuyasha he has everything to do with it.”
Up ahead the hanyou in question twitched his ears. He had heard everything in their conversation, and he didn’t like where it was going. He growled softly to himself and whipped his head around. “Will you guy shut the hell up!” he shouted. “When something happens I am always the first on everyone’s shit list. For once I didn’t do anything dammit!”
Shippou rolled his eyes. “Yeah sure.”
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and gave the little kit a fierce look that sent Shippou scurrying behind Miroku’s head for cover. Satisfied that he could still scare the crap out of the insolent pup, he mumbled “Feh whatever.” and turned to walk on.
Meanwhile, Sango’s brain was still working overtime trying in vain to figure out why her dearest friend had become so melancholy as of late. Even though Inuyasha may deny it, he’s still the most probable candidate. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time he put his foot in mouth where the little miko was concerned. Her face started to flush a little red at the thought of Inuyasha possibly being the one to upset her sister-like friend. ‘Let’s see how much sniffing he does when I shove that nose up his rear end’ she thought with smug satisfaction. Other various violent images flashed forth throughout her mind, most of which consisted of the excruciating painful detachment of the hanyou’s most valuable hanging appendages.
Miroku glanced over at Sango when it was becoming apparent that her nails were gripping his arm rather painfully. He was about to say something when he noticed that she was obviously distracted. He followed her gaze to where Inuyasha stood up ahead, and he could tell by the small sadistic smile on her lovely lips, that whatever his dear Sango was thinking about could not fare well for the poor unfortunate hanyou. Not being one to miss a prime opportunity to explore the pleasures of the flesh, he slowly lowered his palm to caress her firm yet supple backside. He had approximately two seconds of pure unadulterated pleasure before the most excruciating pain pounded through his poor skull. Wincing, he brought the offending hand up to massage the newest throbbing lump he now sported on his head. When his vision finally cleared, he raised his eyes and gave the red-faced Sango a mischievous lop-sided grin. It had definitely been worth it.
“Hentai!” she screamed. All thoughts of mutilating Inuyasha fled, and was replaced by Miroku taking his place.
“My apologies my dearest Sango, but I simply cannot help myself. Your body is truly blessed by the great Kami’s above, and as a man of the cloth it is my duty to see to it that such holiness is treasured to the fullest extent.” he replied to her with a straight face.
She was so angry she positively couldn’t see straight. Giving the monk a glare that could turn milk sour, she huffed and stomped off to walk with Kagome. Shippou, who up until that time had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal, just shook his head at Miroku. Deciding it would be safer to travel with Kirara for the remainder of their short sabbatical, he jumped onto the giant cat’s back and promptly snuggled himself into her fur. Finding a rather comfortable spot, it wasn’t long before he found himself dozing off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was twilight when Inuyasha and his band of weary travelers stopped at the gates to a small village. “Finally” Kagome groaned softly to herself as she reached down to take off her shoe. After removing the offending article she gently shook it to remove any loose pebbles that had managed to work their way in during the course of the day. She had been so preoccupied with thoughts of her reoccurring dream she knew she had been neglecting her friends. She did notice however that sometime during their travels today Sango had come to walk beside her. But by chance when she glanced up at the older girl, she could tell that Sango was definitely not in the mood for pleasant small talk. Well that suited her just fine, because neither was she. Kagome felt guilty for not opening up to her friends, but somehow the dream just wouldn’t leave her alone. How was she supposed to explain it to them, when she didn’t even understand it herself? Every time she closed her eyes, visions of that dark-haired man consumed her every thought. ‘Who was he? Had she met him before? She shook her head. No she would definitely remember a man like that. A man with that much danger and sensuality oozing from every pore would not be someone easily forgotten. But that left the question then, who was he? And more importantly, why was she being plagued with these disturbing dreams? Just thinking about the way his eerie luminescent violet eyes had fixed intently upon hers sent a cold shiver down her spine. A shiver of what? Terror mayhap? Or perhaps a slight tremor of anticipation? Whatever it was, Kagome knew for sure it was not something she wanted to delve into further. One thing was for certain though, he gave her the creeps. Shaking her head to clear the traces of the mystery man from her already befuddled mind, she turned her attention to the village they had arrived to. She was just so tired. A nice bath and a warm place to sleep were all that mattered. Maybe later she would talk to Miroku about her late-night hauntings. After all he was a holy man, maybe he might have some insights into her little predicament.
A couple of hours later the small group found themselves nice and snuggled in one of the village’s nicest lodges, thanks to one of Miroku’s cunning and oh so miraculous exorcisms. The master of the lodge had been so surprised and impressed by the young houshi’s ability to detect the malevolent spirit that had been haunting his home for years without his knowledge that he insisted upon cooking a celebration banquet in honor of his newfound guests. After everyone had finished eating, they reclined on their bed mats and began to unwind for the night.
“You know one of these days someone’s gonna catch onto your little game Miroku, and I ain’t gonna be around to save your sorry ass.”, grumbled Inuyasha as he picked his teeth with one of his claws.
Sango leaned back on her mat, and propped her head up with her hand. She stretched in languor. Being fed a nice meal and having a comfy bed to sleep in for the night had certainly dulled her earlier anger towards the too forward monk. Eh, who was she kidding. She could never stay mad at him for too long, and she knew it. She regarded him with a small smile. “Even though I am thankful that we are able to sleep inside and get a filling meal, I have to say, I don’t exactly approve of your methods houshi.”
Miroku sighed as he leaned back and rested his hands on his staff. He appeared to be deep in thought. He got the same lecture at every village they stopped at, and yet although his friends didn‘t approve of his ways, it was well worth it to have a roof over their heads for a change. Actually, he had hoped that the rich master had an equally rich and beautiful daughter he might get acquainted with, but alas such was not the case. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. Bringing his thoughts from that land of buxom beauties back into the present, he contemplated his answer for a moment before replying. “Consider it not trickery my dearest Sango. For it was not my intent to trick, but to teach. An evil spirit could have very well been haunting his home, and now thanks to me he knows what to do about it. Besides, a man with such obvious wealth and good fortune, what could it hurt if he bestowed a little kindness on a few poor travelers?”
Inuyasha smirked and rolled over on his mat to face the wall. “You’re so full of shit monk.”
Shippou giggled as he snuggled closer to Kagome on their shared mat. “And how long did it take you to think that one up Miroku?”
Miroku grinned, trying desperately to feign innocence as he lay down fully with his hands tucked beneath his head. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re all talking about.”
Sango raised herself slightly of her bed mat just enough to chuck one of her sandals at him. She watched with amusement as it found it’s home upside Miroku’s head with a hollow resounding thump. He groaned. She laughed. “Will you hush up and blow out the candle already? Some of us would like to get some sleep tonight!”
Kagome listened to their playful banter as she lay on her mat. It brought a small smile to her lips. Thank god some things never change. She tried to settle her thoughts as she snuggled Shippou closer to her body’s warmth. She had tried to find time to talk to Miroku earlier, but unfortunately there never seemed to be ample time where he was alone. Inuyasha and Sango always made sure to keep close tabs on him whenever they entered a village. Lest his wandering eyes, or more importantly his wandering hands get him into trouble. Not to mention that the more she thought about it, the stupider it sounded. Who ever heard of being haunted by nightmares? Someone had once told her that the trick is, to be aware that you are dreaming during the nightmare and not only can you change the outcome of the dream but wake yourself up as well. Well she would just have to test out that theory now wouldn’t she?
Finding herself a rather comfortable position on her mat, she repeated to herself ‘It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream, it’s just a . . . .’ Her voice trailed off as she slowly allowed the blessed relief of slumber to overtake her exhausted and overtaxed mind. Soon all that could be heard throughout the room were the soft snores of the occupants, and occasional mumbling from Shippou as he twitched in his sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kagome opened her eyes. She knew instantly she was back in her dream world. The field, the blood, the death, it was all there just as it had been many times before. She turned franticly. Naraku’s evil laughter and the sounds of a thousand saimyoushou pounded through her skull. The sickly sweet stench of miasma permeated throughout the air, and quickly overcame all of her senses. There across the din lay her beloved Shippou. Nothing had changed!
“I want to wake up!” she screamed. “This is just a dream, this isn’t real.” she kept repeating to herself, as she took in the sights around her. She repeated her hopeful mantra praying that it would work. The sights and sounds continued to unfold around her as she watched the endless reel of her nightmare being played out before her very eyes. One by one her comrades fell to the evil that was Naraku. She became desperate, would nothing wake her from this horrid dream?
*FLASH*
She found herself running through the by now familiar forest. She knew she should stop, run the other way, but it seemed as though her legs had a will of their own, and nothing would keep them from their destination. Branches once again tore into her delicate skin, leaving rivulets of blood to make trails down her arms and legs only to fall to the forest floor below. She ran through the dense underbrush, her lungs laboring in protest with every breath she took. Somehow she desperately clung onto the hope that maybe, just maybe if she ran hard enough, or fast enough that somehow she just might get away. He was pursuing her, she knew this. She wasn’t going to be make it, she knew this too. But that didn’t stop her from trying her best to elude the inevitable. Once again her foot found the familiar tree root that always proved to be her undoing. She fell. Her eyes widened in panic, and her heart thumped wildly about in her chest. Then came the oh-so familiar sound she had been dreading. The simple snap of a twig. She tried to rally her strength for one final last ditch effort to escape, but to no avail. The man with no name.
He was here.
He had caught her.
And she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was going to die.
She screamed.
And he chuckled.
There before her stood the object of her nightmares in all his splendorous glory. He stood tall and poised, his ebony hair sleek and cascading down his back. He was dressed in an elegant formal haori, navy blue with what appeared to be gold threaded dragons running down the sleeves. His hakama pants were jet black, and looked as though they were made to be of the finest silk. If she wasn’t so terrified right now, she probably would have reached to touch them to see if they felt as soft as they looked.
However, that’s not what captivated her attention. Violet eyes blazed at her from underneath midnight lashes, and she was unable to keep herself from being drawn in by the intensity of his gaze. His was the face of an angel, or demon, or perhaps a little of both. His skin was the color of fine porcelain, unlined, and un-aged. She found herself drawn to gaze at the delicate blue stripe that ran vertically across one of those piercing eyes. What should have been a mar on his perfect skin, only accentuated his unearthly beauty.
But there was a coldness in those eyes that petrified her. She trembled under his scrutiny, feeling chills run down her spine. She cowered there holding her injured ankle close to her body, unable to take her eyes away from the creature that was slowly walking toward her. Her every thought was consumed by that of escape, but her body refused to budge. Her limbs felt like they were encased in ice, and kami help her, she felt so very cold.
“Wh-who are you?” she pleaded softly. The words came out almost a whisper, and she was not surprised to see a cloud of vapor escape her lips with the effort. Trembling had long since worsened into uncontrollable shaking, as her body tried desperately to conserve whatever body heat it had left. So cold. So very cold.
He lowered himself on his haunches until they were face to face with each other. Slowly he reached down and hooked his finger under her chin. Looking down into her angelic face he replied “You can call me the Shadow Man.”