InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dream a Little Dream of Me ❯ Introductions ( Chapter 3 )

A/N:

 

Hayashi Panthera: Thanx for the review. You're right; my chapters definitely should be longer. It just took me a while to get into the story, and I just wanted to get it out of my head. Now it's on a good roll though, so things should be getting better.

 

XxdevilNightmareXX: Glad you like it. I shall try to keep it fresh and updated as much and as quickly as possible.

 

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Disclaimer: If I didn't own it in the previous chapters, you think that's changed by now? Nope, not so much.

 

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Chapter 3: Introductions

 

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“I am Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands.”

 

The two girls were awestruck. Neither had ever seen a lordly youkai before. They only had experience with wild youkai on mad rampages bent on destruction. This youkai in front of them was calm and collected, but they could sense from his jyaki and the way he carried himself, that underneath it all he was the fiercest living creature they had ever met.

 

“You,” he started, “are now servants in this youkai village.”

 

“Then it is true - this is the youkai village!” Squealed an excited Kagome, ignorant of the fact that her status in life had just changed. “But doesn't that mean there's many different kinds of youkai here? All we have seen are Inu…”

 

Kagome thought she could almost see Sesshomaru's mental sigh. “It is not wise to interrupt me girl. The other you saw, Inuyasha, is this Sesshomaru's half-brother. A mere hanyou, but he has his uses and pulls his weight like everyone else here. If you have anymore questions you may ask him once we are done as I have other business to attend to more pressing than bantering with two human women.” At this point Kagome noticed that Inuyasha had come in with Sesshomaru, but was merely standing idly behind him.

 

“You are officially prisoners here,” he continued regally, “but you will be treated well and given a fair amount of freedom. You will work here and no slacking, but you will be provided for. You are free while you are in the village, but you are forbidden from leaving. If you try to escape you will be killed.”

 

At their horrified faces he added, “We have had to work long and hard for the amount of safety and security this village provides some of our weaker youkai. We will not risk our secret getting out. Inuyasha will see to it that you are given work suitable to you.” And with that he turned to walk out.

 

“Ano, Sesshomaru-sama,” added Kagome boldly, “but if we are such a burden and hazard to the village then why did you let us live?”

 

He gazed at her long and hard before answering. “First of all, the two of you showed respect in the sacred place. But more importantly, despite what you may think, we are not mindless, bloodthirsty monsters. On the contrary, we - unlike many humans - do not needlessly kill women, even human women, especially if they are with child.” With a flourish of white hair he was gone, leaving two stunned girls in his wake.

 

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“With child?!” Exclaimed a flabbergasted Sango. “How did he know that after five minutes? I'm not even showing yet!”

 

Inuyasha's poor sensitive ears were plastered against his skull as he retorted, “Because we're Inu, stupid! I could smell your son a kilometer away. Now hush up before you make me go deaf--”

 

“My son?” whispered Sango, her hands once again making their way to her abdomen. “You can tell it's a boy?”

 

“Yeah, I--”

 

“Miroku would've been so proud,” she said sadly as tears began to fill her eyes.

 

“Why…wha…why are you crying?” asked a confused Inuyasha. “I hate crying…” he added under his breath.

 

“Well what do you expect?” broke in an angered Kagome. “This child obviously has to have a father, and that father also obviously is not here. We are trapped here, unable to get to him, and he is unable to get to us! Wouldn't you cry if you knew your child was going to grow up fatherless? And for a son, no less…poor boy. How would you feel growing up without a father?”

 

Inuyasha stood abruptly. “Do not speak about my father,” he began in a low growl. “You know nothing about my father!” As he slammed out of the room he did not notice the change in Kagome's eyes as she watched him leave in pain.

 

Kagome did her best to comfort Sango in her sorrow, despite battling her own despair on her changed life, and the two eventually fell into an uneasy sleep. Kagome finally allowed her own tears to flow through in her dreams; Sango turned restlessly, calling out Miroku's name in her sleep.

 

Outside the door was Inuyasha, where he still stood guard to make sure the girls wouldn't try to escape. His heightened Inu senses didn't miss anything that was going on in their room.

 

None of them had a good sleep that night.

 

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Inuyasha was alert as soon as first light was out. He slid open the door to the girls' room and mentally sighed. Why was it that ningens slept so late? “Oi, wake up!” he called. “Here's breakfast,” he said, placing two bowls just inside the door. Then closing the door again, he walked off. He had some business to take care of before he could talk to those girls again.

 

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Kagome sat up and yawned, stretching her arms above her head as she heard the call to breakfast. How nice, a boy bringing me breakfast in bed. And all I had to do to get this kind of service was to become a prisoner, she thought sarcastically. Sango was already up retrieving the bowls, and brought one over to Kagome, flopping down next to her. Both had so many questions, but their thoughts and emotions were in such a whirlwind that neither knew quite where to start. They sat in contemplation as they finished their breakfast.

 

Sango was the first to break the silence. “Kagome-chan, what happened to you? Your powers seemed just so out of control! I thought Kaede had been working with you and you had been doing so well?”

 

Kagome looked perplexed by this question, she really didn't remember much. “Honestly Sango-chan, I don't even know what happened exactly, I don't remember much. I just remember feeling out of control, then hearing crackling and feeling like I was floating. But it was almost as if I was looking through a different set of eyes, I just don't know… Then just blackness. What stopped it?”

 

Sango looked worriedly at her friend. “It was when we left what that youkai called the `sacred place.' That presence we had been following was too overbearing and became like a wall all around us. I guess now that was probably the combined jyaki of all the youkai in this village. But it was like your miko powers responded to it and was trying to fight it off all at once. Your aura was gigantic! It was sending spirals of energy off in every direction and was coming into contact with something that was making it spark and crackle. It didn't stop until I had drug you back to the clearing, and that's when I passed out too.”

 

“Oh Sango!” cried out Kagome, distressed. “You weren't hurt were you? I saw that your skin was a little red when we first woke up, but I thought it was just the fire light.”

 

“I was hurt a little bit. I think it almost connected us somehow. I felt the drain on my energy just as you must have felt it on yours. Strange though, because since I'm human your miko power should have had no affect on me. Still, it was just a little bit - my skin just felt slightly warmer, almost like a minor burn. I'm just thankful I'm not a youkai, or you probably could have killed me!” Sango laughed, her eyes sparkling as she marveled over her friend's power. She sombered up quickly though. “Seriously though Kagome, you should make sure not let anyone here know of your power.”

 

“Hai,” responded Kagome, in all seriousness as well. “They would probably see me as too much of a threat and kill me, despite not wanting to kill women. I still just wish I knew why I lost control of my power.”

 

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At this moment the door slid open again, and there stood Inuyasha. Kagome took in a sharp breath, and held it. She knew that with his increased senses it was probable he had heard what they had just been talking about. In that case, she would be done for. Inuyasha sent her a piercing stare, before turning his gaze to encompass Sango as well. He stepped into the room and cleared his throat.

“It's time to assign you both some work,” he started. Kagome's eyes popped open wide. She was sure she had to have heard, didn't he? But he wasn't saying anything! What the heck did this mean?

 

Inuyasha cleared his throat again. “Everyone works in the fields. This is a large village, with lots of mouths to feed, so there is always plenty of work to do there. However, there is also other work to be done. What with you-” he looked at Sango “-being pregnant, and you-” he glanced at Kagome “-being so fond of speaking about and defending children-” at this Kagome looked down at her feet, she hadn't meant to offend him the night before “-that you could also work with the village orphans.”

 

Both girls snapped their heads up, staring at him with eager eyes. “You mean we can work with children?” squealed Kagome. She almost began bouncing up and down clapping her hands when he nodded his head yes, ignorant of the fact that there was a slight reddish tinge to his cheeks.

 

“When do we start?” excitedly asked Kagome. However, her attention was drawn off from Inuyasha's answer as a red furball came bolting into the room. As it came to a stop in front of her she saw that it was actually a young kitsune-cub, a little boy.

 

“Hey runt! I told you to stay at the orphanage!” yelled Inuyasha.

 

“Yeah, well I got bored waiting for you,” whined the kitsune. “Besides, why would I want to listen to you?” he added as he stuck out his tongue at the hanyou.

 

“Why you little--”

 

“OOO! Who's she? She's pretty!” cut off the little fuzzball as he crawled up into Kagome's lap. “Hi, I'm Shippo. What's your name?” Kagome couldn't help but giggle at the little child. “My name's Kagome.”

 

Shippo bounded off Kagome's lap and went over to Sango. “Hi, what's your name?” he asked. “I'm Sango,” she smiled. “Sango,” he repeated. He then carefully placed his tiny paws on her stomach. “When you have your baby, can I play with him?” Sango went slack-jawed for a split second. “You wouldn't mind having a ningen for a friend?” Shippo tilted his head at her. “If he can play well he can be my friend, I don't care who it is,” he said, smiling up at her.

 

Sango was taken aback and couldn't help but smile again as Shippo went dancing back over to Kagome. He crawled up into her lap again and looked up at her. “Can you be my friend too?” As she looked down at him, Kagome was overwhelmed by an instant love for this tiny youkai. “Of course I can, Shippo. I would like that.” They both smiled as Shippo looked her over again. “You look like my mama.”

 

“Idiot kitsune,” interjected a mocking Inuyasha, “your mom was a kitsune like you, not a ningen.”

 

“I know that baka!” retorted Shippo. “But if your brain wasn't too small to remember, you'd know that we can change shape. When she took human shape she looked like Kagome!”

 

“Baka am I!” snarled Inuyasha. “Let's see who the baka really is once I get my hands on you!”

 

And with that the two were off, chasing each other in circles around the room; Shippo hurling acorns and snide comments at the hanyou, while Inuyasha continued to growl and gain on the kitsune. Kagome looked over at a startled Sango, but couldn't help but laughing herself. Well, whatever this may be, at least it won't be boring. This may not be that bad after all!

 

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Definitions:

 

Ano: excuse me

 

Hanyou: half-breed, a half-demon/half-human mix

 

Inu: dog, dog demon

 

Kitsune: fox demon

 

Ningen: human