InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dream a Little Dream of Me ❯ Sleeping Long and Falling Hard ( Chapter 7 )

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, both from MM.org and FF.net. You guys rock. Also, sorry but the internet was down again. I swear, anytime it rains here the internet goes down. You'd think technology would be able to deal with this semi-common phenomena, but what ya gonna do.

 

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Disclaimer: I had a bid going on ebay, but it fell through. So needless to say, I still do not own the famed Inuyasha.

 

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Chapter 7: Sleeping Long and Falling Hard

 

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Everything was a blur, color was perceived as sound, sense perceived as light. Kagome felt herself swimming in an awareness that she never fully knew existed, but had always felt on the very edge of her consciousness. She kept swimming up and up, a sense of urgency that she had to get back to…something.

 

Slowly she opened her eyes, trying to shade them against the bombardment against her senses, only to fail as she realized her hands remained limp at her sides. She thought she had woken up, but maybe she hadn't. She was surrounded by a blanket of warmth and felt as if she were still floating above the earth as if the swimming in her dream had become reality and she could swim through the air. Only her danged arms still wouldn't cooperate!

 

She tried to move her head slightly so she could see more than the open expanse of sky and the very tops of the highest trees. She was rewarded with seeing only more trees and then some red fabric directly in front of her, still out of focus.

 

“Kagome,” came a deep, inhuman voice. “Go back to sleep.”

 

She felt herself being gently rocked and drifted off into sweet oblivion again.

 

Inuyasha looked down at the girl he carried in his arms. Honestly, he didn't know why he did the things he did for this girl. She somehow just brought out this side of him.

 

When he had heard Kagome calling Yumi's name he hadn't given it much thought, since these human females were always yelling at each other, a pitch his sensitive inu ears did not take to very kindly. But something in her tone, a desperation and despondency, caught his attention. He had hopped out of his tree, casually making his way over to the pair when he saw what was happening.

 

Yumi was running straight for the area of the border that was closest to the rice fields, and therefore the most heavily guarded. The girl had to be an idiot, anyone could see that this was the worst place to run close to the border. Unless she wasn't trying to run close to the border, but through it…but that couldn't be. Anyone could see that one little girl would not outrun or outsneak two youkai guards. Even Yumi would know that. Inuyasha started at that thought. Of course, the girl has to know it. That means that she's purposely trying to get herself killed!

 

Even as he saw the guards closing in on Yumi at the same time that Kagome did, something jerked his attention away from the scene before him. He looked back over to Kagome and saw she was drenched in miko energy. The pink aura was so strong it had literally picked her up off the ground and she was floating semi-conscious with her feet dangling about a foot off the ground.

 

Inuyasha saw the crackling tendrils of energy starting to spin off, and without thinking about it he had tackled Kagome. He knew that if she killed or even harmed either of the guards she would be done for. As soon as he came in contact with the aura he felt as if he were being ripped in two. His skin felt on fire, and looking down he could actually see the effects on his hands: the skin was turning red and streaking, almost to the point of boiling his blood underneath.

 

He grit his teeth against the pain as he picked Kagome up from where he had knocked her on the floor. Her normally light weight was making him reel as he struggled against the bombardment against everything in him that was youkai, and he staggered his way toward the nearest pond. He threw Kagome into the pond, getting himself drenched in the act. The water was freezing, but that's what he was counting on.

 

Kagome's energy started flickering out, heading toward more normal levels. By this time the two guards had come over, one streaked with Yumi's blood. Inuyasha grimaced at the sight and growled as the two moved to come closer to him and Kagome. Satisfied that they would maintain their distance for the moment, Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome who was still surrounded by miko energy that while, not as strong, was still causing serious damage to the hand he was using to hold her in the pond. He was just thankful that the rest of his body was now out of range of her quickly diminishing power.

 

After another full minute of agony his hand was rewarded by respite when Kagome's power dropped altogether and returned to its latent state, its mistress seeming almost catatonic. Inuyasha panicked for a split second until he saw her breath streaming across the water. Very gently, just as much for his injured body's sake as for hers, he lifted her up into his arms to warm her. He turned to carry her into the village only to come face to face with the two guards. They glared at him quickly but then turned their attention to the unconscious girl he was holding.

 

The guard already covered in Yumi's blood raised his hand to strike down Kagome in Inuyasha's arms. She had shown herself a miko and capable of doing serious damage, and the punishment for this was death. “We must have no threats!” he had yelled.

 

Inuyasha only snarled at the guard and grabbed Kagome closer to him. “Lay a finger on her and I will slit your throat with pleasure afterward.” He glared at the guard in front of him, making sure to watch every move as he lowered his hand to show he would not strike Kagome in that instant. “You bastard wolf youkai are always too hasty. If you struck her you'd be the next to die. No one is punished without a trial first. You're forgetting your own laws. Now back off before I pound it into your head.”

 

Without another glance backward he started toward the village, pausing only once when he felt Kagome stir in his arms. He rocked her gently, hoping she would remain in her unconscious world just a little bit longer. Let her sleep, he thought, she might not like what the world holds for her when she wakes up.

 

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Kagome woke up in her room, her head reeling. She felt like Miroku after he'd drunk too much sake or been beaten up by Sango, or maybe both. She moaned, putting her hands to her forehead and gently lowering her head back down to the futon.

 

Glancing around her, Kagome was surprised to find herself in her own room. She didn't remember getting there at all. She was mildly astonished at the quiet blanketing the space, her mind being as hectic a blur as it was. She looked around, hoping to see Sango and instead her eyes came to land on the crouching form of Inuyasha who was staring straight back at her. She pushed herself up onto her arms so she could look at him better, then stayed stock still as confusing racked her body. Finally her mind remembered what happened just before she blacked out and she had to fight to not let her body drop automatically back onto the futon.

 

She forced herself to a more upright sitting position, finding herself weak from the effort. She continued to take her breath in deep pants and focused on a single thread in the futon beneath her in order to maintain her sanctity of mind and not scream out at the top of her lungs. Not only did she figure the youkai wouldn't like that, but she didn't want to turn poor Inuyasha deaf.

 

Speaking of which, why was she alive anyhow? Her eyes narrowed on Inuyasha, who still hadn't made a single move since she'd awoken. She tried to speak but found her throat too parched to make a sound. Inuyasha sighed at the croaking sound, his eyes leaving hers for a brief second to motion to something to her left. Kagome looked down and next to her futon was a little bowl of water along with a little bowl of rice. She reached out to grab the water and greedily poured it down her throat, relishing the way it lubricated her vocal chords free from the prison they'd been in. If only she could be free of her prison or flow away like the water…she knew there was no hope in that though. Death would be her only release now. She spared a brief glance for the bowl of rice, and although she was exhausted and knew she needed to replenish her strength, her previous thoughts were making food wholly unappealing.

 

Kagome looked back up at Inuyasha, who remained patiently in the same position he had been since before she awoke. “Where's Yumi?” she choked out, trying to prevent the sobs that threatened to ravage her body.

 

“Miroku and Sango insisted, so her…remains…were buried this morning.” Seeing her face he didn't have the heart to tell her that the wolf youkai guard had been a little too good at his job and it had taken the better part of a half hour to make sure they had gathered all of Yumi's remains. “Miroku performed the ceremony. You should be glad for that at least, she was the first ningen to get the proper burial rites performed here, since this is the first time there has been a houshi here. And no,“ he added when he saw the look of concern rising on her face, “don't worry about Miroku's houshi status being out in the open. First of all he and Sango were the only ones at the ceremony, and the rest of the youkai won't see him as a threat as long as he has no ofudas. No, you're the only one with internal power that requires nothing else to act on it.”

 

“But…but how did they bury her this morning when I saw her…die…this afternoon?” Kagome was slowly losing her battle against the oncoming tears as a couple slid from her eyes.

 

“You didn't see it this afternoon Kagome, you saw it yesterday. You've been unconscious since then.”

 

“Yesterday,” she whispered incredulously to herself. Suddenly she jumped up, remembering, “The note! Oh no, what happened to the note that Yumi gave me?!”

 

She almost lost herself into hysterics and wouldn't calm down and stop searching until Inuyasha placed a hand on each of her shoulders and pushed her down to a sitting position.

 

“Stay still” he commanded.

 

His face was solemn enough that she complied, even though not understanding. The tears continued to flow down her cheeks of their own accord and she wiped at them furiously, determined not to appear so weak in front of Inuyasha, or at least not while she was with him face to face.

 

After Inuyasha was satisfied that Kagome would remain as she was he continued on. “I got to read the note that she gave to you before it was taken by the youkai council and given to Sesshoumaru. Be glad that she made that note though, as it prevented anyone from trying to kill you in your sleep.”

 

“Stop this!” she demanded, her hands going to the sides of her head and covering her ears. “I don't care about that! I just don't understand any of this! Why would Yumi try to escape, she had to have known she couldn't do it” Kagome was really beginning to lose the battle against the strong tide of emotions.

 

“Kagome, think. You know she couldn't have been trying to escape. Yumi knew she couldn't make it. It was suicide. That's what the note said.”

 

“Suicide?” Kagome choked out, just before collapsing on the floor as sobs took control of her body. “Why Yumi, why?” she whispered to her friend that was no longer there.

 

“Kagome-” said Inuyasha, the urgency in his voice betraying him. “You can't do this right now. You can't be making this much noise or they will…well, you don't want to know what?”

 

Kagome just curled up tighter into a ball and whispered between her tears, barely loud enough for even his hanyou ears to hear, “Why? I don't understand? Why can't I even grieve for my friend.”

 

Since her sobs hadn't gotten any softer he gruffly grabbed her by the shoulder again and shook her until she looked at him. “Because you are a threat now and they fear you. For you, it is better not to alert an enemy to your presence. If they hear you being loud they will fear what you may be doing. You can grieve, but grieve quietly.” He hissed for emphasis. With that he got up and took his post back by the door, looking away from her to give her the privacy he thought she needed.

 

Only a short moment of relative quiet had gone by when Kagome spoke up again. (Hey, someone can only grieve so quietly.) “Inuyasha?” she queried softly.

He acknowledged her with a slight turn of his head. “Please, will you just hold me?”

 

Inuyasha spun around to stare at her with molten eyes full of unease. “You're your guard.”

 

“Please, I know you probably don't want to, and even you too see me as a threat, but I don't care.” She sniffed and wiped her sleeve across her nose. “I just need someone to hold me. My friend is gone, she killed herself for kami sake, and I have no one else right now. You're all I have in here, and I just…I just…” she hiccupped and succumbed to her silent sobs again as her throat constricted too much to allow her to speak comfortably.

 

Kagome turned over, never having felt more alone in all her life. She laid there in her little ball, oblivious to the rest of the world until she felt something stir the futon beneath her. All of a sudden she found herself scooped up in a strong pair of harms and felt herself being lowered into Inuyasha's lap. She forced her eyes open to look up at him, his eyes surprisingly calm despite the slight grumbling that came from his lips. Then to his slight shock she actually smiled at him. In the midst of her blubbering she calmed herself enough to say a simple “thank you” before she buried her face into his chest, her hands crumpled up in the material of his fire rat haori.

 

Inuyasha just held her there. He wasn't quite sure what to do, but he remembered a time his mom had held him similarly to this. Reluctantly he allowed himself to relax into the position and gently began to stroke Kagome's hair with his right hand while holding her back with his left. As he continued he felt her begin to calm in his arms and the convulsions in her body eventually ceased, although the tears never did. It actually slightly amazed him the amount of water the human body was able to hold and how much emotion it was able to show, for this ningen at least.

 

He was just beginning to get comfortable in the position when he sensed a change in the jyaki surrounding Kagome's room. He quickly slid her off his lap, motioning to her to remain quiet as he himself went to the door. He opened the door and was not surprised at all when he saw standing before him none other than his own half-brother, Sesshoumaru.

 

Inuyasha barely contained the growl that was pressing the back of his throat. He knew why Sesshoumaru had come here.

 

For his part Sesshoumaru had to hold back his own smirk as he allowed his gaze to land on the wet marks on the front of Inuyasha's haori. Inuyasha followed the trail of Sesshoumaru's eyes, and seeing the tear-marks from the miko there for his half-brother to see and smell pushed him immediately on the defensive.

 

“Kuso! Just what the hell do you want Sesshoumaru?! Spit it out and be done with it!” Inuyasha yelled, getting all the more frustrated at his half-brother's smug, arrogant face.

 

Sesshoumaru only allowed the barest of smiles to grace his face, knowing it would infuriate the hanyou. He was tempted to make a snide joke about Inuyasha and the miko, but felt it would not only impugn his honor but that of the miko as well. He returned his face to its normally stoic façade and proceeded with his business.

 

“Her trial is tomorrow. Make sure she is ready.” Not one for spending unnecessary words, Sesshoumaru only looked over Inuyasha's shoulder at Kagome for a moment before then turning to leave.

 

Inuyasha watched him as he walked off. The grace with which he carried himself belied the weight on the Taiyoukai's shoulders for caring for an entire province and also this last vestige of safety for some of the struggling youkai. As much as he hated the situation and, admittedly, how much he hated his brother sometimes, he understood the need for Kagome to be on trial tomorrow. He didn't like it, and hell if he wouldn't do anything and everything to keep her safe, even though he wasn't sure why.

 

He looked behind him to see that Kagome was staring up at him with curiosity shining in her eyes. Even in times like this her innocence shone through and amazed him in its purity and simplicity. He sighed as he shut the door and lowered himself down beside her again.

 

Her eyes never left him even though he was sure she knew he had bad news for her. He was in awe at how she did not let fear control her. He could smell it on her, but she was facing it head on. Nothing like impending death to make you realize how much you admire and respect someone, mused Inuyasha satirically. Kami, he hated to be the to give her this news.

 

“Kagome, you go on trial tomorrow morning.” He waited in silence to see how she would react to this piece of news. He was astonished but not surprised to see that she just nodded her head slowly in acceptance of her fate.

 

She responded quietly. “I know, they need to protect themselves from any kind of threat…from me. I understand.”

 

“You understand!” intoned Inuyasha, angered at her willing acceptance of an undeserved death. “What is it you think you understand?! Can you honestly tell me you think you are a threat here? `Cause that's not what I've seen. You haven't hurt anyone, and even with that purifying wave you were only acting in defense of a friend. Threat my ass…”

 

“Inuyasha,” Kagome started as she gingerly picked up one of his hands, “I did hurt someone. Did you think I didn't notice this?” She put his hand up in front of his face and tentatively traced the burn lines across it. “It must have been a pretty bad burn for the marks to still be here two days later.”

 

As much as Inuyasha actually enjoyed the feel of her hand stroking his he quickly jerked away from her. “And how do you know how I got these burns? Why would you think you had anything to do with it?”

 

“Because,” she said, still surprisingly calm, “I saw you. It took me a while to piece it all back together and it's still not all there, but I remember waking up and you were carrying me in your arms. More than that, when you were holding me just now I got a flashback of right before I passed out, when you were holding me back trying to get my powers to die down. I know what you did to stop me, and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.” A single tear fell from her eye but then she suddenly perked up and smiled at him. “But thank you for stopping what could have happened, from keeping me from hurting those two guards. I don't know what I would have done had anything happened to them…”

 

Inuyasha was just staring at the small girl in front of him wide eyes. Had she actually just apologized to him for something she couldn't control, and then thanked him for pushing her into freezing water? Did she really care enough about life, about youkai life that she didn't want to hurt even the guards that killed Yumi? Kagome was surprise after surprise, something he wasn't sure he would ever be able to figure out if given a whole lifetime, let alone the one night that was left to her here on this earth.

 

So many thoughts racing in his head Inuyasha didn't know what to say to her. He took his trademark position, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, head turned slightly away. “Feh.”

 

Kagome smiled and shook her head at him. This was Inuyasha if nothing else. She crawled next to Inuyasha and sat next to him, propping her head against his shoulder and stifling a yawn reminding her how tired she still was from the drain on her energy. She had no sooner said “Goodnight” to the confused hanyou next to her than she was asleep.

 

Inuyasha looked down at the exhausted girl, carefully pulling his arm up from behind her back to drape loosely around her shoulder to keep her from slumping forward sometime during the night. She truly was a strange creature. “Goodnight, Kagome,” he whispered into her hair as he placed a mere whisper of a kiss on the crown of her head, then falling into his own light sleep.