InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Happy Place ❯ Taken ( Chapter 5 )

"When the daylight disappears,
when you're haunted, I'll be near
When the shadows come to call
when you're too scared to stand tall,
I can stand tall.
Dream and let your dreams go.
It's your turn to fly
as long as I'm standing by
you can close your eyes."
-- I Will Take Care of You, the Bangles, Doll Revolution 2003

His mother hummed his favourite lullabye as she rocked him. He let out a huge yawn and his eyes drooped. Sleepy. So sleepy. He snuggled closer to her, a big smile on his face, and he inhaled deeply. She had the sweetest scent.

"Night, Mother," he murmured as she planted a kiss on his forehead. He had just about fallen asleep when a new scent mingled in with his mother's. The scent of blood.

"Mother?" He opened his eyes then screamed. It wasn't his mother's face that he saw. Her eyes glowed red and she leered at him, spittle hitting him just below his eye.

"My boy," she hissed. He screamed . . .

--

Inuyasha tossed in his sleep. Nightmares often plagued him. If his mind didn't twist the events of his mother's death, it tormented him about losing his friends, especially Kagome. He did his best to take guard duty when they searched for the Shikon shards so he didn't have to deal with his mind's meanderings. But there were times, like now, where it couldn't be helped. He just wanted to rest, ease the weariness that had overtaken his body and his soul, and allowing the nightmares to devour him.

Something touched him lightly on his forehead, sending a light into the dark recesses of his mind. The image of his mother changed back to her former visage and the scent of blood faded. She cradled him close and continued to hum his favourite lullaby, as if nothing had ever happened.

'What happened? Where did that light come from?'

The questions hung at the edge of his mind before vanishing in a whisp of smoke. He looked up at his mother, her smile reassuring and comforting. No. He imagined it. His mother hadn't changed into some horrible monster, intent on eating him. He closed his eyes and snuggled close.

* * *

Sesshomaru gazed out the window as the sun began its descent in the east. The rain had stopped around midnight, the clouds clearing out. Jaken had already woke up and was feeding Uhn and Ah while Inuyasha and Rin still slept. He turned his gaze back to them. His brother had one arm wrapped protectively around the small girl. Sesshomaru tilted his head at the scene. He'd always known that his brother had a protective streak, especially over humans, but he never expected it to extend to his ward.

'My brother never ceases to amaze me. I almost hate to wake them up, they look so peaceful. Still, if he is to get to Edo safely, we must go.'

He shook his brother gently . . . only to have his arm swatted away. Sesshomaru growled lightly. His brother could be stubborn at times, mostly when it was inopportune. He shook Inuyasha again, rewarded with his brother's golden-amber eyes opening. Inuyasha pushed himself up into a sitting position then to his feet. Sesshomaru moved to wake Rin up but his brother interceded by picking the child up.

'And how he does expect to carry her when he can't even see?' Sesshomaru mused with a light smirk. His brother stood before him, waiting as patiently as he could. Sesshomaru nodded slightly then grasped Inuyasha's shoulder. He took a couple of steps. The hanyou followed tentatively, one foot in front of the other. They had just gotten outside and placed Rin on Uhn and Ah's back when a light breeze picked up, bringing with it the scent of Inuyasha's traveling companions.

'Maybe I don't need to take to him to Edo after all.'

He couldn't explain why but Sesshomaru felt saddened by this prospect. Though it had only been a day since he'd come across Inuyasha, he felt protective of his brother, more so now that he knew Inuyasha had been placed under a spell.

'The spell . . . perhaps I should stick around. That would be the best way to find out who did this and why.'

Before his brother could take off in the direction of his companions, Sesshomaru lifted him onto the two-headed dragon's back and proceeded to walk.

* * *

"My lord, they are on the move . . ."

"Proceed with the next part."

* * *

For a brief moment, he'd felt happiness. It had been an indescribable feeling. Falling would have been an appropriate word, he supposed. Her scent had been on the air, coming towards him. She had been concerned about him but that had been something he'd come to expect from Kagome. What he hadn't expected had been the vibrancy of the colours . . . and the sounds he heard when he thought of her and his friends.

'I can see everything clearly now,' he thought to himself as he embraced the girl from the future. The embrace didn't last long. A gust of wind separated him from Kagome, sending him flying backwards.

At first, he thought it to be Kagura, Naraku's wind sorceress. She was the only one, other than Miroku, that he knew that could muster strong gusts of winds. But the thought vanished completely as a clawed foot grabbed him by the waist and carried him off.